「Ah.」
Subaru felt the cold cement pressing against the back of his head, realizing he was lying flat on his back.
His body was rigid with pain, and despite his attempts to take any action to survive, his limbs remained completely immobile, contradicting his will.
He was overwhelmed by the relentless sensation of his organs boiling.
— Hot, agonizing, weary, cold, piercing.
「Ghh...」
A 'gurgling' sound escaped his throat. This was caused by a mass of blood obstructing his windpipe, which he couldn't clear to breathe. Furthermore, the holes in his lungs prevented him from even coughing.
Subaru felt a current of air whistling through the open gaps in his body, though no blood flowed from his mouth, and he watched the color red spread across the floor.
— Was all that blood actually flowing in my veins?
「...」
What a mystery the human body was! A veritable sea of blood was spilling out—a quantity that could not possibly be contained within this frail physique.
Subaru recalled learning in health education class that approximately sixty percent of an adult human body was composed of water. Based on that, the amount of blood would be...
— What was it? I can't remember.
He felt dizzy from forgetting even the basics of primary education, or perhaps he was simply dizzy due to the extreme blood loss.
It was true; Subaru remembered that losing one-third of a person's blood was considered critical. Now, he felt as though his body had lost every single drop.
「— Is there no aura?」
As Subaru realized the extent to which his body was close to death, he completely lost all his strength. This exhilarating feeling, akin to free swimming in the river of death, might have been due to the massive release of adrenaline triggered by his impending demise.
However, the numbness in his body was real, and the stream of air that had been whistling through the holes in his flesh gradually receded until it vanished.
— Ah, so I'm going to die then.
From his fading consciousness, Subaru felt his soul about to depart from life.
In this moment, which would end quickly if he began counting the ceiling tiles, he had no particular desire to do anything.
People die when they are shot; this was self-evident. There was nothing he could have done when he was attacked; this outcome was inevitable.
「...baru.」
If he was attacked by maniacs, by murderers who couldn't grasp this obvious fact, there could be no conclusion other than "Death."
The only thing Subaru wished for as he faced "Death" was — that *she* would be saved in the future.
「— Don't die.」
Subaru heard a gentle tone, like the touch of a soft feather.
It was a voice that remained present in his memory. He didn't know if it was an auditory hallucination, but he was certain she was near him.
It was a reliable, comforting voice; feelings of reassurance flowed from it.
And so —.
「...Stay.」
Subaru tore a scream from his soul as he fought off the encroaching "Death."
What had left Subaru lying on the cold cement floor now was an unforgivable mistake of a failure, a blind and foolish man—his own fault.
But, even so —.
「I will, absolutely —」
— I will save you.
In the next moment, Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
●○●○●
「Fire! Open fire now!!」
「Grenade! Get down!!!」
— This is truly dangerous.
Could a person's despair reach this extent when they are left penniless on the street?
No, calling himself penniless was merely an expression. He still owned numerous items, but they seemed utterly trivial compared to the scene unfolding before him.
It was like having just enough money to buy lunch and dinner ingredients from a local corner store, yet attempting to dine at a highly luxurious buffet in the most exclusive district of Ginza.
「What is the market price of a rifle?」 (Subaru)
It had never occurred to him that he would be forced to seek knowledge impossible to obtain in modern Japan. A weapon would look completely out of place on him—a man with black hair, eyes with slightly prominent lower lids, and no distinguishing features whatsoever.
He was so utterly unremarkable that he would blend into any crowd in the blink of an eye.
Yet, most of the stares directed at him were tinged with suspicion.
This was natural; everyone around him possessed something that only he lacked.
「Well, that settles it then.」 (Subaru)
As Subaru began to lose confidence that his morals and values were correct, he crossed his arms and muttered that he had no choice but to accept the situation.
「— It looks like this is about being transported to another world.」 (Subaru)
Subaru nodded in agreement with himself while looking at the brightly painted tank barreling aggressively in front of him.
●○●○●
「Is this place even Japan?」
「Japan? What is that?」
「Well, that settles it; this is an Isekai story.」 (Subaru)
When the curtain was drawn back, it became clear that this world was neither the future of Japan nor anything similar, but an entirely different realm named "Kivotos."
The strange thing, however, was that this bizarre world, which had the trappings of a modern civilization, contained many familiar elements.
「They even have a convenience store...」 (Subaru)
If one were to disregard the high-school-aged girls carrying firearms everywhere, the mysterious halos floating above their heads, the enormous dogs and cats walking down the street, and the robots dressed in staff uniforms, there was almost no difference from the modern era.
However, if Subaru re-analyzed the very elements he had just disregarded, he would fully grasp that this place was, without a doubt, another world.
「Is this what they call 'Cyberpunk'? There are too many things mixed together to define the nature of this world... But a city rampant with violence and robots can only be Cyberpunk.」 (Subaru)
The irony was palpable: the idea of being transported to another world—a dream everyone once had—had happened to him without any extraordinary features, no superpowers, no magic, and no advantage from modern knowledge; just a society rife with weapons.
Feeling despair, he slapped his nearly collapsing knees to strengthen them and continued moving forward. His exploration of this colossal city was not yet complete, and he had no choice but to trust that there was still a glimmer of hope to overturn this situation.
「The buildings are concrete... There are plenty of mechanical devices, autonomous smart robots, automatic vending machines... — Since it's another world, shouldn't it be a bit closer to the Middle Ages?」 (Subaru)
Subaru felt that all the time he had spent daydreaming was utterly wasted. Everyone here possessed something resembling a sleek, high-tech phone superior to ordinary ones, and, crucially, he had been brought here without any prior preparation.
「What a farce! I came here after stepping out of a convenience store, only to find myself sitting right on top of a convenience store the next moment.」 (Subaru)
He had difficulty getting down, and as he descended, a high school girl ran away from him, screaming that he was a molester. Such incidents were enough to shatter his already suffering heart.
「Payments are made via credit cards, and I have never seen this type of card before.」 (Subaru)
Everything outwardly resembled modern Japan, yet the contents were entirely different, creating a massive sense of alienation.
It was like biting into a rice ball labeled "Salmon" only to find Salmon Roe (*Ikura*) inside.
「Language communication is possible, and it's Japanese. There are no superpowers or magic, yet a mysterious ring floats in the sky, and above the girls' heads too.」 (Subaru)
Despite all this focus on modern technology, the sky is filled with enigmatic patterns that evoke fantasy stories, and a strange light emanates from an unknown tower.
Furthermore, even the airships floating in the sky possess a halo. The genres are so mixed that it is hard to categorize them.
「... What am I supposed to do in a world like this?」 (Subaru)
— If only I had at least one handgun...
「It probably wouldn't change anything. Please, have mercy on me... At the very least, if you were going to transfer me...」 (Subaru)
Subaru had reached his limit of grumbling and pessimism. It was impossible for someone like him, who possessed poor communication skills, to work in this world.
— I was unemployed in my original world.
If he were to state this in a job interview, he would likely faint, pale and foaming at the mouth, having surpassed the point of extreme embarrassment.
「My starting equipment is too weak; what exactly do you want me to do?」 (Subaru)
The reason he was brought here is unclear, what to do next is unclear, and whether he can return is unclear.
The situation is summarized by a single word: "Despair," and all he can do is stand his ground.
「Ah, if only I had a rifle, at least...」 (Subaru)
Natsuki Subaru moved his fingers, making the motion of pulling a trigger, his expression darkened by hopelessness about his future... Suddenly, his expression changed.
The reason was the sound of gunfire nearby.
Although the sound of shooting had become familiar since his arrival in this world, this was the first time he had heard it so close—and, moreover, it was coming from the entrance of the alley he had just entered.
「Hey, kid, hand over the money.」
「If you underestimate us, we'll teach you a lesson.」
— These were the two loitering girls who had been standing at the alley's entrance. They weren't wearing anything strange; it seemed they simply saw an opportunity in him not carrying a weapon.
「What a mess, is this a mandatory event?」 (Subaru)
The worst thing about coming to this world was that most of the humans, excluding the robots and the anthropomorphic animals, were high school-aged girls.
「Damn it.」 (Subaru)
「Ah! Wait!」
— Natsuki Subaru does not punch women.
Therefore, his escape was inevitable.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
For 5+ advance chapters visit my patreon.
patreon.com/Raven737