Clock Tower.
Raindrops crackled against the glass panes as the lights of the dormitory building flickered on and off.
…It hurts…
…Where am I…?
…Why is it so dark…?
That pricking sensation felt like being stabbed with needles. Sajyou Izaya's head throbbed as if it were about to split open.
Rumble!
Branching lightning flashed across the night sky, momentarily illuminating the frighteningly gloomy face of Kayneth.
Looking at the teenager still lying in bed, Kayneth clicked his tongue in anger and cursed under his breath.
"This bastard is cutting class just to sleep in the dorm? Among all the disciples I've taught, I've never seen someone with so little motivation!"
Hearing this, Waver—shrinking in the corner of the dorm—spoke up cautiously, his voice trembling.
"P-Professor, he's been in a hurry with his graduation thesis recently, so he's been… uh…"
"Making up for his delayed report? Half a year ago I told him to prepare the thesis materials in advance. And what was the result?"
Kayneth's eyes were full of fury as he glared at Waver.
"And you—your own thesis topic isn't even finalized. As for Sajyou Izaya, he's on the verge of graduation, and yet he skips dorm lectures every single day. He's already missed twenty classes this semester!"
"If it weren't for the explanation given by the Sajyou family, I would've expelled him last term!"
Waver trembled with fear and swallowed back everything he'd originally wanted to say under Kayneth's oppressive presence.
No, in front of Kayneth when he was this red-hot with anger, Waver didn't have the courage to speak up for this classmate at all.
Even so, Kayneth didn't let go of Waver's intentions. He stared at him coldly.
"Before the end of this week, make sure he hands in his graduation thesis. And tell Sajyou Izaya this: if he can't pass this year's magecraft assessment, then salute, collect his things, and get out of here."
After saying that, he ignored Waver, turned on his heel, and slammed the door behind him with a loud bang, leaving only Waver's sighs echoing in the room.
Waver glanced quickly at the still-sleeping youth, then sighed again and muttered to himself:
"If I'd known Professor Kayneth was paying so much attention to this guy, I wouldn't have skipped my afternoon classes to come looking for him at his dorm…"
…
So noisy…
Which bastard is whispering right next to my ear…?
Half-awake, Sajyou Izaya vaguely heard a faint mumble like that of a resentful woman right by his ear, and he subconsciously frowned.
Come to think of it, I went to a class reunion yesterday…
Did I drink too much? Who dragged me home after that?
No… Didn't I get hit by a hundred-ton Truck-kun on my way back last night…?
What happened after that…?
As if jolted awake from a nightmare, Sajyou's eyes flew open.
The sky outside was heavy and overcast, streaked with flashes of lightning. Raindrops the size of beans pattered against the classical English-style window, splashing onto the ground below.
Inside the room, a lamp cast a warm light over the dorm.
After scanning his surroundings for a while, Sajyou Izaya lifted a hand to his forehead. Two sets of memories—two separate lives—flooded into his mind in an instant, swirling together chaotically.
He was Sajyou Izaya.
He had been born to ordinary parents, both of whom died early. He was then adopted by the head of the Sajyou family, gaining two younger sisters—Sajyou Ayaka, and the family's prodigy, Sajyou Manaka.
Three years ago, the Sajyou family had sent him to the Clock Tower for further studies. But during that time, Sajyou Izaya had been slacking off, skipping many of his classes. Eventually, the Lord of the Mineralogy Department of the Clock Tower—his nominal professor—Kayneth himself, had come to his dorm to find him.
"Hey… Izaya…"
At that moment, Waver's voice rang out again, full of helplessness.
"You really were just pretending to be asleep earlier, weren't you? You're still not responding… Looks like you really scared Professor Kayneth this time…"
"Even I've never seen Professor Kayneth that angry…"
"Well, if anything happens, I'll come back later… I need to get going first."
With that, Waver got up and left the dorm.
Only when the dorm door closed did Sajyou Izaya finally pull himself out of the swirl of earlier thoughts.
…He had transmigrated.
And not just anywhere—he had crossed over to the Typemoon of Nasuverse, in London, at the Clock Tower.
It sounded beautiful on the surface—but according to his understanding, while the world of Type-Moon was full of beautiful girls, it was also a place of extreme danger where death lurked at any moment.
For example, Kayneth right now: a genius of the Clock Tower, Lord of the Mineralogy Department…
That sounded very impressive—yet in the Fourth Holy Grail War, he went straight to the afterlife.
On top of that, there were many looming crises in the future…
Even if he didn't actively look for trouble, as long as Sajyou Manaka existed, wouldn't the trouble come looking for him sooner or later when he eventually returned home?
Because, from what he remembered, the real motive behind his adoptive father taking him in was, in a sense, to raise a son-in-law.
His fiancée was the family's magical prodigy—Sajyou Manaka.
Right at that moment—
Sajyou Izaya suddenly heard an extremely pleasant voice echo in his mind.
[Ding——!]
…Huh?!
That voice…?!
Before his eyes, a strange interface formed out of shimmering light and quietly appeared in his vision.
[Loading: Humanity Rescue Simulator…]
[1%… 10%… 50%… 100%… Load successful!]
[To save endangered humanity, please do your best to survive.]
[Currently available simulation world: 1908, Tunguska]
[After the simulation ends, the Host will receive corresponding rewards based on their performance in the simulated world.]
[Start the simulation now?]
Humanity Rescue Simulator?
You're telling me I can go to another world, then receive rewards when I come back?
The young failing Clock Tower student was briefly stunned—then overjoyed.
Isn't this the golden finger every transmigrator dreams of?!
"Start the simulation!"
With almost no hesitation, Sajyou Izaya silently gave his answer in his heart.
In the next instant, his vision went dark. His entire consciousness felt as if some invisible force had yanked it out of his body and tossed it into a vortex of unknown time and space.
When he came to, his surroundings had changed completely.
Gone was the rainy London dorm. In its place stretched a vast, primordial forest.
Ancient trees towered skyward, their branches blocking out much of the sky. The scent of fresh grass and foliage filled his nose. In the distance, gentle hills rolled across the land beneath a clear blue sky.
The view was so broad and overwhelming that he couldn't help spacing out for a moment.
Right then, the familiar light interface appeared before his eyes again.
[Simulation world loaded successfully.]
[Current Time: June 30th, 1908]
[Location: Siberia, near the Tunguska River]
[Main Mission: Survive the imminent Great Explosion]
Reading the system's prompt, Sajyou Izaya froze for a heartbeat.
Then, as if something had just clicked, his heartbeat spiked.
Wait a minute…
Tunguska… Explosion?
Why does that sound so familiar—?!
Rumble!
Before he could think further, a blast like heaven's wrath tore through the sky, a sound so terrifying it felt like it could shred his eardrums.
Flames roared across the sky. At the end of the horizon, an unparalleled mushroom cloud slowly rose into the air.
Staring at that impossible sight, the pupils of the boy named Sajyou shrank sharply. The thousands of thoughts swirling in his head merged into just two words:
"…Holy shit."
…