Silence.
Only the faint buzz of the television broke through the deep darkness of the room.
Akito slowly regained consciousness. His body lay on the bed, but his eyes were still closed. The bedsheet clung to his skin, his mouth was dry. A few seconds passed—then his eyelids slowly lifted.
Dim light.
Morning rays barely made it through the closed blinds, casting a soft, grayish glow around the room.
He sat up. His head spun slightly—but he knew instantly.
He was home.
— "What the…" he mumbled, rubbing his temple.
— "Oh, look who's finally up. Sleeping beauty,"
said a voice—unfamiliar, yet weirdly alive.
Akito flinched and quickly turned toward the sound.
On the floor, legs crossed, sat… someone. Or rather, something.
He looked almost human—but with fox ears, a fluffy tail, and glowing blue eyes. A retro game console lay in front of him, and he was fumbling with its wires in complete frustration.
— "Tell me, how does this damn thing plug in? I wanna play Street Fighter," he said, not even looking up.
— "Who… are you?" Akito rasped, unsure whether to panic, lie back down, or just assume he was hallucinating.
The fox-boy finally turned to face him. His glowing eyes narrowed playfully.
— "Already forgot? I'm your first Guardian. Call me whatever you want… preferably something respectful."
Akito froze.
A system window floated up in front of his vision:
[Congratulations! You've reached Level 50.]
[First Guardian Unlocked.]
[Guardian 1: ??? – Activated.]
He touched his temple slowly.
— "Please… tell me I haven't lost my mind."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds.
One filled with confusion and pain—
The other, with a kind of lazy calm, like he'd seen it all before.
— "How can you even talk?" Akito broke the silence. "What happened? How did I end up back home?"
The fox just sighed and scratched his ear.
— "So many questions from someone who just crawled back from death…" he grumbled.
"Help me plug this thing in and I'll explain."
— "Seriously…?" Akito frowned, but didn't argue.
He stood up—his body immediately answered with a dull throb, especially around his ribs. Even healing potions had limits.
He limped to the TV, where the fox had tangled the cords like a complete amateur.
— "It goes in the AV port… not HDMI…" Akito muttered.
He was just about to switch the cables when the news broadcast came on:
"Two teenagers, Kaito and Yumi, disappeared without a trace the night before last.
Police found no signs of struggle—only a broken window and a strong smell of rot.
Tufts of fur and claw marks were also discovered at the scene…"
Akito froze.
His hands dropped.
He turned toward the fox, who had also stopped moving. He stared silently at the screen.
— "What… happened to Kaito?" Akito's voice cracked.
— "I didn't make it in time," the fox said quietly.
"When I appeared… you were already unconscious on the ground.
Kaito was in a cage behind a concrete wall. I drove off the rats and carried you home.
By the time I got back… it was too late. They'd eaten him."
— "No…" Akito clenched his fists.
— "NO!"
He slammed his hand against the TV. The screen flickered but held.
His mind filled with flashes—walking to school with Kaito, playing soccer, laughing together.
He hadn't made it in time…
— "Easy with the TV!" the fox grumbled. "I was gonna play on that."
He lifted the controller again like nothing had happened, then suddenly shouted:
— "Oh! It's working! C'mon, c'mon, teach me how to play this! I wanna be the ninja guy with smoke bombs!"
Akito stayed silent—but he launched the game.
Still numb. But deep inside, he understood:
The fox was trying to distract him. To save him… in his own way.
At that moment, a new tab appeared in the system's corner:
[New Function Unlocked: Guardians]
He tapped it.
[Guardian No. 1]
Name: ??? [Set Name]
Level: 50
Rank: D
Role: Fighter
[View Details]
He clicked "View Details." The screen expanded:
• Height: 194 cm
• Weight: 76 kg
• Age: Unknown
• Skills: "Fox's Trick" (max), "Fang of Deceit" (Lv.1), "Essence Steal" (Lv.1)
Akito glanced at the fox.
— "Do you even have a name?"
The fox snorted, still staring at the game.
— "Not yet. You're the master, right? Pick one.
Just don't call me Fluffy—I swear I'll burn your socks."
Akito smiled slightly—for the first time that day.
But deep inside, it still burned.
Kaito… I got stronger. But I was too late.
He stared again at the Guardian's profile.
None of the usual stats like attack, HP, or speed were listed.
— "Hey," he said, turning to the fox.
— "Your name's Ardan."
— "Ardan? Sounds badass."
The fox nodded. "Now, how about some clothes? I'm not walking around looking like a final boss all day."
Akito chuckled.
— "Here. My favorite shorts and T-shirt. Just don't stretch them out."
Ardan eagerly grabbed the clothes and vanished into the other room.
A few minutes later, he emerged wearing a white shirt and black shorts—looking like a regular guy… with ears and a tail.
— "How do I look?"
— "Decent," Akito replied.
— "Now let's eat. I'm starving."
They opened the fridge… and groaned in disappointment.
Inside: half a jar of mayo, two eggs, a bit of cabbage, and a few sad slices of cake.
— "Alright, I'll go to the store," Akito said, grabbing his jacket. "Want anything?"
— "Yeah! Instant noodles—fried chicken flavor with spicy sauce!" Ardan shouted after him, but Akito was already out the door.
— "Damn it…" the fox muttered, rushing after him.
He darted out the apartment, catching up with Akito in the hallway.
— "Hey! You forgot—"
But he didn't get to finish.
The door across the hall opened, and the neighbor stepped out.
She saw Ardan—ears, tail, glowing eyes—and froze.
Then screamed:
— "AAAAAAAH! MONSTER!!"
…before collapsing in a dead faint.
A few seconds of stunned silence.
— "I always knew you weren't pretty," Ardan said slowly, looking at Akito.
— "But this ugly?"
Akito just sighed and facepalmed.