Early the next morning, Haru arrived at the foot of the mountain with the other members of his party. They had been worrying about how to get up the mountain, but before long, they spotted a straight staircase leading all the way to the summit. Haru also saw several volunteer soldier parties. He did not recognize most of them, and judging by their bewildered expressions, they had apparently come here out of curiosity.
The group followed the stairs toward the mountaintop. The entire staircase was extraordinarily long; when they looked up, it seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky—this was not a metaphor. In fact, the summit was currently shrouded in clusters of white clouds, making it seem as if Haru and the others were climbing stairs leading to the very edge of the heavens.
No one knew how long they had climbed, but the panting group finally reached the end. When they looked up, however, the sight before them made everyone's eyes go wide.
"Whoa...!"
Before Haru and the others stood a building roughly four or five stories tall. It looked like a rectangular block made entirely of glass. Reflecting the azure brilliance of the sky beneath the sun, it was quite beautiful.
But that was not why Haru was so moved. The moment he saw the building, it seemed to remind him of something. The structure before him felt like an old friend he had not seen in ages, to the point that his eyes began to sting with tears. Haru had inexplicably arrived in this unfamiliar world with no memories, forced to risk his life every day just to survive. Yet at this moment, it felt as if he had met someone familiar in a foreign land, and he nearly burst into tears.
I know this!
Haru