My name is Takahashi Kaito. My life has never been anything special. I go through my days like most people. Wake up in the morning, work, and come home to spend the evening watching movies or reading books. My routine is simple and monotonous. I never felt the need for more than that.
Every day, I work at a small bookstore located on a street corner. The store is rarely crowded, but there are enough regular customers. Most of them are older people who enjoy chatting. Sometimes, they share stories about their interesting lives, but I just listen without saying much.
This bookstore feels like my second home. I come here every morning and help arrange books on the shelves. My boss, an old man named Matsuda-san, usually sits behind the cashier's desk. He's more interested in sales records than talking to me. I don't mind that.
My job isn't difficult, just organizing books, serving customers, and making sure everything is neat. I like the silence in the store. It brings me peace. But I often wonder if this is really enough for me. Is there something bigger waiting for me out there?
"It's fine. This is a peaceful life," I mutter as I move some books to the shelves.
The afternoon sunlight streams through the large store window, casting a warm, calming glow. I often lose track of time here, forgetting that the world outside keeps moving.
I've never had big ambitions. Maybe because I never knew what I really wanted in life. I just live for today, without making any plans for the future. My life feels safe, without surprises or significant challenges.
I'm not particularly close to many people. I have a few friends, but they are usually more ambitious than I am. One of them, Nakamura Haruto, often makes fun of my passive lifestyle.
"Kaito, you should try something new once in a while. Your life is too quiet!" he said once, laughing.
I just nodded and smiled. To me, peace is important. There's no point in pushing myself too hard. Haruto always tries to drag me to social events or activities that he thinks might change my life. But I always refuse. I feel fine living like this.
Today, as usual, nothing special happened. Customers came and went, buying books or just browsing without buying anything. I helped them with a smile, though inside I felt a little empty. Even though this store is comfortable, it sometimes makes me feel trapped in a routine.
Matsuda-san patted my shoulder before leaving.
"Kaito, you can close the store early if you want. Not many customers today," he said flatly. I nodded and bowed slightly in respect. He doesn't talk much, but he's kind to me.
After Matsuda-san left, I was alone in the store. Silence began to fill the room, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock. I stared out the window, watching people walk by quickly. They always seem to be in a hurry, as if chasing something. Me? I have nothing to chase.
I turned back, looking at the neatly arranged shelves in front of me. Those books were full of stories, worlds far different from my dull reality. Sometimes I wondered how fun it would be to live like the characters in those books. Full of adventure, challenges, and deep emotions.
But the truth is, I'm just a part-time worker living a simple life. I have no grand plans, and nothing awaits me in the future. Everything feels flat, like a movie stuck on a single frame without ever moving forward.
I decided to close the store early as Matsuda-san suggested. Moving sluggishly, I tidied things up, making sure nothing was left at the cashier's desk. After ensuring everything was safe, I turned off the lights and locked the door with the key Matsuda-san gave me.
The streets outside the store were starting to quiet down. Streetlights flickered on, casting a dim light that made the atmosphere even more tranquil. I walked home slowly, enjoying the cool night breeze. As I walked, I kept thinking about how peaceful my life was, and for some reason, tonight felt different. Like something was bothering me, though I didn't know what it was.
When I arrived home, I went straight to my room. It was simple, with a mattress in the corner, a desk cluttered with books, and a small TV in one corner. I turned on the TV and lay down on the mattress. There was nothing special on tonight, just predictable, cliché dramas.
While watching, I got a message from Haruto.
"Hey, there's an audition for a small role in an indie film tomorrow. Want to try it?" he wrote.
I chuckled a bit reading the message. Haruto always had a way of dragging me into things I never thought about before.
"Not interested. You go," I replied shortly.
I knew Haruto wouldn't give up that easily, but I had no intention of trying acting. It wasn't for me. My life was comfortable enough without drama or big challenges.
However, that night, I couldn't sleep. Haruto's message kept echoing in my mind. An audition? Acting? That was something far removed from my world. But on the other hand, a small sense of curiosity began to surface. Maybe, just maybe, this could be something different in my monotonous life.
The next morning, I woke up with a strange feeling. Like something was calling me to try something new. Maybe this was the push I needed all along. I decided to meet Haruto and hear more about the audition.
I arrived at the audition venue with Haruto. Although I was hesitant at first, there was an odd sense of determination within me to try. The audition room was simple, with just a few empty chairs and a long table at the front where the judges sat with serious expressions. Haruto looked excited.
"Trust me, Kaito, this could be a great opportunity!" he said, patting my back.
I just nodded without saying much. It felt strange, sitting here among dozens of people clearly more experienced than me. I didn't even have any acting experience, let alone performing in front of an audience. I started to feel nervous, but something inside me kept telling me I could do this.
When my name was called, my heart began to race. Slowly, I walked to the small stage set up for the audition. The judges stared at me without expression. They handed me a short script, a dialogue for a character filled with inner conflict and emotion.
I picked up the script and started reading. That was when something strange happened. As I recited the dialogue, my body began to feel... different. I could feel the character's emotions as if they were my own. I wasn't just saying the words I became the character.
I looked straight at the judges.
"Why did you do this to me? What did I do wrong?!" My voice trembled, filled with anger and despair.
Without realizing it, my hands clenched into fists, and my body shook slightly, as if I was genuinely experiencing the injustice. At that moment, it felt like the world around me disappeared, leaving only me and the character's emotions flowing through every word I spoke.
Every word that came out of my mouth felt so natural. I didn't think I just felt. Emotions surged within me, as if I had long carried the character's suffering. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I didn't hold them back. I let the feelings pour out, as if I had truly lived through everything written in the script.
I could hear the judges' breathing slow, as if they were as surprised as I was. When I finished, silence filled the room. I looked at them, feeling a mix of emotions, unsure of what had just happened. It seemed like I had lost control for a few minutes, and somehow, I performed the character... perfectly.
The judges exchanged glances, and one of them finally spoke. "Kaito-kun, your performance was... incredible. You must have a lot of experience, right?" I shook my head, unsure of how to respond. Experience? This was my first time.
Haruto came up to me after the audition ended, his face full of admiration.
"Kaito, I can't believe it! You seriously have never acted before? That was amazing, like you actually became the character."
I gave a stiff smile, but inside, I started feeling uneasy. How was I able to do that? I knew nothing about acting. What just happened? It felt like I lost control, but at the same time, I knew exactly what to do.
That night, the audition kept running through my mind. Everyone praised my performance even Haruto almost fell out of his chair from excitement. But strangely, I couldn't understand how I had performed so... well? From their perspective, it might have been impressive, but for me, it felt like a dream. One moment, I was reading a script, and the next, I was crying for no apparent reason.
"Amazing, huh," I muttered, looking at myself in the mirror. "At this rate, I might become a famous actor without even knowing why." I let out a small laugh, but it quickly faded. For some reason, as I stared at my reflection, I felt something was off.
I turned on the television to distract myself. A European film was playing, with dialogue in a foreign language that usually gave me a headache. But this time? Everything made perfect sense. Every word, every sentence my brain seemed to process it effortlessly.
"This... can't be real," I whispered. I grabbed the remote and switched to different languages French, German, even Russian. I understood them all perfectly.
"Did I suddenly become a polyglot?" I asked myself, trying to find a rational explanation. Could this be a side effect of the audition? But what does an audition have to do with language skills?
Suddenly, the door to my room swung open, and Haruto entered with a wide grin.
"Kaito! You won't believe this! The judges just called me... They said your performance was the best! They seriously think you could become a big actor!"
I let out a long sigh.
"Haruto, I have no idea what happened back there. I swear, I was just reading the script."
Haruto chuckled and patted my back.
"Oh, come on, don't be so modest! Don't act all innocent, Kaito! You clearly gave an incredible performance! You seriously don't remember?"
I shook my head. "I... maybe I remember, but not as clearly as you think. It felt like... I wasn't myself." I paused, thinking carefully. "I mean, I didn't know what I was doing, but my body just moved on its own."
Haruto nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, if your body can act that well, you might as well go with the flow, right?"
I gave him a confused look. "Go with the flow? I don't even know what I'm doing!"
Haruto laughed and pulled out his phone. "Oh yeah, they want you to come back for the final audition next week. Make sure you're ready!"
I stared blankly at Haruto, then turned back to the TV screen.
"I can understand Russian now. Haruto, do you think I caught some kind of... virus?"
Haruto burst out laughing.
"Haha, maybe! Maybe you were possessed by a Russian actor during the audition. But hey, if you start speaking alien languages, then we'll take you to a doctor!"
I chuckled softly, but the confusion remained. Could this be some hidden talent? Or was it just a fluke? But... understanding foreign languages without ever learning them? Something was definitely off.
As the night grew deeper, I sat alone, lost in thought. I could act without experience, understand languages without studying, and somehow, it all felt so... natural. Was this some kind of power? Had I really become the characters I portrayed?
But behind all the confusion, one thing was certain I still didn't understand what was happening to me. And even stranger, I had no idea how to control it.