The Mobile Miracle

The loud sounds of fireworks echoed outside, announcing the arrival of the new year, 2023. Fukuoka, the Silicon Valley of Japan, teemed with lively crowds eagerly celebrating the long-awaited New Year's festival.

The festive ambiance was somewhat over the top, likely a result of this being the first major celebration after the pandemic and quarantine.

Nakami sat cramped at his small desk, his eyes glued to the computer screen as he typed away frantically. He was determined to fix all the bugs in the code for the upcoming game launch and wouldn't give up, not even as the deadline drew nearer and his coworkers grew too exhausted to continue.

Nakami never left a task unfinished, unless he was physically unable to continue.

After working for nearly 30 hours straight, Nakami was beyond exhausted. His coworkers managed to persuade him to take a break and get some rest. He reluctantly agreed to sleep for just an hour and made his way to the designated resting room at work.

"Tenet, tenet, tenet..." The sound of his phone vibrated.

Before he sleep, few timers had been set up by him to stop him from sleeping more than what he planned to be. The first alarm is just to let him know that he an hour passed, but he wanted to sleep another hour. Without looking at his phone to press the snooze button.

Little did he know that this seemingly insignificant action would alter the course of his life forever. While still sleeping soundly, Nakami was suddenly covered by a bright white light. In less than a second, he disappeared without a trace.

*cricket noises* *birds chipping*

Nakami slowly opened his eyes and realized he was no longer in his office. Instead, he was in the middle of a tropical forest. At first, he thought it was just a dream, so he pinched himself twice, but nothing changed. He was indeed in a forest but could hear the sound of waves crashing, indicating there was a beach nearby.

"What's happening? Where am I?" Nakami thought, his mind racing with confusion and fear.

The thick, humid air mixed with the sound of waves crashing on the shore. You stood at the edge of the tropical forest, where vines and towering trees surrounded him. The rich, earthy scent mixed with the salty tang of the sea.

"Is this a prank? Come on guys, this is too good to be a prank... Wait, why would they bother doing all this just for me?"

As he sat up, he saw that he was on the edge of the forest and could see sand just a few meters away. He looked down at himself and saw that he was wearing his casual work clothes; sneakers, jeans, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Nakami then remembered pressing something before continuing his nap when he tried to snooze his alarm. He figured this was how he ended up transported to this place.

Nakami had read about people being transmigrated to another world in novels, but he thought it was just fiction. He never believed it could be real and wasn't a fan of the idea of being transported himself. It was tiring and dangerous, much like his current situation, and he felt lost.

He took a deep breath and exhaled it as strong as he can. This has been his way to calm himself.

"Alright, if I really got transferred. I should have my own system or guidance right.. Hello system.. system.. Sigh.."

Nakami stopped trying to call for the system and even attempted to mimic how characters in anime access their status, but nothing happened. But then he felt something in his left pocket. It felt like his phone, he took it out to see something strange.

"This phone looks like my old one, but it's too clean and new," Nakami thought to himself.

"It's also really light, but the material feels really sturdy. Is this my magic tool or helper?"

Nakami cautiously explored his phone, hoping to find any helpful information or tools that could aid him in surviving on this island. To his surprise, the phone had replicated the way his old phone's folders were arranged.

Most of his apps were missing, including all his games. The only folder that was filled was "Utilities," which had only measuring and writing apps. The only other app he found was YouTube.

Confused, Nakami tried turning off his phone to restart it, hoping that the missing apps would appear. But the power button wouldn't press. When he looked in the settings, there was no information on how the phone was running and to his dismay, there was no clock.

Nakami noticed that there was no way to charge the phone and no battery indicator on the screen. He also noticed that there was no symbol for coverage or signal.

"Maybe I can use Youtube to watch videos, but I need to act fast because I don't understand how the battery works or if it even needs to be charged."

He couldn't understand how the phone could still be functioning without any of these basic features. He opened the Youtube app, not sure what he was looking for, and was stunned to find that he was able to access videos even though there was no network coverage.

Nakami was unsure at first, but as he scrolled through videos on YouTube, the interface looked familiar like on a normal phone. However, some features were missing such as no comments, no dates or timestamps of when the videos were posted, and he couldn't see who uploaded them.

As he sat there, binge-watching videos, a spark of excitement flickered in his chest. The road ahead was a mystery, but he was determined to face it head-on. He kept repeating this to himself, as a way to stay strong and cope with what lay ahead.

Nakami quickly searched for videos that could help him survive on this island. He found a spot under a palm tree near where he arrived and sat down to absorb as much information as possible.

Nakami mentally listed the tasks he needed to accomplish, fully aware that he had nothing to write on. Nevertheless, with a lot on his plate, he decided to focus on the top three priorities:

1. Finding a fresh water source

2. Building a shelter

3. Searching for food.

He committed these tasks to memory, prioritizing them in his mind as he prepared to tackle the challenges ahead.

The sun was just above his head to indicate that it was already noon, Nakami felt a a bit pressured because he only have half a day max to complete those task he made.

He started his search for water, taking with him only his phone as a resource. As he walked, he talked to himself, "I have to focus, one step at a time. I need water to live. I'll find it."

As Nakami explored the island, he realized there were no signs of human habitation. He saw flocks of birds flying overhead, but it wasn't the right time to try to catch them for food.

Uncertain of how to handle the bird meat, Nakami didn't want to take any chances and risk falling ill. He decided to stick with raw fish for the time being, rather than attempting to cook the bird meat. He did spot a few plants that looked like they might be edible, but he was hesitant to eat them until he could learn more.

Back in his old life, Nakami barely ate anything. He survived on a steady diet of instant noodles, fast food, and convenience store bread. He knew exactly why he had died. His lifestyle was terrible; ever since he graduated from university, he had been living this way. Too much hustle, no success, and a dreary existence.