Exhaling in exhaustion, Tsutsumi looked at the massive crowd gathered before him. Huntsmen, Huntresses, criminals, and civilians had all come together, apparently believing that they could stop him if they worked together.
Honestly, he couldn't be bothered to deal with them.
The sheer confidence they had in their numbers was almost laughable. Did they genuinely believe that gathering everyone in one place would somehow give them a chance against him? Even if they all attacked at once, what exactly did they expect to accomplish?
If Tsutsumi summoned Mahoraga right now, what could they possibly do against it?
Unless they possessed an attack capable of completely obliterating Mahoraga or erasing it from existence in a single strike, before its wheel could process the damage and adapt, they had practically no chance of winning. The more they struggled against it, the more difficult it would become to defeat.
And that was only one of the many things Tsutsumi could do.
He hadn't even considered using his other abilities yet, and these people had already gathered together as though they were preparing for the final battle of their lives.
Well, he supposed that, from their perspective, it probably was.
Unfortunately for them, Tsutsumi didn't share their enthusiasm.
"This is nothing more than a massive waste of time."
With those words, he casually raised his hand and opened the Aurora Curtain.
The moment the barrier appeared, the crowd immediately launched their ranged attacks toward him. Countless attacks flew through the air, all aimed at the same target. Whether driven by fear, desperation, or the belief that their combined strength might actually be enough, the people before him poured everything they could into their assault.
Yet none of it mattered.
The attacks never even reached Tsutsumi.
As soon as they came into contact with Mince, they were chopped into atoms, their destructive power completely dismantled before they could get anywhere near him. Every projectile, every blast, and every other attack that struck the barrier was reduced to nothing.
And even if something somehow managed to survive Mince, it would still have to get past Infinity.
The two layers of defense surrounding Tsutsumi made reaching him an almost impossible task. One barrier dismantled the incoming attacks, while the other prevented anything that managed to get through from ever truly reaching its target.
It was a hopeless situation, and Tsutsumi knew it.
He didn't even bother looking particularly impressed by the crowd's efforts. He simply stood there, watching their attacks fail one after another, as though he were waiting for them to realize just how pointless their actions were.
But whether they understood that or not was no longer his concern.
With another wave of his hand, the Aurora Curtain began moving toward him, its strange light gradually engulfing his body.
However, as the barrier covered him, the silhouette it cast wasn't that of his usual human form.
Instead, the shadow resembled someone wearing armor, with a pair of massive green eyes glaring from its head.
A moment later, the Aurora Curtain disappeared entirely. And Tsutsumi was gone with it.
...
At Salem's castle, a massive explosion erupted from the entrance.
The sound echoed through the structure as the entrance was blown apart, sending debris scattering across the surrounding area.
Through the destruction, Tsutsumi calmly walked forward with both hands in his pockets.
He didn't rush, nor did he bother looking around to admire the damage. He simply continued on his way, treating the castle as though it were nothing more than an obstacle he had to walk through.
Invisible slashes flew out around him.
The walls were cut apart, the supporting structures were sliced through, and anything unfortunate enough to stand in his path was reduced to pieces. The castle's structure suffered under the relentless assault, its walls and supports being carved apart by attacks that were impossible to see coming.
The Grimm that attempted to stop his advance fared no better.
Before they could even reach him, they were chopped into cubes by the invisible slashes, their bodies falling apart without accomplishing anything. No matter how many appeared to block his path, none of them managed to slow him down.
Tsutsumi didn't even need to take his hands out of his pockets. He simply continued walking, allowing his attacks to clear the way ahead of him.
"Hey, I was wondering. Why did you decide not to kill them?"
Morgan's voice suddenly came from above.
The Witch Queen appeared out of nowhere and casually settled herself on Tsutsumi's shoulders, her thighs resting against the sides of his head while she placed her hands on his hair.
She leaned forward, her pale hands holding his head as her pale blonde hair fell over his face, partially blocking his vision. Her golden eyes met his dull purple ones at close range, and she regarded him with an expression filled with curiosity.
It was a question she had been wanting to ask.
After all, Morgan had watched Tsutsumi make some rather interesting decisions during their journey together. He was perfectly willing to leave the people who had gathered outside Haven Academy alive, despite the fact that they had all come together with the intention of killing him.
Yet when it came to anyone remotely connected to Salem and Ozma, he showed no such restraint. He would hunt them down without hesitation.
The contrast was both amusing and intriguing to her.
On one hand, Tsutsumi was willing to spare an entire crowd of people who had raised their weapons against him. On the other, he had no intention of showing mercy to those who had become a core part of Salem and Ozma's conflict.
It was difficult to reconcile those two sides of him.
Even when the entire world turned against him, Tsutsumi didn't seem particularly interested in punishing everyone for it. As long as someone wasn't his target, he could apparently tolerate them pointing their weapons at him without feeling the need to retaliate.
Morgan found that rather strange.
Most people who possessed overwhelming power would eventually grow tired of others challenging them. Some would retaliate out of anger, while others would make an example of anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.
Tsutsumi, however, had simply left. He hadn't even bothered to teach the crowd a lesson.
"If I actually go out of my way to kill them, then what's the difference between me and those who dragged the entire world into their family conflict?" Tsutsumi replied.
He finally pulled one hand out of his pocket and looked down at his palm.
His voice remained calm, but there was a certain weight behind his words.
"I only kill those whom I can't find any hope of saving."
For a moment, his gaze lingered on his hand.
He recalled his fight with Overhaul, remembering how he had tried to reason with the villain before ultimately reaching the conclusion that there was no point in continuing. He had attempted to make the other man understand, but when every effort at reasoning failed, Tsutsumi hadn't hesitated to turn him into Originium dust.
It wasn't something he had done simply because he enjoyed killing. He had done it because, at that point, he had seen no other way to resolve the situation. At least, that was how he understood his own actions.
"The people outside Haven Academy gathered together because they believe they have a chance of taking me down if they work together," Tsutsumi continued. "But if they knew they stood absolutely no chance, would they still try to stand against me?"
He raised his other hand and gently moved Morgan's hair away from his face.
The gesture was casual, almost absent-minded, especially considering that another invisible slash flew past them and cut down a Grimm that had attempted to get in his way.
Tsutsumi didn't even glance at the fallen creature.
His attention remained on Morgan as he finished speaking.
"There's no reason for me to kill them just because they oppose me. If they aren't beyond saving, then there's no point in killing them."
"Aww, I didn't expect you to have such a caring heart." Morgan let out an amused chuckle.
She had expected a different answer, perhaps something along the lines of how the crowd wasn't worth his effort or how killing them would have been a waste of time. Those explanations would have made sense, considering how casually Tsutsumi treated most things.
But this?
This was genuinely interesting.
For someone who possessed such terrifying power and had no apparent difficulty killing his enemies, Tsutsumi still drew a line between those he considered beyond saving and those who could potentially be saved.
He might not act like a conventional hero, but he hadn't completely abandoned the idea of saving people, either.
If anything, that made him even more difficult for Morgan to understand.
"My mother is a hero..." Tsutsumi said quietly. "And I... am pretending to be one."
His words were accompanied by a brief silence.
For the first time in their conversation, there was something about his voice that sounded less like a simple explanation and more like an admission he wasn't entirely comfortable making.
Tsutsumi had always held on to the idea that his mother was a hero. That belief had remained with him even after her disappearance, becoming one of the things he could still cling to whenever he thought about her.
But the truth was that he didn't know what had actually happened to her in his own world.
And that uncertainty had been eating away at him.
As he traveled between different worlds, Tsutsumi had gradually gathered enough clues to begin piecing together what might have happened. He compared the events of those worlds with the circumstances of his own, looking for similarities and differences that might help him understand the truth.
The more he learned, the harder it became to ignore the possibility that something terrible had happened to his mother.
Even the information surrounding her in his own world was suspiciously difficult to uncover.
The fact that his future self had returned to the past to stop him from discovering the truth only made his suspicions worse.
Despite all the clues he had gathered, Tsutsumi continued to hold on to the belief he had formed after his mother's disappearance. He wanted to believe the story he had told himself, even when the evidence he had uncovered began to suggest otherwise.
Perhaps it was easier that way. If he continued believing that his mother had been a hero, and still is a hero, then he could at least preserve something of her in his memories.
And if he was nothing more than a monster pretending to be one, then so be it.
...
"Hmm, Intangibility..." Tsutsumi's quiet murmur brought his attention back to the present.
He looked down at the card in his hand, examining it briefly after killing the silver-haired man who had framed Yang.
The card represented the ability he had just obtained, and Tsutsumi took a moment to consider it before allowing it to disappear from his hand.
He stepped forward, casually placing his foot on the corpse of the boy he had just chopped to pieces. His gaze remained indifferent as he continued on his way, and his foot carelessly kicked the head of the dark-skinned, green-haired girl lying nearby.
Having dealt with Tyrian and obtained his Semblance, Aura Disruption, Tsutsumi had gained a better understanding of how Aura functioned in this world. More importantly, he had learned how to disrupt it at will after studying its underlying nature.
Aura, as he understood it, was nothing more than the physical manifestation of a person's soul and life force in this world.
By combining his understanding of Aura with the other soul-based abilities he possessed, Tsutsumi had learned how to direct his attacks toward the soul itself rather than simply targeting the physical body.
And once he incorporated that understanding into his own Cursed Technique, the results became even more dangerous.
He could now use Shrine against a target's soul.
It was a development that rendered most conventional forms of defense practically useless against him.
Heavy armor wouldn't save someone. Neither would a body capable of enduring tremendous amounts of physical damage. It didn't matter how durable a person was or how much punishment they could withstand if the attack bypassed those advantages and struck directly at the soul.
A body could remain intact while the soul within it was torn apart. And once the soul was damaged beyond what it could endure, the body would eventually follow.
Even the strongest physical defenses offered little protection against an attack that ignored them entirely.
After all, what good was a healthy body if the soul inhabiting it could no longer sustain its existence?
The body and the soul were connected, but they weren't the same thing.
The only reason people in this world could endure his Soul Slashes to any extent was because of Aura. Acting as a shield for the soul, it provided a layer of protection that prevented his attacks from immediately reaching their intended target.
Tsutsumi continued walking through Salem's castle, his hands returning to his pockets as invisible slashes swept through anything that dared to obstruct his path.
...
"Catch." Tsutsumi spoke in a bored tone as he casually kicked Cinder's severed head toward Salem.
The head rolled across the ground before coming to a stop in front of the Queen of Grimm.
The sight of Cinder's head was already enough to make the situation painfully clear, but what truly shook Salem was the man standing before her. Tsutsumi Ryoko had found her hidden hideout, broken into her territory without the slightest hesitation, and massacred her entire force as though he were doing nothing more than clearing away some minor obstacles.
He hadn't even broken a sweat.
He didn't give Salem a chance to recover, nor did he bother allowing her enough time to decide what to do next. He simply reached for another card, slid it into his Decadriver, and activated its power.
Attack Ride: Unlimited Void!
The world around them shifted.
The surrounding darkness stretched outward, swallowing the landscape as everything transformed into a vast, deep-black void. Above them, white paint-like splashes spread across the sky, creating an eerie contrast against the endless darkness surrounding them.
Salem froze.
Her body remained standing, but her mind had already been overwhelmed by the sure-hit effect of Unlimited Void.
Tsutsumi, meanwhile, began walking toward her.
He took his time, his footsteps unhurried as he crossed the distance between them. There was no need to rush. Salem couldn't move, couldn't properly perceive what was happening around her, and couldn't even begin to comprehend the sheer amount of information flooding into her mind.
Unlimited Void did not simply overwhelm its target with an enormous amount of information. It subjected them to an endless stream of raw sensory input and knowledge, forcing their mind to receive far more than it could possibly process.
Every attempt to comprehend that information only became another part of the overwhelming flood.
Immortality might prevent her from dying through ordinary means, but it didn't grant her mind an infinite capacity to process information. Her brain could not handle an endless flood of sensory input, and as the information continued pouring in, her ability to perceive and communicate gradually became completely overwhelmed.
She could neither properly react to her surroundings nor formulate a meaningful response.
Her immortality had become a rather inconvenient advantage. After all, there was little point in possessing a body that refused to die when her mind could no longer function properly.
Without something like the Gaia Library, a place capable of receiving and containing that infinite information without suffering the same consequences, surviving Unlimited Void was practically impossible.
Although he had Limitless among his Engraved Techniques, he couldn't simply recreate Gojo Satoru's Unlimited Void by possessing the same technique. If he wanted that exact Domain Expansion, he would have to transform into Gojo himself or rely on his cards.
Two people could possess the same Cursed Technique at the same time. But that didn't mean they would develop the same Domain Expansion.
A Domain Expansion was more than just an advanced application of a Cursed Technique. It was the materialization of a sorcerer's Innate Domain, an external manifestation of their internal mental landscape.
And no two people possessed exactly the same mind, memories, or soul.
Even if two sorcerers wielded identical techniques, their individual experiences and interpretations would influence how they manifested their domains. Their personal fighting styles, their understanding of their abilities, and the way they viewed the world would all shape the final result.
After waiting for almost a minute, Tsutsumi finally stopped in front of Salem. He studied her for a moment, observing her complete lack of response.
"...You should be properly brain-dead by now."
He didn't sound particularly concerned about it. Tsutsumi reached for another card and slid it into his Decadriver.
Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!
A massive roll of golden cards materialized in front of him, forming a shining path between himself and the motionless Queen of Grimm.
Tsutsumi bent his knees and leaped into the air. Without hesitation, he kicked straight through the enormous golden cards, his body passing through each one as he accelerated toward his target.
The distance between them disappeared in an instant. His kick struck Salem directly.
The impact finished what Unlimited Void had started, killing the Queen of Grimm despite the immortality she had relied upon for so long.
For Salem, who had spent countless years believing that death was something she could never truly escape, it was the end of everything.
Tsutsumi landed without much ceremony.
With the Queen of Grimm no longer alive, the Land of Darkness sustained by her power began to collapse completely. The domain that had served as the heart of her influence could no longer maintain itself without its mistress.
Across Remnant, the Grimm began to grow wild and unrestrained.
Without Salem to command them, they had lost the central force that had guided their actions. The threat they posed to the world had not simply vanished with her death, but the order she had imposed upon them was gone.
Tsutsumi glanced down at the card in his hand before slipping it into his pocket.
Even Salem, with her immortality and seemingly endless existence, had eventually met the same fate as everything else. There was no special exception for her. Not against the Destroyer of Worlds. Death came for everything eventually, and Salem had simply reached her end at Tsutsumi's hands.
"One more to go," he murmured.
With that, he opened an Aurora Curtain and stepped through it, leaving the collapsing Land of Darkness behind.
...
In a peaceful barn house, Tsutsumi could sense the residual Cursed Energy he had left on Ruby.
The familiar trace remained inside the building, allowing him to locate the place without much difficulty. He stood outside for a moment before pulling out a card and placing it into his Decadriver.
Attack Ride: Fox Spirit!
A long pair of purple and magenta fox ears appeared on top of his head, replacing his ordinary human ears.
His gaze shifted toward the barn house. With his ability to perceive souls, he could see beyond the physical structure and locate the people inside. It didn't take him long to find Oscar. Or, more accurately, Ozma.
Tsutsumi's eyes locked onto the boy, his attention settling on the larger soul residing within his body. Raising his right hand, he pointed his index and middle fingers forward, directing his focus toward the soul he had come here to eliminate.
"Dismantle."
An invisible slash tore through the air.
It passed straight through the wooden wall of the barn house without slowing down, cutting directly into its intended target.
Ozma's soul was sliced in two. With that single attack, Tsutsumi had finished what he had originally set out to do.
He lowered his hand and pulled out another card, preparing to move on.
"Ryoko...?"
A familiar voice called out from behind him.
Tsutsumi paused. He turned around and found Ren and Nora standing there, looking at him.
For a brief moment, neither of them said anything.
Then Tsutsumi greeted them with the same casual attitude he had always shown toward his old teammates.
"Yo. Long time no see, Ren, Nora."
He held the card in his hand, his gaze resting on the two people who had once stood beside him as members of Team TNPR.
They had spent so much time together back then.
The four of them had fought together, faced their problems together, and shared the kind of ordinary moments that had made their time as a team meaningful. They had once been able to rely on one another without hesitation, believing that no matter what happened, they would face it together.
But things had changed.
Pyrrha was gone, and the three of them could no longer stand together as they once had.
Ren and Nora had already suffered enough from their inability to save Pyrrha. They had also been forced to endure the pain of being unable to walk alongside their leader, watching as Tsutsumi continued down a path they couldn't follow.
They had lost someone precious to them, and even now, the wounds left by that loss had not truly healed.
Yet, despite everything, they still trusted him.
They still believed in him, even when his actions seemed impossible to understand and his words sounded like something no ordinary person would ever dare to say.
For a moment, the two remained silent. Then they smiled.
"How are you doing, great leader?" Nora asked cheerfully.
She closed both eyes as she spoke, trying to hide the tears gathering behind them. Her voice remained bright, carrying the familiar warmth she had always shown toward Tsutsumi, but the emotion behind it was difficult to conceal completely.
She wanted to treat this as an ordinary reunion. She wanted to believe that they could simply greet one another, exchange a few words, and somehow return to the way things used to be.
But deep down, she knew that wasn't possible. Too much had happened since they had last been together. Still, Nora smiled at him anyway.
Ren, standing beside her, looked directly at Tsutsumi.
"Did you accomplish your goal?"
He deactivated his Semblance, allowing the emotions he had been suppressing to show through. Tears began to fall from his eyes as he waited for an answer.
There was no need for him to hide how he felt anymore.
He had already lost Pyrrha, and he had spent enough time watching Tsutsumi walk away from the people who once mattered to him. Yet even now, Ren couldn't bring himself to hate his former leader.
He knew Tsutsumi had his own reasons for doing what he did.
Perhaps those reasons were terrible. Perhaps the path he had chosen would lead to something none of them could ever accept.
But Ren still wanted to believe that the person standing before him was the same person he had once known.
The same leader who had fought beside them.
The same person who had once been part of their little family.
"I did," Tsutsumi answered.
As he spoke, the ominous dark green rim surrounding his eyes gradually faded away.
For a brief moment, his expression seemed less distant than before.
He had done it. He had reached the end of the path he had chosen and accomplished the goal that had driven him forward all this time.
Final Kamen Ride: Doom Geats!
A golden pillar of light erupted from where he stood, shooting upward as the transformation began.
Golden light enveloped his body, and a royal kimono appeared around him, its golden fabric decorated with black and red lining. Behind his back, a massive nine-tailed cape unfurled, its tails waving ominously as the light continued to spread.
A fox mask appeared along the side of his head, its golden surface accented by red eyes.
"I'm going to reset this world now," Tsutsumi said.
His voice remained calm, almost gentle. But beneath that calmness was a bitterness that he could no longer completely hide.
There was sadness in his words, a quiet weight that had followed him throughout his journey. He had reached his goal, but that didn't mean he had emerged from it unscathed. He had lost too much along the way. And now, with everything finally coming to an end, there was little left for him to do except carry out the last step.
Nora stared at him, her smile wavering.
"Would we... still meet and become friends in this next world?"
Her voice was softer this time.
She wanted to believe that, somewhere beyond this world, there would be another chance for them.
Another chance for the four of them to stand together as Team TNPR.
Another chance to laugh, argue, and spend time with one another without having to worry about losing someone precious.
She wanted to return to those days when they could simply be friends, when their biggest concerns didn't involve the fate of the world or the impossible decisions their leader had to make.
"Yeah, we'll meet again." Tsutsumi gave her a small smile.
It was a gentle expression, one that looked reassuring enough to fool someone as naturally trusting as Nora.
But it was a lie.
He knew that, and he still chose to say it.
Perhaps he simply couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. Perhaps he wanted to give her something to hold on to, even if it was only a promise he had no intention of fulfilling.
Whatever the reason, he couldn't bear to take that hope away from her.
Ren saw through the lie immediately. He could tell from Tsutsumi's expression, from the sadness hidden beneath his calm voice, and from the way he offered Nora that small smile.
And yet, Ren didn't expose him. He didn't question Tsutsumi or demand that he explain himself. He simply looked at him and smiled gently, allowing Nora to hold on to the promise she had been given.
Perhaps there was nothing else he could do.
Perhaps, at this point, all he could offer his former leader was the same trust he had always placed in him.
Tsutsumi slowly spread his arms outward. A massive bell sound rang out across the world.
Its sound echoed through the land, reaching far beyond the place where the three of them stood. The golden light surrounding Tsutsumi expanded outward, spreading across the world as it continued to grow.
Ren and Nora remained where they were, watching as the light approached.
The warmth of that golden radiance gradually surrounded them, swallowing the space around their bodies and extending toward everything beyond their sight.
Tsutsumi stood at the center of it all, his arms spread wide as the light continued to spread.
The world he had traveled through, the people he had met, the battles he had fought, and the memories he had gathered along the way were all about to become part of the past.
And as the golden light spread farther and farther, it finally engulfed the entire world.
...
The bell above the restaurant door rang as Tsutsumi stepped outside the store his grandmother, Chloe, owned.
The streets of Vale stretched out before him, lined with buildings and filled with vehicles moving along the roads. The city was peaceful now. There were no Grimm attacking the streets, no fear hanging over the people, and no looming threat waiting to turn their lives upside down. People went about their daily routines, talking with friends, visiting shops, and enjoying the quiet lives they had been given.
It was the kind of peaceful world they had once fought so hard to create.
Tsutsumi stood by the entrance for a while, quietly taking in the view. His gaze wandered across the streets, watching the people passing by as the evening light slowly faded. There was something comforting about seeing everyone living their lives without having to worry about the things he had faced in the past.
And yet, for some reason, the sight also left him feeling strangely empty.
Perhaps it was because he knew what had been sacrificed to make this peace possible. Or perhaps it was because, despite everything he had done, there was no place for him in this world anymore.
After one last look at the peaceful streets of Vale, Tsutsumi turned around and headed back into the restaurant.
He had barely settled back into his work when the bell above the door rang again.
Looking up from the counter, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Soon enough, his expression returned to normal, and he quietly watched as three familiar figures walked inside.
"Renny, Py, how did you two do on the exam today?" Nora asked cheerfully as she entered alongside Ren and Pyrrha.
All three were dressed in ordinary school uniforms, their bags slung over their shoulders. They looked like any other students coming to grab something to eat after a long day at school.
Nora was as lively as ever, talking while walking and occasionally turning toward her friends to hear their answers. Ren listened to her with his usual calm expression, while Pyrrha smiled and joined in the conversation.
Watching them walk together brought back memories of a time that felt both distant and painfully close. He remembered the days they had spent together, the conversations they had shared, and the countless little moments that had slowly turned a group of strangers into something much closer than that.
He remembered their laughter, their arguments, and the way they had always found themselves standing beside one another, even when things seemed impossible.
They had been through so much together. And now, they were standing right in front of him again. Alive, well, and smiling.
But there was one thing Tsutsumi couldn't forget. This wasn't the world they had once lived in.
In this world, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha had never met someone named Tsutsumi Ryoko. They had never fought beside him, never shared those memories with him, and never experienced the things that had once connected them.
To them, he was nothing more than a stranger working at a restaurant.
Tsutsumi lowered his gaze for a moment before walking over to greet them.
"Welcome. A table for three?"
"Yes, please!" Nora answered immediately.
He led them to a table and handed them their menus before taking out his order pad. His movements were natural and practiced, and his expression remained as calm as ever.
He treated them exactly as he would any other customers.
Still, something about him seemed to bother Pyrrha.
She studied his face as he stood beside their table, waiting for their orders. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was something familiar about him. Not his appearance alone, but something deeper, something she couldn't put into words.
It felt as though she had known him for a long time. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember where they might have met.
"Um, excuse me," Pyrrha began hesitantly.
Tsutsumi looked at her. "Yes, miss?"
"Have we met before?"
For a brief moment, the restaurant seemed a little quieter to him.
Tsutsumi looked at her for a second before answering.
"No, miss. I believe this is our first time."
He delivered the lie with a perfectly straight face.
Pyrrha blinked, then gave an embarrassed smile.
"Ah, I see. Sorry about that. I must be overthinking things."
"It's fine," Tsutsumi replied.
Even after saying that, Pyrrha couldn't completely shake the feeling. She glanced at him one more time, trying to find something in his expression that might explain why he seemed so familiar. But there was nothing. He looked at her like any ordinary restaurant worker would, with nothing more than polite interest.
Eventually, she lowered her eyes to the menu.
Perhaps she really was overthinking things.
Beside her, Ren had also been watching Tsutsumi quietly. He couldn't explain it either, but something about the young man felt familiar. It wasn't a memory he could grasp, only a vague feeling that lingered at the back of his mind.
Nora seemed to share the same problem.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Tsutsumi with a puzzled expression.
"Have we really never been here before?" she asked her friends.
"I don't believe so," Ren answered.
"Then why does he feel familiar?"
"Maybe he just looks like someone else we know," Pyrrha suggested.
"Maybe..." Nora murmured.
The three of them exchanged glances, but none could come up with an answer.
Tsutsumi stood beside their table, quietly listening to their conversation.
For a moment, he almost wanted to tell them.
He wanted to tell them that they were right. That they had known him before. That they had laughed with him, fought alongside him, and shared memories that he would never forget.
But what would that accomplish?
They aren't the teammate who fought alongside him; they are just an alternative version of people he knew.
He recreated this world so they could have a peaceful life; there is no point in destroying it.
So Tsutsumi simply waited for them to finish ordering, wrote everything down, and gave them a polite nod.
"Thank you. I'll bring your food out shortly."
He turned and walked back toward the kitchen. Once he was out of their sight, his expression softened slightly.
Tsutsumi began preparing their food, moving through the familiar routine with practiced ease. He knew how to handle the ingredients, how long everything needed to cook, and how to put the dishes together without wasting time.
For a moment, it almost felt as though nothing had changed.
He could remember doing the same things before, preparing meals while his friends waited nearby, sometimes talking to him and sometimes simply enjoying the time they spent together.
There had been nothing particularly special about those moments back then. They were just ordinary days, the kind of small, everyday experiences that were easy to overlook when there were bigger problems to worry about.
Only now did he realize how much those moments meant to him. He finished preparing the dishes and carefully carried them out to the table.
"Here you go. Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you!" Nora replied brightly.
"Thank you for the food," Pyrrha added with a warm smile.
Ren gave him a small nod. "Thank you."
Tsutsumi returned their gestures before stepping away.
The three students soon returned to their conversation, happily eating while discussing their exams and whatever else came to mind. Nora was especially animated, occasionally making a comment that earned a small smile from Pyrrha or a quiet response from Ren.
It was such an ordinary scene. There was no danger, no fighting, and no need for any of them to worry about what might happen tomorrow. They were simply three friends enjoying a meal together.
Tsutsumi stood behind the counter, watching them from a distance. He didn't approach their table again. He didn't interrupt their conversation or try to make them remember him. He simply stood there, quietly taking in the sight of their smiles.
For some time, he had believed that protecting someone meant staying by their side. Fighting for them, taking their place when necessary, and making sure they could return home safely.
But perhaps there were times when protecting someone meant something else. Sometimes, it meant accepting that you could no longer be part of their lives.
His gaze lingered on Pyrrha for a little longer before shifting to Ren and Nora. He committed the sight of them to memory, just as he had done so many times before.
Slowly, Tsutsumi lowered his eyes. He turned away from the counter and walked toward the back door without saying anything.
Outside, the night air greeted him as he stepped into the quiet space behind the restaurant. The sounds of the city were more distant here, leaving him with little more than the occasional passing vehicle and the faint noise of people enjoying their evening.
Tsutsumi reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.
He placed it between his lips, then raised one hand. A small flame flickered to life at his fingertips, its light briefly illuminating his face as he used Disaster Flames to light the cigarette.
After taking a moment to make sure it had caught, he extinguished the flame. He took a long drag before slowly releasing the smoke from his mouth.
Then he looked up. The full moon hung high above Vale, casting a pale glow over the rooftops and the surrounding buildings. Its light was quiet and distant, much like the world he was about to leave behind.
Tsutsumi watched it in silence, the cigarette resting between his fingers.
He had done what he set out to do. There was nothing left for him here.
He took one last drag before lowering his hand. The cigarette had nearly burned out by then, its small ember glowing faintly in the darkness.
Tsutsumi dropped it onto the ground and pressed it beneath his foot, putting out the remaining light.
Tsutsumi slowly raised his hand.
The air before him shimmered as the Aurora Curtain opened, revealing the passage that would take him away from this world. Its light reflected faintly in his eyes, offering him a way forward and leaving nothing behind to hold him here.
He glanced back toward the restaurant.
Through the back of the building, he could still imagine the three of them sitting at their table, laughing and talking as though tomorrow would be just another ordinary day.
A small, bittersweet smile appeared on his face.
"Take care of yourselves."
His voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.
They couldn't hear him. They would never know he had said it.
Tsutsumi turned away from the restaurant and stepped through the Aurora Curtain.
The light closed behind him, and he disappeared from the world completely.
Leaving behind a peaceful Remnant, three friends who would never remember him, and memories that he would carry alone.
...
AN: Long chapter today, since I'm sick, that means I have more free time to write. And I believe this arc, although decent, was getting a bit long and dragging out. The next chapter might have to wait a bit because I'm still planning what event to put up next. I have multiple ideas, but not sure which one to put in first that would allow me to fit in the other ideas as well. So yeah, maybe a short hiatus.