He still stared into space, trapped in a tangle of thoughts he couldn't sort out.
In his early teens, he'd read several mangas and watched anime with similar premises: protagonists transported to familiar worlds, characters reborn with incredible powers, epic transmigrations, chosen ones who went from being nobodies to heroes of inevitable destiny. Even he'd fantasized about experiencing something like that, some thrilling adventure that would pull him out of the drab monotony of his life.
But not like this.
"Shit... shit..." he muttered, his voice cracking, holding his forehead as his eyes stared at the ground. Each word was a clumsy outlet for frustration.
He could have ignored the manga when he found it on the street. He could have left it there, pretended nothing had ever happened. But he picked it up. He read it. And now he had to deal with the revelation that aliens and yōkai weren't just fiction... but real threats.
Worst of all: he was trapped in the middle of that story, forced to decide if he wanted to get involved… even if he didn't want to.
"…!"
His breath stopped for a moment. In front of him, that dark screen appeared again, white letters floating in the air as if someone had ripped reality itself.
[Main Plot Alert!
A new event will unfold!]
[First Encounter with TurboGranny and the Serpians]
[Choice 1: I'm More of a Spiritualist
> Help Momo confront the Serpians.
Reward: D-Rank Skill – Spirit Gun (Yu Yu Hakusho)]
[Choice 2: Loyalty to the Aliens
> Help Okarun confront TurboGranny.
Reward: D-Rank Skill – 10% Pyronite DNA (Ben 10)
[Completion Reward: +10 Plot Influence Points]
Hideo blinked several times, stunned, as if the simple act of closing his eyes could erase what he saw. But the text was still there, fixed, illuminating his face in the dimness of his room.
With a sharp movement, he turned to the window. The orange sunset sky was gone, replaced by a deep, dark veil. Night had fallen without him even realizing it.
And then he remembered.
Ken and Momo had met today; he saw that interaction firsthand. That stupid bet was about to begin. Which meant the encounter between them and TurboGranny was already underway.
If he didn't intervene...
The system had been clear: [Penalty: Permanent death of the user.]
A chill ran down his spine.
He swallowed and, without thinking twice, stood up. He clumsily opened the closet and grabbed a red jacket with dark patterns. It was the quickest thing he could find. He hurried downstairs, barely able to say to his mother:
"I'm going to buy a video game I've been waiting for. I'll be right back."
She nodded distractedly from the kitchen. Hideo headed out the front door, his heart racing.
He grabbed his bike from the yard and hopped on without a second thought. As he placed his feet on the pedals, a strange impulse coursed through him—a mix of fear, adrenaline, and a hint of forbidden emotion.
"Let's go, let's go…"
He pushed with all his might; the bike squealed, and the wheels bit into the asphalt. The cold night wind hit his face, bringing tears to his eyes. He pedaled so fast he could barely control the direction, his jaw clenched with effort.
Nagi Hospital… was quite far away. And to get there quickly, he'd have to cross a dense forest, a dangerous shortcut that at night seemed more like a tunnel into the unknown than a path.
He shook his head, trying to calm the turmoil in his mind.
"I don't have time..." He thought about how he didn't even have time to freely choose one of the options this strange system was giving him. Even in that situation, he couldn't help but think he'd be missing out on a unique ability, which was greedy considering he didn't have any at the moment.
He took a deep breath. He gripped the handlebars tighter.
Those things didn't matter right now; he only had one option left.
°°°
A while later, near a tunnel in Shono City.
Okarun stood in front of the entrance, his body trembling and a cold sweat running down his temples. The deterioration of the place was evident: cracked walls, vegetation eating away at the walls, and obstacles alongside signs that screamed "DO NOT ENTER."
"Th-this is where that spirit appears..." he muttered as he held his phone close to his face, swallowing hard. "It's time to prove you wrong once and for all."
Suddenly, a metallic screech and the clatter of wheels on gravel broke the silence.
Okarun turned around, startled. A bicycle was speeding toward him, lurching to a screeching halt a few meters away. The cyclist, panting, dismounted awkwardly and almost tripped.
"Tch... crappy brakes..." Hideo cursed, adjusting the open red jacket he was wearing.
For a moment, they stared at each other, awkwardly, like two strangers caught in the same mistake.
"You... what are you doing here?" Okarun asked, trying to sound firm but with a crack in his voice. He seemed to recognize Hideo, but couldn't quite remember his name.
The voice on the phone seemed to have noticed the interruption in the conversation. "Uh? Hey, did something happen over there? You didn't shit your pants so soon, did you?"
"N-No! It's just someone from my class..." he answered Momo.
Hideo hesitated. He could make up anything: that he was lost, that he was exploring. He couldn't just tell the boy, barely able to stand and trembling in front of the tunnel, that he was the protagonist of a manga in the first chapter.
But the words almost escaped him.
"I heard your argument at school... with that girl. I didn't think you'd actually come." His gaze shifted for a second toward the tunnel entrance. "Considering the whole backstory behind it."
Okarun blinked, surprised.
"What, you brought reinforcements? That wasn't in the deal, huh?" a semi-disappointed Momo spoke on the other end of the phone.
"N-no, not at all!" He shook his head. "Just... I think he was warning me, that's all..." he said as he adjusted his glasses with his free hand.
"Yeah." Hideo nodded, swallowing. He wasn't completely lying; he knew exactly what was going to happen next.
The trembling in Okarun's hands became more evident. Hideo noticed it and forced a half-smile.
"Hey... if you're going to do that crazy thing, at least don't go in alone." I mean, it doesn't make sense, right?"
Okarun looked at him as if he'd heard something crazy. A guy he barely knew—in fact, he didn't even remember his name—was willing to go into a place like that with him?
The tension held for a moment. Then Okarun looked away, clenching his fists.
"I'll do it because I want to prove there are no such things as ghosts!" He turned toward the tunnel, then began singing a song to motivate himself before entering, his legs shaking.
Hideo took a deep breath, trying to relax, relieved that she didn't reject him outright. The system quickly reacted, and the screen appeared before his eyes.
[Unexpected Character Introduction!]
[You have obtained: +1 Plot Influence Point!]
[Optional Quest Acknowledged: Loyalty to the Aliens
> Help Okarun confront TurboGranny.
Reward: D-Rank Skill – 10% Pyronite DNA (Ben 10)]
Hideo showed no reaction, but a chill ran down his spine as he walked into the tunnel.
The plot had officially caught him. And the worst part was that he didn't even have the option to choose the damn ability.