Light spilled in hues of orange, making the sky glow. The clouds stretched lazily across the horizon, glowing gold, pink, and soft violet. The breeze was warm — not too hot, not too cold — just that perfect after-school temperature that made you want to walk slow and pretend life was a slice-of-life anime.
The scenic view made my heart tremble to no end. Maybe it was the beauty of it… or maybe because this kind of peaceful setting was exactly how every isekai protagonist's death scene started.
"You know," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets, "if Truck-kun doesn't get me by graduation, I'm filing a complaint with the Isekai Association."
Ryo groaned beside me. "Bro, please. Not in public."
My name's Arya, sixteen years old, professional shut-in, and part-time philosopher of anime logic. I believed in three things:
1. Friendship is the ultimate power.
2. Screaming your attack name makes it stronger.
3. And if life ever gets boring… you just have to die and respawn in a fantasy world.
Yeah, I know. Cringe.
But when your real life's nothing but bad grades, awkward silences, and teachers who look at you like a lost cause, a good power fantasy keeps you going.
"Can you not say weird stuff when people are watching?" Ryo sighed. Tall, athletic, handsome — everything I wasn't.
Ryo had always been the hot guy of the school. Girls from every class fawned over him. His perfect smile, his tall frame, his easygoing charm — it was unfair. He was the type who'd get isekai'd and immediately become the chosen hero with a legendary sword.
Meanwhile, I was the guy who'd get reincarnated as a villager who dies in episode one.
"It's not weird, it's destiny!" I raised a finger dramatically. "According to the sacred law of anime, a shut-in protagonist always dies young and gets reborn in a world of magic!"
"You're not even a shut-in," he said, shaking his head. "You literally come to school every day."
"That's just my prologue arc, Ryo. Every hero has to suffer through school before awakening their true powers."
"Right, right." He laughed, adjusting his bag. "So what power are you hoping for, oh chosen one?"
"Obviously the power of taming waifu. Or, like, infinite gacha pulls."
I grinned. "I'll get a harem, save the world, and finally be appreciated for my deep anime knowledge."
"You are hopeless," he said dryly, "you'll still be single, broke, and quoting Naruto."
"Shut up, asshole!"
I threw a mock punch at him. He sidestepped easily — star athlete reflexes.
Ryo laughed and shook his head. "You know, for a guy who calls himself a shut-in, you sure talk a lot."
"That's just my protagonist energy."
"Right. And I guess I'm your comic relief sidekick?"
"Nah, you're too handsome for that. You'd be the rival who secretly cheers me on."
"Oh great, now I'm a trope."
"Don't complain. At least you're not the background character who dies in episode one."
He raised a brow. "You sure you're not describing yourself?"
"Tch. I'll remember that when I'm a level 999 hero taming dragons and elf girls."
Ryo chuckled. "You're lucky you're funny, or people would think you're insane."
"Joke all you want," I said, adjusting my glasses like a villain, "but one day, when I'm slaying dragons and taming waifu like Pokémon with my level 999 skillset, you'll regret doubting me."
"Sure. And when that day comes, I'll be the hero's hot sidekick."
"Deal."
We both laughed. The world felt warm and alive — golden light reflecting off rooftops, cicadas humming in the trees, the air buzzing with lazy evening calm. For once, it felt like maybe life wasn't so bad.
I kicked a pebble down the road, hands in my pockets, and smiled to myself. Maybe I don't need an isekai. Maybe—
Then I heard it.
The low rumble of an engine.
I turned.
A truck sped around the corner, way too fast.
My heart skipped.
A small kid chasing a ball stepped right into the road.
"Hey, watch out!" I yelled.
Without thinking, I ran. The world blurred. The breeze tore past my ears. My legs burned, but I reached him — shoved him hard toward the curb.
He stumbled, safe.
And then—
Headlights.
Screeching tires.
A flash of white.
Thud.
The world tilted. My breath caught. My body went weightless. Somewhere far away, I heard Ryo's voice — "Arya?! ARYA!"
The sound warped, fading.
My vision dimmed into a soft glow, like the sun setting behind my eyelids.
"Huh," I murmured. "So… this is it."
A weak chuckle escaped me. "Truck-kun… you finally came for me."
I smiled. "Guess… I really am… the protagonist…"
Darkness.
---
"…Am I dead?"
My voice echoed in a vast, empty space.
There was no ground. No sky. Just light — soft, white, endless. Floating in nothingness.
No pain. No fear. Just… silence.
"This is it," I whispered. "The prologue. The godly summoning scene. Time for my cheat skill. My destiny. My—"
A glowing blue window appeared in front of me.
[System Error: Reincarnation Process Compromised]
"Wait, what?"
Another message blinked into existence:
[Assigning host… error… detected anomaly: 'Main Character Syndrome'… adjusting parameters…]
"Main Character Syndrome?! That's not even— Hey! I'm supposed to be the hero!"
The void shuddered. The light flared. Wisps of color swirled around me like cosmic ribbons.
"Hold up, I didn't even pick my power yet!" I shouted. "What about the goddess intro? The blessing? The cool opening theme?!"
[Initialization Complete. Good luck, background character.]
"BACKGROUND WHAT—?!?!"
Before I could yell another word, the light exploded — and everything went black.
---
Next time I opened my eyes, I was somewhere… else.
" End of Chapter 1"
Note:- I have tried writing webnovel a lot of times but this one will be my final try. I will be hoping for you guys to help me with my dream and follow this webnovel to the end to discover the secrets of our main character Arya- I mean background character.
Thanks for reading - your typical weeb author here :)