The park was silent as always. At this point, Akira was convinced it was a romcom hotspot exclusively reserved for main characters to stumble into flashbacks or confession scenes.
Akira and his friends walked in together: Iori with his hands in his pockets, Erika skipping slightly ahead, and Akira half-distracted, still thinking about the Archive Magic core project spinning in his room.
On a bench by the swings, Haruna was already waiting, a small box of handmade sweets by her side. She stood quickly when she saw them, brushing her skirt nervously.
"Hi, Erika-chan! Iori-san...!"
"Haruna-chan, we're here," Erika greeted happily, waving her hand.
"Yo," Iori gave a two-fingered wave.
Haruna's eyes landed on Akira last. The moment he looked her way, her mouth opened and then closed again and again. Her fingers clutched her skirt a little tighter.
"Hello, H-Hoshino-kun..." Haruna greeted him with his family name for some reason, even though he'd already told her to call him Akira.
"Oh, hey, Haruna," Akira gave her a relaxed smile and a casual wave.
Haruna didn't reply. Instead, she turned to Erika with exaggerated focus. "D-Did you bring Ghost today...?"
"Nope," Erika said. "He's back at the house napping."
Haruna looked visibly disappointed.
"Is your sister not here today, too?" Erika asked.
"No, she's at school," Haruna said, a little sadly.
"Oh yeah, forgot today is Monday," Akira mused. From what he knew, Haruna wasn't at school due to medical reasons, and both he and Erika weren't attending for magical reasons. They hadn't met Haruna's elder sister, another heroine, yet.
"Well, since we're all here and it's too hot to run around, how about a game?" Iori stepped in with a mischievous grin.
"What kind of game?" Akira asked with suspicion, wondering what he was up to this time.
"It's called Modified King's Game," Iori said proudly. "Everyone rolls a die. The one who gets the lowest number has to truthfully answer a question from the highest roller... or eat one of these."
He opened the box. Inside were green dumplings radiating ominous energy.
"Bitter melon dumplings," he announced.
"...Why do you have that?" Akira asked, disturbed.
"They were on sale and I thought they might come in handy in situations like this. So, you playing or what? Don't tell me you're scared," Iori said with a smirk.
"Why should I be scared of a luck-based game? Fine, since you want to play, prepare to be destroyed," Akira said with confidence. After all, luck was always on his side, he never lost a game of rock, paper, scissors.
And so, the game began.
Everyone rolled. Akira, with his unnatural luck, expected a solid six. Instead... a one.
"Huh?" Akira and the rest stared at the dice in disbelief.
"Seems like your luck finally ran out," Erika teased.
"Impossible," Akira muttered, shocked for the first time in a while. He was sure no one had cheated, they couldn't escape his mystic eyes, yet somehow, he rolled the lowest number.
Haruna had rolled a five. She hesitated for a moment before nervously asking, "U-um... w-who do you admire the most, Hoshino-kun?"
"Optimus Prime," Akira said without hesitation. If he had to follow someone into battle, it would be Optimus Prime.
"...Who?" Haruna blinked.
"You know, from Transformers? The leader of the Autobots, the greatest leader to ever exist. You should hear his speeches, they're inspiring," Akira said with an expression of awe.
"This is going to be a long game," Iori sighed.
Second round.
Akira rolled a two. Again.
This time, Erika rolled a six. She grinned mischievously. "Alright! What's your greatest fear?"
Akira didn't hesitate. "Cockroaches."
Everyone stared.
"I'm serious. I'd rather fight a dragon than a cockroach. They're creepy, and just think what they'd do if they crawled into your ear while you're sleeping and laid eggs there. Just think what…", Akira explained with a disgusted expression.
"Alright, alright, I get it! You can stop," Erika waved her hand, trying to block out the mental image. Everyone shivered at Akira's words.
"Moving on, round three," Iori said, trying to keep things moving.
Third round.
Another low roll for Akira. He narrowed his eyes at the die.
"I'm going to test these dice later," he said blankly.
Iori smirked. "Then, a classic. What kind of person do you want to marry?"
Akira froze.
Both Erika and Haruna looked at him with interest.
"...I haven't thought about it," Akira muttered. "Never really considered getting married."
Marriage was something Akira had never thought about. Most people in his situation would try to create a harem or find true love when transported into an anime world, but Akira never even considered it, and he didn't know how to answer.
Marriage and love only work if both people actually love each other. As someone who didn't know how to love, Akira was a little lost.
"Maybe someone who can keep people away from me in social situations. Like, step in and talk for me while I disappear into the background," he added after a moment. Despite appearances, Akira was an introvert who disliked social settings.
"That's it?" Erika asked, a little disappointed.
"That's the best I can think of. I guess you could say I want someone who has my back when I need them as my wife," Akira said, crossing his arms.
Both Erika and Haruna looked deep in thought.
"Well, no one knows what the future holds. Alright, on to the next round," Iori said, trying to divert the awkward atmosphere, despite being the one who created it.
Final round.
Akira, again, rolled a one.
"Something's seriously wrong here. What happened to my luck?" Akira was genuinely concerned.
"Alright, since you're losing continually, this is the last one. What do you want to be when you grow up?" Iori laughed.
Akira hesitated.
What did he want to do in the future? That was a question he'd never thought about. In his previous life, he had everything, he could eat whatever he wanted, and people would get him anything he desired. He had everything but freedom. The freedom to choose what he wanted to be.
In this life, he could choose himself, but he hadn't thought about it until now. What did he want to be? A hero? He could save the world if he tried hard enough. A villain? Easy, he could take control of the world if he wanted to. An actor, a chef, a soldier, a musician, a scientist... he could be anything.
Thinking about the future made him think about Erika and Haruna's future, too. He was still wondering what to do, but he could feel it. A decision had to be made soon. Time wasn't going to wait for him forever.
"What am I supposed to do? What do I even want to do? What should I become?"
And then, somewhere deep in his heart, he remembered it.
A tiny, childish wish he once had, the first time he watched anime.
"...I want to be," he said slowly, thoughtfully, "the coolest person there ever was."
Everyone looked flabbergasted. They were expecting an answer like doctor or engineer. Akira's answer left them speechless.
In the end, Erika asked what everyone was thinking. "What do you even mean by that?"
"I mean, I want to do everything, experience everything, and do it in the most awesome way possible and have fun doing it. No matter the consequences, I'll choose to be the coolest and become a legend remembered in history. My name will light up the night sky like the stars," Akira said as he stood up. With a confident grin, he raised one arm toward the heavens, striking a bold pose.
"Let my name echo in song," he declared, his voice carrying like a vow to the world. Even if it meant changing the story, he would save Erika and Haruna from their sad fate.
And just as he made his declaration.
The sky turned black.
Not dim. Not cloudy.
Just black.
A massive black dome spread across the sky, like ink bleeding through glass, swallowing the sunlight in an instant. The sun vanished as if it had never risen.
Akira's hand was still in the air. He slowly lowered it.
"...I did not do that," he muttered flatly.
Beside him, Iori stood up, eyes narrowing. "That looks like some kind of isolation barrier..."
Akira's expression sharpened. "We're trapped in a barrier... Seriously, I was having a moment, guys. At least you should have let me finish first."