People like to fantasize.
They fantasize about waking up one day and somehow becoming a handsome Tokyo high schooler with a life full of shining moments.
They fantasize about becoming a phantom thief of hearts and mastering some legendary "ten-ship jump" secret technique.
And if those are too unrealistic, then they fantasize about waking up to find the perfect, exactly-their-type beautiful girl right beside them.
Like most people, Gotou Hitori had also fantasized about one day becoming the protagonist of a light novel.
But when something like that actually happened in reality—
Gotou Hitori felt like he was facing a deadly enemy. His heartbeat was louder than the "Emperor Engine" from the One-Punch-Man guy next door.
Was I being stalked?
Or did I get doxxed?
How did she even get into my home?
Picked the lock?
Came in through a window?
Or… a group job?!
In the span of a few seconds, Gotou Hitori had already imagined a bloodthirsty demon woman leading several hulking brutes—drawn in that absurdly hyper-muscular action-manga style—into his home to rob him.
They hadn't killed him in his sleep because they must have some extremely twisted hobby. They wanted to toy with him using horrors beyond his imagination.
Gotou Hitori's vision went dark. He nearly started foaming at the mouth.
At that exact moment, the girl woke up—probably because he was making too much noise. She propped herself up and rubbed her eyes.
The second he saw her gaze about to fall on him, Gotou Hitori practically rolled and crawled out of the room, sprinting to the kitchen at the fastest speed of his life.
He meant to lock the door and call the police, but when his hands went to his pockets, he remembered his phone was still charging on the bedside table.
With no other choice, he grabbed a frying pan and carefully checked the apartment for any other intruders.
After confirming there was no one else, he cautiously edged back toward the bedroom, only sticking his head in a tiny bit to assess the situation.
To his surprise, the mysterious girl on his bed looked even paler than he did—and she was staring at him with the same terrified eyes.
When their eyes met, her expression turned even more desperate.
She clapped a hand over her mouth. Her already-trembling body started heaving violently.
Oh no—she's going to throw up!
Gotou Hitori didn't have time to think about why she was reacting like that. His only thought was: Don't let her puke on my bed.
This was his one sacred place where he could escape reality. After every workday, lying on his bed was how he recovered his HP bar. It absolutely could not be stained!
He flung the pan aside, grabbed the trash can next to him, and rushed over at top speed, holding it right under the girl's mouth.
He wanted to pat her back, but he didn't dare touch a stranger.
His hand hovered in midair for a long time before he gave up—gripping the trash can with both hands and silently waiting for her to finish retching.
Gotou Hitori exhaled in relief. At least he'd made it in time.
Once he calmed down, he started looking at the girl more carefully.
And after a moment, he realized—
Her features…
She looked a lot like his little sister, Gotou Ou.
No… it was beyond "a lot like."
If Ou grew up a few more years, she would be practically identical.
Huh.
Could this girl be Ou from the future?
Would that cheerful, completely opposite-from-him Ou… end up as low-spirited as him in a few years?
N-no, Ou…!
That can't happen!
Even if part of him was happy to see her become like him, he was far more worried about what she'd gone through these five years…
Becoming socially anxious wasn't a good thing. You couldn't refuse people, and every day your head was filled with what others might think of you.
Even when you finally got a holiday, you'd just curl up alone in a rented room, lying in bed while watching other people show off their youth on Instagram. And when you grew old enough to lose all your teeth, you'd still end up dying alone.
You have to become bright and cheerful again, Ou…!
With that thought, Gotou Hitori's gaze toward the girl gradually softened into sympathy.
He still wasn't sure if she was really his sister from the future. He had no idea how she had appeared in his home.
But what he could be sure of…
Was that this trembling girl was socially anxious too—just like him.
That damp, gloomy scent only your own kind gave off.
He would never mistake it.
And once he realized she was someone who couldn't talk to people either—someone terrified of contact and conversation—she seemed less frightening.
Plus, that familiar face was strangely comforting.
In the end, Gotou Hitori decided to gather his courage and cautiously try to engage.
"Um… do you want… a tissue…?"
He asked carefully.
"Ah… th-thank you…"
The reply was a voice even weaker than his.
"It's okay, as long as you don't mind…" Gotou Hitori answered reflexively.
"I-I-I-I-I don't mind! Not at all…! I mean… um… I should be the one apologizing… I almost threw up on your bed… I'm really, really sorry…"
The girl replied reflexively too.
The classic social anxiety combo: quiet voice, apologize first. But dropping into a full prostration posture was a bit much.
Gotou Hitori hadn't expected her to be even more afraid of strangers than he was. Seeing how sensitive and skittish she was, he hesitated, then did his best to speak gently.
"You don't need to apologize… I don't know what's going on either… but from the way you look, it doesn't seem like you came here to scare me on purpose… You probably don't know what happened, right?
"If it were me, waking up and finding a strange man next to me—especially not even in my own home—I'd be scared enough to feel sick too—"
He was trying to comfort her, to help her stabilize.
But unexpectedly, her personality seemed a bit… jumpy. The moment she realized he was speaking to her normally, she sounded even more frantic.
"N-no, no, no, no, no…! It's my fault! Um… th-this is your home, and I… I just appeared here without permission and scared you, so I'm the one who did wrong… P-please forgive me, I really don't know why I'm here, um, I-I'll do anything, please don't call the police…"
Gotou Hitori couldn't stand hearing someone humble themselves like that, so he kept trying to reassure her.
But she also seemed unable to endure someone being kind to her—so, overwhelmed by the attention, she stammered out even more.
The two of them tugged at each other like this for ages—like two workers who'd been worn smooth by society, competing in a cramped rental apartment to see who could bow lower and apologize harder.
In the end, both of them were so exhausted they could barely breathe. Without needing to say it, they reached a truce and decided to stop and rest for a moment.
"…So basically, you don't know why you're here either… right?" Gotou Hitori panted, summing up the situation.
The girl nodded hard. Her heavy bangs were soaked with sweat, but she didn't dare use the tissues to wipe it.
She was afraid taking too many would make her look inconsiderate with other people's things. Wiping with her hands might disgust him. So she stayed kneeling, stiff as a board.
"I understand… I'll do my best to figure out a way to send you back… um… are you willing to trust me?"
"Ah…! I-I am!"
Hope flared in her eyes.
Gotou Hitori quietly scooted backward. He couldn't stand anything that sparkled.
"Then… maybe we should… introduce ourselves…?"
"Okay, okay, okay…"
The conversation was going smoothly.
And yet, for some reason, the room fell into an eerie silence again.
They'd reached the part where you could finally close the distance between strangers—yet neither of them could open their mouths.
If you thought about it, it made perfect sense.
No socially anxious person liked being the first to introduce themselves. It was an iron law carved into their souls.
Both of them realized it a moment too late. To avoid making the other uncomfortable, they spoke at the same time.
"Um, how about I go first—"
The silence got worse.
Nothing was more awkward than colliding at the exact moment you tried to speak.
So they tried again.
"Ah… how about you go first—"
This time, even the polite phrasing matched.
Seeing it wouldn't work, Gotou Hitori proposed a compromise.
"…How about this. We count down together—three, two, one—and then say our names at the same time. Okay?"
The girl nodded so hard she looked like one of those wobbling toy drums. If it was set up like that, there was no problem.
"Then… I'll start."
Gotou Hitori swallowed.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
As the countdown ended, they both shut their eyes—like a pair of awkward newlyweds in a church—and, with embarrassed voices, shouted their names in unison.
"My name is Gotou Hitori."
"I—I'm Gotou Hitori."
Then—
They both lifted their heads.
And made the most bewildered sound possible.
"Huh?"
-------
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