Chapter 1 – The Rebirth of Alexandrite
That was the third time my cell phone alarm had tinkled that morning.
"Argh… I get the message!" I muttered, face half-buried in the pillow.
The illuminating screen added an extra light source to the otherwise small-space mess. Mangas formed a rightful carpet with ramens packaging and screwed-up anime figurines scattered on the half-shelf. At the very top, in a place of pride, sat the special edition box of Oshi no Ko.
My pride and joy.
Ai Hoshino smiled from the cover, looking up to the stars as if beyond reach.
"Oh… you really are amazing…" I whispered with the corners of my lips curling upward in a tired half-smile.
My name was Kaito Tanaka, and I was seventeen. I was just an average student and a self-confessed otaku. At school, I was just another dull face in the sea of uniforms. I was not good at academics or sports. They were anime, games, and manga-I felt alive in that world.
And Oshi no Ko was the one that had the heaviest weight among all stories. The drama, the lies, the crying… and Ai Hoshino. For me, she was more than a character. She was a spark that never really existed in the real world.
An afternoon which should have been normal. I went outside the bookstore, hugging my volume of manga as if it were a trophy. The sky was overcast, but nothing seemed unusual.
"I can't wait to read it…," I smiled while talking to myself.
That is when it happened.
A deafening noise. Tires skidding on asphalt.
A metallic figure appears without warning.
Truck-kun.
There were no brakes for the reaction. The collision was hard. Yet, oddly, I felt no pain. Just as if I had had my very soul ripped out of my body-a feeling similar to paper being torn."
My last eyesight before accepting total darkness was of the manga slipping from my fingers and going down to the rain-soaked floor.
And then, total silence.
When my eyes finally opened, the world became strange. There were muffled voices everywhere. Strange noises, as if underwater. I struggled to move my body but was weak and very small.
"He's beautiful…" whispered a soft voice.
My sight remained blurry for some time. This slowly cleared, and what I saw made me hold my breath.
Pink-haired lady, with shining eyes and a gentle smile, halfway in an embrace with me, was the image of reality. The lady was real; more real than all the illustrations together, more alive than any painting.
Oh, Hoshino.
My heart thudded. It couldn't be. She was just a character. But there she was, holding me in her arms.
I looked to the side. Two babies slept in cribs beside me: a girl with an angelic face and a tranquil boy. I didn't need to be told who they were.
Ruby and Aquamarine Hoshino.
A shiver ran through me. This wasn't a dream. I'd been reborn inside my favorite novel.
That's when I noticed something strange about myself. My eyes seen reflected in the bedroom window. A bright ruby on the left. A deep blue on the right.
Heterochromia.
It was like having within me the mirror of Ruby and Aqua.
Ai smiled, running her fingers over my forehead.
"He'll be named Alexandrite. A gem that can be found only rarely and one that shifts color with the light. It's perfect for him."
My chest tightened. I, who'd only heard his tale previously, was now part of it.
The following days were strange. I was a baby, confined, but my thoughts were awake. He witnessed Ai singing to us, Ruby crying, Aqua sleeping. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
And then, one night, something happened.
As I tried to have my hands grip harder, a sensation coursed through me. As if an otherworldly screen had been drawn in front of my mind.
[Comprehension System Activated]
A text window flashed in front of my eyes:
Name: Alexandrite Hoshino
Age: 0
Strength (STR): 1
Agility (AGI): 1
Constitution (CON): 2
Intelligence (INT): 2
Creativity (CRE): 3
Charisma (CHA): 3
Determination (WIL): 2
Skills: None.
I'm appalled. I have… a system?
It was not like in ridiculous ability isekai anime. It was simple here, uncomplicated. Each trait seemed to be something real: my frail body, my conscious mind, my Ai-legacy presence.
Curious, I tested on moving my legs once more. I could kick the air harder. The screen flashed:
[Strength +1]
I was stunned. That's how it was. Any level of effort, any attempt, could make me better.
I closed my eyes and smiled. Maybe I was a baby, but this time… this time I would grow up.
And within me, a promise started to take shape:
I will not let history repeat itself. I will not stand by as this family's tragedy plays out. I will shine, alongside them.
And Alexandrite Hoshino was born, the third spark in Ai's eyes.