Tokyo felt strange that night.
Not the calm kind that helps you relax—but something else. Something subtle that didn't sit right, like the world was slightly out of place and he just couldn't explain why.
Rishiro Kagami stared at his laptop as another email popped up on the screen. He didn't need to read it. He already knew what it was going to say. Still, he clicked it anyway.
[We regret to inform you…]
He leaned back in his chair and let out a short, dry laugh that didn't sound convincing even to himself. The words barely left his mouth before the familiar weight settled in again.
"Rejected. Again."
For a few seconds, he just sat there staring at the ceiling, like he was waiting for something to change if he gave it enough time.
But nothing happened.
"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this."
Outside his window, the city kept moving like always. Neon lights flickered across the streets, cars passed by in a steady rhythm, and somewhere in the distance, people laughed like nothing had changed.
Everything felt normal.
Almost too normal.
And somehow, he felt like he didn't belong in it.
"…I need air."
He pushed himself up, grabbed his jacket, and stepped outside.
The night air hit him the moment he stepped out. It was cold, but not unpleasant—just enough to wake him up a little and clear the fog in his head.
He took a slow breath, then another, letting it out as he stood there for a second.
Tokyo at night wasn't silent, just quieter in its own way. The soft hum of vending machines, the faint buzz of lights, distant voices blending together into something constant. People walked past him without stopping, each one focused on their own life.
Rishiro shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking.
No destination. No plan. Just moving.
That was when he noticed her.
An old woman stood near a grocery store, two bags resting beside her feet. She bent slightly to pick one up, but her hands trembled and she stopped halfway before letting it drop again.
No one stopped.
Rishiro watched for a moment, then sighed.
"…Fine."
He walked over and picked up the bags.
"Need help?"
The woman turned to him with a gentle smile. It looked kind enough, but her eyes didn't match it. There was something sharper there, something that lingered a little too long.
"Oh my, what a kind young man," she said.
Rishiro adjusted his grip slightly.
"It's nothing. What did you buy—bricks or something?"
The old woman gave a small laugh.
"Nothing like that."
She kept looking at him for a moment longer than necessary.
"Just things that might change the world."
Rishiro let out a quiet breath.
"Yeah… sounds expensive."
They continued walking in silence after that, their footsteps echoing faintly along the dimly lit street. The shadows stretched across the pavement under the streetlights, not quite moving, not completely still either.
After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a small house tucked between two buildings. It looked older than everything around it, like it had been there long before the rest.
The woman opened the gate slowly.
"Thank you for your help."
She reached into one of the bags and pulled out a book.
It was black. Old-looking. The kind of thing you wouldn't expect to see just lying around. The surface looked worn, and the edges were slightly rough, like it had been used many times.
There was writing on the front.
"The Lie of the World."
Rishiro blinked.
"…What's this?"
"A gift."
She placed it into his hands.
He looked down at it.
"For helping?"
She nodded.
"It has something interesting in it."
Rishiro raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh yeah?"
The woman looked directly at him.
"The truth of the world."
A cold breeze passed between them.
Rishiro let out a small, awkward breath.
"That sounds like some conspiracy stuff."
She didn't react.
"Inside that book is the exact date the world ends."
He tapped the cover lightly.
The woman only smiled.
"You'll understand eventually."
"…Yeah. Sure."
He shifted the book under his arm.
"Well, thanks."
He looked up again.
The gate was already closed.
The house was dark.
Completely silent.
"…Okay. That's weird."
He glanced down at the book again.
"The Lie of the World."
"…Still a good title."
Back in his apartment, Rishiro dropped into his chair and let the book fall onto the desk with a soft thud. He stared at it for a moment before opening it.
The pages were filled with things he didn't fully understand. Systems. Belief energy. Gods watching humanity. Something called a "Reality Governance System."
"…What even is this?"
Still, he kept reading.
It was strange, but it pulled him in.
"…This is actually kinda interesting."
Without thinking much about it, he opened a new file on his laptop and started typing.
A world where belief shapes reality.
Where humans become players.
Where gods use people like pieces in a game.
Where everything turns into a battlefield.
He kept going, completely losing track of time.
Eventually, he leaned back slightly.
"…That was actually fun."
A small smile appeared.
He uploaded the chapter without thinking too much about it.
No expectations.
No pressure.
"I should get something to eat."
The streets were quieter now. Almost empty.
Rishiro stepped forward, then paused.
"…Wait."
Something felt off again.
The air felt colder. The streetlights flickered slightly, casting uneven shadows across the road.
A sound came from behind him—footsteps, slow and steady.
He turned around.
Nothing.
The street was empty.
"…Must've been the wind."
He let out a small breath and turned back, but something shifted in his vision. He didn't catch it clearly—just movement, too quick to follow.
Before he could react, a sharp pain hit his chest.
His breath caught instantly.
"…Wha—?"
He looked down.
Blood spread across his shirt.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the cold pavement. The impact hit harder than expected, sending a dull shock through his body as his vision began to blur.
The lights above him stretched and twisted out of shape.
His breathing slowed, growing weaker with each passing second.
The last thing that crossed his mind was the black book on his desk.
Then everything went dark.
And in that darkness, something appeared.
A voice.
The voice was cold and mechanical, completely devoid of anything human.
[Unknown system detected…]
[Irregular event confirmed.]
[Beginning restart sequence]
End of chapter-1