Light rapidly faded away as the darkness began to swallow him. Hajime Nagumo's face twisted in terror as he stared at the vanishing light above him. He desperately shot out his hand, grasping at the light he knew he could never truly grab hold of. He felt his nether regions tense up as he fell freely through the darkness.
The chasm he'd fallen into was so deep that it seemed almost as if he was falling down to the pits of hell. And the light he was staring at was the portal to the world of the living. He'd fallen down a massive tear in the earth while he'd been exploring a dungeon. The hole was so deep that he kept falling long after the tiny pinprick of light had shrunk to nothing. His entire life flashed before his eyes, with nothing but the sound of wind rushing past accompanying his plunge to the hellish depths below.
Let us turn back the clock a bit and recount how a young Japanese boy found himself in a world that was far too cruel and heartless for the word "fantasy" to be an accurate descriptor. After all, the harsh and unfair events he'd experienced, and was still experiencing, were a bit too bereft of the wonderful hopes and dreams one imagined when they heard that word.
Monday. Quite possibly the most depressing day of the week. Most people were, without a doubt, sighing heavily as they lamented the beginning of the week and the end of their glorious weekend. Hajime Nagumo was no exception. However, in his case, his depression was multiplied by the fact that school was not just a pain, but a veritable hell.
As always, Hajime barely managed to arrive just before the bell for first period rang. He somehow managed to steady his sleep-deprived body and opened the door to his classroom. He found himself on the receiving end of a multitude of scornful glares and annoyed tongue clicks from a majority of the male students as soon as he set foot in the classroom. None of the female students seemed all too pleased to see him either. It would have been fine were they simply ignoring him, but they too gave him stares of contempt.
Hajime did his best to ignore his classmates and went to his seat. But as always, there were a few students who couldn't resist the opportunity to needle him.
"Sup, you gross otaku! Stay up all night playing video games again? I bet you were playing porn games the whole time!"
"Wow what a creep. What kind of disgusting pervert stays up all night playing porn games?"
The boys all laughed, as if they found that statement somehow hilarious. The student who'd first called out to Hajime was Daisuke Hiyama, the ringleader of Hajime's tormentors. Daisuke never seemed to tire of teasing Hajime, as he went up to him on a daily basis. The ones who were laughing wickedly next to him were Yoshiki Saitou, Reichi Kondou, and Shinji Nakano. It was those four who'd always made Hajime's life miserable.
As Hiyama had stated earlier, Hajime was indeed an otaku. But he wasn't particularly ugly or obnoxious, so the moniker gross otaku hardly did him justice. His hair was cropped short and kept tidy. Plus, it wasn't as if he had a communication problem of any sort either. Sure, he wasn't the most talkative guy around, but he had no problem responding to people who talked to him. He was a quiet person overall, but not to the point where it could be considered gloomy. He just happened to have an interest in a very specific set of media— namely manga, novels, video games, and movies.
While it was true that public opinion of otakus hadn't been very positive as of late, at most being an otaku usually earned you a few looks, not that kind of targeted bullying. So why did all the male students hate Hajime so?
The answer was simple.
"Good morning, Nagumo-kun! You barely made it on time today too. I think you should at least make an effort to come earlier." One of the girls smiled softly as she walked up to Hajime. She was one of the few people in the whole school who treated him kindly, and also the reason everyone hated him.
Kaori Shirasaki, one of the most popular girls in school, and beautiful enough to be considered a goddess by many. She had sleek, black hair that went all the way down to her waist, and large alluring eyes filled with kindness. Her small nose sat perfectly upon her face, and her pink lips were the epitome of perfection.
She always seemed to have a smile on her face, and her knack for looking after others combined with her strong sense of responsibility made her one of the most respected students at Hajime's school. Moreover, she was tolerant and understanding to a fault, to the point where no one had ever even seen her look unhappy before.
And, for whatever reason, Kaori had taken an interest in Hajime. Most people assumed Hajime was a terrible student because he always slept in class due to his frequent all-nighters (in truth, he had pretty average grades). And, since Kaori was always looking after other students, they believed that was the reason she talked to him.
Had her overtures convinced Hajime to become a better student, or had he naturally been a better looking guy, the other kids might not have minded Kaori's interest in him as much. As it was, though, he was sadly as average looking as one could get, and his favorite motto was "hobbies over real life," so obviously his attitude toward school had shown no signs of improvement either. As it was, the other average looking male students of his class couldn't stand the fact that Hajime was so close to Kaori. "Why him and not us!?" they thought. Meanwhile, the other girls simply thought he was being rude to Kaori. They were unhappy that he wasn't even attempting to reform his habits.
"A-Ah, good morning, Shirasaki-san." Hajime's face stiffened up as he felt the bloodthirsty glares of his fellow classmates, and he awkwardly returned Kaori's greeting.
In contrast, Kaori smiled happily as she looked at him. Why do you always look at me like that!? Hajime despaired as he felt the gazes of his classmates burn into him.
Hajime was honestly bewildered. He didn't understand why the most beautiful girl in school cared about a guy like him. To him, it seemed like there had to have been something more than just her natural disposition to help others.
Of course, he wasn't so conceited as to believe she might possibly have any romantic interest in him. Hajime was well aware of the fact that he'd given up a great deal of things to live a life fully devoted to his hobbies. He knew his appearance, grades, and athletic ability were all utterly average. There were a whole host of guys better than him who were far more suited to be her partner, even just among her acquaintances. Which was why he found her behavior so puzzling.
Honestly, I just wish you'd realize you're the reason everyone hates me right now! Hajime screamed inside his head. However, he didn't give voice to his thoughts. He knew that some of his classmates would no doubt drag him out behind the gym once classes were over if he ever dared to do so... The moment Hajime finished his conversation with Kaori, three new people walked up to them. They'd been watching the two of them like vultures, waiting for him to finish talking. Among this new group was of course one of the "better guys" who'd been mentioned previously.
"Good morning, Nagumo-kun. Must be rough staying up that late every day."
"Looking after him again, Kaori? You're really too nice for your own good."
"Seriously. Talking to a failure like him's a total waste of time."
The only person who'd greeted Hajime out of the three was Shizuku Yaegashi, Kaori's best friend. Shizuku's black hair was tied back in her trademark ponytail. Her almond-shaped eyes give her a rather sharp look, but deep within her gaze dwelled a kindness that made her seem cool rather than cold.
Standing 172 centimeters tall, she was a good deal taller than most of the other girls in his class. That, combined with her well-built body, made her seem like a dignified samurai. And samurai made for a rather apt analogy as her family actually ran a dojo that taught the Yaegashi style, and Shizuku herself was a peerless swordswoman who'd never lost a single kendo tournament. In fact, she'd been featured in magazines before and had a rather rabid fanbase. The press even took to calling her the modern samurai beauty. Many of the younger female students had started calling her onee-sama in an almost worshiping manner.
The guy who'd greeted Kaori with that rather cliched line about her kindness was Kouki Amanogawa. He was perfect in almost every way. Great at sports, handsome, and had outstanding grades to boot. Even his name sounded heroic. Written with the characters for "light" and "radiance," it gave off a rather dazzling impression.
He had flowing brown hair, soft features, stood 180 centimeters tall, and despite his slender frame still had noticeable muscles. He was kind to everyone he met, and had a strong sense of justice (or so he thought anyway.)
Like Shizuku, he'd attended the Yaegashi dojo since he was in elementary school and was skilled enough to have competed in national tournaments. He and Shizuku were childhood friends. Dozens of girls had fallen for him, but because he was always hanging around Shizuku and Kaori, very few had ever worked up the courage to confess. However, he still received at least two confessions a month from girls that didn't go to Hajime's school. A real Casanova through and through.
The last guy, who'd lazily added on his own comments to Kouki's line, was Ryutarou Sakagami, Kouki's best friend. Ryutarou had short, trimmed hair and a gaze that seemed at once both cheerful and stern. He stood 190 centimeters tall, and had a massive, bear-like frame. As his build suggested, he was a musclehead who didn't have much delicacy.
Because of his love for hard work and hot-blooded actions, he disliked Hajime, who spent all his time in school sleeping. Ryutarou
gave Hajime no more than a single glance before huffing disdainfully and ignoring him.
"Good morning Yaegashi-san, Amanogawa-kun, and Sakagami-kun. Heh, well, you know what they say, you reap what you sow. It's my own fault for staying up all the time." Hajime smiled wryly as he greeted Shizuku and the others. The two guys glared daggers at him, their eyes all but screaming, "What gives you the right to talk to Yaegashi-san so casually like that, huh!?" Shizuku was nearly as popular as Kaori, after all.
"If you realize it's a problem, shouldn't you try and fix it? I don't think it's fair to Kaori to keep letting her spoil you. She doesn't have time to always be looking after you either." Kouki warned Hajime sternly.
Kouki also clearly thought Hajime was a failure of a student who was simply squandering Kaori's kindness. Hajime desperately wanted to shout out She hasn't been spoiling me! And in fact, I'd really rather she leave me alone!, but he knew if he did his classmates would "escort" him somewhere quiet after school. Kouki was the kind of person who always thought he was right too, so Hajime simply shut his mouth and didn't utter a single response.
Besides, there was really nothing to "fix." Hajime had already decided to make his hobbies the centerpiece of his life. His father was a game designer and his mother a girls' manga author, so he'd worked part-time at both their workplaces to gain experience in the field.
With his experience and interests, most employers were interested in him as he required no extra training, and his plans for the future were all perfectly laid out. Hajime firmly believed he was taking his life seriously already, which was why he saw no need to change his habits regardless of what anyone said to him. And if Kaori hadn't started poking her nose into his affairs, he would have been able to quietly graduate school without attracting any attention to himself.
"Yeah, I guess. Ahaha..." Which was why Hajime simply tried to laugh off Kouki's words. But, of course, the school's goddess had to go and unintentionally drop another bomb.
"What are you talking about, Kouki-kun? I'm talking to Nagumo-kun because I want to." The whole classroom broke out in an uproar at those words.
If looks could kill, Hajime would have died a hundred times over from the withering glares he received from the male students. They ground their teeth as they glowered at him, while Hiyama's crew took it a step further and began discussing what place would be best to drag Hajime during lunch break.
"Huh...? Ah, I see. You really are far too kind, Kaori."
It seemed Kouki interpreted that as Kaori being nice so as to not hurt Hajime's feelings. Though he was perfect in many respects, or perhaps exactly because of that fact, he had one rather glaring flaw. Namely that he was a little too convinced of his own righteousness. Deciding that correcting him would be too much of a pain, Hajime instead chose to escape from reality by staring out the window instead.
"I'm sorry about that. They don't mean any harm by it..." Shizuku quietly apologized to Hajime, as she was the only one present that was astute enough to grasp everyone's feelings. Hajime simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled wryly in response.
Meanwhile, the bell signaling the start of classes finally rang, and the teacher walked into the classroom. The teacher began the morning announcements, seemingly too used to the turbulent atmosphere in the classroom to care. Then, as always, Hajime drifted off to dreamland as class began.
Kaori smiled as she saw Hajime slumber. Shizuku stared at him, amazed, and mused that Hajime was quite the celebrity in a certain sense. The guys all scoffed at him while the rest of the girls stared, gazes full of scorn.
After a while, the classroom began to grow noisy again. As a habitual classroom napper, Hajime's body had naturally attuned itself to know when to wake up. Which was why his hazy consciousness was able to discern from the surrounding noise that it was lunchtime.
Hajime rummaged through his bag and brought out his lunch, a simple meal that could be finished in ten seconds, but still fully sated him. It seemed that most of the lunch buying group had already left for the cafeteria, as there were some people missing from the classroom.
A majority of people in Hajime's class usually brought their own lunch, though, which was why around two thirds of the class still remained. Additionally, it seemed that some of the students had questions for the fourth period social studies teacher, Aiko Hatayama, and were milling about the teacher's podium.
Sluuurp! Gulp! Having finished recharging his energy in just ten seconds, Hajime laid back down on his desk, planning to get some more shut-eye. However, the school goddess, perhaps more of a devil in Hajime's case, smiled happily as she scooted her seat closer to his, preventing him from returning to his slumber.
Hajime groaned inwardly. Monday must've made him take leave of his wits. Normally he would've quickly eaten his lunch and bolted out of the classroom to find a secluded place for his afternoon nap, but two straight days of all-nighters had apparently taken their toll on him.
"That's rare, Nagumo-kun. You're still in the classroom. Did you not bring a lunch? If you'd like, you can have some of mine." As the frigid atmosphere descended upon the classroom once more Hajime screamed internally.
I'm tired a yer shit, his exasperated mind screamed out in some strange dialect. Hajime attempted to resist the inevitable as that thought crossed his mind.
"Ah, thanks for the invitation, Shirasaki-san. But I've already finished eating my lunch, so why not eat with Amanogawa-kun instead?" He showed Kaori the remnants of his packaged lunch as he said that. The rest of his classmates would probably have hated him for refusing too, but at least it was better than spending his lunch break walking over a bed of nails.
However, such a feeble resistance meant next to nothing in the face of the great goddess, so she continued relentlessly.
"Huh!? That's all you had for lunch? That won't do at all, you need to eat a proper meal! Here, I'll give you some of mine!"
Please, please, just give me a break! Why can't you realize already!? Read the mood for once! With each passing moment, Hajime could feel the pressure mounting, and his saviors finally appeared as cold sweat started running down his back. Kouki and Ryutarou.
"Kaori, let's all eat lunch together. It seems that Nagumo needs some more sleep. And I won't allow anyone to eat Kaori's delicious handmade lunch while half-asleep!" Kouki flashed Kaori a dazzling smile as he said that pretentious line, but Kaori simply looked puzzled. Kaori was a bit slow, or rather just an airhead, so Kouki's handsome guy appeal was lost on her.
"Huh? Why do I need your permission to share my lunch, Kouki-kun?" Shizuku let out an involuntary snicker as she heard Kaori ask that question in such an earnest manner.
Kouki began laughing awkwardly and tried to change the subject, but the important point was that the four most famous people in school were sitting together with Hajime and the rest of the class was not at all happy about it. Hajime sighed deeply and continued grumbling to himself.
I wish these guys would all just get summoned to another world or something. I mean, just look at them, they're the perfect party of four. They even feel like the kind of group that'd get sent to another world. Can't some god or princess or priestess or something just summon them away from here? Trying to escape from reality, Hajime sent his thoughts out to whatever other worlds were out there. He stood up and was about to give his usual evasive answer, when suddenly he froze.
There was a glowing silver circle engraved with various geometric patterns glowing in front of Hajime, at Kouki's feet.
The rest of the students all saw the strange circle as well. Everyone was frozen in place, staring at the weird glowing pattern that, for lack of a better word, looked just like a magic circle.
The magic circle began to glow brighter and brighter, until its light enveloped the entire classroom. The circle itself began expanding as well, and when it finally grew big enough to cover Hajime's feet, everyone finally became unfrozen and started screaming. Aiko-sensei, who had remained in the classroom, yelled "Everyone! Get out of the classroom!" at the same time the magic circle flared up in a brilliant explosion of light.
After a few seconds, or maybe a few minutes, the light finally began to fade, and color returned to the classroom. However, the room was now deserted. Some chairs were knocked over, half-eaten lunchboxes were sitting on desks, and chopsticks and plastic bottles were scattered across the room. The classroom had everything still left in it except the people.
The mass high school disappearance incident caused quite a stir across the world, but that story was better saved for another time.