Inside the bedroom, a young man sat slouched at his desk, a laptop in front of him playing a video. With his right hand, he grabbed a chip from the bag on his left and tossed it into his mouth.
Morning light streamed in through the window beside the desk, fully illuminating his lazy posture as he let out a long sigh.
"They finally got wiped out…"
He had just finished watching the latest episode of Jujutsu Kaisen. The Zenin Clan massacre was well-deserved—they were unbearable. Jinichi trying to aura farm and Naoya boasting nothing but speed with no real power were especially funny.
Shuu grabbed another chip, his eyes lingering on the credits rolling across the screen. Eighteen years old, college dropout, and currently unemployed; it's not the most inspiring resume, but he wasn't particularly bothered by it. If he wanted a job, he could look for one anytime.
His parents had stopped lecturing him months ago too. As long as he stayed out of trouble and didn't ask them for money, they left him alone. The arrangement worked for everyone.
The apartment was quiet—unsurprising. He had been living alone since his high school years. These days, he spent his time watching anime, browsing forums, and occasionally playing games whenever the mood struck.
Shuu glanced at the clock on his laptop. 12:47 PM.
"Guess I should eat something."
He stood up, stretching with a yawn, and shuffled toward the kitchen. The apartment wasn't large—typical for Tokyo—but it was comfortable enough. His room was a mess of manga volumes, empty chip bags, and clothes that probably needed washing.
In the kitchen, he opened the fridge and stared at its contents with zero enthusiasm. Leftover rice, some eggs, half a cabbage. He could make something if he wanted to. He didn't want to.
Convenience store it was.
Twenty minutes later, Shuu stepped out of his apartment building, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets.
Nakano was as busy as ever. Salarymen rushed through late lunches, students in uniform drifted along the sidewalks, and somewhere in the distance, a street musician strummed a guitar.
Shuu headed toward the FamilyMart two blocks away, his thoughts drifting to which anime he should catch up on next.
From MAPPA… wasn't Jigokuraku supposed to get a second season by now? I haven't even touched Season 1. Maybe I should just start Frieren first. Or Oshi no Ko. Yeah, I'm definitely not deciding today.
He stopped at a red light, his gaze wandering to the massive electronic billboard across the street. An advertisement was playing. Nothing unusual about that—Tokyo was covered in them. But the content made his eyebrows lift.
I know Oshi no Ko is popular, but this popular?
A girl with vibrant purple hair and star-shaped pupils smiled at the camera, her expression radiant.
"B-Komachi's new single drops this Friday! Don't miss our live performance in Shibuya on Sunday!"
Still, wasn't this a little overkill for an ad?
That girl—she looked way too much like Ai Hoshino. If they ever made a live-action, they wouldn't even need to cast her. She already was the role.
Shuu stared at the screen, a faint crease forming between his brows.
How?
B-Komachi was the idol group from that series. Ai Hoshino's group.
The billboard looked less like an anime promotion and more like a commercial for a live-action event.
"What the hell?"
Shuu pulled out his phone and searched "B-Komachi."
The results loaded instantly. Official website. Twitter account with millions of followers. Instagram. YouTube channel with performance videos. News articles about their rising popularity. Concert schedules.
His thumb scrolled through the images. The members looked exactly like they did in the anime.
Except these were real people.
While he was still trying to process that, another headline caught his eye—one so absurd it made him let out a small, incredulous laugh.
"Shinomiya Group Announces Major Expansion Into Digital Infrastructure."
Shinomiya Group?
As in Kaguya Shinomiya from Kaguya-sama: Love is War?
Shuu clicked the article. A photograph showed a stern-looking older man at a press conference. The article discussed the conglomerate's latest business moves, mentioned the family's influence over multiple industries, referenced the various Shinomiya children and their roles in the company.
His finger hesitated over the search bar, then typed rapidly: "Advanced Nurturing High School Tokyo."
It was the setting of one of his favorite light novels.
Results appeared immediately.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School" had its own official website. Even more surprising, the school's secretive philosophy was laid out in full detail—the S-System, the point-based economy, the brutal meritocracy. Everything matched Classroom of the Elite perfectly.
Shuu's mind raced.
He searched for more. "Shibuya Incident." "U.A. High School." "Devil Hunters Public Safety Division." "A Certain Academy City."
This time, there were no results—at least, none of the kind he'd expected.
It seemed that only characters and stories set in a normal version of Earth existed in his world.
"When the fuck did this happen?"
As if responding to his thoughts, something appeared in his vision.
[System Initialization: Complete]
A system? Really? What, am I the entertainment system in some kind of fanfiction right now?
Treating it dismissively, Shuu tried to wave his hand through the text. However, his fingers passed straight through it as if it wasn't there, even though he could still see it perfectly.
"Figures," he muttered. "It even works the same way as in those stories…"
More text appeared.
[Welcome, Kuroda Shuu.]
[The world has undergone Integration. Other narratives have merged with reality. You alone retain awareness of this change.]
[As compensation for your unique position, you have been granted access to: Entertainment System]
The text shifted, reorganizing itself into what looked like a system interface.
[Entertainment System]
[Function: Generate entertainment through direct action. The more dramatic the change you bring to the world, the greater your rewards. Chaos or salvation—both pay equally.]
[Current Entertainment Points: 0]
[Status: Inactive - Awaiting First Action]
Shuu glanced around.
People walked past him normally, none of them reacting to the glowing blue text that dominated his vision. Either they couldn't see it, or he really was hallucinating.
There was only one way to be sure.
Shuu focused on the interface, thinking about what he wanted to know. As if responding to his intention, new text appeared.
[Entertainment Points (EP) are earned through actions that create dramatic change in the world. The system does not distinguish between positive and negative outcomes—only the entertainment value of the result matters.]
[Points can be exchanged for various enhancements, abilities, and information. Scale of reward corresponds to scale of dramatic impact.]
[There are no mandatory quests or penalties for inaction. The system is a tool. How you use it is entirely your choice.]
Shuu's eyes widened slightly.
Isn't that insanely useful?
I get to decide how I earn my rewards, and I'm not a slave to the system.
Well—doing things for rewards still kind of makes me one, but you know what I mean.
He focused on the interface again, willing it to show him more details. The system responded immediately.
[REWARD CATEGORIES — CURRENT ACCESS LEVEL]
[Physical Enhancements: Improved reflexes, strength, stamina, appearance optimization, regeneration, biological control]
[Mental Abilities: Perfect memory, accelerated thinking, lie detection, emotional reading, danger sense, parallel processing]
[Social Skills: Enhanced persuasion, presence control, charm amplification, voice modulation, reputation manipulation]
[Utility: Anonymous cash generation, information access, minor probability adjustment, scenario creation]
[Information Purchase: Character backgrounds, plot timelines, future event predictions, narrative weight analysis]
[Special Abilities: Currently locked - requires significant EP accumulation and system evolution]
[Note: Current abilities focus on realistic human optimization. As entertainment generation increases and certain EP thresholds are reached, the system will evolve, unlocking access to more advanced capabilities that transcend conventional human limitations.]
Shuu's eyes caught on that last line. Special Abilities. Locked for now, but the implication was clear—this system could grow into something far beyond just making him smarter or faster.
That said, stuff like shooting fireballs or bending reality probably wouldn't be that useful here. In a supernatural world, sure—but on Earth, flashy powers just meant cameras, government agencies, and a lifetime of being dissected in some underground facility—except I hide my identity, I guess. They are incredibly useful, regardless of the attention they will receive.
He brushed the thought aside and pushed for more details. The interface obliged, displaying a brief breakdown.
[Abilities are divided into three general power levels: Basic human enhancement, peak human capability, and supernatural-adjacent performance. Cost scales with power. Higher-tier abilities require substantial EP investment.]
[Example: Enhanced Reflexes ranges from 1.5x normal reaction time (100 EP) to 5x reaction speed approaching precognition (15,000 EP)]
[Anonymous Cash conversion rate: 1 EP = 1,000 yen]
That was enough information. He didn't need pages of stat breakdowns—the system would show him specific options when he actually had EP to spend.
As he focused on the interface again, another section appeared.
[SAMPLE ENTERTAINMENT VALUE ESTIMATES]
[Minor dramatic intervention (preventing a confession, causing a minor argument): 10-50 EP]
[Moderate dramatic intervention (significantly altering a relationship, preventing/causing a breakup): 100-300 EP]
[Major dramatic intervention (saving someone from serious danger, drastically changing a major character's life path): 500-2,000 EP]
[Arc-level intervention (fundamentally altering an entire storyline): 5,000-20,000 EP]
[Note: Actual EP gained depends on execution quality, emotional impact, and narrative weight. Creativity and unexpectedness provide bonus multipliers.]
Shuu let out a low whistle. The numbers were significant. Even minor interventions could add up quickly if he played this smart.
Before he could dwell on it, another notification appeared—this one unprompted.
[PASSIVE ENTERTAINMENT GENERATION]
[Observing dramatic moments generates minor EP]
[Being present during high-emotion scenes: 1-5 EP]
[Witnessing major plot developments: 5-15 EP]
[Note: Passive generation is minimal. Active participation yields exponentially higher returns.]
So merely watching drama unfold would still earn him something, but actually stepping in was where the real rewards were.
That tracked. The system wanted him to be an active player, not a passive observer.
"…This might actually be the best day of my life," he chuckled, pulling out his phone again as he searched for nearby events or situations he could potentially influence.
He needed to test this. To confirm the system actually worked and wasn't just some hallucination on his part.
And if the system rewarded entertainment, then the most efficient approach would be to target the highest-value storylines. The ones with the most dramatic potential.
"Oshi no Ko sounds like a good place to start," he murmured, scrolling through search results, "though I don't know the timeline."
Ai Hoshino was an idol with secrets. If she had already crossed paths with Hikaru, then the twins would already exist, hidden from the public, and the stalker who would one day find her would already be somewhere out there. Her death would go on to become one of the most devastating moments in the entire series.
If he prevented it, that would definitely count as dramatic change.
If he didn't... well, that was dramatic too, in a morbid way.
Shuu checked Ai's age on his phone and frowned when the result popped up.
Fifteen.
When did she meet Hikaru?
No—even if I knew that, how would I ever get in contact with Ai Hoshino? I'm a nobody.
He let out a quiet sigh. The big, reward-heavy goal was clearly out of reach with his current circumstances.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't prepare. He pulled up B-Komachi's schedule, noting their upcoming performance in Shibuya. Public events were opportunities. If he could position himself correctly, engineer a situation where intervention became possible...
His thoughts were interrupted by his stomach growling.
Right. Food. That was the original plan.
Shuu pocketed his phone and continued toward the FamilyMart, though his mind was already racing with possibilities. The system interface had minimized to a small indicator at the corner of his vision—a subtle reminder that it was there, waiting for him to make his first move.
The convenience store's automatic doors chimed as he entered. The familiar layout greeted him: refrigerated sections along the walls, shelves of instant noodles and snacks in the middle, the register staffed by a bored-looking part-timer.
Shuu grabbed a basket and headed for the bento section, scanning the options without much interest. Karaage bento, salmon, some kind of pasta dish...
He was reaching for the karaage when he noticed someone else approaching the same section from the opposite side.
A girl, probably around his age or younger, wearing an oversized hoodie with the hood pulled up and a medical mask covering the lower half of her face. Sunglasses obscured her eyes despite being indoors.The disguise was so blatant it circled back to being funny.
Is she a celebrity? Shuu wondered absently as he lifted the bento. Or maybe just really paranoid.
The girl reached for a bento at the same time he did. Their hands brushed.
She jerked back slightly, muttering an apology. "Sorry—"
Her voice was soft and somewhat musical.
Something about it nagged at him.
Shuu glanced at her more carefully. The disguise was thorough, but not perfect. A few strands of purple hair had escaped from under the hood. And when she shifted, adjusting her sunglasses, he caught a glimpse of her eyes for the briefest moment.
Star-shaped pupils.
His brain made the connection instantly.
No fucking way.
There was no mistaking those eyes. He'd just seen them on a massive billboard not twenty minutes ago.
Ai Hoshino?
***
A/N: Finally finished. What do you think of this chapter?
I'll be releasing chapters daily, with a minimum of 1,500 words each. I'll always do my best to make every chapter count. And of course, system interface text won't be included in the word count.
If you enjoyed it, I'd really appreciate it if you added this to your collections and dropped a Power Stone.
Since this is a new release and I doubt it'll be popular anyway, reaching 100 Power Stones will unlock an extra chapter.