〔This moment takes place at the same time as Chapter 1〕
On a cold night, the glow of the moonlight illuminated a huge pool. Floating on the water, a girl with pink hair lay still, her blue eyes reflecting the silvery light above.
-Sakura Kanami.
Sakura closed her eyes and sank into the water. The cold engulfed her entire body and as she closed her eyes, her mind began to flood with memories.
She saw herself in another time, another place—a younger version of herself, just stepping into adolescence. She was in a luxurious room with another girl with the same hair color as her. Despite this, their looks were blurred enough to a level that it wasn't possible to tell which of them was who.
Broken words, distorted voices. Gradually, the atmosphere began to break down.
Then—one sudden push.
The sound of glass breaking echoed through the room. Two hands, once apart, reached for each other in desperation but failed to connect.
After a few seconds, a thud sounded, along with the desperate cry of a child crying out for his sister.
-
"Is this really how you want it to end?"
Sakura suddenly jumped out of the pool.
*cough* *cough*
She clutched her chest, her breath ragged, her body trembling from more than just the cold.
Had she imagined that voice? She looked around, but there was no one. Just the quiet rippling of the pool beneath her.
Except...
"A… cat?!" Sakura looked at the cat staring at her. Somehow, she felt as if the cat could understand her.
The cat walked to the door and through it, entering the house.
"Am I going mad?!" Sakura came out of the pool with a dumbfounded expression. She thought that maybe she had already died and was in the afterlife and the cat was guiding her to hell, but the sound of her family talking in the kitchen entered her ears.
She didn't hesitate and went after the cat.
-
After entering the house and walking through the rooms, she inevitably passed the kitchen, where she saw her parents and older sister talking to someone on the phone.
"My daughter, how's your trip going? I hear you've managed to expand your following even further." The man seated at the head of the table spoke without looking up from his phone. Ryusei Kanami, her father.
"Ah, yes. It's no big deal. I just did a few shows." The female voice on the phone replied.
"Don't be modest, you and your sister are the pride of our family." Victoria Kanami, her mother, spoke with effortless grace.
"Anyway. How's your condition?" Another woman spoke up. This woman looked like Sakura, only more mature. Naomi Kanami, Sakura's older sister.
She quickly tried to change the subject when she heard her mother speak.
When she looked up, she noticed Sakura standing in the doorway. "Oh, Sakura. Sit down, let's have dinner together."
"Sorry, Onee-san. I'm not hungry." Sakura dismissed her older sister as she lowered her head and tried to get out.
Naomi squeezed her eyes shut with a trace of sadness crossing her face.
Just then, the voice on the phone spoke again: "Is Sakura there? "
"Sakura, your sister wants to talk to you. Come here," Ryusei spoke with a neutral expression.
"Sorry, Dad. I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to my room." Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried upstairs.
At the same moment, she saw the cat in the hallway, heading towards her room.
After leaving the kitchen, the place was silent for a moment. Naomi looked at her parents, clenched her fists, and left the table.
Ryusei watched her go, his expression unreadable.
-
[1st person]
I searched every corner of my room, but the cat was gone.
Maybe I really was hallucinating.
I sat on the bed, thinking about everything that had happened up to this point in my life.
I needed to clear my mind. And for that, there was only one thing I could do: painting.
I sat at my easel, dipping my brush into the blue paint, mixing the colors with slow, methodical strokes.
On the canvas, I had painted giant islands floating above the clouds. Mystical creatures soared through the sky, stars illuminating the endless expanse.
I let myself get lost in it. Minutes passed, maybe hours.
Painting calms my turbulent feelings, but this time... it wasn't working.
"Aahh!" In frustration, I grabbed the canvas and hurled it against the wall. Paint splattered across the floor, blue streaks staining the wooden surface.
My father's conversation with my sister began to flash through my mind as I clenched my fists in anger.
"Girl, it will be hard for you to clean up this mess afterward."
A strange, deep male voice cut through the silence, making me jump. And there, at my window, a young man was sitting and staring at me.
Those silver eyes were as mesmerizing as the moonlight, but frightening at the same time.
"W-What?! Who are you?! How could you try to rob the Kanami family home? You're dead!" I said in despair as I backed up to the door.
"There's no need to be so scared. My name is Yato Mugenkami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura Kanami."
I took a step back, but before I could react, his voice came again—this time, right behind me.
'When did he get here?!'
I moved away towards the window. Fear washed over me.
"Do you want to throw yourself out of the window or something? Come on, I don't look that scary. I'm here to make you an offer."
"What do you want?" My voice wavered slightly.
"I know you love stories, so I don't need to explain much. I'll get straight to the point. My offer is for you to become a Trailblazer."
...
-
After Yato Mugenkami explained his objective, a strange look crossed my face.
"Are you telling me that there are beings with superpowers in the universe and that I can get them by climbing a supposed Tower? Do you think I'm an idiot to believe that?"
I wanted to believe it, but that's crazy.
"I didn't expect you to believe it so easily, anyway."
Yato stood up and walked to one end of the room. That's where I threw the painting. And then, after that, I saw something that made me suspect I was going mad.
The spilled paint lifted from the floor, returning to its containers. Yato picked up my canvas, running a hand over it.
"It's beautiful art. You have a talent for these things." He ran his hand over the painting and then suddenly it seemed to come to life.
The atmosphere began to change, and the next thing I knew, I was no longer in my room.
"What the hell is that?" I was incredulous as I looked at my surroundings. The creatures painted in the picture, the sky, the grass, and everything else have become... real?
"For those who possess power, the distinction between the Real and the Not Real is only what they believe."
While I was still recovering from the shock, I felt that my body was no longer on the ground.
A deafening roar shattered the silence, and as I looked down, I saw massive scales and powerful wings beneath me—I was atop a creature that could be a dragon.
"AAHHH!"
I screamed in despair as I looked down at the islands that were already hundreds of meters below me.
As I looked up at the fiery hues of the setting sun, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, my fear began to dissipate.
'It doesn't look so bad...'
As time passed, I calmed down. I lay on the back of this giant creature as I enjoyed the view.
'Is this really real?'
I had painted this world. Every stroke of my brush had crafted these skies, these islands, these creatures. But now, it wasn't just a picture on a canvas. It was alive.
"If you wish it were." Suddenly Yato appeared beside me. "If reality is dictated by perception, then tell me—what makes this any less real than the world you come from?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words never came.
"What are you? A divine being or something?" I asked as I looked at the silver-eyed young man.
"People call me many things, but it doesn't matter. No one will ever be able to define 'me'. I'm just 'me'. Anyway, do you believe me now?" Yato asked with a smile, as if he already knew the answer.
"Yeh...I think so." I replied as I looked at the view.
The world I had created through that painting. I conveyed my feelings through that brush. And now, all of that has passed into the real world. It really is... magical!
After several minutes of admiring the breathtaking vista, the vibrant colors faded as the world dissolved, and I found myself back in my room. The painting and the paints were no longer on the floor, indicating that it wasn't a hallucination in my head.
"You have a limited time to accept the deal. Think it over." Yato said and turned around, about to leave.
"Wait. Answer me one question first. With this power, can I heal a person?" I asked as I walked over to the table.
"Yes," Yato replied and disappeared.
On the table, I saw a picture of three girls together, still children; on a ship. The girl in the middle had a hat on her head that read "captain". The other two girls stood next to her, smiling.
"I wish we could relive that moment forever."
-
-
-
"Do you think she'll accept, Master?" Yerin appeared next to Yato in the sky.
"Of course she will," Yato replied with a smile. "You were like that too, don't you remember? A girl full of 'impossible' dreams."
"Master... that was a long time ago," Yerin replied a little embarrassed. Memories of the past came to mind.
"And you're still the same? You and the others, pursuing 'unattainable' dreams and ambitions. But that's what drives the world. And I like to see how far you're willing to go for them." Yato spoke and looked up at the stars.
Yerin rolled her eyes, then reached out, running her fingers through his silver hair.
"You may have countless titles, Master," Yerin murmured. "But to me, only one matters."
Then, in a blink, she transformed back into a cat, curling up on his shoulder.
"How cute you are, my little one."