Another World Trigger: Take Back the World with the Ultimate Duo - Admiring Neighbor

On the way home from school, I was walking while drinking a cola I'd bought at the usual convenience store. The sky at five in the afternoon was gradually turning orange, and the wind was just a little cold. Satou Yuuto hunched his back and shoved his hands into his baggy hoodie. His messy black hair swayed in the wind. It was naturally curly, so at times like this, it always ended up a total mess. "Man, I seriously didn't get today's math at all." He muttered to himself, not really directing it at anyone. Half-closing his slightly droopy brown eyes, Yuuto pulled out his smartphone as he walked. On the screen was the mobile game he'd been playing nonstop since yesterday. Hololive Agent — a pretty popular game where you become an agent of an anti-Tsukigami organization and take down monsters. "Alright, alright, Mumei leveled up." He laughed out loud. Nanashi Mumei in the game — a super cool character with long silver hair flowing behind her, crimson eyes wide open as she sliced through enemies. Yuuto had been a fan of this character for half a year. Honestly, he kind of admired her. (If only I could be strong like that too.) But in reality, he was a 172-centimeter-tall skinny guy, completely hopeless at sports. Just your average second-year high school student who did nothing but play games. He was walking along, thinking about stuff like that, when— The air suddenly went cold. Huh? Yuuto looked up. In the middle of the road, a purple line was floating. It was about two meters long. Thin, and glittering like cracked glass. Yuuto took three steps back. "What is this...?" He couldn't say anything more. The next moment, that purple crack spread open with a burst, and the road tore apart as if it were paper. "Uwaaaaaah!" Yuuto's body lifted into the air. He was being sucked in. His vision warped and twisted, and a strange noise rang deep in his ears. A super nauseating sensation, like the world was flipping inside out. When he came to, Yuuto was collapsed on the ground. "Ow..." He pushed himself up. —What is this place? The sky was gray, with heavy, sluggish clouds hanging low. It should have been sunset just moments ago, but now it looked like a perpetually dim evening. The surrounding buildings were all in ruins too. No convenience store, no traffic lights, no familiar streets. Instead, there were half-collapsed buildings and structures where every single window was shattered. The ground was covered in blackish sand that made a strange crunching sound when he stepped on it. The wind howled, making Yuuto's curly hair even messier. The air was cold, and it smelled a little burnt. "I've seen a place like this in a game..." Yuuto's voice trembled. The other side world from the Hololive Agent game — the Veiled Realm. The setting said it existed overlapping with the real world, but he'd thought it was just inside the game. But this... This ruin spreading out before his eyes was real. In a novel or anime, he could think, "It's gotta be a dream," but right now, he was genuinely in reality. He could feel the sensation of the black sand crunching under his shoes. And more than that, he was scared. Incredibly scared. His heart was pounding. Yuuto had a habit of touching his ear when he was nervous. Even now, his right hand unconsciously reached for his ear. —Rustle. A sound came from right nearby. Yuuto held his breath. From the shadow of a collapsed convenience store, something emerged. A black, mist-like mass. It was about the size of a dog. But its shape wasn't clear; its outline changed every time it shifted and swelled. Near its center, a reddish-black light flickered on and off. (Tsukigami...) Game knowledge flashed through his mind. Lesser Tsukigami. Threat level E to D. If this were the game, it'd be a small-fry enemy even a beginner could beat. But this was different. This was real. The real thing was here. The black mist mass headed towards Yuuto. "S-Stop...!" Yuuto got up and started running. The presence behind him was closing in. There were no footsteps, but the air felt like it was vibrating and trembling. Yuuto ran with all his might. But his body, which hadn't done any exercise at all, quickly began to scream in protest. He couldn't breathe. His legs felt heavy. (Am I gonna die in a place like this?) I haven't even finished my game yet. The new season of my favorite anime hasn't started, and I haven't eaten the new snacks I bought yesterday. More than anything— (I haven't... done anything.) Having no talents, just playing games all the time, living life taking the easy way out. That version of myself, ending without accomplishing a single thing. That was what terrified him. When he looked back while running, the number of Tsukigami had increased to three. They were swarming. "You've gotta be kidding..." Yuuto's foot caught on something like rubble. His body lurched and pitched forward. "Whoa!?" The asphalt rushed up towards his face. He threw out his hands but didn't make it in time. Pain shot through his knees and palms with a hard thud. He tried to get up immediately, but the Tsukigami were already right behind him. The black mist loomed over Yuuto's shadow. Cold. The area around his body suddenly grew cold, and his fingertips started going numb. (It's... no use.) Yuuto squeezed his eyes shut. At that moment. "—【Shatter】" It was a sharp, beautiful voice that pierced his ears. The next instant, there was a sound like glass shattering, and something burst right near him. The cold air vanished in a flash. Huh? Yuuto fearfully opened his eyes. Someone was standing in front of him. Silver hair reaching down to her waist swayed gently in the wind, as if each individual strand was glowing. Her ponytail, tied high up, curved like a slender crescent moon. When she turned, large, deep crimson eyes looked straight down at him. She's beautiful— But more than that, she was so expressionless it was frightening. "You alive?" Her voice was low and flat, devoid of emotion. She wore a small device on her throat — a Voice Gear, they called it — and was clad in a tight-fitting black combat suit. She held nothing in her hands. Yet, with just that single word, "Shatter," the three Tsukigami had vanished in an instant. "Th-Thank you..." "Save your thanks. Answer the question." She — Nanashi Mumei — didn't help Yuuto up, just kept staring down at him as she spoke. "You. Why are you here? By 'here,' I mean the Veiled Realm." "Veiled..." "You know it, don't you? You've got the face of someone who's seen it in a game or something." She hit the nail on the head. Yuuto's feelings apparently showed all over his face, and Mumei let out a small sigh. "You got sucked into a rift, didn't you? These kinds of accidents have been happening a lot lately." "A-An accident?" "This city — Shibuya and the surrounding area — has a lot of rifts. It's the worst place in Japan. They call it the Shibuya Breach." That was in the game's setting too. Within a radius of several hundred meters from Shibuya Station, numerous rifts were said to occur chronically. But they were supposed to be invisible to ordinary people, only perceivable by Agents or those who could use Words— "You were unlucky. You ended up seeing it." Mumei took out her communicator. She lightly tapped the Voice Gear at her throat. "This is Mumei. HQ, respond." 'This is Under Cove. What's the situation?' "I've secured a civilian at a rift. A teenage boy. In accordance with the Veil Treaty, I'm requesting protective custody and memory processing." "Memory processing...?" A glossary entry from the game surfaced in Yuuto's mind. Civilians who learned of the existence of Tsukigami and Hololive would have their memories erased. "Wait! I finally get it. What this place is, who you are—" Mumei's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who do you think I am?" "Nanashi Mumei... right? The A-rank Agent from Hololive." For just a moment, Mumei looked surprised. But she immediately returned to her expressionless state. "I see. Then this will be quick. It's dangerous here. Don't move on your own. You'll be a hindrance." A hindrance. The word stabbed sharply into Yuuto's chest. But he couldn't talk back. Just moments ago, running away was all he could manage. He hadn't been able to do anything. "I know... I know, but..." "If you know, then be quiet. This isn't a game. If you die here, it's over." Mumei operated her communicator again and started speaking to someone in a low voice. Yuuto stood up and watched her from behind. She was the character he'd admired. He'd seen her countless times in the game and thought she was so cool. And yet — face to face with the real person, he was nothing but a hindrance. His own patheticness made him want to cry. But as he looked at Mumei's profile, a different feeling welled up inside him too. (Maybe...) (Maybe I can still do something.) That thought was still very small, but it was definitely there. —One hour later. Yuuto was walking down a corridor in the underground base, "Under Cove." Located beneath Chiyoda Ward, right in the heart of Tokyo, this base looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. White lights lined the gray walls at regular intervals, and machines resembling control panels were scattered here and there. After that, Yuuto had been practically dragged by Mumei through a rift, and the next thing he knew, he was here. He'd been given a medical checkup and was now being taken to meet the division commander. "Enter." Pushed forward by Mumei, Yuuto stepped through a large door. It was a circular command room, with a giant screen on the front wall displaying a map of Japan. Several operators were busily typing at keyboards, and numerous cables hung down from the ceiling. And in the center of the room— "Welcome, Satou Yuuto-kun." A woman stood there. A deep blue bob cut neatly at her shoulders. Clear, light blue eyes that seemed to see through everything. "I am Sora. I serve as the division commander here — Hololive Japan Division." Sora smiled brightly. Despite her gentle demeanor, the air in the room felt taut. It was immediately obvious that this person was the boss. She was calm now, but behind that smile lay the weight of vast experience. "...I'm Satou Yuuto." "I know. I've already looked into you." Sora glanced at the tablet in her hand. "A second-year at Misaki Metropolitan High School. Hobby is gaming, somewhat poor at sports. Notable talents — none in particular." "When you put it that bluntly, it kinda stings..." "But, there is one interesting thing." Sora stood in front of Yuuto and stared intently at him with those light blue eyes. It felt like she could see right through everything in his heart, and it made him uneasy. "You might be a visitor from another world." "Another world...?" "Yes. In our world, people from other worlds sometimes wander in. Caught up in spatial distortions. In your case, we've judged that possibility to be high." "That's..." "Do you want to know more? Very well. Mumei, that Word from earlier, once more." At Sora's words, Mumei furrowed her brow just a little. "...Understood." She moved about five meters away from Yuuto and took a light breath. And then— "【Shatter】" Again, that sharp, beautiful voice. Simultaneously, a metal box placed at the edge of the room shattered into pieces with a loud crack. A Word — a special vocalization technique that converts willpower into physical phenomena. "That is her unique Word. It pulverizes the target. Only one in tens of thousands has the aptitude for it. It's a power requiring special training and innate talent." Before Sora could finish— Yuuto's throat moved on its own. Huh? Something was trying to come out as a voice. Words surfaced in his mouth, and he unconsciously spoke them aloud. "...【Sha...tter】" Yuuto's voice was hoarse, not beautiful like Mum

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Episode 1

Name: Another World Trigger: Take Back the World with the Ultimate Duo
Author: Novelia

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