SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 50: No Way Home (2)

[We will be departing soon. Our next station is Shibuya~]

Haaah....

The sound of a long breath rang through the empty hallways of a long-abandoned school building.

The first thing Hinata tasted in the dark, empty class was dust that churned visibly in the air. His cheek was pressed against cold, gritty linoleum, and the smell of mildew and stale air was overwhelming.

Hinata groaned softly and lifted his head. The sharp sting of the winter cold made him shiver. He blinked once, then twice, finally realizing where he was.

In front of him sat a number of scattered, rusted lockers, and from his peripheral vision he could see a long, dark hallway that seemed like it hadn’t seen the light of day in a very long time.

Hinata rubbed his temples vigorously as his hazy eyes began to focus. With the help of the faint moonlight breaking through a shattered window, he could make out the chaotic mess of the room.

Before Hinata could take it all in properly, a small rodent rushed past him and crashed into the broken lockers behind him.

"Where am I?"

The train announcement rang again in Japanese, which confirmed that he was indeed back on Earth.

Rising to his feet with wobbly steps, Hinata tried to make his way out of the class, only to freeze in place.

On the wall next to the broken wooden partition was written in messy English letters:

Welcome To Class 3–A!

Beneath them were different faded words — proclamations, notes asking the next year to remember them, yet beneath all of those were words Hinata could never forget.

Happy 18th Birthday To Our Hina!

Hinata’s fingers hovered hesitantly over the words before he finally traced them.

A smile, or something that resembled one, spread across his face. At the edges of his eyelids, tears threatened to spill, though he immediately held them back with a quiet chuckle.

"I’m really back..." he laughed softly, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt at the chest. ’It’s been so long.’

Shaking off the sentimental feeling, Hinata scanned the room again. "How did the class end up like this?"

He could still remember that a year ago it had looked brand new, yet now it seemed as though it was on the verge of collapse.

Hinata glanced toward the back door and the memory of the day he had been summoned flashed through his mind. He slowly approached it, and with barely contained rage, punched it.

The door flew off its hinges and slammed into the wall of the classroom opposite.

"Shit..." he muttered, rushing toward it. "Mister Kiyotaka is going to end my life...!"

When he entered the hallway he immediately noticed how desolate it was. The familiar sounds of chatter he used to hear whenever passing through had vanished into an eerie silence.

He raised his hand as if to wave, the same way he always did when crossing the hall and people called out his name, asking how he was doing.

Hinata tried to form a smile but couldn’t. And his hand slowly dropped, fingers curling in on themselves before he let out a quiet sigh.

"Looks like they closed the school after we went missing."

Thinking on it properly, it made sense that the school would be empty. After all, the government couldn’t leave a school that had let an entire class vanish without a trace.

Hinata’s gaze sharpened as the realization settled. He quickly got to his feet, bowed at the door he had broken, and rushed out of the school.

The halls and stairways were exactly as he remembered, making it easy to navigate the building. Within a few seconds he reached the foot of the stairwell and exhaled.

Tokyo still looked the same as it had when he vanished, except for a few extra digital billboards mounted atop high-rise buildings.

Hinata quickly dismissed the kimono he wore and fashioned a new set of clothing using the Slime King.

His hair was still long, which would surely look out of place in modern Tokyo, but he didn’t mind for the moment. Dressed in all black, Hinata walked out of the school compound into the busy streets, at which point the system flickered into existence beside him.

[Temporary return ticket has been used.]

[Time left: 4:51:08.]

[Note to user: Your core is very unstable currently, and you might lose your abilities if it isn’t stabilized soon.]

Hinata ignored the final line of the system, focusing only on the time remaining.

His first problem now that he had returned was straightforward: although he knew where his family home was, he had no money to travel from the school to get there, and running was out of the question since it would expose the fact that he wasn’t a normal person.

’System, can I get some money with my remaining points?’

The system was silent for a moment before flickering into existence.

Ding!

[Using last amount of fool points to generate funds.]

Instantly, a phone appeared in Hinata’s hands. He stared at the device, one he hadn’t seen in a long while, before quickly unlocking it.

On the home screen was a single app — System Funds.

He opened it and checked the balance the system had deposited, which was just enough to get around and eat decently, though anything beyond the basics was well out of reach.

Without wasting another moment, he flagged down a taxi.

The driver turned out to be a young woman, which made Hinata pause for a brief moment before he quickly composed himself.

"Where would you like to go, handsome mister?"

Hinata thought for a moment before answering with a quiet confidence. "Home."

The woman blinked, then burst into laughter. "Sir, where exactly is your home?"

His face burned as he realized what he’d said. He tried to recall exactly where his house was, but nothing came to mind. After a brief hesitation, he settled for describing the area to the young driver instead.

It didn’t take long for her to understand, and she pulled out into traffic heading toward the housing district.

Throughout the journey, Hinata stared out the window, taking in the sight of Tokyo’s nighttime beauty and the people moving freely along the streets.

A year ago none of this had interested him, perhaps because he had seen it every single day, but now it felt entirely different.

He couldn’t help but smile softly. Soon enough, they reached the district where he had lived, and the building he once called home came into view.

’It looks exactly the same,’ he thought, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"This is the place, right?" the woman asked, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. Catching his expression, she smiled warmly. "Handsome mister, this ride is on me."

Hinata immediately snapped back to the present. "Wait — are you sure? I have money to pay."

The woman nodded. "Don’t worry~ it looks like you haven’t been home in a long time. It must have been rough."

His face brightened, then dimmed just as quickly. He smiled gently, eyes dropping to the ground. "Yeah, things were really tough."

Without another word, he stepped out of the cab and waved the driver goodbye.

Now standing in the courtyard of his home, Hinata found himself hesitating.

Questions flooded his mind all at once.

Would his family even remember him? What would they say? How would he explain any of this? What if they thought he was an imposter? How was he supposed to tell them he had to leave again?

Hinata drew a slow, shaky breath.

One step at a time, he made his way to the massive entrance of the house and pressed the buzzer.

A beat of silence. Then came the sound of footsteps; light and quick, moving down the hallway. The door swung open, revealing a girl whose face made his bones go rigid and his heart stop beating entirely.

She was around his age, with short black hair, a face that was a little above average, and wide, curious eyes.

The moment he saw her face, the urge to cry hit him without warning. This was a face he had seen countless times, one he could never forget.

The girl tilted her head, studying him with an expression caught somewhere between curiosity and mild suspicion.

Hinata, oblivious to it entirely, broke into a wide smile. "Hey, Aoki."