I Became a Narrow-Eyed Character
A massive wolf worthy of being called a yokai, a pitiful female student, and a wild mountain. The scenery before my eyes had changed abruptly. Time had stopped. White hair subtly obscuring my vision, and an eye level higher than usual. The sense of powerlessness that was the hikikomori's basic passive skill was gone, replaced by an overwhelming surge of energy throughout my body. All of it proved that this body was no longer mine.
'Looks like I've possessed someone.'
I'd had a vague idea since drawing the sword from my waist stopped time. Probably the time-stop sword I'd longed for so desperately. Having gotten my hands on it meant I'd entered the game... and not just any game, but the disastrously trashy "Apocalypse Love Comedy."
"Hmm, whatever shall I do with this."
Entering the game and getting a ridiculously overpowered sword was great, no doubt exciting, but it was all so sudden I was at a loss. The strange speech spilling from my mouth involuntarily, and worst of all, possessing a body in "Apocalypse Love Comedy"—a game I'd never even seen a happy ending for. If I couldn't clear it as a game, could I really beat it in reality on the first try?
'...I only made it to Episode 7 at the end.'
The game catalog plainly stated "Apocalypse Love Comedy" had 15 episodes, so not even knowing half of the apocalypse ahead was utterly despairing.
"This is quite the predicament."
If the body I'd possessed belonged to the protagonist of the story, Kitagawa Kenichi, wielder of the ability-nullifying demon sword, I'd have been utterly screwed. Expansion pack difficulty adjustments or not, I'd have hit a bad end at least once. But the guy I'd possessed was muttering in this bizarre speech pattern, and in his hand was a demon sword that manipulated time itself.
Yeah, with this... maybe I could pull it off.
After roughly calculating, I turned back to the scene before me. A pack of wolves pouncing on a girl collapsed on the ground. To avoid sounding a bit lecherous, let's say monstrous wolf beasts targeting a human woman. As a former hikikomori, I'd never have dared face wolves this huge, but now it felt doable. Thanks to stopped time, the monster wolves were frozen solid too.
"Well then, shall we handle this first."
I approached the rigid pack of monster wolves leisurely, sword raised. The blade so transparent it inadvertently reflected the full moon in the sky and its master's face. My narrowly crescent eyes and grinning smile gleamed back from the steel.
Whoosh—!
I'd worried about swinging a real sword or killing something since I was a total amateur, but it went smoother than expected. This new body seemed thoroughly accustomed to it all.
Slice!
On the first night after possessing into the shit-tier game "Apocalypse Love Comedy," I massacred over thirty wolves.
After that, I took the unconscious girl to a police box in the prefecture and slowly learned about "me." No convenient setup where the original owner's memories flowed in automatically.
I rummaged through the wallet in my pocket, found an ID, went to government offices for more digging, and pieced together info on my new body. Summarizing it:
Name:Ichimaru Shiki
Status:Orphan
Age:16
Education:Elementary school dropout
Other:No social records observed
"Hmm, what a tremendous delinquent."
Who'd have imagined someone dropping out of elementary school? And that I'd become him myself. Sure, as a cheater with the time-stop sword, there must be circumstances, but on paper, I was history's greatest dropout delinquent.
"This is quite troublesome."
"Apocalypse Love Comedy" was notoriously difficult, yet it was still a visual novel. A gorgeous girl romance sim, no matter what anyone said. Like any galge, it was set in a high school in the prefecture.
Yeah, a high school! Way out of reach for an elementary dropout like me. I could handle things without enrolling, but having key characters right nearby would make everything smoother.
'At least Japanese comes pre-installed, that's a relief.'
The trash game "Apocalypse Love Comedy" was Japanese-made, not Korean. Hence the Tokyo city and high school setting. If I couldn't speak the language, surviving the city would've been impossible before even playing the game.
"So, what I must do right now..."
Penniless, sitting on a park bench sorting my thoughts, I finally reached a conclusion.
First: 'Study.' Japanese high schools had entrance exams, and as the prefecture's top delinquent, I needed to graduate elementary and middle school first. Who'd have thought I'd study for elementary equivalency exams? But with basic knowledge down, just history and literature to nail. A few reference books, and I'd master it quick.
'Now, second problem.'
Maybe the most pressing right now. Having emptied my wallet, I gloomily eyed the dust motes drifting in the air.
"Not a single yen."
Yeah, I needed quick cash. Long-term, enough for three years of high school life. My survival seemed threatened starting from crash-landing in Japan proper.
I stood abruptly, gazing at the bustling Tokyo streets.
"Hmm, shall I find a part-time job first."
Autumn was turning chilly; sleeping rough wouldn't do.
About half a year passed since then.
That half-year was precious time adapting to Tokyo—the backdrop of trash game "Apocalypse Love Comedy"—and the unfamiliar body named Ichimaru Shiki. The perpetual narrow eyes, or half-lidded gaze, and the speech that felt bizarre at first. The inhumanly sturdy flesh and time-stop ability had finally become familiar.
Screeech—!
"Oh ho, still alive, eh."
Drawing the longsword from my waist stopped time, fine, but I couldn't test combat skills on people, so urban monsters I occasionally ran into made perfect guinea pigs. Mostly dogs, cats, sometimes humanoid ones, clashing to gauge my level.
Hmm, about this much.
A cool, detached self-assessment.
Incidents like that girl getting attacked would drop too, so all good.
"One Giant Cheeseburger!"
"Hahaha, Giant Cheeseburger order received."
Not just that—I bought reference books with part-time earnings and studied for equivalency exams. As a hikikomori but highly educated, elementary was a breeze. Middle school took longer, but...
Having Japanese pre-loaded in my brain was a godsend. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made deadlines. Yeah, getting into this damn school would've been impossible.
Monster hell, Karakura High School. A decent college-prep high in Tokyo, main stage of "Apocalypse Love Comedy." Past the stark winter, pale pink cherry blossoms bloomed at the school gate.
I glanced up to see a banner welcoming new students like me.
"At last, a fresh start!"
Half a year post-possession. Short or long adaptation period over, I'd reached the game proper. A normal prep school would just need studying, but this one was a demon realm! To avoid dying, self-defense was key. Longsword too conspicuous, so I brought a concealable dagger in my sleeve.
"Hmm, for the first day, this should suffice."
Nodding, I passed the gate into the campus.
Noisy clusters of fellow new students. Tempted to mingle, but priority spot first—hurried steps.
'Class 1-A... ah, here.'
The class where "Apocalypse Love Comedy"'s protagonist and nominal heroines belonged. Adjusted exam scores to join key figures—tougher for that.
I arrived a bit late; seats mostly filled.
'Red-brown, pale pink, golden. Those striking hair colors mean the Fire Shrine Maiden, ancient weapon, star mage heir—all present.'
Protagonist not yet, but other must-watches were seated. Acted carefully to avoid butterfly effects, and luckily none. They were still Class 1-A, and I'd spend school days with them unknown. Saving the world together.
"Huhuhu, feels like I've become the hero somehow."
I grinned pleasantly.
"...Huhuhu."
A newcomer letting out a sinister chuckle... the girl blinked at the narrow-eyed man in the seat right behind.
She couldn't tear her gaze from the black-hearted-looking guy who'd appeared before her.
"Ichinose? You okay?"
"...Fine."
The Fire Shrine Maiden, Ichinose Hotaru, soon felt certain. The villainous-looking new student ahead was the one who'd saved her from wolf yokai half a year ago.
Her eyes flicked to his name tag.
'Ichimaru Shiki.'
The Fire Shrine Maiden memorized her savior's name.