You know, I've always dreamed of entering another world.

The bluish glow of a monitor screen reflected on the face of a young man surrounded by posters of anime girls. His fingers flew over the keyboard with incredible speed, typing lines of code while his eyes behind black-rimmed glasses carefully followed the symbols appearing on the screen.

---------------------------

@create_essence[familiar]

bind_core{

form: digital_cat;

soul{

loyalty := infinity;

bond := eternal;

nature := {

love: true;

protect: true;

understand: true;

}

}

}

---------------------------

"If only I could create a real familiar..." sighed Maxim Kuznetsov, or just Max, a third-year programming student and a hopeless otaku. "You know, one like in anime. Loyal, understanding... preferably in the form of a cute cat girl."

He leaned back in his computer chair and looked at the clock. 3:47 p.m. Another day spent writing useless code instead of preparing for tomorrow's software architecture exam.

"Not that it matters. I'll pass anyway. Maybe not with flying colors, but I'll pass."

This wasn't empty bravado—despite his fascination with anime and manga, Max was a genuinely talented programmer. Perhaps it was in his genes, with both parents being programmers, or maybe it was an innate ability to see code as the living fabric of reality.

His gaze wandered across his room's walls. Posters of characters from his favorite anime: Rem from Re:Zero, Asuna from Sword Art Online, and his beloved Raftalia poster from Rising of the Shield Hero. On the shelves, a collection of figurines purchased with carefully saved scholarship money. In the corner, a neatly alphabetized stack of manga.

"I know, I know, a typical otaku's lair," Max smirked to himself, imagining the reaction of an unsuspecting observer. "But hey, everyone has their weaknesses! At least I'm not deluding myself that I'll wake up one day in another world with a harem of beautiful girls and superpowers..."

His eyes returned to the screen, where the unfinished code for his "familiar" shimmered.

---------------------------

@bind_soul[protect]

eternal_loop{

scan_surroundings();

if(danger_detected){

invoke shield_master;

channel power_maximum;

}

express affection; # A familiar should do more than just protect

}

---------------------------

"Still, it would be nice..." he added a few more lines defining the basic behavior of the digital pet. "I wonder what the perfect familiar would look like? Definitely a cat... but not an ordinary one. Something unique, digital... A pixel cat? Oh, that would be cool!"

Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him that his last meal was... when was it, anyway?

"Right, I should eat something. I think there's still pizza in the fridge... No? Okay, guess I'll have to go to the store."

Max stretched, his joints cracking, and stood up from his chair. His eyes fell on the unfinished code.

"Save? Eh, whatever..." He pressed Ctrl+S more out of habit than necessity. "It's just another silly fantasy anyway."

If only he knew how wrong he was. If only he knew that these few lines of code would become the foundation for something much greater. For someone who would stand by him in the toughest moments...

But that would happen later. For now, Max pulled on his favorite hoodie with a print from My Hero Academia, slung his backpack with his laptop over his shoulder (because a true programmer never parts with their weapon), and headed for the door.

"I wonder, do other worlds have 24-hour convenience stores? And pizza delivery? God, I hope so—otherwise, how do their protagonists even survive?"

He chuckled at his own thoughts and stepped out the door, not knowing it was the last time he'd see his room.

In the darkness of the turned-off monitor, something resembling a pixelated cat flickered for a fraction of a second...

The daytime air was unexpectedly cool for a Japanese summer. Max shivered slightly and wrapped himself tighter in his hoodie, silently thanking himself for wearing it. The streets of Akihabara were lively, people hurrying about their business, paying no attention to yet another otaku in an anime-printed hoodie.

Max walked along, replaying the plot of Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu in his head. Before starting to prepare for the exam, he had watched the final episode of the season. So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice the approaching figure until he literally bumped into them. A sound of falling books filled the air, accompanied by pages scattering everywhere.

"Sorry!" Max exclaimed, immediately stooping to pick up the scattered books. "I wasn't looking where I was going..."

The girl in oversized glasses and baggy clothing silently gathered her things. Max noticed that some pages had scattered quite far and, without hesitation, dashed after them, jumping over puddles, muttering numbers under his breath, and dodging passersby. When he returned with the last of the pages, slightly out of breath but satisfied that he had rescued all the papers from the puddles, the girl was looking at him with an odd expression.

"You didn't have to trouble yourself," she said quietly, taking the papers from him.

"Of course, I did!" Max smiled. "Books are someone's work and knowledge. They need to be preserved."

For a moment, he thought he saw an unusual light flicker in the girl's eyes, but she had already turned away and hurried off into the crowd without even thanking him.

"Strange one..." Max thought, watching her retreating figure. "Though if this were an anime, she'd definitely turn out to be a mysterious sorceress or a goddess..."

Max shrugged off the odd encounter and continued on his way to the convenience store.

Inside, it was empty and quiet, with only the hum of refrigerators and soft music playing from the speakers. Max wandered between the shelves, meticulously choosing his dinner. Ready-to-eat meals or ramen? Or should he just heat up some pizza?

"I should've ordered delivery," he thought, studying the labels. "Though... then I'd have to wait. And I'm hungry now."

A sudden chill ran down his spine. Max spun around sharply—it felt like someone was watching him. But the aisle was empty, and only the curtain over the ventilation window swayed slightly.

"What's wrong with me today? Too much anime, maybe..."

He filled his basket: a couple of containers of ready-made food, a pack of onigiri, a bottle of tea, and, of course, a chocolate bar—something to snack on during another late-night coding marathon.

After paying, Max stepped outside. The day was in full swing, and people were bustling about their business. Some were returning from work, while others were just starting their day. A typical weekday in Akihabara.

And yet... something felt off. Max couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Suddenly, a warm hand touched the top of his head. It felt as though his thoughts and memories flashed before his eyes, like the moments of joy and disappointment one might see just before death. He jumped back sharply, startling the nearby passersby, and turned around. But there was no one behind him who could've touched him like that.

"Strange..." Max thought, his eyes darting around nervously. But pretending to adjust his clothes, he continued walking. "Must've been my imagination. It happens."

He stopped and turned around several times but saw nothing suspicious. Only the usual passersby: schoolgirls in uniforms, office workers, tourists with cameras...

"Maybe it's just sleep deprivation," he pondered, turning onto a quieter street. "Two days without proper rest, plus all that coding..."

Suddenly, the screech of tires broke the silence. Max turned to see a massive truck barreling toward a young girl on a crosswalk. Only one thought raced through his mind: "This time, it's real!"

The bag of food flew from his hands as Max dashed forward. The girl stood frozen in place as the enormous dark mass bore down on her.

"Hah, it's probably some slow tractor, like in that episode of KonoSuba!" flashed through Max's mind. "No way I'll be an idiot like Kazuma! I'm going to be a real hero!"

The screech of brakes was deafening, the smell of burnt rubber filled his nose, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Max managed to push the girl aside, and they both tumbled onto the sidewalk as the massive truck roared past them, missing them by mere centimeters. The driver didn't even stop.

Max froze, slowly processing what had just happened. His whole body started to shake.

"Oh God... OH GOD! That was a real truck!" He grabbed his head. "I almost died! Really died! This isn't KonoSuba, oh my God..."

"KonoSuba?" the girl asked with genuine confusion.

"Huh?" Max stammered, only now realizing he had been mumbling aloud. "No, no, nothing! Just... uh... a Japanese proverb! Yeah, a proverb about trucks and heroism!"

"What an interesting specimen..." an odd thought crossed the girl's mind as she observed his panic.

"Forgive my rudeness," Max adjusted his glasses, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'm Maxim Kuznetsov. You can just call me Max."

"And I..." the girl hesitated for a moment, glancing around. Her eyes fell on the sign of a store. "Sakura... Mizuki Sakura."

"Huh, odd..." Max thought. "She introduced herself like a foreigner—family name first, then given name. Japanese people usually do the opposite... Though who am I to judge? I'm a gaijin myself."

He chuckled at his thoughts and was distracted by the scattered groceries.

As he gathered his scattered groceries, Mizuki "accidentally" dropped her wallet. Naturally, Max immediately bent down to pick it up.

"Ah, thank you!" she accepted the wallet with a slight bow. "I'm so clumsy today…"

At that moment, a man with a knife burst out from an alley. "Seriously?" ran through Max's mind, but his body acted on instinct, shielding Mizuki.

By some incredible coincidence, the thief slipped on the spilled bottle of tea from Max's bag and crashed straight into a passing police patrol.

"What the…" Mizuki's eyes momentarily flickered with irritation.

"Your groceries…" she glanced at the spilled items and puddle of tea. "This is all my fault. Let me make it up to you! There's an MgRonalds nearby."

"MgRonalds?" Max nodded. "I was just thinking of grabbing something to eat. I've been wanting to try their new burger."

The walk to the burger joint turned out to be... eventful. It started when a flower pot fell from the fifth-floor balcony directly in front of Max.

"Ah! A falling flower pot! Classic trope!" flashed through Max's mind. But the pot got caught on a clothesline and slid down like a zipline, landing perfectly in a wheelbarrow filled with dirt below.

"Wow, lucky!" Max exhaled.

Mizuki's lips pressed together almost imperceptibly.

A block away, someone had spilled a pile of thumbtacks on the sidewalk. Max, deep in a story about his favorite manga, miraculously avoided stepping on them—his years of dodging flying cosplay props at conventions had paid off.

"And then the protagonist… Oh, sharp!" he gracefully leaped over the thumbtacks. "So, as I was saying, the protagonist…"

A flicker of irritation flashed in Mizuki's eyes.

Near the burger joint, an advertising sign nearly toppled over them, but workers rushed in to catch it just in time.

"Sorry about that!" one of the workers called out. "We just installed it; must've been faulty brackets!"

"What a safe day," Max chuckled nervously, adjusting his glasses. "So many close calls, but nothing happened!"

"Yes… nothing happened…" Mizuki's voice carried a strange tone.

Inside MgRonalds, it was warm and bustling. They took a table by the window, with a view of the street. Max enthusiastically browsed the menu while Mizuki gazed out the window, occasionally glancing at the staff in their bright red uniforms.

"You know," she suddenly said, "you're surprisingly lucky."

"More like the opposite," Max laughed. "I always get caught up in weird situations. Like today—a truck, a flower pot, a sign…"

"And yet, you always come out unscathed," she smiled faintly. "As if…"

"As if it's straight out of an anime, right?" Max laughed. "Although no, if this were an anime, I'd have died ten times already and ended up in another world!"

Mizuki coughed.

"All these isekai stories are the same," Max continued, oblivious to her reaction. "Truck-kun, falling objects, silly accidents… Although I must admit, today feels like a day full of classic isekai scenarios!"

"How… well-read," Mizuki said, her voice taking on a peculiar tone.

"It's cozy here," Mizuki smiled, and for some reason, Max's heart skipped a beat.

"Y-yeah!" he nervously adjusted his glasses. "I come here often. They have great burgers and…" He trailed off, realizing that praising fast food might not be the best way to impress a girl.

Mizuki tilted her head slightly. "And?"

"And… the atmosphere! It's like something out of an anime!" Max blurted out, instantly regretting it. "Great job, genius, all you can talk about is anime!"

But instead of rolling her eyes or looking puzzled, Mizuki unexpectedly leaned forward. "Oh, I noticed you like anime. Tell me more."

Max's eyes lit up. "Really? You're interested? Usually, people…" He paused, but Mizuki encouragingly nodded.

"Of course! Especially about… what do you call them? Isekai?"

"Oh-ho-ho!" Max nearly jumped out of his seat. "That's when the protagonist ends up in another world! Usually after dying, but there are other ways. For example…"

He launched into an enthusiastic explanation of his favorite anime, gesturing animatedly and occasionally adjusting his glasses. Mizuki listened attentively, occasionally asking surprisingly insightful questions. Her smile grew more and more enigmatic.

"And what would you do if you ended up in another world?" she suddenly asked.

"Me?" Max thought for a moment. "Well, first, I'd try not to die… again. And then…" He blushed. "This will sound silly…"

"Tell me," her voice carried a peculiar warmth.

"I'd want… to help people," Max said quietly. "I know, I know, it sounds cliché! But really—what's the point of power if you don't use it to protect others?" He laughed nervously. "Though what kind of hero would I be? I can't even talk to a girl without mentioning anime!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Mizuki smiled mysteriously. "You did save me without hesitation."

"Ah, that…" Max rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I guess I just got lucky watching so many action anime! Reflexes kicked in…"

"Still," she leaned closer, and Max felt his breath catch. "You're quite… interesting."

"No way! Could it be I actually have a chance?" Max's mind raced. He tried to strike a cool pose like Sakuta from Bunny Girl Senpai, only to nearly knock over his cola.

"You know," Mizuki chuckled at his attempt to act cool. "Why don't you try their signature spicy burger? They say it's… special."

"S-sure!" Max attempted a confident smile, which ended up looking more like the awkward grin of a protagonist in an ecchi comedy. "I love spicy food!"

"Interesting…" Mizuki thought, signaling the waiter. "He's kind of cute when he's nervous…"

The MgRonalds was unusually quiet for lunchtime. Max enthusiastically talked about his favorite anime, waving his half-eaten burger around.

"…and then the protagonist ends up in another world through a portal in a bathroom! Can you imagine?" He laughed. "Although that's nothing—there's another anime where a guy dies slipping on a banana peel. Now that's what I call an epic death!"

"Truly… epic," Mizuki murmured, stirring her tea thoughtfully. "And how would you want… to end up in another world?"

"Well, definitely not through a bathroom!" Max took a big gulp of his cola. "Though honestly, even dying from a truck is better than choking on a burger. Imagine the headline: 'Otherworldly Hero—Victim of Fast Food!'"

Mizuki's lips curved into an odd smile.

"Speaking of spicy…" She gestured toward his burger. "Do you taste anything unusual?"

"Huh? No, it tastes normal…" Max took another bite and suddenly started coughing. "Whoa! This is… really spicy…"

"Oh, they must have mixed up the sauces," Mizuki remarked innocently. "It happens…"

At first, it looked like an ordinary scene from a comedy anime—the main character running around the café with bulging eyes, waving his arms, and shouting, "Spicy! Spicy!" Max even thought for a moment that steam might start coming out of his ears, like in his favorite cartoons.

But then something went wrong.

"Cough… cough…" He clutched at his throat. "I can't… breathe…"

Everything blurred before his eyes. The last thing he saw was Mizuki's face shifting, transforming back into the image of the nerdy girl he had bumped into earlier.

"Wow… so this kind of thing really does happen in anime…" was his final thought before the world plunged into darkness.

---

---

A bright light blinded him, and Max found himself seated on a chair on some kind of stage. Multicolored lights flickered around him, and upbeat music—suspiciously similar to the opening of some anime—blared from speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" boomed a voice that seemed oddly familiar. "Welcome to our weekly show 'Congratulations, You're Dead!'"

Max squinted. Behind the massive host's table sat… an absurd figure. An oversized suit collar, clearly fake mustache, and a hat pulled low—all screamed that this was a woman desperately trying to look like a man.

"Just like in that episode of Ouran High School Host Club…" Max noted automatically, and then it hit him. "Wait. WHAT?"

"And now, we have a very special guest today!" the host continued, using a ridiculously deep voice that occasionally broke into higher tones. "Let's welcome Maxim Kuznetsov! Our hero not only saved a girl from a truck, stopped a thief, and survived a falling flower pot and a collapsing sign, but he also set a new record in our 'Most Ridiculous Death' category!"

"Death?" Max looked around and nearly fell off his chair.

In the audience sat… characters from famous isekai stories. All of them. Kazuma lazily waved, Subaru nodded sympathetically, Ainz from Overlord tried to display an expression (which was difficult, being a skeleton), and Mamako from Do You Love Your Mom discreetly dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Don't sweat it!" Kazuma shouted. "I died stupidly too! At least you had a tasty last meal!"

"Oh, yes," the host sighed dramatically. "Death by anaphylactic shock caused by a rare type of spicy sauce! A first in the history of our show! Let's watch the replay!"

On a giant screen, Max's last moments replayed—him choking at MgRonalds as Mizuki… transformed into the nerdy girl.

"Wait a minute!" Max jumped in his chair. "Was she…?"

"And now it's quiz time!" the host interrupted, with a gesture that reminded Max of both Mizuki and the girl he had bumped into earlier. "What will our guest receive: a) a standard isekai starter kit, b) a unique overpowered ability, or c) an entire harem?"

"Harem! Harem!" chanted the audience.

"Hey!" Max protested. "What about asking me?"

"Oh, believe me," the host smiled strangely, a familiar glint in their eyes. "We already know what you'll choose."

Suddenly, the lights became unbearably bright.

"Good luck, hero!" the host said, their voice unmistakably feminine now. "I hope you live up to my… our expectations."

"Wait, what does that mean…"

But Max didn't get to finish his thought. A bright flash consumed everything around him, and he was sucked into a vortex of light and sound. The last thing he heard was the host's laughter, like the tinkling of bells, and Kazuma's shout:

"Hey! Why does he get a harem, and I…"

And then everything went silent.