Consciousness felt blurred, as if sinking into the tranquil depths of a quiet sea.
Faint but undeniable noise reached my ears, gradually sharpening my awareness, like surfacing from water. The sensation of my body slowly returned.
As if awakening from an endless slumber, Hakuto slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the stark white ceiling.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…"
That was the first thought to cross his mind.
The air carried the sharp scent of antiseptic. Beneath him was the soft, fluffy touch of a bed, but the heaviness in his body was overshadowed by a sharp pain in his left leg.
Hakuto instinctively furrowed his brow. The attempt to move his leg halted instantly as a sharper pain surged through him.
Shifting his gaze, he saw his left leg wrapped in pristine bandages and gauze.
Beyond his leg, his arms, waist, and sides throbbed with an indescribable pain, as if his body were falling apart.
The lingering haze of just waking up dissipated quickly under the assault of pain on his nerves. Memories from before he lost consciousness flooded back.
Hakuto finally grasped what had happened, his eyes growing clearer.
Before explaining what occurred, let me introduce myself.
My name is Hakuto, 25 years old, renting a 10-square-meter apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo, unmarried, and a firm believer in staying single.
I work at a small IT company, staying late until 10 or 11 p.m. every night.
I don't smoke, don't drink, and go to bed at 1 a.m., never getting a full eight hours of sleep.
Chronic overwork and accumulated mental fatigue led a psychiatrist to suggest hospitalization or a break from work.
Unfortunately, the mortgage left by my father doesn't allow for that.
Last night, after my usual overtime, I was on my way back to my rental. On a certain video-sharing app, I finished watching the latest Honkai Impact 3rd short, Graduation Journey.
I'm not a veteran player from the game's launch, but I've been with it for four years, and now it's finally reached its conclusion.
The main cast endured separations, farewells, and unforgettable twists, ultimately nudging their imperfect world toward something closer to their dreams.
Those subtle, lingering emotions, the once-pounding excitement in my chest, and the universal yearning for something beautiful made it a compelling story.
The scene of Kiana lifting her younger self, paired with soothing, melodic music, stirred years of memories. Like clear, gentle spring water flowing into a parched heart, it brought a flicker of warmth to Hakuto's cold, solitary soul.
A story that evokes such emotions and reflections at its end is, at the very least, a good one.
With that thought, Hakuto exited the video, glancing at the wildly disproportionate views, likes, and favorites, before casually closing the app.
"Stories" are beautiful, but reality?
Reality is just reality.
Hakuto stepped into the crowd, drifting aimlessly through the river of people, carried by the rhythm of the city.
No striking looks to inspire reader immersion—Hakuto was ordinary, the kind of person who blends into a crowd, unnoticed as they pass by.
In this era, even a slightly above-average appearance opens doors to opportunities and resources far beyond what an ordinary person could access.
The bustling crowd was the same unchanging scene, but today felt slightly different.
At the subway station, under one of the pillars, an old man in a Shinto priest's robe was… let's call it setting up shop.
No proper stall, since this was a station. His sign was just a bamboo pole with a cloth tied to it, easily moved to a new spot.
Before him was a red cloth, and on it sat a tablet displaying a yin-yang and five-element diagram.
Normally, Hakuto wouldn't strike up a conversation with a stranger, but the fleeting warmth from Graduation Journey left him in a softer mood.
"Ojisan, your setup is pretty high-tech!"
"Hahaha, times have changed!" The old priest chuckled, stroking his white beard. "Young man, care for a fortune?"
Hakuto glanced at the paper on the cloth reading "500 yen per reading" and shook his head. "Nah, I'll pass."
What's the difference between that and tossing 500 yen away?
Money is money!
Raised in a single-parent home, with his only parent passing away unexpectedly not long ago, Hakuto was left with a 28-year mortgage.
Not a Tokyo apartment, mind you.
His father was a simple construction worker; they couldn't afford a place in Tokyo even if they worked for centuries.
It was just a modest home in a small prefectural town.
Even so, it forced Hakuto to tighten his belt, with entertainment expenses practically nonexistent.
Honkai Impact 3rd was his only indulgence, and even then, he was a pure freeloader on the servers.
"Well, meeting today is fate. Come, I'll read your fortune for free," the priest said generously, handing Hakuto the tablet.
"I think you're just bored," Hakuto quipped, but he tapped the screen anyway.
The yin-yang and five-element diagram began to spin.
"Ahem, don't say it like that. This is fate!" The priest coughed lightly, clearly bored out of his mind.
Ten seconds later, both Hakuto and the priest leaned in to see the resulting pattern.
"This reading…" The priest stroked his beard, squinting as he recalled the direction Hakuto had been walking.
"Young man, are you heading north?"
The priest waved a hand with an air of serene wisdom, exuding the aura of a Shinto sage.
"Yep."
"…" Hakuto's flat response threw the priest off. Couldn't you play along a little?
Hakuto focused on the diagram. "And?"
"With metal draining and wood thriving, this reading suggests heading north will bring aid from a noble person," the priest said in a flowing tone. "A fortunate sign."
"Oh? I don't think so." Hakuto's calm words made the priest's eyes widen.
"Ojisan, look at it this way." Hakuto crouched beside him, pointing at the diagram.
"Upper Qian, lower Xun—outer metal overcomes inner wood, an external force harming the inner. This suggests injury, possibly to the thigh bone, or an accident like a car crash leading to a fracture. It's a sign of calamity."
The priest froze, bewildered. "...Huh?"
What kind of move is this?
"Young man, you know this stuff?" The priest leaned back, sizing Hakuto up.
"Just a bit," Hakuto admitted. He'd picked up odd bits of knowledge from novels, nothing deep.
"Ojisan, am I right?"
"Let me take another look." The priest stopped stroking his beard.
What followed was a spirited debate over whether the reading meant "noble aid" or "calamity." They dove into the nuances, exploring the roots of their differing interpretations, each conceding the other had a point. And then…
The subway arrived.
Hakuto thanked him with a smile and left, while the priest stayed behind, still pondering the diagram.
It's not that Hakuto entirely dismissed mysticism—he was 99% skeptical but left 1% for possibility.
In probability, nothing is ever 0% or 100%.
Even the spiritual resurgence from fantasy novels wasn't impossible, just improbably close to it.
Leaving the station, Hakuto rented a shared electric bike from a service like Luup and headed toward his apartment.
And then…
Hakuto got hit!
Not by a dump truck or a big rig offering a one-way ticket to another world, and he didn't die.
As for what happened?
Hakuto stared blankly at his bandaged left leg, pain radiating through his body like a tide.
"No way! It actually came true!?" he screamed internally.
"You're awake."
A clear, melodious voice carried a hint of relief. Hakuto paused, then shifted his gaze to the unfamiliar figure.
Her lightly made-up face was fair as snow in the sunlight, her silky hair cascading like a waterfall. The white-and-green knit sweater accentuated her slender, graceful figure.
Beyond that, Hakuto's keen senses picked up something else—her unique aura.
Yes, aura.
It sounded vague, but it was undeniably real.
Most people could easily spot a college student mixed in with a crowd of salarymen, like a sheep among dogs.
Her apologetic yet formal smile was gentle but carried a subtle distance, like an untouchable flower on a high peak.
Not the superficial arrogance of the shallow, but a genuine pride and elegance rooted in her upbringing and family.
"Who are you?"
Hakuto raised an eyebrow, unfazed by her beauty or presence.
Under normal circumstances, he'd never cross paths with a girl of her caliber.
Though a guy, Hakuto had no interest in cars and couldn't even recognize common brands. The only car he knew was the king of vehicles, the Toyota HiAce.
Still, he could guess the car that hit him was a luxury model worth millions of yen.