”Where am I…? Just a second ago I was at the outdoor gear store with Chika…”
A blinding light wrapped around me, and the next thing I knew, I was dumped out here in this scorching wasteland.
The upbeat mall BGM from before, the store smell of new nylon, leather, and wood – all of it was completely gone.
And my bag, everything, was gone too.
What floated around instead was the smell of dry dirt and plants.
I looked around – nothing but rocks, rocks, rocks everywhere.
I couldn’t hide how thrown off I was, standing in this weird alien world so different from where I’d just been.
Maybe it was the heat, burning my skin little by little.
Panic and anxiety crashed into me all at once, squeezing my chest.
There wasn’t a single person around.
All there was: thick low brush and steep rocky cliffs jutting up sharp.
Is this a dream, or was I kidnapped, or is this some prank show? If only it were any of those.
The heat stabbing into my skin and the dry wind cruelly insisted – this is not a dream, this is unmistakably “reality.”
I shook my head. My memory was clear.
My name is Mishima Yuji. I’m a second-year at Hinowa University.
I’m in the outdoor club, and today I was supposed to be shopping with my childhood friend Chika, the girl I’ve got a crush on.
”That’s right, Chika…!? Where did Chika go!?”
Akiyama Chika – my childhood friend who was laughing happily right next to me just moments ago.
…She’s nowhere.
No way, this can’t be real…
She was just right beside me!
”This is a prank, right!? Somebody, answer me!!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs, but all that came back was the distant roar of some beast.
Yelling like that made a thirst hit me – like my throat was burning up.
In the brutal heat, I got dizzy and my vision swayed.
That awful feeling like I was the only one left behind by the whole world.
I almost collapsed right there on the spot when suddenly, something hard caught my foot and I tripped hard.
I looked down – there was a water bottle I didn’t recognize and a black backpack lying there.
”Ow! What the heck is this…”
I nervously checked inside. The bottle had clear water, and the backpack had CalorieMate1 in it.
The thought of poison or something dangerous crossed my mind, but I couldn’t take the thirst anymore – I chugged it down like crazy.
”Phew…! Ugh… I’m alive…!”
The water soaked into my body, and my ragged breathing and my head cleared up a bit.
”But still… what is this? A little game console…?”
At the bottom of the backpack was a device that looked like a retro handheld game system, and a gray cassette.
Like I was pulled toward it, I slid the cassette in and hit the power button.
………………………………………………………………
[Hey there, Players!]
[From here on, you’ll be taking on a game made by God!]
[Find the 4 Hidden Treasures and clear the game!]
………………………………………………………………
”Huh…? What the hell is this…”
I couldn’t believe my eyes at the ridiculous text on the screen.
A game made by God?
…I don’t get it.
…What’s even the point?
Why do I have to play a game like this?
I don’t have a single memory of signing up for any game!
…But the reality spreading out in front of me wouldn’t shut up about it, whether I liked it or not.
I’d already become one of the “Players” dragged into some mysterious game…
Even if my heart rejected it, my rational mind calmly understood – this is real.
Reading further on the game device, it said there’s a “Game Starting Point” up ahead.
I decided to follow the Navigation shown on the screen and head for the Starting Point, 8 kilometers away, holding that desperate prayer in my heart.
…But the moment I tried to take a step, a big raindrop smacked my cheek.
A sudden downpour that got worse in an instant.
I panicked and slid into a big shadow of a rock nearby.
Lucky me – it was a deep cave that could block the rain.
(Man… what a pain. Stuck here of all places.)
This insane heat and then sudden squalls like this, probably somewhere tropical or something.
If I’d been thrown into some remote corner of the world, I could easily figure out I wasn’t getting home anytime soon.
But if this “game” thing is gonna force some serious survival on me – then my knowledge and experience from the outdoor club should come in handy.
I’m definitely gonna survive and get home!
So I wouldn’t get soaked and lose body heat, I tossed off my shirt for now.
Normally, you should avoid drinking rainwater because of food poisoning and virus risks.
But desperate times.
I refilled the bottle with rainwater and chewed on a CalorieMate.
No time to just sit around doing nothing until the rain stops.
I gathered dead branches and fallen leaves from deeper in the cave and got ready to make warmth.
Those beast roars I heard earlier were bugging me too.
At night there’s a risk of wild animals attacking, but as long as I have fire, most animals should stay away.
No lighter or matches.
I made a bow from a bendy branch and tough vines I found in the cave, and spun a spindle stick.
Friction heat from wood rubbing wood made smoke rise, and I carefully moved the ember to the dry moss I’d gathered.
I blew on it gently, fanned it softly…
”Yes…! It caught!”
It took about an hour, but with a crackling sound, a tiny campfire was born.
Just a tiny flame, but to me right now it was a huge light of hope cutting through the dark.
Eventually the rain stopped, and the scorching heat from before vanished like it was never there – now a terrifying cold took over the cave.
In this freezing cold, moving 8 kilometers at night would be deadly.
I gave up on moving tonight and decided to camp here.
I kept feeding branches to the fire so it wouldn’t go out.
(Why… did I get dragged into this? Is Chika okay…? Will I make it home safe…)
In the dark and the cold, anxiety and fear almost took over my head… and that’s when it happened.
”…Is someone there…!?” I froze as a woman’s voice came from outside the cave.
Not Chika’s voice. One I’d never heard before.
”Who’s there!? I’m over here! I won’t hurt you!”
I shot up and pulled out a burning branch, holding it up like a torch and shouted.
What the light revealed was… a woman with bright bleached blonde hair and flashy clothes.
”Waaaaah!! A person!! Thank god, I was so scared!!”
”Whoa!?”
The second she saw me, she jumped right into my chest.
I couldn’t handle the momentum – I fell backward hard, basically catching her in my arms.
”Oh, s-sorry!? Are you okay!?”
”Ah, yes… I’m fine…”
Her face, lit by the campfire, was surprisingly put-together and cute.
Even more than that – the perfume and that sweet, feminine scent tickled my nose.
Her shirt had a deep neckline, so her big curves were pressed right up against my chest.
”Um… did you also end up here when you weren’t looking?”
”Yeah… I was supposed to be eating at a cafe with my friend, and then next thing I knew I was in a place like this… I had no idea what was going on, I was wandering around, and then I saw a light so I ran here as fast as I could…!”
”I see. Same thing happened to me. Before I knew it, I was here alone.”
”Right…? I was totally hoping you’d know where we are, but I guess not, huh~”
”Sorry I can’t help…”
”No way, it’s totally fine! Honestly, just having someone here is super lucky! I was scared to death until a minute ago, but seeing another person made me feel so much better…”
”I see. Um…”
”Oh, my name! Right! I’m Asuka! Sakamoto Asuka! You should totally just call me Asuka!”
”Asuka-san2, nice to meet you. I’m Mishima Yuji.”
”Super nice to meet you, Yuji! Oh, and you totally don’t gotta be so stiff with the polite stuff! No ‘-san’ either!”
”No, but… calling a woman I just met by her first name with no honorific is a bit…”
”Whaaat? I’m gonna call you ‘Yuji’ but you won’t call me ‘Asuka’~?”
Asuka rubbed her huge chest against my body, all clingy.
…She closes distance fast.
Even in this insane situation, I couldn’t help my heart racing.
”O-okay! I get it, so just back up for a sec, Asuka!”
”Ehehe♪ You said my name so I’ll forgive you!”
Asuka smiled all satisfied and mischievous, and finally pulled away.
”So anyway, hey, does Yuji have this too? I picked it up earlier…”
What she pulled from her backpack was the exact same little game device I had.
Looks like she’s a player in the same game as me.
”Ah… yeah. I’ve got one too.”
”Oh, I knew it! So that means Yuji’s a Player in this game too, right?”
”Yeah, I think so. Not that I want to be.”
”So Yuji, are you gonna play this game?”
”I don’t know. But staying here won’t get anything started, so once it’s morning I’m planning to head to the ‘Starting Point.’ Maybe there’s someone there who knows something…”
”I see… Hey, can I come with you then, Yuji? I’m super scared alone…”
”Yeah, of course, Asuka. Let’s go together.”
”Ehehe♪ Yay! Um, isn’t this what people call ‘sharing one fate’? ‘Two bodies, one soul’3?”
”Probably… I think you’ve got it right.”
”Right! Ahaha!”
We were laughing together like that, and then it happened.
……BOOOOOM!
Out of nowhere, a crazy explosion sound that stabbed my eardrums echoed from the rocky mountains far away.
Right after, violent shaking hit from under our feet.
…An earthquake!
”Kyaaah! Yuji!?”
”Asuka!!”
Acting on instinct, I moved to cover Asuka with my body.
The whole cave rattled and groaned, and rocks big and small rained down from the ceiling.
”Ugh… what the hell was that explosion sound just now…!?”
”Yuji…!”
”It’s okay, Asuka! Stay still, I’ll protect you!”
After a few more impact sounds in a row, the violent rumbling finally died down.
The moment I breathed a sigh of relief, a dull pain shot through my back.
Looks like some of the falling rocks from the ceiling hit my back directly.
”Ugh…”
”Yuji!? Are you okay!? You got hurt because you were protecting me…!”
”No… I’m fine. Just a few rocks hit my back.”
”That’s not ‘fine’ at all! Show me your back, Yuji! I’ll treat it!”
”Treat it with what? We don’t have medicine or bandages.”
”I don’t care! Just show me, right now!”
Pushed by Asuka’s intensity, I slowly took off my shirt.
”…Okay, good. It doesn’t look like any bad bleeding. It’s red and swollen in spots though…”
”S-see? I told you. I’m fine.”
Relieved, I hurriedly put my shirt back on.
”…But seriously, I was so shocked. How are you so nice to someone you just met…? Normally nobody would just throw themselves in front of a total stranger to protect them…”
”Well… I was just acting on instinct. My body moved on its own.”
”I get it. Acting on instinct to protect a girl you don’t even know… Yuji, you’re seriously so cool.”
Lit by the campfire, Asuka smiled brightly, dazzling.
That lovely expression made my heart skip for a second.
”A-anyway! Let’s just rest for today. Tomorrow morning, let’s head to the Starting Point. My childhood friend might be there.”
”…Childhood friend?”
Asuka’s eyes twitched.
”Ah, yeah. She’s my childhood friend who I was shopping with before I came here.”
”…Is she a girl?”
”Huh? Yeah, she’s a girl, but… why?”
After a beat of silence, Asuka gave a small smile.
”Nope! It’s nothing~♪ Just curious!”
After saying that, Asuka turned her face away and “…I see, so I totally shouldn’t drop my guard, huh… Aaah, love seriously just hits you out of nowhere. What a pain..,” she muttered under her breath.
The wind drowned it out, so I couldn’t really hear.
”Asuka? Did you say something?”
”Nope, nothing at all! Hey, let’s sleep, Yuji! It’s super cold, so we should totally snuggle up!”
”H-hey, Asuka!?”
While I panicked, Asuka clung tight to my arm.
But it was also true that the night cold was harsh.
If I let my body get cold like this, I might catch a cold and not be able to move.
I gave up and decided to share warmth with Asuka, huddling together to get through the cold.
…That said, I’m still a guy.
Sleeping pressed up against such a cute girl – with the tension and my heart pounding, I couldn’t really sleep at all until morning.
Asuka herself, though, was sleeping peacefully in my arms with a happy look on her face….
Trivia:
- Asuka’s muttered line about love falling suddenly hints she may have already started developing feelings for Yuji, and her jealousy over the word “childhood friend” plants early seeds of romantic tension before any love triangle is confirmed.
- The game device arrives with the exact supplies Yuji needs (water, food, a container) before he even knows the rules, suggesting the game is designed to keep players alive through the early phase rather than eliminate them immediately.
- Yuji’s outdoor club survival skills, established casually in his self-introduction, become the single reason he survives the first night, quietly rewarding attentive readers who noted his background before the crisis hit.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A popular Japanese nutritional energy bar brand often used as a meal substitute. It appears frequently in survival and gaming stories as a portable, shelf-stable food source.
2 ↩ A standard Japanese honorific showing polite respect. Yuji uses it with Asuka because they just met, but Asuka rejects it to force immediate closeness.
3 ↩ Asuka mixes up two Japanese idioms. Isshin-doutai (一心同体) means two people acting as one body. Ichiren-tashou (一蓮托生) means sharing the same fate, whether good or bad. Her confusion shows she is eager but not fully sure of the phrase.