Light. Hiroshi's eyes, or rather, his new eyes, slowly opened. No longer the dazzling, chaotic light of the screen or the void's darkness. This was a gentle, pure white light, filling the room. The faint scent of alcohol and disinfectant hung in the air. The rhythmic sound of machinery came from somewhere nearby.
He felt himself lying down. On something soft, covered by a warm blanket. His whole body felt heavy, exhausted, like he had just run a marathon. This feeling of weakness... was completely different from the weary exhaustion after nights of coding or gaming. It was the feebleness of a body that had just gone through something serious.
He tried to move his fingers. Small. Soft. His nails were neatly trimmed. He raised a hand to touch his forehead. His skin was smooth, without the familiar rough, coarse feeling of a 30-year-old man.
Gah...!
The panic from the last scene of the game flooded back. The spilled water, the glitching screen, the tearing sensation... and the strange words in the darkness.
...Gender selected randomly...
No... It can't be!
He took a deep breath. He felt his chest rising and falling... So light. He was used to the familiar heaviness of his beer belly. This was... empty? The feeling made him uncomfortably restless.
He vaguely realized he was wearing a loose-fitting patient gown. The rough cotton fabric rubbed against his skin.
Click.
The door opened softly. Quiet footsteps approached.
"Hmm...? You're awake?" A gentle, warm voice spoke.
Hiroshi quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to still be unconscious. His heart pounded. Someone? A nurse? A doctor?
He tried to listen. The footsteps stopped beside the bed. A soft rustling sound.
"Can you hear me?" The voice spoke again, closer.
Hiroshi couldn't pretend forever. He slowly opened his eyes.
A face was leaning down to look at him. It was a young woman, wearing a light pink nurse's uniform. Her black hair was neatly tied back, a mask covered the lower half of her face, but her exposed eyes were very kind and worried. On her chest was a name tag: Satou Akari.
Nurse Satou.
"Oh, thank goodness! You're awake." The nurse smiled with relief. The smile made her eyes crinkle. "I'll go call the doctor."
She turned, walking quickly towards the door.
Wait! Hiroshi wanted to call out, wanted to ask what was happening. But his throat was dry, only managing a faint sound like a groan.
The nurse didn't hear. The door closed again.
Hiroshi lay there, alone in the pure white room, with only the steady sound of the machinery and the ticking second hand of a clock.
Where was this? A hospital? Why was he here? And most importantly... whose body was this?
Just then, something appeared in his field of vision. Not a physical object, but a blurry, transparent interface that only he could see. Like an AR game interface.
[Welcome, Master.]
Words appeared in mid-air, light blue. A voice echoed in his head, not as sound but as consciousness, cold and neutral.
What...? Who's there?! Hiroshi flinched, looking around. There was no one else in the room.
[I am the System. Activated after Host Reconstruction.]
System...? Reconstruction...? The words from the darkness returned. Was it... had he really died and been... "reconstructed" into someone else?
[Correct. The Master experienced a critical incident and has been transferred to a new environment.]
New environment? You mean this world? Like isekai in manga and light novels?
[Analysis: The Master's concept of Isekai is applicable.]
"Applicable"... This damn System talks exactly like a computer program!
[I can provide information, manage the Spatial Inventory, and support the Master in this world. Please use consciousness to communicate.]
Spatial Inventory? You mean inventory? Hiroshi muttered in his head. This is... it's like I've been thrown into a real-life game.
[Confirmed. Spatial Inventory is ready.]
Hiroshi "thought" about the Spatial Inventory, and another interface appeared, empty.
Great... nothing at all. Starting from zero, indeed.
[Basic information about current Host:]
The interface changed. Information about this body appeared.
[Name: Yuuka Hatsumina. Age: 16. Gender: Female. Status: Post-severe trauma.]
Yuuka Hatsumina...? This name was completely unfamiliar. So, he hadn't entered the body of a girl named Yui? But Yuuka Hatsumina, aged 16?
[Correct, Master.]
The System offered no further explanation. It just provided information. Cold and efficient.
The door opened again. Nurse Satou returned, accompanied by a middle-aged doctor wearing glasses.
"Sensei, the patient is awake," Nurse Satou reported.
The doctor nodded, approaching the bed. "Good morning, Yuuka-chan. How are you feeling?"
Yuuka-chan... He, now Yuuka.
Hiroshi swallowed hard. His throat was still dry. He tried to open his mouth, to make a sound.
"Um... I... feel a bit weak..." The voice was thin, hesitant, completely unfamiliar.
The doctor smiled gently. "Of course you feel weak. You were in a coma for a long time. But you've passed the most dangerous stage. That's excellent." He turned to Nurse Satou. "Akari-san, please check her vital signs and prepare some warm water for her to drink."
"Yes, Sensei," Nurse Satou replied, quickly getting to work. She gently pulled up the patient's sleeve, wrapping the blood pressure cuff around his arm. Her eyes remained kind, professional.
Hiroshi, in Yuuka's body, lay still, letting Nurse Satou attend to him. The feeling of her skin touching his... was very strange. From this angle, he could see her masked face more clearly, her eyes crinkling as she worked.
Nurse Satou Akari. A very Japanese name.
While the nurse was checking his blood pressure and pulse, Hiroshi tried to maintain a calm expression. Inside his mind, a storm was raging.
I'm Yuuka Hatsumina, 16 years old, had a serious accident, was in a coma for 3 weeks... and have this bizarre System in my head? What the hell is going on?!!
But on the outside, he was just a young girl who had just woken up from a coma, weak and a little confused.
Nurse Satou smiled after finishing the check. "Vital signs are stable, Yuuka-chan. I'll get you some water."
She walked towards the corner of the room, taking a cup of warm water from a thermos.
Hiroshi watched the nurse's back. Then glanced at the doctor who was writing in the patient's chart.
This was his new reality. A hospital in Japan. A 16-year-old female body. A new name. A completely unfamiliar life story. And a mysterious System.
Nurse Satou turned back, handing him the cup of warm water. "Drink slowly, okay?"
Hiroshi nodded slightly, taking the cup. His hand was still trembling slightly. The sensation of holding the cup... was different.
He looked at the warm water in the cup. The blurry reflection of his new face appeared. Black hair falling down, vivid blue eyes... Indeed, a very beautiful girl. But that wasn't him.
He took a sip of water. The warmth spread in his dry throat.
"Thank you... Sister..." He said softly, his voice still trembling.
Nurse Satou smiled gently. "You're welcome. Just rest. If you need anything, just press the call button."
She placed the water cup on the bedside table, adjusted the blanket for him, and quietly left the room, accompanied by the doctor.
The room became silent again. Only Hiroshi, in Yuuka's body, lay there.
He looked up at the pure white ceiling. The System was silent after providing the basic information. Now was the time he could... check again.
His whole body was still very weak. He tried to shift slightly to find a more comfortable position. As he did so, the blanket slipped down slightly.
He felt the shape of his body more clearly. Completely different from his previous 30-year-old man's bulky physique. The waist was astonishingly slender. His hips were full. And... his chest.
He secretly moved his hand under the blanket, lightly touching his chest area.
...!!!
The sensation... soft. Full. Strange and completely unfamiliar. It was entirely unlike anything he had ever felt on his own body.
He softly stifled a gasp of surprise, trying not to make a sound. His hand trembled, lightly tracing the curve.
No... it can't be...
He remembered the information the System had provided: [Basic measurements: Bust 84cm, Waist 63cm, Hips 91cm.]
And that bizarre comparison: [High similarity to character model "HK416".]
A wave of heat suddenly rushed to his face. A burning sensation. He must be blushing furiously.
84... 63... 91... This body... is really mine?! HK416... Does that mean I have a body like an... anime game character?!
He, a dry, 30-year-old programmer, was now in the body of a 16-year-old girl with measurements... unbelievable in real life!
The feeling of touching his own body, feeling these unfamiliar curves... was simultaneously astonishing, bewildered, and... a slightly indescribable sense of shame, the kind of reaction a man has when seeing... no, when touching these things! But this was his own body!
It was too real. Too vivid. This feeling... wasn't a dream.
He lay still, his hand still lightly on his chest, trying to regulate his rapid breathing. On the outside was the physical weakness after the coma, but inside was a mental earthquake.
The world outside, where random "items" appeared, where danger and opportunity lurked... He would have to face it, with this body? In the identity of 16-year-old Yuuka Hatsumina with this "HK416" body?
And that silent System... What was its purpose? Would it help him understand what had happened?
Questions flooded his mind. He gently sighed, the sound of his breath also soft and thin.
The new life, in the new body, in the new world, had just begun. And it definitely wouldn't be like any FPS game he had ever played. This was a completely different game, a game where even getting used to the main "character" was already a massive challenge.