It was 6:58 a.m. in the morning, and the bright rays of the sun were shining through the windows, as the birds chirped beautiful melodies.
Through the windows of a modern hotel room, a youth nearing the age of 20 sighed in bed.
"I'm turning 20 already, and yet I have no clue which direction I should move in. And I'm stuck living alone in this trashy hotel!"
"If I had a roommate or if the water systems actually worked reliably, maybe it wouldn't be so bad."
The youth restlessly tossed and turned on his bed, averting his gaze from the window dejectedly.
He sighed gently, "It's so bright, and the birds are so loud... I just want to sleep a bit longer."
As he went to pull the blankets over his head, his phone started beeping; the alarm he set rang off.
"Shoot! I'm gonna be late if I don't get moving!"
He quickly dove out of his bed, making his way to the bathroom to freshen up.
Brushing his teeth, he inspected himself in the mirror.
He had delicate facial features, like a fine porcelain doll and long silky black hair that hung below his shoulders. His eyes were a gem-like green, yet they were void of light... If only they would shine in happiness—they would be hypnotizing!
His build was on the slimmer side, with an estimated height at 5'9" or 178 cm. Similarly, his skin was soft and of a pale shade.
Washing his face, he nodded in satisfaction before dressing himself in jeans and a clean black shirt.
"Not bad, better get moving though."
On his way out the door, he grabbed his id, reading: Riku—Wakabayashi Riku.
Hurrying out the door, Riku walked along the busy sidewalks.
"Luckily, the convenience store isn't too far away, so I shouldn't be late. I just hope I can get some help during my shift for once."
Riku arrived at a crosswalk, and the lights changed.
"Good to go."
He started to walk across, noticing a small cat on the other side.
A smile formed on his lips, "Such a cute kitten!"
Suddenly, the alarming honking of a car rang out, followed by the desperate skidding of a car as it applied its breaks.
Riku looked to his left, frozen in fear.
His mind didn't even have time to process any thoughts as his vision went dark.
...
"Did I really just die like that?"
It was a peculiar sensation... Riku couldn't feel anything, but he could still think.
The feeling was actually mortifying, as he bitterly thought, "I'm not going to be stuck like this forever, right?"
It seemed like hours had passed, but Riku suddenly felt something.
Like his hand was still there, touching upon the cold ground.
Riku felt hopeful, "Something changed... I can now feel something at the very least. That has to be a good sign, right?"
Soon, he could feel more and more of his body, and his senses gradually returning.
More hours passed as Riku waited in boredom, finally feeling the fluttering of his eyes.
He opened his eyes in interest, "Perhaps I'm in front of the gate of the underworld, huh?"
Riku was at a loss as he observed. His surroundings were bland.
There was no large gate, nor a line of people speak his miseries too.
It was just a cold, empty space. The walls were of stone, same as the ground and ceilings.
Luckily, it wasn't fully closed in. There was one open crevice in the wall. Dark as it may be, it was still better than nothing.
He approached the opening, squeezing through.
"Had the opening been any smaller, I'd have been trapped there!" Riku exclaimed in fright.
He continued along the path, his hand gliding along the wall to prevent himself from getting lost.
Soon, his concern wasn't with getting lost, but freezing—the cave was originally cold, but the chill was only getting worse as pushed on!
His concern soon disappeared, as he reached a warmth that radiated a gentle heat.
"Finally!"
Riku entered happily, but his attention was soon focused on a small orb, glowing green and black. It was also this orb which permeated the room with a gentle heat.
He was at a loss, "Should I try grabbing it?"
Nearing the orb, the head didn't seem to grow much stronger than what he felt further away.
It shouldn't burn his hand, right?
He reached his hand forward in an attempt to grab the orb, yet as soon as he grasped it, it merged into his hand.
A wave of heat traveled through his body, and he felt a searing sensation.
It was like he was on fire!
Before he could yelp in pain, the fire was extinguished by a cool feeling.
Accompanying this coolness, a cold voiced sounded within his mind, "Hello, Host. I will be assisting you from today until the day of your demise."
"Huh? Who are you?" Riku exclaimed in surprise.
This voice—it had to be from that orb!
But, what did it mean by host?
The voice continued unenthusiastically, "Host, you could consider me as a system. With my assistance, you're sure to grow strong! As long as you can survive a few hardships here and there, of course."
Riku was still at a loss.
Hardships? System? Host?
He didn't even know where he was, let alone what any of this meant!
"Host, I will answer your questions with what information I know. Please, ask away."
"What should I ask for?" Riku questioned, soon coming up with an answer.
"My name is Riku, I'd prefer if you call me that over host! And what's your name? Surely, system isn't your name, right?"
"Correct, system is naturally not my name. But similarly, I don't have a name."
"Huh? No name? I can't just keep calling you system, so why don't I give you one?"
The system went silent, soon answering, "It doesn't matter either way. You can assign me whatever name you'd like."
"It's not just whatever name—anyways, how about—Moko!"
"... Moko?"
"Yeah, how about it?!" Riku said happily.
"Fi-Fine, Moko it is. And I will call you Riku for now on...." Moko quietly agreed, though Riku could hear a tone of happiness in his voice.
Riku smiled in elation, anticipating what the future would bring.
While he still felt the situation was strange, he had someone by his side at the least.
"From today onwards, until my demise, the two of us are partners, right?"
"Whether I like it or not, I am indeed stuck with you. This world you've found yourself in, it's not so simple. In fact, danger looms all throughout it!"