BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Naoto stirred under his blanket, barely cracking an eye open. The buzzing sound pierced through the fog of his half-asleep state, and with a groan, he groped around the bed for his phone. Fingers fumbling, he finally snatched it up and squinted at the screen.
It was [Ethan].
[Naoto]: "Huh? Hello?"
[Ethan]: "DUDE! You still at home? The party's already started, and everyone's waiting for you. You said you'd be here an hour ago!"
Naoto stood up, instantly wide awake. He pushed his blanket off, blinking around his dimly lit room, realization dawning on him.
[Naoto]: "Wait… What time is it?"
[Ethan]: "Time for you to get your butt over here! Hurry up, man!"
He glanced at the clock on his phone and his stomach twisted. He'd passed out after work, fully intending to catch a quick nap, but now he was definitely running late. Again. And his friends would never let him live it down.
[Naoto]: "I'm coming, I'm coming! Just… give me ten minutes!"
[Ethan]: "Better make it five!"
He hung up, tossing the phone onto the bed. Without another thought, he jumped up, searching for something to wear. Clothes were scattered everywhere in his room—discarded jackets, wrinkled shirts, and even a pair of socks he didn't remember leaving on his desk. He picked up a crumpled shirt, sniffed it, winced, and threw it on anyway.
In a whirlwind of messy efficiency, he managed to pull together an outfit, quickly ran a hand through his hair, and checked himself in the mirror. A bit scruffy, but he looked halfway decent—good enough for a party, at least.
He grabbed his keys off the desk, where they were buried beneath a few random receipts and an empty can of soda. His phone buzzed again—Ethan's name flashing on the screen. He groaned, shoving the phone into his pocket. There was no time to waste.
[Ethan]: "Bro, where you at? We're already starting karaoke! You've gotta be here by now!"
Naoto sighed and pulled open the door to his tiny Tokyo apartment. The cool night air hit him like a slap in the face, but he didn't have time to stay on it. The party had started, and as usual, he was running late. Not that this was new. He had told Ethan he'd be there an hour ago, but he fell asleep after work, and now, as always, he was scrambling to make it to the party.
His friends, mostly colleagues from various jobs around Tokyo, had gotten used to him showing up fashionably late. It wasn't even a joke anymore—it was just part of who he was.
He checked the time. Damn, it was later than he thought. His phone buzzed again.
[Ethan]: "Are you kidding me? You better hurry up, or I'm taking your drink!"
Naoto chuckled, rolling his eyes. Ethan wasn't the type to let anything slide, especially when it came to teasing his friends. The guy was an exchange student from the U.S., still getting the hang of Tokyo's pace but already more comfortable with Japanese culture than half the people in their friend group. He loved getting under Naoto's skin—always calling him out for being late, for drinking too much, for… well, everything.
Naoto shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his jacket. He had to make it—his friends would never let him live it down if he didn't.
He stepped outside and glanced down the quiet street. His bike was leaning against the wall of his building, a bit rusty but still functional.
He didn't have time for a taxi or a bus—he needed to get there fast.
A few minutes later, he was flying through the streets on his bike, dodging potholes and trying not to think too hard about how out of breath he was. He was too old for this. Or maybe that was just his excuse for being a little out of shape. Either way, he wasn't about to let it ruin his night.
It took him less than ten minutes to get to the party, but by the time he arrived, the sounds of laughter and music were already spilling out from the open windows of the apartment building. As he leaned his bike against the side, he took a quick glance around. The usual crowd was there—his friends, all of them working jobs around the city, but none of them seemed too bothered by the late hour. They'd all been at work too, after all.
He pushed through the door and immediately felt the buzz of the crowd hit him like a wave—loud voices, laughter, the smell of alcohol and cigaretes. Music thudded from the speakers, and there were a few unfamiliar faces scattered among the group, but the moment Ethan spotted him, the energy shifted.
Ethan: "Finally! There he is!"
Naoto, waving him off with a grin: "I'm here, I'm here. You know I had a lot of work today, so I—"
Ethan: (Throwing his hands in the air dramatically) "Yeah, well, we've all got jobs, Naoto-kun. No more excuses! We were about to start without you!"
The usual banter. Nothing new. Ethan was always the first one to call him out for being late—and the first one to get him a drink once he showed up.
He made his way into the living room, where the usual gang was gathered. Kaito was standing in the corner, surrounded by a group of people. His usual scruffy style was on full display—his hair messy, a half-drunk beer in hand—but tonight, he looked more energized than usual. Kaito was still in university, working toward his degree. The rest of the group had already moved on to full-time jobs, but Kaito was the youngest, still figuring out his place in the adult world. While the rest of them had 9-to-5s and lived like "adults," Kaito still had the luxury (and sometimes the burden) of school. It made him different from the others—but he didn't let that stop him from being the life of the party.
Kaito, spotting him, grinned widely: "Oh, look who finally decided to show up! You're late as always, huh?"
Naoto laughed and threw his hands up. "I told you I'd be here. It's just… you know, work stuff."
Kaito, with a playful smirk: "I get it, old man. We're all working hard, but you're the only one who works overtime and still shows up fashionably late."
Emi, Kaito's girlfriend, chimed in from behind him with a teasing smile: "You really are impossible to get ahold of, you know that?"
Naoto flashed her a grin. "You're all just too impatient. I was busy trying to survive a Monday."
She just laughed and handed him a drink, no questions asked.
Emi: "No excuses. Drink up, you've got a lot of catching up to do."
He accepted the drink with a chuckle. Emi knew how much he liked to drink, and tonight, he wasn't going to hold back. The work stress had been eating at him all week, and he needed this.
As he sipped the drink, he investigated the room. The party was in full swing, but it was the same group of familiar faces: the people he'd worked with, partied with. Some of them he knew from school, back when things felt a little simpler. The conversations felt more relaxed now that they were all adults, even if Kaito's situation as a university student kept things a little different. But that didn't stop Kaito from being his usual outgoing self, making sure everyone was having a good time.
Miki, another friend from his part-time job, was talking animatedly about something he wasn't really paying attention to, but when she spotted him, she waved him over.
Miki: "Yo, you're finally here. We thought you bailed on us. You know, the usual, 'Naoto' is always late!'"
Naoto raised his cup and grinned. "I wouldn't leave you guys hanging. You know I wouldn't miss out on the fun."
Kaito, overhearing, shot back, "Yeah, the fun that involves you getting way too drunk by the end of the night."
Naoto laughed, feeling the familiar warmth spread through his chest. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Kaito: "Well, I'm just saying, we're all a little worried about you, man. You're always so serious at work, but then you show up here, and it's like you're trying to drink away all your problems."
Naoto took a long sip from his cup, the alcohol warming him up from the inside. "Maybe I am. But who else is gonna keep up with you guys if I'm not?"
He didn't expect anyone to answer that. Kaito just laughed and clinked his bottle against Naoto's cup.
Miki: "Well, while you're at it, we're doing karaoke soon. You're gonna have to get up there, or I'll never hear the end of it."
Naoto sighed, already dreading the thought of being on stage, but there was no getting out of it. They were all counting on him, as always.
Kaito, smirking as he grabbed another drink, added: "Can you sing (I'm a Barbie Girl in a Barbie World) again? It was really funny last time."
Naoto grinned widely. "Maybe. But only if you join me."
He was already starting to feel it—the light buzz, the laughter, the energy of being with his friends. It was familiar, comforting. And even though the pressures of life, work, and the ever-growing responsibilities weighed on him, for tonight, he was just another guy at a party, enjoying the chaos.
For tonight, he wasn't one who had to keep things together. He was just Naoto, the guy who was always late and who drank too much. And somehow, that was enough.
But as he settled back into the laughter and noise, something in the air began to shift, like the room was holding its breath. The music from the karaoke machine faded in and out, and the laughter of his friends started to sound distant, muffled, like he was hearing it underwater. His vision blurred at the edges, and his stomach churned. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the scene around him.
The walls seemed to grow darker, stretching and twisting like shadows, pulling in on themselves, the once-bright lights now flickering like dying stars. The air grew heavier, thicker, suffocating him with an almost tangible weight. Everything felt unreal—too unreal, like he was caught in some kind of limbo. He tried to stand up, but his legs felt unsteady, like he was swimming through thick water. The floor beneath him shifted, and for a moment, it felt like it was tilting, just a little. His breath quickened, heart pounding.
Naoto: "What the hell..."
His words sounded distant, lost in the strange, underwater-like haze that was now enveloping the room. He tried to steady himself, reaching out to grab the nearest table, but his hand passed right through it, as though it wasn't really there at all. Panic flared in his chest.
Naoto: "Guys? Guys—what the hell is happening?"
But the voices of his friends were fading, slipping further and further away, as if they were dissolving into the darkness. He tried to call out, but his words were lost in the thick, suffocating air.
And then, everything went silent. The music, the chatter, the soft hum of the room—it all disappeared, like someone had pulled a plug. He gasped, his chest tightening as the shadows around him deepened. The walls seemed to close in, folding over themselves like dark waves. His feet shifted beneath him, and before he could even react, the ground vanished entirely.
With a sudden lurch, Naoto found himself falling.
He tumbled, disoriented, unable to catch himself, as the world around him spun and flickered. Then—nothing. It was as if time itself had stopped. He fell through the blackness, through the shifting shadows, and then—everything snapped back into place.
Naoto blinked, his stomach lurching as he tried to get his bearings. His surroundings had completely changed.The suffocating air, the shadows, the distant music—everything was gone. Instead, there was sunlight. Bright sunlight. A cobblestone street stretched before him, and the sounds of bustling life filled the air. People—dressed in old-fashioned clothes—walked past, none of them noticing him as he staggered, wide-eyed, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
He blinked, the alcohol buzzing in his system making everything feel like a half-baked dream. "Okay… so I either fell asleep, or I'm way drunker than I thought…"
A couple of kids ran past him, giggling and waving wooden swords. A horse trotted by, pulling a cart of hay. People glanced at him, some raising eyebrows at his jeans, sneakers, and rumpled T-shirt. An elderly woman paused, eyeing him like he was a stray dog that had wandered into her house.
[Old Woman]: "You alright there, lad? You look a bit… lost."
Naoto: "Uh… yeah. Just… uh, trying to find my way back to the… the party."
She gave him a confused looks, muttering about "the youth of today" under her breath before shuffling away.
He stumbled, almost tripping over his own feet, and leaned against a nearby wall. Everything felt so real, the rough texture of the stone against his hand, the faint breeze on his face.
Naoto: "Alright, guys! Funny joke! Any second now, you're all gonna jump out and laugh, right?"
But no one jumped out. The villagers continued going about their day, some casting him strange looks but otherwise ignoring him.
Realizing he wasn't going to get any answers standing there, he wandered through the town, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Everything was bizarrely realistic, from the sign above the blacksmith shop to the smell of fresh bread wafting from an open bakery window.
Eventually, he stumbled into the town square, a large fountain splashing gently in the center. He leaned over, splashing cold water on his face, hoping the shock might sober him up or snap him out of whatever weird, drunken dream this was.
Naoto: "Alright… just… breathe. You're just… super drunk and imagining all of this. That's all."
As he turned, a man in a dark cloak appeared by his side, his face was pale, almost ethereal, as if the fabric of the world itself had been stitched too tightly around him.
[Cloaked Man]: "You look like a stranger here."
Naoto chuckled, still dazed, his voice slurring just a little.
Naoto: "Oh, you could say that! Just trying to find my way back to, uh… reality."
The man's eyes gleamed with something unreadable, and he leaned closer, his voice low and ominous.
[Cloaked Man]: "Then you'd best be careful. Strangers in these lands… often don't stay that way for long."
Naoto snorted, his slightly drunken mind more amused than alarmed.
Naoto: "Sure, buddy. That's… that's super spooky. Great costume, by
the way."
Before Naoto could react, the man turned and melted into the crowd, leaving him standing there, a chill creeping up his spine. The words hung in the air like a riddle, the unease settling deeper into his gut.
Naoto: "Alright… so… definitely too much to drink."
He looked around, his surroundings still stubbornly medieval, villagers casting curious glances his way. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he muttered to himself.
Naoto: "Maybe I'll just walk… back to wherever… or… just… nap right here…"
He took a few more steps through the square, his senses tingling with the strange feeling that someone—or something—was watching him. His mind was swimming with questions, but before he could make any sense of them, he found himself at the fountain again, staring down at the water.
He froze.
His reflection stared back at him—his own face, wide-eyed and confused. But something was off. There was a darkness beneath his eyes, something deep and swirling. The shadows in the water seemed to move, curling around the edges of his face like tendrils, as if they were trying to reach out and pull him in.
He jerked back, his heart hammering in his chest.
Naoto: "What… what's going on?"
He wiped his face, convinced it was just the alcohol playing tricks on him. But when he looked back at the fountain, the reflection was the same—dark, hollow eyes, the swirling shadow beneath the surface. It was like something was in the water with him. Something alive.
Before he could process it, he felt a shift in the air as a shiver went trough his spine. He recognized a shadow, his breath catching in his throat.
There, standing just behind him, was a figure right next to him, impossibly close. The cloak was dark, blending with the shadows, and the figure's face is hidden, but there was an unmistakable presence. A feeling of weight, of something other.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. His breath caught in his throat. He could feel the figure's presence, as if it were breathing with him, standing too close. A strange, unsettling sensation ran through him—like long hair brushing against the back of his neck, the faintest shift in the air that felt almost like a whisper.
Then, the sound of slow, deliberate breathing, warm and ragged, filled the air behind him.
Naoto's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't move. He didn't dare turn around.
But when he finally forced himself to turn, the figure was gone.
Gone in an instant, as if they'd never been there.
The crowd continued to go about their day, oblivious to the terror that had just
washed over him. His legs felt like they were going to give way beneath him. He stumbled back, almost falling into the fountain.
He scanned the square, his pulse racing. The figure was nowhere to be found.
Naoto: "What the hell…?"
He looked back at the water, his reflection now completely normal again. Too normal. His heart still raced as he stared at himself. But now, there was no sign of the shadows, no flicker of darkness in his eyes. Just the reflection of a confused, terrified man.
But something still felt wrong.
He stumbled, his legs weak and unsteady beneath him, the weight of the night pressing down on his shoulders. Whatever had just happened—whatever that thing was—it couldn't have been real, right? There had to be a logical explanation. Maybe he'd had too much to drink. Maybe he'd fallen asleep and was now dreaming this entire thing.
Still, as the cold air bit into his skin, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly off.
Naoto: "Alright... alright, calm down. I just need somewhere to sleep. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow, back in Tokyo. This is just... this is just some messed-up dream."
He wandered the cobblestone streets aimlessly, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar buildings, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The bustle of the town continued around him, but it all felt distant, like he was walking in a dream. His mind was foggy, his thoughts fragmented.
He passed a few inns, but the thought of knocking on any of their doors felt wrong, somehow. Too many questions. Too much confusion. He didn't want to deal with any of that, not now. He just needed to lie down, to sleep, and wake up in a world that made sense.
Eventually, after what felt like hours, he found himself on the outskirts of town, walking past farms and fields. The darkening sky stretched above him, the first stars blinking into view. The night was quiet here, the air crisp and still.
He spotted a small barn nearby, the door slightly ajar. His eyes flicked to the haystack inside, piled high and looking like it could offer a decent spot to crash.
Naoto: "Yeah. This'll do. Whatever, it's not like anyone's going to find me out here."
He glanced around one last time, but the streets were empty, and the distant sounds of the town seemed like they belonged to another world. With a deep breath, he pushed the barn door open and stepped inside, the smell of straw and earth filling his nose. He sank down into the hay, the rough texture scratching against his skin, but he didn't care. His body was too tired to fight it.
The soft rustling of the hay, the stillness of the night, and the cool air seemed to lull him into a stupor. He curled into the pile, pulling his jacket tight around himself for warmth. For a moment, everything felt distant—like a dream he was drifting deeper into. His mind was fuzzy, and the last thing he could remember thinking was how he just wanted to sleep.
Naoto: "Just... sleep... I'll figure it out tomorrow. I'll wake up, and everything will make sense again."
As his eyes slid closed, the cold of the night still prickling his skin, he whispered to himself one final, uncertain thought.
Naoto: "Please... just let this be a dream."