"Aki!!!" With a loud yet heart-wrenching cry for someone he cares about and loves, Haru abruptly lifted his body.
However, he realized that he wasn't in the place he thought he would be.
'What? Where--!?' Haru's mind raced with confusion as his eyes widened in shock, realizing that he was in an unfamiliar place.
There was no football field where he was previously dying, no Akio's psychotic laugh in the air and no presence of encased Aki, nothing like he thought was there. Instead he found himself in an eerie, otherworldly realm where the boundaries between sky and water blurred into an infinite expanse of mysterious beauty.
Above, a surreal sky unfolded, devoid of anything. Instead of stars, sun, or moon, an expanse of pure white stretched infinitely.
Beneath him stretched a vast, inky-black water body, its surface so dark that it seemed to absorb all light. Astonishingly, despite the unknown depth below, Haru's body floated weightlessly, untouched by the dark depths.
As his gaze wandered in every direction, there was no sight of land or any discernible form—only the endless, mysterious water that laid still beneath him.
"Ha-ha.... Am... I dead? Hahaha..." Haru questioned himself with a self-loathing chuckle as he understood his situation and remembered how he lost consciousness after being betrayed and stabbed by his very own friend.
"You pathetic... piece of shit!!!" His heart sank like a stone as he collapsed onto the surface of the water, his gaze fixed on his tear-streaked reflection. In a desperate cry, he lamented as the anguish in his voice echoed in the emptiness around him, "Again... Again... and again!!! Why couldn't you protect her!!! WHY!!??"
Suddenly, as his cries were echoing and was in the depths of his anguish, a familiar yet mature voice reached his ears, delivering a harsh truth, "You were weak and put your trust in the wrong person. But don't worry, you're not dead yet."
"!!" As the sound of the familiar voice struck Haru, it triggered a surge of anger. He clenched his fists and bit his lips, wiping away tears and turned towards the mysterious source of the sound where his eyes locked onto an otherworldly woman seated gracefully upon an imposing black throne.
The woman looked mature and royal, and looked very beautiful as she wore black royal clothes that matched the surroundings well. She had an elegant and noble presence, giving off a mysterious vibe as her golden-blond hair flowed down to her waist, framing her captivating features. However, half of her face was hidden behind a white fog, adding an element of intrigue and mystery. (A/N: Image in paragraph comments)
Despite the obscured features, a grin-like smile played upon her lips as Haru's gaze settled upon her.
The grin never left her face as the woman called out to him, "Hello, my stupid host."
"Mimi," Haru mumbled, instantly recognizing her even though it was their first meeting. The voice, the way she spoke, the touch of pride – everything matched what he knew about her.
"What? Left without words after witnessing my spectacular appearance for the first time?" she asked with a grin.
But Haru didn't respond; he just stared at her as his eyes turned hollow, his mind filled with many thoughts.
"No reply? How boring. That's kind of sad. I was expecting a huge surprise from your side considering this is our first time meeting face to face." Seeing the cold anger and hint of hollowness within Haru's dull eyes increase, Mimi continued, "Well, considering what you just went through, I guess it should be obvious how our first meeting would go."
Haru drew in a deep breath, steadying his emotions, and inquired while surveying his surroundings, "You mentioned that I'm not dead yet... Why, and where exactly are we?"
"This is a place deep within your mind, and we call it the Realm of Consciousness. Not many Low-Rankers can go into their realm of consciousness, but since you fell into a coma right after your HP fell to 1, you came here on your own. Fun fact – a few hours here would be a second in the real world." she asked with a smile, "Now, you don't have to worry about your Aki while being here. Amazing, isn't it?"
"Is that so? But since it's my realm of consciousness, then what are you doing here?" Haru's expression remained hollow as he questioned her.
"My, my, my. How rude. I didn't think you would be a stingy person." Instead of replying straightforward, Mimi chuckled and dodged his intended question.
It was then Haru finally asked something which he wanted to know the most ever since she spoke to him, or rather ever since his System turned from the normal blue to Golden color, "At least tell me, what is your goal with me?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Despite her showcasing herself as clueless of Haru's question, the grin on her face never left.
Seeing her acting ignorant, anger swept over Haru as he asked, "Why did you give me that class? And, who the hell are you?"
"'Why'? Because you needed it? And did I not tell you my name already? You even shortened it to just Mimi."
"Don't joke around!" Finally, Haru snapped and shouted as he asked, "Who are you!? Why the hell do you look similar to Miami and talk the way she used to? Why!?"
Even though he couldn't see her face, Haru was convinced that beneath the veiling fog, she would resemble a more mature version of Miami. But he was certain that she was not Miami because he knew he had killed her, his good friend, with his own hands.
Instead of replying straight, Mimi gave out a soft laugh as she asked, "Why do you think like that? I am me and always have been me. Besides, does it even matter now?"
"You!!... Hah... Yeah... you are right." Haru gave out a mocking chuckle that was aimed at his own self and said, "It doesn't matter now... nothing does..."
"What's with your response? Why aren't you asking for more answers? Don't you want to know the truth?" Mimi sounded a bit disappointed as she said that.
"Truth? The same truth that you are the same as that devil which Akio had contracted and how you have been trying to manipulate me right from the start?"
"Haha~ What do you mean by that?"
"Don't lie to me. You had the goal right from the start with me, and when Aki was infected, it was then when you took your chance and offered me that class, right?"
"How mean~ I can't believe you are sidestepping all my efforts for you." Despite his words, the grin never left Mimi's face as she asked, "Anyways, does that mean you don't want my help anymore?"
"Hah... help from you?"
"Exactly, I can help you and save Aki, if you want." She said with a sly grin on her face.
"And in return, I form a 'contract' with you?" Haru asked as he gave a small sarcastic chuckle.
"Bingo!" Mimi nodded happily and said, "You can't expect everything for free, right? Right?"
But opposite to her emotion, Haru felt anger rising within him as he asked, "You expect me to trust you? After what I just went through? Again to be betrayed later?"
"My dear stupid." A sly yet devilish smile came over her face again as she asked, "Wasn't it you who agreed to my help earlier and thought nothing would matter if it was to save Aki?"