Chapter 1: Loneliness
The clock on the office wall had already ticked past nine by the time Natsume Natsuki finally cleared the last stack of paperwork her boss had dumped on her desk. She packed her bag in silence, the quiet hum of the empty office a familiar companion, and began her trek home.
Down in the subway, the fluorescent lights flickered with a sterile, artificial glare. The late-hour train car was nearly empty, occupied only by a scattered handful of commuters. Slumped shoulders, heavy eyelids, and the faint blue glow of smartphone screens painted a clear picture. Like Natsume, they were all casualties of relentless corporate overtime.
The subway's heating system hummed steadily, wrapping the cabin in a stifling, heavy warmth. The rhythmic clack-clack of the wheels rolling over the steel tracks acted like a hypnotic metronome. Natsume blinked heavily, fighting the droop of her eyelids. She checked her phone screen one last time. Her stop was still a long way off. Deciding it was safe to rest her eyes for just a moment, she let her head lean against the cool glass of the window. A short nap, she told herself. But the exhaustion ran deep into her bones, and within moments, she slipped down into a heavy, suffocating sleep.
The darkness gave way to a sprawling, fragmented dream. It was a silent film of her own life, playing out in muted colors from childhood to adulthood.
She saw the peeling paint of the orphanage walls where she had grown up. She saw herself sitting on the edge of the playground, watching the other children form tight-knit circles that she could never quite figure out how to join. The orphanage director, a kind but perpetually exhausted woman, would occasionally pat her head or offer a warm smile. But with so many younger, louder children demanding attention, the quiet little Natsume easily faded into the background. The affection she received was a scarce, rationed commodity.
The scenery shifted to the sterile gray cubicles of her adult life. Her colleagues stood around the water cooler, laughing over weekend plans and trending television shows. Natsume stood on the periphery, holding her paper cup, unable to bridge the gap. She didn't know the shows, didn't understand the jokes, and eventually, the casual chatter dwindled into strictly professional exchanges.
In the dream, she watched her own solitary progression through life. Eating alone, studying alone, walking home alone. It was a quiet existence, steeped in a mild, persistent isolation. There were moments when an ache in her chest urged her to reach out, to change her circumstances, but she simply lacked the social vocabulary to do so. Over time, she had convinced herself that the solitude was comfortable. Safe.
Why was she dreaming of all this now?
Just as a wave of confusion washed over her sleeping mind, a sharp, metallic voice sliced through the silence.
"Natsume, are you okay... Natsume, wake up..."
Her eyes snapped open. A blinding, golden light flooded her vision, stinging her retinas. She threw a hand up to shield her face, squeezing her eyes shut. Slowly, she cracked them open, blinking away the harsh glare until the world came into focus. She lowered her hand, her breath hitching as she took in her surroundings.
The cramped, dimly lit subway car was gone. Instead, she found herself sitting on a wooden bench in the middle of a sprawling, vibrant amusement park. The scent of spun sugar and popcorn hung heavily in the air. A massive Ferris wheel turned lazily against a bright blue sky in the distance, flanked by a glittering carousel and the towering steel loops of a roller coaster. Crowds of tourists flowed past her bench in an endless, colorful stream. The cheerful melodies of park music mixed with the distant, thrilling screams of roller coaster riders.
She gripped the edge of the wooden bench, her knuckles turning white. How did she get here? Before panic could fully set in, that same synthetic voice echoed once more.
"Natsume, how is it? Are you awake?"
She flinched. The sound had not come from the bustling crowd around her. It had echoed directly inside her skull. Having read her fair share of web novels during her lonely evenings, a wild, almost absurd theory immediately surfaced in her mind. A system? She opened her mouth to ask, but the voice preempted her.
"Natsume, you can converse with me directly through your thoughts. There is no need to speak aloud."
Swallowing hard, she closed her mouth and focused her thoughts inward, testing the waters. 'Hello. May I ask who you are?'"Hello, Natsume. I am the System, designated number 111." The voice maintained a perfectly even, mechanical cadence. "To put it simply, you have passed away in your original world. My scans detected your soul's information and determined that you meet all necessary binding requirements. I have brought your consciousness here to offer you a second chance at life. The sole condition is that you must complete the tasks assigned by the System."'Tasks... what kind of tasks?'she thought back, her mind racing.'And where exactly is this place?'
Surprisingly, the revelation of her own death did not trigger a breakdown. Instead, a quiet sense of acceptance settled over her. She had lived a solitary life. There were no close friends to mourn her passing, no family to weep over a casket. In a pragmatic way, it was almost a relief. She wouldn't be leaving behind a trail of grief. Her bank account held only a meager savings, but hopefully, the authorities would forward those remaining funds to the orphanage. It would be a nice final gesture to improve the lives of the children there.
"Please do not rush. We have sufficient time, and I will explain everything in detail," 111 replied, sensing her internal rapid-fire thoughts. "Technically, you have not yet bound with the System. Our protocols forbid unilateral binding without host consent. I will outline the general situation of this world first. Afterward, you may make an informed decision on whether to accept the binding."
The entity paused for a microsecond before continuing. "You are currently located in the world of Detective Conan. I assume you possess some basic understanding of this franchise?"
Natsume blinked, staring at the roller coaster in the distance. The pieces clicked together. An amusement park. A roller coaster.
'Um... yes,' she replied carefully. It was one of the few anime series she had watched during her childhood at the orphanage. She remembered the shrinking detective, the mysterious poisons, and the episodic murder cases. However, the sheer volume of episodes had eventually overwhelmed her, and she had stopped watching years ago. Her knowledge of the later, more complex plotlines was practically nonexistent.
"A basic understanding is sufficient," 111 assured her. "Currently, this dimension has encountered a critical structural issue. It requires a host to intervene and maintain the stability of the world."
'Trouble? What kind of trouble?'
"The core narrative of this world revolves around the confrontation between the Red Side, centered around Conan and various law enforcement agencies, and the Black Side, represented by the Black Organization. For the world to function, the power gap between these two factions cannot become too extreme, at least not until the predetermined finale. However, the current power disparity has grown dangerously wide. The actual strength demonstrated by the Black Organization is severely lacking compared to the combined forces of the Red Side. If this imbalance persists, massive loopholes will form in the plot logic, eventually causing the entire world structure to collapse."
"Your primary objective, should you choose to bind, is to balance the power dynamic between the Red and Black factions," 111 concluded. "Do you have any further inquiries before making your decision?"
Natsume frowned, her pragmatic nature taking over. 'Yes. Am I supposed to do this completely alone?'A heavy sense of doubt weighed on her. She was just an ordinary office worker. How could she possibly influence international intelligence agencies and a ruthless criminal syndicate? If she just marched up to the Black Organization, she would be turned into cannon fodder in seconds.'111, does the system provide any actual assistance, or am I expected to fight armed assassins with my bare hands?'
"Assistance is guaranteed," 111 stated, its tone almost soothing. "Upon your agreement to bind, a specialized, exclusive system will be generated via a lottery draw, tailored specifically to your soul's aptitude. This exclusive system will possess various functions, akin to what your internet culture refers to as a golden finger. It will provide the necessary tools to ensure your survival and success."
Natsume caught the specific phrasing. 'Wait. So you aren't the system that will be binding with me?'
"Correct. I am merely the guide for the transition phase. You will receive your own dedicated system," 111 clarified. "Now, Natsume, have you reached a decision regarding the binding process?"
She looked around at the vibrant, living world around her. The bright sky, the laughing children, the sheer potential of a new existence.
'Let's do it,'she decided, her mental voice firm.'I'm already dead in my old world. Any extra time I get here is a pure bonus. Besides, it's better to have a purpose than to just fade away into nothing.'
The moment she gave her consent, 111's voice shifted into a rapid, authoritative register.
[Host Natsume confirms system binding. Initiating the draw for the exclusive system...]
A holographic roulette wheel, invisible to the passing tourists, spun wildly in her mind's eye.
[Draw complete. The Host's exclusive system is: The Genshin Impact Role-Playing System. Commencing binding sequence...]
[Binding at 1%... 2%... 50%... 100%. Binding complete.]
[From this moment forward, your exclusive system will take over all operational duties. I wish you the utmost success in completing your tasks.]
With that final, polite farewell, the cold, metallic presence of 111 vanished entirely from her consciousness.
'111? Are you still there?' Natsume called out mentally a few times, but she was met with total silence. The guide had truly packed up and left the moment its job was done.
[Hello there, Traveler!]
Suddenly, a bright, cheerful, and incredibly familiar voice chimed in her head.
Natsume gasped, her eyes widening in sheer disbelief. 'Are you... Paimon?'
Even though she had just heard the words Genshin Impact Role-Playing System, the actual reality of hearing that iconic, high-pitched voice sent a jolt of pure joy straight to her heart.
Genshin Impact had been her singular escape in her previous life. It was the one game she poured hours into every evening after returning to her empty apartment. Perhaps her deep, emotional resonance with the game was exactly why her soul had drawn this specific system. She had originally downloaded it because it was primarily a single-player experience, allowing her to explore a vast, beautiful world without the exhausting pressure of forced social interactions.
But as the months turned into years, the vibrant world of Teyvat had become more than just pixels on a screen. To Natsume, Teyvat felt real. The characters felt like the friends she had never managed to make in the real world. In that digital realm, she wasn't a lonely office worker; she was a hero surrounded by companions.
And now, sitting in a strange amusement park in a completely different universe, a genuine smile finally broke across her face. She wasn't alone anymore.
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