My name is Hiroshi Tanaka, and I'm from Kanto, Japan. This is my life—well, my pathetic life. Every day is the same: waking up late, rushing to school, getting humiliated, and coming home to drown my sorrows in snacks. It's like a never-ending loop of misery. But hey, it's my normal. Or at least, it was my normal... until something changed. But let me start from the beginning.
Hiroshi Tanaka was the kind of kid who blended into the background—except when he didn't. At 17 years old, he was chubby, with round cheeks that flushed red at the slightest embarrassment, and glasses that constantly slid down his nose. His uniform was always a little too tight, and his hair was perpetually messy, no matter how much he tried to comb it. He was the poster child for a high school loser, and his life reflected that in every way.
That morning was no different. The alarm clock blared, but Hiroshi was already late. He groaned, rolling out of bed, his chubby frame hitting the floor with a soft thud. The clock read 7:10 AM. School started at 7:00.
"Crap, crap, crap!" he muttered, scrambling to his feet. He grabbed his bag, stuffed a half-eaten bag of chips into it, and bolted out the door.
The streets of Kanto were familiar, but today they felt like an obstacle course. Hiroshi's breath came in short, labored puffs as he ran, his uniform clinging uncomfortably to his sweaty skin. By the time he reached the school gates, he was drenched, his glasses fogged up, and his tie askew.
The teacher was waiting for him.
"Tanaka," she said, her voice sharp and unimpressed. "Late again. Stand outside for the first period."
Hiroshi bowed his head, his cheeks burning as he shuffled to his spot outside the classroom. Inside, he could hear his classmates laughing. He knew they were laughing at him. They always were.
The rest of the day was a blur of humiliation.
During cleaning time, Hiroshi was assigned to mop the floors. A group of boys—the usual bullies—cornered him in the hallway. One of them, a tall, athletic kid named Riku, smirked as he dumped a bucket of dirty water over Hiroshi's head.
"Oops," Riku said, laughing. "Guess you'll have to clean that up too, huh, Tanaka?"
Hiroshi didn't say anything. He just stood there, water dripping from his hair, his uniform soaked and clinging to his chubby frame. The other boys laughed, and Hiroshi felt his chest tighten.
Lunch was worse. The boys made him kneel on the ground, using his back as a table for their food. "Human chair!" they called him, laughing as they ate their meals off his trembling back. Hiroshi's stomach growled, but he didn't dare move.
After school, they dragged him to the bathroom. They stripped him down to his underwear, laughing and jeering as they took pictures with their phones. Hiroshi tried to cover himself, but they pushed him to the ground, kicking and punching him until he curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face.
When I finally got home, I didn't even bother changing out of my ruined uniform. I just collapsed in front of the TV, a bag of fatty snacks in my hands. This was my routine. My life.
But little did I know, everything was about to change.
Day by day, the humiliation only got worse. It wasn't just the boys anymore—even the girls started joining in. Laughing at me, calling me names, tripping me in the hallways. I was the school's punching bag, and everyone seemed to enjoy taking their turn.
But then, something changed. I started noticing her.
Her name was Aiko, and she was... different. She had this soft, gentle smile, and her eyes always seemed to sparkle, even when she was just sitting quietly in class. She was cute—no, she was beautiful. And for some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about her.
I knew she'd never look at someone like me. I was a loser, a nobody. But still, I couldn't help it. I started daydreaming about her, imagining what it would be like to talk to her, to make her laugh.
And then, one day, I did something stupid. I asked her out.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher left, and the students began packing up their things. Hiroshi, hiding behind the wall near the classroom door, nervously peeked out. His heart was pounding as he watched Aiko gather her books.
He had spent all night writing a note, crumpling it up, and rewriting it until it was perfect. Now, with trembling hands, he threw a small paper ball toward her. It landed at her feet.
Aiko paused, looking down at the paper. She picked it up, unfolded it, and read the messy handwriting:
"Meet me behind the school building after class. Please."
Hiroshi's heart raced as he watched her tuck the note into her pocket. He couldn't believe it—she hadn't thrown it away! Feeling a rare surge of happiness, he hurried to the bathroom, a goofy smile on his face. He even started dancing a little, his chubby frame bouncing as he blushed furiously.
But what Hiroshi didn't see was Ruki, watching everything from the shadows. A sly grin spread across Ruki's face as he approached Aiko, whispering something into her ear. She nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Hiroshi waited nervously behind the school building, his hands sweating as he fidgeted with his uniform. When Aiko finally appeared, his heart skipped a beat. She looked even more beautiful up close.
"H-Hi," Hiroshi stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aiko smiled softly, her eyes downcast. "No one's ever loved me before," she said, her voice trembling. "You're the first person who's ever cared about me."
Hiroshi's eyes widened. "R-Really?"
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I've always felt so alone..."
Hiroshi's heart ached for her. He took a step closer, wanting to comfort her, but before he could say anything, Aiko suddenly screamed.
"HELP!!!! HELP!!!!!"
Hiroshi froze, panic flooding his veins. Out of nowhere, Ruki and his friends appeared, cameras in hand. They had taken pictures from an angle that made it look like Hiroshi was trying to hurt Aiko.
"You sick freak!" Ruki shouted, grabbing Hiroshi by the collar. "Trying to assault her?!"
"N-No! I wasn't—" Hiroshi tried to explain, but Ruki punched him in the stomach, cutting him off.
Aiko stood to the side, tears streaming down her face as she played the victim. "He... he tried to hurt me!" she sobbed.
The commotion drew a crowd. Students and teachers alike gathered around, their faces filled with anger and disgust.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. It's all wrong. It's all shit. I wanted to stand up, to punch Ruki in the face, to scream that it wasn't true. But what could I do? They had the pictures. They had the story. And I... I was just a loser.
But hey, have you heard of something called Karma? I'm sure you have. It's that thing people always talk about—what goes around comes around. I kept telling myself that one day, Ruki and Aiko would get what they deserved.
But for now, let's get back to the story.
Ruki and Aiko spun their tale, painting Hiroshi as a monster. The crowd ate it up, their anger growing with every word.
"He's disgusting!" someone shouted.
"Teach him a lesson!" another yelled.
Before Hiroshi could even defend himself, the crowd descended on him. Kicks and punches rained down from every direction. He curled into a ball, trying to protect himself, but the blows kept coming.
His vision blurred, and his ears rang as the pain became unbearable. He could hear the crowd's angry shouts, but they sounded distant, like echoes from another world. His body felt heavy, and his breath came in shallow gasps.
And then, everything went black.
Hiroshi collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud. The crowd fell silent, their anger replaced by shock.
"Is he... dead?" someone whispered.
"Call an ambulance!" a teacher shouted, rushing to Hiroshi's side.
Within minutes, the sound of sirens filled the air. Paramedics arrived, loading Hiroshi onto a stretcher and rushing him into the ambulance. The crowd watched in stunned silence as the vehicle sped away, its lights flashing.
I don't remember much after that. Just the pain, the shouting, and then... nothing.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the sterile smell of antiseptic. My body ached, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.
That was the day I realized something. No matter how much I hoped for things to change, they never would. Not unless I changed.
But hey, like I said... Karma's a thing, right?
Hiroshi's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry at first. The sterile white ceiling of the hospital room came into focus, and he felt the weight of an oxygen mask on his face. He turned his head slightly, wincing at the dull ache in his body, and saw a small window where birds chirped happily outside.
The rhythmic beep, beep, beep of the heart rate monitor filled the room, a steady reminder that he was still alive. For a moment, Hiroshi just lay there, staring at the birds, wondering if anything would ever change.
And then, something strange happened.
A series of glowing red errors flashed before his eyes, like a computer glitch.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[WORLD PAUSED]
Hiroshi's breath hitched. Everything around him froze—the birds outside the window, the second hand on the clock, even the beeping of the heart rate monitor. He couldn't move his body, only his eyes. Panic surged through him as he tried to understand what was happening.
Just as suddenly as it began, the errors disappeared, and the world resumed. The birds chirped, the clock ticked, and the heart rate monitor continued its steady beeping.
"What... what was that?" Hiroshi muttered under his breath, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.
Before he could dwell on it further, a nurse entered the room, her smile warm but professional.
"Ah, you're awake," she said, checking his vitals. "You've been cleared to go home. Your rest days at the hospital are over."
Hiroshi nodded weakly, too tired to argue.
The next day, Hiroshi returned to school, his arm in a cast from the fracture he'd sustained during the beating. The moment he stepped through the gates, the whispers began.
"Look, it's the pervert," someone sneered.
"Ew, why is he even allowed back here?" another voice chimed in.
Hiroshi kept his head down, his cheeks burning with shame. He entered his classroom, ignoring the stares and snickers, and took his seat at the back.
When class ended, the teacher left, and the students headed to the cafeteria. Hiroshi followed, his stomach growling despite the knot of anxiety in his chest. He tried to sit with a group of boys, but they immediately stood up, leaving him alone at the table.
"Guess we're not eating with him," one of them said, laughing as they walked away.
Hiroshi sighed, picking at his food. "Why does it always have to be like this?" he muttered to himself. "I didn't do anything wrong..."
But his moment of solitude didn't last long.
"Well, well, look who's back," a familiar voice sneered.
Hiroshi's heart sank as Ruki and his gang approached, their smirks filled with malice. Before Hiroshi could react, Ruki grabbed his tray and flung it across the room, the food splattering on the floor.
"What the—" Hiroshi started, but Ruki cut him off, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him to his feet.
"You think you can just come back like nothing happened, you fat pervert?" Ruki growled, his fist raised and ready to strike.
Hiroshi's mind raced. He wanted to fight back, to scream, to do something, but his body froze in fear. All he could manage was a weak, trembling voice.
"I... I didn't do anything... Why are you always like this? Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Ruki laughed, tightening his grip. "Because you're a loser, Tanaka. And losers like you deserve everything they get."
Hiroshi's eyes welled up with tears, but he clenched his fists, his voice shaking with a mix of fear and defiance.
Ruki's smirk faltered for a moment, but then he laughed again, his fist still poised to strike.
"We'll see about that, fatso."
Ruki's fist was inches from Hiroshi's face when suddenly, the world froze.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[WORLD PAUSED]
The same glowing red errors flashed before Hiroshi's eyes, but this time, they didn't disappear. Instead, the glitches grew more intense, the errors multiplying and flickering rapidly. The cafeteria, the students, even Ruki's snarling face—everything was frozen in place, like a broken video game.
Hiroshi's heart raced as he tried to move, but his body was locked in place. Only his eyes could dart around, taking in the surreal scene.
"What... what is happening?!" Hiroshi thought, panic surging through him. "Is this another glitch? Or... something worse?"
The errors grew louder, a cacophony of mechanical beeps and static filling his ears. The world around him began to distort, the edges of reality blurring and twisting.
And then, everything went black.