His eyes watched the stars through the car window as he reflected on the day's events: his old job, the explosion of engagement on social media after he posted the photo of the drink he bought, and the verbal attack he made on his ex-boss. But above all, he was thinking about the girl who entered the bar.
It was very unusual for him to go through this reflective moment with such force, to the point of simply overthinking about his day, instead of just moving on and continuing his projects as normal.
"We're here, kid. Good night to you." said the driver, as he took the pamphlet with the QR code for payment and handed it to Kentaro.
He scanned the code and the payment was completed successfully. As he got out of the car, he noticed something strange, as if his house looked different in the evening light.
However, it was only a passing impression. He didn't usually leave the house, let alone return in the evening after a busy day like that, where he had done much more than simply go to the bar with his friend Lingling.
Kentaro opened the door to his house and stepped inside, feeling the tranquility of being in his own space. Now at peace, he began to stretch while taking off his shoes.
For a moment, he looked at the picture frame next to the dining table. In the picture, he and his mother are embracing in a seafood restaurant.
She had blonde hair, and black eyes, and was short. Her delicate smile made her look younger, even though she was 46, and she was overflowing with love for her son for always being there for him.
While she was on a long trip, Kentaro was in charge of the house. That's why he kept a disciplined routine: he woke up early, worked, ate, kept the house organized, and decided what to do with the rest of his time.
The house was a pleasant space, with a living room equipped with a television, a sofa, and a glass table on a shag carpet. The living room was separate from the kitchen, located at the back of the house, where there was a marble countertop, state-of-the-art appliances, and high-quality utensils.
"TRIMMMMM, TRIMMMMM, TRIMMMMM, TRIMMMMM" The phone rang loudly in Kentaro's pocket and he decided to answer it quickly.
"Lingling, what makes you call me out of the blue?" He asks with a tone of confusion as he climbs the stairs to his room.
"I just wanted to let you know that I've already sent you the advance on the project. The client trusted our work, and we need to make sure the product is delivered tomorrow." Lingling replied as he sat in his chair in his room, and there was only one lamp on in his room.
Kentaro was pleased to receive his payment in advance and hadn't expected to have so much trust from a client to receive it without having the project in hand to deliver yet.
"Right, thank you, my brother. We have a long job ahead of us. Have a good night," he said, hanging up the phone and looking at the screen of his cell phone as he walked to the bathroom to do his business.
"Heh, good night, my brother... we have a long way to go anyway." Whispered Lingling as he watched the window of his own room with the stars shining high above.
Kentaro threw himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling with no clear purpose. A few seconds later, the image of the beautiful red-haired girl returned to his mind, a vision that seemed as if it would never fade from his memories.
He laughed a little and turned his body sideways on the bed, covering himself with the cotton sheets as he slowly closed his eyes.
"It would be funny if in the future the world was like the world of High School DxD, maybe I wouldn't be alive by then." He whispered in a happy tone and his eyes slowly closed so that he could sleep peacefully.
As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, nothing could be heard, with deep sleep as his dominator and calm as his greatest ally... but none of it was in vain.
Kentaro was already sound asleep in his bed when, seconds later, a breeze blew through the window, gently shaking his hair. At the same time, small sparks of shock began to appear around his head.
The sparks mixed with his hair and gradually penetrated his scalp. Seconds later, they reached his skull and finally invaded his still-functioning brain.
On his right forearm, something small seemed to burn his skin, like a match lighting a wick in the direction of a barrel of explosives. The burn formed a small circle, extending in a thin horizontal line.
It was then that a small tattoo appeared on his forearm which, in fact, was a black horizontal line similar in texture to the tip of a match.
When the change was complete, his body quickly changed to a transparent form and then back to its original shape, and he remained moving in bed and sleeping peacefully.
Everything was dark in Kentaro's mind, and a faint background sound was heard over his acute hearing... as if it were an alarm clock belonging to a boy who longed to have a girlfriend.
The alarm clock rang with the soft voice of a woman, uttering kind words to the person still sleeping next to him.
"Good morning, love, how are you? You're so cute in your sleep... wake up so I can hold you, go on." The sweet, soft voice of the alarm clock next to Kentaro spoke, as it displayed its beautiful feminine appearance over the image on the screen.
The room was dark, and he moved his head slowly, trying to concentrate on the alarm clock that insisted on ringing in his mind.
With a firm blow, he hit the device, making the girl disappear from the screen as soon as he switched it off. Silence filled the room again.
"Hmm..." he muttered quietly, as he got up from the bed and pulled the sheets away from his body, sitting down on the edge.
Kentaro kept his eyes closed and just as he was about to wake up, he slowly opened his eyes and saw that his room was different, smaller, and messier than usual.
"WHY AM I IN ISSEI'S ROOM?!" He exclaimed in a startled tone, his eyes wide as he looked around and recognized the familiar space he had seen since he was young.