"So, we all have to live well. I don't know why you lost your legs..."
"But in this apocalypse, we are all people who carry the hopes of others to survive."
At this moment, the man and Nico were no longer purely strangers. Having endured the apocalypse and survived past curses, they found common ground.
...
...
Balance City, School.
Enzo was the only one who understood the whole situation without relying on others.
He could draw a little boy in a light blue suit asking questions.
The strange thing is...
This time, even though he drew very carefully, and last time he drew quite carelessly—
But last time, when the commander was present, the Scorpio he drew looked real.
This time, even though the details were in place, it seemed fake, sparing in words.
But ultimately, Enzo understood what was going on.
"It turns out it's because of the checkpoint mechanism that caused me to be separated from them. Moreover… I arrived in a pilot city already tamed by the Balance Curse."
Enzo's summary was spot on.
He could imagine that the people here must be very indifferent.
In the future, everyone could calmly accept that the people around them could swap places at any moment...
When people no longer love specific individuals but just a label, the new era can truly be said to have arrived.
But Enzo hated such a city.
At this moment, as an art teacher, Enzo decided to give the students a proper lesson.
When Enzo entered the classroom to start teaching, he also understood that the commander had probably headed towards the position of God.
A great battle was about to erupt.
Enzo believed that the twisted rules would eventually disappear, and the commander would surely win.
So today, he didn't follow the regular curriculum.
"The hatred I carry will naturally be resolved by the existence of a commander, so today... let me be selfish and be myself once."
Enzo loved painting very much and enjoyed the role of an art teacher.
When he entered the classroom, every student looked at him with extremely indifferent eyes.
"Oh, another new teacher."
"No matter, the previous teacher was just another idiot clocking in on time."
"Welcome to... our classroom where we don't know you, and you don't know us."
Although none of these words were spoken, inexplicably, Enzo could just read those lines from the students' eyes.
Enzo said:
"Being in your teens is the most beautiful time. Today's class theme is called 'Remembrance.'
[Please don't be a teacher the students hate, or you will be erased.]
This was the guidance Enzo received.
At the same time, the guidance the students received was [Please don't be a student the teacher criticizes, or you will be erased.]
Undoubtedly, under such a relationship, the best way for students and teachers was to ignore each other.
Especially since no one knew if they might suddenly disappear and become someone else. So it's best to remain indifferent.
Calmly accept labels and not specific souls.
The teacher stood at the front, speaking to themselves, while the students sat diligently at their desks, lost in their own daze.
This was the best way to survive.
But Enzo didn't plan to just survive.
He called on a student, who was dozing off.
Apparently, this student didn't really want to live either.
But having no desire to live and not wanting to live are different things.
Enzo knew that his loved ones would never return, and after the commander avenged him, he had no lingering attachments.
And that child's absolute indifference made him realize that the child was weary of the world.
"Don't worry, I won't quiz you on points or knowledge. Next, I'll ask you a question that you can definitely answer."
Enzo said to the child with a smile.
The child shrugged indifferently:
"Whatever, I don't care."
Enzo said:
"Then let me show you a magic trick."
As he spoke, he quickly drew a face on the paper with his pen.
Thanks to the artist's ability, the face became real, even starting to speak.
"Enzo... you're drawing me again, my poor Enzo."
Love appeared in Enzo's eyes:
"Yes, I'm drawing you again; you know I could never forget you."
Undoubtedly, this was Enzo's wife. Enzo said:
"Look, I can let those who have left our lives appear briefly."
"Everyone, in your teens, the age when you can love someone deeply and easily make a lifelong promise... surely there must be someone you yearn for?"
"Student, would you like to see them again?"
The child was stunned at once.
All the students were captivated by Enzo's magical trick at this moment.
They were supposed to not love anymore, restrained from expressing their emotions, to learn coldness, excel in acting, and suppress themselves.
But once upon a time, these survivors of the apocalypse were emotionally rich.
"Describe their appearance to me; I'll draw them, and then... let's say a proper farewell to them?"
Enzo's words touched the depths of each child's heart.
The child he called on was not someone who initially detested life.
Upon coming to this city, he once loved life and tried to accept fate.
New parents, new friends, new teachers...
It's alright, even if everything from the past perished in the apocalypse, life still has to turn over a heavy page.