Once a swordsman's core is shattered, it is as if their very life has been snuffed out. For a while, Ikki Kurogane likely won't even be able to grip a hilt.

  However, a broken spirit isn't beyond repair. If he can overcome this trial and crawl back from the edge of colpse, he might experience growth beyond imagination. Haruki looked forward to seeing him stronger, but he himself would never stop; he would continue to outpace every warrior until he stood alone at the summit of the Way of the Sword.

  After saying his goodbyes to Stel and Ikki, Haruki turned to Shizuku Kurogane.

  The girl's heart was currently a chaotic storm. She had just been basking in the joy of Haruki's victory, ready to celebrate, only to be met with a final departure.

  After a long silence, she managed to speak. "Can I go with you... to the mainnd, Haruki?"

  "No." Haruki shook his head firmly.

  He wasn't simply traveling to another country; he was leaving this reality. It was a force beyond his control.

  "..."

  With her final plea rejected, Shizuku's expression turned bitter. She lowered her head, fighting back tears and grief. When she finally looked up, she forced a familiar smile. "I see... Then I'll wait for you. I'll wait as long as it takes!"

  "I will return."

  Haruki made a rare promise. Usually, he avoided making oaths, because once he gave his word, he would fulfill it at any cost. This was a vow—a promise to find his way back to this world. Whether the system allowed it or not, he would find the method to cross dimensions on his own.

  "Yes!" Hearing his response, a genuine smile finally broke across Shizuku's face.

  Haruki turned away. He had arrived with nothing, and he left with nothing. However, unlike his arrival, where no one noticed him, a massive crowd had gathered to see him off: Chairperson Kurono Shinguji, Nene Saikyo, President Tohka Todo, and hundreds of students.

  Some knew him well, some only knew the legend. But all were shaken by his strength and saddened by his sudden departure. Haruki offered a simple wave and walked into the shadows of a nearby alley.

  A sudden, irresistible force pulled at his soul, dragging him out of this dimension and through the void.

  "This is..."

  When his vision cleared, Haruki found himself back in his familiar apartment. He checked the time; only about a day had passed since he left.

  Time flow differs between worlds, he realized.

  A spark of hope ignited in him. If the time dition was this significant, he truly might be able to return for the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

  He walked into the living room and found a note from Sakiko Toyokawa. She seemed busy with something tely and was rarely home. Haruki didn't pry into his maid's personal life; as long as she was safe, it didn't matter.

  He colpsed onto his bed, letting his consciousness sink into a deep sleep. Even for him, the journey and the final csh with Ikki had been mentally and physically draining. He needed a total bckout to recover.

  "Miko, Kyousuke, don't stay up too te tonight," Miko's mother, Toko, said before heading to bed.

  "We won't," Miko and her brother, Kyousuke, replied in unison as they sat in front of the TV watching a popur horror special.

  "Spirit Photography: 100 Consecutive Shots! Alright, look at this next one," the host said mysteriously, holding up a grainy, dark photo. "This was taken by a campfire at a river. A happy camping memory. At first gnce, it looks normal, but do you see it? Look... right there... inside the tent—"

  "KYAAAAA!" A high-pitched scream erupted from the TV.

  On the screen, a grotesque, skull-like face manifested in the background of the photo.

  "Hahaha, that's so obviously edited," Kyousuke ughed, leaning back. "It's because they treat the audience like idiots that TV ratings are tanking, right Sis?"

  "Y-Yeah... I guess..." Miko replied, her voice stiff and robotic.

  In her eyes, the TV screen didn't show an edited skull. It showed a real, shimmering ghost crawling across the broadcast, its fingers cwing at the gss as if trying to pull itself into their living room.

  The horror was too much. Miko stood up abruptly. "I-I'm going out to buy a drink."

  "So sudden?"

  "I'm... thirsty." Miko gave a flimsy excuse.

  Kyousuke didn't suspect a thing. "In that case, grab me a Coke."

  "Sure."

  Miko nodded and bolted from the room. She walked down the nighttime streets, the sound of crows echoing overhead. Usually, a night walk didn't bother her, but now every shadow felt like an ambush. She regretted leaving her brother; at least with him, she wasn't "alone" in the dark.

  But Kyousuke couldn't see them. He couldn't help her carry the weight of this terrifying new world. In the entire city, only one person could—that annoying sword maniac. But Miko hated the idea of relying on him.

  She reached a vending machine and pulled out her wallet. What should I get?

  "It's cold... I'll get some red bean soup. I'll get the same for Kyousuke; soda isn't good for him anyway."

  As she tried to insert the coin, it slipped from her trembling fingers and rolled under the vending machine. She knelt down to find it and saw a tiny, weak-looking spirit squatting in the gap. It was so small and pathetic that it didn't even trigger her fear response.

  "There are mini-ghosts too? It's... almost cute?"

  She watched the tiny spirit scurry out from under the machine and down a side path. A surge of curiosity overcame her. She followed it around a corner, murmuring, "Oops, my coin rolled over there..."

  But the moment she turned the corner, she saw the tiny ghost—and the monster standing over it.

  It was a nightmare. The creature had two heads and two massive, gnarled arms. One head looked like a rotting boar with a tongue so long it grazed the pavement; the other head had glowing red eyes that radiated a sickly, supernatural light.

  Vrummm—

  The monster slowly raised its head toward Miko.

  In that single motion, Miko's breath hitched. Her pupils dited, and her heart hammered so hard she thought it would burst. She realized she had made a catastrophic mistake.

  W-W-Why did I follow it?! Miko screamed internally. Forget the coin! Just run!

  But her legs were lead. She forced her feet to move, but they only trembled. She tried to reach for her coin, hoping to look like a normal person who didn't see anything.

  As her hand hovered near the coin, the monster smmed its hand down next to her, like a cat cornering a mouse. The pressure was immense. She couldn't move. If she picked up the coin, would it realize she saw it? If she didn't, would she look suspicious?

  What do I do?! What do I do?!

  The monster opened its boar-mouth and exhaled a cloud of putrid, bck mist directly into her face. The smell was so foul Miko nearly gagged. Tears began to stream down her face from the sheer psychological weight of it.

  Just as she hit her breaking point, a shadow flickered at the other end of the alley.

  CRACK!

  The sound of a clear, ringing strike echoed through the narrow space. A crescent arc of light—white like the moon—cut through the darkness.

  Before Miko could register what happened, the monster was cleaved in two.

  As the moonlight revealed the figure standing there, Miko froze.

  "Ha-Haruki?"

  Haruki Aizawa stood there like a hero from a storybook, his bde still humming with energy. Seeing him, a wave of relief so powerful it was almost physical washed over Miko. She finally let the tears flow freely. At this moment, she didn't care how annoying he was. She was just grateful to be alive.

  However, her gratitude hit a snag a second ter.

  Haruki sheathed his bde and only then looked down at the bck-haired girl. He looked genuinely surprised.

  "Oh... Miko? Since when were you here?"

  "..."

  Miko stared at him, her mouth agape. He hadn't even noticed her. He had only seen the ghost.

  This guy... I really do hate him!

  The next day at Sobu High.

  Haruki Aizawa arrived at the Service Club room. After his journey through the world of Bzers, the mundane cssroom felt incredibly small.

  Sitting in the room were the usual suspects: Yukino Yukinoshita, reading her book in perfect silence, and Hachiman Hikigaya, staring out the window with his characteristic look of existential dread.

  The atmosphere was exactly as he'd left it—socially awkward and utterly stagnant.

  Haruki sat down at his usual spot. He didn't speak; he simply closed his eyes and began to meditate, checking the state of the Murderous Resonance he had unlocked during his fight with Ikki.

  "You're back," Yukino said, her voice cutting through the silence. She didn't look up from her book. "Hiratsuka-sensei said you had family business to attend to. I assume it was resolved?"

  "Something like that," Haruki replied vaguely.

  "You look different," Hachiman muttered, finally turning his head. His "Rotten Eyes" were surprisingly perceptive. "You look like you just came back from a war zone. Did your family business involve a coup d'état?"

  Haruki opened one eye. "Just some intense training. And you, Hikigaya? Any progress on your 'loner' quest?"

  "Please, don't lump me in with your training arc," Hachiman sighed. "I've been perfectly busy doing absolutely nothing. It's a very demanding lifestyle."

  As they bickered, Haruki noticed a change in the room's energy. Or rather, he noticed what was missing.

  Ever since he'd absorbed the Ghost Qi from the boar-monster the night before, his Spectral Sight had sharpened. He looked around the clubroom.

  Usually, even in a "peaceful" school, minor spirits lingered in the corners. But here, in the Service Club, the air was eerily clean.

  Is it Yukino? Or Hikigaya? Haruki wondered. Something about this club acts as a natural ward against the supernatural.

  Just as he was about to investigate further, the door slid open. Shizuka Hiratsuka walked in, looking energized.

  "Alright, you three! Enough moping. We finally have a request!"

  ***********************************************

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