"UWAHHHH!!!!"
Fuse Hyoka woke up screaming loud enough to shake the whole house.
"What the hell? King? Dragon? War? What kind of crazy dream was that?? Am I losing it because of all the studying?"
Fuse, a 16-year-old first-year high school student, had the typical looks of a Japanese teenager: black hair, black eyes, a slightly wild hairstyle — like a main character from a game or anime — and an average height of 175 cm.Neither too thin nor overweight, he had the usual build of a high schooler.
But right now, he looked like a mess after a night of restless, rolling sleep.
"Brother! Come down or you're gonna be late for school!"
"Yeah, yeah, just a second!"
Even though his mind was still spinning from that insane dream, Fuse couldn't skip school — especially on the first day.
He threw on his uniform and headed downstairs to the dining room, where only his sister waited at the table, tapping her fingers impatiently.
"Mili, why didn't you start eating?"
"Because I have to eat with my dear big brother, duh!"
This was Mili Hyoka — Fuse's 14-year-old little sister, a first-year junior high student who had just graduated elementary school.She had bright blue hair tied up in a ponytail and — quite surprisingly for her age — a figure that looked much older than her grade.Despite that, she was very short compared to her peers, making the contrast even more striking.
Fuse, feeling awkward, teased her:
"You're in junior high now, but you still act like a little kid."
"And so what? That's just part of your adorable little sister's charm! You embarrassed?"
"No... your brother's not embarrassed," Fuse muttered, cheeks slightly red as he sat down.
Mili smiled brightly.
"Alright then, let's eat, Brother!"
Meanwhile, far from the cozy breakfast scene — on the rooftop of a high-rise building — a woman stood alone at the edge, wind whipping her black coat.
"I've finally found you, my master," she whispered.
Elsewhere, deep within a pitch-black room filled with indistinct silhouettes:
"We found him too," a cold voice growled, filled with murderous intent.
In many places across the world, strange events began to unfold — like a natural disaster awakening after centuries of slumber.
Fuse and Mili walked together toward their school, Nettowaku Public School — Tokyo's government-backed academy famous for producing technological geniuses known as the Seven Greats.
Fuse couldn't stop thinking about his dream, mumbling without realizing:
"King..."
Mili immediately caught it.
"Brother, what are you muttering about?"
"Ah, n-no, nothing at all," Fuse stammered.
Mili puffed her cheeks and pointed at him dramatically.
"You're lying! Are you still mad that I threw out those dirty magazines I found in your room?"
Fuse turned bright red and slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down! It's not about that!"
Mili broke free and crossed her arms.
"Then what is it? Huh?"
"Nothing! Let's just hurry to school!"
"Hmph, okay~!"
At the same time, in a shadowy circle of figures:
"Should we just attack?" one asked, his voice low and heavy.
"No," another replied coldly. "We should approach carefully first. If he's truly that person, we kill him."
Their chilling silence was agreement enough.
One volunteered:
"Leave it to me."
And thus, the hunt began.
At Nettowaku Public School, Fuse and Mili split up at the main gate.The school was laid out like a compass: elementary to the south, junior high to the east, high school to the west, university to the north, and administration in the center.
Mili waved excitedly:
"See you later, Brother!"
"Study hard!"
"I will!"
But just as Fuse turned to go, a friend grabbed him:
"Fuse! Hurry up! The bell's about to ring!"
Checking his watch — 10:00 AM?!
"UWAAHHH!!"
Meanwhile, Iliya — the woman from the rooftop — observed the school from a distance.
"Mother, I found him."
A mysterious voice replied:
"Good. But do not act yet. Watch carefully first."
"Yes, Mother."
RCB — Real Computer Brain —An implanted device that allowed humans to access the digital world with just a thought.Now, everyone used RCBs for everyday life — opening the internet, messaging, learning — all directly through their minds.
During class, Fuse fell asleep instantly.No amount of textbook slaps from Mr. Unara could wake him.
"Oii, Fuse, wake up!"
"Is it break time already?"
"Yeah. You're insane — Mr. Unara looked like he was gonna explode!"
Fuse gave a thumbs-up:
"That's payback for all the impossible homework he gave us!"
Both laughed.
"Oh, by the way, Sento said he's waiting for you at the usual place."
"Thanks, Izumi!"
After school, Fuse hurried to the coffee shop where he usually met his best friend, Sento.
But Sento wasn't there.
Instead, sitting alone with a creepy black teddy bear on her lap was a woman dressed all in black, carrying a massive item on her back.
Fuse instinctively turned to leave, heart pounding.
"Nope. I'm not dying today."
A hand landed on his shoulder — and Fuse almost jumped out of his skin.
It was only Kahua Fuzi — the quirky purple-haired senior who ran the coffee shop.
"Yo, you okay, Fuse?"
"Y-Yeah...!"
Kahua handed him a note from Sento.
"He said to give you this. Oh, and one more thing..."
Kahua leaned in and whispered:
"Get out of here. Now."
Fuse, heart pounding, forced his trembling legs to move and rushed out.
Behind him, in the shop, the woman tried to leave — but the door wouldn't open.
The air grew heavy.
A deep male voice echoed:
"You can't leave, [Anti]."
The teddy bear smiled — horrifyingly.
Fuse kept running until he reached the city park, still rattled.
"Today is the worst... weird dreams, scary people... I'm cursed!"
The park was eerily empty — not a person, animal, or car in sight.
"Sento, where the heck are you?!"
But before he could finish complaining, a sharp blow struck his back — right along the spine.
"ARGHHH!!"
Fuse collapsed, pain searing through his body — but weirdly, he wasn't bleeding.
Turning shakily, he saw something shocking:
"Weapon Folder Access: [Hand Axe]."
Standing there was none other than his friend — Sento.