Chapter 1: I Became Kyubey and Joined a Weird Chat Group
In a vast expanse of darkness, a pair of crimson eyes slowly blinked open.
The small, white creature known as "Kyubey" stood perched atop one of the Nishitamashi City Twin Towers, gazing down at the members of the Junior Detective League inside a car far below.
It mentally tapped a virtual interface floating before its eyes, and a notification popped up:
[Chat Group Transaction Confirmed]
Member [Tom Cat] has traded you: [Transformation Potion]
In exchange for: [Mio Tokiwa's Necklace] from the Detective Conan world.
For now, the chat group only allowed the transfer of small items, which was the only way Kyubey could indirectly observe the worlds of other members.
After confirming the trade, its gaze locked onto the small, bespectacled boy below.
That's the center of this world, it thought. The nexus where countless lines of fate converge.
If he were to sign a contract, the energy requirement might be filled in a single instant.
But the most immediate opportunity was someone else. Its eyes shifted to the boy named Mitsuhiko, who was at that very moment reaching out to help a shaken Haibara from the crashed car.
Kyubey knew its chance had come.
"Looks like I've found my first contractor."
How did I end up in this situation? It all started a few hours ago...
Tokyo, Shinjuku District. A secluded corner of a public park.
A faint white light flickered on a park bench before coalescing into a small, white animal. It had pristine fur, long ears with floating rings, and ruby-red eyes that gleamed in the twilight.
It looked around, utterly bewildered by its surroundings.
Where am I? Why am I in a park?
It remembered being in its university dorm room just moments ago, binge-watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica. How did it suddenly end up here?
Stranger still, it had somehow become the Incubator from that very anime—Kyubey!
This wasn't a dream.
It looked down at its own white paws and felt the swish of a long, fluffy tail behind it.
I really turned into Kyubey! How the hell did I turn into that little monster?!
Just as panic began to set in, a stream of information flooded its mind:
[Welcome, new Incubator. The Contract System has been activated.]
Mission Objective: Facilitate contracts with a large number of qualified candidates. Harvest the energy released when a candidate becomes a Magical Girl. You are encouraged to explore more efficient methods of energy extraction on your own.
Current Contract Energy: 0 / ?????
Once the energy gauge is full, the Host may choose to return to their original world or travel to a new one.
A system? Reincarnation? Contracts?
The little creature... no, Kyubey, as it was now, tried to sort through its chaotic thoughts, but was interrupted by a jumbo screen on a nearby building.
A news broadcast was playing, showing a pair of massive, identical skyscrapers. The reporter was speaking excitedly.
"...the grand opening of the Twin Tower Buildings in Nishitamashi City is almost here! This is set to become Tokyo's newest landmark! Today, we are honored to have the famous detective Kogoro Mouri join us for a tour..."
The screen cut to a mustached, middle-aged man laughing boisterously.
Kogoro Mouri? The Twin Tower Buildings?
This is Countdown to Heaven!
Kyubey instantly understood. Not only had it become Kyubey, but it had been dropped into the world of Detective Conan, right at the start of the Countdown to Heaven movie!
It tried to move its new body. It felt... strange. Well, if it wanted to get home, it looked like it was time to get to work and find some magical girls to sign up.
Just then, another notification box appeared.
[You have been invited to join the 'Non-Human Beings Chat Group'. Accept?]
Non-Human Beings Chat Group? What now?
It hesitated for a moment. As a transmigrator, it knew that this kind of out-of-the-blue invitation usually meant one thing...
Another power-up? Another cheat?
Considering its current predicament, there was no reason to refuse.
"Accept," Kyubey transmitted mentally.
In an instant, its consciousness was pulled into a virtual space. After a moment of disorientation, an interface resembling a chat app appeared.
[Non-Human Beings Chat Group - Lv. 1]
Members: 2/100
Group Announcement: Non-humans only! Any humans who wander in will be kicked! Tatakae! Always Tatakae!
Kyubey checked its own profile. The system had automatically set its name to "Kyubey" with the bio: "An Incubator from the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I can grant any wish in exchange for the wisher's soul."
Whoa, isn't that a little too on the nose?!
Kyubey deadpanned internally as it began exploring the group's functions. It had all the basic features: file sharing, voice and text chat, and emojis. But it also had some unique options, like [Two-Way Item Transfer (Small)] and [Cross-Dimensional Group Livestream].
As it poked around, a new message popped up from a member named "Tom Cat."
It wasn't text, but an image file.
[Tom_Peeking_Curiously.jpeg]
It was followed by two more.
[New_Member_Welcome_Wagon.jpeg]
[Tom_Gesturing_Around_Exploratively.jpeg]
Kyubey: No way, are you the Tom Cat? Do you happen to know a mouse named Jerry?!
Tom Cat: [Cat_Nodding_Enthusiastically.jpeg]
Kyubey: Uh... hello? I'm Kyubey... I think.
Tom Cat: [Cat_Tilting_Head_in_Confusion.jpeg]
Kyubey: Do you only communicate with JPEGs?
Tom Cat: [Dont_Wanna_Talk.jpeg], [JPEGs_Are_Superior.jpeg]
This chat group was getting more interesting by the second.
Kyubey: "So, what's the purpose of this group?"
A file was shared in the chat.
[Tom Cat has shared 'Newbie Guide' with you.]
Kyubey opened it.
Newbie Guide:
Interaction between group members will accelerate the chat group's leveling speed. Members can currently trade small items from their own worlds. Items from one world may be extremely valuable in another.
Members can host group livestreams. During a stream, the chat group will gain energy to level up, and 10% of all energy generated will be given to the streamer for various uses.
As the group levels up, the streamer's energy share will increase, and more functions will be unlocked...
Kyubey immediately grasped the group's value. It was a mutual support platform for non-human beings from across the multiverse.
Kyubey: Right! I have some... things to explore. I'll be back in a bit?
Tom Cat: [Cat_Shrugging_Casually.jpeg]
With that, Kyubey left the park bench. In what felt like the blink of an eye, it had arrived at the Twin Tower Buildings. It slipped into the grand hall, concealing itself in the shadows of a massive chandelier as it observed the humans below.
The crystal facets of the chandelier cast a dazzling rainbow of light across the room, mingling with the sound of clinking champagne glasses and a live piano melody. At the center of the ballroom was a grand prize: a red fourth-generation Ford Mustang GT convertible.
An elegant woman stood on stage, addressing the crowd. "Thank you all for attending the grand opening of the Tokiwa Corporation's Twin Tower Buildings! To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we're going to play a game! The rules are simple: try to count to exactly 30 seconds in your head. The person who is spot-on, or closest to it, will win this brand-new Ford Mustang GT!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, with the Junior Detective League being the most excited.
"We've got this in the bag with Ayumi on our team!"
Kyubey's red eyes gleamed. It decided it had to share Conan's story with Tom. After all, when you find a great series, you have to recommend it to your friends, right? Besides, streaming would grant it a 10% cut of the energy generated. Could that energy be used to fill the Contract System's gauge?
It pinged Tom in the chat.
Kyubey: @Tom Cat, you've gotta see this. I'm about to stream a live-action show for you. It's from a series called Detective Conan. It's got a ton of filler, but the main story arcs and some of the movies are absolute fire. This one is called Countdown to Heaven, and I'm right here at the opening party. I can stream it for you.
Tom Cat: [Cat_Looking_Confused.jpeg], [Cat_Giving_a_Thumbs_Up.jpeg]
Kyubey activated the group livestream function, broadcasting its vision directly to the chat.
Sure enough, as the stream went live, the Contract System's energy gauge began to tick up: +0.01... +0.01... +0.01...
It works!
It was a tiny amount, but it was basically free energy just for watching the show.
Down below, the game had started. One by one, guests tried their luck. Kyubey watched the tense faces in the crowd, its mind already racing, plotting how it could find suitable candidates for magical girl contracts in this world.
"The main characters in the Conan-verse are all tied to some pretty heavy fate," it mused. "There should be no shortage of potential contractors here."
Without Conan by her side to calm her nerves, Ayumi's timing was off, and she only made it to 25 seconds. Unexpectedly, Kogoro Mouri, distracted by a baby crying at the perfect moment, ended up winning by sheer dumb luck.
From the shadows, Kyubey watched the little boy with glasses.
That's Shinichi Kudo, shrunken down. Conan Edogawa.
As the main character, this entire world was practically born from his existence and revolves around him. If he were to become a magical girl... he'd be incredibly powerful, wouldn't he? He might just fill the entire energy gauge in one go!
After the warm-up game, the opening ceremony officially began. A massive painting was slowly lowered from the ceiling when a blood-curdling scream tore through the air.
"Aaaaaah!"
"What's going on?!"
Mio Tokiwa was found dead, hanging from the front of the painting, strangled by the piano wire string of her own pearl necklace. Beneath her, a tiny sake cup sat on the floor, perfectly untouched.
The hall erupted into chaos.
"What is this?!"
"What happened?!"
Kyubey watched it all unfold from the darkness, its tail swishing back and forth.
Tom Cat: [Cat_Jaw_Dropped.jpeg], [Cat_Hiding_Under_Blanket.jpeg]
Kyubey, however, continued to analyze the scene, muttering to itself.
"A pearl necklace capable of supporting an adult's body weight without immediately snapping? It appears the material science of this world isn't very advanced... or is this just the effect of 'Conan-logic'?"
It found itself sinking deeper into thought. It had an instinctual desire to understand the rules of this world. This thirst for knowledge felt disturbingly familiar.
After all... if we can observe it, we can interfere with it. If we can interfere, we can control it. Sooner or later, we will conquer all of these worlds... and the chat group itself...
Wait... We?
Kyubey was suddenly shocked to find its thoughts starting to align with the real Kyubey from the anime.
But the strangest part? It didn't feel any resistance to the idea.
Tom Cat: [That_Necklace_is_Strong.jpeg], [I_Want_It.jpeg], [Jerry_Broke_My_Owners_Necklace.jpeg], [My_Owner_is_Coming_Home_Soon.jpeg], [I_Need_a_Replacement_Thats_Strong.jpeg]
Tom Cat: [Cat_Crying_Pleadingly.jpeg]
Kyubey: I can get it for you, but I'll need something in exchange. What can you offer me?
Tom Cat: [Transformation_Potion.jpeg], [You_Want_This?.jpeg]
[Ding!—Contract System has detected the Host is acquiring a rare item from another dimension. Friendly Reminder: Uploading obtained items to the Incubator Collective Platform allows for research. Any technological breakthroughs will be synchronized with the Host.]
This immediately piqued Kyubey's interest.
Kyubey: "A transformation potion? Tell me more."
Tom Cat: [Transformation Potion: Mini-Muscle Edition]
Description: Upon consumption, user's body will shrink, but their speed will increase exponentially. Become a "Miniature Flash Cat" and double your mouse-catching efficiency.
Kyubey: Deal. Give me the potion, and I'll get you that necklace.
Tom Cat: [Okay.jpeg], [Let_Me_Go_Find_It.jpeg], [One_Sec.jpeg]
Just then, the entire skyscraper began to shake violently.
BOOM!
BOOM—CRACKLE!
Alarms blared deafeningly through the building.
"What was that?!"
"There's been an explosion in the computer room!"
"The generator room and electrical grid on the fourth basement level have been blown up too!"
"A fire has broken out on the 40th floor! Evacuate immediately!"
The entire A-Tower was plunged into darkness.
At that exact moment, a new notification appeared in Kyubey's chat group interface.
[New member 'SpongeBob SquarePants' has joined the 'Non-Human Beings Chat Group'.]