Ren awoke to the gentle warmth of sunlight filtering into his room. The weight on his chest indicated that Tsukiko was still resting there comfortably. He attempted to move his hand to pet the cat, but the pain that shot through almost every muscle made him pay a heavy toll. Despite the discomfort, he persisted until he felt the softness of the fur under his hand, offering a small measure of comfort.

The goddess's eyes blinked open, and she purred in apparent contentment. However, her enjoyment was short-lived as she suddenly leaped off Ren's chest and retreated somewhere in the room. Ren's limited mobility prevented him from discerning her exact location. Nonetheless, her departure became another reason for him to muster his strength and attempt to get back on his feet.

Though the process was arduous and painful, Ren pushed himself until he was standing upright. ‘Not as bad as yesterday,’ he assessed, cautiously optimistic. ‘I'm improving every day. Maybe this agony will end soon.’

With this thought bolstering his determination, Ren took slow and careful steps toward the room's exit. He reached the corridor and surveyed his surroundings. The entrance to the adjacent room was open, while the one ahead was closed. Additionally, sounds emanated from the end of the corridor, drawing his curiosity. Guided by the noise, he began his gradual approach toward the source.

As he passed by the open doorway, he noticed Satoru seated on the floor by a table. The window behind him bathed the room in warm sunlight, accompanied by a gentle breeze entering through the opening.

"You're awake, son. Good," Satoru greeted, promptly rising to his feet.

Before Ren could react, the old man reached out and took his hand, leading him back into the room. He was gently guided to sit at the table, although this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. The sounds echoing from the end of the corridor intrigued him, and he longed to investigate their origin.

"Sit. You've come just in time for breakfast. My wife will bring it soon, so you can rest at the table," Satoru said with a smile.

In response, Ren grunted, his numb throat making speech difficult. Both men settled into silence, with Satoru seemingly in no rush to speak and Ren struggling to vocalize his thoughts.

Amid the hushed atmosphere, a third person made their entrance. A woman, seemingly around the same age as Satoru, appeared. Her long black hair featured strands of gray, intricately braided together. A decorative hairpin adorned her hair, with the figure of a tiger's head displaying an open mouth. In place of a tongue, a katana blade rested within the mouth of the tiger.

"This is my lovely wife, Ayako," Satoru introduced, his smile evident.

Ayako knelt at the table, holding a tray laden with food. Swiftly, she placed the various dishes on the tabletop before disappearing as quickly as she had appeared. She reappeared shortly after, this time carrying a kettle releasing a plume of steam.

Ayako kneeled once more, this time pouring tea into the bowls for each of them before putting the kettle away. "Let's enjoy the breakfast," she stated, her tone carrying a dry and almost unpleasant edge.

‘She doesn't like me here,’ he concluded as his mind made its assessment.

The table was laden with a variety of dishes: rice, meat, cooked eggs, pickled radish, slices of vegetables, fish, and other items he couldn't identify.

For a while, the three of them ate in silence. It was Satoru who eventually decided to break the uncomfortable atmosphere. "So, Ren… I know you're not at full strength yet, and you'll definitely need more time to recover, but what are your plans for when you're better? You must have some," he inquired.

Ren struggled to form his response, whispering with great effort to shape each word. "I do-n’t kno-w," he managed to stutter, exerting himself to the utmost to express his thoughts.

"You don't know? So no plans yet?" Satoru's raised eyebrows conveyed his surprise at Ren's lack of direction.

Ren shook his head in response, unable to vocalize his intentions clearly.

"Hika...ri..." Ren attempted to elaborate, but his efforts fell short, leaving him silent.

"Hikarimura?" Satoru guessed, and Ren nodded, confirming that this was indeed what he meant to say.

"Oh right! I forgot your memories are missing. You don't know much about the city or anything beyond it," he sighed. "I guess I should tell you something then. As you already know, we're currently in a city called Hikarimura, but it's not the only city. There are others in this land we often call The Prison. We're confined on this land, surrounded by mountains and seas that are usually impossible to cross. Beyond these boundaries lies what we call the Realm of Gods. Once a year, a selected group of people is granted a passage and they venture beyond these barriers in search of a grand treasure rumored to free us from The Prison. Despite countless attempts over the years, no one has returned from this journey. This is essentially all you need to know," he explained, his smile tinged with a touch of sadness.

Ren recognized the sorrow within Satoru's expression, reminiscent of the melancholy he had observed the previous day. ‘There's definitely something more to this. A story he's not fully sharing,’ Ren thought, sensing the deeper emotions beneath the surface.

"I don't know what you desire for yourself, your goals, but I can tell you that those chosen to venture into the Realm of Gods have the most desirable lives," Satoru affirmed. The conversation once again settled into silence, although this time Ayako's swift, disapproving glance at Satoru when he mentioned ‘the best lives’ raised Ren's curiosity further. Though she didn't outwardly object, her gaze held a layer of meaning that Ren couldn't fully decipher.

As the silence persisted, Satoru's humor resurfaced. "Oh, where are my manners? I've been talking so much, and I neglected to realize that you can't really eat by yourself," he chuckled to himself. Moving closer to Ren, he began to feed him slowly.

He accepted the assistance, acknowledging that while it was slightly irritating, it was a situation he couldn't change. He focused on finishing his meal swiftly, eager to escape the awkward atmosphere that hung in the room.

"You need a wife, so she could feed you," Satoru joked at some point, and another chuckle escaped his mouth.

His words made Ren go down memory lane. He once had a girlfriend, but back then he was only a teenager, so he didn't do much with her beyond hanging around and kissing a little. As he got older, the failures in his life consumed him to the point where he couldn't even think of pulling anybody into his mess. He didn't even try, and in the end, he died in the company of a cat.

Although the cat was a goddess in disguise.

‘Can I have a better life now? I shouldn’t be even asking this. I will have a better life. I will be happy this time. I’m going to make it happen!’

"It might be hard for you, though, as you lost your memories," Satoru continued and shrugged his shoulders. "But you always could participate in the candidate tournament, and if you prove yourself, there will be a line of pretty girls happy to marry you." He let out yet another chuckle, but this time it was very awkward. He even glanced at his wife, who showed no emotions, but her coldness was a clear indication of what she could possibly think about what he was saying.

‘There is something going on in here. I need to find out...’ Ren thought as he continued to eat, enduring the pain. He hoped for the old man to keep telling him more, as the line of girls ready to become his wives made him curious, but Satoru went silent.

When his belly was filled, he shook his head, prompting the old man to stop feeding him. Satoru slid back to his previous spot and began eating in silence.

"W-wives?" Ren squeezed the word out, nothing more than a quiet whisper, hoping it would bring him some answers.

This was enough to interrupt Satoru's breakfast. He even smiled upon hearing this word.

"Yes," he nodded. "Candidates represent clans in a tournament to prove who is the best, and those are selected to go to the Realm of Gods, so they have a special status. They become famous within the clan and live great lives. There are plenty of women each year who proclaim their willingness to marry a candidate. If you were to become one, you could choose a beautiful girl, just for yourself."

As he said the last word, Ayako left her spot by the table and marched out of the room, leaving the two alone. Both looked at her when she was getting up, but they didn't say a thing.

Ren didn't really care, but he was curious about the reason for her behavior. However, the curiosity of the title of a candidate surpassed it by far, prompting him to focus on Satoru.

"Ca-ndi-da-te," he struggled to say quietly.

"Yes… They are the best young warriors. And from them, a few are selected to represent the clan. The next selection will happen in three months. I guess it's not much time to prepare…"

‘Then why did you even come up with this topic? Ren pondered. ‘He clearly has some agenda in this...’

"H-ho-how?" he asked instead of verbalizing his thoughts.

"How do you become a candidate? Anybody can become one, but having a chance at winning is a different story. Here in the Noroi clan, I guess your chances are the highest, but it still could be difficult..." Satoru shrugged his shoulders, but Ren's gaze pushed him to continue. "We in the Noroi clan, contrary to others, find the source of strength in our craft. I believe I mentioned it before, but we are famous for the creation of cursed swords called Jujin. If you could get your hands on one of them, then you would probably be able to compensate for the gap in skills. And if you could possibly bind a ghost or a spirit into your Jujin and create a Maken, then," he paused as a chuckle escaped his mouth, "then you could even win."

‘Why is he sharing this much with me… I can't help but feel as if he has some kind of agenda. I should first find out what is going on with this man. I can’t do much in my current state anyway, so I might as well look around before making any decisions,’ Ren concluded while listening to Satoru.

He ended up nodding as the old man finished speaking, and then he put a lot of effort into standing up. It was horribly painful, but he pushed through, and slowly walked out, heading to his room as he began to feel tired again.

As he approached the entrance, the closed door to the neighboring abode made him curious. He looked over his shoulder to check if anybody could spot him before he slid the door open.

Inside, he spotted a large bedding for two people, probably Satoru and his wife. There was a cabinet in the corner and a small table with writing utensils, but apart from that, there was no other furniture. As he raised his gaze, his eyes stumbled on something that gave him the answer he was looking for. On the wall, there were three portraits: one of a woman and two of two different men. Although they weren't exact copies of the appearance of the people they were supposed to depict, Ren found the similarities suggesting that these were Satoru and his family. The third portrait indicated that the two had a son.

‘Now I know that there is definitely something going on here… Was I reincarnated into the body of their son? Or perhaps this old man is trying to mold me into the son he lost? The wife's reaction would suggest the latter,’ he pondered, closing the door before he returned to his room and slowly made it to his bedding to lie down. ‘Maybe I should ask him? The simple approach could be the best in this situation, but what if I upset him by this? Maybe I should ask the wife instead?’

His eyes closed under the pressure of exhaustion as he kept wondering what choice would be the best. Before he realized it, he was pulled into the realm of dreams.