Hanta would normally have made more effort to console Komada, but he was having enough trouble with himself. Feasibly anyone could have tried to help that player, but would any of them made it in time? As guilty as he felt he also slowly came to recognize he'd probably have met the same fate, especially if he'd gone it alone. "It's not your fault, Shiemi..." he mumbled, using her real name instead, "Don't blame yourself, please." So much for an enjoyable day between two friends. His whole body feeling numb Hanta went back into town with his friend, neither saying a single word on the walk back. Izumo may have been the only one to voice his opinion on the matter, but it sure felt like all eyes were on him for messing up right now. He just wanted to slink away to the inn for the rest of the day and lie in bed, the desire to do much else fading fairly quickly from him. Thankfully Komada was on the same page as nether of them were too keen on going out after this. Tucking their tails between their legs the two friends went back to their residence, settling down after a little while for supper. A warm meal didn't serve to ease tensions unfortunately, and Hanta frankly had little to no appetite as a result of earlier. Just for the sake of something to do other then dwell on somber thoughts he forced himself to eat the entire meal, not feeling terribly well after the fact. Once the tab had been paid they left the restaurant, spirits still downtrodden and their outlooks bleak. It was only one death, Hanta told himself, and it had him so crushed. How were they going to make it through a game that could demoralize them like this?

"You want to... Leave?" The silence of their walk was broken by a rather surprising suggestion on Komada's part, one that Hanta wasn't so sure he liked. He wasn't sure if he'd call the Town of Beginnings scary, though depressing would fit. There were a fair amount of people still here, but there had been talk of attending a field boss battle soon to move on ahead. The idea of moving forward in of itself was appealing, but as to what they had to do made him rather tentative. If they were to take part in the battle then Komada would be in a great amount of danger, and conversely Hanta wasn't terribly pleased with letting other people risk themselves just so they could move ahead. Hearing her out he smiled sympathetically, shaking his head as he reached over and put a hand on her back ."It's not selfish, you just want to help. Nothing selfish about that," he replied, taking his hand back and sliding it in his pocket. "Tomorrow morning how about we look into the group planning to take on the boss? Even if we don't fight we could train with them, that should be okay right?" Strength in numbers, that phrase held more truth to it than ever before after today. Those who were willing to fight the field boss were presumably amongst the best of them, and he couldn't think of anyone better to go out in the field with other than them.

Hanta awoke the following morning to the sound of a crowd outside. Confused he opened his eyes groggily, sitting up slowly and scratching at the mess of hair on his head, turning to look out the window. He couldn't see anything from bed, so he swung his legs over the edge and stepped onto the cold hardwood floor, quietly walking over as not to disturb Komada. On the street below he was rather surprised to see a mass of players gathered, lining the streets and cheering on someone that he couldn't quite see yet. Pushing open the window he leaned out, glancing down the road to get a better look, his eyes widening in surprise. A group of perhaps twenty players were all decked out in their gear, looking ready to go in spite of the earliness of the hour. It was hard to make out the chatter from everyone talking, but what he could gather these were to be the players who were going to be clearing the floor, or at least trying to. All but one of the faces were unfamiliar to him, and the one he did recognized just had to be Izumo. Not realizing he was staring at the boy he was a bit surprised when the gaze was returned, Izumo giving him a nasty glare before passing by. Apparently he was still blaming Hanta for yesterday's tragedy, whether founded or not. People continued to wave and cheer as the collective of players walked on, disappearing out of view as they passed through the town plaza and on their way to the fields to practice. So it really was going to happen, and sooner than they thought. They had to be part of this if they ever hoped to get over this guilt that was burdening them. 

Once the crowds begun to disperse Hanta drew the windows closed again, sighing as he ran a had through his hair. Of course the one person critical of him had to be there, that would only make this even worse. Refusing to be deterred by that though he looked over at Komada, smiling slightly. She was still out despite the noise, lucky her. Moving to her bedside he leaned down, gently giving her a jostle to get her up. "Pssst.... Komada? Wake up." he whispered, shaking her again. "People are going out to train, we should go join them. Come on." He didn't know how long those people were going to be training for, but he figured they could at least get a few hours in, possibly gain a level or two. Looking up at his own HUD he took note of his level, frowning slightly. He was higher than the average he was certain, probably only lower than the really advanced players for that matter. Therein then was a sense of obligation to take part again, like he almost owed everyone something for being stronger. His smile waned as he reflected on that fact, stepping away from the bed to equip his gear. Maybe if he did this then Izumo would leave him alone and stop guilt tripping him, and perhaps they'd get a little more confidence in the game. "I'll help them... Even if it kills me..." he mumbled under his breath, closing his menu once equipped.