Chapter Six: A Familiar Pattern

Dark clouds blotted out the sun, the air thick with radioactive toxins. Cold rain fell like a silver curtain, and a gaunt boy emerged from his hiding place, tilting his head back to gulp a few mouthfuls. No one knew what drinking this rain would do, but it was certain that not drinking meant certain death, while drinking might buy a few more days of life.

War had erupted endlessly, fueled by human desire. No one remembered which nation launched the first nuclear missile. In the annals that followed, humanity wielded its own creations with reckless abandon—destroying, killing, and by the time anyone realized the consequences, it was too late. The earth that had nurtured them was now beyond salvation, a dead star.

Under the eaves, monstrous birds cawed harshly. Their infection had twisted them beyond recognition; only scavengers could survive these days. They waited patiently for the boy to die, so they could feast. Ruby glanced indifferently at the birds that now saw him as prey, his eyes void of emotion. Just as he pondered how to turn the tables, another young man suddenly appeared before him.

“I am God.”

The torrential rain did not wet his casual clothes; it was as if even the rain recognized the master and parted for him. With a gentle smile, the young man spoke to the one on the brink of death.

“Well, I’m not some street-corner charlatan. Actually, calling myself God is a bit of an exaggeration. In reality…”

He seemed to realize how unbelievable his words sounded, like some fortune-teller under a bridge, and fumbled to find proof, but didn’t know how to offer it.

“I believe you,” Ruby managed to rasp out. Even setting aside the miracle of the untouched rain, in this world, anyone wearing such clean clothes was enough to inspire faith.

“Is that so? Good. I can help you survive.”

The young man hadn’t expected to be accepted so easily, which saved him a tiresome explanation.

“Why?”

“Because you are the last human on this planet.”

“That’s a strange reason.”

Naturally, the city Ruby lived in was a dead one, but he hadn’t imagined the whole world’s people truly gone. He didn’t know how he’d managed to outlive everyone else. Luck, he supposed, was the only answer.

“…Don’t say it like that. Ah, you can’t see her, can you? She says that in countless parallel worlds, every day innumerable planets are destroyed by foolish humans. She calls me meddlesome. But since I’ve seen it, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

The young man turned to address some unseen presence. Following his gaze, Ruby glimpsed a human-shaped void in the rain, untouched by the downpour. The youth chattered on about his companion.

“You’re awfully talkative.”

“Am I? Never mind. I’m going to place all the accumulated wisdom of humanity from this planet into your mind. That way, you’ll be a single living vessel of civilization—a means of continuing your world’s legacy.”

The young man, visibly stung, was momentarily petrified, then reached out and pressed a finger to Ruby’s forehead, transferring all knowledge as promised.

“Won’t my head explode from this?”

“No. It’s not stored directly in your memory, but in another space. When you need something, you just go in and find it—like searching with X-degree or X-song.”

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I’m dying soon. You should give this task to someone else.”

Ruby quickly grasped how to use it; it was as convenient as a search engine. But he also knew he’d last only two or three days at most. Frankly, the ability was useless.

“Ah? Didn’t I mention? I’ll send you to another world.”

“!?”

‘Hey, Ruby, what do you want to be when you grow up?’

‘Hmm… I want to be a scientist, and invent all kinds of things to make people happy.’

The last thing Ruby saw was a blinding light. In the dreamlike passage, he saw his gentle mother and his childhood dreams. When these memories faded, he awoke in another world, forced to survive in the frail body of a five-year-old child.

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Miona was perplexed. She lay on Ruby’s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, replaying every moment she’d shared with him the day before. Why was it, she wondered, that she had revealed her true feelings to a stranger? She knew well how aloof she’d always been. Apart from her teacher, she had never opened up to anyone. Yet, with Ruby, she had been so genuine—when she laughed, when she pouted, when she was proud.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m close to death. Starting today, that won’t happen again. Yes.”

Miona quickly gave herself this excuse, promising that no matter what Ruby said today, she would remain composed. At the very least, she needed to show him that a Magus like herself was dignified. Otherwise, how could she ever hold her head high before him? As for why she needed to, Miona conveniently ignored that question.

Having steeled her resolve, Miona left the room to find Ruby still asleep, curled up on the sofa. She paused, recognizing the posture immediately; she herself had slept that way for years as a child, until Yura’s warm embrace gradually changed her habits.

“Thank goodness I didn’t sleep here.”

Perhaps an ordinary girl would pity such a sight and awkwardly offer a comforting hug, blushing as she explained not to misunderstand. Miona, however, was simply pleased with her decision yesterday and promptly woke Ruby with a tap.

“Good morning.”

Ruby, roused by Miona’s voice, was not annoyed. It hadn’t been a pleasant dream anyway. He greeted her and went to the bathroom to wash up.

“Are you cleaning yourself?”

Miona watched as Ruby squeezed a white paste onto a wooden stick with soft bristles, stuck it in his mouth, and produced a froth of bubbles with repeated motions. After observing his various strange habits yesterday, Miona deduced what he was doing and looked at him with a hint of disdain. To her, his method seemed unnecessarily complicated.

“Oral hygiene is essential. Don’t you have your own ways?”

“Yes, sticky grass seeds and the like.” Miona took a small white sphere from her ring. These peculiar seeds would adhere to and remove impurities in the mouth and left a faint minty fragrance. After a few chews, you spat them out. It was much simpler than brushing, but Ruby still placed his faith in science.

“I’m hungry.”

Miona could hear her stomach protesting. She had only had a bowl of rice porridge yesterday. Even a Magus couldn’t endure starvation for long. And this fellow, sleeping away, hadn’t even bothered to make breakfast for the patient—what kind of healer was he?

“Wait a moment.”

“I don’t want porridge.”

Miona kept her expression cool, reminding herself to maintain the image of the aloof beauty. She couldn’t let Ruby think she was asking for charity. Absolutely not.

“Oh.”

Ruby nodded. He saw no need to lecture her about proper diet during illness. If he didn’t feed her, she’d probably sneak out and eat something random anyway. Better she learn the hard way.

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PS: Please add to your favorites and recommend.

Someone: You carry all the legacy of humanity.

Ruby: Am I supposed to change my name to Clark, wear my underwear outside, and save the world?

Someone: You’re overthinking. Just be a salted fish who can only shout “Six.”

Ruby: Miona, six-six-six! Miona, eight nines!