MEANWHILE; IN THE REAL WORLD, JAPAN —
KISHIMOTO HIGH SCHOOL;
The late autumn sun filtered through the tall windows of Class 2-B, casting long rectangles of pale gold on the wooden floor. Outside, the maple trees lining the school courtyard swayed lazily, their red and orange leaves drifting down like slow-moving embers. The hum of the fluorescent lights mixed with the monotonous voice of the teacher at the blackboard, his chalk scraping in uneven rhythms. Students sat in various states of attention—some furiously scribbling notes, others propping their heads on their arms and staring off into nothing.
Igaru, an 11th grader with slightly messy black hair and tired eyes, sat near the back, next to the window. His notebook was open, but the pen in his hand hadn't moved for minutes. He wasn't listening to the teacher. Instead, his gaze was fixed outside, scanning the sky as if searching for something.
It was then that he noticed it—something… no, someone—high above the school grounds. At first glance, it looked like a small black speck against the blue sky, but as his eyes adjusted, he could see it was shaped like a person. More than shaped—it was definitely standing, or rather, floating in midair.
Igaru's brows furrowed. The figure seemed completely still, yet there was an odd ripple in the air around it, like heat haze rising off asphalt on a summer day. The outline flickered faintly, almost as if it didn't belong to this world.
He squinted, trying to make out details. Was it a man? A woman? Maybe even something not human at all? The distance made it impossible to tell. It could've been an angel, a ghost, a devil—something straight out of urban legends. His heartbeat quickened.
The figure turned its head, scanning the city below. Then, without any visible movement, it stopped and fixed its gaze toward the east. A moment later—it simply vanished. No flash of light, no sound, nothing. One instant it was there; the next, the sky was empty.
Igaru sat frozen in his seat. Had he just… imagined it? The rest of the class seemed oblivious. Nobody else had reacted. The teacher kept droning on about historical dates.
AFTER SCHOOL ENDED;
The final bell rang, and the usual chaos of students packing up and rushing for the door filled the room. Igaru left slowly, his mind still circling back to what he had seen. He walked through the school gates into the fading afternoon light, his bag slung over one shoulder.
The streets were calm—shops beginning to close, housewives returning from grocery runs, a few kids chasing a soccer ball down an alley. His sneakers tapped against the concrete sidewalk as he cut across the usual route home.
Then he heard it—
"Gwahhhhhh!"
A sound so loud and guttural it seemed to shake the air around him.
Igaru froze mid-step and looked up. His breath caught in his throat.
A huge creature stood in the distance, partially obscured by the haze of the setting sun. It was nothing like anything he had seen in real life.
It had legs—thick, uneven things like tree trunks—but its torso looked as if it was crudely assembled from sticks, jagged stones, and chunks of clay. Its skin, if it could be called that, was cracked and rough like ancient pottery. Its head… oh god, its head. It was shaped like a human's, but without eyes, without a nose, without lips—just smooth, featureless flesh stretched over a skull-like shape. The absence of facial features made it infinitely more disturbing.
Its single, twisted horn curved backward, sharp enough to glint faintly in the dying light.
The thing stood unnervingly still, its head tilted ever so slightly, as if listening for something. Then—
It moved.
Its steps were slow, deliberate, and horribly silent for something so massive.
Igaru's legs gave out, and he fell hard in the middle of the road, his palms scraping against the asphalt. Pain shot up his arms, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the nightmare in front of him.
The sudden roar of an engine snapped him back to reality—a truck was barreling down the street toward him.
He couldn't move. His body refused to respond, frozen between primal terror at the creature and the shock of the oncoming vehicle.
Suddenly, something gripped the back of his collar and yanked him violently to the side. His body hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him.
The truck passed by in a blur, its horn blaring angrily.
"You trying to die, boy?" a deep voice asked.
Igaru looked up, gasping. Standing over him was a middle-aged man, tall and broad-shouldered, with a neatly trimmed beard and sharp eyes. He wore a red cap pulled low and a faded blue suit jacket over a white shirt. His hand was still outstretched from pulling Igaru to safety.
"I…" Igaru began, then quickly turned his head toward the creature—
But it was gone.
"Can't you see it?" Igaru blurted out, pointing toward the sky where it had been.
The man followed his gesture, his brow furrowed. "What?"
"That… that thing! It was huge—horn, no face—"
The man scanned the street again, then looked back at him, expression softening slightly. "There's nothing there, boy. You're probably just tired. Go home, get some rest."
"No! I saw it! It was right there! Are you—" Igaru stopped mid-sentence, realizing how insane he probably sounded.
The man gave a small sigh. "Look, kid. Hallucinations happen when you push yourself too much. It's late. Just head home and sleep. Everything will be fine in the morning."
Igaru wanted to argue further, but then—
Something appeared in front of his eyes.
Not in the world—over it.
A translucent, glowing panel floated in midair, words printed in clean, white text.
His mouth went dry.
"Am I… awake? Dead? Dreaming? In a parallel world? Did I get isekai'd without dying? Or… am I seeing things?"
The panel shifted slightly, like it was responding to his gaze.
[HEAVEN'S CHOSEN ONE DETECTED][INHERITANCE SYSTEM UPLOADING…][1%]
"A… system?" Igaru whispered, eyes widening. His heart was pounding in his ears. "This is… real? Oh my god… it's actually happening."
His mind raced with possibilities, recalling every light novel, manga, and game he'd consumed that started just like this. A slow grin spread across his face despite the chaos in his head.
"Why is it uploading so slow though…? Tch. Whatever. I should just get home before I get killed by another truck."
He stood, brushed dirt from his pants, and gave a quick bow to the man who had saved him. "Thanks. I'll be fine now."
The man gave him a strange look but nodded and walked away.
Igaru turned toward the quieter side streets, his steps quicker now, the panel still faintly glowing in the corner of his vision.
"A new life, huh?" he muttered under his breath, unable to stop the excited smirk curling his lips. "Let's see what you've got for me, system."
He walked for another ten minutes, the bustle of the main road fading into eerie stillness. The narrow road was lined with closed shops and darkened windows. The air smelled faintly of damp concrete and autumn leaves.
That was when he heard it—
The low hum of an approaching vehicle.
He turned to look—
A black car was speeding toward him from behind. But there was no engine noise, no screech of tires—just that unnatural hum.
Before he could react, the car swerved, hitting him hard from behind. Pain exploded through his back, and the world tilted.
His vision blurred, colors smearing together as his ears rang. His limbs wouldn't move. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.
The last thing he saw before darkness took him—
The car door opening.
Four men stepping out in perfect synchronization, their faces hidden behind black masks. They lifted him effortlessly, like he weighed nothing, and tossed him into the back seat.
The door slammed shut.
The car drove away into the night.