The sky first glitches at 7:42 p.m., just as Airi Kisaragiis escorting a stray tabby across the crosswalk like an anxious traffic cop. Cars hiss past. The cat meows once, offended by existence, then trots away.
Airi exhales. Another small, invisible good deed. It won't raise her Aptitude Score. It won't get her noticed. Tomorrow she'll still be the girl teachers forget to call on.
She steps onto the sidewalk.
The air pixelates.
A square of light opens in front of her, faint as a reflection on water. She blinks. It stays.
SYSTEM INITIALIZED
User: Airi Kisaragi
Status: Under-leveled but interesting
Objective: Optimize.
Her breath catches. She waves her hand through the window. Her fingers pass through the glowing text like it's fog.
Then new lines assemble.
Daily Quest: Ask one question in class. Reward: +1 Academics.
Daily Quest: Run 1 km. Reward: +1 Stamina.
Side Quest Available: Comfort someone. Reward: Empathy +3.
Airi looks around. No one else reacts. Students walk by, absorbed in their own neon-lit evenings.
"This isn't real," she whispers.
The window expands, forming a translucent interface shaped like a skill tree. Branches marked Academics, Combat, Arts, Social, Perception, Strategy glow softly, waiting.
Her heart thumps with a mix of fear and temptation.
A notification chimes.
Penalty Warning: Overuse may cause Overclock. Symptoms include vision glitches, nosebleeds, temporal distortion.
"Overclock? What, like a computer?" she mutters.
The System answers with a single, polite beep.
She closes her eyes. When she opens them, the interface is still there, hovering patiently.
Airi swallows.
"Fine," she says softly. "Show me what I can do."
The branches pulse.
And her life begins patching itself.