Kenji Suzuki was never someone special. He was not a prodigy, nor an outstanding athlete, much less a heartthrob. At 19 years old, his life revolved around a single passion: anime, video games, and light novels. For many, that made him a loser. For him, it was simply his way of escaping a monotonous reality.
He spent his days locked in his room, immersed in his world of fiction. His collection of action figures decorated the shelves, along with posters of his favorite series, while his computer screen always had a tab open with the latest chapter of a manga or a discussion forum about absurd theories.
His dream was simple: to reincarnate in a fantasy world with broken powers. No work, no studies, just adventures, magic and, of course, a harem of beautiful girls. Every time he finished an action anime with dominant protagonists, he sighed with envy.
"If I had an opportunity like that, I would make the most of it..."
But real life was not an isekai. His family never approved of his lifestyle. His parents wanted him to focus on studying something "productive" at university, but he barely managed to get into a career he didn't care about. He had no girlfriend, no close friends, only acquaintances on the internet with whom he discussed theories of High School DxD and which route was the best in Fate/Stay Night.
However, his routine changed one day when he began to feel a strange discomfort. At first, he thought it was just fatigue from staying up late playing games, but little by little the feeling worsened. A pain in his chest, constant dizziness... but he ignored it. Why go to the doctor if it was probably just stress?
Until the day of his death arrived.
It was a rainy afternoon when Kenji left his room to go to the convenience store. A miracle in itself, considering that he rarely left the house, but that day he had no choice. He had run out of instant noodles and the food delivery guy was taking too long.
"Pff... whatever. At least I'll stretch my legs," he muttered, putting on his jacket.
The fresh air hit his face when he went out into the street. There were hardly any people outside, everyone sheltering from the rain. He walked slowly, with his hands in his pockets, until he saw something that left him frozen: a little girl crossing the street while a truck was speeding towards her.
Time seemed to stop.
"Crap!" Kenji exclaimed without thinking.
His body moved before his brain could analyze the situation. He ran with all his might, pushing the girl out of the way just in time... but he was not so lucky.
The impact was brutal. He felt his body being thrown into the air, his whole being shaking with indescribable pain. The world spun around him before he fell heavily against the pavement.
His vision blurred. He heard distant shouts, the sound of the rain hitting his skin and, little by little, everything faded into darkness.
"Hah... so... I died in the most cliché way possible..." he thought with an ironic smile before losing consciousness.
But death was not the end.
Instead of sinking into nothingness, Kenji felt as if his mind was floating in an unknown void. A warm sensation enveloped him, as if he were inside a cocoon of pure energy.
Then, a mechanical voice echoed in his head.
[Welcome, user. Activating the Maximum Level System with a Single Click.]
Kenji blinked, his consciousness slowly awakening. He could not see anything, but the message in his mind was clear.
"Wait... what?"
[Reincarnation process completed. New body acquired: Kenji Fujiwara.]
Before he could react, his vision cleared. He felt a cool breeze on his skin, the scent of flowers and fragrant wood invading his senses. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
He was in a luxurious room with elegant furniture and large windows. In front of him, a mirror reflected the image of an attractive young man, with silky black hair and sharp emerald green eyes.
It was not his original face.
"No way..." he whispered, touching his face in disbelief.
There was no doubt. Not only had he reincarnated, but... he now inhabited the body of a young aristocrat in a world completely unknown to him.
Everything around him radiated luxury and elegance, far from the small and messy room in which he used to live. From the fine wood furniture to the soft breeze that came in through the large windows, every detail indicated that his life had taken an impossible turn.
The question was... where the hell was he?