Ring Ring
"Sakura, where have you been? You were out all day!"
"I'm fine, Big Sis. I just wanted some time alone. I'm already getting ready for class."
Naomi's worried voice echoed through the phone. Sakura answered in a calm, almost emotionless tone, deliberately avoiding the subject.
Only a short while ago, she had returned from the Tower.
Despite spending several months there, only a single day had passed in her own world.
The Tower truly existed beyond common sense.
Time. Space. Even its laws seemed fundamentally different.
Sometimes, Sakura wondered if the Tower itself adapted to each individual Trailblazer.
"Sakura... can we talk about—"
"Big Sis, I have to go. We'll talk another day."
She ended the call.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, where the morning sunlight illuminated her room.
For some reason...
Today, it seemed brighter than ever.
"This time... I'll make everything work.
-
Naomi lowered her phone and remained silent in her office.
After several seconds, she opened Sakura's contact and typed a message.
[Can we talk later? I'll be waiting for you at the company. (I have a surprise for you :) ]
She stared at it for a moment before pressing send.
Sigh...
"Boss... is it about your sister again?"
Her secretary, who had been organizing documents nearby, spoke carefully.
"It is." Naomi smiled bitterly.
"Sakura has been growing more distant... little by little."
The secretary hesitated.
"If you don't mind me asking... why do you keep trying so hard? If she wants an ordinary life, then let her have it. You're already the heir to the family."
Naomi quietly walked toward a framed photograph resting on a shelf.
Three girls smiled brightly at the camera.
Sakura stood proudly in the middle, grinning like the captain of a small team.
Naomi gently touched the frame.
"It was never about money."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"And it was never about becoming the heir."
-
After getting dressed, Sakura left for the university.
Anyone who had known her before would immediately notice the difference.
Her appearance had changed only slightly.
Her expression, however, was completely different.
She carried herself with confidence.
Months of surviving the Tower had erased much of the hesitation that once lingered inside her.
"My birthday is only a few weeks away..."
She murmured while walking through the streets.
"That's it."
"I'll finish everything before then."
She suddenly stopped.
"...Wait."
"How exactly am I supposed to build a multimillion-dollar company in just a few weeks?"
She rubbed her forehead.
"Well... there's only one way to find out."
-
"Hey... isn't that Sakura?"
"She looks different."
"I know, right? Somehow... prettier."
"Maybe she had cosmetic surgery?"
"Is that so?"
As she crossed the campus, whispers followed her from every direction.
Sakura simply ignored them.
Her mind was occupied by something far more important.
She wanted to build a successful company around the thing she loved most.
Art.
'I can't rely on Eternium alone.'
'Even if it worked, how could I explain it?'
'Besides... no one else would be able to reproduce it.'
She frowned.
'Think, Sakura. Think.'
"Hello? Earth to Sakura!"
A cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.
She turned.
A girl waved her hand in front of Sakura's face.
"Oh... hello. Do you need something?"
"Not really. I just saw you completely lost in thought."
"My name's Ana. Nice to meet you."
Sakura quietly observed her.
Brown hair.
Brown eyes.
An ordinary appearance.
She didn't recognize her as anyone from an influential family.
"I'm Sakura Kanami. Nice to meet you as well."
Ana laughed awkwardly.
"You didn't really need to introduce yourself."
"Everyone here knows who you are."
"Well... pretty much the whole country does."
"Oh." Sakura simply nodded.
"So... what are you majoring in?"
"Art."
"Art?"
Ana blinked.
"I honestly thought you'd study—"
"Law? Medicine? Economics?"
Sakura interrupted before Ana could finish.
Ana scratched her head.
"Ah... I didn't mean anything by it."
"I was just surprised."
"Sorry."
…
"So... what were you thinking about? You looked like you were somewhere else."
Sakura looked at her for a few moments.
It felt strange.
People rarely approached her so casually anymore.
Back when she first entered university, she had been incredibly popular.
But after everything that happened...
She had become famous instead of approachable.
Of course, people still tried to get close to her.
Mostly because she was a Kanami.
She never considered those people friends.
'...I'm not exactly good at conversations either.'
She sighed.
"It wasn't anything special. I was just thinking about a business idea."
"...Something related to art."
Ana's eyes lit up.
"You're planning to start an art company? Well... that's pretty difficult."
"Paintings and books usually don't make nearly as much money as movies, games, or animation."
"Maybe your older sister could help—"
"No."
Sakura answered immediately.
"I don't want to rely on her."
"I'll do it myself."
Ana nodded slowly.
"Hm..."
She spent a few seconds thinking.
"I don't really know much about business..."
"But sometimes I wish paintings felt alive."
Sakura tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"Well..."
Ana looked a little embarrassed.
"When I go to museums, I always imagine myself inside the paintings."
"And when I watch theater plays..."
"I wish I could actually experience the story instead of just watching actors."
She laughed nervously.
"I know it sounds silly."
"But if stories were more immersive..."
"If they felt alive..."
"I probably wouldn't even need television."
"Or movies."
"Or anything else."
...
"Alive..."
Sakura repeated softly.
Then...
Her eyes widened.
She remembered the very first time she met Yato.
He hadn't simply shown her a painting.
He had brought it into reality.
Even if she could reproduce only one percent of that...
"It'll work!"
Sakura suddenly grabbed Ana's shoulders.
"You're a genius!"
"Eh?!"
Ana froze.
Realizing what she'd done, Sakura immediately stepped back.
Her face flushed red.
"Ahem..."
"I mean... thank you."
"You gave me a very interesting idea."
"I'll see you later."
Before Ana could answer—
Sakura had already disappeared into the crowd.
"W-Wait!"
"Sakura-senpai!"
Ana stared blankly into the distance.
"...How is she so fast?"
-
Several painfully boring lectures later...
Sakura finally returned home.
The moment she entered her room—
"Yato! Come out!"
"You don't have to shout."
Yato appeared out of nowhere as usual.
"I can hear you from the other side of the universe."
"I need your help."
"I have to build a multimillion-dollar company before my birthday."
"You can skip directly to the part where you ask me for technology."
Yato smiled knowingly.
Sakura coughed awkwardly.
"...Can you help me?"
Yato looked at her for a few seconds before sighing.
"You could simply buy what you need inside the Tower."
"But… I remember you're saving your Lumens to heal your younger sister's legs."
"So here's a cheaper option."
"Buy a few books."
"A handful of materials."
"You'll create the rest yourself using Eternium."
Sakura stared at him.
"So... you're telling me I have to study even more?"
"Exactly."
She lowered her shoulders dramatically.
"...Fine."
-
"All right."
"Let's do this."
The space around her distorted.
Reality twisted.
An instant later—
She was standing once again before the familiar streets of Floor Zero.
[Floor 0]
[Welcome back, Trailblazer.]