Renji lived in a tiny apartment in Tokyo, tucked between a ramen shop and a noisy arcade. The walls were thin, the floor creaked, and the city never truly slept—but he liked it that way. Quiet mornings with instant noodles, afternoons scrolling aimlessly through his phone, nights reading alone under the dim light of a desk lamp. That was his life. Simple. Predictable. Safe.
At work, he stayed quiet too. Blending in was easier than standing out. But yesterday, as he passed the break room, he overheard something that caught him off guard.
"Seriously, The Eternal Knight? That book is insane! You've gotta read it," a colleague was saying, eyes wide with excitement.
Renji paused. He didn't usually care about what others recommended, but something about the way they spoke… it lingered in his mind. By the time he got home, curiosity had gnawed at him enough that he ordered a copy online.
That evening, Renji sat cross-legged on his tatami mat, the book open in his lap. He wasn't expecting much—just a distraction from the monotony of his life. But page after page, he was drawn in. The hero was brave, clever, and impossibly strong. The villains were cruel and cunning. The story was alive, vibrant, and intoxicating.
Renji barely noticed time passing. The city lights outside blurred into streaks, and the quiet hum of his apartment felt like it belonged to another world.
He laughed softly at the hero's witty remarks, frowned at the clever traps the villains set, and, for the first time in a long while, felt a spark of excitement in his chest.
This… this is good, he whispered.
Hours passed. And when he finally reached the last page, he leaned back, exhausted and exhilarated. A deep sigh escaped him. So this is why they were talking about it… I get it now.
He didn't know it then, but that sigh would be the last sound he made in his ordinary world.