The blast of the horn wasn't a sound; it was a physical force that vibrated through Agung's teeth.
HONNNNNK!
The screech of burning rubber followed, but it was too late. One moment, Agung was checking his phone, wondering if he'd have enough time to finish a dungeon run before work; the next, a wall of chrome and blinding headlights consumed his entire reality. There was a dull thud, a sensation of weightlessness, and then... silence.
Agung blinked. He wasn't on the cold asphalt of a Jakarta street. He was sitting in a plastic ergonomic chair that felt suspiciously like his one at home, facing a desk made of pure, shimmering light.
Across from him sat a teenager in a neon hoodie, scrolling through a holographic tablet with an expression of profound boredom.
"Agung Wibowo. Age: 35. Cause of death: High-velocity structural realignment via logistics vehicle," the boy said without looking up. "I'm the Operator. You've been selected for a Phase 2 Reset. Thoughts?"
Agung rubbed his stomach, feeling the familiar soft weight of his midsection. He was still 35, still a bit chubby, and still very much dead. "I want a do-over," Agung said, his otaku instincts kicking into overdrive. "A real one. Reincarnate me to when I was 20. I want a bank account with a quadrillion USD—the kind that never goes down, no matter what I spend."
"Expensive taste," the Operator muttered, tapping the screen. "And a perk?"
"Creation Magic," Agung added, leaning forward. "If I can imagine it, I want to make it. And send me back to Kanda, April 1st, 2013."
The Operator paused, a flicker of a smirk crossing his face. "2013? Specifically the day μ's started their rise to fame? You're a man of culture, Agung. Fine. Wealth, Magic, Youth, and Kanda. Consider it done."
A glowing seal appeared beneath Agung's feet.
"Wait!" Agung shouted as his body began to dissolve into light. "You said 'Consider it done,' but you didn't—"
"Enjoy the homecoming, Deadbeat," the Operator whispered.
Kanda, Tokyo
Agung opened his eyes to the smell of cherry blossoms and city exhaust. He took a deep breath, expecting the lungs of a 20-year-old athlete. Instead, he felt a familiar, heavy tightness in his chest. He looked down.
He was still wearing his faded jacket. His stomach still strained slightly against his belt. He wasn't 20.
He looked at a nearby digital billboard over a convenience store.
DATE: 2026.04.01
TIME: 13:30
"2026?" Agung gasped. "That glitchy little—he skipped thirteen years!"
He had the money; he could feel the weight of a black card in his pocket that pulsed with a quadrillion-dollar aura. He had the magic; he could see the mana threads dancing on his fingertips. But he was in the wrong time.
"Agung?"
The voice was cold. It was like a shard of ice being driven into his spine.
He turned slowly. Standing at the base of the Myojin Shrine steps were six women. They weren't the teenage idols from the posters in his room. They were grown. They were elegant. And they looked like they were ready to commit a felony.
Maki Nishikino stepped forward, her purple eyes narrowed with a look of pure, unadulterated loathing. She was holding a designer handbag like a weapon.
"Three years," Maki whispered, her voice trembling with rage. "You disappeared for three years without a single word, leaving us to handle everything. And you show up today? On April Fool's Day?"
"Maki, wait, I can explain—" Agung started, but Umi Sonoda stepped up beside her, her face a mask of terrifying "Blue Fire" calm.
"Explain?" Umi asked, her hand twitching as if she were reaching for a bow that wasn't there. "You left your responsibilities. You left your home. You left us. There is no explanation in this world that saves you now."
Behind them, Nico was vibrating with fury, Eli had her arms crossed with a chillingly professional stare, Kotori looked heartbroken yet dangerously quiet, and Nozomi was slowly shuffling a deck of cards that seemed to glow with an ominous purple light.
From the safety of a nearby cafe table, Agung saw three other familiar faces: Honoka, Hanayo, and Rin. They weren't part of the confrontation. Instead, Honoka was leaning forward, grinning ear to ear.
"Go get him, girls!" Honoka cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth. "He looks like he's gained weight! He clearly wasn't suffering while he was gone!"
"Yeah! Give him the 'Washi Washi' of justice, Nozomi-chan!" Rin added, cackling as she filmed the whole thing on her phone.
Agung stepped back, his back hitting a vending machine. He had a quadrillion dollars. He could create a fortress out of thin air. But as six angry wives closed in, Agung Wibowo realized that no amount of magic could save him from the consequences of a life he hadn't even lived yet.