Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., Shibuya, Tokyo.
After thanking the guy who came to take over his shift, Aoki Suke pushed open the door and walked out of the convenience store where he worked part-time.
It was only early summer, so even in the middle of the day, the temperature outside was still tolerable.
But as he mentally calculated this month's paycheck against the rent he'd just handed over yesterday, a flicker of irritation crossed Aoki Suke's face the moment he stepped outside.
If nothing unexpected happened, he'd be living off Cheap Bento again this month.
Aside from the money he set aside for food, his wallet was empty. Almost all of his wages went straight to rent, and as a student, it was nearly impossible to land a high-paying job...
Seventeen years after transmigrating to Tokyo, ending up like this was honestly pathetic.
He worked at a convenience store just to scrape together enough for tuition and rent, with whatever was left barely keeping him alive. His phone was a two-year-old relic, and he'd even worried recently about paying the steep utility bills...
Honestly, his life wasn't much different from a corporate drone's. If anything, it was even worse.
Still, getting this far was already a small miracle—
In his previous life, he'd just been an ordinary university student. Then one day, a Truck-kun on a delivery run sent him flying into Japan's Tottori Prefecture. His age reset to zero. Orphanage start. No Cheat. No one cared. No one adopted him.
Even with a second chance, there was no "advantage" for Aoki Suke to exploit. The world he landed in was completely different from his old one—aside from a few place names and buildings.
His old plan of making money by recycling songs or literature from his past world? That died fast. His memories weren't clear enough.
So what did being a transmigrator give him? Nothing—except maybe a bit more maturity than kids his age.
At seven, he was placed in a Tottori public elementary school with abysmal resources. By thirteen, he was dumped into a public middle school where the teachers were arguably worse than him.
In Japan, where hierarchy and social class are carved in stone, his life path was already laid bare.
But he refused to accept mediocrity.
So when he graduated middle school, Aoki Suke told the orphanage director his plan: he wanted to go to Tokyo and enroll in a private high school.
Private schools in Tokyo had way better resources than anything in the Tottori countryside. It was his only shot at changing his life through study.
The director didn't object, of course. But neither did he offer a single yen of financial help.
And so, at sixteen, Aoki began his double life in Tokyo: part-time jobs to pay the bills, studying to climb higher.
Unlike most high school students chasing youth and fun, his life goal was crystal clear:
Study seriously. Change his future!
His dream university was the University of Tokyo in Bunkyo. Known as the cradle of corrupt politicians. His ideal career? Becoming one of those parasites feeding off the nation's lifeblood.
For over a decade, he'd clung to that determination. Wake up early, grind till late, juggle three jobs a week, never complain, never slack. All for University of Tokyo.
Until—
For the first time in ten-plus years, Aoki Suke's resolve wavered.
He was walking home, following the route back to his apartment, when his steps froze in front of a small park.
He passed this park every day. It had basic playground equipment, and around kindergarten dismissal time, plenty of parents brought their kids here.
But it wasn't nostalgia or a sudden urge to ride the swings that stopped him.
It was because he spotted a girl who looked strangely familiar.
Not someone he'd met before—but definitely not a stranger.
Light blonde hair tied in a side ponytail. A school uniform he didn't recognize. Beautiful face.
He was certain he'd never seen this girl in his seventeen years of living here. So why did she feel so familiar...?
Blonde hair. Side ponytail. Red eyes. Overflowing with cheerful, radiant energy. With his past life's countless hours of anime experience, there was no mistaking it—
Ijichi Nijika. One of the main heroines of Bocchi the Rock!
Of course, if it were just a coincidence—running into an anime character from his old world—he'd be surprised, maybe pause for a second. But it wouldn't be enough to shake the life goal he'd worked toward for years.
What really shook him was what came next:
A pale blue screen suddenly flashed before his eyes.
[You've encountered Ijichi Nijika in the park. She's currently searching for a temporary guitar player. Your options are—]
[Option 1: Take the middle road—ignore the heroine, carry your Cheap Bento back to your dingy apartment, and repeat your air-conditionerless summer routine of boring days (Reward: 500 Points, Ending unlocked: "A Life on Repeat").]
[Option 2: A strong man's life needs no rehearsal! Confess to Ijichi Nijika right here in the park and shout loudly: "Ijichi Nijika, you could be like a mother to me!" (Reward: 500 Points, Achievement unlocked: "The End Is the Beginning").]
[Option 3: Approach the heroine, ask if her band needs a temporary guitar player, and upon confirmation, volunteer for the role (Reward: 500 Points, 100,000 yen in cash).]
...A Cheat?
Aoki blinked, then quickly processed it.
Ah... so this was the System—seventeen years late. Arriving only after he'd already set his goals and fought for them all this time.
He skimmed through the Options, took a deep breath.
Option 2 was insane—straight-up weird—so that was out.
He was tempted to just curse out this tardy System and stick to Option 1, stay low-key, less hassle. But Option 3... offered too much.
Forget the Points—he didn't even know how they worked yet. But that bold, shiny "100,000 yen" staring at him? That was enough to awaken all of his suppressed greed.
A hundred thousand yen—a considerable sum. Even if he didn't spend it, just holding that money would soothe the soul of someone who'd been dirt-poor for seventeen years.
Sure, a real man doesn't bow for half a bowl of rice. But 100,000 yen isn't rice—so bowing for it was fair game.
There was just one problem.
He couldn't play guitar.
If he picked Option 3 and volunteered, he'd probably just humiliate himself in front of Ijichi Nijika—and maybe even mess up something important for her.
His eyes lingered on the glaring "100,000 yen." He hesitated.
Half a second later, he made his choice.
There'll always be a way. Worst case, I'll help Nijika find Bocchi later. Round it up, and I wouldn't really be messing her up, right?
Sorry, walking 100,000-yen jackpot!
Decision made, Aoki stepped forward into the park.
Closing the short distance, he addressed the blonde girl looking down at her phone.
"Ahem... hey, uh, I saw you looking around for a guitar player just now. As it happens... I know a little. Do you need help?"