Hina's Perspective
Morning came too quickly.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains in thin, golden lines, gently illuminating my room as if nothing had changed.
As if the city hadn't nearly been destroyed the night before.
As if I hadn't stood in front of thousands of people and made a promise I couldn't take back.
I stared at the ceiling.
"…It wasn't a dream…"
A small, familiar glow shifted beside me.
Ryuna stretched slightly, her tiny wings fluttering lazily as she let out a quiet yawn.
"It was not," she replied softly within my mind.
I turned my head toward her.
She still looked small.
Fragile, almost.
But I could feel it—her energy had recovered a little compared to last night. Her glow was slightly brighter now, though still far from what it had been before.
"…How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.
"Improving," she said. "But not yet fully restored."
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes.
"…Same."
My body still felt heavy, like I hadn't slept at all. But underneath that exhaustion…
There was something else.
A strange sense of anticipation.
Or maybe—
Pressure.
I reached for my phone on the nightstand.
Notifications flooded the screen.
Messages.
News alerts.
Trending topics.
"…This is bad," I muttered.
Ryuna tilted her head.
"You are trending."
"…I don't like that."
I tapped one of the notifications.
A video opened instantly.
Morning News Broadcast
"This is breaking coverage following last night's unprecedented event—"
The screen showed footage of the battle.
The ruined highway.
The monster.
Then—
Us.
My breath caught slightly.
"…They really filmed everything…"
"Two unidentified individuals, now widely known as 'Hirito' and 'Shina,' successfully neutralized the threat and prevented further casualties…"
Clips of my promise played.
I immediately turned my phone away.
"…Nope."
"You spoke well," Ryuna said.
"I sounded like I was about to faint!"
"You did not."
"…I felt like I was!"
The news continued.
"…Citizens across Tokyo have begun celebrating what many are calling the city's first true protectors…"
Footage shifted.
People cheering.
Social media posts flooding in.
Fan art.
Edits.
Clips.
"…Public support has risen rapidly overnight…"
I stared.
"…They're… celebrating us?"
"Yes."
Ryuna's voice softened.
"You gave them hope."
I didn't know how to respond to that.
"…I just said what I felt…"
"And that is why it reached them."
I looked down at my phone again.
"…This is going to be so awkward at school…"
School – Morning
The moment I stepped into the classroom—
Noise.
Excitement.
Energy.
Everyone was talking at once.
"Did you see it?!"
"They were so cool!"
"That light attack was insane!"
"I swear, Hirito just teleported!"
I froze near the door.
"…Oh no…"
My classmates were completely absorbed in the conversation.
No one even noticed me at first.
Which was good.
Very good.
I quietly walked to my seat, trying to act normal.
Remain calm, Ryuna advised.
You are not suspected.
That's because I'm acting normal.
You are sweating.
"…I am not."
"You totally are."
I flinched slightly.
Yuki dropped into the seat beside me, grinning widely.
"…Good morning to you too."
"Did you see it?!"
"…See what?" I asked, pretending.
She stared at me like I had just said something illegal.
"THEY SAVED THE CITY!"
"…Oh. That."
"That?!"
She grabbed my shoulders.
"That was the coolest thing ever!"
I forced a small laugh.
"…Yeah… it was impressive…"
Across the room—
Hanato sat casually in his seat, leaning back like nothing in the world concerned him.
But I noticed it.
The slight smirk.
He's enjoying this…
"Of course I am," he muttered under his breath.
I blinked.
"…Wait, did you just—"
"Nothing," he said casually.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Meanwhile—
Yuki suddenly slammed her hands on the desk dramatically.
"AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE BEST PART!"
I blinked.
"…There's more?"
She grinned.
"Oh, there's more."
Then—
She pulled out her phone.
"…Behold."
She showed me the screen.
A video.
Title:
"Shirito – The Rise of Tokyo's Strongest Duo"
I froze.
"…What."
Yuki puffed her chest proudly.
"I made a vlog last night!"
"…You made that?"
"Yup!"
"…And you called them what?"
"Shirito!"
I stared at her.
"…No."
She blinked.
"…No?"
"That's a terrible name."
"WHAT?!"
Across the room—
A very specific person started laughing.
I turned.
Hanato.
Trying—and failing—to hold it in.
"…Shirito?" he said, clearly amused.
"That's actually perfect."
I glared at him.
"…It is not."
Yuki pointed at the screen.
"It went viral overnight!"
I blinked.
"…What?"
"Millions of views!"
"…Millions?!"
"Yes!"
I looked back at the video.
Comments flooded the screen.
"SHIRITO IS REAL"
"BEST DUO EVER"
"LIGHT AND SHADOW COUPLE???"
My face turned red instantly.
"…Couple?!"
Yuki grinned wider.
"I mean, you saw the way they stood together—"
"They were just fighting!"
"Together!"
"That doesn't mean anything!"
Hanato leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying every second.
"…I don't know," he said casually.
"The chemistry was pretty obvious."
I turned toward him.
"…You are making this worse."
He smirked.
"I'm making it accurate."
I buried my face in my hands.
"…This is a nightmare…"
Ryuna's voice echoed gently.
This is… what humans call admiration.
This is what humans call embarrassment.
Yuki leaned closer.
"I'm telling you, Shirito is going to be HUGE."
"…Please stop saying that name…"
"Nope."
"…Please."
"Nope!"
Across the classroom, more students joined in.
"Shirito!"
"Shirito!"
"Shirito!"
I sank lower into my seat.
"…I'm never going to recover from this…"
Meanwhile—
Hanato just laughed.
Completely unbothered.
Completely entertained.
And somewhere—
Across the city—
The names Hirito and Shina continued to spread.
Growing.
Evolving.
Turning into something bigger than either of them had expected.
A symbol.
A story.
A legend in the making.
And neither of them—
Could escape it anymore.
Hina's Perspective
The chanting died down eventually.
But the damage… did not.
Even after the teacher arrived and forced the class back into their seats, the word still lingered in the air like an invisible echo.
Shirito.
I stared blankly at my notebook.
"…This is the worst."
"You're still thinking about it?" Yuki whispered from beside me, barely containing her grin.
"…I will be thinking about it for the rest of my life."
"That's a bit dramatic."
"…It's not dramatic enough."
At the front of the classroom, our teacher cleared her throat, attempting to regain control.
"Settle down, everyone. We will begin class now."
No one listened.
Not really.
Even as she started writing on the board, conversations continued in hushed tones.
"Did you see how Shina fixed the road?"
"That wasn't normal—like, at all."
"Hirito was way cooler though."
"No way, Shina carried that fight!"
"I'm telling you, they're a duo—"
"I heard they might be government agents."
"Or maybe aliens."
"…Aliens?"
I lowered my head slowly.
Please stop talking…
Ryuna's voice echoed softly in my mind.
You should be pleased.
You have inspired them.
I inspired a ship name.
…That as well.
I resisted the urge to bury my face into the desk again.
Across the room, I glanced toward Hanato.
He looked completely at ease.
Relaxed.
Unbothered.
Like he wasn't involved in any of this.
But every now and then—
I caught it.
That slight smirk.
He's enjoying this way too much.
Almost as if he felt my gaze, his eyes flicked toward me briefly.
Just for a second.
Then he looked away.
But not before that smirk widened just a little.
I narrowed my eyes.
Yeah. Definitely enjoying it.
Mid-Morning Break
The bell rang.
And just like that—
The classroom exploded again.
Students immediately gathered in groups, phones out, videos playing, voices overlapping in excitement.
"Look at this angle!"
"They slowed down the fight here—it's insane!"
"Shina's light literally changed the environment!"
"I swear Hirito teleported like five times in a row!"
Yuki grabbed my arm again.
"Come on, come on, you need to see this!"
"…I've seen enough."
"No, you haven't."
She dragged me into a small group forming near the windows.
A phone was held up in the center.
Another clip.
Another edit.
Dramatic music played in the background as the footage showed Hirito stepping out of the shadows, followed by my light attack striking Razorblade.
"…They edited it like a movie…" I muttered.
"Because it was a movie," someone said.
"No, it was real," another corrected.
"That's even better!"
The video cut to the rooftop scene—
To the moment we stood side by side.
My breath caught slightly.
Even I hadn't seen it from this angle before.
"…We looked…"
"Cool?" Yuki offered.
"…That."
"Very cool."
I crossed my arms slightly, trying to hide the faint warmth creeping into my face.
"…Still doesn't justify the name."
"Oh, it absolutely does."
"…It absolutely doesn't."
Across the group, someone leaned in.
"I heard they disappeared right after."
"Yeah! Like, instantly!"
"Do you think they're still in Tokyo?"
"Of course they are."
"What if they're in this school?"
The group went quiet for a second.
Then—
They laughed.
"No way."
"Yeah, no chance."
"Imagine though—"
I forced a small smile.
"…Yeah… imagine…"
My heart, however, didn't feel like laughing.
Hanato's Perspective
The hallway was louder than usual.
Which was saying something.
I leaned against the wall casually, watching a group of students argue over which one of us was stronger.
"Hirito obviously wins."
"No way, Shina literally purified the monster."
"Yeah, but Hirito was handling all the close combat—"
I smirked slightly.
"…They're not entirely wrong."
You seem entertained, Ryuhou's voice echoed within my mind.
I am.
This level of attention is inefficient.
It's funny.
A student nearby held up his phone.
"Bro, look—another Shirito edit just dropped."
I nearly laughed again.
"…This name is going to stick, isn't it?"
It appears so.
"…Nice."
You approve?
I pushed off the wall and started walking.
"It has a ring to it."
It is ridiculous.
"That too."
As I turned the corner—
I spotted her.
Hina.
Surrounded.
Again.
Yuki was talking animatedly, clearly leading another conversation about last night.
Hina, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to disappear.
I paused for a moment.
Watching.
"…She's not handling this well."
She is inexperienced, Ryuhou said.
Unlike you.
"…I wouldn't say that."
I stepped forward.
"Still fun to watch though."
Hina's Perspective
"…and THEN—"
"I think we've talked about this enough," I said quickly.
"No we haven't."
"Yes we have."
"No we haven't."
"…Yuki."
"Yes?"
"…Please stop."
She grinned.
"Never."
I sighed.
"…Of course."
Then—
A voice cut in.
"Talking about Shirito again?"
I froze.
Slowly turning.
Hanato stood there, hands in his pockets, expression calm—but his eyes clearly amused.
"…Don't say that name."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Why not?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
"It's accurate."
"It's not accurate!"
Yuki pointed at him.
"See? He gets it!"
"I do," he said.
I stared at both of them.
"…I regret knowing both of you."
"That's a bit harsh."
"Not harsh enough."
Hanato shrugged slightly.
"People like stories."
I crossed my arms.
"This isn't a story."
He looked at me for a second longer than usual.
"…It is to them."
That—
Made me pause.
Because he wasn't wrong.
To everyone else…
This was something distant.
Something exciting.
Something unreal.
But to us—
It was real.
Too real.
Before I could respond—
The school intercom crackled to life.
"Attention all students."
The hallway quieted instantly.
"Due to last night's events, classes will be shortened today. Students are advised to return home early."
Murmurs spread.
"…That makes sense."
"…Yeah…"
"But before dismissal—"
The voice continued.
"All students are to remain alert. Authorities have warned that the situation is still ongoing."
Silence followed.
The excitement dimmed slightly.
Just enough.
A reminder.
That this wasn't over.
Not even close.
I felt it again.
That weight.
That responsibility.
The war has begun, Ryuna whispered.
I looked down at my hands.
"…Yeah…"
And this time—
There would be no going back.
Final Scene
Across the city—
Screens lit up once more.
News reports continued.
Speculation grew.
The names Hirito and Shina spread even further.
But far beyond the city—
In a place untouched by light—
A pair of glowing red eyes opened.
Watching.
Waiting.
Listening.
"…So these are the ones…"
A faint smile formed beneath the shadows.
"Interesting."
The war had only just begun.
And already—
The pieces were starting to move.