Before me lies a mountain of rubble—once the shop I was in moments ago. And there, the body of a boy, younger than me, his youthful face strangely familiar.
"No way… that's definitely Ryouto Hikawa."
His features, gentle at best, timid at worst, are unmistakable. Ryouto Hikawa. In the original story, he was kidnapped—or scouted?—by Burning PT for DC. After a battle with the Hagane squad, he became their prisoner, eventually piloting for them. Indecisive by nature, but his piloting skills were top-notch. He could even design PTs and AMs, and, coming from a karate dojo family, he was decently strong in a fight. Oh, and his girlfriend? The daughter of a Mao Industries executive. Honestly, one of the game's biggest winners.
"Or rather, was a winner."
A corpse lies before me. Past tense is only fitting.
"Though for Ryouto, it might've been his future story."
Since reincarnating as Axel, sighing has become second nature. "All I wanted was a peaceful life," I mutter, recalling how this mess began.
Months after turning twelve, I wandered the city, mildly excited despite my indoor tendencies. Training and studying keep me homebound, but isn't that what makes me an introvert? Even Burning PT is just a game, after all.
The weather was perfect for a stroll—neither scorching nor rainy. I browsed shops aimlessly, sampling a questionable "Maxberry" crepe (surprisingly delicious) and takoyaki from a bizarre Swiss stall (crisp outside, gooey inside, with huge octopus chunks—perfection). I toyed with a new PDA model but skipped it; the only upgrade was slightly better resolution.
As evening neared, my stomach was content from street food, so I decided to grab something light for dinner. I headed to a shop selling Bernard Platte—a hearty, Western-style oden packed with meat. That's when a chilling dread hit me.
"Slime!"
My shout summoned Slime from its spatial storage, its silver form emerging just as a violent tremor shook the ground. Something heavy collided with me, and Slime spread thinly to shield me, both events near-simultaneous.
"Ghh!"
Inside Slime's mercury-like dome, it was just me and… a kid. Unconscious or dead, his eyes stayed shut. I considered first aid, but the sound of debris pelting the dome kept me still. Inspecting the dome's interior, I saw only the kid and fragments of the shop's wreckage.
"Hoping this calms down soon."
I stayed on high alert until, thankfully, the chaos subsided within five minutes. Keeping the dome up, I approached the kid.
"No good."
His neck, likely broken from a blast, twisted unnaturally. I checked his pulse—nothing. I expected nausea at the sight of a corpse, but oddly, I felt only pity. Why I, a former ordinary Japanese guy, remained calm is a mystery, but panicking would help nothing, so I let it go.
"Slime, drop the barrier. Stay on standby."
The dome vanished, revealing the scene from the start.
"Meeting Ryouto as the first canon character was unexpected," I mused. "Thought it'd be Vindel or Lemon, given I'm Axel. But… he's dead. Rest in peace."
I closed Ryouto's eyes and surveyed the wreckage. One impact, then silence. Not a DC remnant attack—unlikely. Inspectors, maybe? No, their soldiers are bioroids, and their five human commanders—silent muscle, his hysterical girlfriend, the meathead, the conscience, and the prideful bureaucrat—wouldn't stay hidden for over a decade post-liberation. A single strike like this doesn't fit their style either.
"Accident or terrorism, then."
I leaned toward terrorism. Why? Slime sensed suspicious figures outside. I extended Slime into thin tendrils, slipping through rubble to eavesdrop.
"Target's status?"
"Was in the shop. No chance of survival."
"Next move?"
"Withdraw. The higher-ups will handle the rest."
"Politicians have it easy."
"Maybe I'll run for office."
"No way, you need serious cash for that."
Got it. Caught in some corrupt politician's scheme. Dragging civilians into an assassination? Despicable. Shadow Mirror's ideals don't seem so bad now.
"Time to make them regret involving me."
I turned to Slime. "Absorb everything around me, including those soldiers outside. Leave no trace of us."
Slime expanded, swallowing rubble—and Ryouto's body.
"Oh."
In the heat of the moment, I'd forgotten about him. A jolt hit me, like something surged into my body, knocking me to the ground. Slime had cleared the debris, so I avoided injury, but screams from the soldiers outside echoed as I grappled with the sensation—like energy forcibly injected into me. Unpleasant, to say the least.
Five minutes later, I stood. The soldiers, rubble, and Ryouto's body were gone. Only Slime, now massively larger, remained.
"Better get out of here."
Sirens wailed in the distance—someone must've reported the explosion. Staying meant trouble, so I headed in the opposite direction, taking a long detour home.
"What a perfect day turned into the worst," I groaned, collapsing onto my living room sofa. A terrorist attack? No, a military op. Blowing up a civilian shop screams special forces or a politician's private army.
"But that sensation…"
Absorbing Ryouto triggered it. I feel bad, but he was already dead. This world's doomed to Ainste's destruction anyway, so I push aside the faint lack of guilt.
"Status open."
My stats appeared. As expected, changes from the absorption showed.
"There it is."
Level and PP increased—predictable after defeating enemies. But the skills section caught my eye.
"Telekinesis, Level 4."
A skill I didn't have before.
Name: Axel Almer
LV: 5
PP: 60
Melee: 126
Shooting: 144
Skill: 136
Defense: 133
Evasion: 161
Accuracy: 183
SP: 182
Ace Bonus: Unknown
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Air: A
Land: A
Sea: B
Space: A
Spirit Commands: Accelerate (SP 4), ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Skills: EXP Boost, SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Focus), Telekinesis Lv.4, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Kill Count: 4