"I will fulfill my duty! No one here is going to die!"
"Flame Breathing, Final Form!"
"I am the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku!"
"Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!"
"Rengoku-san!"
"Ring ring ring—incoming call!" A long white-haired young man sat hunched in front of his computer, a lollipop tucked in his cheek. He glanced at his phone screen—the caller ID read "Mom"—and hit the spacebar to pause the anime before answering.
"Hey sweetie, I'm getting off my morning shift soon and picking up your sister. Could you run to the market and grab some groceries for dinner? You know Reika absolutely loves your cooking!"
My adoptive sister's name is Reika. She's about to graduate middle school—hard to believe it's been almost ten years since she joined our family. That crying little girl who first walked through our door has grown into a beautiful young woman.
If it weren't for my sister and that one close friend of mine helping me through everything, I'd probably still be that pathetic, confidence-lacking coward I used to be.
"Sure thing, Mom. I'll head out in a bit. You and Reika be careful on your way home, okay?"
"Will do! Um, honey... you'll be alright on your own, won't you? I mean, considering your—"
"I'm fine, Mom. It's been years. I'm used to it by now."
"Alright, that puts my mind at ease. Just be careful out there too!"
"Got it, Mom!" After hanging up, I shut down my computer and grabbed my jacket.
The moment I reached for the door, my phone rang again.
"Ring ring ring!!" The second I heard that ringtone and saw "Monkey" flash across the screen, I knew exactly who it was. I couldn't help but crack a smile as I hit accept.
"Hey, Monkey. What's up?"
The voice on the other end immediately erupted: "Damn it, did you change my ringtone again??"
Monkey's real name is Hayato. He's got the most straightforward personality you'll ever meet, and he's one of the very few people I consider a true friend.
Back in middle school, I was the quiet kid who barely spoke. Add in my feminine features and timid personality, I became an easy target—bullying, mockery, even beatings. I took it all in silence, never fighting back, just enduring it all. Hayato was the only one who treated me like an actual friend, always having my back.
Because our personalities were complete opposites, we somehow clicked. We'd game together on holidays, hit up barbecue joints for grilled skewers. Hayato knew my family situation, so he'd always snatch the bill before I could even reach for my wallet.
Eventually, I realized Hayato wasn't like everyone else. He genuinely saw me as a friend.
Then came the incident—a school violence situation that cost me my left eye and forced me to drop out before even finishing middle school.
"Anyway, forget all that. You free tonight? Wanna squad up? And get this—I've got two cute gamer girls joining us! Hehe, hehehehe! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)"
"I can smell the desperation from here. What kind of perverted fantasies are you cooking up now?"
"Hey, I'm a refined gentleman with impeccable taste! Besides, these girls are just a little lonely, and I'm simply offering them a place where they belong! ( ´ ▽ ` )"
"(ಠಠ) You shameless bastard, you're just thirsty as hell. Whatever—I don't have time for this. I need to grab groceries and make dinner. Can't make it tonight. Just watch yourself out there. I heard the organ traffickers up north are running low on kidneys!"
"Come on, I'm not thirsty—I'm just giving them a home! Fine, if you're busy, we'll do it next time. Guess I'll have to comfort these two lonely hearts all by myself tonight! (˘ω˘)" After chatting a bit more, we hung up.
I stepped outside and walked for a while until I reached a traffic intersection. The light turned green, and that's when I saw it—a small truck, completely out of control, barreling through the red light straight toward a woman crossing the street.
"Watch out! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" But it was already too late.
The truck closed the distance in seconds. Without thinking, I lunged forward and shoved the woman out of harm's way.
The impact sent me flying dozens of feet through the air. My head slammed against something hard—the world blurred, and through the haze, I could barely make out the woman I'd saved running toward me...
"Stay with me! The ambulance is almost here! Don't fall asleep—whatever you do, don't close your eyes!"
...
Several hours later, inside the hospital.
"Doctor, how is he??"
The doctor's expression said it all. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could. His head trauma was severe, and his lung was punctured. He won't make it through the night."
"What?? That's impossible! Doctor, isn't there anything else you can do? I'll do anything—just save him!"
"If there were another way, I'd do everything I could to save him. But... he doesn't have much time left. You should go see him. He seems to have something he wants to say to you. If you can... spend these final moments with him."
The woman's voice came out hollow. "I understand. Thank you, Doctor."
...
Inside the hospital room, she stared at the young man who'd saved her life—now lying in a bed, never to see another sunrise. Her heart twisted like a knife was carving through it.
"Cough cough... Hey there. Could you... cough... tell me your name?"
"My name is Tachibana Sumiko. What's yours, miss?"
"I'm Yukimura Kaidō. Also... I'm a guy. Cough cough..."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were—"
"It's fine. I'll... call you Sumiko-san then. You seem like... someone important. Sumiko-san, could you... cough cough... do a few things for me?"
"Tell me. Whatever you need—if it's within my power, I'll make it happen."
"Thank you, Sumiko-san. Please... tell my mother... I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused her. I never got to... fulfill my duty as her son. I've saved up some money over the years—it's in the drawer... under my computer desk. Please tell her to use it... to take care of herself and my sister. And... tell my sister that her brother was useless... I couldn't protect her the way I promised. I won't get to see her... in a beautiful white wedding dress... walking down the aisle. Finally... cough cough..."
"Stop—don't talk anymore! You need to rest. The doctor said you need rest to recover." Sumiko's voice cracked with urgency.
"I know what's happening to me. You don't need to hide it."
"One last thing... tell my best friend I'm sorry... I can't keep gaming with him anymore. And I hope... he doesn't end up like his old man... always in the doghouse..."
"Alright, I promise. Everything. Now please, just stop talking and rest."
BANG!
The hospital room door burst open.
"Brother! Are you okay?? Please don't scare me!" Reika gripped her brother's hand tightly, her eyes swimming with worry and fear.
"Kaidō, how are you feeling? Tell me if anything hurts! This is all my fault—if I hadn't asked you to go out, this never would have happened!" His mother looked at her son, heartbreak written across her face.
"Mom... Reika... I'm sorry." A single tear rolled down his cheek before his eyes closed...
"LIAR! You're such a liar, big brother! You promised to protect me—you promised you'd marry me! Why did you lie?? Wake up right now, or I'll never forgive you—never!" Reika sobbed.
"Doctor! Doctor!" His mother's desperate cries echoed into the hallway...
"Don't worry. I, Tachibana Sumiko, will take care of your family. I won't let them suffer—I swear it." Sumiko's silent vow hung heavy in the air.
...
[Ding! Compatible transmission target detected. System binding initiated... Binding successful!]
[Constructing transmission space... 10%... 30%... 60%... 100%... Construction complete. Initiating transmission... Transmission in progress... Transmission successful...]
[Ding! Host detected in soul state during dimensional transfer. Reconstructing physical body... Reconstruction complete. Initiating soul fusion... Fusion successful! Host detected in weakened state. Transferring host to safe location!]
[Ding! Transfer complete!]
[Ding! Creating new identity for host... Identity creation successful!]
[Beginner's Package has been placed in System Space. Host may open upon awakening!]
"Hey, miss! Wake up! Are you okay? Come on, wake up!"
"Big brother, I think she passed out. We should take her home—there's so much snow falling. We can't just leave her here!"
"Yeah, let's carry her back together."
"Who are they? Where am I??" The thoughts flickered through Kaidō's fading consciousness, but the fog was too thick—he couldn't voice them aloud.
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~# Every 300 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!