Days passed before they even realized it.
Arou and Airi lived like an ordinary married couple.
Mornings began together, and nights ended in the same quiet silence. There were no major arguments, no obvious abnormalities—just a routine that continued to flow endlessly.
One month later, the change came.
Airi sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling lightly as she called out to him.
"Arou…"
Arou turned toward her.
"What is it?"
Slowly, Airi raised her face. A faint smile rested on her lips, her eyes filled with both nervousness and happiness.
"I'm… pregnant."
The words fell softly, yet for a moment, Arou felt as though the world had stopped.
"Pregnant…?" he repeated quietly.
Airi nodded.
There was no explosion of emotion.
No joyful shouting.
Only two feelings rising together—
warmth… and fear.
"So fast…" Arou murmured unconsciously.
Airi looked at him and smiled gently.
"We're already married," she said softly, as though it were the most natural explanation in the world.
Arou nodded.
He forced a smile.
The following days passed even faster than before.
Airi's stomach slowly grew.
Their routines increased.
Everyone around them became more caring and attentive.
And Arou began to feel… left behind.
Every time he tried to remember when all of this had started, his mind felt empty—
yet time continued moving forward without waiting for his memories.
Nine months later, rain fell softly from the sky.
Arou stood in the hospital hallway with clenched fists.
His breathing was heavy, his thoughts empty.
Then, not long after—
the cry of a baby shattered the silence.
The first cry.
Emi covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.
Chika smiled widely, holding back emotional breaths.
Arou and Airi's parents arrived shortly after, their faces filled with sincere happiness.
"Congratulations, Arou," his mother said softly.
"You've become a father."
The word felt unfamiliar.
Arou stepped into the room.
Airi lay weakly on the bed, yet smiled the moment she saw him.
In her arms—
a small baby, sleeping peacefully.
"Arou…" Airi called gently.
Arou approached slowly.
He stared at the tiny face.
His child.
His hands trembled as he touched the baby's little fingers.
"She… cried," he murmured.
Airi smiled softly.
"Of course she did."
The room fell quiet again.
The baby's cries had faded, replaced by soft and steady breathing. Airi rested weakly while the baby girl slept beside her, peaceful as though she knew nothing about the world waiting for her.
Arou sat beside the bed, staring at the child for a long time. Fear, warmth, and responsibility mixed together inside him.
Around them stood the people closest to them.
Emi smiled gently through teary eyes.
Chika gazed at the baby with shining eyes.
Their parents rested comforting hands on their children's shoulders, their faces overflowing with happiness.
"We… still haven't given her a name," Airi said softly.
Emi smiled.
"How about we think of one together?"
Chika tilted her head, looking warmly at the baby.
"She's… so beautiful. She deserves a name as beautiful as she is."
Arou looked at everyone, his heart beating heavily. For once, he wanted to choose something himself—one thing he could still control.
"I want a simple name," Arou finally said.
"Not something heavy. Not something forced."
Airi smiled faintly.
"Like hope?"
Arou nodded.
"Yeah. I want her to see the world… clearly, freely."
He looked at the baby's face for a little longer.
"Hikari," he whispered softly.
Emi smiled warmly.
"Hikari… light. That's beautiful."
Chika nodded in agreement.
"It suits a beautiful and strong girl."
Their parents exchanged warm smiles.
"Welcome, Hikari Mikami," Arou's mother said gently.
Airi looked down at Hikari and smiled, placing a hand against the baby's cheek.
"Welcome, Hikari…" she whispered, her eyes glistening with tears.
Arou felt something warm spreading through his chest—a feeling that was real, not forced.
Yet behind it, one thought rooted itself deeply into his mind:
If a name was a choice… was this truly his choice, or merely the only small decision this world still allowed him to make?
Arou slowly clenched his fists.
"No matter what happens," he murmured while staring at Hikari,
"I'll protect you."
Outside the room, the world continued as usual.
But for Arou, that name became something certain—one thing he could hold onto tightly.
And perhaps… the only light untouched by anyone's game.
Days passed after the birth of Hikari Mikami.
The house remained neat, quiet, and filled with warm smiles from family members who were always there.
But for Arou, something felt different.
Every time he looked at Hikari, a strange feeling surfaced—a mixture of happiness and tension.
As though this perfect world… was too perfect.
One night, while Arou sat alone in the living room, a familiar voice echoed softly in his ears, gentle yet terrifying.
"Hikari… arrived sooner than she should have," whispered Zata, almost like wind slipping through the cracks of a door.
Arou stiffened.
"Zata…?" he muttered.
There was no figure.
Only the voice piercing through the silence.
"She is not merely a child," Zata continued.
"She… is part of the fourth game. A light that will test your choices."
Arou swallowed hard.
"A light… that tests? You mean… Hikari?"
"Yes. Every step you take is now being watched. Every decision… affects her," Zata said calmly, his voice cold.
"If you fail, you won't only lose yourself. You could lose… her."
Arou's chest tightened.
He looked toward Hikari sleeping peacefully in the next room, her tiny hands clutching her blanket.
Warmth filled him—
but so did fear.
The first real fear he had felt since all of this began.
Arou clenched his fists.
"No… Hikari won't be hurt," he whispered.
"No matter what you do, Zata."
"That is exactly the problem," Zata's voice filled the room like fog.
"Even if you wish to protect her, the game has already begun. I am merely waiting for your next move."
The lights flickered briefly before returning to normal.
Silence reclaimed the house.
But Arou could not take his eyes off Hikari.
Her small face looked pure and radiant—
a light that could become either the key… or the trap.
And he realized one thing with certainty:
this seemingly perfect world now possessed something truly precious.
Four years passed.
Hikari had begun learning to walk, her tiny steps unsteady yet full of energy.
The house filled with her laughter, warm and comforting, as though this perfect world had finally become real.
As usual, Arou returned home from work.
His steps were quick, his mind divided between exhaustion and longing for his family.
Then suddenly, a cold and familiar voice slipped into his ears.
"Arou."
He glanced toward the silent street.
The shadow of Zata appeared beside him, walking soundlessly.
"Are you ready?" the voice asked softly, yet sharply, like fog piercing through bone.
Arou tensed.
"Zata… what do you mean?"
"The game is ending, Arou," Zata answered calmly.
"Now you will face its consequences."
Back at home, Airi was watching over Hikari while the little girl played nearby.
Then—
a knock sounded at the door.
Distracted by routine and Hikari's laughter, Airi opened it with a smile.
But her expression instantly froze.
It wasn't Arou.
Standing before her was a tall, thin, faceless figure—
Slender Man.
Airi's heart pounded violently.
Before she could step back, dark tentacles burst forward with impossible speed.
One of them pierced through her stomach.
Meanwhile, Arou, still on his way home, suddenly heard Hikari crying from the distance.
Panic overtook him.
He ran with all his strength.
Inside the house, Airi's body was thrown violently onto the floor.
Hikari stared with wide eyes, her cries breaking loudly into the room as her tiny steps stumbled toward her mother.
Arou burst into the house, breathing heavily.
His eyes witnessed a scene that crushed every emotion inside him—
his wife lying helpless,
his daughter crying,
and the shadowy presence waiting silently for his next move.
"Airi! Hikari!" Arou screamed in panic.
Zata appeared once more, his voice echoing through the street, calm yet overpowering.
"The curtain has fallen on this game, Arou. Now you will understand."
Arou stared at the two people he loved most, his heart overflowing with fear and rage.
He understood now—
this peaceful world had merely been the beginning of a far darker trial.
That night was silent.
The house that had always felt warm now seemed empty, like a place that had lost its own heart.
Arou sat on the living room floor, holding Hikari as she cried softly in his arms.
His eyes were red, his chest unbearably tight, and his thoughts completely hollow.
Airi… was gone.
The only sounds filling the house were Hikari's crying and the violent pounding of Arou's heartbeat.
Arou lowered his head, looking at Hikari.
"Don't… don't cry too hard… Dad is here," he whispered weakly.
But the words felt empty.
He knew nothing could ever replace Airi.
In the hallway, the air still felt heavy, as though shadows continued lurking there.
Zata appeared once again, his figure faint, his voice cold and emotionless.
"The fourth game has ended, Arou. What you protected has now become the only remaining light."
Arou stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"She… she was her mother… I… I failed," Arou's voice broke apart.
His hands trembled while still holding Hikari tightly.
"Failed?" Zata looked at him expressionlessly.
"No. You still possess the greatest choice of all. You can protect Hikari. That is all that remains for you now."
Arou swallowed hard and took a long breath.
He looked at Hikari—her tiny body, her innocent shining eyes, the small steps she had only recently learned to take.
The crushing grief inside his heart slowly mixed with a new resolve:
he had to become everything for Hikari—
father,
mother,
protector.
Hikari's crying gradually softened as Arou held her close, and he felt a small warmth enter his chest—
a tiny light,
the last remaining light in this broken world.
Silence filled the house once again.
But this time, one thing had changed:
Arou realized that even though Airi was gone, life had to continue for Hikari's sake.
And within the darkness that remained, one promise carved itself deeply into his heart:
"I'll protect you, Hikari. No matter what happens."