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"Ha… ha… hah… I… I'm not dead?"
He sucked in huge gulps of air, lungs filling with the faint scent of cherry blossoms. It felt like waking up from a nightmare. Slowly, Andrew opened his eyes again.
He was sprawled on the ground in an awkward, twisted position. His white shirt was soaked through with cold sweat, clinging uncomfortably to his skin.
The evening sunlight was still warm and golden. The cherry blossom grove around him was just as beautiful as before. The sun hadn't even set.
He looked around again. The strange little wooden shrine box… and that horrifying headless schoolgirl… both were gone.
Everything he had just experienced felt like nothing more than a round in some kind of "game."
The game ended, and reality reset.
Not far away, two high school girls walking home together had stopped in their tracks. They stared at him, wide-eyed and whispering to each other, before quickly grabbing each other's hands and hurrying off.
"Guess I got labeled a weirdo… though honestly, a schoolgirl with a head is way cuter than one without."
Andrew pushed himself up, pretending to be calm. His face stayed blank as he brushed dust and cherry blossom petals off his clothes.
Compared to before he entered that "game world," there was now an extra item in his hand.
A book.
Old. Worn. Falling apart.
It was the companion item he had chosen in the game—Five Thunder Orthodox Method.
After confirming the two girls were long gone and no one else was around, Andrew tried forming a hand seal.
Crackle—snap—!
Faint blue arcs of electricity flickered around him like static, popping rapidly in the air.
Daoist thunder techniques… in the real world.
Sure, it felt like a beginner's version. Still ridiculously "youthful," you could say.
But it proved one thing clearly: Strange Tales wasn't just a game.
Items obtained in it could manifest in reality. Skills learned in it could be used here too.
If he kept playing, kept gathering more abilities and items…
His life might just fast-forward straight into something amazing.
"Maybe this game really is a bonus for transmigrators."
He stopped channeling the lightning and immediately felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His mind grew hazy.
Shaking his head, he carefully tucked the tattered Five Thunder Orthodox Method into his bag. He'd study it more when he got home tonight.
Then he picked up his phone.
On the screen, two glaring red words:
[DEAD]
"Seriously? What kind of trash game is this? Who puts an unbeatable monster right next to the beginner spawn? Which idiot designed that? That's just disgusting."
"And what the hell is this setup? The future overlord of ghosts and gods gets strangled to death by a random passing headless schoolgirl? If my character's that weak, don't give me such a ridiculous title to start with, damn it!"
Grumbling, he tapped the screen.
A message popped up:
[Substitute Paper Doll consumed. Remaining: 0. Refresh in 12 hours.]
"Substitute paper doll?"
Andrew looked down.
At his feet lay a small white paper figure, about the size of his palm.
Its head drooped limply, as if it might snap off from the body at any moment.
"This thing… died in my place?"
He picked it up, examined it silently for a moment, then stuffed it into his pocket.
After that, he tapped the screen again. The message disappeared, replaced by a [Character Status] page.
Name: Andrew
Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Constitution: 3
Charm: 8
Spiritual Skill: 0
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: Five Thunder Method (Incomplete)
"…So basically, I'm useless except for being good-looking."
He shook his head helplessly.
"Though seriously, what's the point of high charm in this game? Am I supposed to date female ghosts?"
He closed the status screen. The [Start Game] button appeared again.
Apparently, the game allowed you to start even without a substitute doll.
But Andrew wasn't about to press it.
"Yeah, no. I'll play it safe and wait. Twelve hours later, I'll be a new man again."
This game was way too weird. If dying in it without a substitute doll meant real death…
Who would he even complain to?
He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked along the school path blanketed in fallen cherry blossoms, leaving campus behind.
…
The sun dipped below the horizon. Streetlights flickered on, dim and hazy.
Around 6:40 PM, Andrew arrived at a convenience store near the school.
On one side of the counter, sausages rotated quietly on a grill. A pot of oden bubbled softly. On the other side, gum and… certain adult products were neatly arranged.
This was his part-time job.
The store manager wasn't in today. Only a young, well-built male clerk was inside, checking inventory.
Andrew remembered his name was Okamura…
Okamura what?
Eh, not important.
"Hey, Andrew, right on time," Okamura-whatever greeted him warmly, casually reaching out to pat his shoulder.
Snap!
Just as his hand was about to make contact, a blue arc of electricity burst out.
The muscular clerk jolted back in shock, quickly pulling his hand away.
"W-what was that?!"
"Static. Just static," Andrew glanced at his shoulder.
He hadn't formed any hand seal just now. Probably leftover charge from earlier.
"Since when does static look like that…?" Okamura scratched his head. "Also, isn't it spring?"
"Oh, then I guess it's not static. It's a mysterious force beyond nature."
"Haha, you're funny, Andrew."
"Yeah, I know."
Andrew gave him a casual smile and headed to the staff room to change into his uniform.
Today marked his fourth day working part-time.
Before this, he had never earned money on his own.
Of course, "he" referred to the body's original owner.
Because a week ago, this body—good-looking but otherwise useless—belonged to someone else.
Now, it housed a completely different soul.
One from a neighboring country. GD Province.
Since we're on the topic, might as well talk about the original Andrew.
He had been weak-willed, withdrawn, with barely any friends. No goals, no direction, just drifting through life.
Bad grades. Poor physical condition. No real talents to speak of.
Basically, a really handsome version of Nobita —just without Doraemon.
His parents divorced when he was young, and he lived with his father.
Unfortunately, his father was a complete mess.
An alcoholic. A gambler. After losing money, he'd even borrow from loan sharks. Never once acted like a proper parent.
Sometime early last year, though, his father finally did one thing right for his son.
He died.
A traffic accident.
Japanese people tend to love insurance. Even someone like his father had it.
His death left Andrew as the sole beneficiary, receiving nearly 10 million yen in compensation.
Eight million went straight to paying off the loan shark debts.
Saving him from inheriting that mess.
The remaining two million yen belonged entirely to him.
But two million yen wasn't much.
At his current school, Hanasaki High, yearly expenses—including tuition—ran about 600,000 yen.
Even living frugally, that money wouldn't last until college graduation.
So after adapting to his new identity, the "new" Andrew quickly did the math and decided to get a part-time job.
As for the original owner…
A week ago, he made his first confession.
And got politely rejected.
With a face boasting a charm stat of 8, getting turned down by a high school girl…
That alone said a lot about how badly things had gone for him.
After the rejection, overwhelmed with grief and anger, he snapped.
That very night, he swallowed sleeping pills and ended his life.
And that was when the new Andrew took over.
Looking back on the original's life, it could be summed up in eight words:
Pitiful… and frustrating.
…
Andrew's shift ran from 7 PM to 10 PM, Monday through Friday.
Weekly pay. 1,000 yen per hour. The work itself was busy and mostly dull.
By 10 PM, he clocked out.
After changing back into his school uniform, he grabbed a 450-yen chicken bento from the shelf and heated it in the microwave.
It was an unspoken rule at the store.
One of the perks.
Food past its sell-by time—bentos, bread, sandwiches—would be discarded.
And once it was marked for disposal, staff could eat it freely. Even take some home.
Basically, a free dinner.
For someone living alone and short on cash, it was a pretty great deal.
After finishing the meal slowly in the store, Andrew picked up his bag and left.
"See you tomorrow, Andrew!" Okamura-whatever called out loudly from behind, continuing his night shift.
"Yeah. See you."
He stepped outside.
The late-spring night air carried an unexpected chill.
The sky held no moon. No stars. Only the dull glow of city lights and neon.
Andrew smacked his lips, the lingering taste of that mediocre chicken bento still in his mouth.
"…Another day down."
"....."