The world around Kaito calmed.
The floating window shifted again, the text changing before his eyes.
> [Chrono Code System Initiated]
A softer, calmer voice echoed in his mind — not mechanical, not cold.
It was... almost human.
> "Welcome, Kaito.
I am the Chrono Code.
My purpose is simple: to guide you.
To teach you.
To help you survive."
Kaito stood still, holding Aiko closer, listening.
The voice continued:
> "I am not power.
I am not magic.
I am knowledge.
Learn from me
and when you are ready...
I will disappear."
Kaito furrowed his brows.
Disappear?
"But... what are you?" he asked quietly.
The system responded:
> "The Chrono Code is the accumulated experience of those who came before you.
Fighters. Survivors. Leaders.
All the lessons they learned — their strengths, their mistakes — are recorded within me."
> "I can teach you how to move.
How to fight.
How to survive.
How to outthink your enemies.
But I cannot fight for you."
Kaito looked down at his trembling hands.
They weren't glowing anymore.
No magic.
No superpowers.
Just him.
His body.
His mind.
And now, this… Chrono Code.
"...Teach me everything," he said, voice low but determined.
The window blinked once.
> [Tutorial Activated]
**First Lesson: Survive.
Learn to read the battlefield.
Learn to move faster than death.
Learn to think.
Learn to adapt.
Learn to protect.
Lesson begins now.**
A flood of information poured into Kaito's mind.
Not visions — not magic.
Techniques.
Strategies.
The human body pushed to its limits.
How to see openings in an enemy's guard.
How to predict movements by the shift of a foot.
How to move with maximum efficiency, not wasting a single ounce of energy.
Everything Riku must have learned during the loops...
Everything he never got to teach him in time...
Was now pouring into Kaito's head.
He gasped, staggering for a second under the weight of it.
But then he caught himself.
Steady.
Clear.
Ready.
The window flashed one last time:
> "Chrono Code will remain active... until your training is complete.
Once you need me no longer... I will vanish."
The light faded, leaving only the burning world around him, the cold air, and the unconscious weight of Aiko in his arms.
Kaito took one step forward and the air shimmered in front of him again.
The familiar floating window appeared, this time with a new message.
> [Chrono Code - Mission Interface Unlocked]
Then, beneath it, a single line blinked in.
> New Quest: Beginner Physical Conditioning
> Objective:
• Run 20 km without collapsing
• 100 push-ups (complete within 24 hours)
> Reward: ¥100,000
Cash will auto-deposit into physical storage once completed.
Kaito blinked. "A hundred thousand yen...?"
The system responded in that calm voice:
> "You need resources to survive.
Money. Food. Shelter.
Consider this your first step."
He looked down at Aiko, still unconscious in his arms.
He needed money. He needed strength.
He needed both — fast.
Kaito nodded to himself, a fire building in his chest.
"Alright then. I'll run. I'll push. I'll survive."
> [Quest Accepted]
The window faded.
Kaito gritted his teeth and started to run.
The cold night air hit his face, the burning smell of the house still clinging to his clothes.
Step after step.
His legs screamed in protest almost immediately — he hadn't eaten properly in days, and he was carrying the exhaustion of heartbreak and loss.
But he kept going.
For Aiko.
For Riku.
For himself.
He glanced up as the system window floated in front of his vision again.
> [Chrono Code Quest Progress]
• 10km / 20km
• Push-ups: 0/100
Kaito slowed slightly, his chest heaving, gasping for breath.
"I did it…" he muttered.
But something inside him — that warmth — pulsed again.
It wasn't enough.
It wasn't enough.
Kaito clenched his fists, the golden traces faintly lighting his skin.
"I'm not stopping here."
And so he kept running.
10km became 15km.
15km became 20km.
By the time he finally staggered to a halt, his shirt was soaked with sweat, his legs numb, his vision blurry.
He collapsed onto the ground, dirt and gravel scraping his palms.
But he wasn't finished.
Not yet.
Through ragged breaths, he forced himself into position.
Push-up after push-up.
His arms shook violently.
His muscles screamed.
But Kaito gritted his teeth.
30.
50.
75.
He was trembling all over, sweat dripping onto the ground below him.
But still — he pushed.
95.
His arms nearly buckled.
96.
Pain shot up his sides.
97.
His mind screamed at him to stop.
98.
Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes — from the exhaustion, from the pain, from everything he had lost.
99.
And then —
100.
Kaito collapsed onto his back, gasping for air, staring up at the dark night sky.
And then the system window chimed:
> [Quest Complete!]
Reward: ¥100,000 has been added to your system storage.
Kaito stared as a second, smaller panel popped up, showing a secure inventory — and there, plain as day, was ¥100,000 neatly stacked, ready to be withdrawn when needed.
He smiled weakly, tears leaking down the side of his face.
Not because of the money.
But because he did it.
Because even when everything fell apart...
He was still standing.
Still moving forward.
Still fighting.
Later that night, exhausted but determined, Kaito found himself standing in front of a small, shabby apartment building on the edge of the city.
It wasn't much.
The walls were cracked.
The stairs creaked.
The room smelled faintly of old wood and dust.
But it was safe.
It was warm.
And it was theirs.
He carefully laid Aiko down on the only bed in the tiny room and sat beside her, watching her chest rise and fall slowly as she slept.
The ¥100,000 he earned from the system was enough to cover the first month's rent — and buy some cheap groceries and basic supplies.
It wasn't a castle.
But it was a start.
Their new beginning.
Kaito leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
"I'll protect you, Aiko," he whispered. "No matter what."
The night outside was cold and endless