The wind whispered through an unfamiliar realm—one yered atop the mortal world, unseen yet ever-present.
The Chūkan Yūrei.
Vast ndscapes sprawled beyond the horizon, marked by towering pagodas, ancient bridges, and streets paved with smooth white stone.
The air shimmered with an ethereal glow, a subtle hum of energy thrumming beneath the surface.
Grand waterfalls cascaded from impossible heights, their waters vanishing into the sky instead of crashing below.
Wisps of light floated zily through the air, the entire realm pulsing with a mysticism beyond comprehension.
It was breathtaking.
A world that existed just beyond reach, yet more tangible than a dream.
And then—
A voice.
Soft at first, overid with the mencholic notes of a distant piano.
A conversation, pying from a memory yet unknown.
“One day, I want to take the kids from the orphanage to America.”
Watari’s voice.
Steady, filled with warmth.
The scene was simple: a quiet evening under a paper ntern’s glow.
He sat beside Kaito, both of them gazing out into the night.
“The kids?” Kaito asked, tilting his head slightly.
Watari nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“They always talk about wanting to see the sights. It’d be nice, y’know? Just… to take them, show them the world outside all of this.”
Kaito let out a small chuckle.
“That’s a hell of a goal, man.”
Silence passed between them for a moment.
Then, Kaito’s voice softened.
“For me… it was always about being the second. Most people care about the ‘Musabori v Hoju’ stuff, but either would’ve been fine with me.”
Watari gnced at him.
“Second?”
Kaito nodded, hands gripping his knees.
“In my family, there’s only ever been one Tamashkii user. Ever. I wanted to be the second.”
A pause.
“I worked my ass off just to reach Okachi. It wasn’t easy.”
Watari smirked.
“Yeah, that sounds like you. Always working hard, even if you’re not the strongest in the room.”
He lifted his fist.
“Then let’s see our goals through together.”
Kaito hesitated for just a second, then bumped his fist against Watari’s.
A soft clink echoed under the ntern’s glow.
The final piano notes pyed out—three soft keys.
Dun.
Dun.
Dun.
The memory shattered.
Watari jolted awake.
His breath came in sharp, shallow bursts. Wooden walls surrounded him—tatami flooring beneath his palms.
He wasn’t where he st remembered being.
His mind raced.
The st thing he recalled—
Kaito.
The explosion.
His hands clenched into fists, lips pressing into a thin line. He swallowed down the wave of emotionswelling in his chest.
The quiet rustle of paper doors sliding open pulled his attention forward.
Two unfamiliar figures stood at the threshold.
A man and a woman—both cd in an attire Watari had never seen before.
Dark, hakama-like robes, tailored for battle, lined with silver threading that caught the ethereal glow of the Chūkan’s air.
Sleeves slightly shorter than traditional wear, reinforced boots sturdy against the tatami.
They weren’t simply ceremonial robes—these were made for warriors.
Each of them carried a weapon, but their weapons were… off.
Ethereal, shifting slightly as if their existence wasn’t fully bound to this world. They seemed to hum, reacting subtly to the energy of the Chūkan Yūrei itself.
The woman smirked, arms crossed.
The man tilted his head slightly, studying Watari with keen, unreadable eyes.
Then—
“Oh? The boy’s the st one to wake up.”
Watari sat up, shoulders tensing.
He could feel it—an overwhelming, crushing aura radiating from them.
His voice came quiet but firm.
“Uhhhh… Who are you?”
The boy smirked.
Cut to bck.
?
Watari slowly pushed himself to his feet, still feeling the lingering effects of whatever had brought him to this pce.
His body ached, but not in the way it should have after everything he had just gone through.
He was alive.
Or at least, something close to it.
The two warriors standing before him watched with mild amusement.
The woman smirked, arms crossed, while the man simply tilted his head slightly, observing Watari with quiet curiosity.
“Follow us.”
Watari blinked.
“Uh… sure? I mean, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”
He hesitated for a second before stepping forward.
As he followed them through the halls, his eyes widened at the sights before him.
This pce was unlike anything he had ever seen.
He had already noticed the ethereal glow to everything, but walking through its streets was another experience entirely.
Towering pagodas stretched endlessly toward the sky, their roofs lined with glowing talismans that shimmered like stars.
A vast river ran parallel to the path, yet its waters moved upward, defying gravity as they cascaded into the heavens.
The stone bridges they passed under were carved with intricate designs, their patterns shifting as if alive.
Wisps of light drifted zily in the air, like fireflies suspended in a dream.
The air smelled of something faintly sweet—like the moment just before the first snowfall.
Watari let out a breath.
“Okay, I know I was joking about the reincarnation thing before, but this is insane.”
The woman ahead of him chuckled but didn’t turn around.
Instead, she gestured toward a set of massive wooden doors adorned with kanji inscriptions.
With a single push, the doors swung open, revealing a vast training hall unlike anything Watari had expected.
The first thing he noticed was the pressure in the air.
A suffocating, intense energy—so thick it sent a chill down his spine.
His instincts fred.
“Uhhh… is this your execution room? I swear I just died and got isekai’d here! I mean no trouble, please spare me!”
The two warriors turned to him, blinking.
Then, they burst out ughing.
“Execution? That’s a first. No, this is where we train. And it seems like you’ve arrived at the perfect time.”
The moment Watari stepped inside, his breath hitched.
Ren. Yumi. Ryuko. Akira.
All four of them were locked in 2v2 sparring matches, their movements a blur as they cshed.
Their outfits matched the two warriors beside him—dark, hakama-like robes, designed for both elegance and combat.
But more importantly—
They were using the same strange weapons Watari had noticed earlier.
Ethereal, flickering between reality and something else, as if not entirely bound to the physical world.
The sheer energy radiating from them was overwhelming.
Watari’s eyes widened as he felt the shift in their strength.
They’re on a completely different level now…
As Ren and Yumi prepared to csh, Yumi suddenly stopped mid-motion.
Her sharp gaze snapped toward the entrance.
The moment she saw Watari, her expression shifted—
Her sword vanished in an instant.
And before he could even process it—
She was in front of him, her arms wrapping around him tightly.
“I thought you were dead, idiot.”
Her voice was steady, but he could hear the slight shake in it.
She was holding back tears.
Watari blinked before letting out a small chuckle.
“Are we… not dead?! Because this for sure seems like one of those ‘Time I Got Reincarnated as’ pces.”
Yumi sighed, stepping back just enough to gre at him.
“Nope. You’re alive. Unless you got dumber as a corpse. Did they not expin anything to you?”
Before Watari could respond, the two warriors stepped forward.
The man cpped his hands together once—
And the sheer force of it sent shockwaves through the room, instantly breaking Akira and Ryuko’s sparring stance, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Akira gave out a low grunt.
A low whistle also came from Ryuko.
“Damn. Could’ve just said ‘gather around’ like a normal person.”
The man ignored him, his voice smooth and composed.
“Now that everyone’s here, I guess we should introduce ourselves.”
He gave a soft smile.
“I’m Ayase. And this here is Koharu.”
Koharu smirked, arms still crossed as she eyed Watari.
“Welcome to the Chūkan Yūrei—or as you probably call it, the In-Between.”
Her smirk widened.
“We hope you’ll learn fast.”
Cut to bck.
