1 Chapter 0 - Prologue

Hey, my name is Yuuto Yashido and I'm just a normal 18-year-old kid, who enjoys anime, manga, video games and all things nerdy, I'm a full-blown otaku, who recently graduated and runs my family's shitty sushi restaurant just down past my house. My parents died a few years back so it's just me and my older sister, Aiko. She took over the restaurant after their passing, but I was sucked into working there for minimum wage. But on March 4th 2021 my life finally started looking like something above average, some might say it took a turn for the worst, but me? I think this is one of the best things that could have happened to me.

There I am, waking up and proceeding with my routine. Get out of bed, and have a shower. Brush my teeth, eat breakfast, some cereal and 'milk'… and hop on my bike to head to work. The Boss, my sister Aiko, has been on vacation for a week and comes home tomorrow. So it's just me and another employee named Koda. Anyway, we go about our day and then it happens. LUNCH RUSH!!!

Suits and ties galore, office workers poured into the restaurant like it was a lunchtime pilgrimage. I was in the zone, cranking out sushi, sashimi, tempura, udon, unagi—everything under the sun. But then, it happened. The mother of all stomach cramps hit me like a freight train. I knew I had to act fast. I sprinted out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into the bathroom. 

As I burst into the bathroom, I realized I was in trouble. Four out of the five stalls were occupied, and the only vacant one was the notorious out-of-order stall. That stall had been out of commission for as long as our family had owned this place. Panic washed over me because I knew I was about to make a mess, and I'd be the one cleaning it up. But then, something extraordinary caught my eye—the 'OUT OF ORDER!!!' sign was gone. Aiko must have fixed it! With newfound hope, I dashed into that stall to do my business. I'll spare you the gory details.

But as I sat there, offering up a silent prayer of thanks to the porcelain gods, I spotted a glint on the floor out of the corner of my eye. My heart stopped for a second when I saw a massive sign lying just below the door—a sign that had fallen off. It hit me like a ton of bricks. The toilet wasn't fixed.

I finished up, got off the porcelain throne, and turned to face the bowl. With a mix of resignation and curiosity, I reached out, thinking, 'What's the worst that could happen? I might as well try.' I pressed the flush lever. And it flushed.

My disbelief grew as the flushing grew louder and louder. My head got pulled toward the bowl, and I screamed, "What's going on?" as I was sucked closer to the swirling waters. My skin stretched and contorted, and my feet left the ground as I was pulled deeper into the watery vortex. I was thrown around in the water, and during that chaotic journey, I saw fleeting visions of a Blackrock castle, a crystal necklace, and a small black wooden box in a dimly lit room with a central fireplace. The water finally slowed, and with a final splash, I hit something solid at the bottom.

When I lifted my head from the water, I found myself in an entirely different world. I was surrounded by bright green grass, sitting in a river of fresh, clear water. Towering trees stretched toward the heavens, creating a natural cathedral with a bright blue sky for a roof. Birds chirped, and frogs croaked in the distance.

Now here I am drenched in toilet water, and completely alone, with nothing but my work uniform and my phone, which is completely fried due to being covered in toilet water and some weird brown substance that took me far too long to figure out what it was, and a small leather pouch with some strange bronze coins and a leather-bound scroll in it. 

My first thought, naturally: "What in the hell is going on?"