0 : Prologue
Osaka, Japan, in the year 2027.
This marks the beginning of a story that would change everything in my life-and the lives of my friends, too.
“Myths are born from reality.” Well... I believed in those words.
My name is Ishida Tsuyoshi, I’m 19 years old and a hardcore otaku. I have somewhat messy black hair, average height for a Japanese man, slightly sharp eyes, and a reasonably toned physique, though I don’t look like an athlete.
To be honest, I’ve spent more than half of this summer vacation just hanging around at home. I don’t have a specific reason for loving anime, but... well, that’s just who I am.
------
That day, I was at a convenience store to pick up a few snacks.
“That comes to 157 yen,” the cashier said in a flat tone.
“Oh, right... here you go,” I replied, handing over the money.
“Thank you for your patronage,” the cashier said with a slight bow.
I walked back home, tucking the receipt into my pocket.
When I reached my front gate, I was surprised to see a car I didn’t recognize parked out front.
Hmm...
“I’m home!” I called out.
“You’re back, Tsucchan? Come here for a moment we have a guest...” A woman’s gentle voice drifted from inside.
That was the voice of Ishida Meiko, my mother. She is 47 years old, with long black hair showing a few streaks of gray, and a gentle, friendly face typical of a housewife.
"A guest?" I murmured softly.
I set down my shopping bag and stepped into the living room.
There, my father is talking with a blond-haired man.
My father, Ishida Tsukishima, is 49 years old. He has black hair with some gray, a face with a few wrinkles, and a thin mustache and beard that gave him an air of authority.
“Oh! Tsuyoshi! Come here! Have a seat... hehehe,” Dad said with a wide grin.
He patted the chair next to him.
“Hahaha, look at how grown up he is now... hey, Tsuyoshi, do you remember Andrew?” he added with a chuckle.
“Hm... oh! Uncle Andrew?!” I replied slowly, pointing at the man.
“Yes, it’s me... it’s been eleven years since I last saw you, hasn’t it?” the uncle said.
His name is Carl Andrew, a 52 years old man with neatly combed blonde hair and a well-groomed blonde mustache. He is a colleague of my father’s, and if I recalled correctly, a professor as well.
Despite being a professor, he has a fit, sturdy build. He’s wearing a dress shirt and a suit jacket topped with a leather jacket, the classic style of an eccentric scientist.
------
“We’ve brought an invention that will change the world... let’s head to the garden first,” Dad said enthusiastically.
We walked out to the backyard. There stood a large, box shaped object covered by a black curtain.
I stared at it in confusion.
Uncle Andrew smiled faintly.
“What is that?” I asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough...” Uncle Andrew replied mysteriously.
The two of them slowly pulled back the curtain.
Beneath it was an object resembling a large black safe, featuring strange carved patterns and several buttons marked with foreign characters.
“This device is called the Chtr*P.O.D.L, or just ‘POD’ for short. We discovered this one in Kyushu... and we estimate it to be about a billion years old. It might sound ridiculous... but it’s the truth. This object is the key to a new gateway. It’s capable of transporting us to another world. And according to our experiments, one minute on Earth is equivalent to about a week there. In other words, it’s both a time machine and a wish granting device... you can become anything you want, simply by tapping into that ’chuunibyou’ of yours.” ...Uncle Andrew explained, patting the side of the device.
“What? Go on...” I replied briefly, still not fully grasping it.
“And it’s thanks to this device that I’ve aged so rapidly,” my father added, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
I stared at him, trying to make sense of his explanation.
Come to think of it... the legends of mythological creatures in that world weren’t just dreams. Those beings must have once lived on Earth and evolved alongside humans over countless ages... I think.
My dad then opened the door to the strange machine.
“To prove it... I’m going in there...” he said.
“Wow... getting nostalgic for that other world, Dad?” I quipped, half teasing.
“I... I’m going to be an assassin for a while... whatever I bring back... just trust me, son...” Father said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
“I’ll handle the rest, just get inside...” Uncle Andrew said, patting my shoulder confidently.
------
The metal groaned loudly as the machine’s door slowly opened.
My dad stepped inside and closed his eyes.
“DO IT!” he shouted.
The door slammed shut automatically, and a bright light flared up around us.
A moment later, when I opened my eyes, my dad disappeared from the machine.
Hmm...?
“Hey, Ishida... do you believe in fairies?” Uncle Andrew asked, looking at me calmly.
“What do you mean?” I replied, puzzled.
“You have to believe whatever you see, because legends stem from realities carried through time...” he said softly, his tone hinting at something more.
This conversation might as well be a legend... because this is ridiculous...
Suddenly, the door to the device slowly opened again. Father stepped out... well, it’s supposed to be my dad, though he looked a little... different.
Dad then pulled something from his pocket something that appeared to be thrashing wildly.
He is clutching a small creature, about ten centimeters tall, with two pairs of dark yellow wings and short black hair. Its body is tiny, yet it is struggling fiercely.
“This is a wild fairy... it would fetch a standard price if I sold it...” my father said casually.
A fairy?... Is this a robot, or...? Hahahaha, you’ve got to be kidding me.
“As proof... can I hold it?” I asked enthusiastically.
“Go ahead... but be careful, it’s very wild... practically no different from a stray cat,” Father replied as he handed the creature over.
I slowly moved my index finger toward the fairy.
Suddenly, it scratched my finger with lightning speed.
“Aghh! Damn it! It tore into my finger!” I screamed in pain.
“Hey, hey... I told you so. Mmm... just kill it... even though it’s a fairy... it’s a predator... sometimes they hunt in packs to attack and devour horses, cows, and other livestock... even humans...” Uncle Andrew explained with a deadpan expression.
“Are you sure?... Is this thing not just a robot?” I asked, feeling a bit doubtful about what had just happened.
“Hah... just lift up the fairy’s skirt... you’ll see its genitals... go ahead and touch them too, if you want!” Uncle Andrew replied with a smirk.
“Uhh... okay, okay, I’ll just take a look... no need to touch it...” I answered hesitantly.
“Whoa...!!! She really is a girl!”
Huh?...
The fairy fell silent. Her face flushed, and she wore an adorably embarrassed expression.
“Uncle Andrew, you said it was okay to kill this thing, right!?” I asked.
“Hm? Yeah, I guess so...” Uncle Andrew replied casually.
“Oh, right... wait... CAN I KEEP IT AS A PET!?” I asked quickly.
“Yeah... in the other world, that fairy is no different from a stray cat...” Uncle Andrew said, pointing at the fairy still in Father’s hand.
“I brought one more thing...” Father added, his eyes shifting to another object inside a sack near the device.
What the hell kind of creature is this now?
“This is the dark elf I killed a while back...” Father said calmly as he opened the sack.
I approached the corpse, one of Uncle Andrew’s guards handed me gloves and a mask. I touched the body gently, checking its texture.
With this I couldn’t deny it anymore... this really is an elf!
“Oi! Bury that on this side of the fence!” Father ordered the guard from earlier.
“Dad!?” I exclaimed in shock.
“They’re just pests...” Father replied flatly.
“Ah... alright then...” I answered.
------
I didn’t quite understand what I was going through. I went to wash my face, stared at my reflection in the mirror, and then gazed at the wall.
“Argh, damn it... this... this isn’t a dream...” I muttered softly after banging my forehead against the wall.
“Big bro? Why are you acting crazy this early in the morning?” my younger sister asked from outside the bathroom.
“Ah... it’s nothing... besides... Azusa! It’s already noon!” I replied, trying to calm myself down.
Ah... am I up to this? Screw it... I might as well just go through with it.
“What’s wrong with your brother?” Uncle Andrew asked from the living room.
“Um... I think something’s wrong with his head,” my sister answered hesitantly.
“Hey! Don’t just say things like that,” I shouted as I stepped out of the bathroom.
“Hey, so how about it? Have you decided?” Uncle Andrew asked.
“Umm... yeah...” I said.
Uncle Andrew said his goodbyes and left the house. I went back to my room, turned on my laptop, and watched anime genres like isekai, fantasy, action, and even gore.
It might seem funny... but this was my first step for everything., T5
