"What is this!?"
A vibrant black, a kaleidoscope of white—the kind of colors that exist only in the absurd demands of a client.
Swirls of radiant black and white blended into a bizarre, dazzling tapestry, like a galaxy interwoven with a sea of stars, painting a surreal dreamscape that resolved into perfect harmony.
"A dream? No, this isn't a dream."
Shiraki had experienced lucid dreams before, but his consciousness had never been this sharp. Most crucially…
He glanced down, inspecting his bare body, his tone brimming with barely contained excitement. "I'm not exactly an exhibitionist, you know."
The sly curl of his lips undermined the credibility of his words.
Yet the situation genuinely thrilled him!
This strange, otherworldly phenomenon didn't spark fear or tension in Shiraki. Instead, it ignited a long-awaited excitement.
That was Shiraki.
If ghosts appeared in the real world, he wouldn't run screaming. He'd eagerly approach them, curiosity ablaze.
His thirst for knowledge and exploration rivaled the intellectuals in The Devotion of Suspect X who'd trade their lives for the universe's ultimate secrets.
As for life and death? Did you think a lonely, modern youth burdened with a 28-year mortgage in Tokyo cared about that?
Maybe he'd even become a ghost after death!
If ghosts followed human cognition, with negative emotions determining their existence and power, how many ghost kings would haunt today's society?
"Is this what they call a soul?"
Shiraki clenched his fist, studying his hand—similar yet distinct from his physical body—then surveyed his surroundings.
How could he describe that subtle sensation?
It was as if his body were wrapped in blue velvet, or as if, amidst a topsy-turvy world of light and shadow, he glimpsed a sky full of stars.
Ethereal and distant, it brought an instinctive sense of calm.
"This feeling…"
The galaxy-like glow flowed quietly. As Shiraki wandered this mysterious space, he sensed a faint connection to it.
He felt he could control this space, but he didn't know how—or perhaps his strength was lacking?
With no sense of direction—north, south, east, or west—or the passage of time, Shiraki explored until mental fatigue set in, yet he uncovered no clues about the space's nature.
At some point, a sensation like free-falling from the clouds hit him.
Bad news: Shiraki left the mysterious space.
Good news: This wasn't a one-time event.
The next night, by tracing that strange sensation, Shiraki reentered the space, though he still found nothing.
During the day, under the care of a kind nurse, Shiraki dealt with the pain of his fractures but faced no other issues.
His mind and body felt heavy, but his heart was lighter. Finally, he could rest!
A familiar colleague from the company visited, partly to check on him, partly to discuss business.
In theory, an accident on the way home from overtime counted as a workplace injury, and the company should bear some responsibility. But that was just theory.
Labor laws were a distant dream for someone like Shiraki. Survival in Japan was hard enough; he had no time or energy to haggle with the company.
A bedridden man with a broken leg and no family had no chance of pursuing a formal injury claim.
As expected, the company offered no compensation.
In a rare act of "generosity," the boss settled Shiraki's wages up to today.
The catch? Shiraki had to resign voluntarily.
By law, employers couldn't fire employees for illness or injury during a medical recovery period, but if the employee quit, that was fine.
This was entirely within Shiraki's expectations.
He felt no ripples in his heart, only a faint urge to laugh.
His grueling overtime routine made this hospital stay feel like a luxury.
Half a month passed in a flash.
The white curtains swayed in the breeze, and Shiraki had grown accustomed to the room's disinfectant smell, lying on the pristine hospital bed.
For the first few days, he spent nearly every moment in the mysterious space, experimenting and exploring. But perhaps due to his soul's limited strength, the space offered no response.
The only change was that he could now manifest his hospital gown on his body, sparing him the embarrassment of wandering naked.
Being completely bare felt… awkward, to say the least.
Realizing this, Shiraki stopped pouring all his energy into the space.
He visited only at night, spending his days catching up on anime—new releases and classics—to recharge his emotions and spirit.
Maybe a rested mind would trigger something?
After finishing Lycoris Recoil on a streaming platform, Shiraki dove into the comment section, thoroughly entertained.
Honestly, the comments are more fun than the show itself.
Thanking the premium caregiver for peeling him an apple, Shiraki scrolled through a heated debate in the comments, joining the spectators with glee.
His take?
He was just a guy who watched anime. If it was good, he finished it. If not, he dropped it. No need for drama.
After 20 minutes of comment-section chaos, Shiraki returned to his anime list, scrolling through his options.
Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc, Tokyo Ghoul, Inuyasha, Dragon Ball… Which one first? Shiraki didn't talk to himself, but his mind was always buzzing.
He hesitated, but before he could decide, a sudden jolt rippled through his soul. Without reason, he knew: the mysterious space had changed.
Suppressing his excitement, Shiraki took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
He turned off his phone, set it by his pillow, and closed his eyes. His soul reached for that distant, incomprehensible space with the ease of opening his childhood home's door.
The galaxy hung high, its misty glow illuminating the surroundings, evoking a serene, ethereal calm.
The moment the scene came into view, Shiraki's eyelids twitched. His brown-black eyes widened in unexpected shock.
A dreamlike figure stood before him.
Her doll-like face was exquisitely cute, with sky-blue hair cascading behind her, accentuating her porcelain-pale skin, smooth and radiant like fine jade.
Her flowing hair outlined a delicate, graceful figure. Through her swaying bangs, a teal gem gleamed on her forehead, her forest-green eyes swirling with a cold, captivating hue.
At first glance, she seemed as pure and approachable as a girl next door, yet her beauty was so otherworldly it could haunt dreams. Her expressionless face lent her an airy, ethereal quality.
Most crucially, remember Shiraki's state when he first entered this space?
Whether he was a consciousness, a soul, or something else, external objects like clothes didn't carry over.
So, her flawless, bare form was fully exposed to Shiraki.
In the silent space, he swore he could hear his heart racing.
Not out of joy at seeing a naked beauty, but excitement that the mysterious space had finally changed.
Ordinary objects couldn't enter this space without "deepened cognition."
That meant the translucent crystal on her forehead was part of her, like a human's limbs or organs.
Coupled with her blue hair and green eyes, she was almost certainly not from Earth.
Shiraki's gaze deepened, thoughts racing as he stepped silently toward the blue-haired girl.
She stood motionless, her youthful, doll-like face devoid of expression.
Less cold and more… classic "emotionless" archetype.
She looked sleepy, as if just waking from a dream, her delicate fingers brushing back soft strands of hair, a melancholic beauty in her elegant brow.
But soon, her long, curled lashes trembled, as if she might drift back to sleep.
She seemed to think this was a dream.
"Um… hello?"
The sudden voice startled her. A flicker of confusion passed through her emerald eyes before she slowly turned toward the sound.
Seeing Shiraki in his hospital gown, her cherry lips parted slightly, giving her an adorably dazed look.
"Human…"
Her ethereal voice, like a delicate orchid, carried a hint of surprise and puzzlement.
"Human… why… no dislike?"
Hm?
Her soft murmur echoed clearly in the silent space.
Shiraki raised an eyebrow. She wasn't human, as expected.
His face remained neutral, but his serious gaze couldn't help drifting to her delicate collarbone, her graceful curves, and the mysterious allure of her lower body.
Her skin, so fair it was almost translucent, glowed with a dazzling softness.
"Ahem, just to clarify, I don't know where this is. The inability to bring clothes might be this space's rule, so…"
Shiraki took a deep breath, calming his inner turmoil, and spoke evenly. "Maybe cover your key areas? You could use your hair or hands…"
More than her stunning figure, what intrigued him was why he felt an instinctive fondness for her.
Not love at first sight or lust, but a tangible, natural closeness.
"Hm?"
His odd words prompted an adorable head tilt, her green eyes showing just the right amount of confusion.
Then, glancing down at her bare, snow-white skin, she froze.
A faint blush crept across her exquisite face and fair skin.
Since Shiraki had warned her, and she felt that same strange closeness, she didn't attack him.
Covering herself was necessary, but even her hip-length hair couldn't hide much, and her small hands were useless for shielding her lower body.
The safest, most efficient method was…
In a flash of speed, she vanished. Shiraki only saw her blue hair flutter before feeling warmth behind him.
So fast!
Before he could react, soft, warm hands covered his eyes.
But the moment their bodies—or souls—touched, both froze. A flood of information surged like a dam breaking.
From her delicate hands, the blue-haired girl merged into Shiraki's soul like a stream returning to the sea, easing the strange disconnect he'd felt deep within.
In that instant, the dim stars in the mysterious space blazed with profound light.
The girl, who had blended into Shiraki's soul, separated again.
Her serene, doll-like face now held shock and disbelief, replacing her calm expression.
As the space's light dimmed, Shiraki and the girl stared at each other in silence.
Unlike before, she showed no trace of shyness, even as Shiraki's gaze lingered on her chest and lower body.
"Well? Like what you see?" Her voice was still ethereal, but her tone had shifted.
"Yeah, gorgeous. Stunning!" Shiraki answered honestly, no longer restraining his gaze, openly admiring her form.
She looked pros like an AI-generated beauty, too perfect for the real world!
"Ugh, talking to myself feels so weird…"
Their words overlapped perfectly, both raising a hand to rub their chin in unison.
---
A/N: Time to test your otaku credentials—can you guess who she is?