Do you believe in love?
Hakuto grew up in a single-parent household. His mother didn't die—she abandoned two-year-old Hakuto and his father for a wealthy man.
They never heard from her again, and Hakuto had no memory or impression of her.
His father told him when he was an adult, and the revelation left him unmoved.
She was a complete stranger. Who expects anything from a stranger?
Before his accidental death, his father considered remarrying, meeting a seemingly kind woman.
They got close enough to discuss marriage.
But after receiving an engagement gift, she vanished like she'd evaporated.
Only then did his honest, simple father realize she was a scam artist after money!
After that, he gave up on finding a partner, working tirelessly to save for Hakuto's home deposit.
In recent years, stories like "first strike at success, slay your beloved," "Takayama's bride," or "warriors sprinting for love" have popped up endlessly.
The last one got a twist—netizens were the real clowns—but only that case flipped.
These things absolutely happen!
Like the guy at Kyoto Seika University, standing on campus lamenting his heartbreak—another "warrior sprinting for love."
Or the woman from out of town who married into Tokyo, got pregnant, and convinced her husband to sell their home for a new one near a school for their child's education, only to divorce and claim the multi-million-yen property.
Sure, these might be outliers, not representing an entire gender.
So, back to the question: do you believe in love?
Hakuto does.
In life and death, we vow to be together. Holding your hand, growing old with you.
He believes in beautiful, aspirational love in this cold world.
He's seen a wrinkled, hunched grandma pushing her disabled husband under the sunset.
But he doesn't believe true love will happen to him.
In this era, it's too rare, like morning stars.
Adults don't get to dream, so keep dreams in your heart.
Love is sacred and grand.
Marriage is mundane and cold.
Hakuto has no interest in marriage-as-business and even fears it due to his father's experience.
He's never actively pursued a girl, his rationality keeping romance at bay.
He's liked girls before, but only for their looks—a primal, genetic impulse.
As a plain-looking otaku, this made him even less appealing to women.
Hakuto was fine with that.
No one knows him better than himself, so he didn't believe a soulmate existed for him.
Honestly, he couldn't even imagine what he'd be like in love.
He couldn't picture loving anyone. If he ever did, it'd only be another "himself"!
Absurdly, that impossible fantasy came true.
Morning light spilled into the room, golden rays dancing faintly through the curtains, dust swirling in the breeze.
Silky blue hair draped over a flawless jade back, delicate skin faintly pink.
Her arms, shoulders, and slender legs were like a divine sculpture, her dainty toes curled like budding flowers.
The blue-haired girl lay atop Hakuto, their gazes serene, like blooming narcissus.
"Ugh, I never thought a girl's… would feel like that…"
Her fair cheeks still flushed, Reverie recalled last night's sensations.
Hard to believe his male self made those sounds…
Yet, in that act, women and men were fundamentally different.
Sadly, under some restraint, Hakuto couldn't elaborate.
(Yeah ...)
It depends on one's body and mental state.
But which did Hakuto and Reverie prefer?
They liked both~!
Reverie's slender fingers twirled her silky hair, grabbing the phone to check the time.
"Only 9 a.m., pretty early. So…"
Her lively eyes blinked, her hands pressing Hakuto's chest as she sat up, slowly sliding downward.
"Two more rounds?"
"..."
...
The forbidden fruit, doubled in pleasure, left them craving more.
They didn't get up until nearly noon, Hakuto keenly feeling his enhanced physique.
An unimaginable sensation for carbon-based life, "Hakuto" controlled both bodies to dress in sync.
Next up: one of the daily three questions—what's for lunch?
The others, naturally, were "what's for breakfast?" and "what's for dinner?"
Hakuto opened his phone to browse delivery apps, eyeing upscale restaurants he'd never dared consider, now choosing based on taste, not price.
Picking some good-looking meals he'd hesitated to buy before, he closed the food app and opened a pharmacy one.
Hopefully human contraceptives worked on Edel Raids…
Also, some items with "Let's be friends~!" printed on them.
Honestly, Hakuto never imagined needing these.
Reverie pulled out a laptop, searching "Elemental Gelade" on a Japanese search engine, comparing her memories to the work's background.
The manga and anime differed slightly—the anime was adapted, but the manga's art was superior.
Three days passed in a flash.
Despite his extraordinary power, he hadn't left the apartment.
By day, he binged anime, read manga, and scoured Nico Nico, forums, and Wiki for Elemental Gelade info, even considering a trip to Japan to discuss with Mayumi Azuma.
In his hesitation, Hakuto realized something.
Though he didn't understand multiversal information interactions, Reverie's world was undeniably real.
Whatever connection it had to the author's creation, it likely vanished the moment Reverie entered this world via the mysterious space.
The settings and "story" established so far held reference value.
After a long day of gathering information, nighttime was Hakuto and Reverie's reward time.
A jumbo box of condoms—Hakuto and Reverie went through three boxes in three days.
With a super-gorgeous female body, what guy could resist that temptation?
Hakuto sure couldn't. He craved his own body, and he was honest about it!
While Hakuto indulged in self-admiration, something unexpected yet logical was unfolding.
In Tokyo, a group of graying elders sat around a conference room.
"Cut off all data channels, seal all exits, allow entry but no departure, and confiscate all communication devices…"
An elder with general's insignia issued a series of commands.
Anyone who'd recently had direct contact with Hakuto was summoned to a waiting room.
His former boss and colleagues, his landlord, the caregiver, the Dada driver who'd driven Hakuto and Reverie, the top Tokyo hospital doctor who treated him, and people who'd casually approached them…
All waited anxiously for questioning.
In a separate room, Mai Takatsume's expression was complex, nervously glancing at the elder beside her. "Grandfather, what's this all about?"
At a critical time in her father's career, Mai thought she'd been cautious enough, minimizing the car accident's impact.
When her grandfather called yesterday with unprecedented seriousness to ask about Hakuto, Mai was stunned.
"Little Mai, this is top-secret. You know what that means," her grandfather said, his usually kind face now stern.
"Top-secret? How is that possible!" Mai's voice cracked in disbelief.
Quickly regaining her composure due to her refined upbringing, she fell silent, her gaze unfocused, her expression dazed.
Who the heck did I hit?!
The brightly lit conference room was deathly quiet.
Four screens played videos, seemingly from surveillance and passerby footage.
The focus was a figure in the background, extracted with high-tech processing to form a coherent sequence.
The final footage showed a black-shirted, dark-haired youth letting out a wild cry, soaring through the boundless sky at speeds surpassing ordinary aircraft—flying freely!
A human, with no equipment, flying!
The sight of that mythical, carefree silhouette, paired with Tokyo's surreal cloud phenomenon, stirred an irrepressible awe even in those long perched atop the power pyramid.
Long after the video ended, the room remained silent as a pin drop.
After a prolonged stillness, someone finally broke the quiet.
Speculations, opinions, and strategies poured forth, carrying the weight of an impending era.
A faint cough interrupted, silencing the discussion instantly. All eyes turned to the figure at the head of the table.
"Before we dive into discussions, let's understand his situation first."
The elder's face was calm, though faint worry creased his brow.
Secretaries distributed sealed folders and left. The elders swiftly opened them.
"This…"
Gasp.
Hesitant murmurs, sharp intakes of breath, and heavy sighs echoed.
Undoubtedly, the classified files contained Hakuto's personal details.
From childhood to now, every detail was covered, growing more comprehensive closer to the present.
Where he'd been, what he ate daily—all meticulously logged by phone app data.
But the highlighted critical details posed a problem.
Abandoned by his mother as a child, raised in a single-parent home.
In middle school, he faced severe bullying, forcing him to transfer twice.
In high school and university, he endured unfair treatment—denied subsidies for low-income students, among other incidents, all listed in detail.
In high school, he helped an elderly person who fell, only to be scammed into paying hundreds of thousands of yen.
In university, his family fell victim to an engagement scam.
After graduation, he worked at three companies, living a 996 or even 007 lifestyle, and lost a labor dispute with his first employer.
These could still be called "ordinary."
The worst was his father, a migrant worker, denied wages by a construction firm. When he and coworkers demanded payment, they were labeled "malicious wage-seekers" by authorities and detained.
Naturally, the wages weren't recovered. Later, at another site, his father was fatally struck by falling rebar, dying despite rescue efforts.
The construction firm offered Hakuto the bare minimum compensation.
At the file's end, a national psychological team's analysis of Hakuto's personality was included. The junior doctor who'd once counseled him was still trembling.
Industry titans, whom even the hospital director treated with deference, had grilled her about that depressed youth, down to how many sips of water he took.
Reading Hakuto's psychological profile and personality analysis, the room fell into a deathly silence, the elders exchanging glances.
"Fortunately, it's not the worst outcome," the head elder sighed.
"But for now, we can't approach Hakuto directly. Every step must be meticulously planned, gentle and steady."
"Wait, this Mai Takatsume… from the Takatsume family?" An elder in white, reviewing the car accident details, spoke with delight.
"Takatsume, you mean…?"
All eyes turned to the white-clad elder.
Takatsume's status wasn't high enough for this meeting, but after the elder's explanation, the head elder recalled his profile.
"That girl handled it well. It's the only good news today."
Struggling with how to approach Hakuto naturally, the car accident connection was perfect—a legitimate reason to offer compensation.
"Next steps with Hakuto will center on her. We must not arouse the slightest suspicion!" the head elder declared firmly.
His somber mood shifted to anger.
"And it's time to clean up some messes!"
Given Hakuto's experiences, his "cold" personality profile was understandable.
As midnight neared, the conference room remained brightly lit.
For some, tonight would be sleepless.
…
"Mmm…"
Reverie's cherry lips let out a lark-like moan.
Hakuto paused, exhaling heavily, entering a serene, desireless state.
"Should've bought more—not enough," he said, brushing Reverie's hair behind her ear.
Her soft, warm body curled in his arms. Reverie found a comfortable position, grabbed her phone, ordered more supplies online, and closed her eyes contentedly.
That's enough for today—more tomorrow~!
As night deepened, their breathing slowed.
But in an instant, both bolted upright, eyes wide, exchanging thrilled glances.
A newcomer had entered the mysterious space!
As the space's core, Hakuto could faintly sense its state.
He lay back down, his consciousness diving expertly into his soul's depths, while Reverie stayed outside to guard.
Weightlessness and slight dizziness hit. Opening his eyes, Hakuto saw three fair figures in the distance.
Yup, first-time souls in the mysterious space don't manifest clothes—totally normal!
Hakuto himself ran naked for ten days before learning to "wear" clothes.
No matter who he transmigrated into, Hakuto would never have an exhibitionist streak—rest assured.
The only issue? Those three newcomers' figures looked… off.
They seemed, probably, maybe, possibly… all girls!?
What the heck, why?