Chapter 1: I Must Have Transmigrated into a Slice-of-Life Anime World
I've transmigrated.
The method had a certain primal beauty to it.
Kaito was on his way home after buying instant noodles, ham, and eggs—ready to treat himself to a feast—when he heard the screech of a horn behind him. Turning around, he saw an out-of-control truck barreling toward him like it was roaring, "Time to reincarnate in another world, kid!" The next moment, he was sent flying, slammed onto the ground, unable to move, before the truck caught up with him again and crushed his skull on the spot.
It was probably like a watermelon smashed by a baseball bat—splattered everywhere. Though, honestly, Kaito wasn't entirely sure if his death had been that gruesome. But in his final moments of consciousness, he definitely saw the truck's tire looming over him, along with the screams of bystanders and the flash of phone cameras.
Alright, let's drop this topic. This isn't some gore forum—no need to dwell on such 18+ material.
In any case, after transmigrating and being reborn, he found that he seemed to have replaced a family that had immigrated to Japan. Despite all the neighbors having distinctly Japanese names, the health insurance card he dug up still bore his original name: Kaito.
By the way, Kaito was pretty sure this was a body-transmigration, not a soul one, because his height, build, moles, and other physical details hadn't changed at all. Even his clothes were the same ones he'd been wearing, complete with tire marks and dried red-and-white stains—everything was exactly as it had been.
Speaking of those dried red-and-white stains… were those bits of my brain?
After transmigrating, Kaito inherited a two-story detached house with a small yard. The only bank card in the house had an eight-digit balance, with the password written on a sticky note attached to the card—and the account holder's name was, indeed, Kaito himself.
After rummaging through various materials at home, Kaito speculated that he might have traveled to some kind of parallel world. The original Kaito of this world, whom he had replaced, was almost identical to him—aside from being slightly thinner, there were no other differences. Just like in his previous life, this Kaito had lost both parents early and ended up in the ranks of the NEET orphanage.
During his investigation, Kaito also discovered that the original Kaito of this world had a habit of keeping a diary. Although most entries were mundane, they roughly sketched out the life of a dropout who relied on ample savings to live comfortably at home, playing games and watching anime—a complete shut-in. In other words, the guy was practically isolated from the world, sparing Kaito the trouble of dealing with relatives or friends after his transmigration.
"Seriously, who even keeps a diary these days?"
After cautiously surveying his surroundings and getting a general grasp of the situation post-transmigration, Kaito couldn't help but sigh while holding the diary left behind by "the other him."
At any rate, it seemed there was no going back now.
Though he had inexplicably taken over your life, since there was no other choice—well, in for a penny, in for a pound—he might as well live it for you from now on.
Come to think of it, the circumstances of this transmigration felt almost too convenient. No parents, no social circle, plenty of savings, and a house to boot—it was as if everything had been perfectly arranged this way.
Could it be that he was actually the protagonist of a novel, destined for greatness with some grand mission ahead?
Kaito, who in his previous life had been a struggling web novelist living alone in a rented apartment, couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
"Alright, generally speaking, a transmigrated protagonist should get some kind of cheat, right? Let me think... If this were a NEET protagonist, it'd probably be a system—preferably a sign-in type, since NEET systems tend to be pretty useless, more suited for warming the bed. So, is there a system? System, you there? System? System-sama? System-san? Hmm, seems like no response."
He experimentally called out for a system but received no reply, leaving him standing alone in the room like an idiot, trying different poses and tones while shouting.
"Fine, guess there's no system. At least it's a pure slice-of-life start without any cheats. That's fine too—all that fighting and killing is overrated. A simple, peaceful life is the real deal."
Finally realizing how silly he looked, Kaito stopped and cleared his throat before heading to the second floor. There, in the gaming room the original Kaito had specially set up, he navigated past various game consoles lining one side of the room and pressed the power button on the computer by the window. He then began searching for news and historical facts about this world to better understand his living environment.
Incidentally, although the search results were all in Japanese, Kaito could read them without any difficulty—even speaking the language came naturally to him. Not only that, but when he searched for other languages—whether it was English, French, or Arabic—he could understand and pronounce them all perfectly.
I see, so my cheat is the ability to speak all languages in the world?
Somehow, this cheat feels kind of useless...
But for now, I don't need to worry about that. After some thorough investigation, Kaito confirmed that the differences between this world and his previous one weren't particularly significant. Overall, it still seemed like a peaceful, everyday world with no supernatural elements.
There were no news reports about man-eating monsters lurking in the shadows, no Fuyuki City with its frequent gas pipe explosions, no Umbrella Corporation or Miskatonic University. The sun wasn't rapidly aging, and nothing had flown in from beyond the solar system. Yep, it looked like a completely normal, ordinary world.
Well, it was possible that all sorts of things were active behind the scenes, but generally speaking, it seemed like a world where normal people could live out their lives in peace.
Just as he was thinking this, Kaito checked some news from Japan and immediately came across the words "Shuchi'in Academy."
Shuchi'in? Isn't that the setting for Kaguya-sama: Love Is War? That masterpiece of romance in its early stages, and later, the masterpiece of yakisoba—the famous work known as the "Little Giant of Romance."
Got it, I've been transported into an anime world!
Kaito had to admit he was a little excited.
After a bit more searching, he quickly found references to the Shinomiya Group, which pretty much confirmed this was the world created by Akasaka-sensei. Admittedly, the later parts with the photographer and such were a mess, but the fact that he'd actually entered an anime world still had Kaito pretty thrilled.
Wait, I shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. Let's investigate further.
First, check if there's a private school like Tōtsuki High or Soubu High. Hmm, nope. Looks like Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka—those hardworking heroines—aren't in this world. Well, they already have plenty of settings to appear in, so one less probably doesn't matter.
Then, what about Suimei University of the Arts? It exists. If it has an affiliated high school, does that mean Sakurasou is also a thing here?
And this "Guitar Hero" blowing up online—so Bocchi-chan exists in this world too.
So, does that mean I've been transported into a crossover anime world? And judging by the setup, one made up of slice-of-life anime?
Closing his laptop, Kaito leaned back in his chair, deep in thought, and began piecing things together.
First, he—an orphan—had been transported to another world, replacing someone who looked almost exactly like him.
With his language cheat, a small villa, and a hefty bank balance, he was set for life. Plus, the person he replaced had virtually no social circle, so if he wanted to live in this world, the obstacles were already minimized.
And this world was full of anime girls—likely the kind of crossover slice-of-life setting you'd find in a certain fanfiction site.
Does that mean I'm about to become the protagonist of a harem anime?
It's a bit of a shame that, due to certain policies, there won't be any "sisters" involved. But the story that follows is probably going to be the kind of pandering, wish-fulfillment fantasy where all sorts of fanservice moments come one after another, right?
Wow, when I think about it, this new life seems quite something to look forward to~
Though I'd like to pretend to be all high-minded, Kaito has to admit he's actually someone who enjoys a bit of spice, and can't help but imagine things that would get flagged by censors if written down.
By now, he's already started wondering if he's become the protagonist of some cat-themed slice-of-life harem anime, imagining what kind of tantalizing scenarios might unfold, and even pondering whether a bunch of readers might be watching him right now, eagerly anticipating his conquests of various beauties.
But well, that's for later. Right now, the more important thing is to thoroughly investigate the situation at home—better safe than sorry.
He's already got a basic grasp of the household setup and has roughly searched the house to understand the layout of things. However, there's a small shed in the yard that looks like a storage space he hasn't checked yet. Might as well take a look now.
Once he's fully scoped out the house, he'll use the computer to map out the surrounding streets, then take a walk to get to know the neighbors. In short, he wants to gather every bit of intel he can. For Kaito, this is practically second nature. Even in his past life, whenever he decided to go somewhere, he'd make sure to research the place inside out. Whether it was watching a movie or an anime, he'd always check the cast, voice actors, directors, and writers in advance—even if most of it turned out to be useless trivia, he still found it endlessly entertaining.
Rustle—
Sliding open the door to the yard, he changes into the shoes placed by the entrance.
Already daydreaming about his future life, Kaito steps into the yard and approaches the small, unremarkable shed on one side. He tugs at the door and, finding it unlocked, pulls it open.
A chilly breeze wafts out from inside, making him shiver.
Why's it so cold in here? The weather's still pretty warm outside.
Puzzled, Kaito takes out his phone, turns on the flashlight, and shines it inside. It's just an ordinary storage shed—brooms, shovels, a lawnmower, and some cloth bags of seeds, all covered in a layer of dust.
That earlier chill must have been just his imagination.
"Seeds, huh? Planning to farm in the yard? Should I make a joke about traditional skills?"
Muttering to himself, Kaito steps inside and spots a small black box tucked away at the back of a shelf, with a note stuck to it.
Deliberately hidden in a place like this—some kind of secret item?
Having spent the last few hours since his arrival investigating without encountering anything supernatural, Kaito hesitates for a moment before reaching out to take the box down and see what's inside.
The box seems to be made of metal, cool to the touch.
Despite being in a dusty shed, the little box is completely free of grime, even gleaming slightly, as if brand new.
Kaito lowered his head to look at the note on the box, which bore only a single sentence:
[Do not let anyone know where you came from]
What does this mean?
Before Kaito could ponder the meaning of these words, a soft "click" sounded, and the lid of the box opened on its own.
At the same moment, Kaito's vision plunged into darkness. Almost instantly, he lost consciousness.
Then, in that hazy state, he heard a voice.
A voice impossible to discern as male or female, impossible to identify as anything—merely hearing it sent chills down his spine, as if something was chuckling softly by his ear.
It said:
[Welcome to the "Sacrifice Game"]
[The level of the game you are about to participate in is: Twilight]
[May you witness the end of all things amidst true terror]