When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring blankly at towering shelves packed with books.
Bright ceiling lights burned overhead, and beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a glowing city skyline stretched out into the night. The surreal contrast between the calm order of the bookstore and the buzzing world outside left him frozen in place, unable to think.
Then came the voice.
Emotionless. Mechanical. Echoing directly inside his skull.
[Primary consciousness has awakened. Initiating memory integration.]
The next second, it felt like his brain exploded.
Memories—dozens, maybe hundreds—crashed into him like a tidal wave.
Born in... somewhere he couldn't quite place. Attended a private high school in Japan after a move related to his parents' work. Age fifteen when he transferred. Age sixteen when a plane crash stole them both away. A part-time job at a bookstore. 850 yen an hour.
Each fragmented moment played like a movie in his head, flashing too fast to follow. He clutched his temples and groaned.
"What the hell...?"
The last thing he remembered was lying in bed, scrolling short videos on his phone. Now... now he was standing in a bookstore, a teenager again. Same name. Same face. But everything else? Completely different.
Before he could even start processing what was happening, the voice returned.
[System sync confirmed. Consciousness fully active.]
[Initializing Energy Collection System... Success.]
[Initializing Notification Interface... Success.]
[Initializing Ability Interface... Error. Energy levels insufficient. Rebooting... Failed.]
[Warning: Please replenish system energy immediately.]
Each warning came with a wave of sharp, stabbing pain, like something inside him was being ripped away. He staggered, gasping for air, his lungs tightening like he was drowning.
"What is this?!" he managed to choke out. "What kind of broken system did I get saddled with?"
[Answer: Host possesses dual-soul configuration. Excess mental energy is currently compressing neural pathways.]
"Oh, for—are you serious?! Now it's my fault for having strong mental energy?"
His frustration was boiling over, but there was no time to dwell.
"How do I fix it?"
[Answer: Host must fuse the Energy Collector with a designated 'protagonist.' Only voluntary fusion will be successful. Energy gathered from target will activate core abilities and stabilize host's soul state.]
"Wait, wait—'voluntary'? Seriously? Can't even cheat a little?" he muttered under his breath, starting to panic. "Fine, whatever. Where's this 'protagonist' person now?"
[Would you like to initiate target detection?]
"Y—wait. Detection uses energy, doesn't it?"
[Wide-range scan requires 100 units of energy. Close-range scan is free.]
"Of course it is," he muttered bitterly. "Okay, how close are we talking?"
[Fifty-meter radius.]
"That'll do. Activate it. Let me know the moment you find anyone."
He yanked off his bookstore uniform—hat and apron tossed onto a nearby chair—and bolted.
"Hey, what's going on?" the store manager called after him.
"Emergency! Cover for me!" he shouted over his shoulder, already swinging onto the bookstore's shared bicycle.
His legs pumped like crazy, pedaling furiously through the narrow street.
"System! Scan the area!"
[No targets found.]
[No targets found.]
"You've got to be kidding me!" he hissed, weaving between pedestrians. "Is this some kind of cosmic joke? Am I being punked by a bored god?"
"Maybe I'm still in bed. Maybe I'm dreaming this whole thing."
But even as the words left his mouth, he knew it wasn't true. A creeping certainty tugged at the edges of his mind. This wasn't a prank. No one was pulling strings behind the scenes. The only thing messing with him was that busted-up system stuck in his head.
And that was terrifying enough.
His heart pounded, not just from exertion, but from raw, helpless anxiety. Waking up to a new life was one thing—waking up to die again five minutes later? That was something else entirely.
"If I had a knife," he growled, "I'd stab this system right in its smug mechanical face."
The panic was building. He was barreling down the sidewalk like a madman, people shouting and jumping out of the way.
Then—
[Ding!]
That cold, robotic chime had never sounded so heavenly.
[Target located.]
[Scan complete.]
[Adjust view: turn 20 centimeters to the left and tilt upward at a 30-degree angle.]
He followed the instruction and spotted her immediately.
In the dim alley across the street, barefoot and clearly in a panic, stood a girl. Their eyes met at the same moment.
Her expression shifted from fear to urgency.
"Don't just stand there! Run!"
He didn't have time to ask questions. In the next heartbeat, he saw what she was running from.
A monstrous rat—easily the size of a calf—came barreling down the alley behind her.
His eyes widened.
"Oh, hell no!"
He slammed his foot onto the ground, using it as a makeshift brake. The tires screamed against the concrete, leaving a black streak as he wrenched the bike into a skidding turn.
"Get on!" he yelled.
"W-What?!"
"No time! Move!"
To her credit, she didn't waste another second. The girl threw herself onto the back of the bike just as he took off again, pedaling like his life depended on it—because it probably did.
There was no room for heroics. No witty banter. No explanations. Just adrenaline and survival.
Five minutes later, they hit a dead end.
He stared at the wall in front of them, then glanced over his shoulder. The giant rat loomed at the alley's mouth, its oversized teeth scraping the ground.
His companion was pressed flat against the wall, eyes wide with terror.
He turned to her, out of breath and out of options.
"Hey," he said, voice dry and a little cracked. "Before we die... mind if I install something in your body?"
She blinked.
"…What?"