You were sure of one thing.
You had died.
Not dramatically. Not heroically. No truck-kun, no last words, no cinematic music
swelling in the background. Just another exhausting day at the construction site, muscles aching, lungs heavy from dust and cold air. You remembered sitting down… closing your eyes for just a second…
And then—
You woke up.
Your eyes snapped open to a ceiling you didn't recognize.
White. Smooth. Clean. No cracks, no peeling paint. Definitely not your tiny apartment.
Your heart started racing.
Hospital?
You pushed yourself up instinctively, but your body felt… wrong. Not injured. Not weak. Just different. Lighter. Faster to respond. Your hands came into view, and you froze.
These weren't the hands of a 30-year-old construction worker who had spent years carrying cement bags and steel beams.
These were younger.
No callouses. No scars. Smooth skin.
You flexed your fingers slowly.
"…What?"
Your voice came out unfamiliar too. Higher. Clearer.
A chill ran down your spine.
You stumbled out of bed and nearly tripped when your balance didn't match what your brain expected. After a few seconds of adjustment, you managed to stand and look around the room.
It looked like a teenager's bedroom.
Desk. School books. Posters. Clothes neatly folded. A phone charging on the nightstand.
Your breathing grew heavier.
"This… isn't mine."
Memories suddenly slammed into your head.
Not yours.
But also… yours.
A name.
Jake.
Age 18.
Ordinary student.
Ordinary family.
No tragedies. No special background. Just… normal.
You staggered back and grabbed the edge of the desk to steady yourself.
"
I… am jake?"
But you also remembered something else.
Steel beams.
Shouting foremen.
The smell of concrete dust.
Fights in alleyways when you were younger. Nights where survival meant learning how to throw a punch before someone else did. The instinct to read movement. The willingness to hurt someone if you had to.
Two lives.
One mind.
Your chest tightened.
"I… transmigrated?"
The word slipped out before you even thought about it.
You looked around again, trying to ground yourself in reality. Everything felt too real to be a dream.
Then you noticed something on the desk.
A school uniform.
Black jacket.
Gold buttons.
Your eyes widened slightly.
"…No way."
A memory surfaced.
Not from either life.
But from something you had watched.
Anime.
Specifically—
Jujutsu Kaisen.
Your pulse spiked.
"No… no, no, no…"
You rushed to the window and pulled the curtain aside.
The city outside looked normal. Peaceful. Cars passing. People walking.
But deep inside…
You felt it.
Something strange.
Like the air itself had weight.
Like something unseen was watching.
Your instincts — the same instincts that had kept you alive in street fights years ago — screamed one thing.
Danger exists in this world.
Real danger.
Not just human.
You swallowed slowly.
"…If this really is that world…"
Your mind jumped ahead.
Curses.
Sorcerers.
Death.
And you?
Just an ordinary guy reborn into an ordinary family.
No power.
No talent.
Nothing.
A bitter laugh escaped your throat.
"…Great."
But then your eyes sharpened.
Because ordinary or not—
You still had your experience.
You knew how to fight.
You knew how to survive.
And if this world was as dangerous as you thought…
You would need every advantage you could get.
You clenched your fist slowly.
"First… I figure out where I am in the timeline."
A pause.
Then quieter—
"…And how not to die."
Outside, somewhere far away…
Something unseen moved.
And for a brief moment—
You felt like it noticed you.