Good morning.
I'm Seina Watanabe, an ordinary high school girl you could find anywhere. Today, like usual, I start my day by brushing my teeth, washing my face, and getting ready for school. But since I stayed up late last night grinding in a game, I'm still pretty sleepy.
I can't skip school, though, so I drag myself through my morning routine, half-asleep, and head downstairs.
Huh? Nobody's here?
Looks like everyone's already left.
"Oh no!" I yelp in shock when I glance at the clock.
Nai wa!
I'm late!
Why didn't Mom wake me up?
I scarf down the breakfast left on the table and bolt out the door. My house isn't far from school, so it only takes five minutes if I sprint, but I still need to check if any teachers are guarding the gate.
Hmm, hmm.
Looks clear.
I take a deep breath and make a run for it, but a familiar voice calls out from behind me.
It's the school security guard.
What follows is the usual lecture I've heard a million times. The more he talks, the angrier he gets, but I just stare back with my usual blank expression. This isn't my first time being late, after all.
Don't get me wrong! My face has always been like this—expressionless since I was a kid—so it's hard for me to show emotions. At first, it was just my face, but over time, I stopped feeling like talking to people much either.
…Oh, while I was lost in thought, the guard's lecture ended.
I nod like I understand and hurry to class. I think it's literature with Okazi-sensei right now.
I shouldn't get in too much trouble, right? Okazi-sensei is the kindest and most approachable teacher we have. Not that I slack off because she's lenient! I'm still a good student in everyone's eyes. Today's just… an exception.
I take a deep breath and slide open the classroom door.
Only a few people notice me, but Okazi-sensei stops her lecture and walks over.
"Watanabe-san, you stayed up late gaming again, didn't you?"
Nai wa!
How does she know?
I was about to make up an excuse, but she's already seen through me.
I glance at Kimura-kun and Yoshida-kun, my sworn gaming buddies, but they're both acting like they don't know me.
Nai wa!
Have you guys no shame?
"I'm sorry," I mumble after a pause, unable to say anything else.
Seeing my apology, Okazi-sensei lets me off the hook.
Just as I turn to head to my seat, a blinding light shoots into my eyes from the window across the room.
It's so intense that my eyelids sting before I can even look up. For a moment, I can't figure out what it is—just that it feels… unnatural.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I slowly raise my head—then freeze.
That light… it's not sunlight or a lamp. It's like a glowing orb, washing out all the colors around me with white. And it seems to be… getting closer.
What is this?
Is God coming for me?
Does someone think my life's too meaningless and wants to take me away?
Before I can react, my vision goes completely white. It feels like I'm being swallowed whole. The world around me vanishes, and everything fades into a deep, endless black.
I don't know what just happened.
All I remember is… falling.
Probably right in the middle of class, in front of everyone…
Ugh, how embarrassing.
I hope… nobody laughs at me…
…
Good morning.
Huh?
I'm getting déjà vu.
Didn't I just wake up a bit ago? Or was that a dream?
Whatever, doesn't matter.
If I'm awake, I need to get ready for school.
Ignoring the weird feeling, I try to stretch, but something about the space around me feels off.
Why's it so dark? And cramped? This isn't my comfy bed…
Have I been kidnapped?
Wait, no… I can still move fine; it's just really tight in here.
I reach out to check my surroundings and notice something wrong with my hand.
Huuuh?
My fingers… they don't feel right.
It's too dark to see anything, though.
I don't know where I am or what's happened to my body, but I need light to figure this out. I fumble around and quickly touch something hard.
What's this?
I tap it, and it feels like the shell of an egg.
I push harder, and the shell cracks, letting in a faint ray of light from outside…
Oh, no!
It's still pretty dark out there, with only a dim glow, like from a nightlight. I break through the rest of the shell and crawl out.
Nai wa.
The first thing I see is a bunch of tiny spiders hatching from their eggs.
Then I look at myself…
Am I… a spider too?
Nai wa!!!
Before I can process this, a low growl grabs my attention.
I scan the area and spot a massive spider with white fur staring in my direction… or rather, at all the baby spiders.
Is this… my "Mom"?
She's huge… and beautiful, but she doesn't look friendly…
It seems like "Mom" is saying something, but even as a spider, I can't understand her.
Then the baby spiders start attacking each other, while "Mom" just sits there watching them fight.
Nai wa.
What's going on?
Calm down!
We're all siblings here!!
Being "siblings" with spiders sounds weird, but what can I do? I'm a spider now too.
While I'm still dazed, one spider lunges at me. It opens its mouth, flashing sharp fangs, aiming to bite, but I dodge backward.
I'm not used to this body yet, so moving is awkward, and I quickly become a target for another spider. I scramble away, hiding behind rocks while trying to get the hang of spider movement.
The spiders are fighting chaotically, but one in particular keeps chasing me. Even though I've shown I don't want to fight, it keeps coming after me.
I have no choice but to keep running.
As I back away, it charges again.
Hmph!
Third time's the charm!
Think I'm easy prey?!
Another spider jumps at me from behind, but this time I dodge to the side.
Hmm, still a bit stiff, but it'll do. Now, how do I fight back against these two "siblings"?
Oh… don't spiders spin webs?
I focus on my body and confirm I can do it.
Heh heh.
A spider that can't use silk is useless. This one's just charging instinctively, ignoring its own advantage. Fine, be my meal then.
As it charges a third time, I time it perfectly and shoot silk from behind, trapping it.
It struggles, but I don't give it a chance to escape. I rush in and bite it with my fangs, but it thrashes even harder.
Sorry, sibling, you attacked me first. Next life, pick your fights better.
I bite harder, aiming for what I think are weak spots like the neck and head. After a few bites, it finally stops moving.
Phew…
Just the first enemy, and I'm already exhausted. I glance around and see the winning spiders eating their opponents to gain strength.
Guess I have to do the same. My stomach's growling anyway.
But… eating a raw spider? Whole? Unprocessed?
In my old life, I never even tried cooked spiders. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
I hesitate.
But survival instincts kick in, and after a few seconds, I close my eyes and dig in.
I'll eat gourmet food when I make it big later!
Ugh!!!
This is awful.
Definitely the worst thing I've ever eaten. No surprise, though—who eats raw spider?
Worse, this one seems… poisonous.
I can feel my body starting to go numb. This is dangerous, especially in the middle of a battlefield. I need a place to hide and digest.
<
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Nai wa?
What's this?
I'm not too shocked since, as an otaku, I know what this means. Plus, stuff like this makes sense—without it, a spider like me wouldn't survive a month here.
With [Poison Resistance], I don't have to worry about paralysis anymore.
I quietly celebrate and glance at the other spiders. Suddenly, two of them charge at me, catching me off guard, and both bite me.
Even with [Poison Resistance], the sheer amount of venom starts numbing my body.
Guess I got too cocky.
I abandon any thought of fighting back and run. I head toward a group of fighting spiders, hoping to blend in.
Using my agility, I weave through the chaos. I think I've escaped, but the two spiders are still chasing me. Then I remember one of my new skills.
Perfect chance to test it.
I turn around, hiss, and activate [Intimidation], but it doesn't work. They keep coming.
Maybe I wasn't scary enough?
I try again, this time with a fiercer expression, and it works! They freeze for a few seconds.
I seize the moment, shoot silk at them, and sprint away without looking back.
After running around, I find a relatively safe spot. The poison from earlier wasn't too bad, so I can move normally now, but I'm exhausted.
Going back out there now would be suicide, so I decide to hide behind a rock, rest, and maybe scavenge later instead of fighting.
While hiding, I remember my other skill, [Sensing], and decide to try it.
Oh, just like the name suggests, it lets me detect my surroundings through dots in my mind.
Each dot represents a creature, and right now, none are near me, so I feel safe enough to rest while keeping the skill active for a bit, just in case.