The world is a vast place, filled with tales of varying lengths and themes. In America, they are often expressed in comics and graphic novels. But the setting of our place is Japan.
Japan, the holy land of light novels, manga, and anime.
Imagine a world where the rules of these media rule. What an interesting world it would be. To be a protagonist, of this world, even.
To be excluded from this right… the rest is up to imagination.
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..
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April 5, 20XX
Ring. Ring. Ring.
A sound with the ringtone of a random anime opening I watched rings from the corner of my ear.
Because of that, I get up from bed and see that it’s only my phone alerting me it’s 8:00 AM.
“Uh, time for the first day of school.”
Normally, a person would be excited to start again to see their classmates, old and new. But not me.
I touch my face and feel something sticky near my nose and a liquid near my mouth.
Ew.
Yeah, I don’t really need to explain what that is.
…
..
.
My breakfast is nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Just some rice, natto, yakizakana, and tsukemono.
Munch. Munch. Munch.
Hm, I guess Nakatani prepared this for me ahead of time.
That was my assumption, since I didn’t see Mom and Dad anywhere.
“Alright.”
I scoop up the rest of the food from the chopsticks I hold and place them on the sink.
There were uniforms I had prepared yesterday lying on the adjacent chair.
Without taking a bath, I wear them. The phone that was lying on the table went to my pocket and I wore the bag that was conveniently sitting in the living room couch.
Finishing my preparations, I head out.
…
..
.
It was a sunny Monday morning.
“Grrr… my worst enemy,” I scowl.
I take my phone out and check the time.
Still 8:21 AM. I still have time!
"Time to grab some drinks!" I said merrily.
Since class doesn’t start until much later, I take a detour and see my favorite vending machine in plain sight.
“My beloved!”
Smooching and kissing my darling, I grin at the delicious liquids it offers in its beautiful, smooth, and clear skin.
“Let’s see… melon soda, cola, black coffee.”
The drinks were about one of the only things I could look forward to. In this mundane world, there is no excitement to be felt. Only the gray film of reality exists here.
The bright sunshines, the corporate world, the social lives. All of these don’t matter. Only light novels, manga, and anime do… and drinks. I’m not afraid to admit so.
Some may accuse me of escapism, but I couldn’t care less. There is no fun aside from the drinks… or the media aforementioned.
“I’ll go with melon soda.”
I pop out my wallet from the back of my back and insert 1-100 yen coin followed by 2-10 yen coins.
Clank.
The melon soda drops and I pick it up.
I take a seat on a nearby bench.
Psh.
A sound of carbon escapes my can and I proceed to drink it as I watch the students pass by.
Something weird was up with the students, but I couldn’t really put my finger as to what it was.
I merely observed minor details.
…
..
.
Around 5 minutes have passed since then.
“I guess that makes 8 yellows, 7 reds, 5 pinks, and 10 blues.”
Only when I point that out was then I notice the oddity of the situation.
"What the heck is up with their hairstyle and color?!" I yell out in the daylight.
"I'm gonna be late for school!" one of the girl students announced with burnt toast in her mouth.
Plus one pink.
“Okay, putting that side. What the heck?! Is there a liberal school near here or something?”
The toast cliché was something I vehemently ignored, as the sight just made me cringe.
There just are lots of things that don’t translate well to real life.
I began to have my suspicions. For that reason, I remain at the bench and stared at them. I may have creeped out some students as I did look like a hunting stalker, but that was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things!
25 yellows, 18 reds, 16 pinks, 12 blues, 6 purples, 7 whites.
“At this point, they should just finish the full set of a rainbow.”
Putting aside even that fact… some hair of the students just seemed to ignore physics.
Something wasn’t right… that was what my intuition was telling me, but there was far too small of a sample to make an absolute conclusion.
I grab my melon can and try to drink, but notice that its cold metal exterior had long dissipated.
“Say… how long have I been here?”
If I took that long for the coolness of my drink to leave, then-
“Oh shit!”
I make a dash for it. Perhaps what my intuition was telling me all that time was my idiot bottom resting on a bench instead of a school desk.
…
..
.
I hurriedly climbed the stairs.
Step. Step. Step.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
I was late for the first day of school.
My legs take me to my assigned class, Class 2-1, and as it opens its doors-
"Present!" I yelled.
"Oh, ok take a seat, we'll wait for the others," the teacher said calmly.
“O-Oh, okay then.”
There were only 3 to 4 people in the class, oddly.
Lucky!
A random seat was chosen by my liking, as I knew seats were to be arranged by this day.
That’s odd. Normally, shouldn’t most of the class be here at this time?
Right as I create that statement in my head, that’s where they come crashing down. All at once.
"Present!" the first student yelled.
"Present!" the second student shouted.
"Absent!" the third joked.
"Yello!" the fourth announced.
"PRESENT!!!" the fifth screamed in panic.
What’s worse that the girls that entered had toast in their mouths. All of them.
Dang, is bread the new trend or something? The wheat industry must be flooding.
…
..
.
Skipping through the useless details, we were arranged and thus we introduced ourselves, like any first day.
I’m absolutely not introducing my classmates. No one ever remembers them from introductions in class, so it’s useless to bother.
The classroom had 20 seats in a 4 by 5 arrangement and I was in the 2nd row of the 3rd column.
As it was the first day of the school year, there was a lot of free time after diagnostics have been taken. I make use of that time, by analyzing the moves of my classmates.
I’m being repetitive, but… something really is off.
It was like my presence was being overwhelmed with such intense aura. You might describe it like the sensation of being an introvert surrounded by a classroom of extroverts… although, the pressure felt significantly greater, almost as if I was being crushed in all directions at the same time.
Then something started to catch my eye little by little, most of my classmates had hair that was in a way... off, like in an anime or manga, some spiky, and some with hair colors like the rainbow which was physically and biologically impossible.
It reminded me of what I did earlier, stalki- I mean, analyzing the features of the students who share the same path to school.
Colorful and weird hair proportions. Going to school with bread. Barely making it to the first day of class.
“I know it may be too early to assume. But… maybe, just maybe… I’m living in an anime or manga world?”
It’s a wild hypothesis, absurd even. But the reality I knew wasn’t this… colorful. It wasn’t like this last year, last week, not even yesterday.
“Okay, if we’re to go by this hypothesis. There is one test that is could end up as strong evidence for this phenomenon.”
First off, if this was a manga world, then an MC* would most likely be near the window, in other words, the golden position of the protagonist known worldwide by otaku and weebs alike! The 1st column of the lower half rows.
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*MC – Main Character |
I seek the person who seemed to be MC material in the same row as mine. He had spiky, blue hair and seemed friendly.
Is he the protagonist of this story?
"Um, hello?" I ask.
He didn't answer.
He was blankly staring out into space, like he was reminiscing about a past, tragic event.
"Oh sorry, I was spacing out, oh um, what's your name?"
"Takayuki, Kibe Takayuki, yours?"
Urgh… I don’t like talking to people.
"Yoshio, Kase Yoshio, you can call me Yoshio-kun," he introduced himself.
We chat for a while, but it wasn’t until later when I got to ask the important details.
"So, how was your life before school?"
"I don't want to talk about it..."
"Oh ok, it's fine."
I distance myself from the creep and watch from afar.
Through my observation skills, he brought out an aged picture that seemed to be two young adults, one male, and one female, carrying a baby.
Seems like a family, and they are all blue-haired? Suspicious.
I have a guess, I'm living in a shounen manga. I think those are his parents and they are dead.
Parents dead, check. Reminiscing on the first day of school, check. MC position, check, Odd hair, check.
“He is definitely a shounen protagonist. The guy checked off everything in my generic trait list.”
He stares at the picture and his expression sours. Pair that with an unintelligible monologue.
He’s crying? Okay, that’s just dramatic, and can you stop whispering? It's annoying, it's like there's a bee on my ear, even though I’m so far. Looks like an MC truly can break specific laws, such as ignoring the concept of distance.
…
..
.
I was about to go back to my seat when someone caught my eye, on the very last row and column on the left, also in the MC position lies a very “handsome” man, by girl standards that is.
Lucky bastard.
His seatmate, a girl seems to be clinging to him. She pressed her breasts against his arm.
Hey, hey, hey, this is a school you dimwits, stop acting lovey-dovey.
From what I overheard from their conversation, is that the term 'childhood friend', 'I like you', and such terms were mentioned. I can easily guess that he is a rom-com protagonist, why? Because no one is looking at them aside from two girls.
Not only that, the teacher doesn't notice them. Is he blind or something?
No, he’s a rom-com or harem protagonist. It's a rule that teachers are usually blind during these times.
My eyes widen over this paradox.
"Two protagonists?!”
No, no, no. That’s impossible.
“Does this world run on two protagonists? That’s possible.”
But that doesn’t make any sense… Those two seem to be independent of each other. Unless…
Out of frustration, I looked behind, there, and everywhere. I narrow down the traits of my classmates and determine their affiliation with a specific genre.
Mahou shoujo! Slice-of-life! Comedy!
“E-Everyone’s… a protagonist.”
Well, not really. There were a select few that served as side characters that served to support the MC, but they were dime a dozen.
“Such a discovery… that must be why I felt like being crushed by the pressure.”
I chuckle.
“This is absurd.”
A grin forms on my face.
If that’s the case… then I’m an MC too, aren’t I?!
My heart thumps uncontrollably. I get ecstatic over the adrenaline given to me by this fact.
I clench my fists.
A protagonist! A protagonist of my own story! In a manga/anime nonetheless!
“This can’t be true… this is too good to be real. This is the fantasy of every degenerate in existence!!!”
However, there was one slight problem.
“What kind of protagonist am I?”
My life flashes before my eyes, but I ultimately draw a blank.
“That’s depressing. With the life I’d been living, I’ve been extremely average, heck, even unremarkable. My life is absolutely normal.”
My shoulders slump, but all is not for naught!
This means… this could be…
“My story… begins here.”
And it’s my job to identify my role. My class.
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..
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12:00 NN
Ring. Ring.
The school bell sounds its tune, indicating the start of lunch break.
It makes sense for my story to come blossom today, as is the case with most other stories.
A sneer forms on my face.
Ehehehe… maybe I’m a rom-com protagonist. Surrounded by bitches…
“Every man’s dream!!!”
I take out my lunch and begin eating.
This is it! The protagonist eats his lunch and a beautiful girl approaches him as he eats!
A snicker comes out of my mouth as I grab ahold of my chopsticks, preparing to chow.
I just have to wait. Good things come to those who wait.
Munch. Munch.
“Mmm~ yum.”
Darting left and right, my eyes seek to find any incoming girl.
Munch. Munch.
Are they shy?
…
..
.
A few minutes later.
Munch. Munch.
“Mmm~ yum.”
…
..
.
More minutes later.
Munch. Munch.
“Yum.”
…
..
.
Many, many minutes later.
Munch. Munch.
Gulp.
I wrap my fork and spoon with a cloth above my lunch box and keep it.
“Hm… that meal sucked.”
What’s the big idea?! Lunch is almost over!!! It was the perfect opportunity earlier!
My patience had run thin and I was forced to resort to a desperate attempt for attention.
“Tch.”
I bang my desk and stand up.
With that, I dash out of the classroom and spread my arms.
“How about this, huh?! Notice me, you plebeians!”
Since there were students crossing the hallways, I end up clashing a few times.
An embarrassing event! This is a catalyst!
“AHHHHH!!!”
I yell to my heart’s content while mindlessly hitting numerous students.
One might think I was an abnormal titan waiting to be struck by the nape. But, despite that, no one ever came to stop me.
Huh?
My back turns to face my mess. It seems I had formed a line of wondering students, heads turning in whatever directions.
“H-Hey… you’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Their heads turning was a matter of concern, but the tipping point was when they came to face my direction, yet was unable to identify me as the suspect.
To confirm, I wave my hand at them and even yell.
But no one came.
“A-A-Ahh…”
I was speechless.
This… doesn’t make any sense. How can they not see me after all that fuss? It’s almost as if I’m-
I halt my sentence and began running a few tests in the area.
“No way. No way. No way! NO WAY!!!”
…
..
.
I wave my hand in front of two talking classmates.
“N-Nothing?!”
I slap one of them just to confirm, but was met to have my action reciprocated, tenfold.
…
..
.
Screeches and yells of unimaginable pitch and volume were spread amongst the school premises by my doing.
Yet despite all that, not even a single person bats an eye.
My heartbeat drops a staggering amount, and I clasp my chest just to calm it.
One final test.
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..
.
A couple of friends were hanging out in their classroom.
The selfish fiend that I am intrudes and puts a phone at a nearby chair and sets the timer to 5 seconds.
My butt scurries off to a position behind them and the phone flashes.
“Woah,” one of the friends exclaim.
“Did someone take a photo of us?” another asks.
I go on to take my phone to view the photo, only to be met by a haunted scene.
It was at that moment, that I was filled with dread.
“Ahaha… ahahha… AHAHHAHAHA!!!”
I maniacally laugh to vent out my frustrations.
You see… the picture I took right now… had the full picture of the group with me.
Seems, normal right?
However-
My face isn’t in the picture. It isn’t… in the picture… Even minor details about my hair and my uniform were blurry.
I slam my phone to the ground.
My fists meet the floor and I scream.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I’M NOT A SLENDERMAN FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!! AHHHHHHH!!!”
My suspicions were confirmed. If I were a protagonist, I would have a lot of spotlight. If I were at least a side character, I would have some sort of connection to a protagonist somewhere.
“But I have none.”
I-I… I am a…
“Mob character.”
There can be no other explanation.
I dash out and go down the stairs and eventually arrive at the school grounds where the sun shined so brightly.
I face the sun with my two eyes, squinting and even going so much as to cover it with my arm, as it was too bright.
“You little piece of-”
The hands I raise upon the sun turn into a fist and I crush the wind I hold beneath it.
“So this is how you’re gonna play it, huh? There’s no way in hell am I gonna accept that I’m just a mob character! I’m gonna fight! You hear that world? I’m gonna fuckin’ bring you down!!! I swear on it.”
Even if it means crushing Amaterasu with it.
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Note: Thus the battle begins! A worldly battle for the role of protagonist! Will the young idiot warrior become a Main Character? Find out soon... |
END OF EPISODE 1, Beginning of Arc 1, Identity Arc.
