Early morning.
As the first shaft of sunlight pierced through the curtains, the city began to stir with the rhythm of another busy day.
For Tsukikawa Shū and Gotō Hitori, both seasoned veterans of the Inner World, the day started even earlier than usual. They met at their usual rendezvous point, already prepared.
And they weren't the only ones.
Every survivor from the previous Inner World incursion had risen early — some standing anxiously by their doors, others staring blankly out of windows.
If one could view the city from above, they would see many figures with brand-new backpacks—clearly just purchased—stuffed to the brim with food, water, and gear. Some faces were tense, others resigned, and a few were simply numb.
Compared to the calm composure of Shū and Hitori, the rest of the players looked visibly uneasy.
Many hadn't slept at all.
The Inner World's activation time was unpredictable; even the countdown timer for entry appeared randomly.
Like this time — it had only shown up the day before.
Both Shū and Hitori carried sturdy backpacks, filled with pre-packed supplies and essentials.
"Ready?" Shū asked, holding Hitori's hand.
"Mhm!"
She nodded, face glowing with determination.
Today, she was dressed in that same pink tracksuit — simple, a bit dorky, but easy to move in and surprisingly durable.
The sunlight reached Hiratsuka Shizuka's face.
With a sleepy groan, she sat up, rubbing at her drowsy eyes.
Even though she didn't have much to do yesterday, she still loved sleeping in.
Morning classes were, as always, her mortal enemy.
Still half-asleep, Shizuka shuffled toward the sink, wearing nothing but a loose white sleep shirt that hung just off her shoulders.
Her long hair fell messily over her chest — which, unfortunately, wasn't very well-covered by that shirt.
Toothbrush in hand, she stared at her reflection and began brushing lazily.
"When did that Tsukikawa kid even get a girlfriend?" she muttered, foam gathering at her lips.
She still couldn't figure it out.
As far as she remembered, Shū and that girl didn't really interact much — and yet, suddenly, they were a couple?
Shizuka shrugged it off and kept brushing.
But then—
Her vision suddenly blurred.
A blinding white mist enveloped her before she could even react.
"What the—?"
When she blinked again, the bathroom was gone.
She was standing in the middle of a street.
Still in her slippers. Toothbrush in one hand, cup in the other.
Around her loomed rows of crumbling, moss-covered buildings. The concrete road beneath her feet was cracked and uneven, weeds growing through the gaps.
The sky above was a dull gray. The air, heavy with dust.
"This… what the hell? Parallel world? Alternate dimension?"
Wherever she was, this was not Tokyo.
And worse — she looked down and realized she was still wearing her pajamas.
Loose white shirt. Bare legs. Slippers. Toothbrush.
Basically naked.
"...You've gotta be kidding me."
Before she could process further, text materialized in front of her eyes:
[Current Mission: Survive for 5 Days]
[Beware of surrounding monsters. Defeat them to gain equipment and experience. However, combat carries extreme risk. You may also become their meal.]
[If you survive for 5 days, you will return to the real world intact, and await the next Inner World summon.]
[If you die here, you die in reality as well.]
Cold. Merciless.
So it really was a life-or-death scenario.
Shizuka's eye twitched. "Survive like this? I'm practically naked!"
She looked around at the desolate ruins, the eerie quiet pressing down on her.
Just then—
"Ms. Hiratsuka."
That voice—
She looked up sharply, instantly recognizing the familiar face.
"Tsukikawa… Shū?"
Standing before her was her student — calm, composed, and clearly prepared.
He wasn't in uniform, but rather in a fitted black tactical outfit, practical for combat. A katana hung at his hip, and his right hand gripped a blood-stained hammer.
Next to him stood a small girl in a pink tracksuit — Gotō Hitori.
Originally, Shū and Hitori had entered the Inner World fully equipped, but upon arrival, they discovered that most items couldn't be brought in — only their clothes and a few small accessories remained.
Each Inner World round randomly pulled in participants: half were complete strangers, half were people connected to existing players.
After searching the area, the two had unexpectedly stumbled across Shizuka.
Even Shū was a bit surprised to see his own teacher here.
"This isn't a good place to talk," he said simply. "Come with us."
Shizuka blinked, still dazed, but nodded and followed.
Halfway through her first step, she realized—
Her shirt was gaping open.
A wave of mortification shot through her. She quickly clutched her pajama top shut with both hands and hurried after Shū, face flushed.
This time, the Inner World felt… different.
[Player quota met. Average level threshold reached. System feature unlocked: Communication Platform]
[Players may now post messages and exchange information.]
[Chatroom and forum do not reveal avatars or personal data, but all users post under real names.]
A simple virtual interface appeared before their eyes — half chatroom, half message board.
The chat was a chaotic flood of text:
"What's going on?! Where is this place?! Why am I here?!"
"Help! I barely survived three days last time — five days this round? No way!!"
"Any veterans willing to carry a newbie? I'm a cute girl IRL…"
Mostly newbies panicking and spamming nonsense.
The messages scrolled too fast to read.
Shū didn't bother responding.
He knew better.
New players always assumed this world had some kind of systematic order, that you could ask for help, trade safely, or talk like in a normal MMO.
But all that did was expose yourself — the fastest way to get hunted.
The forum side was quieter.
Fewer posts, and no rookie panic threads — likely filtered out by the system itself.
A few old players had already started listing trade offers, exchanging rare resources and weapon materials.
The layout was crude — no avatars, no flair, just text-based posts.
Shū skimmed through a few, uninterested.
He already had everything he needed from the last incursion — his inventory back then had overflowed with materials.
What caught his eye instead was a new notification flashing at the top of the screen:
[New Dungeon Unlocked: East Suburb Instance]
[Entry Requirement: Party led by a Level 20+ player]