Summer dragged on like a boring shadow.
Kikoshin SuYo lay on his back in bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling as if they held a map to escape from nothingness. No classes. No plans. No visible future. Just the hum of the fan and the weight of empty days.
"What am I even going to do this summer?" he muttered—more to the ceiling than to himself.
The sound of his phone shattered the silence.
Sumo.
"Kiko!" His best friend's voice exploded like a firework. "There's a party at Kuza's apartment! Tonight! You've gotta come!"
Kikoshin smiled for the first time in hours.
"Another party in that place with cracked walls and the smell of burnt grease?"
"Exactly!" Sumo laughed. "But this time there's real beer and three new girls from school. One's got tattoos on her arms and looks like she knows the universe's secrets."
Kikoshin sighed.
"Fine. I'll go. But if I get bored, I'm leaving."
"Don't you dare! I need you to impress Miojo! She says she only talks to you."
"…We'll see."
He hung up.
Silence returned.
But not for long.
Ring. Ring.
An unknown number.
International code.
Kikoshin frowned but answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
Then, a neutral voice—genderless, emotionless, as if spoken by an old machine:
"You have been selected among the few to become a Class E Captain. Your package will arrive at your residence in five minutes. Thank you for participating."
"What? Who is—?"
Click.
The call ended.
Kikoshin tried calling back.
"Number unavailable."
"Spam," he muttered, tossing the phone aside. "Or some weird scam."
He got up, threw on a black hoodie, jeans, and his most worn-out sneakers. Before leaving, he said goodbye to his mom, who was cooking in the kitchen with the radio on.
"I'm heading to the city, Mom! I'll be back early!"
"Don't drink too much!" she called out without looking.
Kikoshin opened the door…
And froze.
On the floor, right at his doorstep, sat a small black package with no return address.
Only his name written in silver letters: Kikoshin SuYo.
"What the hell…?"
He picked it up. It was light. He shoved it into his backpack without thinking too hard. Someone got the wrong house, he told himself. Or it's one of Sumo's pranks.
Riverhollow glowed with cheap neon lights and the laughter of carefree teenagers.
Sumo waited for him at the corner of Main Avenue, devouring a giant hot dog.
"Kiko!" he shouted, mouth full. "You're late! They've already started the music!"
They hugged like always.
"You bringing good vibes or just that 'the world owes me something' face?"
"A little of both," Kikoshin said, smiling.
Kuza's apartment was on the fifth floor of an old building, its lights flickering and the air thick with smoke and sweat. Inside, the party already roared: electronic music, dancing bodies, plastic cups everywhere.
Kikoshin greeted a few, ignored others.
Flirted with a purple-haired girl who offered him a beer.
Danced to two songs.
Laughed at something he wouldn't remember.
But after a while, the noise overwhelmed him.
He slipped out to the back balcony, where the air was cooler and the world seemed to pause.
He pulled the package from his backpack.
Stared at it.
Remembered the call.
Class E Captain. Package in five minutes.
"This is ridiculous," he said quietly.
But he opened it.
Inside, resting on a black foam cushion, lay a wrist device:
Metallic. Minimalist. No buttons. Just a dark screen with a faint symbol: a broken circle.
Kikoshin picked it up.
Cold. Light.
Out of curiosity, he put it on.
Click.
It locked onto his left wrist by itself.
Instantly, the screen flared with blinding white light.
A voice—the same from the call—echoed directly inside his mind:
"Welcome, Player E35. You have been assigned as Captain.
Time remaining until Game Start: 2 hours, 43 minutes.
Please review your inventory and the latest updates.
Good luck, Captain."
Kikoshin blinked.
Looked around.
No one had heard it.
No one was watching.
"What the hell…?"
But instead of panicking, he laughed.
"Very funny, Sumo. Another one of your Chinese toys?"
He tried to take the device off.
It didn't budge.
He tugged.
Nothing.
It was fused to his skin, as if it had always belonged there.
"Great. Now I've got a watch I can't remove."
He decided to ignore it.
It's just a broken gadget. Nothing more.
He went back inside.
Headed to the makeshift kitchen, where someone had set up a table with snacks.
There stood Miojo, pouring herself a soda. When she saw him, her eyes lit up.
"Kikoshin!" she said shyly, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "I hadn't seen you."
"Hey, Miojo."
"You okay?" she asked, looking at him with genuine concern.
"Yeah. Just needed some air."
She nodded, but her eyes locked onto his wrist.
"Is that watch… new?"
Kikoshin quickly pulled his sleeve down.
"Oh, no. It's a gift from my mom. Old. Doesn't even work."
Miojo didn't look convinced, but she didn't press further.
Then…
It trembled.
Not an earthquake.
A pulse.
As if the entire world had inhaled and held its breath.
The lights flickered.
The music cut out.
Everyone at the party froze.
"What was that?" someone whispered.
Miojo, without thinking, grabbed Kikoshin's arm.
She was shaking.
He looked at her.
Saw the fear in her eyes.
And for the first time that night, he acted like someone worth trusting.
"Don't be afraid," he said, his voice firmer than he felt.
"Everything's going to be okay."
But as he spoke, the device on his wrist vibrated softly.
A new notification appeared in his peripheral vision—invisible to everyone else:
[SYSTEM – EMERGENCY UPDATE]
Containment Barrier: ACTIVATED.
Zone: Riverhollow.
Status: ISOLATED.
Players identified: 147.
Pawns: 89,432.
Active Captains: 15.
Time remaining: 2h 41m.
Preparation mandatory.]
Kikoshin swallowed hard.
This isn't a joke.
He gently held Miojo's hand.
Not out of affection.
Out of instinct.
Because something far bigger had just begun.
And he…
was the Captain.