Beep!
"Gasp!"
He jolted awake at the blaring sound of an unfamiliar alarm clock.
'What the hell?'
The round-shaped clock kept beeping, though now at a slower, duller pace.
Beep. Beep. Beep...
'What is this? I don't remember buying a new alarm clock. Mom must've played a prank on me.'
Reaching over, he switched it off, yawning as he stretched. But when he opened his eyes fully, the yawn died in his throat.
This wasn't his room.
His heart pounded as he sprang from the bed, stepping on something. A letter.
'Huh?'
He bent down, picked it up with trembling hands, and unfolded it.
A farewell letter.
"Fuck!" He dropped it and rushed through the apartment, opening every door.
The apartment was small, empty, and completely silent.
'Something's wrong. What is going on?! Did someone kidnap me?'
Tears welled up as panic surged. He rubbed his eyes and froze.
How could he see so clearly? As someone who was nearsighted, he should've needed glasses.
'Bathroom!' He sprinted to the mirror and stopped, breath hitching.
The person in the mirror wasn't him. Slim build. Brown eyes. Dark blonde hair. A face he didn't recognize.
"What, what happened to my face—" He clutched his mouth.
That voice. It wasn't his.
Frantic, he scratched his arms, testing if he could feel anything. "Ouch!"
'This can't be real. It must be a dream!'
[ Welcome to the program: "No Love, No Life." ]
A transparent screen appeared, floating in midair. The boy gasped, tripping over the carpet.
"What, what is this thing?!"
[ Dear Host, I am Spoon. From today onward, I will assist you in the program: "No Love, No Life." ]
"Huh? What the hell?" He crawled back. "Whoever is putting up this bullshit has to come out now, or I'll call the police!"
The screen teleported itself in front of him again.
[ Dear Host, please refrain from inappropriate language. You have been selected for the program- ]
"Stop repeating the same thing! Didn't you understand what I just said?!"
He squeezed his eyes shut, kicking aimlessly. But he felt nothing.
He slowly opened his eyes. The screen was still there. Untouched.
He reached out, hand passing through it. 'What? How is this even possible?'
[ Because, Dear Host, you are now in a different world. Accordingly, you were assigned a new body. ]
"...What do you mean, a different world?!"
He ran to the bathroom window. Outside, everything looked ordinary. Buildings, roads, blue sky.
"Another body...whose body is this? Who put me here?"
[ Dear Host, please don't ask so many questions at once. ]
[ You are currently on planet 69144135 ]
The boy stuttered. "H-huh? What?"
[ Dear Host, the criteria for your selection cannot be revealed, nor can the identity of the decision-makers. ]
[ This body belonged to: ]
[ Name: Blake Ashford ]
[ Age: 18 ]
[ Birthday: 11/11 ]
[ Date of Death: 11/11/2125 ]
He stared at the screen, frozen.
Was he in the body of a dead person?
His knees suddenly gave up. 'That was a farewell letter. He took his own life, and now I'm in his...' Nausea hit him. How could he be inside a dead person?
[ The "No Love, No Life" program was created by ##### to save the world from Myles Cortez. ]
'Huh?' His face paled. 'Myles Cortez? Wait, it doesn't mean...'
[ In your original world, he was the villain of the popular novel Hero Lab Disaster. ]
Hero Lab Disaster, HLB for short, was a best-selling sci-fi novel about governments experimenting with alien DNA. He hadn't read it but knew the story, more or less.
"Wait, wait, wait! What about—"
[ Dear Host, you are free to interpret this however you like; your confusion doesn't concern me. ]
The boy tried to smack the screen. "No! You have to answer me!"
[ To save the world from Myles Cortez, you must seduce him. ]
His mouth dropped open.
[ Dear Host, do you have any questions? ]
"No...wait..." He swallowed, lips trembling. "Let me get this straight. You put me in this body, in another world, so I can save it from Myles Cortez."
[ Yes, Dear Host. ]
"And to do that...I have to seduce him?"
[ Indeed, Dear Host. ]
"Indeed, my ass!" He snapped, throwing a toothbrush at the screen. "Send me home! I'm not seducing anyone—"
[ Mission: Confess to Myles Cortez. ]
[ Current Favorability: -10 ]
[ Time Limit: 30 minutes ]
[ Penalty: Death ]
He froze. "...Death?"
[ Yes, Dear Host. ]
"If I die...where do I go?"
His chest tightened, breath hitching as a cold wave of panic overwhelmed him. "Hey! Where are you?!" He shouted, voice cracking.
He ran through the apartment, throwing every door open, searching through drawers and behind the curtains. "If I really have to do this, then tell me where to find him!"
Silence.
"Fuck! Fuck!" He punched a wall. 'Phone, I need a phone!'
He found one in a jacket pocket.
Date: November 11, 2125.
He activated the GPS.
Location: 842 East Marwick Avenue, Alendrei City, BM 10429.
He truly was in a different world. Alone.
"Mom, dad..."
Tears blurred his vision as he dressed in a uniform and ran out, climbing down the stairs.
'Where should I go? How do I survive this?'
Outside the building, the transparent screen appeared again.
[ Unlocked: Love Tracking. ]
[ Congratulations, dear Host, now you can track Myles Cortez whenever you wish. ]
A map showed a red circle.
'That must be Myles!' He ran as fast as he could.
[ Warning. ]
[ Mission: Confess to Myles Cortez. ]
[ Time Limit: !10 minutes! ]
[ Penalty: Death ]
"What?!"
[ !Warning! ]
[ Mission: Confess to Myles Cortez. ]
[ Time Limit: !5 minutes! ]
[ Penalty: Death ]
'I'm close! Just a little more!'
1 minute.
'No, no, no!' He almost tripped, but continued without a care.
He was finally at the crowded bus stop.
But now there was a new problem.
'...What does he look like?'
He looks around, frantically, and then, as a holy light ascended from heaven, the boy could see it, he could see his target, standing while looking at his phone, like any ordinary person.
30 seconds.
He walked fast, exhausted, and Myles' gaze met his.
"Myles!"
Words burst out louder than expected.
3 seconds.
Myles' cold eyes met his.
2 seconds.
His throat burned.
1—
"Myles! I love you!"