I HAD TO DIE TO SURVIVE「 End of Start 」

ADAPERTIO | EPISODE 05

~Warnings for this Episode -> Implications of starvation & dehydration

Please proceed with caution.
(Tip! Dialogues are crucial.)

「 Who are you ? 」

If I'm being honest, I couldn't help but pity him. It is true that we have the same face—but that doesn't mean we are the same. Heck, we aren't even blood related! However, I really did feel a connection between us, it's like a mirror. If he has done something stupid, then I may have done something even stupider than him.

But who am I to assume? We are just strangers; pathetic strangers who had unknowingly partake in the dragon god's dumb game.

The same fucker who took my sister's soul.

It's strange, to think that there is another you existing on this planet. I can only see him in my dreams, and actually—he might be the weirdest guy that I've encountered in my life! Though I would still give the "weirdo" title to Seito, that guy comes in second. We'd talk, and he would always ask questions; basic questions. Like what I did today, what I wear, what I've eaten—all that boring stuff. Overall he wasn't that bad. He creeped me out, but a part of me felt sorry for him. I don't know why, but I know for sure that it will remain a mystery.

I can hardly see him in my dreams recently, I had a feeling it was the side-effects from the tea that Nichiteru prepared for me.

I despised that man more than anything in the world.

Anyway, I talked to Toru about it. And honestly, he's not as helpful as I thought. If only he'd give me direct answers instead, I hate when he's being secretive towards his juniors.

"Was the boy truly real?" That question is what prevented me from having a good sleep.

「 Who am I ? 」

I am me. A person with an identity, a person with a family and the person they...

No.

I am me.
I am real.
I am a person who can express other emotions besides anger.
I am not a toy, I am not a prophet, neither an accessory to a crime.
I am me.

Those villagers are nothing but a bunch of fools who didn't know shit. Their statements only consisted of lies, and my father is an incompetent adult. He only had an appetite. That man would continuously crave for involvement in this good for nothing village; there was nothing special about this place, if you ask me—the village felt more like a prison.

We couldn't graduate because of him.

「 What am I ? 」

I'm a human, of course. Is that question really necessary?
I thought it was already obvious. Does it matter to you?
How about I turn this question around—what are you?

「 . . . 」

It's been days, and I keep wondering why he won't show up. I know our conversations only happen within my dreams, I know that he's not real—but he felt real.

At school, I'm starting to lose my attention on the lessons. I had my classmates worried, even Boron. The devil whom I've always fought is concerned about me, it made me feel vulnerable. That same day, I decided to distract myself by harvesting the wheat grains on the field. I didn't even realize that it's already past 6 o'clock

When I got home, the first person to greet me was Mariha. My sweet sister, ever since that accident, I had to watch her from time-to-time. She makes me nervous sometimes. For today's menu, grandma served us some Udon. It tasted great, like always. Me and that idiot had to fight for the last remaining Kimuchi, all grandma could do was laugh; so did Mariha, and Seito.