Somewhere in Japan, present time.
My name is Crish. Just Crish.
I live alone in a bare-minimum apartment — four walls, a bed, and the hum of my PC.
I'm a locked-in gamer, a streamer who earns just enough to live without regrets.
Games and anime have always been my escape… my only friends.
When I was sixteen, my parents left Japan to work overseas.
They never contacted me again.
They abandoned me.
I had always been a good kid — good grades, good at sports — but never satisfied.
At eleven, I got my first phone.
Games became the only thing that made me feel alive.
I rarely spoke to my parents. I thought I was a burden.
Then, at fifteen, everything fell apart.
A girl from my class accused me of something I didn't do.
I was a child. I panicked.
She was beautiful, smart, and jealous.
People gave me more attention than her, and she hated it.
Her childish revenge nearly destroyed my life.
I ran from school in terror.
By nightfall, the police found me and returned me home.
My parents didn't scold me. They didn't comfort me.
They told me to go to my room.
The next day, I was expelled.
Dad used his money to put me in a new school, but I didn't want to go.
I was terrified that it would happen again.
For a month, my family barely spoke to me.
Games were my only comfort.
One evening, I saw her — Hinata Ken — at a convenience store.
Her gaze met mine. My chest tightened.
When she approached, my heart raced, expecting another accusation.
But she only said:
"I'm sorry… I didn't realize how much trouble I caused. I was jealous."
I said nothing. Ignored her. Walked away.
She was furious. That night, she told her boyfriend I "tried something" again.
He and his friends found me. Five against one.
I ran until my lungs burned.
They caught me anyway. They beat me, left me on the street like a stray cat.
I went home bleeding.
My parents didn't comfort me.
I overheard them whispering:
"Why did we even bother having him? Now he's becoming a delinquent."
Those words shattered me more than the beating ever could.
The next morning, the police came.
All of us — me, her boyfriend, his friends — ended up at the station.
The case was closed; we were minors.
But my reputation? Destroyed. Family. Neighbors. School.
At sixteen, my parents left the country, leaving me two million yen and the keys to the house.
No explanation. No goodbye.
I lived alone. Bills were paid. Money was enough for food.
But I had no friends. No family. Only games.
At eighteen, government officials informed me the house was sold.
I had to leave.
I didn't complain. I was used to being unwanted.
I used what remained — 700,000 yen — to rent the apartment I live in now.
I worked a job for two months, but it wasn't enough.
So I started a YouTube channel.
It blew up in a month.
No matter what game I played, I was unstoppable.
People watched. People smiled.
Their happiness… made me happy too.
Months passed.
One day, in a park, I saw Hinata again.
She gave me an evil smirk.
I ignored her. I didn't care anymore.
Today was a big stream — 9 PM to 3 PM.
By 4 PM, I collapsed into bed, exhausted.
I slept like there was no tomorrow.
Then, it happened.
Something pressed on my chest.
My mouth.
Sleep paralysis.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't open my eyes.
Fear — the kind I hadn't felt in years — clawed at me.
And then… darkness.
When I awoke, I was lying on grass.
Trees surrounded me.
A forest. Not my bed. Not my room.
Panic took me.
Where am I?
Who brought me here?
The heat, the fear, the confusion… it swallowed me whole.
And then I fainted again.
To be continued…