Prologue

Yasushi Futakao, a young man, was wrapped up in the usual humdrum of another day, his eyes wandering out the window of his high school classroom. Sophomore year had kicked off its slow, steady pace, and even though everything seemed normal — his friends, his family connections, and his okay relationships with his teachers — a weird empty feeling was eating away at him, a sense of something missing that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

At sixteen, about to turn seventeen, Yasushi was pretty average looking with his short, messy brown hair and unique deep purple eyes. He wasn't the type to stand out, but inside, he felt this subtle uneasiness, like he was missing something important in life's complicated mess, leaving him feeling lost among his classmates.

"Yasushi, pay attention," his history teacher said, lightly tapping the top of Yasushi's head with a textbook, in a way that was both teasing and a bit annoyed.

Yasushi forced a tired smile, turning his focus back to the boring lecture. "Sorry," he mumbled, his mind already drifting off again as he tried half-heartedly to pay attention, which got a few smirks and quiet chuckles from the other students.

Born in Japan, or maybe it was more accurate to say he'd been reborn into this world, Yasushi found himself in a place that looked like his old one but was also different in subtle ways. Mentally, he felt like he was around twenty-one, carrying the baggage of a fate that was all too familiar in sad stories. It had been a night blurred by too much booze and hanging out with friends, ending with a brutal meeting with destiny — a speeding train, an older woman in a hurry, a crash that ripped Yasushi apart on the unforgiving tracks.

Too drunk to react, too caught up in the hazy fun of the night, Yasushi had died sprawled out on the rails, a tragic figure in a story he never meant to be a part of.

Yasushi let out a quiet sigh as he thought about his new life, a life he was carefully playing to avoid anyone noticing anything too weird. He'd avoided doing anything too dramatic that might make people look at him funny, choosing to make smaller, more subtle moves instead. Winning the lottery, not once but twice, had given him a nice pile of cash, which he stashed away in a boring old savings account. This luck meant his day-to-day life was pretty smooth, without the worries that seemed to bug everyone else.

But even with this crazy good luck, Yasushi felt like his life was kind of… boring, without anything exciting really happening. There were no crazy "hacks" like the ones you see in some books, no weird meetings with people from other worlds. His days were just like everyone else's, making casual acquaintances but never really making any close friends or getting into any romantic relationships. It was a life without any big stories or crazy drama, a quiet existence hidden in the background of everyday life.

"Ah, one more thing," the teacher said, his words making a little break in the usual boring day. "We'll have someone new joining our class starting tomorrow — a transfer student, you could say."

The classroom buzzed with quiet curiosity at this news. Whispers went around the room, as everyone got a little excited wondering who this new person would be. For most of the students, it was a cool moment, a break from the same old lessons. Yasushi, though, couldn't help but feel like it was all a bit of a cliché. But, even with that thought, he had a little spark of excitement inside, a feeling he couldn't ignore.

In all the time since he'd been reborn, Yasushi hadn't met any transfer or exchange students, like in those anime shows he used to watch in his past life. So, the idea of a new face showing up stirred something in him, a feeling he shared with the rest of the class, though he kept it to himself like a secret.

+-+

At lunchtime, surrounded by the noise of trays and students talking, Yasushi's friend, who he almost thought of as a "best friend," walked over to his desk, super excited.

"Hey, Yasu! Can you believe we're getting a transfer student? It's going to be so cool!" Furuya said, pulling a chair over next to Yasushi.

Yasushi nodded, his chopsticks ready over his lunch. "Yeah, Furuya. It's a little overhyped though. Seems like everyone's expecting some famous person instead of just a new kid," he said, taking a bite while Furuya happily took a bite of his sandwich.

Furuya laughed, sandwich halfway to his mouth. "You're totally right. But think about it, Yasu. We've never had a transfer student before. It's like something out of a book, right? Adds a little bit of excitement to our boring school days." His excitement, as usual, was contagious, making the ordinary feel a bit more interesting.

Yasushi chuckled quietly at Furuya's over-the-top excitement, a small smile playing on his lips as he shook his head a little. "We'll find out soon enough. Any idea if it's a girl or a boy?" he asked, glancing at his eager friend.

"I'm hoping for a cute girl!" Furuya blurted out, his eyes shining with excitement and a bit of mischief.

Yasushi rolled his eyes playfully, letting out a sigh. "Of course. I'm sure pretty much all the guys are hoping for the same thing."

Furuya nodded like he was sharing some big truth. "Exactly! Who wouldn't want a cute girl joining our class? But if it's another guy, and he's some pretty boy type, I might as well just jump off a cliff..."

"Pretty boy? We don't exactly have any of those guys walking around our school," Yasushi said, waving his hand dismissively.

"You're crazy! How can you not see the seniors like Jishiha, Kevin, and that European guy, or even Tanaka in our year? They're like walking fantasies, with bodies that make all the girls go wild! It's not fair!" Furuya's frustration came out in a rush of words.

In the background, another voice joined in, agreeing with Furuya. "Exactly!"

Furuya turned to Yasushi, looking for backup. "See?" he said, gesturing dramatically.

Yasushi stopped eating, swallowed his food, and then responded. "I don't really pay attention to all that. Why does it matter so much? Just ask them out or figure it out yourself," he said, giving his friend a look like he was being ridiculous.

"Ha! Now you're the love expert, huh? You haven't even had a girlfriend!" Furuya shot back, jabbing his bread at Yasushi like he was accusing him of something.

Tilting his head a little, Yasushi replied, "…but isn't advice about understanding people, not just about personal experience?" He looked directly at Furuya, thinking to himself, 'Though I did have relationships in my past life…'

Furuya stood up straighter, puffing out his chest. "I'll have you know, I dated someone in middle school!" he announced, a bit of pride in his voice.

Yasushi's face changed to one of annoyance as he cut in, "For all of four weeks before she dumped you, saying you were 'weird'. Seriously, dude, let it go and move on. She's even posted on social media that you still message her," he said, making a face and shaking his head at how ridiculous the whole thing was.

Furuya's face twisted into a look of complete horror, like a character in a painting caught mid-scream. "People can see that!?" he yelled, his voice so loud it got the attention of others in the classroom, who looked over to see what was going on between the two friends.

Yasushi covered his face with his hand, letting out a tired sigh. "Yeah, it's all over social media. Facebook, Instagram, even Snapchat. Probably half the city knows," he said, sounding completely done with the situation.

Furuya's face went completely white, leaving him speechless and looking seriously shaken. He couldn't seem to find the right words, and a feeling of dread was starting to set in.

Suddenly, Furuya jumped up from his seat, his voice filled with panic. "I-I have to go!" he blurted out before rushing out of the classroom.

Yasushi sighed again, shaking his head in disbelief. "...you're such an idiot," he mumbled to himself, returning to his lunch looking tired. Leaning back, he looked out of the window, getting lost in thought.

As he ate, Yasushi's mind wandered to the new student who was coming tomorrow. Even though he expected his life to stay pretty boring, a little bit of curiosity popped up, making him wonder if this new person would change their usual classroom vibe. But, a bigger part of him figured that things would probably stay as boring as they always were, accepting the usual pattern of his unexciting life.