Only ten hours remained before the first official day at the academy.
Moonlight slipped quietly through the glass windows, stretching across the floor in long silver lines. The room was completely silent, filled only with the faint rhythm of someone breathing in their sleep.
Then suddenly—
Daniel's eyes opened.
He frowned slightly, his throat dry and burning, like he had just woken from a dream he could no longer remember.
"…I'm thirsty," he muttered under his breath.
He slowly pushed himself upright, messy hair falling over his eyes as he reached toward the small clock sitting beside his bed.
"…Only eight?"
A quiet breath escaped him.
"I actually fell asleep early for once…"
The silence around him felt strange.
No car engines.
No electronic hum.
No neon lights glowing through a city skyline.
Only moonlight.
Only wind.
That unfamiliar feeling still hadn't completely faded, no matter how many days they had spent in this world.
Daniel climbed out of bed, bare feet touching the cold wooden floor. He opened the door and stepped into the dim hallway where only pale strands of moonlight shone through the windows.
Each step echoed softly.
He walked downstairs, entered the kitchen, and opened one of the cabinets before pouring himself a glass of water.
The sound of flowing water seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet night.
Daniel raised the glass toward his lips—
"Can't sleep?"
The voice came from behind him.
Low.
Calm.
Daniel immediately turned around.
In the living room, beneath the pale moonlight, sat a lone figure.
Hajime.
He wasn't even looking directly at Daniel. He simply leaned back in his chair with one hand supporting his chin, his gaze fixed outside the window as if something beyond the darkness had caught his attention long ago.
"…You scared me," Daniel sighed.
"Was that my fault?" Hajime replied quietly.
Daniel let out another breath before walking slowly toward the living room and sitting across from him.
"No. I just woke up thirsty."
He took a small sip from the glass. The cold water slid down his throat, pulling some clarity back into his mind.
"What about you?" Daniel asked. "Something keeping you awake?"
Hajime stayed silent for a few seconds, almost as though he were deciding whether the question deserved an answer.
"Not really," he finally said. "I'm just… still not used to this world's sense of time."
Daniel nodded faintly.
"Yeah… I get that."
His eyes drifted toward the window.
The night outside was still and endless. No artificial lights. No movement. No signs of life beyond the distant sound of wind.
"This world's interesting," Daniel murmured, "but it's missing too many things. At night there's nothing. No entertainment, no nightlife, no noise… It's like time itself freezes after sunset."
A faint smile crossed Hajime's face.
But there was very little emotion in it.
"No," he said softly. "That's not the reason."
Daniel frowned slightly.
"Then what is?"
For the first time that night, Hajime turned his head and looked directly at him.
His eyes were deep.
Unreadable.
"Daniel," Hajime began quietly, "if two people were drowning right now…"
He paused briefly.
"One of them has wealth, influence, power… and the other is just an ordinary nobody."
The room seemed even quieter now.
"Who would you save?"
Daniel froze for a moment.
It sounded like a simple question.
But it wasn't.
"Who would I save…?"
He leaned back in his chair, thinking carefully.
"If we're talking ideals," he said slowly, "then people would say they'd try to save both."
A faint, cynical smile appeared on his face.
"But realistically… most people would prioritize the one with more value."
Hajime nodded once.
"Exactly."
His gaze lowered toward the table.
"Status and power are always prioritized. Nobody truly cares about you… if you're nothing."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.
Daniel studied him for a moment.
"So what are you saying?" he asked. "That if we stand above everyone else… then we can have everything?"
"You could say that."
Daniel placed the glass down gently.
"And if someone already has everything?" he asked. "Power. Wealth. Status."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Then what's the point of living?"
Hajime didn't answer immediately.
He leaned back further into the chair, staring up at the ceiling while silence stretched between them.
Finally—
"It's simple."
His voice was quiet.
But unwavering.
"To gain even more."
Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Humans are never satisfied," Hajime continued. "Once they obtain everything… they'll do anything to protect it."
His gaze slowly lowered toward his own hand.
"Or expand it even further."
He clenched his fingers slightly.
"That's human nature."
Daniel remained silent for several seconds.
"And that…" he finally asked, "is your goal?"
Hajime smiled faintly.
This time there was no hesitation in it at all.
"Yes."
Daniel let out a small laugh.
"That sounds pretty selfish."
Hajime shrugged.
"Isn't everyone?"
He looked directly into Daniel's eyes again.
"Selfishness isn't evil… as long as it serves your own purpose. That's how humans survive."
Daniel shook his head with a quiet chuckle.
"You really do sound like a dictator."
"Yeah. He does."
Another voice suddenly interrupted them.
Daniel immediately turned.
"Who the hell was that!?"
Hajime remained perfectly calm.
"Relax," he said. "He's been here the whole time."
Daniel followed the direction of the voice—
And finally noticed the massive figure in the corner of the room.
Under the dim moonlight, Chad was doing push ups.
Sweat dripped onto the floor beneath him.
His breathing was heavy, yet perfectly controlled.
"Four hundred ninety seven…"
"Four hundred ninety eight…"
"Four hundred ninety nine…"
Daniel stared at him in disbelief.
"How long have you been doing that?"
"Since before you came downstairs."
Daniel sighed deeply and stood up.
"Seriously…"
He turned toward the staircase.
"I'm going back to sleep. Tomorrow's important, so don't stay up too late."
"Don't worry," Hajime replied calmly.
Daniel stopped briefly at the foot of the stairs and looked back one last time.
One person sat silently in the darkness, thinking about power.
The other trained his body endlessly like a machine that never tired.
Daniel quietly exhaled before heading upstairs.
The room fell silent once more.
And Hajime's eyes remained fixed outside the window…toward the endless night sky stretching far beyond the world below.