I move my hand to adjust the sights on my rifle. My target is in the perfect position. I breathe slowly to keep my hand from shaking and press down with my index finger. The bullet passes through his head and kills him instantly.
A message appears saying "Counter Terrorists Win." I smile with satisfaction and step back. Another game won... against bots on hard. Yeah, I'm not too proud of it, but I'm not at the level to play on a server against real people.
If I tried, I'm sure I'd end up humiliated and frustrated. This applies to the competitive realm of any video game, even those I'm most proficient in, like Pokemon. I'm not good at competing in anything, probably because I've never really dedicated myself to anything.
Suddenly, my stomach growls, complaining because it's been eight hours since I've had anything solid. It's not that I'm starved for food; in fact, I should go on a diet to lose weight and get rid of my belly fat, but I don't want to. I'd rather continue enjoying the excesses while I can.
"I'm so hungry..."
It's time to get something to eat. I shut down the computer and take some money with me to go get some junk. The walk to the store isn't very long; it takes me less than five minutes to get there. There are no other customers besides me, which is good because I don't feel like waiting.
"Hello."
The employees barely notice my greeting and respond with a slight nod. I head straight to the fries area and grab my favorite: the cream cheese and chive-flavored fries. To add some variety, I also grab a chocolate caramel cookie.
"Anything else?" The employee serving me asks.
"Nothing else."
"It's $3."
"Here." I take out three bills and give them to her.
She hands me the bag with what I bought, but when I reach out to take it, my vision suddenly blurs and I drop it to the floor.
"Oh, are you okay?" The employee sounds concerned. I try to focus, and my eyes quickly return to normal. I sigh in relief.
"Yes." I answer as I pick up the bag from the floor, smiling ironically. "It's a good thing I didn't buy you a Coke, it would have run out of gas by now."
We say our goodbyes, and I set off. As I walk back, I notice my eyes starting to hurt. The streetlights seem much brighter than usual.
"God, I have to buy those glasses with blue light protection."
I know it's not advisable, but I rub my eyes, trying to calibrate my ocular nerves or something. My vision is obscured by my hands, and when I take them away, the light is stronger than ever, so much so that it feels like it's just become daylight.
"What the fuck...?" My confusion increases when I hear several sounds of movement and a lot of people talking.
I slowly open my eyes and find myself facing a completely different landscape than the one I was seeing ten seconds ago. I'm no longer in a suburb, nor is it nighttime. Somehow, my dull neighborhood has been replaced by a bustling medieval city.
"I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" I murmur, incredulous.
However, the fantastic vision doesn't fade. The creaking of wooden doors and wheels, the animated voices of the human and demi-human (or even furry) citizens—everything remains the same. Still, I need to confirm that I've gone crazy, so I hurry and start touching everything: the floor, the buildings, a tree I find nearby, and even the water in the fountain I appeared next to.
"It can't be. It's really happening."
I have to admit it: I'm a textbook otaku. Even though I don't watch anime as often as I used to, even though the last manga I read was Oshi no Ko and I dropped it when I realized there wasn't going to be a northern route, even though I don't read light novels anymore... Despite everything, I'm still an otaku: I still listen to anime music, I still fantasize about being the protagonist of a story I imagine in my head, and I still project myself into some fictional characters. In short, I'M STILL WORTHY!
But this doesn't make me happy. In my imagination, being transported to an isekai is something glorious and easy to swallow; just the prospect of an adventure, having broken powers, and a harem (typical) is enough to make me dream about it, even at twenty-one. However, right now I don't feel that enthusiasm.
"Does this mean I can't go back home? I'm never going to see my family or friends again?"
Few stories truly explore the sense of loss people experience when faced with such a radical and sudden change in their lives. Not only are you taken out of your comfort zone, but you're also sent to an unfamiliar place (usually) to start all over again.
It took me several minutes to process everything and regain my emotional stability enough to think clearly. The first thing I do is look around me to memorize the place, since I see that I'm in a big city and it's a good idea to learn how to navigate its streets.
The second thing I do is approach a guy sitting by the fountain. Then, putting on my best face so he doesn't think I'm crazy, I ask him:
"Excuse me, could you tell me the name of this city?"
"Oh?" He looks at me with surprise and a fair amount of distrust.
"I'm lost. I was traveling to my town and I think I got off the carriage too early." I improvise so he'll believe me.
His expression of embarrassment upon hearing my explanation is ridiculously obvious. He doesn't even try to hide it, and his tone when answering me is laced with sarcasm.
"Wow, that sounds like a mistake anyone would make."
"Yeah, I'm sure everyone gets the city wrong and gets off the bus thirty kilometers early. I'm not that stupid, I know you're making fun of me."
"Well, to answer your question: you're in the royal capital, Lugunica." He patted me condescendingly on the arm. "Good luck getting back, friend."
Those words stick in my head like needles. I walk away from him, aimlessly thinking about what I just heard.
"Lugunica? The Lugunica from Re:Zero? No, that would be the last straw..."
I laugh, but it's not a funny laugh, it's the nervous laugh of someone who's about to collapse.
"If I'm in Re:Zero, this is going to get really, REALLY messed up. Especially without a saving grace like Subaru's... Right! I might as well find a story character to help me out!"
I don't have much of a choice either: many of those characters would ignore me, treat me like shit, or kill me. Only a few of them would lend a hand in this situation, even though I'm a complete stranger.
"I have to find them, but how do I know if they're in the city right now?"
A sudden idea dawns on me. Smiling contentedly, I turn to a nearby group of people. If I want to know something, I just need to ask, right?
"Good morning, I heard rumors that the White Whale was hunted recently, do you know anything about it?"
My question provokes several puzzled facial expressions and skeptical responses.
"What? That terrifying mabeast? Impossible, there's no way anyone could kill it."
"I highly doubt what you heard is true."
"Yes, the person who said that was definitely joking; no one who understands how powerful the White Whale is would believe something like that."
Feigning disappointment, I nod sadly.
"I see, so it's a lie. That's a shame..."
After thanking them for their help, I walk away from the townspeople, suspecting I'm at a fairly early point in the story. Hopefully, it's somewhere between the first and third arcs. If I'm lucky, I might run into some of the main characters here.
Without hesitation, I head toward the main street and walk along it carefully, looking for signs of Emilia, Felt, or Subaru. Minutes pass, and I'm getting further and further from the square, and still nothing.
"It was the other way, wasn't it?" I smile wryly.
It would be a blessing to know where I am, but the sad truth is I don't have the money to buy a map, nor do I know where to get one. Where had Subaru gone? Those little details are never shown in the anime, manga, or novels.
"I didn't read the novel or the manga anyway... Holy crap, why didn't they summon me with a broken system like in 90% of modern isekai? Besides gaining power in absurd ways, I'm sure I'd have a GPS function."
Eventually, the sun begins to set, and I think of asking for directions to the slums. It turns out I've been heading in the opposite direction to that area this whole time, so it takes me several hours to get there, and the sky is already orange by then.
"Now, how the hell do I find the loot house?"
"Oh? What do we have here?"
"Just when I thought we were coming back empty-handed..."
"Hey, bro! New around here? You got some really cool stuff with you!"
I hear three familiar voices. A little startled, I turn around and see them: it's the trio of thieves.
"Shit, Subaru's canon event. Why is this happening to me?"
"Listen, friend, we don't want to hurt you, just put your things on the floor and we'll leave you alone." The dwarf lies with a cynical smile.
"Yeah, just listen to us and there won't be any problems." The one with the knives nods, but his bloodthirsty gaze says otherwise.
"We give you our word as honest thieves." The big guy says mockingly.
I carefully weigh the options and risks before making a decision. Finally, I put the bag on the ground.
"Well done, friend. Now take out what's in your pockets." Orders the dwarf, who is no fool.
"Sure." I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet, dropping it to the floor while with my other hand I surreptitiously grab my smartphone and blindly unlock it, trying to remember the exact motion I need to make to activate a certain function...
"What are you doing? Are you hiding something behind your back?" The big guy frowns.
"Don't even think about trying anything, I'll cut you to pieces before you can even move!" The one in the middle threatens me, pulling out his signature knives.
"It's too late. Time to punish you for being criminals!" I turn on my smartphone's flashlight and point it at them like a gun. "ANNIHILATION LIGHT MAGIC!"
"Shit, he's a wizard!" The trio screams in fear and takes cover from my 'attack', but after a few seconds, the stupid ones realize the light didn't do anything to them beyond temporarily dazzling them. Their faces twist in anger and shame. "That son of a bitch tricked us!"
They discover it a little too late, because I'm already far behind them, running as fast as my sedentary body allows. Fearing they'll catch me, I take one detour and then another, going deeper and deeper into this desolate place.
My stomach is rising and falling, I'm covered in sweat, out of breath, and my legs are aching.
"Haa... Haa... On second thought, I am going to do that diet."
As soon as I recover a little, I start walking again, since I want to be as far away from those three as possible. Suddenly, a cold wind blows, making me shiver from the sudden change in temperature.
"Damn, I didn't think there would be a blizzard... SNOW?!"
I scream as I notice the white storm beginning to cover the city. This isn't good.
"There's no doubt: this is caused by Puck's power, but that means I'm at the moment where Emilia..."
The realization hits me, and I freeze (not literally yet). Is Emilia dead? Didn't Subaru save her from Elsa? Or is this just a loop where everything goes wrong? Is Subaru alive or dead? Does this mean the world won't reset?
I have many questions, but there is no time to answer them: a huge shadowy figure appears in front of me, exhaling a freezing breath.
"Oh? I didn't expect to find someone like you right now. Who are you?"
Puck is talking to me. It's not my imagination; his beastly eyes seem to see right through my soul (or, more precisely, through my mind).
"I am-"
"Actually , that's not important. Nothing is anymore, in a world without Lia." Puck sighs. "Anyway, even if I wanted to know your identity, you can't answer me if you're already dead."
His words are the last thing I hear before I lose consciousness and life due to the progressive freezing. For a moment, I feel my body shatter into pieces, and then, there's nothing.