It was supposed to be an ordinary after-school walk.
Haruto Kisaragi stayed behind late, picking up trash duty as usual, when he noticed a commotion behind the gym. A girl from his class quiet, shy, the kind who barely spoke was cornered by three older men in tracksuits. They weren't students. Local thugs.
One of them shoved a small packet into her trembling hand. "Take it. Sell it. Or we'll make you regret it."
Haruto froze. He had heard rumours gangs loitering near the station, shady hands reaching into schools to use kids as runners. But seeing it this close, watching a classmate about to be forced into the mess of drugs and violence it made his blood boil.
He could have walked away. Pretended he saw nothing. That was the safe choice. But Haruto wasn't wired like that.
"Let her go," he said, stepping into the alley.
The men turned, their sneers lit by the fading glow of a streetlamp.
"Who the hell are you?" one spat.
"Just a student," Haruto said, fists clenched. "But I'm not letting you drag her into your trash."
The girl looked at him with wide, tear-stained eyes.
The tallest thug chuckled. "Big words for a kid." He pulled a knife from his pocket, the blade glinting. "Want to play hero? Heroes bleed."
Haruto's heart thundered in his chest. Fear screamed at him to back down, but his legs wouldn't move. If he left, the girl would be ruined. He knew that much.
So he lunged.
The scuffle was messy, desperate. Haruto wasn't a fighter, but adrenaline drove him. He shoved one thug back, swung wildly, and for a moment just a moment he thought he could win. The girl managed to break free and run.
But then the knife found him.
A hot sting tore across his ribs, then plunged deeper. His body buckled as the thug twisted the blade, grinning like a wolf.
Haruto gasped, vision spinning. He fell to the ground, the world tilting sideways as his blood seeped into the cracks of the pavement. The thugs cursed and fled, not wanting police attention.
Alone, Haruto lay staring at the night sky.
The stars blurred. His breath grew shallow. But even as the pain burned, he felt a strange sense of relief.
At least… she got away.
His final thought was not of regret, but of a stubborn will:
If only I had the strength… I wouldn't have lost.
And then came the chime.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…][Program Detected: Vengeance.exe][Directive: Survive. Adapt. Win.]
Darkness claimed his consciousness and when he awoke again, his new life had already begun...