Beneath a leaden sky, on a frost-rimed clearing.

This gray world mirrored the desolation within me—

Nothing remained but loneliness.

"I... ah, I understand..."

Facing Kyuubi’s urging, I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat.

After a long pause, I sighed softly and gave a slow nod.

"It’s harsh, but I suggest you adapt to your situation sooner rather than later. Otherwise—"

"I know, Kyuubi. No need to say more."

What Kyuubi meant to say?

I understood it perfectly well without hearing it.

Once I exhausted the ten cards symbolizing my existence, I’d vanish forever from that sunlit world of peace and warmth.

"Good. Then let’s go."

Seeing my understanding, Kyuubi glanced back once, then turned away without another word, signaling me to follow.

"What about those two?"

Though I disliked them, one had been my sworn brother. Their fate still pricked my conscience.

I wasn’t heartless, after all.

"Leave them. Once the Bonesoul creating the distortion point is eliminated, the Fallen World will expel them back to their reality. Their memories of this place will be erased too."

Kyuubi grasped my unspoken worry and assured me Lin Jincheng and his friend required no intervention.

The Fallen World would dispose of these two scraps of trash itself, sending them home.

"Oh. Understood."

I nodded after a moment’s silence.

"Then let’s go."

Kyuubi strode ahead without looking back.

"Wait—hold on!"

I called out before it took three steps.

Glancing at the fallen pair...

I sighed, then dragged them to lean against a wall.

"There. Now we can go."

"Hmm."

Kyuubi watched my actions with quiet curiosity but asked nothing when I returned.

At my nod, we slipped away from the clearing together.

As we walked, I unclipped my belt, shifting back to my unremarkable civilian form.

Slowly, the gray world bled into color, regaining its rightful vibrancy.

Golden sunlight spilled over the streets, breathing life into the world.

Feeling its warmth on my head, I lifted my gaze to the azure sky.

The same endless blue met my eyes.

"Hey, Kyuubi—why does the Fallen World exist?"

The question slipped out as I walked beside it.

"I don’t know. My duty is only to guide you. The truth behind the Fallen World’s birth? You’ll have to uncover that yourself—if you survive long enough."

Unlike before, Kyuubi offered no clear answer this time, only a shake of its head.

Whether it truly didn’t know or chose silence, I couldn’t tell.

But since it claimed ignorance...

"I see. Fine then."

I let the question drop.

Perhaps Kyuubi knew nothing. Perhaps it knew everything.

One thing was certain: I’d learn little of the Fallen World from it.

"Don’t dwell on it. If you seek answers, fight. Survive. Only then might you touch the truth."

Kyuubi’s reply circled back to one command:

Battle the Bonesouls.

Live.

Only then could I grasp the ‘truth’.

"Doesn’t matter. Truth isn’t what I’m after anyway."

Its evasive answer killed my curiosity entirely.

How the Fallen World began?

To me, it was just a passing thought.

From the moment I became a Contractor, I’d never sought its secrets. I sought...

"Let’s head back."

Sensing my disinterest, Kyuubi urged me forward again.

"Later. Nothing waits for me at home."

I felt no rush.

Staring at the brilliant sunlight, I craved to wander these streets.

"Do as you please. I’m returning."

Kyuubi didn’t press me. It turned and trotted toward my apartment building.

I didn’t worry about it being seen.

If ordinary people spotted a creature identical to that annoying mascot from *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*, my home wouldn’t be so peaceful.

No injuries marred Kyuubi. No angry fans had stormed my door.

Any hardcore Madoka fan would itch to punch that fluffy face.

Clearly, it had ways to stay unseen.

I tore my gaze from its retreating form and looked toward the alley I’d emerged from.

"How did we end up there? I thought we were—"

"Yeah! Wonder if the internet cafe’s got free machines!"

Lin Jincheng’s voice—and his friend’s infuriating tone—cut through the air as they strolled out shoulder to shoulder.

"Right! What time is it, Jincheng?"

"Three-something. Damn!"

They laughed like old friends, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, utterly oblivious to what had just happened.

A familiar ache stirred in my chest.

"So they truly remember nothing..."

Seeing their bond unbroken, an unexpected hollowness filled me.

They passed me in seconds—

Eyes sliding over me like I was a stranger, chattering urgently as they hurried away.

"..."

I watched their backs vanish without a word.

Only when they disappeared did I lower my head, shaking off the fog clinging to my mind.

"Not only forgotten... but I’m forgotten too."

Watching Lin Jincheng and his friend fade into the crowd, I sighed faintly and turned the opposite way.

This was my third card used.

Only seven remained.

Aimlessly drifting through bustling streets, I found myself before an electronics store.

"*Special News Bulletin: Multiple disappearances reported across Guanghai City. Police urge caution—avoid going out alone at night. Contact authorities immediately if you recognize these individuals.*"

A TV in the display window blared the report, flashing photos of missing women.

"These..."

My breath hitched at the faces on screen.

All stunningly beautiful—and hauntingly familiar.

Some were classmates.

An unnatural chill seeped into my bones.

Disappearances?

This reeked of wrongness.

The girls I knew weren’t rebels who stayed out all night. They were quiet, obedient.

How could they just vanish?

A question worth digging into...

But after a moment’s thought, I lost interest.

This couldn’t involve Bonesouls. If it did, their faces wouldn’t be on the news.

Just a mundane crime.

Besides—I was already forgotten by them.

I knew them; they didn’t know me.

Strangers’ problems weren’t mine.

I wasn’t a cop anyway.

*Let the police handle it.*

I waved off the thought and walked on, weaving through streets thick with chatter about the disappearances.

Every corner buzzed with amateur detectives dissecting theories.

By the time I reached an internet cafe, even card players huddled at its entrance were debating the case.

Wasted talent, really.

I bypassed them and pushed open the cafe door—

"*Cough! Cough!*"

A wall of nicotine haze hit me. Smoke coiled through every corner despite the "NO SMOKING" sign and partitioned zones. Patrons ignored the rules, cigarettes dangling as they yelled, "*Flash! Flash! Goddamn it, FLASH, you idiot!*"

"Same as always."

Coughing, I approached the counter and slid my ID across the desk.

"Here to game?"

The attendant looked up the moment I arrived.