Chapter 1: The Game Board
Tokyo City, Sunny Morning.
Takiro Yamada woke up on a sunny morning in Tokyo, a bustling city full of life and civilization, at the age of 14, slowly stirring from his sleep. He glanced at the clock next to his bed, which read six-thirty in the morning. It was typically early, though school life started later. Takiro enjoyed waking up early to savor the quietude that enveloped the suburbs at this hour.
His family lived in a modest house in the outskirts of the city, where his parents and twin siblings, Amari and Kai, were also getting ready for the day ahead. Takiro got out of bed and prepared himself for the day that awaited him.
"Good morning," Takiro greeted with a wide smile as he descended the wooden stairs slowly, trying not to disturb the tranquility of the quiet morning. As he walked, he took moments to enjoy the view from the window where he could see the sun filtering through the branches of the trees, casting a serene ambiance.
He headed towards the kitchen where his mother was preparing breakfast. The morning sun streamed through the kitchen windows, giving the room a warm and cozy look. The smell of toasted bread and fried eggs filled the air, making him feel hungry.
"Good morning, brother," his twin sisters, Amari and Kai, replied simultaneously, adding to the lively and warm atmosphere of the morning.
"Good morning," his father, Hiroyuki, replied as he continued watching the news on a digital board and sipping coffee.
"Good morning, Takiro. Did you sleep well?" his mother, Miyoko, asked with a smile.
As he had his breakfast, his thoughts revolved around his new light novel project that he planned to start soon. Takiro was fond of light novels and writing, possessing good creative skills. He had spent the past few months planning and thinking about the details of the stories he wanted to write, looking forward to crafting a novel that would deeply engage readers and reflect his passion for storytelling and imagination.
Takiro aspired to create fictional worlds that would captivate readers' imaginations and take them on exciting adventures. He envisioned a novel based on a strong storyline and intriguing characters, making each page hold new enjoyment for readers and piquing their curiosity about what would happen next.
This morning, as usual, his mind was swirling with ideas, but what caught his attention this time was the appearance of a data board in front of him. The board was transparent and faintly glowing, displaying peculiar information:
[Player Name: Takiro Yamada]
[Age: 14]
[Level: 1]
[Occupation: Middle School Student]
[Rank: Above Average Student (Ranked 12th in Kaisei Middle School)]
[Status: Enthusiastic, Energetic, Adventurous...]
[Health: 100%]
[Skills: Strength 4, Intelligence 5, Agility 4, Magic 6, Luck 7 (Average value of each attribute around 5)]
Those details shimmered clearly in front of him, as if directly extracted from one of the video games he loved. For a moment, Takiro thought he was dreaming, but he quickly realized that this board was entirely real.
"What is this?" Takiro wondered in astonishment as he glanced around. He watched his mother setting dishes on the table, his twin siblings chatting happily, and his father reading the morning newspaper on an electronic board. Each of them seemed to have a similar data board floating above their heads, displaying personal information about their health, skills, and personalities. Despite everyone behaving normally, as if they didn't notice these strange boards.
Takiro attempted to touch the board with his hand, but it was intangible, transparent like a hologram.
"Is everything okay, Takiro?" his mother asked with a smile.
He replied with a nervous smile, "Yes, Mom, everything's fine. Just thinking about my new project."
His mother realized something was on Takiro's mind, though she didn't fully understand what was happening. Nevertheless, she wanted to support and encourage him in his new project, saying gently, "Wishing you a good day at school and good luck with your project, dear."
He immediately realized something unusual was happening and began trying to understand what was going on. This board was strangely reminiscent of the video games he enjoyed, but he never expected to experience it in reality.
He looked around at the breakfast table and began noticing the detailed panels floating above the heads of his family members. His mother's panel indicated:
[Player Name: Miyoko Yamada]
[Age: 38]
[Level: 3]
[Occupation: Homemaker]
[Status: Content, Interested, Energetic]
[Health: 95%]
[Skills: Cooking 9, Management 7, Creativity 6, Organization 5, Negotiation 4]
Next to his mother, his father's panel showed different details:
[Player Name: Hiroyuki Yamada]
[Age: 40]
[Level: 4]
[Occupation: Computer Engineer]
[Status: Focused, Calm, Busy]
[Health: 90%]
[Skills: Analysis 8, Planning 7, Leadership 6, Programming 5, Engineering 4]
As for his twin siblings, Amari and Kai, their panels were quite similar:
[Player Name: Amari Yamada]
[Age: 10]
[Level: 1]
[Occupation: Elementary School Student]
[Status: Happy, Energetic, Curious]
[Health: 100%]
[Skills: Play 6, Sports 5, Drawing 4, Reading 3, Mathematics 2]
[Player Name: Kai Yamada]
[Age: 10]
[Level: 1]
[Occupation: Elementary School Student]
[Status: Happy, Energetic, Curious]
[Health: 100%]
[Skills: Play 6, Sports 5, Drawing 4, Reading 3, Mathematics 2]
Questions began to accumulate in his mind: Had he become part of a game? Were these panels appearing only to him? Could he use this information in some way? He needed to uncover the truth behind this strange phenomenon.
While lost in thought, he noticed something peculiar about the panel. It seemed to flicker and emit a faint glow when he focused on a specific skill. He tried this with his mother's panel, focusing on the cooking skill. Suddenly, a pop-up window appeared displaying detailed information about his mother's cooking skills, including recipes and advanced techniques.
Takiro felt a rush of excitement and discovery. These panels could be the key to understanding many aspects of his life and the lives of those around him. He didn't have time to waste; he had to discover more.
As Takiro grabbed his school bag and prepared to leave for school, he spoke to his mother, saying, "Mom, did you notice anything strange today?"
His mother replied with a smile, "No, I didn't notice anything. Why do you ask?"
Shaking his head, Takiro said, "Nothing, just a strange feeling."
On his way to school, he began noticing data panels appearing above the heads of people passing by. Their neighbor, Mr. Tanaka, was inspecting his garden, and his panel showed:
[Player Name: Kenji Tanaka]
[Age: 65]
[Level: 2]
[Occupation: Retired]
[Status: Content, Enjoying Time, Busy]
[Health: 85%]
[Skills: Gardening 8, Reading 6, Fishing 5, Carpentry 4, Cooking 3]
Takiro greeted Mr. Tanaka, saying, "Good morning, Mr. Tanaka!"
Mr. Tanaka replied with a smile, "Good morning, Takiro! How are you today?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Did you see anything strange this morning?" Takiro asked.
Mr. Tanaka chuckled, "No, everything seems normal to me."
At the train station, he saw Ms. Kimura's panel, who worked at the train station:
[Player Name: Miyo Kimura]
[Age: 29]
[Level: 3]
[Occupation: Train Station Employee]
[Status: Active, Focused, Friendly]
[Health: 95%]
[Skills: Organization 7, Customer Handling 6, Patience 5, Leadership 4, Speed 3]
Takiro arrived at his school, where students were gathering in the courtyard, chatting and laughing. When he entered the classroom, he took his seat at the second-to-last table. The rows were filled with students preoccupied with various matters. He noticed the data panels of his classmates, each displaying similar information to his own:
[Player Name: Naomi Nakajima] [Age: 14] [Level: 1] [Occupation: Middle School Student] [Rank: Average Student (Ranked 20 in Casey Middle School)] [Status: Curious, Active, Interested in Fishing] [Health: 100%] [Skills: Fishing 6, Sports 5, Programming 4, Drawing 3, English 2]
Haru approached Takiro and asked, "Have you come up with any new ideas for the game you were planning?"
Takiro smiled and replied, "Yes, actually. I have a lot of new ideas I want to try out."
[Player Name: Sayuri Kawamura] [Age: 14] [Level: 1] [Occupation: Middle School Student] [Rank: Top Student (Ranked 5 in Casey Middle School)] [Status: Focused, Serious, Busy with Studies] [Health: 98%] [Skills: Mathematics 7, Science 6, Reading 5, Japanese 4, Sports 3]
[Player Name: Kento Suzuki] [Age: 14] [Level: 1] [Occupation: Middle School Student] [Rank: Below Average Student (Ranked 35 in Casey Middle School)] [Status: Relaxed, Carefree, Interested in Music] [Health: 95%] [Skills: Music 6, Sports 5, Programming 4, Drawing 3, History 2]
Classes progressed slowly as Mr. Yamada began explaining a new lesson. Takiro drifted between moments of relaxation and bursts of ideas. He observed the data panels of his classmates, all resembling his own. The entire classroom seemed to have transformed into a game map, with screens filled with characters of various skills and statuses.
In fact, the classroom resembled a scene from one of his favorite games. Dozens of characters filled the room, each with their own panel displaying skills and status. Takiro looked around with keen interest, then noticed the floating frame above his friend and classmate, Haru.
[Player Name: Haru Nakajima] [Level: 1] [Occupation: Middle School Student] [Status: Drowsy, Active, Interested in Fishing] [Health: 100%] [Skills: Fishing 6, Sports 5, Programming 4, Drawing 3, English 2]
As written in the system text, Haru was sitting at his desk, elbows on the table, hands supporting his cheeks. He appeared to be dozing off, dreaming of happy thoughts, with a line of "zzz" floating from his mouth. At the same time, his head moved up and down as if agreeing to something.
Takiro acted as a good friend and teammate, accustomed to Haru's daily behavior during the first period. But this time was different. A sudden idea struck him. He raised his hand quietly and slapped Haru on the back.
Haru's body shook, and he woke up suddenly, exclaiming, "Thanks, Hirasaki, for agreeing to go out with me! I'll start a diet tomorrow and won't stay fat!"
Suddenly, the "Drowsy" status above Takiro disappeared and turned into "Excited." Takiro smiled as he noticed the change in Haru's panel. Haru's information was changing before his eyes, leaving him amazed once again.
Mr. Yamada's lecture suddenly stopped, and the chalk paused on the board. All the students turned their heads toward Haru, focusing their eyes on him. In the mid-summer August classroom, the atmosphere was so quiet that the only remaining sound was the squeak of the electric fan.
In the next moment, the entire class burst into laughter. They understood what had happened to Haru, who smiled awkwardly, opened his math textbook, and pretended nothing had happened.
"Haru, what are you doing?" Mr. Yamada shouted angrily.
While paying attention to the rest of the class, Takiro continued to think about what had happened today. He was amazed at how the classroom had turned into a game and how Haru's status had changed when he woke up. Was this real or was it a dream? He would need to investigate carefully.
And as he thought, another idea came to him. Could he have special abilities in this world? Could the data panel and skills be real? He needed to research and verify.
After the school day ended, Takiro returned home and decided to start researching online anything related to supernatural phenomena or special abilities.