It was a warm and pleasant afternoon, typical of early summer, in the town of Kakunodate, a place famous for its old samurai streets and the cherry blossoms that announced the arrival of the traditional spring festival every year.
However, the season of flowers had already passed.
Now, the gentle heat of summer was beginning to take over the town, and the long-awaited school vacation was only a few hours away.
Inside the local public high school, Hitori Senki, a third-year student, remained seated near the large classroom window.
Of average height, with spiky black hair and wearing the standard school uniform, he gazed at the blue sky outside as though time itself had stopped.
While his classmates spent the last moments of class chatting and laughing, Hitori simply waited for the clock hands to move.
With his body lazily sprawled over the desk, he radiated a quiet loneliness that had long become part of the classroom scenery.
Nobody really cared.
Everyone had grown accustomed to his distant demeanor.
If someone were asked about Hitori, few would be able to say anything beyond his name.
Some might not even realize that he attended the school.
In that place, he was merely another forgettable face…
Hitori: “I just want to get home already…”
He muttered with a deep sigh.
Something suddenly caught his attention, causing him to slowly raise his eyes toward the teacher.
Teacher: “Have a good vacation, everyone.”
The sharp sound of the bell echoed throughout the school hallways, pulling Hitori from the distant world where he always tried to hide.
Immediately, the classroom came alive.
Students hurriedly packed their belongings, smiling and wishing each other happy vacations as they left in small, excited groups.
Meanwhile, the teacher calmly organized his papers inside an old brown folder.
Hitori quietly stood up.
With his head lowered and his bag hanging over one shoulder, he left the classroom without saying a single word.
He wasn’t a bad student.
But neither was he exceptional.
His grades were good enough to pass each year without drawing attention— just like everything else in his life.
As he stepped outside, someone walking down the hallway looked at him as though they wanted to say something.
Perhaps they wanted to complain about him blocking the way.
Or perhaps they simply wanted to start a conversation.
But after noticing Hitori’s gloomy expression, they gave up and kept walking.
He didn’t even notice.
Alone, he walked through the halls of Kakunodate Public High School until he reached the main gate.
The orange glow of the setting sun illuminated the quiet streets of the town, while the warm breeze of early summer swayed the trees around him.
Then—
Hitori stopped.
For the first time that day, he raised his head and looked at the world around him.
Students were laughing.
Sports clubs practiced in the distance.
Cicadas sang endlessly among the trees.
And from the bottom of his heart, he shouted to himself—
Hitori: “Summer vacation at last!!!”
Immediately afterward, he ran toward the bicycle parking area.
Some students nearby were talking excitedly about the release of something, but Hitori didn’t stay long enough to find out.
He simply grabbed his bicycle and rode through the peaceful streets of Kakunodate toward his home— the only place where he could truly be himself.
A completely lazy otaku.
His true personality only surfaced when he was immersed in his hobbies: playing video games, spending countless hours in online RPGs, watching anime, or reading manga late into the night.
Perhaps calling him addicted would be an exaggeration…
Though not by much.
Even so, despite spending so much time gaming, Hitori was far from being a talented player.
During the school term, his mother forbade him from staying up all night playing.
She said it was because she worried about his studies…
But deep down, she was also troubled by the fact that she had never seen her son bring a friend home or even mention anyone during family meals.
That was why Hitori had been looking forward to summer vacation so much.
Finally, he would be able to do nothing but the things he loved.
Hitori: “Oh, nice… I’m finally free from that school.”
He said while taking off his shoes at the entrance.
Hitori: “Now I can play until I pass out, hehe… Today I’ll reach Gold rank in that FPS… or maybe finally defeat that dungeon boss… Ah! There’s also that new yokai anime…”
Before he could head upstairs, a voice echoed through the house.
???: “Hitori! Before you go upstairs, come here!”
He froze for a moment.
Hitori: “Ah, Mom… can’t it wait?”
Yumi Senki: “Hitori Senki. Now.”
Making an annoyed expression, he dragged his feet toward the kitchen.
Hitori: “What is it now…?”
Yumi Senki: “Watch how you speak to me.”
Hitori’s mother was a petite woman with fair skin and long, silky black hair.
She wore simple beige-colored clothes and always carried a calm appearance…
Though the stern look in her eyes alone was enough to keep order in the house.
Hitori: “Sorry…”
She then handed a small piece of paper to her son.
Hitori: “What’s this?”
Yumi Senki: “I need you to go downtown and buy these things for me.”
Hitori’s eyes widened.
Hitori: “What? Why so far away?”
Yumi Senki: “Because they don’t sell them nearby.”
Hitori: “Can’t you ask Tatsune to go?”
Tatsune was Hitori’s twin sister.
Although they had been born on the same day, the two were completely different.
While he was reserved and antisocial, Tatsune was popular, energetic, and always surrounded by people.
Yumi Senki: “Tatsune is busy with her vacation group.”
She answered while crossing her arms.
Yumi Senki: “Actually, I asked her to add you to the group as well.”
Hitori: “WHAT?!”
Hitori nearly choked.
Hitori: “I’m not wasting my vacation in some school group! Especially with those stuck-up people who are always hanging around her!”
Yumi Senki: “You are not spending another entire summer locked inside your room like you do every year, Hitori.”
Hitori: “But—”
Trying to find a way out of the situation.
Yumi Senki: “No ‘buts’.”
She interrupted him while pulling some money out of her apron pocket.
Yumi Senki: “And while you’re at it, buy the materials for your summer classes.”
Completely defeated, Hitori accepted the money and left the house against his will.
During the walk toward downtown, the miserable expression on his face caught the attention of passersby.
A few elderly people even looked at him strangely as the boy muttered to himself while walking down the street.
After several minutes, he finally arrived at the store.
Without even paying attention to what they were, he grabbed everything on his mother’s list and headed straight for the checkout line.
Letting out a long sigh of defeat, he waited for his turn.
Hitori: “I’m going to be stuck here forever…”
He thought while rolling his eyes as the line slowly moved forward.
In truth, the line wasn’t even that long.
But, as always, Hitori had a habit of exaggerating every little inconvenience.
In truth, the line wasn’t even that long.
But, as always, Hitori had a habit of exaggerating every little inconvenience.
While waiting, something suddenly caught his attention.
A television mounted high inside the store began broadcasting a commercial filled with dazzling effects and epic music.
TV Narrator: “A brand-new release from Tec-Soft-Media!”
TV Narrator: “The ultimate revolution in VR technology!”
TV Narrator: “Enter the game for real!”
The screen showed people wearing sleek metallic headsets as fantastical landscapes appeared around them.
TV Narrator: “With TSM’s newest devices, players are transported directly into the game itself! That’s right! You’ll be able to feel, see, and experience everything firsthand, without controllers, special cabins, or complicated augmented reality equipment!”
The tired eyes of Hitori gradually began to shine.
TV Narrator: “How is this possible?”
TV Narrator: “TSM’s advanced neural technology uses VR headsets to project the user’s consciousness directly into the virtual world.”
Huge castles, gigantic monsters, and medieval cities flashed across the screen.
TV Narrator: “Is it safe?”
TV Narrator: “Absolutely! Completely safe and painless! Only your consciousness is connected to the virtual environment while your body remains comfortably at rest at home. At the press of a button, all memories and experiences gained inside the game are instantly transferred back to your body in the real world!”
Hitori: “Whoa… that’s incredible…”
Then, accompanied by a majestic soundtrack, a giant golden logo appeared on the screen.
MMO: Isekai no RPG
TV Narrator: “And only this week, with the purchase of a TSM VR Headset, you’ll receive the most anticipated game of the year completely free!”
Then, the price appeared on the screen.
20,000 yen
Hitori: “Twenty thousand yen?! My savings…”
An old man standing nearby let out an annoyed sigh.
Old Man: “These companies just keep coming up with stranger things…”
The woman beside him immediately agreed.
Woman: “Exactly… every day there’s a new game. Children are getting lost in these virtual worlds.”
Hitori heard them…
But completely ignored their comments.
His eyes remained glued to the television.
A MMORPG.
A medieval fantasy world.
A complete virtual reality experience.
It seemed like exactly the kind of thing he had always dreamed of.
And for some strange reason…
That commercial made it feel as though his life was about to change.
Hitori: “I have to buy this game!”
As soon as he paid for the groceries his mother had asked him to buy, Hitori practically dashed out of the store.
With the shopping bag swinging in his hand, he ran through the busy streets of Kakunodate, completely distracted as he imagined what it would be like to enter a real RPG world.
Hitori: “A full virtual reality MMORPG… that’s literally something out of an anime…”
His heart raced just thinking about it.
Hitori: “I wonder if you can choose classes… Maybe a swordsman… No, being a mage would be cooler… Ah! What if there are yokai?!”
Completely absorbed in his thoughts, he crossed the street without even looking.
BREEEEEEEEEM!
The deafening sound of a horn echoed across the avenue.
A massive truck passed only inches away from him.
Truck Driver: “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING, KID!”
The powerful gust caused by the vehicle nearly knocked Hitori off balance.
But even after almost getting run over…
His mind remained completely occupied by the game advertisement.
A short while later, Hitori arrived home.
He dropped the shopping bags on the living room floor and immediately ran upstairs to his room.
There, he began rummaging through a chest hidden beneath his bed.
Eventually, he found a frog-shaped piggy bank.
Hitori: “These are all the savings I’ve gathered this year… but it’ll be worth it.”
He smiled as he pulled out twenty thousand yen.
Downstairs, Yumi noticed the bags left on the floor.
Yumi Senki: “Just what goes on inside that boy’s head…”
As she picked up the groceries, Hitori came rushing down the stairs, put on his shoes, and headed for the front door.
Outside, a young woman watched him grab his bicycle and speed off toward the game store at the end of the street.
A few minutes later, he arrived at an electronics store.
The place was packed.
A huge line stretched all the way outside.
Many young people held promotional flyers while excitedly talking about the new release.
Young Man 1: “Man, my brother who lives in Tokyo said this thing is amazing.”
Young Man 2: “Seriously, I can’t believe it came out two days ago and only just arrived here.”
Young Man 1: “Yeah… that’s the downside of living in a small town.”
Hitori watched the two chatting while trying to catch his breath after rushing there.
After what felt like an eternity, it was finally his turn.
Clerk: “You’re lucky, kid… This is the last game bundle we’ve got left.”
Immediately, the customers behind Hitori began to complain.
Customer 1: “Oh, come on!”
Customer 2: “Seriously?! I waited all this time for nothing?!”
Customer 3: “I should’ve come earlier…”
But Hitori barely heard what the clerk had said.
The moment he grabbed the box containing the VR headset, he ran out of the store as if he had just obtained some legendary treasure.
On the way back, Hitori practically flew through the streets.
“I got it…”
“I actually got it…”
As soon as he arrived home, he opened the front door and immediately rushed upstairs without saying a single word.
From the kitchen, his mother noticed his arrival and went to see what was happening.
Yumi Senki: “That boy has got to be kidding me…”
She muttered as she noticed the box in his hands.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Hitori had already shut the door to his room.
His room was dark, quiet, and surprisingly tidy.
Manga volumes occupied several shelves, while a few anime posters discreetly decorated the walls.
Without wasting any time, he removed the VR headset from the box.
He didn’t even bother reading the instructions properly.
Hitori: “It can’t be that complicated…”
He lay down on his bed and slowly placed the headset over his eyes.
Then he took a deep breath.
Hitori: “Today… marks the beginning of my virtual journey in another world…”
He pressed the activation button.
A brilliant blue light engulfed the room.
Instantly, countless streams of data appeared before his mind.
01010010
10101101
00111010
11100001
Binary symbols floated within the darkness as a strange sensation spread throughout his entire body.
For a brief moment, Hitori felt as though he was being pulled upward.
As if his consciousness itself was leaving his body.
And then—
Everything went dark.
Silence swallowed everything.
And when his vision finally returned…
Hitori realized he was standing somewhere completely different.
An endless blue sky stretched above him.
Green fields swayed with the wind.
Gigantic mountains could be seen far in the distance.
And then, a mysterious voice echoed throughout that unknown world.
Mysterious Voice: “Welcome to the world of MMO: Isekai no RPG.”