Returning home, Azlan saw Akane who had already put on a new light pink nightgown. She was mopping the floor where she had previously wet herself from nearly dying of strangulation.
"Ah, welcome back, Azlan-kun."
Different from her usual gentle smile, Akane's smile now looked forced.
Although she was an actress and had been studying acting since childhood, it was impossible for her to act normal as if nothing had happened after nearly being raped. Her eyes were slightly swollen, and there was a small bandage tape on her cheek to cover the slap mark.
Azlan approached and suddenly knelt before her.
"Azlan-kun?" Akane exclaimed in confusion, setting down her mop.
"I'm sorry, Akane. This is all my fault."
Unable to look at her, Azlan lowered his head, staring at the floor while blaming himself.
"If I hadn't brought that person back, you wouldn't have experienced this bad thing. I should have been more vigilant before inviting a stranger into our home."
He shouldn't save everyone indiscriminately. The people he wanted to save were only those who deserved to live.
Life itself is not equal.
If there is one universal equality among all beings, then "inequality" will befall everyone. Given his harsh life experiences, Azlan had understood that truth from a very young age.
However, he became careless, thinking everything was under control thanks to his power that now exceeded ordinary humans. He didn't consider Sawagoe Tomaru a threat, which is why he fell for a lowly trick like having his food poisoned.
This experience had taught him a valuable lesson. Azlan promised himself: he would save others unequally.
He would only fight with all his might to save goodness. He would ensure that goodness enjoyed more equality. Not wasting his life on people like Sawagoe Tomaru.
Akane helped Azlan stand up, touching his shoulder gently.
"Azlan-kun, don't blame yourself. It can only be said that person wore his mask very well. He deceived us, even I myself, who am skilled in acting and accustomed to reading expressions, didn't find any flaws in his kind man persona."
Azlan looked at Akane, his usually indifferent eyes now filled with guilt.
"Akane."
"Hm?"
"How long will you keep acting?"
"W-What does Azlan-kun mean? I don't understand what you're talking about."
Akane's voice fluctuated slightly, showing she wasn't as calm as she appeared.
"Don't bottle up your feelings. Pour out all your negative emotions on me. I'll accept them. Cry if you want to cry, laugh if you're happy, express your true feelings."
"This isn't a stage or in front of a camera. You don't need to hide your true self or become someone else. Be yourself."
Hearing those words, Akane's heart shattered. Azlan had seen through her defenses.
"Azlan-kun is cheating... After you say that... it's impossible for me to stay calm."
The support she had maintained all this time finally collapsed. Like a broken dam, tears flowed profusely down her cheeks. She threw herself into Azlan's embrace, her body trembling violently.
"That was so scary! I was so afraid, Azlan-kun! I thought I would..." Akane couldn't finish her sentence. "Thank you for saving me again."
"Yes, don't hold back anything. Release all the burden in your heart."
With stiff movements, Azlan stroked Akane's hair while patting her back, awkward yet sincerely trying to provide comfort.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Akane's crying stopped after her tears dried up. She took a deep breath, separating herself slightly from Azlan's embrace. Then they sat side by side on the sofa, with Akane still afraid to move away from Azlan, her shoulder touching the man's arm as if seeking an anchor in the storm of her emotions.
"Hey, Azlan-kun, do you want to hear my story?"
Her heart had opened completely to Azlan. After what she had just experienced, she felt it was time to be honest about her past.
Azlan nodded. "Sure. I'll listen to it."
Akane began to tell her story, staring into the distance as if revisiting memories of her past.
"Before coming here, I was a high school student and affiliated with Lala Lai Theater Company. I usually acted in stage drama adaptations and occasionally performed at community stages. For me, acting was everything."
"But one day, a producer offered me to join a dating reality show called [We're About to Fall in Love for Real]. The show featured high school students from the performing arts department. We bonded and interacted with each other through various weekend events, to see if anyone would become a couple at the end of the show."
Sighing, Akane smiled bitterly.
"I thought it was a golden opportunity to increase my popularity, to make my career path easier. So I agreed to participate."
"But... I soon realized theater and reality shows were very different. Compared to other participants, I didn't have a strong distinctive characteristic. I felt ordinary."
Akane's hands clenched in her lap.
"I panicked. In an effort to stand out more on the show and get more screen time, I did something stupid and reckless. Unfortunately, I accidentally injured the face of another participant, Sumi Yuki."
"..."
Azlan remained silent, giving her space to continue.
"Yuki was the center of attention on that reality show. She was very popular, cute, and loved by everyone. My unintentional act of injuring Yuki made her fans very angry. They attacked me online."
"Although Yuki and I had made peace behind the camera, that reality show deliberately didn't air the reconciliation part. They wanted drama."
Akane's breath became ragged.
"As a result, netizens immediately criticized me. They started launching very brutal criticism, insults, and hatred on social media. That hate speech came non-stop. Every day, every hour, there were notifications telling me to die."
"The continuous incoming hatred made me depressed and very mentally stressed. I couldn't take it anymore... I felt like I had no place in this world."
Akane closed her eyes briefly.
"That's what finally drove me to attempt suicide. On a heavily rainy afternoon... I stood on an overpass. And when I jumped... when I came to, I was already in this world."
"..."
While Akane told her story, Azlan listened in silence, not interrupting, his expression remaining serious and full of attention. He let Akane release all the burden she had carried alone.
(I see. Now everything makes sense. That's why Akane never asked about how to return to her world. She doesn't want to go back.)
Azlan's doubts were finally answered. He had always been amazed at how quickly Akane adapted to this chaotic world, as if she had no reason to miss her old life.
Azlan himself had no remaining ties in his original world. Losing his family in war had severed all ties binding him to the past.
But Akane was different. She must have relatives, friends, and an acting career she longed for. Why had she never once asked Azlan if she could return to her original world?
The answer was the cyberbullying she experienced.
(This is one of the negative sides of the internet.) Azlan thought inwardly.
Akane's case was a real example of how cruel the online world could be. Anonymity was often the main trigger for arbitrary behavior. When people hid behind pseudonyms, they felt they didn't need to be responsible for their words.
Cyberbullying perpetrators felt there were no legal, social, or professional consequences that would befall them, so they dared to hurl hate speech they would never say directly. Because they didn't see the victim's reaction or suffering directly, perpetrators didn't feel empathy, making it easier for them to hurl cruel words without thinking about the impact.
When many people started attacking, other individuals felt that the attack was valid or permitted because everyone was doing it. This created a mob mentality that legitimized cruel behavior. Each negative comment tended to be more extreme than the previous one, creating a circle of ever-increasing hatred.
Azlan looked at Akane who was still looking down, her shoulders appearing so fragile. He held Akane's hand, his gaze now gentle yet strong, offering solid support.
"Listen, Akane. Those people hiding behind screens... they're cowards. They're the real monsters."
He looked into Akane's teary eyes. He squeezed her hand.
"You're far stronger than them. You jumped from a bridge, and you're still alive. You survived in a world full of Titans and zombies, and you're still surviving."
Azlan wasn't good at comforting, but his words were sincere.
"All those hate comments, they're just words. They can't hurt you here. In this world, what can hurt you are zombies and Titans. And now I won't let any of them touch you."
"Forget that old world. It was a toxic place, and you're already free. Here, in this brutal place, you can be yourself. There are no cameras, no netizens, just the two of us. I'm with you. You're safe."
The world might have been destroyed, but for the two of them, this was actually a new beginning—a chance to leave old wounds behind and find peace in chaos.