"Mr. and Ms. Holstein, I'm afraid neither of you are John's Power of Attorney. The decision to put your son to rest isn't yours to make."
Mr. Holstein just held his wife in his arms and begged the doctors not to kill his son, using nothing but screams and curses.
"But Doctor! He's just in a coma! He'll wake up, I know it! I felt his hand twitch and everything! If this is about money, then we can afford it! Our son is making a lot of money from his acting career! Why would he choose to pull the plug so quickly?!"
Mr. Holstein didn't understand. One day everything was fine, then his son got into a car accident and didn't wake up? Worst part is, since he's old enough to make his own decisions, he can also choose not to be kept alive.
The problem was his power of attorney.
At one point, he thought it was some kind of sick cult shit, or maybe his son was secretly suicidal and didn't have the courage to do it himself, so he just patiently waited for bad luck to strike him.
But no. Instead, it was a pact made by a damn DQ cashier and a random customer who also coincidentally loves anime—his son being the customer.
Mr. and Mrs. Holstein couldn't help but think back to the phone call he had with the guy who claimed to be the POA.
POV: DQ Cashier
"Uhhh… mochi mochi?" A strange gravelly voice spoke up on the other side of the phone.
"Huh? Hello? Do you speak English?" Mr. Holstein asked, using the hospital phone.
"Ohhh, are you related to the banana-split-with-rainbow-sprinkles guy? Sorry for your loss."
Mr. Holstein was almost relieved because they didn't need a translator, but also pissed because this guy was writing his son off like it was nothing.
"You! Why are you trying to kill my son?!"
Mr. Holstein screamed in fury.
A second later, the man panicked and shouted back, "Woah woah woah! Calm down! Your son and I made a pact! We both gave each other our information just in case something like this happened."
Mr. Holstein still seemed confused and angry but was patient enough to ask about the pact.
"Well, you see, your son…" The guy on the phone had to pause because he forgot the name.
In fact, both individuals had forgotten about the entire pact until suddenly he got the phone call and remembered he too had a card in his wallet that described the phone number and the conditions of how he wanted to go—and who would make that decision.
These two idiots both agreed on one thing:
If it's a spontaneous freak accident, then DO. NOT. PULL. THE. PLUG.
But if Truck-kun does it? Well, that's a different story.
After describing the situation, he ended with, "Man, what's-his-face is so lucky! I want an isekai adventure too!"
Before Mr. Holstein could explode on the man, he heard the sound of the phone hanging up.
Leaving the two parents standing over the counter looking pale before they both spoke:
"Our son is an idiot."
And that's the story of why our protagonist dies in the end. As for how he got run over by a truck in the first place?
...…
John Holstein's POV
"Ugh, I hate the summer. I wish the sun would just explode or get devoured by a black hole or something," John grumbled.
John was acting like his usual self, walking out of his apartment because his girlfriend—some bipolar vegan chick—asked him if he wanted to go to an event today.
John had never been the sort to pay attention to these kinds of things. If he wasn't hanging around his house playing video games, then he was practicing his lines.
John hated Hollywood, but he loved acting, and he was a pathological liar by nature. Makes life more interesting when people believe his wild stories, at least that's what he liked to claim every time somebody called him out.
"What kind of event is this anyway? I'm supposed to go to a farm… Is it like a farmers market or something? I skipped breakfast and lunch, hoping this would be a food-related event. I hope I'm not wrong."
He didn't really understand what was going on. All he knew was that his "freak of the week" was kinky and a bit of a pervert. So the last thing he wanted to do was keep her waiting.
After driving to his destination, he was shocked at the number of people covered head to toe in green and rainbow cloths and bandanas on their faces.
As soon as he saw that, he had a bad feeling in his stomach.
Just as he was about to leave and call out sick, his girlfriend showed up just in the nick of time and shouted for him to come over.
Before he could say anything to her, he noticed a bunch of scrawny guys hanging around next to her and looking at John with excitement… then confusion… before they all started whispering to each other.
"So he's the celebrity you've been dating?"
"I don't recognize him."
"Are you sure he's famous? We need a face for this event, and his isn't it."
As John walked up to the group, they put on fake smiles and greeted him.
John could spot bullshit from a mile away.
His dumb girlfriend had just pulled him into a trap, and he fell for it easily. All it took were a few nudie pictures and he was on his way like an idiot.
While he was thinking about the mole on his girlfriend's left asscheek, one of the scrawny guys spoke up.
"What movies have you been in?"
John groaned.
He hated being put on the spot, and he hated being volunteered for things even more. So instead of being honest, he threw out the first thing that came to mind.
"I do porn."
They all stood in silence before one of the other guys spoke up.
"Oh, so do I! I'm in the shame and ball-busting genre, but it's mostly just myself."
Now everyone was looking at the dude who said that—slightly disturbed.
John had a feeling he was going to ask for a collab, so he pulled his nutty girlfriend aside to ask her what was going on.
As soon as he asked, he heard a bullhorn call out for everyone to grab a sign and link up.
He looked around and sure enough: it was a "save the planet" rally. Bunch of wackjobs.
Don't get him wrong, he loved the planet—but these people weren't nature activists. They were hedonistic perverts who threw paint on walls as a symbolic gesture while simultaneously destroying paintings that did the same, all because they didn't know the history behind them.
In other words: a cringe pool of wannabes looking to get laid by their vegan, single-brain-celled girlfriends, or people who had clearly suffered several brain injuries as children.
Either way, she wasn't worth simping for.
"Where are you going?" his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend asked.
"It's hot and I hate the heat. I'm going home."
She, meanwhile, was worried about her bragging rights. She knew John was a great actor and understood that he was going places. If she could get him to pose for the camera—or better yet give her a child—she could stand beside him.
So she gave him an offer only she could make.
"I'll do the thing you like if you come with us."
At that moment, John faltered.
John hated simping with a passion, but is it simping if he's actually getting something in return?
"With the ice cream and everything? I thought you hated the cold and always having to shower after."
Her face twitched.
'I was talking about the other thing you liked, you idiot!'
What came out of her mouth, however, was different:
"Yep… I'm willing for the frozen milk of a living being to touch my skin. It's not like a calf was using it…"
Not to mention she was lactose intolerant.
"I guess I can join you…"
After that fiasco, John picked up a sign, looked at it, and scoffed. One said "Don't be sheepish, speak up for animals!" Another said, "Let's get pawsitive for animal rights."
"Really? That's what you guys came up with?"
"Hey! My mom made these!"
John simply looked at the dude and walked away without picking up anything.
Even his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend couldn't help but cringe.
After everything was in order, they started climbing a hill for some reason.
Oh my god, I hear heavy traffic.
"Please tell me this isn't one of those," John prayed in his heart.
After climbing the hill, he saw cars and trucks swerving around people, trying to escape the pool of crazy that was forming.
They were the first ones to step into the road and John was not excited.
"I should've nutted before coming here."
Just as he said that, one of the scrawny guys came over and did the unthinkable.
SMOOCH
"What the fuck?"
The dude just up and made out with his girl! What's worse is she was going at it too. They were just making out in front of him like he wasn't even there. To make matters worse, two other guys showed up and joined in.
At this point, John just closed his eyes and wiped his hand over his face like he was washing off water.
These bastards.
Honestly, he wasn't mad. He was disappointed in himself.
"Screw this, I'm out."
Just as John was about to leave, he spotted something over the shoulders of the reverse harem.
A giant red truck hurtling his way.
Sadly, his now ex-girlfriend and her boy toys didn't. You could tell because this bitch actually had the audacity to grab his arms—and just as she was about to explain the situation:
SPLAT
"AHHHHH!"
"RUUUN!"
.....
Truck Driver's POV
"She took the house, she took the kids, she even took the dog. Now she's sleeping with another man in my bed! I'm gonna kill somebody! Wait… are those… hippies?!"
.....
And this is the story of John Holstein—the one destined to devour the universe.
Ugh, I knew I should've eaten something. I feel like I could eat a planet.
{CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED THE WORLD SYSTEM! AFTER ALL, THE ONLY THING THAT CAN EAT A PLANET IS ANOTHER PLANET! BEGINNING REINCARNATION PROCESS IN 3… 2… 1… HAVE A NICE DAY!}
OH SHIT.
.....
Author's Note:
Spoilers ahead. Skip to the next chapter if you're not interested.
I'm not going to lie. Most people may or may not like this book. Reason being:
John is a borderline villain.
I built this world to explain the setting of all of my future books. John exists for the lore. He is not a hero or anti-hero.
There will be a lot of likable characters. None will have a happy ending.
You know what I hate? Plot armor. So I thought, "Why not create a throwaway book built for lore but not for the familiar content we all know and love?"
So I created John Holstein—the guy who could've had it all if his greed and negligence hadn't gotten in the way.
I wrote this book with the idea that there could have been plot armor… but every time John gets a win… well… let's just say bad things follow.
With that, I hope you enjoy my book with the full knowledge that things aren't as they seem. Enjoy!