DING DONG!
The bell at the entrance of the coffee shop jingled as a stunning woman stepped inside.
She had flowing black hair cascading down her back, eyes as piercing as sapphires, and a soft, round face. Her outfit consisted of a short skirt that showed off her full, round behind and a hanging shirt that matched perfectly — almost too perfectly.
She wasn't wearing a bra, so her nipples peeked through the thin fabric of her shirt like two bold soldiers reporting for duty. On her delicate feet were high heels that added to her elegant strut, and her beauty? Unreal. Like Photoshop gave up and said, "You win."
THAK! THOK!
Her heels clicked across the tiled floor like a runway show with high stakes. As she walked toward the counter, her chest bounced with every step — gravity clearly had its work cut out. The men in the coffee shop? Helpless. Neck sprains were imminent.
She reached the counter, but the boy stationed there didn't notice her — too busy reading a Naruto comic and vibing to the music blasting in his headphones. A little too into it, like he was training for the Chūnin Exams through osmosis.
She tapped him gently on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
"Excuse me. Sorry to disturb you, but can I get a cup of black coffee, please?" she said, her voice soft and melodic like a Disney princess who just swore once.
He lowered the comic, pushed his headphones down to his shoulders, and raised his head slowly. What greeted him was the face (and upper torso) of a goddess. Her breasts — large, round, and barely restrained — were practically screaming for attention.
"Hey, I'm up here, you know," she said, catching him in the act.
"S-sorry, what were you saying?" he stammered, shame flushing his cheeks.
"Huh! Typical men, always getting lost in a woman's breasts," she sighed, but with zero actual anger — like she'd long accepted her power. "As I was saying, I'd love to have a cup of black coffee, please."
She handed him her credit card.
"Sure thing, just give me a minute," he said, flipping on the coffee machine.
"ZIMMMMM! THIK! THIK!"
The machine sputtered to life and brewed the drink. He poured the steaming coffee into a to-go cup, sealed it, and handed it over.
"There you go, and you can have your credit card back now," he said.
Their fingers brushed as she took the card back. Electricity. Not literally, but enough to make him blush like someone had just smacked him with a red crayon.
"Thank you," she smiled, slipping the card into her handbag. She noticed his face was turning tomato-red.
"Are you OK? Did you catch a cold?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," he muttered, heart pounding like he'd just escaped a boss fight.
"With that red face, you're definitely not OK. Make sure to see a doctor before it gets worse," she said as she turned to leave.
"Thanks, ma'am. I will, and please come again," he replied, bowing slightly.
She smiled and exited the shop.
"Phew! I thought I was going to melt like ice cream next to her. She was just so perfect, like a woman straight out of my fantasies," he thought, face still burning.
"And I stared at her breasts just like a filthy pervert. This is one of the reasons why I couldn't land myself a girlfriend up to now. I'm such an idiot," he scolded himself, yanking his own hair.
"I could never have a girl as beautiful as her. I'm just an otaku, after all. What kind of girl could ever want a loser like me?" he whispered, mentally burying himself.
With a heavy sigh, he grabbed his comic and slid his headphones back on, disappearing into his manga world once again.
THIK! THAK! THIK! THAK!
The wall clock ticked rhythmically — 8 PM. End of shift.
He folded his apron, tucked it into his locker, and flipped the door sign to Closed.
"I'm heading out!" he called.
"OK, be safe out there, boy. Thanks for today!" came the owner's voice from the back.
Bag on his back, headphones on, he stepped into the city night.
DING DONG!
The shop doorbell gave him a tiny goodbye chime.
ZZZMMM!
His phone buzzed.
"What the...?" he muttered, pulling it out.
[Name: Bloody Bastard (The landlord of his apartment): Make sure you bring my money today or I'll throw you out on the streets, you brat.]
"Ugh..." He groaned and switched to his playlist.
Music List:
• Sunflower – Post Malone & Swae Lee
• Blue Bird – Ikimono Gakari
• Inferno – Mrs. GREEN APPLE
He clicked on Sunflower, letting the beats drown out the stress as he strolled down the glowing sidewalk.
The LED lights from shut storefronts lit the street like a night-time stage. Cars zoomed by, their headlights painting long shadows behind him. The sky above was swallowed by towering skyscrapers, glowing like steel giants.
A massive digital billboard on one of the buildings flashed bright, running a commercial in booming, enthusiastic tones:
"ARM YOUR NATION TODAY! BRAND-NEW X7-PULSE GUNS AND MAGICAL SUPPORT DRONES! REDEFINING MODERN WARFARE — FIGHT SMARTER!"
He stared at it, the music still thumping in his ears.
[Song lyrics]: "Ay, ay, ay, (ooh)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh (ooh)
Ay ay,
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh..."
He smirked.
"Man... I'd love to have that gun and shoot my annoying landlord in the head," he thought darkly.
As the song continued...
"Needless to say, I keep her on check, she was a bad-bad nevertheless..."
He arrived at a crosswalk and stopped with the crowd. The pedestrian signal glowed red. A suited woman scrolled on her phone while her daughter tossed a ragdoll in the air like she had no fear of gravity — or danger.
Some elderly folks stood nearby, waiting patiently, although one grumbled, "Hmm, what's taking so long for it to turn green?"
Drake stared at the light too.
Suddenly—
"Come back, Anny!" the woman shouted.
Drake's eyes zeroed in. The girl was sprinting into the road, chasing her doll that had tumbled from her hands onto the asphalt.
POOM! POOM!
A truck thundered toward her, horn blaring like judgment day. The headlights were blinding. Brakes? Probably still on vacation.
The mother froze, horrified.
Anny turned, frozen by the oncoming truck.
"Get out of the way!" Drake shouted, his body already launching into motion.
With an adrenaline surge. His legs moved on it's own, pounding the ground, and he dove.
The song still played on...
["Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck…"]
He pushed Anny with all his might, shoving her out of danger.
Then—
BOOM! CRAACK! DISSH!
The truck slammed into him, tossing him like a ragdoll into a parked car. Glass shattered. Metal bent.
His body lay broken, bleeding... dying.
The headphones slipped off, still echoing music faintly.
[Song]: "ooh, ooh,oooh,
Sometimes you just can't refuse, she wanna ride me like a cruise and I'm not tryna lose…"
The mother clutched her daughter in tears. The crowd gasped.
WOOOH! WEYOOH! WEYOOH!
The ambulance arrived too late. His vision blurred, the world fading to silence.
Darkness.
In the black void of unconsciousness, his eyes flickered open.
"So I died? How pitiful. Huh! At least I got to be useful. Anny is safe, and that's all."
"My name is Drake Lorenzo. I'm 19, and I didn't really have a normal and peaceful life like any other person my age had. I lost both of my parents in a car accident and was taken in by my aunt." "Her husband didn't really like the idea of having another mouth to feed, so he maltreated me. So did his kids. They called me names, insulted me, and beat me up."
"My aunt, on the other hand, tried her best to take care of me.But soon, she noticed how much I suffered at the hands of her kids and husband; I was still ten. When I turned 18, my aunt died due to illness, and I was kicked out by her husband.
"Luckily, I got a job at that coffee shop, and the manager was so good to me. He even paid me my three-month salary before I started working, after he heard my sob story," Drake said, thinking back on his life. "I started life alone in the world with no family, no girlfriend. I went to school but stopped since my aunt died. I've been working in the coffee shop for a year now, and was getting to like it there, until my tragic death - hit by a truck, trying to save someone's kid."
"I wish I could get a second chance in life, get to have a girlfriend, and lose my virginity," Drake said.
"I wish I could be a shadow of my old self, a whole new person."
Suddenly —
PING!
A translucent screen appeared out of thin air.
"What the f*ck is this?" he shouted.
[SHADOW ARSENAL INTERFACE]
You have been granted another chance in life, to be reincarnated in a fantasy world, as a Shadow Gunslinger. Do you accept?
[Yes] [No]
"What the hell is a Shadow Gunslinger?" he said, eyes wide.
"Wait, I get to be reborn in a fantasy world, just like in anime and comics — how cool!"
"But should I really? I can still end up a useless nobody and die like a rat, unloved and unknown." He paused.
"Who am I kidding? Fuck not being somebody. If I'm a nobody, I'll make sure to be somebody. I'll be the strongest, and I'm going to get all the ladies and lose my virginity!" Drake shouted.
"OK, now that my mind is made up, I'm ready for a fresh start. A new beginning in another world with my Shadow Arsenal system. Let the journey begin!"
He slammed the [Yes] button.
And just like that, his soul was whisked away from Earth... toward a realm of monsters, magic, and madness.