Chapter 1: Hey you!
<span style="font-weight:400">A dark basement filled with a suffocating stench and less than a healthy percentage of oxygen content — it was the type of shady ce every parent warned their children about. A ce you should never visit after dark.
<span style="font-weight:400">Unfortunately, Kazuya found himself in this devious ce, sitting on a rusty steel chair, hands cuffed behind him.
<span style="font-weight:400">A blonde man in a shiny suit sneered down at him and raised a revolver in his hand. The cold barrel touched his forehead. A wave of chill passed over him as a droplet of sweat dripped down his cheeks, falling onto his messy white shirt.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Kazuya, me your hardass grandfather for prioritizing his job over your life,” the yakuza-like man said, his tone colder than Kazuya’s terror but his eyes carried a faint look of pity. “The sin for your death will be on his soul.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He shifted the me of murdering an innocent soul on someone else.
<span style="font-weight:400">Instead of crying or begging for mercy, Kazuya simply sighed. Almost half a day has passed since they brought him here, yet nobody came to his rescue. Giants danced in his stomach, requesting food maniacally.
<span style="font-weight:400">He wasn’t going to cry and avert his eyes from reality — this was the end. There was no use pretending otherwise.
<span style="font-weight:400">He was fortunate to survive a simr crisis two times. First time with a broken right arm and second time with a bullet hole in his left thigh. He almost lost his little brother because of a misfire between the Yakuza and the police! Both times, the police arrived to negotiate in less than an hour. This time the stakes were too high.
<span style="font-weight:400">Between a university freeloader and a group of EX-ss terrorists, a hero of justice like his grandfather would choose thetter.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Fucking Gramps,” Kazuya cursed under his breath. “Kill me, man. He’ll hunt you down sooner orter.”
<span style="font-weight:400">His grandfather had spoiled him rotten ever since his parents died. The old man gave him a private chef for his daily meals, a maid for his daily needs, a seat in a prestigious school, and most importantly, a home to live in.
<span style="font-weight:400">He was extremely grateful but also resentful.
<span style="font-weight:400">Love was irrational, hatred even more.
<span style="font-weight:400">His life became a terrible joke because of his grandfather’s job. He wanted to leave the city, even the fucking country. But his only rtive became emotional and possessive, refusing to let Kazuya step out of his ‘protection.’
<span style="font-weight:400">He merely wanted to live without constant aggression. Unfortunately, he won’t get that peace in this life.
<span style="font-weight:400">The terrorist looked shaken at the mention of Kazuya’s grandfather. “No, he doesn’t care about you. Anyst words before we put you out of misery?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Last words, huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya smiled at the men standing behind the blondie. The chances of making it out alive were almost non-existent… But he wanted to punch this asshole so badly. If he couldn’t live, then his “enemies” shouldn’t either. That’s how he saw things.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No… then—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I have a few.” Kazuya cut off the blonde man with a friendly smile. “Leave a letter for Gramps in my stead. Ask him to transfer all my inheritance to my friend Ryosuke.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Ryosuke usually declined Kazuya’s attempt to help him. Could Ryosuke refuse thest wish of a dead friend? Definitely not. With some money, Ryosuke could be free from his part-time jobs and live a decent life.
<span style="font-weight:400">“...”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And finish the Akame Ga Kill manga for me. I haven’t read thest few chapters. I heard they were kinda mediocrepared to the rest of the series… I still wanna finish it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">They kidnapped him near the climax of that heart-wrenching manga.
<span style="font-weight:400">What a tragic timing!
<span style="font-weight:400">The hooligan with a revolver was dumbstruck. Kazuya wasn’t lying, though. He really wanted to finish that story and wallow in the following hollowness for a day or two.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh wait. Send a letter to Yumi-sensei as well. Tell her I loved her to death. If she needs money, she can p my grandfather.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yumi was closest to him after his grandfather and his stupid friend. After a year of corrupting—pursuing his hot teacher, she agreed to date him. He would no longer get to enjoyte private lectures.
<span style="font-weight:400">His life wasn’t that bad, per se. His teacher-cum-girlfriend bnced his daily life with a super possessive, justice-hungry grandfather.
<span style="font-weight:400">“One more thing… Fuck you and yourrades for kidnapping me now. Couldn’t you have nned three more months? My grandfather might’ve died in an borate scheme—I mean <i><span style="font-weight:400">ident</i><span style="font-weight:400">. You dickheads would’ve assassinated that stupid president. Jesus christ, you all are impatient like fucking kindergarteners.”
<span style="font-weight:400">He took a deep breath after his outburst. It felt like a stone was lifted off of his chest.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Ah, there is no better stress relief than yelling.’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya’s words struck some nerves in his kidnapper as his handsome face turned crimson. “You little cunt…”
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Terrorist-san</i><span style="font-weight:400"> pressed the barrel deeper into his forehead. Staring down at his death certainly gave him some regret.
<span style="font-weight:400">His only trouble with death was — does the afterlife exist? If not, where will he go after death? Will he simply stop existing?
<span style="font-weight:400">As he fell into a loop of thoughts, the blonde man squeezed the trigger.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Bang!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">A red sheen filled his vision. A searing pain exploded in his head, making him cry out in agony. His eyes fluttered closed, and his head slumped, the burning sensation gradually waning.
<span style="font-weight:400">Silence fell in the aftermath of his <i><span style="font-weight:400">death</i><span style="font-weight:400">.
<span style="font-weight:400">…
<span style="font-weight:400">…
<span style="font-weight:400">…
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Hold on… why can I think?’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">His consciousness was intact after the gunshot. Did his brain survive the bullet from that range? Unlikely, considering the pitch ck surrounding him. He was hovering in nowhere, devoid of every sensation, not even the pain inflicted by the bullet.
<span style="font-weight:400">Something was wrong — he could feel it in his bones.
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<span style="font-weight:400">[Character ‘Kazuya Ishihara’ created.]
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<span style="font-weight:400">An oh-so-familiar floating window emerged in the sea of darkness.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Character? Is this system?’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">That shitty reincarnation trope of empowering a protagonist to the divine levels for no reason. He wasn’t fond of systems, as they forced unreasonable tasks on their host. Let’s not forget the fact that most systems were part of some end-level boss’s scheme, or given by some alternate version of the main characters.
<span style="font-weight:400">Amidst his confusion, the sensation of his body returned. He felt lurching up and down, the exaggerated motion of a horse’s gait all too familiar. He had been riding horses since he was a child, but hadn''t straddled one since he graduated from high school.
<span style="font-weight:400">As he blinked away thest vestiges of sleep, he saw a panorama of jagged peaks, craggy summits, and snow-covered ridgelines. The stars were absent in the ink-ck sky, only a half moon fighting a losing battle against the darkness.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Was the moon always this close?’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, you. You’re finally awake.”