Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya District
Shoulders slumped forward, Shu Hotsu, a young boy with dark brown hair, strode along the crowded sidewalk home. Shu prefers to go alone.
As he strolled down the familiar street, his eyes naturally gravitated towards the bright, colorful display of his usual manga shop.
The bold covers of new releases winked at him from the window but weren't enough to fully pique his interest, but it was the sight of'reincarnated revolutionary' his favorite Isekai series that made his heart skip a beat.
His steps slowed.
Without thinking, he found himself inside, fingers already itching to flip through the pages of the latest volume.
"I don't have enough money..." He searched his pockets, but they were emptier than the streets after the New Year.
With a deep sigh, he walked out of the shop and lost himself in thoughts of gaining some quick cash as soon as possible.
He was already heading in his home direction, but someone had other plans.
"Hey, depressed kid! Wait up!"
Pausing slightly in his step, he ignored it, deciding to keep on walking. Another shout proved he was the person of interest. Slowing to look over his shoulder at an overly enthusiastic boy in a similar uniform, he scowled as he slowed to a stop. "What is it?" he bit out, his eyes trying to bore a hole into the oblivious boy's head.
"Your name's Shu, right?" His classmate asked out of breath, yet still a bit too loud and cheerful for someone who just called him out for looking (and being) depressed.
"What of it?" Shu asked, hoping his rather unsociable behavior would deter his very blunt, happy-go-lucky classmate.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, having run through the crowds of people to catch up, he smiled with too much excitement in his eyes. "You don't have any friends, right?" he asked carelessly, unfazed by Shu's coldness.
Shu's eyes narrowed slightly at the rude, albeit correct, assumption, but he remained silent. Allowing his classmate to continue, he sank his hands deeper into his pockets.
"Ah, I'm Ryuya, Kaito Ryuya, by the way. Feel free to call me Kaito though; I'm not that big on honorifics." He greeted, wiping his sweaty hands on his uniform. "Anyway," he continued, counting on his fingers as he began to list his observations. "I noticed that you sit alone, walk home alone, eat alone, and—"
"Hey!" Running to catch up to Shu, who had begun walking again, Kaito matched his pace, looking back at him. "Like I was saying, I was wondering if you would like to become friends."
Looking for anything to use as a distraction to get away from Kaito, he noticed a girl in his school uniform.
"Do you know that girl over there?" Shu asked, pointing at the girl minding her own business. Kaito looked over, scrunching his face as he tried to fit the face to a name.
Kaito, a cheerful classmate, called out to Shu, recognizing his lack of friends. Despite Shu's cold demeanor, Kaito introduced himself and expressed his desire to befriend him. To change the subject, Shu pointed out a girl in their school uniform, prompting Kaito to try and remember her name.
"I don't think so, pretty sure that she isn't in our—Su?" Looking around, Kaito had lost Shu in the crowd of heads. "Where did he go? …"
Shu turned the corner down, already having forgotten about his annoying classmate. Right now, his mind was revolving around arriving home and dealing with his abusive father, Darien.
Darien was a foreigner and construction worker who spent his time drinking his sorrows away. His spirit and morals had shattered after his divorce and the stress of taking care of his son, who stayed behind out of pity.
The reason behind the divorce was due to Darien's wife, Hanasu, pursuing her career in France. Darien had always felt inadequate as a husband and father, especially in comparison to the successful men Hanasu had often worked with. Despite her reassurances, he couldn't shake the feeling that her ambition was driven by dissatisfaction with him.
Hanasu had no intention of leaving Darien for another man whatsoever. She had dreams that were too big to be confined to their small town in Japan. Shu was offered to go with her and enjoy the life of comfort there instead.
Rather than taking the hand of opportunity, he asked to stay with his father, who was on the edge of a mental breakdown out of pity. Shu's mother, Hanasu, understanding, agreed with much hesitation. She had wanted him to come with her, to leave the man who didn't trust her loyalty.
Putting past thoughts behind, rounding another corner, an apartment complex came into view. His stomach felt heavy with each step as he got closer to the building, almost to a dizzying degree by the time he reached the door of his apartment.
Shu's hand hovered over the apartment door handle; he took a deep breath and grabbed the handle, pushing the door open, revealing the interior of the apartment.
The floor was a mess; empty sake bottles lay scattered across the floor, and the smell of stale cigarette smoke filled the air. Darien was nowhere to be seen. Shu sighed, stepping over the clutter.
Dropping his bag at the bottom of the stairs, he made his way up to his room upstairs. He rested on his back and looked at the ceiling, thinking about his decision to stay with his father. Shu slowly drifted to sleep while doing so.
A sudden, loud noise could be heard downstairs.
"SHU! GET DOWN HERE, YOU BRAT!"
Shu jolted awake, the harsh voice of his father piercing through his muffled dreams. He sighed and reluctantly put aside his bag.
Shu ran downstairs to see why he was being called.
He saw his father, Darien, standing there.
The lights were turned off, and the sound of broken glass could be heard.
"Did you use my money to buy your damn comics again?"
Shu quickly replied, knowing his dad was talking through his sake-filled mind:
"Dad! I didn't use your money for anything; I didn't even have enough money!"
His father aggressively yelled:
"So my money is not enough for you, huh? I know you were the one to grab my wallet this morning."
Darien then grabbed Shu by the collar.
"This better be the last time you steal from me; you hear me!"
Darien then threw Shu across the table.
Even though Shu might have an athlete's physique, he was not one to fight back, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and sadness as he looked up at his father, who was now ready to punch the living crap out of him, and then everything went black.
The next morning, Shu woke up on the floor of the living room after last night's rumble.
Shu gritted his teeth in anger.
"Screw this; there is nothing I can do anymore to help him; it's hopeless."
He sat up and caressed his head.
"Uhh."
Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. It was a message from his mother, Hanasu.
「Hello sweetie, I wanted to ask how it has been going back there in Shibuya.
Shu, surprised by the message, thought:
"Uhh, what do I tell her..."
Shu decided to just text her:
「Hey mom, do you remember when I decided to stay and help dad here? Reconsidering it, I think I decided to be with you.」
He sent the message and thought to himself again,
"Uhh, did I do it too boldly?"
But before he could ponder further, his phone buzzed back with a response from his mother.
「REALLY?! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? Don't worry, sweetie, since for a few days my schedule is completely free, I'm flying there to pick you up.」
Shu was taken aback by his mother's response:
"Was it really that easy?!"
He thought to himself.
「Well, thank you, Mom, and don't worry about Dad; he said he will handle everything further and let me meet you at Sendagaya.」
Shu expected that his mother would respond with a question; however, he was caught by surprise.
His mother had texted a simple:
「Okay then, pack your bags.」
With a feeling of relief and anticipation, Shu started to pack his bags.
But no matter how much hate he had saved up, he was still not able to shake off the feeling of guilt.
He went to the kitchen and took out a piece of paper and a pen.
"This is it."
He sat at the wobbly table.
He started to write a goodbye letter to his father.
Time passed, and the letter was written.
Shu walked up to his father's sleeping body and put down the letter on his forehead where he could see it the best.
There, Shu decided to head out to the Shibuya train station, where he would plan to meet his mother at Sendagaya.
Before he left, he said his last,
"Goodbye."
The cool autumn breeze brushed against his face as he walked out of the house. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a soft glow over the quiet neighborhood. The sound of distant cars and the early morning chirping of birds were the only things that broke the silence.
Around ten minutes later, however, Darien woke up, holding his head from the headache caused by last night's drinking.
He saw the paper on his forehead, misunderstanding it for a tissue.
Darien unknowingly used it to blow his nose.
But then he noticed.
"Huh?"
He looked more closely and recognized his son's handwriting.
「Hello dad, I have decided to leave for a while. I know things have been hard for both of us; since ever mom decided to leave Japan, you have been taking it the hardest; however, that is no excuse for everything you've done to me. If you ever want to talk, you know what number to call.
Goodbye, your son, Shu 」
A teardrop fell across his cheek. "No, NO, NO! What have I done?"
His face paled even more when he felt a weight in his pocket. He dug his hand in, and there it was, completely untouched.
His wallet.
The hand-grabbing it began to tremble. "This is a dream. Hahaha, it must be! "I beat up my son, almost to death, for something he didn't do. This is not me."
At the train station, Shu was standing there waiting for when the train came, he would be free from his father's wrath.
However, his peace was disturbed by someone calling out his name.
"Shu! Son! Wait!"
It was his father, Darien, running towards the station, his construction boots clomping loudly on the concrete.
Shu's eyes widened in shock and fear, his hand clutching the strap of his bag tightly.
As the train was about to arrive at the station, Shu was preparing to board it.
Darien, still running in Shu's direction, extended his hand, telling Shu to wait.
However, Darien started feeling dizzy.
His sight became blurry.
As he was just about to touch Shu's shoulder, Darien tripped and pushed Shu down with him.
As Shu slipped off the concrete, his ears began to ring, and his eyes became fixated on his father right next to him. It seemed as if this moment were frozen in time. Different emotions flooded his mind and heart: anger, fear, regret, and, surprisingly, peace. Shu's back began to hit the tracks, with the rest of his body following in a short but painful moment. Suddenly, time resumed, and Shu felt his body get crushed from the side, instantly turning the world to black.
A moment passed.
Shu slowly opened his eyes. He saw himself sitting in a chair, surrounded by a dark room with only an empty throne in front of him being the only source of light.
"What did I get myself into?"
He murmured to himself.
Suddenly, a silhouette made of light started to slowly lower itself above the throne.
"I'm really sorry for making you wait, Shu Hotsu."
The silhouette then emerged as a tall, slender woman with emerald green eyes and smooth silver hair.
Shu was surprised by the recent events but managed to keep his composure.
"Could I ask, where am I?"
The tall woman sat down on her throne and rested her head on her wrist.
"Alright then, I will just get straight to the point. You died a horrible death; now you will get sent to another world. I know you have seen such a concept."
Shu looked at her unimpressed.
"I already understood that part, but my question was, where am I, and who are you?"
The woman laughed gently.
"Ah, I apologize for the dramatic entrance. Welcome, Shu Hotsu. My name is Lady Kanari, and I'm here to determine your fate after your tragic demise."
Shu, feeling strange calmness amidst the situation, looked around the room.
"So, what happens next?"
A moment of silence occurred.
Lady Kanari's emerald eyes widened slightly, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards in surprise. "Just like that? You are not even going to ask what happened to your father. Not going to ask why he isn't here with you."
Shu's gaze remained unflinching.
"I saw him just before the lights went out. If he's not here, then I will throw a guess that he is either alive or currently watching me from below."
Kanari sighed at his response.
"Daddy issues, huh? Well, suit yourself. You will now get sent to a new world, a world full of magic spells, mythical creatures, and many other kinds of things."
Shu's eye slightly twitched at the mention of 'daddy issues' but kept his mouth shut, not giving any room for Lady Kanari to probe further. The mention of the new world piqued his interest, though. Magic and mystical creatures were always his escape in hard times.
"Alright." Shu nodded, swallowing his discomfort and focusing on the opportunity before him. "What do I need to do to get there?"
Lady Kanari smiled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Nothing; the only thing left to do is to send you there." She raised her hand, and a magic circle appeared beneath Shu's chair, shimmering with a mix of purple and golden light.
"So then, are you ready?"
Shu nodded again, trying to hide his excitement. He never thought he'd actually get the chance to experience something similar to his favorite fantasy genre. "Yeah, I'm ready."
Lady Kanari waved her hand, and Shu stood up before the chair beneath him disappeared.
As Shu began sinking into the magic circle, the once solid floor feeling like quicksand under his feet, he closed his eyes tightly.
The sounds of Lady Kanari's voice grew distant, replaced by the rush of an unseen force pulling him deeper into the abyss.
And then... silence.
A sound of water droplets echoing rhythmically filled Shu's ears as he slowly opened his eyes. He was met with a cloak of darkness only pierced by the dim light emanating from a solitary blue crystal hanging high above him.
Shu tried to speak, to ask where he was or what was happening, but his mouth remained stubbornly closed, and his voice was lost in the depths of his thoughts.
Panic began to swell within him as he realized he couldn't move his arms or legs. He was submerged in water, floating in a state of weightlessness that was both eerie and soothing.
Shu's eyes searched the inky blackness of the cavern for any sign of walls, but all he could see was the endless expanse of water and the solitary blue crystal casting its faint glow. "What is... Happening?" he thought, the words echoing in his mind.
He felt his eyelids growing heavier as the gentle sway of the water beneath him began to lull him into a slumber.
The last thing he heard was a faint, almost imperceptible buzz. But his eyes had already closed, succumbing to the warm embrace of unconsciousness.