Passing through the spacious lobby, I took the stairs, my heart beating with anticipation. The ascending stairway wound up like a coiled serpent, leading me higher and higher toward my destination. And there it was, the highest floor. This morning, all my belongings were brought up here.

The building itself was similar to others I've seen, towering above my head was a four-story establishment that sprawled wide. Separated both by gender and grade, as well as warm baths on the first floor.

As I stood before the door to my room, I reached down for my newly acquired key, feeling its weight in my hand I unlocked the door to my dorm. As soon as I stepped inside, I was greeted by two familiar faces who were Theodore and Selkie. But among them stood him, the cat boy who stared at me in my combat class.

"Arata, you're finally here," Theodore greeted, his face breaking into a wide smile as he bounded over to me. I knew Theodore was my roommate since we compared our schedules before school started, but it still felt good to be officially welcomed to the dorm.

"Ahh! Arata!" Selkie exclaimed, his voice high-pitched and excited as he spun around to face me. Then quickly spun back to face his fellow cat boy. "This is the guy I told you about, meow!" he told him, jabbing a finger in my direction. Even Selkie's manners resembled that of a girl's. I thought to myself, feeling amused by his actions.

The boy turned my way, his dark green eyes and his vertical black pupils locking on me. "Hello," he said, quick to greet me, his voice slow and calm. "You must be Arata." Taking a step forward, he outstretched his hand. "My name is Ari Avalon," he added, his smile widening. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

As I took his hand in mine, I couldn't help but be impressed by his impeccable speech as well as marvel at how mature and composed he seemed for his age. Meanwhile, my mind flashed back to Selkie, who always peppered his speech with meows. The contrast between the two children couldn't have been starker.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ari," I replied, somewhat awkwardly as I didn't know how to follow up his greeting. "We saw each other earlier during the combat class," I pointed out.

"Ah, yes, forgive me for staring," he said, letting out a small chuckle. Ari leaned in closer, his gaze fixed on me, his eyebrows raised curiously. "It's just that Selkie was right," he continued. "Your presence is quite unusual," he said, furrowing his brows as he took a step backward. His movements betrayed a mix of intrigue and caution. "I mean, you have no mana, and yet you're in the intermediate combat class so you must be strong." He crossed his arms, as if deep in thought, his body language suggesting a blend of disbelief and intrigue.

"Wait! You're in the intermediate class!?" Selkie exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. He leaned in close, his face only inches away from mine, a playful grin spreading across his face. "I knew it, you totally are strong." He punched my arm playfully as if to emphasize his point, his gestures animated, reflecting his excitement.

"Just goes to show there are more talented people in this world," said Ari, his voice tinged with a hint of self-deprecation. He slumped his shoulders slightly, a weight of disappointment settling upon him. His gaze briefly met mine, reflecting a mix of admiration and envy.

"Aww, don't be like that," said Selkie, his voice filled with genuine empathy. He reached out and gave Ari a few reassuring pats on the back, his movements gentle and comforting. A smile played on his lips, a silent promise to uplift his spirits. Even Selkie's manners resembled that of a girl. I thought to myself, amused, as I took in his actions.

"You were always the strongest back in our village, give yourself more credit," he said with a small smile, hoping to boost Ari's confidence and erase his self-doubt.

"Yeah, yeah," replied Ari dismissively, turning his gaze to the floor. He wore a small, genuine smile, but his voice carried a faint undertone of disappointment, revealing his genuine humility.

"This means the three of us are in the same class," Selkie pointed out, catching my attention. He leaned his upper body forward with his hands behind his back, emphasizing his words with a confident gesture.

"Are you also in the intermediate class?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I didn't recall seeing him there. Curiosity molded my face into a questioning expression.

"Yeah," Selkie answered with a brief nod of his head. "Well, I wasn't there today because the teacher sent me and my friend on an errand but I'll be there tomorrow for sure," he reassured, showing a smile.

"Really... Just what was this errand," I questioned, my curiosity filling the room with a tangible anticipation.

"I dunno," he answered, with a shrug of his shoulders. The motion was casual, almost nonchalant, as if to indicate that the errand wasn't particularly important to him. "Some girl skipped class and the teacher wanted us to try and track her down."

"Is that so?" I mumbled to myself, my gaze wandering elsewhere. Theresa mentioned there was a demon girl who didn't show up to class, could that be what Selkie is referring to? My eyes drifted towards the window, lost in thought. Well, none of my business. I don't know the girl anyway.

"So is there anything interesting to do?" I began, looking around the room. My eyes scanned the surroundings, seeking distraction. "I'd rather not sit in this room doing nothing." Frustration tinged my voice, as if hoping for an activity that would engage me physically.

"Nah, this place is boring," answered Ari, having been here longer than me. He let out a sigh, his voice carrying a hint of longing for excitement. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a TV laying around, huh?" Ari's words were accompanied by a sweeping gesture, his hand mimicking the shape of a television screen.

"There you go, talking all crazy again!" said Selkie, his tone sharp as he outstretched his finger as if to scold him. The movement was swift and admonishing, daring Ari to stop his wild suggestions. But my mind was elsewhere, taken away by Ari's words.

Did Ari just say what I think he said? He definitely did. TVs aren't a thing in this world. The only place where they are would be in my old world.

"You know," Theodore said to me, his voice breaking into my thoughts. "I can't help but think that you and Ari are similar."

"Ari!" I exclaimed, my voice booming through the air. The sudden outburst seemed to grab the attention of everyone in the room, causing their heads to swivel toward me, their gazes fixed. I took a moment to steady myself, my breath caught in my throat. "By... 'TV," I stammered, my voice wavering with hesitance, "Are you referring to a television?" The words hung in the air, uncertainty lacing them.

As my words reached Ari's ears, a subtle transformation occurred. His eyes widened, and a glimmer of surprise reflected in them. His furry ears perked up, like alert sentinels, while his tail, once calmly at rest, now bristled with anticipation. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed upon me, observing my expression with an intense curiosity. The air was heavy with suspense as he asked, almost breathlessly, "Are you perhaps... familiar with one?" His words hung between us as if the question held some profound meaning, waiting to be unveiled.

After a small, tense pause of absolute silence, I spoke up, "Hey, everyone," I called out, my voice uncertain. "If you'll excuse me, I really need to speak with Ari for a moment." I walked briskly over to him and grabbed him by the elbow, forcibly dragging him out of the room. His expression was one of bewilderment and concern as he deliberately allowed me to drag him along.

As we made our exit, the room fell into a hush and I could feel everyone's eyes on us. "Theodore," I said, turning back to him, my tone urgent. "Watch Flare for me," I told him. The tension in my voice was palpable, and I was desperate to end it.

"O-Okay," Theodore replied, his voice a little shaky as he agreed to my request and his curiosity unmistakable. Selkie looked on, clearly puzzled, wondering what was going on between us.

With a sense of urgency, we moved up to the roof of the building. It was vital that we speak privately, and this was the only place where we could be sure no one would overhear us.

Once we arrived, Ari let out a quiet gasp, speaking softly as if to himself, "I had thought of the possibility but I didn't think it was true." His words hung in the air between us, heavy with both surprise and belief. "You were also reincarnated from Earth," he stated, his expression unwavering as he locked eyes with me. It was clear that he was certain of what he said, and I knew I couldn't deny it either.

"Yeah," I responded, lowering my head into a firm nod. This seemed to make a flicker of amusement cross his expression, but it quickly settled into a gentle smile of relief.

"I'm kind of glad about that," He admitted, his smile growing wider. As he spoke, I could see the depth of his emotions reflected in his eyes.

"Why is that?" I asked, my own curiosity getting the better of me.

"Well..." he began, his smile softening slightly. "To be here in this world is incredibly disorienting, and at times it can feel kind of lonely. But now that you're here, I just feel happy that I get to experience all of this with someone else from our old world, you know?"

"Yeah, I feel the same," I admitted, my lips curling upward to reveal a faint smile. Then after a short moment of silence, I asked, "So, how did you die?"

"I was at work and my job was to deliver a load I had on my truck," he explained, his tone matter-of-fact as he recounted the events of his death. But as he spoke, I could see the anger begin to simmer beneath the surface. Suddenly, his face twisted to one of annoyance, his jaw clenching tightly. "But as I was doing so, some jackass crashed into me!"

Hearing his words, a sudden wave of guilt washed over me. I stiffened up, feeling the weight of his accusation bearing down on me. I was the one that crashed into him. Now he's making me feel guilty. After my prolonged silence, he spoke again, "How about you?" he asked, pausing for a moment to take in my expression. Then, as if something in his mind clicked, he said, "Wait, don't tell me you're the one who crashed into me!"

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I met his gaze. My nerves were getting the best of me, and I felt incredibly uneasy. "Uh... Well..." I began, trying to find the right words. "I didn't mean to," I said apologetically, hoping to ease the tension.

"Pfft!" he let out a bark of amusement, throwing his head back as he chuckled. I was taken aback by his reaction, unsure of how to respond. "Don't worry," he replied, flashing me a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you did. If not, I wouldn't have been brought to this wonderful world," he spoke, his gaze shifting to the scenery before us. The lanterns lit up the paved road under the gaze of the distant moon.

Letting out a long sigh, I said, "Yeah, I'm also glad I crashed into you." I leaned forward slightly and furrowed my brows, my eyes locked onto his. "What was your name back then?"

"It was Rui," he answered, his gaze meeting mine. I felt my heart skip a beat at his response. Rui? I had a childhood friend named Rui but he surely can't be the same person. Looking up at me he then asked, "What about yours?"

"My name was Lenn," I answered, my eyes scanning his face for his reaction.

"Lenn, huh?" he said, his hand moving up to his chin, fingertips grazing his pale skin as he seemed to be deep in thought. "I had a friend with that same name back then," His eyes glimmered with recognition as he searched my face for any sign of familiarity.

"Okay, that can't be a coincidence," I said out loud, a note of disbelief in my voice. My eyes widened as the realization hit me. "I had a friend named Rui too."

"Wait, are you..." he began, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion and his eyes squinting as if trying to bring something into focus. "Lenn Suzuki?" hearing his words I showed a smile and with a long heavy blink I lowered my head into a nod.

"Lenn, is it really you?" he asked, his tone a mixture of disbelief and excitement. I could see the glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes as he spoke. "Man, we haven't seen each other since we graduated from high school!" he exclaimed, taking another step closer in a friendly gesture.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness at our unexpected encounter. "And that was what?" I questioned, my head tilted back slightly as I counted the years in my head. "Twenty years ago," I said, my tone tinged with disbelief as I realized just how much time had passed.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in surprise, breaking our cheery mood abruptly. Looking at him I noticed something was off. "How come I got reincarnated as a human but you as a cat person?" I asked, confusion etched on my face.

"Eh!" he let out, stiffening at my comment. For a moment, he stood still looking down at his feet as he searched for an answer. Ultimately looked back up at me and said, "I don't know, but... It could be the way we saw ourselves in our past lives influenced how we are now in this new life... Or maybe something we desired became true in this life."

"Oh yeah!" I said in realization. My expression suddenly transformed from confusion to amusement. "You used to be a furvert," I pointed out, unable to resist a teasing grin spreading across my face.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his voice rising in surprise as he turned to me, his eyes widening to meet my gaze. His feline ears twitched slightly, their pointed tips quivering in agitation. "I was not!" he denied vehemently, his body stiffening at the accusation.

"Come on, don't lie," I pressed on, my memories of him flooding back in a rush, causing my heart to race. "You would always fawn over those weird pictures of human-like animals," I said, unable to hide my amusement.

He shifted uncomfortably, his gaze darting away from mine as he muttered, "Well, whatever." He looked visibly embarrassed, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. Then he suddenly asked, his voice incredulous, "Just how did you see yourself that you were reincarnated into one of the highest noble families!?" he paused, leaning back slightly, "Last I heard, you were working as an assistant for some big shot."

"Hey, I don't know," I replied with a nonchalant shrug, the movement of my shoulders conveying my easygoing demeanor. "I just went with the flow." It's probably due to me admiring my boss's perfect life that promoted this new life of mine during my reincarnation.

"And what do you mean by that?" he asked, letting out a small chuckle.

"The dark place," I answered, my voice taking on a somber tone. I paused for a moment, letting the weight of my words sink in. "After I died, I spent months stuck in a void of darkness," I pointed out. "Did you not?" I asked, looking directly into his eyes, hoping to convey the intensity of my experience.

"Hm?" he muttered, furrowing his brows as he cast his gaze away, lost deep in thought. "After I died, everything did go dark," he trailed off, his voice heavy with reminiscence. "But I don't remember how long I was in that abyss." His eyes flickered with a faraway glint before he glanced back at me, his voice tinged with confusion, "All I know is that, when I finally woke up, I was in this world and my memories were intact."

"Really?" I spoke in wonder. "How old is this new you then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Eleven," he answered as if it were a simple matter.

My eyes widened in disbelief, my mouth agape. "What?" I spoke, visibly confused. "How come I'm only ten?" I furrowed my brow, trying to make sense of the situation.

He shifted his weight uneasily, his expression grim. "It's difficult to say," he murmured thoughtfully. "It's possible that I died first."

"Maybe..." I replied, my face scrunching up in contemplation. Unsure and perplexed, I gazed at him, grappling to understand how this age gap even came about.

"With how big the truck was compared to your small car, I'm surprised you died first," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and his tail began wagging frantically as if he had just realized something. "I..." he began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. "I mean we..." he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "If we both died in the same place and reincarnated in the same place, there's a possibility someone else did so as well," he said.

Tilting my head in confusion, I furrowed my brow and asked, "Was somebody riding with you?" My voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Yes," he answered with a hint of sadness in his voice, "He was a young boy, still in high school who was working part-time for the summer." He looked away for a moment, lost in thought before continuing. "I did the driving, while he both loaded and unloaded the cargo on the truck." As he spoke, his shoulders slumped, as if the weight of the memory was almost too much to bear.

Did the boy have some kind of impact on him? I thought. "I see," I spoke, taking in his words. "You're right, we shouldn't discount the possibility that he died and reincarnated," I pointed out. "If anything, we should attempt to find him but... Just where in the world could he be?"

At my words, Rui fell silent before saying, "Tell me, do you believe in destiny?" he asked, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone.

Letting out a sigh of disbelief, I leaned back slightly and brought a hand up to rub my forehead. "Be serious," I told him, my voice tinged with a hint of frustration.

"How serious can this world be, Lenn," he continued, leaning in closer. "We were both reincarnated and by some miracle found each other, not taking into account that we also knew each other in our previous lifetime," he pointed out, his voice rising as he spoke. "This world is full of magic and powerful beings than we can even imagine. So you can't tell me that we weren't brought together by some kind of otherworldly force."

I remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

"The friend I mentioned, he's..." he continued, his voice trailing off as he tried to find the right words to describe this mysterious person. "A down-to-earth kinda guy. So if he did get reincarnated, I'd say he's a human, like you. And since our age gap isn't that far off, he's most likely to be here in this school. Either a first-year like us or an upperclassman."

I stayed silent for a moment as I took in his words, my eyes widening in surprise for a moment. Then my brows furrowed with concern as I pondered on the magnitude of his words. "Say, he is here, in Iradale, and in this school. Just how would we even locate him?" I asked, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

Hearing my words, he smiled and raised his eyebrows in a knowing way, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "You know how," he said, as if we shared a secret language between us.

I let out another sigh, then the corners of my lips lifted up into a smile. "By creating a secret code referencing our old world," I answered.

"Exactly!" he said, his smile widening. "But how we announce the message is still a problem we need to figure out."

"Yes," I answered, looking up at the night sky. "But for now, let's return," I suggested, my tone softening. "It's getting dark," I pointed out, feeling the cool evening breeze brush against my skin, urging me to retreat to the safety of my surroundings.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, then looked up at me with a thought lingering in his mind. As our eyes met, he spoke up again. "This should go without saying, but let's not tell anyone else about our previous life," he said, his voice grave as he outstretched his hand. "It should stay just between me and you... And potentially, my partner."

I nodded, taking his hand in mine and giving it a firm shake as I replied, "Agreed." As I pulled my hand away, I could feel a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "From here on out, call me Arata."

"And call me Ari," he responded, his expression softening just a bit as he met my gaze. "We should share stories sometime."

"Definitely," I said, giving him a small nod of affirmation. "I'm interested to hear yours." With that, we began making our way back to our room.