A night passed after that vow.

With the iron resolve he believed he had forged, Ayabe Yuuma opened the front door of the house with the ‘Ayabe’ family nameplate hanging on it.

“Alright……!”

His exhaled breath danced and vanished in the morning light. The temperature was below freezing. Even the cold air piercing his skin felt like a pleasant spice to present-day Yuuma.

I will not repeat my two deaths. I will change.

I’ll become an absolute Solid Self that belongs to no one’s vessel.

In this city of Azumibetsu, Hokkaido, my new life begins.

Taking a strong, hopeful first step.

――――At that very moment.

“Uwah!?”

*Slip*, *thud*, *crash!*

The cheesy gag manga sound effects rang out in succession, and Yuuma’s feet completely lost their grip with the ground. His body moved as if he had stepped on an invisible banana peel, dancing toward an unexpected direction.

“Wa, wa, uwaaaaaa!?”

Even steel-like willpower was powerless before physical laws. Yuuma’s body spun halfway around, crashed down onto his butt with a loud noise, and then collided with the snowman in front of the entrance with full force.

Looking up in a daze, he found himself on a natural skating rink. Last night’s snow had been packed down into a hard layer, and a thin sheet of ice coated the surface, creating what the locals called a “slippery-as-glass road”.

“…Seriously?”

Groaning from the pain in his backside and in his heart, he watched students in the same uniform briskly waddling across the ice like penguins.

For Yuuma, who had grown up in Kumamoto, down in Kyushu, it was a sight straight out of another world.

“Onii, are you okay?”

From behind him came a voice that was a perfect mix of exasperation and concern. His sister Mirei, her face buried in her scarf, was looking down at him with a chilly stare. On her feet were snow boots with anti-slip soles.

“…As you can see, I’m not.”

“Weren’t you going to become your 【Solid Self】? Well, you can start by learning how to walk on your own two feet, Onii.”

She stabbed straight into the sore spot without mercy. This sister… she was definitely cut from the same cloth as that woman—Akane.

“Fufu. I guess it can’t be helped. Until you’re able to walk properly on your own, I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Onii.”

“Shut up…! This was an act of God!”

Yuuma spat out his complaint, pressed his hands against the wall, and stood up trembling like a newborn fawn.

The journey to school had become a grueling pilgrimage beyond death’s threshold.

He slipped multiple times, nearly falling each time while letting out strange cries, drawing giggles from passing female students. Their gazes overlapped with those of his former harem members, eroding Yuuma’s spirit.

(Different… this isn’t sympathy. Just mockery…! Right, that’s fine! Stay away from me…)

By the time the front gate of Azumibetsu Prefectural High School came into view, Yuuma had already burned through most of his HP just from walking to school.

“Haa… haa… The path to a Solid Self is so treacherous…”

Yuuma, barely able to catch his breath, muttered to himself as a student slid past him as if they were ice-skating. The northern country… truly terrifying.

As soon as he sat at his desk in class, Yuuma collapsed onto his table. A new class, a new environment. He hadn’t spoken to anyone yet. That was fine. Extra human relationships only created gaps for being swept away.

Eventually, homeroom began, and the teacher announced in an official tone:

“Eh, today’s third and fourth periods are PE. As I mentioned last week, it’s a ski lesson. Nobody forgot their ski gear, right?”

“””Yes…”””

Amidst the lackluster responses, Yuuma alone let out a clueless “Eh?”

Skiing? A skiing class?

Such words didn’t exist in Yuuma’s life dictionary. PE in Kumamoto was marathons or ball games. In another world, sword training. Skiing was just a sport on TV.

(I didn’t hear anything about this!? No—maybe they did say something on my first day…! )

Someone who is easily swept away also tends to ignore others’ words. Yuuma cursed his own flaw.

The bell rang, and students moved toward the changing rooms as if accustomed. Yuuma hesitantly followed suit.

In the boys’ changing room, cheerful conversations flew around:

“Hey, anyone seen my goggles?”

“I waxed my board yesterday, so I’m gonna slide like crazy today.”

Amidst this, Yuuma stood clueless holding a set of rental ski gear in hand. First, he realized he had put it on backward, with the hood at his chest, so he hurried to take it off again.

“…Is this the pants? No, there’s a hole for my arms……”

As he muttered to himself, the boy at the locker beside him spoke up. If he remembered right, it was Satou.

“Ayabe, is this your first time skiing?”

It was a simple, innocent question. But to Yuuma right now, it felt like the first step onto a field full of landmines..

(It’s here…! Human interaction! If I show weakness now, he’ll say something like ‘Want me to teach you?’ and I’ll get swept up by his kindness! )

Yuuma raised his alertness level to maximum.

“N-no. I can… do it a little, at least…”

He lied through his teeth.

“Huh, so there are ski resorts in Kyushu too?”

“…Yeah. The roof of Kumashiro Castle. I used to ski around there a lot.”

“Seriously!? Kumamoto’s awesome!”

He believed it. Maybe Hokkaido people are pure?

Feeling a slight sense of guilt, Yuuma somehow managed to change into his gear, only to face the next hurdle: plastic ski boots shaped like robot legs.

The buckle, called a “lock,” wouldn’t close no matter what he did.

“Guh…… Nn-nn…… It’s too tight……!”

He pushed with all his might, but it didn’t even click.

“Ayabe, you need to pull the lever first before it’ll close properly.”

Again, Sato. He was already dressed as a perfect skier and looked concerned at Yuuma.

“…I knew that. This is a warm-up to build finger strength.”

“I-is that so? Do your best.”

Sato gave a slightly withdrawn look and left the changing room first.

(Phew……! I almost got swept away again……! )

As instructed, the buckle closed surprisingly easily. But the moment he stood up, a new despair struck him.

(I can’t walk…! My ankles feel like they’re cemented in concrete! )

With a stiff, clanking robot-walk—gashon, gashon—he hauled his skis over his shoulder and headed for the exit leading to the slopes.

Outside, a pure white world stretched out before him. Behind the school lay a vast ski area, where students in colorful ski gear carved their way down the slopes.

“Wow…”

Yuuma involuntarily swallowed his breath at the sight.

A bear-like PE teacher shouted into a megaphone:

“Alright, those who are ready can take the lift up! Beginners and Ayabe, come over here!”

He was specifically called out. It seemed his odd behavior in the changing room had been noticed.

The first task was “putting on skis.” Following the teacher’s example, Yuuma stepped into the heels but heard no click.

“Sensei, it won’t fit.”

When he asked for help in a weak, shaky voice, the bear-like teacher approached with a look of disappointment.

“Hah? There’s snow stuck to the bottom of your boots. Make sure to remove it.”

He tapped the bottom of his boot with the tip of his pole, and a clump of snow fell off from the sole with a soft plop.

(Such a beginner trap…! )

His face burned with embarrassment. The dignity of being a “Solid Self” melted away like snow.

Before even practicing on flat ground, merciless orders were given:

“Alright! Then let’s take the lift!”

“Eh? Already?!”

Yuuma’s scream went unheard by anyone.

Yuuma’s turn finally came. He could feel the presence of the lift approaching from behind.

(Now! )

As he turned to sit down, he lost his balance.

“Uwahh!”

*Crash!*

The lift’s seat ruthlessly smacked Yuuma in the butt and sent him bouncing upward. The attendant scrambled to push him onto the lift.

“…This is the worst.”

On the lift, Yuuma muttered with dead fish eyes.

Eventually, the end approached.

“When getting off, stand up smoothly at the right timing!”

The bear-like teacher’s voice echoed up from below. Yuuma already had a bad feeling about this.

He steeled himself and tried to stand. But the tips of his skis snagged on the snow, pitching his body forward.

“Ah—”

The next moment, the lift seat shoved his butt again, launching Yuuma straight ahead.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Screaming, Yuuma rolled down the slope. In his vision, the blue sky and white snow rapidly swapped places.

For some reason, flashes of his past deaths flickered through his mind. The gleam of Akane’s kitchen knife. The despair of the guillotine blade falling toward him.

(Ah…! Why are my death scenes always this pathetic…!? )

Rolling like a giant snowball, he finally came to a stop at a gentler part of the slope.

His whole body hurt. Snow had entered his gear, making it cold. His limbs were buried, and he couldn’t move an inch.

“……Help me……”

As he muttered in a faint, fragile voice, a pleasant sound of snow being carved. Someone traced a beautiful turn and stopped right in front of Yuuma.

A vivid pink ski jacket.

Squinting through his blurred vision, Yuuma managed to push up his goggles. Standing there against the backlight was a single girl.

“Are you okay?”

Her voice was bright and clear, like the ringing of a bell. She crouched down, peering into Yuuma’s face with a worried look.

“That was one heck of a fall. Is this your first time skiing?”

Chestnut hair down to her shoulders. Cheeks slightly reddened from the cold. And a smile shining like the sun.

It was Yukishiro Miru, his classmate.

She extended her hand naturally toward the snow-covered Yuuma.

“Can you stand? Want me to give you a hand?”

Her smile. Her manner. As she leaned closer, a sweet shampoo scent filled the air.

(Close…! )

His heart thumped.

It wasn’t like Akane’s calculated smile, nor like Agnes’s fanatical grin. It held no guile, no hidden intent—just pure kindness and warmth, the simple desire to help someone struggling right in front of her.

For an instant, Yuuma felt his heart get stolen. Ah… I wanted to take her hand. I wanted to let myself be carried by that warmth.

The very moment he thought that—

*Crack!*

A frozen alarm bell rang out in Yuuma’s mind.

That’s right. This was always how it started. Unprotected goodwill. Kindness he couldn’t refuse. Those were the very triggers that led to the worst possible outcomes.

(Danger…! This pattern is the most dangerous one…! If I get blinded by this light, I’ll be swept away again…! )

Yuuma ignored the outstretched hand and struggled in the snow, desperately trying to stand on his own.

“Ah, no, I’m fine! I can stand on my own!”

Finally lifting half his body, Yuuma shouted nonsense.

“I am…… I am a ‘Solid Self’!”

“…Huh?”

Miru blinked her large eyes.

And in the next moment—

“Fufu… ahaha!”

Unable to hold it in, she burst into laughter.

“What’s that? That’s hilarious! You’re such a funny guy, Ayabe-kun! Even though you’re trying so hard, the way you’re still a little clumsy is just too adorable!”

Her bright laughter rang across the slopes.

“I’m Yukishiro Miru. Nice to meet you!”

As she, Yuuma felt an inescapable déjà vu—as if ‘fate’ were tightening around him.

“Alright then! I’ll teach you one-on-one in the next ski class! It’s decided!”

“Hah!? No, I—”

“You’re not allowed to run away, okay? It’s a promise!”

Miru gave him a wink, then glided away gracefully.

This was undoubtedly the sign of a new loop beginning.

(Don’t be deceived…I will absolutely not be swept away again…! )

Yuuma vowed firmly in his heart.