His exhausted brain had shut down, hovering on the brink of a dim silence within the hollow of his skull. White light seemed to pierce his eyes again and again, faintly filtering through his pupils.
But what greeted him was endless darkness. Half awake and half asleep, his mind felt frozen in time, like a blob of gel.
"Mom!"
Star Color clutched his pounding heart as blood trickled from his nose. The dream, turned to gel, slid down his skull like mud.
Ignoring the filth of the blood, he grabbed that sheer, lightweight nightgown...
Though he had lost his humanity, Star Color still desperately breathed in its scent. Only then would his restless, aging heart settle down...
He had been through the [threshold between life and death] so many times, yet he feared a fictional dream more than [death].
It was proof that Star Color had once been human.
"Ah... I barely slept at all..."
His head was still swimming, and he felt unusually awful today.
Last night, he had invited Kaneda to his room to make weapons.
What was the difference between humans and animals? Humans made weapons and used tools.
The strongest human, facing an adult bear with bare hands, would be nothing more than its dinner. Bears were stronger, faster, and more resilient than humans, so why did humans sit at the top of the food chain? Because humans used weapons.
Pure fear and violence? Ryuen Kakeru was such a boring person. He wanted others to submit through fear of 'violence,' then justify that 'violence.'
What a boring [philosophy of violence]. True violence was the destruction of a person's 'soul' and 'spirit.'
Standing on the balcony, Star Color breathed in the toxic fumes, then exhaled.
Looks like he'd have to trouble Senior Nagumo Miyabi...
"Class C? And what was her name... Shiina Hiyori? I think that's right. They're in the same class."
Tch. They were all bystanders to the bullying, and some had even joined in.
He stubbed out the spent toxic thing and tossed it in the trash.
Well, he already knew what was going on from Kaneda. Now he'd help him as best he could.
"This should be fun."
Star Color flashed a strange smile. Was he helping someone out of kindness? Of course not.
Friends were the most important resource. People in society weren't going to let you use them as tools. They were all sharp operators, hardened by experience. Treating people like screwdrivers, saws, and hammers—did he really think they'd be that stupid? Give him a break.
You needed to hold on to both friends and money, and be good at managing both. That way, you'd still have some security even if you ended up in a desperate situation... Those were the words of an older man.
You could only use other people however you pleased if you had [Destiny] on your side. Otherwise, it was impossible.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Tamiya Emi.
Tamiya Emi: [Want to go browse around Keyaki Mall this afternoon?]
Seishiki Otonashi: [Sure (cat emoji)]
Something was troubling Star Color at the moment: how did normal high schoolers spend their weekends? Did they go shopping with friends? That seemed about right...
"Um, what should I do now?"
It was still early in the morning. Should he get in touch with Classmate Katsuragi—Little Fist Stone?
He pulled out the [PSP Console]. This thing was way too tempting for a little guy like Star Color. He didn't dare bring it to school, afraid he'd want to play during class.
After getting Little Fist Stone's permission, he cheerfully headed to his room.
"Come in."
Kohei Katsuragi opened the door, poured the hot water he'd boiled into a teacup, then set it on the table.
"Why does everyone in Neon like drinking tea? It doesn't taste good at all, and it's too hot."
Star Color frowned.
"Neon isn't the only place that likes tea, is it? Apologize properly to every country that does!"
Kohei Katsuragi frowned. After being tormented by Star Color for five days, he was gradually learning how Star Color's mind worked.
"Got any cola?"
"No!"
"Tsk..."
"Did you just click your tongue?"
Kohei Katsuragi regarded Star Color's childish behavior with the weary resignation of a father.
"You're a high schooler with the soul of an old man. You'll have a hard time finding a girlfriend."
"You don't need to worry about that."
The two traded barbs.
"Oh, come try this game console."
"You really brought it?"
"Of course. I'm a man of my word."
Star Color pulled out the PSP Console, then opened Pokémon Platinum with practiced ease and found [Little Fist Stone] in the Pokédex.
"Look, isn't it exactly like you?"
"No wonder people in middle school were always saying I looked like one..."
Kohei Katsuragi's mouth twitched.
Star Color started a new save file.
"Give it a try."
"Okay, I'll try."
After all, Kohei Katsuragi was a boy, so he was somewhat interested in games.
Star Color tossed him a notebook.
"I wrote this myself. It's got a type matchup chart, the best movesets for all kinds of Pokémon, and even a walkthrough."
"You'd do so much better if you put this much effort into studying."
And so the two boys began their Pokémon adventure, played out on a tiny screen.
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