The cheers were loud.
Too loud.
"BROOOO! NARUMI! CLUTCH!"
Narumi Kurai laughed, raising his headset slightly as his teammates screamed through the voice chat. On the screen in front of him, the word VICTORY flashed brightly.
Another win.
Another perfect play.
Another game cleared like it was nothing.
"He's insane, bro… no way he's human."
Narumi smirked faintly.
If only they knew.
His room was dark, lit only by the glow of his monitor. Empty energy drink cans sat scattered across his desk. The clock blinked 2:43 AM.
Silence quickly replaced the noise as he muted the call.
"…Heh."
His smile disappeared.
Just like that.
The room felt colder.
Lonelier.
Narumi leaned back on his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Another game done…"
His voice was quiet now—flat.
"…now what?"
No answer came.
There never was.
At school, it was a different story.
"Good morning, Narumi!"
"Yo! Kurai! You coming later?"
Narumi smiled brightly, waving back.
"Yeah, yeah! Of course!"
Energetic. Friendly. Easy to approach.
That was the Narumi everyone knew.
A normal senior high school student in the Philippines. A guy who laughed easily, joked around, and seemed to get along with everyone.
But none of it was real.
Not the smile.
Not the laughter.
Not the connections.
He walked through the hallway, surrounded by noise—students chatting, laughing, living.
Narumi was there.
But not really there.
"…People are loud."
His expression didn't change, but his thoughts were distant.
None of them matter.
Friends?
He had that once.
Family?
He had that too.
The memory came without warning.
Screeching tires.
Shattered glass.
A night filled with rain.
And silence… after.
Narumi's footsteps slowed.
"…I'm the only one left."
The words echoed in his mind like a curse.
Since that day, everything felt… empty.
Games became his escape.
Anime. Manga. Stories of other worlds.
Worlds where people mattered.
Worlds where someone like him could disappear…
…and it wouldn't feel like loss.
That night—
Narumi lay on his bed, phone resting on his chest as an anime played quietly.
A hero stood on screen.
Summoned to another world.
Given power.
Given purpose.
"…Lucky guy."
Narumi closed his eyes.
"I wouldn't mind disappearing too."
The words slipped out casually.
Like a joke.
Like a wish.
Then—
The world shook.
A strange light filled his room.
"…What the—?"
Narumi sat up instantly.
A glowing circle spread beneath him.
Symbols he didn't recognize began to spin.
Magic.
"…No way."
His heartbeat quickened.
"This is… isekai?"
For the first time in a long while—
His eyes lit up.
Not fake.
Not forced.
Real excitement.
"HAHA…!"
He stood up, looking around as the light intensified.
"So this is how it happens?! No truck-kun needed?!"
The circle pulsed.
The air distorted.
Narumi laughed.
Actually laughed.
"Alright then…!"
His voice was filled with something he hadn't felt in years.
Anticipation.
"If I'm going… then let's see—"
The light consumed him.
"—what kind of world this is!"
Silence.
"…Ugh…"
Narumi groaned as his vision slowly returned.
Cold stone.
A massive hall.
People in robes.
Knights in armor.
And beside him—
Others.
Teenagers.
Confused.
Panicking.
"…Seriously?"
Narumi sat up, looking around.
"A summoning… circle…"
At the center stood a man in royal clothing.
"The heroes from another world… have arrived!"
Cheers erupted.
"Heroes?"
Narumi blinked.
"…So cliché."
One by one, the other summoned students were called forward.
"Class: Sword Saint!"
"Class: Archmage!"
"Class: Dragon Knight!"
Gasps filled the hall.
Excitement. Admiration.
Narumi watched quietly from the back.
"…Figures."
Then—
"Next!"
A knight pointed at him.
"You, step forward!"
Narumi stood up lazily and walked toward the crystal.
The moment his hand touched it—
The room went quiet.
"…Huh?"
The priest frowned.
The crystal dimmed.
"…Class…"
He hesitated.
"…Shaman."
Silence.
"…That's it?"
A murmur spread across the hall.
"Shaman?"
"What kind of class is that?"
"Support type?"
"Useless?"
Narumi blinked.
"…Oh."
The king's expression darkened slightly.
"A failed summon…"
The words were spoken casually.
Like they meant nothing.
Narumi stood there.
Staring at the crystal.
"…Failed, huh."
No anger.
No frustration.
Just—
Acceptance.
"…Guess that fits."
The heroes behind him laughed quietly.
"Tch, what a waste of a slot."
"Glad I didn't get that."
Narumi turned away.
No reaction.
No argument.
He simply walked back.
Hands in pockets.
Eyes dull.
"…Same as always."
Unnoticed.
Unwanted.
Unnecessary.
But deep inside—
Something stirred.
A whisper.
A presence.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
"…Interesting…"
A voice echoed within him.
Not his own.
Narumi stopped walking.
"…What the…?"
The voice chuckled.
"You… can hear me?"
Narumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
For the first time since arriving—
Something felt different.
"…So I'm not alone after all."
A faint smile formed on his lips.
Not bright.
Not cheerful.
But something darker.
Something real.
"…Maybe this world won't be so boring."