Late at night, at a MINI STOP convenience store.
“…I’ll pass on the natto after all.” Subaru Natsuki thought for a moment, putting the natto instant noodles back on the shelf.
He grabbed a cup of rich tonkotsu ramen instead, along with a bag of corn potage-flavored potato chips.
He headed to the register to pay.
“That’ll be 363 yen.” The cashier scanned the items and gestured for Subaru to pay.
363 yen, huh?
Seems a bit steep for a late-night snack… Subaru pulled out his wallet and fished out a few coins.
“Oh, an early Showa-era 10-yen coin.” Noticing that one of the coins was actually pretty rare, Subaru decided to keep it.
But—Crack!
With a sharp snap, the 10-yen coin was completely crushed inside Subaru’s hand.
“Crap!” Subaru rubbed his forehead in dismay.
It had been a full day since his Viltrumite bloodline had awakened, but he still couldn’t completely control his own physical strength.
That’s right—Viltrumite bloodline.
In reality, Subaru’s father, Kenichi Natsuki, was a warrior sent to Earth from the planet Viltrum.
During an accident, Kenichi had used his powers to save a woman named Naoko.
They met, fell in love, started a family, and had a child.
The boy shared his father’s hair color, while his facial features inherited the delicate refinement of his mother, Naoko Natsuki.
He also inherited many of their best traits: he was kind, resilient, brave…
But the one thing he didn’t inherit was his father’s superpowers.
For as long as Subaru could remember, he knew his dad was a great hero.
He could fly, save people, and do just about anything.
The adoring citizens called Kenichi Natsuki by his superhero name: Omni-Man.
Subaru wanted to be strong like his father; he wanted to save people just like him.
But things rarely go as planned.
Subaru hadn’t inherited his father’s Viltrumite heritage… even though he kept hoping that one day, he would awaken.
Age 5, 7, 12, 14…
Subaru’s youth passed in a cycle of anticipation and disappointment.
Until his seventeenth year.
Subaru had originally given up all hope of ever awakening superpowers and becoming a superhero like his dad.
But one night, when he went out to take out the trash, he gave it a light toss—and the heavy garbage bag soared a dozen stories into the air.
In that moment, Subaru Natsuki realized his life as a superhero had finally begun.
“Please come again!”
Subaru left the convenience store to the cashier’s parting words.
Gazing up at the clear night sky, he couldn’t help the surge of excitement in his chest.
“Alright!
Time to just fly straight home!
Even if I’m still a little shaky in the air…”
But then he remembered his accidental crash-landing yesterday, smashing right through the neighbor’s roof and forcing his parents to drag him over to apologize… His mood instantly deflated.
“Never mind, better just walk back normally.”
Subaru sighed.
Flying would have to wait until his dad actually taught him.
Besides, his dad promised they’d start training tomorrow morning.
I can’t wait… tomorrow’s training!
Subaru straightened his back and stretched.
“It’s finally starting!
My Viltrumite life starting from zero… huh?!”
When Subaru opened his eyes again, everything around him had changed.
A medieval plaza, pedestrians with multicolored hair, demi-humans, beastmen, and giant lizards pulling carriages… Some wore armor, some were draped in dancer-like silks, and others were completely shrouded in black robes—it was almost cartoonish.
Exposed to the unabashed stares of the crowd, the teenager crossed his arms, coming to terms with reality.
“In other words, it’s one of those.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at the gawking crowd.
“—The classic isekai summoning.”
Right at that moment, a carriage pulled by an enormous lizard scurried past him.
“…Ah, dammit!
Are you kidding me?!” Subaru covered his face, teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
Without realizing it, the sheer force of his frustration released a shockwave of air pressure, cracking the cobblestones beneath his feet.
“I finally get superpowers like my dad, I was just about to make my big debut… We even agreed to start training tomorrow morning!
Why the hell did I get sent to another world now?!”
Subaru felt like he was having a nightmare, but neither pinching his cheeks nor banging his head against the wall woke him up.
For the record, the wall he banged his head against collapsed entirely.
Desperate to avoid getting caught and billed for property damage, a sighing Subaru scrambled into a nearby alleyway and sat down on the stone-paved ground.
“Sigh…”
Subaru let out a breath even longer than a sigh.
Looking out toward the street, everywhere he turned there were humans with dog and cat ears, and he could even spot lizard-like mutants in the crowd.
“So why are lizardmen using lizards to pull carts?
Enslaving their own kind?
How is that any different from Goofy walking Pluto?”
Subaru couldn’t help but think of a cartoon he watched as a kid, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, where a dog wearing clothes walked another dog not wearing clothes.
Back then, his mom and dad used to watch it with him… His parents’ faces flashed through his mind.
But this was no time to be homesick; he needed to figure out how to navigate his current situation.
With that thought, Subaru stood up and marched confidently out into the street.
And then…
Bam!
The distracted Subaru seemed to have accidentally bumped into something.
Accompanied by a shriek, a figure flew backward and slammed violently into the ground.
“Oh crap!
I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” Subaru’s pupils shrank in panic as he hastily bowed and apologized to the person he’d hit.
“Bastard!
You looking for a fight?!”
“Hey!
You got a death wish, punk?!”
“Aghhh—my arm, my arm is sprained!”
A thug-looking guy lay on the ground, clutching his arm and wailing, while two other thugs—one tall, one short—hovered over him in concern.
Well, this is bad…
Imaginary cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Knowing he had hurt an innocent bystander, Subaru desperately tried to appeal to their emotions, shrinking his posture and bowing repeatedly.
“I’m so sorry!
I couldn’t control my strength, this is completely my fault!”
“We ain’t just gonna let this slide, you little brat!”
The hulking thug abruptly grabbed Subaru by the collar and, without another word, dragged him deeper into the alley.
“Look… I really am sorry.
Do you need some kind of compensation?
Even though I’m basically flat broke…” Knowing he was in the wrong, Subaru didn’t resist, letting the big guy drag him along.
“You’re damn right you’re gonna compensate us!” The thug Subaru had accidentally sent flying was furious.
He whipped out a gleaming knife and pointed it at him.
“Since you’re flat broke, we’ll just strip that weird outfit and those shoes off you!
Be a good boy and become rat food for the alley!”
With that, he swung the knife hard at Subaru’s head.
The blade flashed with a cold light; anyone could see the weapon was exceptionally sharp.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as metal shards scattered.
The knife snapped in half.
The thug was left holding nothing but the hilt, while the gleaming tip spun through the air… and clattered to the ground.
“Huh?”
He stared at the blade on the ground, then back at the hilt in his hand.
The thug’s brain visibly short-circuited, entirely failing to process what had just happened.
“I’m sorry,” said Subaru, who had taken the thug’s full-force strike with his head and remained completely unscathed.
There wasn’t even a white mark on his forehead.
He looked earnestly into the thug’s eyes.
“I apologize again for being careless.
If it makes you feel any better, please, continue.”