My name is Shoya. I'm what you call an average guy: the same nine to five, single, and no life. The most exciting part of my day is coming home and playing gacha games online. Yeah, im what most would call an Otaku, someone who would never get anywhere in life whatsoever… though life had other plans for me.
The most I remember back then was walking home the same way I always do. The sky was as bleak as ever as it rained down on me heavily from above. The soft pattering of the rain echoed against my umbrella. I stopped at the roadside, watching the slightly flooded granite ripple with the heavy downpour, waiting for the light to turn green.
"I hope I saved enough…" I muttered, pulling out my phone, slender fingers swiping across the flat screen. A pop-up appeared as I opened my game to check. It was a maid cafe game, one where you save tokens to summon monster girls to work in your shop. I smiled to myself watching the banners for the month.
And there, front and center, she stood, Bao, a demi-human dragonborn; her long, fiery red hair ran down her back, her crimson, scaly tail curling behind her. Her maid dress was simply sublime!
The bodice was sharply tailored, jet-black with deep crimson accents that shimmered subtly under the light. Ornate stitching lined the seams in draconic patterns—swirls and runes that almost seemed to pulse with power. The high collar framed her neck like a choker, held together by a ruby-encrusted brooch shaped like a flame. The puffed shoulders added an air of formality, but the sleeves tightened at her forearms, ending in cuffed gloves slit just enough to let her gentle hands peek through!
That settles it; I need to get her!
"I get paid tomorrow, right?" I muttered to myself with a grin, quickly coming out of the game to check my calendar. The light flicked green, and I began to walk, my feet splashing against the wet granite roads. "Maybe I'll go for her accessories too—it's only $40 more."
I was lost in thought, not noticing the light that peeked around the corner.
"Man I finished late today—" A rough-looking old man muttered, yawning in the comfort of his truck as he drove down the wet roads. "I need a cigarette…"
He reached down to his compartment, the box falling to the floor of his truck, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance. He reached down to pick it up, his fingers lightly hitting against the box but not quite getting it.
"Come on!" He grunted, reaching further until his finger wrapped around the box. "Gotcha…"
Leisurely he lights the cigarette, his gaze drifting back to the dreary road that he followed. The old man exhaled a plume of smoke, the orange tip of the cigarette glowing faintly in the dim rain.
That's when he saw…
"What the—" He stomped on the brakes. The truck swerved out of control due to the wet granite.
Unbeknownst to me, a truck came barreling down the street I walked across, the water that lines the roads causing it to swerve out of control. I stopped and turned my head to see the massive titan of a vehicle ready to crush me at a moment's notice. As the lights shone against my eyes, I felt like a deer in headlights.
It swerved past me, massive gusts of wind blowing against my clothing as the truck missed me by a mere inch. I stumbled backward, my legs giving out. My knees slammed against the cold, rain-slick pavement. The truck crashed into the sidewalk with a metallic scream, its weight tearing through stone and steel.
One of the wheels broke free—rolling, wobbling—until it stopped inches from me. My reflection stared back in its wet, spinning rim.
"W-what…?" I reached for my face, panting heavily as the adrenaline rushed through my body. HOLY, that was close! I swore I was about to be Isekaied! That would've sucked to have died the day before I got Bao.
I smiled to myself, feeling the water run down the knees of my work pants. My hand running through my already wet hair with a smug look on my face.
Well, nice try, fate! You can't take me with such tric—
BOOM
The truck's rear exploded, a delayed reaction that tested my patience and my faith that there is a god— the bumper slammed against my face, and just like that I saw nothing but darkness. The last thing I heard before my brain fully died was my head splashing against the granite road.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Is he up yet?" I heard a soft yet deep voice, my eyes opening to the intricate room that held me. My eyes drifted to the marble pillars lining the pastel yellow walls until they finally hit the onyx ceiling. My eyes sparkled when I saw it. I can slightly see a blurred image of my own reflection.
I tried to reach out towards it, drawn in by how captivating it was. My eyes almost didn't notice my chubby arms and fingers that reached towards the ceiling above me.
"No, you're just in time, it seems." The gentle sound of a soft woman's voice caressed my ear. I realized I was being held close to someone's chest. I raised my head to see who it was, my gaze landing on a woman with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes adorned in a simple white gown.
Wait was I… was I really—
Besides us sat a man who seems to be hitting his forties soon. His face was framed by a perfectly sculpted grey beard, with sideburns that slowly transitioned to a deep black, connecting his short, messy hair with strands that hung over his striking red eyes...
"I think I'll call him Haru. What do you think?" She hummed, her hand gently carding through my blonde hair, her mind already made up long before she even asked.
"I think that's perfect," the man reassured, looking towards me, his son. I carried his red gaze. Alas, my eyes were round like my mother's, most of my features soft and delicate, like those of a girl. "Haru Mishamiya suits him just fine,"