>1< Gaining Memories from Another World

Chapter 1: Gaining Memories from Another World

"Whoa!" A plump young man suddenly fell out of bed, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

"What's going on? Where are these memories coming from?" The plump youth clutched his head, groaning in pain.

These were memories from a young man from another world, a person from another world named Reon, who was both a highly skilled hacker and a fan of otaku culture.

The plump youth, none other than Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, realized through these memories that he was actually a character from an anime series called [My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected].

At the same time, he also gained knowledge of other anime works from these memories. Coupled with his own recollections, he noticed that many characters from other series seemed to exist in reality as well.

For example, there was the senior from his second year in high school, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Rias-senpai, and the shrine maiden from a nearby shrine, Himejima Akeno. There was also his classmate, Furuhashi Fumino.

What caught his attention the most, however, was a classmate of his named Kusanagi Godou.

From the memories, he learned about Kusanagi Godou's future, how he would gain the power of the White Stallion from the war god, use it to attack the god, and then, through Prometheus's tablet, seize the all-powerful Golden Sword from the war god.

With the knowledge gained from Erica and the Golden Sword, he would slay the Heretic Gods and seize their powers, ultimately becoming the world's seventh Campione, a god-slayer.

After a long while, Zaimokuza slowly snapped back to reality. A look of excitement appeared on his face. As someone with a "chuunibyou" complex, he had always believed that there was a mysterious side to this world.

Though often ridiculed for his delusions, he had never stopped fantasizing about the existence of such mysteries.

According to the memories he received, all of this was real: the Three Great Factions from the [High School DxD] world, the six God-slayers from the [Campione!] world—all of it filled Zaimokuza with a sense of longing.

He decided to carefully plan his path to becoming the seventh God-slayer. His first step was to recall the plot of [Campione!].

Kusanagi Godou became a God-slayer while on a trip to Sardinia during summer break to return the tablet. There was about a week left until summer break.

Zaimokuza booted up his computer, deciding to use the expert hacking skills stored in his mind to siphon a considerable amount of money from some mafia groups.

Afterward, he planned to obtain a replica of Prometheus's tablet by commissioning a black-market counterfeiter to make an identical version, ready for a perfect swap.

After securing the money through his hacking skills, Zaimokuza prepared to rest and planned to ask Kusanagi Godou about the Prometheus tablet early the next morning.

*********

Monday.

After finishing breakfast alone, Zaimokuza leisurely made his way to Sobu High School. His parents both worked abroad, so he was essentially left on his own. All that was missing to make this the perfect opening for a harem novel protagonist was a little sister.

That is, if you ignored the thick layer of fat on his stomach.

As he walked toward school, watching the youth around him, Zaimokuza couldn't help but long for a girlfriend. Though he often claimed that having a 2D waifu was enough, deep down, that was just an excuse for his lack of success in the real world.

"Hurry up, Kotori, Umi! We're going to be late!" A girl with orange hair tied in a side ponytail called out through a mouthful of toast as she ran ahead of two other girls.

"Oh, please! Whose fault do you think that is? If you hadn't been so slow, we wouldn't be running late, Honoka!" The girl with long blue hair scolded her.

"Well, well, Umi, you know how Honoka is. Let's not get worked up," the third girl with light brown hair gently coaxed.

Just then, the orange-haired girl tripped over a small stone, losing her balance and tumbling forward—right into the deep-in-thought Zaimokuza.

Both of them hit the ground with a painful thud.

"What the heck just happened?" Zaimokuza snapped out of his thoughts and glanced to the side, where the orange-haired girl was rubbing her forehead in pain.

"Honoka, are you alright?" The light brown-haired girl offered a hand to help her up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just a small bump." The orange-haired girl cheerfully responded.

"I'm terribly sorry. My friend caused you trouble. Please forgive her," the blue-haired girl apologized to Zaimokuza with a serious expression.

"Oh, right! Sorry about that. Are you okay?" The orange-haired girl finally realized her mistake and apologized.

Zaimokuza got up, dusted himself off, and replied, "No worries, no worries. Just be careful next time."

"Though, I gotta say, running with toast in your mouth? Isn't that the classic start of a romance anime"Zaimokuza muttered to himself, causing the orange-haired girl beside him to respond with a speechless look.

Realizing what he'd said out loud, Zaimokuza awkwardly laughed.

"Ah, did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah, you did," the three girls replied in unison.

"Hahaha… Well, sorry about that! I'll be going now. Bye!" Zaimokuza awkwardly scratched the back of his head before dashing off.

The three girls couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"What a strange person," Honoka remarked.

"Well, isn't it your fault for causing trouble in the first place?" Umi continued her lecture.

"Let's not talk about that now. If we don't hurry, we're going to be late," Kotori reminded them.

"Oh no, you're right! Hurry, hurry! I think the first class is homeroom!" Honoka grabbed both of their hands and ran toward the school.

At this point, Zaimokuza was still a shut-in, and his social skills hadn't caught up with him yet. His two sets of memories were a disaster when it came to social interaction.

So, when faced with three beautiful girls, he was too shy to continue the conversation. In short, Zaimokuza was still a bit insecure.

This only strengthened his resolve for the plan ahead. If he became a God-slayer, he would be one of the most powerful beings in this merged world. Then, he could finally gain the confidence he lacked.

**********

Arriving at his classroom, Zaimokuza quietly took his usual seat.

He glanced around and noticed that his only friend, Hikigaya Hachiman, was dozing off at his desk. Furuhashi Fumino was chatting with a group of girls, and his target, Kusanagi Godou, was engaged in conversation with his friends.

His next plan was to find an excuse to have Kusanagi Godou bring the tablet so he could borrow it for a photo.

However, for a socially awkward shut-in like him, this task felt impossible. He didn't know how to approach Godou, let alone ask to see an ancient artifact his grandfather had brought home—it was just too weird.

Wait, a sudden thought popped into Zaimokuza's mind. What if he hired people from the black market to steal the tablet when Godou went to the airport? That way, he wouldn't need to ask at all.

With that, Zaimokuza decided to scrap his original plan. Reflecting on how he avoided talking to the girls earlier and didn't even have the courage to ask to borrow the tablet, he realized he needed to fix this problem before next week.

Then, he remembered the Service Club, the place founded by Miss Yukinoshita to help students with their wishes. He made up his mind to visit Hiratsuka-sensei after school to ask her about joining the club.

************

The peaceful day passed by, and Zaimokuza found himself entering the staff office, where he approached Hiratsuka-sensei.

She was a Japanese language teacher at Sobu High and also in charge of student guidance. Known for her deep concern for her students, she was often tasked with managing various school activities because she was considered "young."

"Huh? A place that helps with social anxiety? How could there be such a thing... Wait, there actually is one," Shizuka started to dismiss the idea but then seemed to remember something. She led Zaimokuza out of the office and toward the club building.

Shizuka forcefully pushed open the door to the Service Club. Inside, sitting quietly with a book in hand, was a beautiful girl with long black hair flowing past her shoulders and a face so cute it seemed almost unfair.

This girl was none other than Yukinoshita Yukino, one of the main heroines from [My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected].

"Hiratsuka-sensei, I believe I've asked you to knock before entering, haven't I?" Yukino questioned in a cold tone, without even looking up from her book.

"Well, even if I knock, you never answer," Shizuka replied matter-of-factly.

"That's because you never wait for me to respond before barging in," Yukino sighed before turning her gaze toward Zaimokuza. "So, who's that strange-looking student wearing an odd trench coat?"

"Oh, this guy? His name is Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. I've brought you a client," Shizuka said proudly.

"Ah, I'm… I'm Zaimokuza Yoshiteru from Class 1-F. Nice to meet you," Zaimokuza mumbled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, and what's the request?" Yukino asked, now paying full attention.

"This guy has mild social anxiety. Help him overcome it. That's the request," Shizuka explained, pointing a thumb at Zaimokuza.

"Understood. I'll take on the request," Yukino replied, her tone serious and professional.

"Oh, nice spirit! Make sure to do your best with your first client," Shizuka said with a grin.

"F-First client? Really? Hasn't anyone come here before?" Zaimokuza asked in surprise.

Yukino, noticing Zaimokuza's disbelief in her tone, spoke seriously, "Even though I haven't received any requests before, I always extend a helping hand to those facing difficulties. I accept all kinds of requests from students at this school, and once I do, I make sure to fulfill my responsibilities."

"Oh, I see. Then, I'll leave it to you," Zaimokuza replied, slightly intimidated by Yukino's determined aura.

And so, with the memories of another world, Zaimokuza began a journey that would change his life, writing the story of his own path.