Distraction

When Kuro's deduction has ended, the cube-like space was still traveling to somewhere he don't know. So he decided to make a plan.

"My failure condition: Someone who's related to me, dies—that include Nagisa—also the girls in the tree house. The target can change anytime to Ayame, Okayu and Korone, if he figured out that I know about him."

"As an reincarnator or those who manipulate time whatsoever, if he knew that I knows about him, he possibly have any sorts of technique to search my relations. Although he is more likely to target for my life, just in case."

"Although I am not the one to talk about that considering I am the weakest among the persons I know."

"As for my victory condition: that is to make him lose his will to target for either Matsuri or Hanabi's life. At worst case, I, i… i have to…. kill… him…"

The thought of killing someone, taking someone's life, erasing their future, halting their destiny. Everything made Kuro stressful, as well, scared.

Even now, amongst the immense hatred within him, there's still a hope that both of them could understand with each other, even if the chances was slim, he wanted both him and the opponent to resolves the problem with both of them ending in happiness.

Kuro knew that it was the dumbest, childish ideal—and that he is too sweet for an opponent who tried to ruin other person's life and make them experiences his past tragic—

But, still…

From the side, Maou who was silently looking at Kuro mutters to himself and made a troubled expression, interrupt him. "We have arrived."

"Alright. Thanks for the ride." Kuro coldly smiled to Maou, which was hidden because of the black coating him.

Meanwhile, Maou still had the time to be joking. "Are you okay going alone? Do you want me to go with you? Are you fine with talking a stranger?"

Black laughed coldly. "Hmph, I am not your children or something."

But, in contrast of the cold expression he was making, his word was rather warm. "Thank you for being there."

It's just a faint sound that'd be easily erased by the wheeze of air, but it was clearly there. "thank you for helping me out."

Maou just laughed it off and whispered to himself. "Haha, you should study not just a way to express your stress, but also a way to express your feeling more clearly."

Like that, Maou just disappeared from the place.

'ah… I forgot to ask him… whether if the person I am about to meet is dangerous…

-----

It was a forest. Rather than the forest similar to what Kuro stayed in, it was more deeper, and the sky was covered by the trees, making only some portions of life to travel.

'Judging from the direction Maou flew out from Reign Empire, there shouldn't be anything but trees here.'

'Could it be some newly made town that it isn't written at world map yet, or well-hidden house that it couldn't be discovered by traveler?'

'Judging from the location (deep the forest), it shouldn't be mechanical type of formidable person, but either assassin, ninja, or witch.'

'Ah, bingo.'

Kuro who was travelling while moving the thorns while damaging his hand, finally found a house. House that didn't seem too big nor too small.

'Sin's Hut?'

Kuro knocked the wooden door once but as there was no responds from the inside, he went ahead and opened the door.

Suddenly, the house seemed to expanded infinitely, and another door was there, with a sign written as: Be not distracted and walk forward.

As Kuro wasn't willing to Saw Character this one (not listening to the instructions and playing with their life).

He opened the door.

At the same time, the space expanded once again and a long hallway which spans to 50 meter appeared.

Aside from the hallway, there was a carpet, on the left, a sign.

Kuro just moved his pupils a bit to look at the sign before moving… and an intense pain came to him, his left eyes was ruined.

Ignoring the damage and attack directed toward his mentality, he walked forward.

Out of nothing, a throwing knife came flying toward Kuro, at the speed slow enough for human to react. If Kuro didn't dodge this, the knife will stab his right eyes, meaning full lose of his sight.

Kuro kept walking forward at the same time, he also tested something—rather, he played with his life.

Kuro extended his left hand to left. Without further ado, the knife passed his face as if it wasn't an object to begin with, and the left hand which he extended, was left with hole.

Kuro, no, 17's habit as a gamer appeared at the worst time. He was the type of person to quick save before killing himself to figure out how he would die in game.

40m until the other sides of hallway.

Another object appeared out of nothingness in the space. This time, rather than an dangerous objection, it was an objection that will potentially increases emotion that will make human dumber: greed.

It was also the type of item that are Kuro's preferences: Elixir.

An elixir the type that increases your stats point for no side effect. More miraculously, there were a mountain of elixir.

Kuro gripped his hand and kept walking forward as he knew that strength isn't something as easy to attain in this world, compared to the games.

The room vanished in the air.

30 meters away.

Out of nothing a transparent room was made. There were 3 peoples.

One was Kuro but someone else. There other two was grown man and woman. Beside the glass that made the room transparent, there was a door. Kuro calmly watched the scene as he slowly walked.

For some reason, he can't really run inside this room. This feeling was more uncomfortable than when he first emptied his mana and fall unconscious. Falling unconscious was maybe the first distraction emitted from this room.

The two grown adult entered inside the children's room which was filled with a bunches of trophies—the trophies that lost it glimmers—

"Kuro, we're thinking about going to vacation trip now that we finally got an holiday. No lying this time! Want to go with us?"

The boy shrugged as he looked away. "Not going. Mom and dad can have fun theirselves."

His attitude was those who lost his trust and never hoped so that the despair won't be born to begin with. The saying: the bigger the hope the bigger the despair. If there was no hope to begin with, there'd be no despair.

"Oh, really? Then what do you want as souvenir?" The woman said rather lightly.

"You can choose them."

But the two will never come back. At least to the place he is in. That was the spoiler of this story. As for how he knew? Kuro have no idea.

At the same time, strong desire came from inside him to open the door and stop the two.

"Shut up. Even you should know that this is nothing but an illusion." Kuro moved his heavy feet forward spending all his efforts.

"…" Silence continued as a beads of sweat started dropping from Kuro.

"Yeah I don't know your feeling because I had nothing to begin with. But that doesn't mean that I have to listen to you. Your life has already ended. Even if I was you, the current me is me. Not the you who have ended. So… so please shut the fuck up and don't sabotage this whole thing…"

"…"

When he noticed it, Kuro have already moved 10m forwards and he was only 20 meters away from the other size.

"Kuro."

a sweet voice sounded from his behind. The voice that he wanted to call him for the past day, but couldn't because he was afraid.

The source of voice was also from the person who caused him his first regret he had in this life.

"I missed you, Kuro…"

Kuro stepped forward. 'I missed you too, Ayame…'

An arms came extending from behind almost embracing him, but before he even moved his hand to feel her warmth, the arms passed through his body.

10 meters.