I Became a Time-stopping Narrow-eyed Character

Chapter 6

The sky grew dark as the sunset completely faded.

Nevertheless, the streets of Shibuya in Tokyo were still bustling with people walking around.

A city where the fluid movement of wheels and shoes coexists with stagnant crowds.

Tick, as the red light turned green, the people by the roadside began marching all at once.

The protagonist of 'Apocalypse Love Comedy,' Kitagawa Kenichi, and the 'Priestess of Fire,' Hotaru Ichinose, also took steps toward the train station across the street.

Perhaps because they had bought all the clothes they liked and the school supplies they needed at the mall.

Hotaru, gazing absentmindedly at her childhood friend, who somehow seemed cheerful and in a good mood, gently brought up a topic.

"Hey, Kenichi."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I was a bit worried since today was the first day of high school, but it turned out better than I expected, didn't it?"

"Well, I wasn't particularly worried... but yeah, it did feel pretty good."

"Did you make a lot of friends?"

"Come on, you were with me all day. I only chatted with Shiki during every break time. Other than that, I just briefly greeted the person next to Shiki, Sawamura."

"R-right."

"I mean, in my whole life, I've never met someone who matched my topics of conversation so perfectly other than you. Baseball, soccer, favorite songs, anime... Could Shiki be my doppelgänger?"

Watching Kenichi's serious expression as he pondered that, Hotaru Ichinose chuckled.

It was a rather amusing thought.

From his facial impression to his voice and tone, everything was the opposite, yet he was calling him a doppelgänger.

'But the height... Shiki was really tall too, wasn't he?'

Hotaru subtly compared the height difference between her childhood friend next to her and herself.

"Huh, isn't Ichimaru-kun even taller?"

"Hm? What did you say?"

Hotaru, who was also recalling memories just like her childhood friend who answered slyly, tilted her head in confusion.

Thanks to his characteristic smirking expression and tone, the feeling didn't hit her right away.

Thinking back on it belatedly, her newly made friend, Ichimaru Shiki, had an impressive physique.

Similarly, the person she saw six months ago was certainly like that too...

[ The train is arriving. ]

Hotaru, who was desperately trying to piece together her memory, eventually rubbed her temples and muttered.

"Hmm, my memory is fuzzy beyond that."

"What on earth have you been talking about since earlier?"

"Well, it's just..."

After thinking for a moment, Hotaru Ichinose spoke in a deliberately playful tone.

"Ichimaru-kun seems to give off the impression of having many secrets. Doesn't it feel like he's hiding something from us? Like a villain from a comic or movie."

"Wow, Hotaru. That's a bit harsh. Well, I get what you mean. Hmm, a villain hiding secrets, huh?"

"Not that he's hiding anything bad, though."

"That's true."

Afterward, Kenichi wore a face deep in thought.

Hotaru quietly waited for her childhood friend to speak, without saying anything more.

Though he might act foolish at times, he was an old friend who occasionally offered perspectives different from her own.

Even after boarding the train that had just arrived, he seemed to be recalling something for a while, then, as if by chance, grabbed the train handle and suddenly spoke.

"His grip strength was incredible."

"What?"

"No, should I even call it grip strength? The feeling of holding Shiki's hand... how should I put it?"

After hesitating for a moment, Kenichi finally answered.

"It felt like grabbing onto heavy machinery."

"What does that even mean?"

When Hotaru chuckled, Kenichi also smiled along with her, but in truth, there was something he couldn't bring himself to tell his childhood friend.

Because even he thought it was absurd.

Though he hadn't expressed it earlier, the sensation he felt when shaking Ichimaru Shiki's hand was as if he were facing a monster.

***

"This is troublesome."

Ever since I became this body, my hearing has improved significantly.

I can clearly hear the sound of people slurping food at a restaurant on the street outside, as well as the thundering stomps of a bull-headed monster charging toward me.

My overall senses have become sharper.

Thus, the loud noise it made as it charged brought particular discomfort to my ears, and the disgusting smell it gave off didn't help either.

Ordinary people live in a different dimension from these monsters, unable to sense them in any way.

But just by "seeing" them, I was placed in the same world as them.

That included their saliva.

"It's such a nice day, but it'd be really troublesome if my clothes got stained with blood."

Ignoring my concerns, the bull-headed monster drooled as it charged toward me through the alley with a thunderous roar.

─Uwooooo!!!

It swung its massive arm.

"Oops."

I quickly dodged, and its fist slammed into the ground where I had just been standing.

Boom! A small crater formed in the shape of the monster's fist.

"Hey, that's property damage, you know?"

Despite my concern for its well-being, the bull-headed monster, Mr. Minotaur, still approached me, boiling with rage.

─Grrrrrr.

It looked like it was ready to devour me.

It's not a cute creature I'd want to hang out with, but if I left now, it would wander the city and devour someone capable of "seeing."

While there was a chance another outsider might handle it, it was better to eliminate it now than to worry about it later tonight.

"Yeah, it's something that keeps nagging at me."

With a swift motion, I drew a dagger from my sleeve and gave the monster one last warning.

"If you promise not to eat people, maybe I'll spare you?"

─Uwoooooooo!!!

"Of course, that's not going to happen."

Boom! Boom! Boom! As the monster charged at me again, I aimed my small blade at it.

Compared to its massive body, the blade was tiny, but it was enough.

I swung down.

"Demon Extermination."

Slice! With the sound of cutting, the Minotaur's limbs were severed.

Losing the legs that supported its body in an instant, it collapsed to the ground and screamed.

─Gyaaaaaa!

What an annoyingly loud noise, no matter how many times I hear it.

For this kind of noise pollution alone, it had to be eradicated as soon as possible.

Approaching the monster, which was wailing and looking at me with a pitiful expression, I offered my final farewell.

"Goodnight."

Crunch! I drove the dagger into the bull's forehead.

With its death, the monster's remains scattered throughout the alley and the crater shaped like its fist all disappeared.

Rising from the spot, I muttered as I sensed presences from other locations.

"I'll have to deal with that one quickly too."

Judging by the increase in their numbers lately, it seemed like the promised day was indeed approaching.

Sensing the imminent upheaval, I hurriedly moved toward another dark alley.

***

Just because I enrolled at Karakura High didn't mean incidents would immediately occur.

If the game started with battles from the first scene, it wouldn't really be a dating sim anymore.

'Well, Apocalypse Love Comedy isn't a typical dating sim... it's a completely insane game.'

Still, it followed basic conventions, introducing the heroine briefly and showing her daily life.

That remained true even now that it had become reality.

The trigger for the game episodes was the school, which served as the setting, the protagonist Kenichi, and time.

In the game settings, 'The Promised Day.'

Just like the main characters and the school needed time to adjust, I also didn't feel rushed and steadily lived the daily life of 'Ichimaru Shiki.'

Like that, about two weeks passed.

During breaks and lunch, I fostered friendships with the protagonist Kenichi and the Priestess of Fire, Hotaru, and during class, I diligently studied with my seatmate, Sento.

Although our conversations weren't smooth, we occasionally peeked at each other's notes, picked up items for each other, and seemed to establish our own kind of relationship.

Eris Betelgeuse showed a somewhat awkward expression every time our eyes met, but...

I also became acquainted with other friends in the class.

When it came to bonding with boys my age, nothing was more effective than either games or sports.

Physical education class.

I kicked the soccer ball hard.

By the time the goalkeeper widened his eyes, the soccer ball had already slammed into the goal net with a bang!

Whirrr! The soccer ball spun for a while, cutting into the net.

"Wow, Shiki, this guy. Are you insane?"

"That's awesome."

"Hey, just tell us. You're a Terminator sent by the government or something, right?!"

"Haha, of course not. Those things are all just fairy tales, aren't they?"

Well, there may not be fairy tales featuring Terminators, but I denied it for now.

Honestly, I wasn't sure myself.

I had tried to investigate the origin of this body, but no useful information came up.

At this rate, who could tell if I was a government-assigned Terminator or an assassin descended from the Edo period?

'I do have someone to ask later.'

But that was a story for after the episode began.

So, rather than my mysterious past, it seemed wiser to focus on the future.

Nodding as I reviewed my plans, I approached Kenichi, who was drenched in sweat from his gym clothes.

He was panting as he drank water at the fountain, but when he noticed me approaching, he greeted me with a cheerful smile.

"Shiki. As expected, that was amazing."

"Oh, not at all. It's just that I have a bit of athletic ability and ran hard."

"If that's just 'a bit,' then all the kids in the athletics club might as well pack up and cry."

Kenichi chuckled, and as his body swayed slightly with laughter, the cross-shaped accessory hanging around his neck jingled.

...The Demon Sword of Nullification, which would have an incredibly cool design when it awakened.

Recalling my plan, I barely suppressed the desire to snatch it and asked Kenichi.

"That cross necklace, you were wearing it even while playing soccer. Is it something precious to you?"

When I asked that, Kenichi widened his eyes and glanced at his necklace.

A cross-shaped necklace, slightly faded from being carried around for a long time.

Looking at it, he seemed to recall something, gazing softly into the air with a smile.

"This is my grandfather's keepsake."