Months Before
"WHAT!? Why is the story suddenly a harem?"
"Calm down Ian"
"What do you mean calm down-....oh..."
The young man named Ian soon notice why his best friend said that, as a group of girls in their early 20s caught a glimpse of Ian's face and started walking towards their table. Now normally strangers wouldn't approach them but at the moment, Ian forgot he taken off his face mask to eat his lunch.
Ian quickly glared at his best friend and manager, Mike, for getting him hooked on this webnovel that he's been reading in his free time only for it to include a genre that he despises. Mike, on the other hand, just ignore his glare with a bored expression as the young ladies finally arrived at their table.
"Hey...ummm...sorry if we're interrupting something but like could we ask you something?"
The seemingly leader of the girl group asked Ian while completely ignoring Mike. It was normal for the two boys as Ian looked like a royal prince from a fantasy story with his short jet black hair and silver eyes complimenting his pale appearance while Mike was average looking in comparison with wavy brown hair and brown eyes that went with his tan skin.
Ian had an idea of what their questions would be but decided to entertain them a bit, so he gave them his answer along with a light smile.
"Sure go ahead, I'm Ian and this here is my best friend and manager, Mike."
Then immediately as if the floodgate was opened, the girls started flooding Ian with their questions.
"Oh my gosh are you like a model or something?"
"An upcoming popstar?"
"An actor?"
.
.
.
Once they all asked their questions, Ian calmly answered with the same light smile.
"None of the above, I just stream games and stuff."
"Huh? But how have we never heard of you?"
"Yeah especially with your perfect face! Sorry if that bothered you."
The last girl immediately apologized and hid behind one of her friends. Yet none of them said anything to her because they all had the same thought.
Ignoring the last comment, Ian's expression slightly turned smug as he gave his answer.
"It's simple, I'm a vtuber but I can't say more because I like my privacy. Now if you'll excuse me, my manager and I need to head back to a convention."
Ian and Mike slowly got up as the girls made space for them to walk out of the cafe.
Before the girls head back to their table, there was whispers amongst them such as "What's a vtuber?" or "Why hide that face?", but the shy girl who hid behind them answered their questions.
As the two young men approach the exit, one of the girls was brave enough to follow after them.
"Umm...e-excuse me Ian I-I have a personal question."
Mike continued walking outside while Ian stopped in his track when he hear the girl out.
"Sure go ahead."
Ian kept facing the exit as the girl asked her question.
"Can I get your number? Oh and I'm Amanda."
The young woman worked up the courage to ask Ian the question which surprised him as he turned to make eye contact with her. Their heights were very similar given that Ian wasn't particularly on the tall side. There was a moment of silence between them. The girl, Amanda was slowly getting nervous as all the courage she plucked up was withering away. Whereas Ian kept a straight face while maintaining eye contact with her.
Then Ian finally gave an answer.
"Sorry but I like older women though it was fun talking to you and your friends. Have a nice day."
Ian answered nonchalantly as if he rehearsed this line before and turned around to leave the cafe while putting his facemask on.
***
Outside on the busy streets of Los Angeles, were two young men in their early 20s walking side by side in the blazing afternoon summer heat. The taller average looking man, Mike, was wearing a simple green t-shirt with tan cargo shorts and tennis shoes. Ian, the shorter of the two, was wearing black hoodie and jeans with a baseball cap and facemask. Despite the summer heat, Ian was completely unfazed by it and he even wore converse shoes even though his schedule was packed with a lot of walking around.
Nevertheless the two were in a heated discussion at the moment.
It wasn't over Ian's rejection or his particular choice in clothing in the current weather but...
"Look all I'm saying is that if I was the author and I chose to title my book, I Accidently Rizzed Up the Villainess, Now She Won't Leave Me Alone, I wouldn't suddenly make it a harem."
"sigh.....Ian why are you still talking about it. I only read it in my past time and dropped it a long time ago."
"Because Michael Everson, Isabella de Fonte deserves better than a cheating scumbag and it ruins her possessive nature if she's sharing her man. Plus the title suggested that it was going to be a non-harem story. How can I not be mad about my investment crumbling before me."
'If only that one girl knew Ian's real personality then maybe she wouldn't have asked him out.'
The thought suddenly came up in Mike's head as Ian continued ranting. Of course, Mike didn't overhear their brief conversation as it wasn't the first time Ian rejected someone. They've known each other for years now to the point they were brothers since his parents decided to adopt Ian after the incident.
And Ian despite his perfectly handsome looks, has never dated anyone. As a fellow young man who never dated, Mike was a little irritated by Ian's action but he could understand where Ian was coming from given Ian's past before being adopted into his family.
Regardless though, it still irritated Mike a bit.
After walking for a while, the two stopped at a busy crosswalk waiting to cross ahead. The summer heat made Mike quietly cursed at Ian in his mind for waking up late and forcing them to park Ian's car far from the convention. Meanwhile Ian was still fiercely discussing his disdain for the book and the author. Mike, of course, just mentally shut himself off knowing that Ian wouldn't shut up until they arrived at their destination.
Mike blankly stared across the street minding his business until he saw a boy, no older than 12 or 13, recklessly crossing the street despite the light still being green for the cars. The boy was most likely doing a dumb internet challenge that a Punch streamer created recently and has gone viral on the internet and mainstream media.
Immediately several cars forcefully stopped while honking with the drivers shouting profanities at the boy causing chaos. Yet the boy kept crossing the street recklessly not knowing a 18 wheeler truck couldn't stop in time because of the chaos.
Before Mike or anyone could react in time, a black streak already left Mike's side causing a little wind to blow in his face. Mike quickly turned to his right to see that Ian was gone but before he could turn his head towards the front, he heard screams and a very particular sound of metal and flesh violently meeting one another causing his heart to drop to his stomach.
***
There was a saying that your life flashes before your eyes as you're dying or near death.
Yet for Ian, none of that happened. His body was laying on the ground facing the sky. Ian couldn't feel his body and his vision was very blurry. He knew that he was dying yet his mind drifted somewhere else.
In his crumbling mind, Ian was simply confused.
Confused on why he involved himself in something that didn't concern him. Was it because Ian couldn't stand the sight of a child getting hit by 10 tons of steel?
He was also confused as to why no one reacted in time like him. Despite his good looks, Ian was average in everything he's ever done so someone more athletic could've done the same thing and most likely not get hit by the truck.
Was it because people became more cynical in recent years?
Or was it simply bad luck?
Ian's mind was occupied with that dilemma leaving out thoughts of his adopted family, his handful of friends, and even his rough past.
His blurry vision of the blue sky was slowly fading to black....
'I guess this is it. Hope Mike can learn to drive soon and...maybe get back to playing the violin again.'
Ian said his last thoughts out loud in his mind hoping for Mike to not suffer two losses back to back in the near future.
...until a bright white light flooded his vision.
At first, Ian regained feelings to his body then he felt an unbearable itch all over for a brief moment until it started feeling soothing like laying in a comfy bed after the morning alarm clock forcefully wakes you up.
Then the bright light dimmed until Ian could see a silver haired woman in a kneeling position with her hand glowing over him.
Her eyes matched her hair color giving off an exotic look added with her otherworldly pale beauty. She looked to be in her early 30s at most and was strangely wearing knightly armor covered in blue cloth with emblems of a flying silver bird.
Before Ian could thank her and possibly ask for her identity, the mysterious woman spoke.
Her angelic voice resounded out, "Sorry I was a bit late sweety, I just got out of the shower and was summoned wearing only a towel. Luckily I was fast enough to summon my armor to spare the embarrassment of people seeing deary old me fufu."
Confused and slightly embarrassed, Ian blurted out.
"Who are you?"
"Huh!? Oh well it makes sense you don't recognize me but I recognized you instantly despite dyeing your hair black. Anyway I'm your mother my sweet little Ian though I prefer it if you called me mommy."