After finishing lunch, he spent the afternoon touring the classrooms as part of the school tour, and before he knew it, it was time to go home.

While Yuito was changing his shoes at the shoe rack, Hakari and Kirika came along, and they ended up leaving together.

"Hey, wanna stop by Wacudo?"

As the three of them were walking, Kirika suddenly spoke up.

Wakudo is a famous hamburger chain.

It seems that recently they have also been putting effort into sweets.

"Even though we went to the pub yesterday, are we eating out again?"

"They're giving out coupons for discounted Choco Pies. It's just a little snack!"

"Choco Pie... it can't be helped."

It seems that Hakari couldn't resist the temptation of sweets.

Yuito replied, "I'm fine too," and the three of them decided to have a snack together.

If it's Wacudo, even introverts can easily join. Unlike Stub, it feels like home. Though that's an exaggeration, it still gives a sense of security.

When Yuito and the others entered the store, it was overflowing with students, as it was after school hours.

In the "Exploration City" where the Yuito people live, there are many schools that train explorers, so it's not surprising that it's this crowded.

If they don't get seats first, it seems like they won't be able to sit.

"Um... I'll save a seat for us, so could you please take care of the order?"

"Got it! What would you like to order, Yuito-kun?"

"Well then, I'll have a hamburger set and a cola to drink."

"Just like a boy. You eat a lot!"

"Ahaha... I'm so hungry..."

High school boys get so hungry by the evening. Being young is wonderful.

Yuito conveys the order to Kirika and looks for a seat.

Fortunately, he found an empty seat that had just become available, so he should slip in.

"Wow... it's Akizuki-chan..."

"Eh, who? An acquaintance?"

When Yuito sat down, he heard a voice coming from somewhere.

The voice carried a sense of disgust as if it had found a cockroach.

When he moved his gaze to look around, his heart skipped a beat as he spotted a vaguely familiar face.

(I think he is a classmate from middle school...)

From his perspective, they were classmates just a little while ago.

However, from Yuito's perspective, who has traveled back from the future to the past, he is an acquaintance from a long time ago.

Even so, the reason he could remember him was probably because of his distinctive shaved head.

The monk with the shaved head pointed at Yuito and whispered.

"Don't you know? Akizuki Yuito. Come on, you know about the stampede that happened in Tohoku, right?"

"Oh, that one where a city got devastated by a monster attack?"

"That's it! The only survivor of that!"

"Seriously!? That's the one famous on the internet, right..."

"That's right. Dozens of people have died just to save him!"

Thump.

Yuito's heart screamed.

"Uh... I don't get what it means that only one person survived."

"Apparently, only his house has a basement shelter."

"What's up with that? Isn't that a bit too convenient?"

"That's why they're saying his parents caused the stampede. Apparently, his mother was involved in dungeon research or something."

"Whoa, that's way too suspicious!"

Like flipping through photos, fragmented memories flash through his mind.

Yuito turns his back on his shouting parents and starts running.

His mother was bitten and torn apart by a giant dragon, and blood splattered everywhere.

His father's face is twisted in anger as he grips his sword but is swept aside by the dragon's tail.

His head throbs painfully. His breathing becomes shallow. He mustn't remember anymore.

His body is rejecting it with all its might.

"Moreover, dozens of people have died just to save that one person. It feels like he should just accept his fate and die quietly."

"Wow, that's harsh. But honestly, it would have been better for the world if he had died. What face does he have to keep living?"

Many letters arrived for the surviving Yuito.

The families of the victims. The families of the rescuers who came to help. Someone unrelated to the disaster.

"Why are you the only one who survived?" "Give me back my husband." "Murderer." "You should have died." "You should die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die." "Die."

"Why are you still alive?"

Yuito's life stands on a mountain of piled corpses.

Ten thousand confirmed dead victims. Two thousand missing persons. One hundred nineteen rescue team members were sacrificed.

―Do I have the right to be happy after surviving by sacrificing them?

"Yuito-kun!? Are you okay!? Your face is pale as a ghost!?"

"Are you feeling unwell? Can you tell me the details of your condition?"

"Kirika-san, Hakari-san..."

The two of them look at Yuito with concern.

Seeing the two of them being considerate of each other made his heart ache even more.

In reality, he doesn't have the right to be worried about the two of them.

He had forgotten about that and was confidently saying things like "I'm going to enjoy my youth."

"...I'm sorry. I'm going home first. I'll leave the money here."

Yuito places the bill on the table and stands up.

He turned his back to the two of them as if to escape.

"Wait."

Yuito's hand was held.

When he looked back, Kirika was staring at Yuito.

"Can you get home by yourself? I can give you a ride."

"...It's okay. I'm always alone anyway."

He has lived alone until now... and he will continue to live alone.

Nothing changes. Nothing has changed. That is probably the best.

Yuito gently peeled Kirika's hand away and turned his back.

There was a shadow watching the scene from a distance.

The shadow approached the bald-headed man who was gossiping about Yuito, a smirk on his face.

Chapter 11: Survivor’s Guilt