Haruki's eyes widened as a blazing red flash burst from the robot, striking Inochi directly and reducing it in an instant to nothing but a heap of ash.

  His fingers froze as the ashes sifted through them, while his shoulders slumped and his jaw quivered, unable to process what had just happened to his very first friend in this world.

  Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the young man, his voice heavy with betrayal.

  "Why…?"

  The young man rolled his eyes coldly as the robot retracted its weapons back into its body.

  His reply came blunt and detached, void of sympathy.

  "Let it rest in peace, man… carrying its corpse around like some kind of trophy isn't normal."

  Haruki let out a deep sigh, exhaling in frustration before giving his shoulders a small shrug.

  His lips parted in a faint scowl as he spoke.

  "I mean… I could've at least said goodbye before you burned him."

  The young man replied coldly, his voice devoid of even the slightest sympathy.

  "You're acting like it was your lifelong friend."

  With that, he turned on his heel and began walking away, indifferent to what Haruki was feeling.

  But Haruki didn't hesitate,there was no way he was letting the only human he'd met in this world of strange creatures just disappear.

  He hurried after him, like a lost pup clinging to the first glimpse of safety it found.

  The young man suddenly halted mid-step, glancing back over his shoulder.

  His gray eyes narrowed with impatience, his voice sharp with annoyance.

  "Why are you following me?"

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  Haruki tilted his head slightly, raising a single brow as though he couldn't understand why the question even needed to be asked.

  Then he answered, with the simplest words, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  "Because we're friends."

  "Friends?"

  The young man spat out the word as though it were something filthy, his tone laced with open disgust.

  Haruki's confusion only deepened, his mouth parting as if to say something,only for the boy to turn fully toward him.

  His gray eyes gleamed with condescension, his voice dripping with scorn as he declared.

  "I don't make friends… and even if I did, it wouldn't be with someone like you."

  Haruki staggered back a step from the boy's harsh tone and rough manner.

  His brows furrowed in a frown as he stepped forward again, saying.

  "What's wrong with you, man? I didn't do anything to you."

  But that questioning tone only fueled the boy's irritation.

  He jabbed a finger into Haruki's chest in direct accusation.

  "Didn't do anything? You blew my cover in the middle of the weapons market! If I hadn't been there, you'd already be a corpse strung up for display."

  Haruki threw his arms out in a defensive gesture, his voice rising in protest at the boy's rudeness.

  "I said thank you!"

  The boy shoved Haruki's shoulder lightly with his palm, showing his annoyance at the gratitude.

  Then he turned his back on him, indifferent to whatever Haruki might face in this world, muttering a final warning as he walked away.

  "Yeah, whatever… Just stay out of my way, or I'll kick your ass clear across this place."

  "Hey! Wait!"

  Haruki shouted after him, but it was already too late.

  The boy had vanished into the thick trees, leaving Haruki standing there alone, helpless, with no one left to turn to.

  The crackling of burning firewood blended with the faint sounds of the world's creatures moving about the place.

  The logs lay in a piled embrace, consumed together by the flames, their warm glow pushing back the surrounding darkness.

  The black-haired boy sat near the fire, his small robot powered down and leaning against his side as if asleep, while he stared at a strange sheet of paper in his hands, lost deep in thought.

  From a distance, specifically from behind one of the large trees, Haruki peeked out, quietly watching the boy.

  He had followed him the entire way in hiding, like a little thief, unwilling to let go of the faint glimmer of hope he had finally found.

  His stomach let out a growl of hunger, but he quickly covered his belly with one hand while pressing a finger from the other against his lips, as if asking his stomach to be silent.

  "Shhh…"

  And just as his stomach quieted down, Haruki tilted his head to peek again from the side of the tree- only to find the boy standing right in front of him.

  "What are you doing here?"

  Haruki jolted from the surprise and jumped back, but his foot slipped and he fell on his backside.

  A short hiss escaped him from the sudden pain of the fall, then he lifted his gaze upward where the boy was standing.

  "How do you move without a sound like that?"

  The boy narrowed his eyes with a dangerous expression, fully aware of Haruki's attempts to escape answering the question.