Hayato slowly reopened his eyes. This time he had expected what came.
'As I thought, another sight. An entirely different place', he sighed. 'Fortunately, I have nothing on my stomach to throw out again.'
Now that the surprise and shock were gone, he was just tired of not having any sort of clues about what was happening to him.
He was lying on the ground of an alley, but it was not the same as he had been before. It was in another part of that city.
Instead of trying to get himself into trouble again, he just changed to a sitting position and rested his back against the walls of that narrow and humid alley while waiting for his sickness to go away. Another sigh left his mouth unwillingly.
Now, his memories slowly reappeared in his mind, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He remembered everything that happened the previous day, from the beating he got in the morning to the...
"Felix..." he muttered as he remembered the dead body of his cat lying in the kitchen. That image would never leave his head anymore. It was like a reminder, a reminder of how weak he was. It had the same meaning as the scar on his face or the new one on his left hand.
Bad things happened when one was weak. Bad things would continue to happen if they didn't pursue strength. That was how the world worked. Unfortunately for Hayato, he accepted that truth too late, and now look what happened...
'Hm... the burn mark on my hand is still fresh. I can feel the same pain I was feeling on my way home after school. It looks like everything happened just a few seconds ago. I still have the sensation of standing in the middle of that kitchen, looking Trevor deep in the eyes, and about to do... anything with him. I think I would have killed him if not for...'
He still struggled to remember the last piece of all the previous events. It was like the most important part was missing, hidden by a smokescreen that slowly faded.
After a few minutes, the sphere popped up in his mind. That blue, strange sphere that changed everything. Hayato didn't need to be a genius to associate the sudden appearance of that sphere in the kitchen with the following events.
"But, if that's how it is, what did that sphere do, exactly? That's still a mystery..." Hayato scratched the back of his head.
He thought about that matter for a while, but then a sarcastic giggle left his mouth and he shook his head. His giggling face became a dejected and spiteful one from a second to another, though.
'Who am I kidding here? Deep down I know that there is only one thing I wanna think about, and it is not about where I am or what really happened. Right now, I want to find that bastard and kill him.'
Hayato was worried about his situation, but this was another matter that he couldn't help himself but focus entirely on. Regardless of his position, he needed to finish what he started on that night.
'I feel like, if I never confront them again, I will not be entirely free from my previous self. My weakest side will die together with them when I am done.'
The image of the sphere got replaced by the sight of his dead cat, the crimson blood staining its pure white fur.
'But...'
He needed to admit something. Another image threatened to haunt him for a long while. The fury inside his heart wouldn't be enough to settle the fears installed in his mind.
'Every time I think about getting vengeance or trying to get stronger... I see him.'
He was alone in that alley. He was all alone. He could hear people talking in the distance, the strange machines of that world releasing steam as their gears creaked, and the sound of hurried steps. However, he was isolated from the rush of that city, sinking into the awkward silence of the humid alley.
Moreover, in the distance, hiding in the shadows, he saw Trevor. Every time he faced darkness, his mind would trick him into thinking that his worst nightmare hid there, waiting for him. He could still hear the sound of the blood dripping from the knife and Trevor's slow and intimidating steps.
'What will you do, Hayato?' his horse voice sounded. 'I am still the one who holds the knife here.'
The smile on his face, one of genuine happiness, made Hayato's heartthrob.
A strong step sounded, followed by someone shouting.
When Hayato realized, he was covering his face with both hands, crouched on the ground like a defenseless baby. His body shivered in despair.
He blinked several times, recovering from his daze.
'What the hell is happening to me?' he held his head with both hands, squeezing it as strongly as he could to get rid of his strong headache.
He risked another glance at the darkness of the alley, but this time he couldn't see anything.
'Kill him, huh?' he gritted his teeth, disappointed. 'I wonder how long will it take?'
The sound of heavy steps sounded once again. This time, he could discern what the man shouting was saying. Before, immerse in his own thoughts and ravings, he thought that his delusions were turning into reality to haunt him. But now that his mind was clear again, he realized that he never heard the owner of that voice before.
"This unity goes in that direction, I will lead the others to the south! The third unit can spread around and ask the citizens! Hurry up before it's too late!"
Hayato recognized the authority behind that man's voice. He couldn't see him as he didn't have the slightest sight of the streets, the alley was too long. However, just his voice made it clear that he was someone powerful.
'I think that it means a problem. I didn't do anything until now, so it has nothing to do with me. But, anyway, I don't want to have the slightest chance to get in trouble. Better go away.'
Hayato turned away from the direction the voice was coming, walking in a hurry across the dark alley.
When he left, he found himself in a street way calmer than the one he had previously seen. Now, several lamposts were lined up along the way, illuminating the place. It eased his heartbeat. His breathing became softer and his hands didn't tremble anymore.
'These lamposts are strange... Ah! They are chochin. I remember my father talking about them. You can see these at festivals or in traditional areas of Japan or China.'
Whichever direction he chose to look at, he would see the same type of illumination. The architecture didn't change in the least, too.
'It's like I time-traveled to the feudal era of Japan... Hmm, a steam-punk feudal era, I guess', he corrected himself as he saw a flying machine crossing the skies and releasing a gray smoke along with a steam cloud.
'Anyhow, where do I go now?'
Once that question popped up in his mind, his stomach growled.
'It's been a while since the last time I ate something, right? Besides, I just threw up. I guess I should go grab something to fill my stomach. But, is the money I have with me worth something in this place?'
He searched in his pocket. He had seven fifty-cent coins and four one-dollar bills.
'That should be enough, I hope.'
He walked in a random direction. The street was slightly sloping, so he chose to go down rather than walk up.
'People's vestments are really antique. I see women using only dresses. No skirts, shorts, or anything like that. The clothing is quite simple, too. No colors in my sight, only plain white, beige, or brown. The same goes for men.
'Also... for some reason, most of them are wearing theatre masks. Plain theatre masks. No expression, all white. Some of them are less plain than others, though. Why do they do it?'
There was a lot of new information in his field of view. Hayato slowly accepted that he was not in his original world anymore. It was somewhere similar, but certainly not the same place.
Finally, he stood in front of an establishment that was very familiar. Thankfully for him, the language those people used was traditional Japanese, so he could understand most of it.
'The food seems to be similar, too. I am 100% sure that this sign says ramen and udon. Another place down this street seems to be a sushi restaurant, but I don't have the energy to walk all the way there. I better settle with this.'
"Hm, excuse me", he bowed as he entered. The small establishment only consisted of a wide counter that served as a table for the customers as well, a small kitchen behind it, and a line of round chairs in front.
'I and my father used to visit a place very similar quite often. Brings back memories.'
"Don't worry. Just sit and order", the owner and cook of the ramen place simply said. He wasn't worried about etiquette, apparently. He was very skinny, his apron was quite dirty. He was also wearing a mask. A plain one.
'Why do all cooks treat me like this?'
"One ramen, please. The one people order the most", Hayato was not in the mood to try to decipher what was written on the menu nailed to the wall.
He learned how to speak and read Japanese with his father, but he was not fluent yet. Many things he had forgotten since they stopped practicing a long time ago.
"All of them are ordered the same, I guess. I will just make the cheapest one since you don't look like having much money with you."
"Go ahead."
'Yeah, all cooks might hate me or something.'