My mind was still reeling from the dimensional whiplash. One moment, C.C. had said "Calabash Brothers," the next, I was "Shinichiro," a chef in a world that felt distinctly... different. The system's immediate data dump was the only thing keeping me grounded.
[World Transfer Complete]
➤ Destination: Taisho-Era Electric Girl Universe
➤ Assigned Role: Matsumoto Shinichiro (Chef, Hydrangea Pavilion)
➤ Memory Assimilation: 64% Complete. Culinary skills, local customs, and basic personal history uploaded.
So, not Calabash Brothers. A miscalculation by C.C.? Or was this another of the system's "features"? Before I could ponder it, my new mission parameters overlaid the scene.
[Primary Mission: Locate Longinus Fragment]
➤ Signal Strength: Unknown. Currently undetectable.
➤ Note: Significant world instability detected. A major 'Event Convergence' is imminent and may reveal the fragment's location.
[Secondary Mission: Preserve Key Heroines]
➤ Objective: Prevent all plot-designated harm to the story's central female characters.
➤ Reason: Preventing narrative collapse will stabilize the dimension, aiding in fragment detection.
Just as the data settled, the purple-haired girl, Kotomi, bounced into the kitchen again, her cheerful energy filling the space. "Big brother, is it ready? The customers are waiting!"
"Coming right up," I heard myself say, the words and actions flowing with an unnatural ease. The memories of Shinichiro were a soft, warm blanket in my mind. I knew this kitchen. I knew these recipes. My hands moved with a practiced grace, plating a perfect-looking omurice with a deft flick of the wrist. It was a bizarre sensation, having a lifetime of skills I'd never earned.
Kotomi's eyes sparkled as I placed the plate in front of her. "Wow, you're getting better and better, Shinichiro! This looks amazing!"
[Relationship Map Updated]
➤ Kotomi Matsumoto – Younger Sister (Assigned Role)
➤ Trust Level: 42% → 55% (Positive reinforcement via culinary skill)
I leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper, a playful smirk that felt like it belonged on Shinichiro's face. "It's a secret recipe. Only for my favorite sister."
Her cheeks colored slightly, a cute, flustered reaction. It was an easy, comfortable dynamic, and a part of me, the part that was now Shinichiro, genuinely enjoyed it. But the Alan part, the Grail Bearer, was already running calculations.
My brain, now equipped with a new passive skill, was cross-referencing my own otaku knowledge with this reality.
[Passive Skill Active: Meta-Plot Awareness (Level 1)]
➤ Description: Allows for the recognition of scripted events, key characters, and potential narrative divergence points in worlds based on pre-existing fiction.
I knew this world. Taisho-Era Electric Girl. A sweet, slightly melancholic story about a group of girls in a restaurant and the "electric angel," Alisa, who falls from the sky and changes their lives. My secondary mission was to protect them.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of routine. I worked alongside Kotomi in the Hydrangea Pavilion, a charming, old-fashioned restaurant. I found myself admiring her—the way she tied her hair back with a ribbon, her cheerful dedication to her work. She was a ray of sunshine, and the thought of the tragedies that the original plot had in store for her and her friends stoked a protective fire within me.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Not a violent lurch, but a deep, resonant tremor that rattled the dishes on the shelves.
My first thought: Alisa. This was it. The inciting incident. The arrival of the angel.
Kotomi, however, didn't share my analytical calm. She let out a small yelp of fear and stumbled, falling right into my arms. "An earthquake!" she cried, her hands gripping my apron.
"It's okay, I've got you," I said, holding her steady. It was a close, intimate moment, and for a second, I was just Shinichiro, comforting his sister.
Then, as the shaking subsided, she seemed to realize how she was clinging to me and pushed away in a fluster. But she pushed a little too hard.
I was launched across the kitchen like I'd been hit by a truck, slamming into the opposite wall with enough force to leave a cartoonish, man-shaped indent in the plaster. I slid to the floor, dazed, my ears ringing.
[2D Physical Law Engaged]
➤ Analysis: Non-lethal kinetic force detected.
➤ Impact Resistance Multiplier: x4
➤ Note: In worlds with 'gag' or 'cartoon' physics, exaggerated physical feats may occur. Lethality is significantly reduced unless flagged as plot-critical.
Kotomi stared at her own hands in horror. "Oh my gosh! Shinichiro, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"I'm good," I wheezed, peeling myself off the wall. "You've been... working out, I see."
The tremor had been just a tremor, not the main event. I needed to confirm the timeline. "Hey, Kotomi," I asked, rubbing my aching back. "Has anything… strange happened lately? Like, 'girl falling out of the sky' strange?"
She gave me a weird look. "A girl falling out of the sky? Shinichiro, have you been reading those weird science fiction novels again? Of course not."
Relief washed over me. I was here before the start of the story. Before Alisa's arrival. Before the pain and the heartbreak. I had time. I could change things. I could save them all.
A new, conditional reward flashed in my system, a direct response to my resolve.
[New Conditional Reward Unlocked]
➤ Title: Guardian of the Scene
➤ Requirement: Prevent all major plot-targeted harm to the designated heroines of this world (Kotomi, Alisa, etc.).
➤ Reward: +1 Permanent Attribute Point per heroine saved, +20% increase to Longinus Fragment detection radius upon mission completion.
My personal desire to be a hero had just become a tangible, strategic advantage. Saving these girls wasn't just the right thing to do; it was the key to finding the shard. I looked at Kotomi, her face still etched with worry for me, and I made a silent vow. The script for this world was about to get a major rewrite.