Keita turned up the volume on his television.
He had never been interested in the news before, but today he had switched through every channel, trying to stay updated on the rare phenomenon.
But none of them were broadcasting it.
NHK 1: some local news.
TBS: a variety show with AKH36's third generation. They had changed members again.
He switched again.
BS 1: a shopping channel.
He kept switching, his thumb pressing the button faster in frustration. Not a single station mentioned the phenomenon.
Why did no one seem to care about the phenomenon at all? Was it even real?
Or was it just another hoax, another conspiracy theory people made up online because they had too much free time?
Giving up, Keita turned the TV off. The black screen reflected his own disappointed face. He moved back to his computer and started typing.
IseKeita: Are you sure the eclipse is happening today?
There was no answer.
Keita waited for another few minutes, but the green icon next to KuroUsagi07 suddenly flickered and turned grey.
Offline.
Keita slumped into his chair. Being ignored by a digital rabbit felt like a new low for his social standing. It was one thing to be rejected by society, but it was another to be ghosted by the only person who shared his delusions.
The door to his room opened. His mother stood there, holding a fruit bowl and a drink.
"We are leaving soon, for the airport. This is the last time I'm asking you. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"
Keita didn't look at her, and just gave a single, stiff nod.
"Very well. I'm not going to force you."
She placed the tray beside his keyboard, careful not to touch his mouse. "I left food in the fridge. They should last you a few days."
She walked to the window and pulled the curtains open, then immediately a harsh slab of morning sunlight hit the floor.
"You should at least open the curtains and let the sunshine in. Sunshine is good for you, Keita."
Keita stayed silent. In the reflection of his monitor, he saw her bitter smile. That broken look was back. The one that suggested she was mourning a son who was still sitting there, just a few steps away from her.
"I'll leave you be. Call me if anything happens, okay? I left some money on your card. Use it if you need to."
Then she leaned down, kissed the side of his head, and left the room. Quietly closing the door behind her.
Keita let out a long breath.
The front door of their house clicked shut minutes later. The silence that followed was heavy and absolute. It was perfect.
Keita waited a few seconds before getting up to close the curtains. He didn't need the sun. In a few hours, the sky was supposed to provide him with a much more efficient exit strategy.
He sat back down and opened a new tab.
Search: how to open portal during total eclipse
The results were unhelpful. Most of them were either obvious trolling, badly written blog posts, or people arguing in comment sections about whether dying was required or merely strongly recommended.
Keita stared at the screen.
The schedule was set. The phenomenon was confirmed. But how exactly it was supposed to open a portal was still unknown.
How was he supposed to trigger it? Should he attempt another near-death experience?
The forum post had said the eclipse would happen at midday. That meant three more hours.
He looked at the screen again, hoping for a reply.
None came.
His eyelids began to grow heavy. After staring at the monitor for a little longer, he gave up, set an alarm for ten minutes before noon, and rested his head against the chair. A quick nap after the long hours of researching was something he needed right now.
The apartment was silent. And at some point, it became dark.
When Keita opened his eyes, it was not because the alarm had gone off. He woke up because the world was trying to shake him off his chair.
The ground vibrated violently. Japan was famous for having earthquakes often, but this was different. The floor trembled harder than usual. The lamp on the ceiling rattled and his bed shook. His desk lurched against the wall, spilling his pens.
Panic hit him instantly. Keita quickly dropped to the floor and crawled under the table, his body moving on instinct. It was the same safety drill every student in Japan had practiced so many times that it became automatic.
The shaking lasted more than thirty seconds. Or maybe a minute.
It was hard to tell.
Time behaved strangely when the room was trying to throw itself apart. Either way, it was longer than any earthquake he had experienced before. And he found, somewhat unwillingly, that he was actually afraid.
The curtain had been shaken open by the tremor, and from beneath the table, he could see the sunlight outside growing dimmer.
The eclipse was happening. At the exact same time as the violent earthquake.
This was it. This had to be it.
It was exactly the sort of suspicious timing that would make perfect sense in a transmigration story and absolutely no sense in real life.
But Keita could barely think. The shaking was too strong, and all he could think about was surviving long enough for him to be disappointed properly later.
Finally, after what felt much longer than it probably was, the trembling stopped.
His room was a mess. Books had fallen from the shelves. Action figures lay scattered across the floor. A few of his isekai comics had slid halfway under the bed, and his pencil case had somehow landed near the door.
After making sure nothing else was falling, he slowly crawled out from under the table.
"That was crazy," he muttered.
But his attention quickly shifted toward the window. He crossed the room at once and pulled the curtain fully aside.
The sun was back. The eclipse was over.
Keita stared at the sky for a long moment, before cursing under his breath.
"Damn it. Did I miss it? Was the portal open during the shaking?"
He looked around the room, hoping reality had changed while he was hiding. Maybe the walls were made of different material, or maybe he had a "status window" floating in the air.
Nothing. It was still his room, only that it was just a mess now.
After a few more seconds, he let out a slow breath. Another failed attempt.
That made it #14.
Though he was not even sure it counted as an attempt. He had basically left everything to nature and hoped the universe would do the hard part for him.
Still, it had failed. Which was honestly disappointing, considering the earthquake had been dramatic enough to deserve better results.
He sighed and reached for his notebook, ready to record another failure.
Then, something slammed through his door.
A blade flashed across the wooden panel.
SLASH!