Main Character P.O.V.
"…I'm alive?"
The words left my mouth before I realized I had spoken.
The sky above me was impossibly blue. Soft clouds drifted lazily, untouched by tragedy.
I slowly raised my hands into view. Slender fingers. Smooth skin. No scars, no calluses, no faint burn mark from the coffee machine at campus.
Younger. Healthier. Lighter.
My chest tightened.
I should be dead.
The memory hit me like a freight train.
I was a college student. Late for class. A child ran into the street. A truck didn't slow down.
I didn't think. I pushed.
Impact. Pain. Darkness.
And now… this.
I sat up slowly. The cherry blossoms above me swayed gently in the breeze. Petals floated across the sidewalk, catching sunlight like drifting pink snowflakes.
A Japanese high school loomed nearby. Students in crisp uniforms passed by, laughing, arguing about homework, checking their phones. Everything looked… normal.
Too normal.
I stood up, testing my legs. No pain. No lingering shock. Nothing. My body felt unfamiliar—too light, almost dreamlike.
"…What is this place?"
Then I noticed them.
Near the fountain, a girl with long black hair stood upright, poised, eyes sharp and calculating. Elegant posture. Calm expression.
Utaha Kasumigaoka.
My breath caught.
A few meters away, a blonde twin-tailed girl clutched a sketchbook, arguing with someone beside her, her face flushed in frustration.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
"…No way," I whispered. My pulse began racing.
Across the courtyard, a tall boy laughed easily, surrounded by a group of classmates who clearly admired him.
Hayama. And his popular clique.
I took an unconscious step back. "…This isn't coincidence."
More faces passed by.
A quiet girl sitting alone, unreadable expression. A composed student council type gliding gracefully between tables.
Fragments of different stories, different series, merged into one seamless world.
My head spun.
"Saekano… Oregairu…?"
It hit me like a punch.
"I got reincarnated."
Into a crossover romance slice-of-life world.
I stared up at the sky again. "…You've got to be kidding me."
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Lunch Break
By noon, my stomach reminded me it existed. I grabbed a simple tray—bread, curry, and bottled tea—and moved toward the quieter window tables. Sunlight spilled across the floor, illuminating floating dust motes. Outside, the courtyard shimmered under spring warmth.
No one waved. No one called my name. Perfect.
I sat alone, chewing slowly, letting my thoughts spiral.
If this is really a romcom world… then what's my role?
Side character? Extra? Random student #67?
I could live quietly. Graduate peacefully. Never interfere. That might be enough.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
"Ah, Alya-san, you're being too serious again."
I froze. Not the words. The name.
I looked up.
There they were:
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou, composed and ethereal, walking with grace. Her older sister, Maria Mikhailovna Kujou, gentle and grounded, her shoulder-length light brown hair framing her warm, chocolate-brown eyes.
A youthful, innocent face, but with a subtly maternal presence that made her seem comforting. Her curves, fuller than her sister's, gave her a soft elegance, earning whispers of "Madonna" from others.
And Yuki Suou, polite and measured, gliding across the cafeteria with a serene smile.
Masachika Kuze sat at a nearby table with his friends—Takeshi Maruyama and Hikaru Kiyomiya.
"Bro, the student council is coming," Takeshi whispered, nudging Masachika.
Hikaru snorted. "You mean those three?"
The chatter dimmed slightly as the three girls approached.
Takeshi grinned. "You've got history with at least one of them, right?"
Masachika flushed. "Shut up."
Yuki approached first. "Masachika-san… may I sit here?"
He blinked. "Uh—sure."
Without hesitation, she took the seat beside him. Alisa sat across, and Maria paused briefly before calmly choosing a seat as well. The boys tried—and failed—to act natural.
I watched from a distance, absorbing every detail. The dynamic was exactly like the stories I remembered. The world had a script. I was not part of it.
As I chewed, my eyes wandered to the window. A faint ripple shimmered across the glass, almost like heat haze—but denser, heavier.
No one else reacted. No one noticed.
My stomach twisted. Maybe this world isn't as peaceful as it looks.
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After School – Into the Unknown
The sun had begun its descent, painting long shadows across the campus. The air was warmer, but the courtyard was unusually empty. My footsteps echoed unnaturally loud against the pavement as I left the main building.
That's when I noticed it—no students walking, no voices from classrooms, no distant laughter. Even the janitor pushing a cart toward the gym seemed to have vanished.
A chill ran down my spine. Something was off.
I slowed my pace, scanning the perimeter. The familiar streets, the gym, the alleyways—they were all quiet. Too quiet.
Where is everyone?
The breeze felt wrong here. The sunlight seemed dimmer, almost filtered. Shadows stretched in directions that didn't make sense. My instinct screamed that I was being watched.
And then I saw it. The faint ripple in the air—a subtle distortion, almost like heat haze—but more solid. It framed a section of the school grounds in a strange, dome-shaped bubble.
What is that…?
I stepped closer. As I entered the area, the light shifted. The sun above didn't touch the ground anymore. Instead, the sky had turned dark, like night had fallen in this small section of the world. The air felt heavier, colder, and the familiar sounds of the city—students, wind, birds—were gone.
A mental note formed: Maybe it's some kind of barrier… but what for?
I didn't know yet that I had walked straight into a Curtain (帳とばり Tobari?)—a dome-shaped barrier that hides everything inside from outside view. Inside, the sky twists to night, and anyone outside cannot see what's happening within.
I took a cautious step forward, hand unconsciously reaching toward a broom propped against a vending machine nearby.
And then I heard it—a scream. Sharp, terrified, echoing through the empty, darkened alley.
Adrenaline snapped me into action. I ran toward the sound.
The First Encounter – Maria
Around the corner, crouched near the brick wall of a narrow alley, I saw her.
Maria Mikhailovna Kujou.
Her warm, chocolate-colored eyes were wide with fear. Her hands clutched her books to her chest. Her soft, wavy light-brown hair was slightly messy from movement, but her gentle, maternal presence remained intact even in panic.
And advancing toward her…
A shadow. Twisted, grotesque, its limbs unnaturally long. Its red eyes glowed in the dim "night" of the barrier. Smoke-like tendrils curled from its body.
It moved toward her, silent and predatory.
She hadn't noticed me yet.
My chest tightened. My mind screamed at me to do something.
I spotted the broom again. My grip tightened.
I ran.
I swung.
The broom struck the creature's side as it was about to reach Maria.
It shrieked—vibrating through the air like a distorted, bone-deep sound—and twisted violently to face me.
Maria's eyes widened. Relief and surprise flooded her face. Someone had come to her aide.
It all started when she was about to leave her classroom, and suddenly she realized no one was around her. Panic set in as she tried to look for someone, only to find that everyone in the school had mysteriously disappeared.
Then, a monster-like creature suddenly appeared in her view. Screaming, she ran as fast as she could—until she ran into the protagonist.
The creature hissed in fury and lunged toward me.
I didn't hesitate. I sprinted. Zigzagging between walls. My heart pounded. My lungs burned.
Keep it away from her.
Meanwhile, Maria stood frozen at the alley entrance, hands pressed to her chest, worry etched across her face.
Back to the story, the distorted sky above reminded me: I was alone in this "night," trapped by something I didn't understand.
Instinct stirred inside me—not fear, not panic—but raw awareness. Something powerful, something I didn't yet comprehend, had just awakened.
I didn't know what I was capable of. But I knew this: I was the only one in this world who could see it, the only one who could stop it.
And I had just caught its attention.