After Shun's introduction—full of his own unique flair,the classroom atmosphere became much more relaxed. The initial tension had faded, replaced by smiles and eager glances directed at the remaining students.
Some of them introduced themselves briefly, others said a bit more, while a few simply repeated what the teacher requested. But then, a name made me pause for a second.
Nagisa Hoshino.
A girl with silver hair cascading down to her back, skin as pale as snow, and light violet eyes like lavender petals. In the game, she was a special character,not someone who appeared often, but every time she did, she left a strong impression. Cold, quiet, and always carrying a sense of melancholy.
Nagisa stood up without looking at anyone, her eyes fixed straight ahead at the blackboard.
"I'm Nagisa Hoshino."
Her voice was as soft as the wind, almost a whisper, yet it caused the whole class to fall silent and listen.
"From Houkuto. I don't have any particular hobbies."
That was it. No smile, no unnecessary movements. She gave a slight bow and sat down again, still avoiding eye contact with anyone.
I glanced around. Some students looked confused. But me… I was intrigued. In the game, Nagisa had one of the deepest backstories among the side characters and she wasn't part of Ren's harem.
Once all the students finished introducing themselves, Mr. Takeda nodded slightly and turned back to the podium.
"Now that we've all gotten to know each other, I'll just go over a few basics since today is the opening ceremony."
He began explaining the school's history, some important rules, weekly timetables, and those typical reminders like "uphold your class pride" and "support one another."
The mood was lighter than I had expected.
Finally, the teacher closed his notebook and looked calmly at the class.
"That's all for today. You're free to explore the campus a bit more or head home to rest. Classes start for real tomorrow."
Chairs slid, murmurs rose.
I exhaled quietly and began packing my bag.
But the moment I stood up—
"...Where's my house again?"
As I stepped out of the classroom, still puzzled by that very question—
Ping!
A familiar chime echoed in my mind. Suddenly, a transparent window appeared in front of me, floating in the air.
[Character Status Window – Hiro Sasaki]
Name: Hiro Sasaki
Age: 16
Class: 1-A
Academy: Seiran
Residence: 7-12, Residential Area A, Hoshizaki Town
Story Progress: 1%
I nearly screamed.
"...What the hell?"
I reached out to touch the window and to my surprise, it responded like a real interface.
I tapped the "Residence" section.
Instantly, a map of the area appeared, complete with a guiding arrow like a GPS.
"Oh… that's handy."
I didn't know who or what had set this up for me but I wasn't complaining.
At least I wouldn't be wandering around like a lost idiot.
I sighed in relief and followed the arrow. The school gates gradually disappeared behind me.
It led me to a small house at the corner of a quiet residential area.
And the moment I saw that house,I froze.
"...Wait a sec."
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. There was no mistaking it.
This house looked exactly like the one I had in my previous world.
I walked slowly inside. The door creaked open with a soft click. And then—
The living room. The slightly worn blue sofa. The square wooden table with a small scratch on the corner. The familiar bookshelf by the window.
Everything… was nearly identical.
I moved like I was dreaming, letting my fingers slide along the stair rail, stepping up to the second floor, opening what should be "my" room. Everything seemed to call my name.
I didn't know why it looked so much the same. Who set this up? Was it the system? Was someone messing with me?
Silently, I went to take a shower. The warm water calmed me down a little, but my mind was still spinning.
After that, I lay in bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, seeing nothing.
I let out a long sigh.
In my previous world... I had no family.
No parents. No siblings. Just one person—my uncle—who took me in when I had nowhere to go.
He wasn't rich, but he had a kind heart. On my 20th birthday, he gifted me that small house.
I had only lived in it for a few months. I'd just started decorating, put up some paintings, bought a new lamp.
And then
BAM!
"Truck-kun" crashed into my life like a cosmic joke.
That's how I ended up here.
And now, I was lying in a house that looked exactly the same.
I closed my eyes. A hundred questions swirled in my mind with no answers.
If this was someone's joke... it was a cruel one.
I slept for a long time, until the sun had already set and the house was swallowed in darkness.
I rubbed my eyes, sat up. My stomach gave a quiet grumble.
"...I'm starving."
I muttered, looking around this strange yet familiar room.
Oh, right. This is a game world now.
And if it's a game, then there should be a system, right?
I tried saying it in my mind: "System."
Ping!
A soft chime echoed in my head, and immediately, a transparent status window popped up like a heads-up display from a game.
I blinked in mild shock. But I had to admit,it looked pretty sleek.
On the left side were tabs like: "Status", "Map", "Inventory", "Relationships", and "Settings".
I tapped "Map", and a local area map appeared. It seemed I was in Residential Area A, close to the city center.
I scanned the map and found a convenience store icon about 200 meters away.
"Thank goodness..."
I quickly changed clothes and opened a drawer—somehow, there was already a student ID, some yen bills, and even a convenience store membership card inside.
The system was surprisingly thorough.
---
On my way to the store, I was following the floating map in front of me when I heard a strange noise from the other side of the street.
Thud!
I turned and saw a familiar figure… lifting his leg, about to kick a vending machine.
Messy blond hair, lazy posture, and that classic annoyed look—no mistaking it.
"…Shun?"
I called out in surprise.
He paused, turned, and blinked as if caught red-handed.
"Oh, Hiro." Shun scratched his head. "I wasn't trying to break it or anything. Just… the drink got stuck."
I looked at the vending machine. Sure enough, a drink can was wedged between the slots behind the glass.
"Tough luck." I shrugged.
Shun sighed, gave the machine a gentler kick this time, then leaned against it in defeat.
"You're out this late too?"
"Yeah. I'm starving, so I thought I'd grab something at the convenience store."
Shun raised an eyebrow. "Heh, same here."
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and casually started walking beside me, not saying much else.
I glanced at Shun. Part surprised, part amused. In the game, he was the kind of character who didn't actively seek out others but once he accepted you, he was pretty chill to be around.
Maybe... this was one of those "random bonding moments" you often see in visual novels?