"Taiyo, I want to play catch. Go get the gloves."
On the snowy ground, Hayakawa Aki spoke irritably to his younger brother, ordering him around.
Because his brother was often sick, their parents' affection was almost entirely directed at him. Logically, he understood, but emotions were hard to control.
After all, he was only seven years old now.
"Okay!"
Hayakawa Taiyo, completely oblivious to his brother's displeasure, smiled naively and ran back towards their house.
"Hey, kid. Can you tell me what year it is?"
Just as Taiyo's figure was disappearing into the distance, a voice suddenly came from behind Aki.
Startled, Aki turned instinctively.
A young man, looking like a high school student, stood behind him, surveying his surroundings with interest.
Aki stepped back hastily, wondering where this stranger had appeared from, but finally answered:
"1983. You don't even know that?"
"1983..."
Makoto blinked. He didn't remember the timeline of the Chainsaw Man World clearly.
He glanced at the child who had walked away, then turned back to the boy before him, trying to get more information. "Was that your brother? You let him go alone?"
"He's just going to get gloves. It's no big deal." Aki shrugged.
'Hmm?'
Makoto's expression shifted slightly.
'Little brother, getting gloves, two kids...'
Some very ominous memories surged in his mind.
"What's your name?" Makoto asked.
"Why should I tell you?" Aki frowned in irritation.
'This guy came out of nowhere, asked such a stupid question, and now wanted my name?'
Seeing the impatience on the kid's face, a visage reminiscent of Sasuke's proud demeanor, and his youthful but already striking features, Makoto was certain… this kid was Hayakawa Aki, the deuteragonist of the Chainsaw Man World.
In his past life, when he watched Chainsaw Man, he was nearly thirty. Having seen countless anime, he still couldn't help but feel that Aki's ending was one of the most tragic in all of anime.
"If you don't want to regret it, go get your brother back now," Makoto said.
"Huh?"
Aki raised an eyebrow, already wanting nothing more to do with this strange adult.
"If you don't want to regret it for the rest of your life, you'd better do as I say."
With that, Makoto turned and walked away.
Aki's fate was so cruel that even someone like him, who usually just watched for entertainment, felt compelled to offer a word of advice.
But that was all he could do. If he saw a kid fall in the water, he'd lend a hand, but he wouldn't act as a babysitter.
He also sensed a large number of familiar presences appearing nearby.
Aki watched his retreating figure and muttered, "Crazy."
But as he looked at his brother's figure, now just a shrinking dot about to disappear into the town, he remembered Makoto's words. Finally, he gritted his teeth and ran towards his brother, shouting:
"Come back! Come back! Let's just have a snowball fight!"
On the snowy ground, a group of people just shook off the disorientation of the teleportation. The weaker ones collapsed directly onto the cold snow.
Among them was a beautiful woman with a needle still in her hand.
"Ouch!"
The orange-haired lady fell hard, the needle flying from her hand, blood immediately seeping out.
"Oww..." She clutched her wound, looking around in confusion. "Huh? Where is this?"
"Mother!?"
Erina stared at the woman on the ground, her face full of disbelief.
This was her mother, whom she hadn't seen in years… Nakiri Mana.
"Huh? Erina?"
Mana was also startled.
She had spent these years abroad as a special executive for the World Gourmet Organization, rarely returning to Japan, let alone seeing her daughter. She never expected to reunite with her in such a strange place.
Seeing the blood still flowing from her mother's hand, Erina quickly took out a handkerchief and pressed it tightly against the wound.
But the shock was far from limited to this mother-daughter pair.
"Is this Scandinavia? It's so cold..."
A European woman with a cascade of silver hair and ruby-red eyes hugged her bare arms, shivering.
"Probably not, Mother."
Alice, who bore a strong resemblance to her, pointed to the writing on a distant building. "That's Japanese."
She was Nakiri Leonora, Alice's mother.
Besides the two Nakiri mother-daughter pairs, a large number of characters from Food Wars! were also transported here: Yukihira Soma, Tadokoro Megumi, Sakaki Ryoko from the Polar Star Dormitory, Arato Hisako... even Nakiri Azami and Nakiri Soei, the two fathers, appeared as well.
Besides the Food Wars! characters, there were also many new faces:
Ishigami Yu, Ito Makotou, Saionji Sekai, Katsura Kotonoha, Hiratsuka Shizuka, Nakano Yotsuba, Hayasaka Ai, and others.
Conspicuously, Yu was straddling Ito Makotou, his fist raised.
Onlookers were confused, wondering what was this about.
Just then, the reincarnation system's prompt sounded in the minds of all the newcomers.
[Welcome to this round of the Reincarnation Game.]
[Current instance world: Chainsaw Man]
[Each game will issue a specific objective. Completing the objective will allow return to the real world. Rest assured, time in the real world will stand still while the game is in progress.]
After listening to the system's explanation, Erina and the other newcomers finally grasped the basic situation.
Especially upon hearing the phrase 'all abilities learned in this world can be used in the real world', Azami's expression changed drastically as he looked at the calm figures of Utaha and the others not far away.
"So that's it. This is the source of their power," Azami said solemnly.
Hearing this, Ito Makotou, who was pinned down by Yu, his face already bruised, suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.
'That means... I can have that kind of power too?'
At that thought, even the pain in his face seemed to lessen.
Bang!
But the next second, Yu's fist came down again.
'Don't think crossing over means I won't hit you.'
"Stop it! Stop it!"
Shizuka and Sekai finally reacted, rushing forward to pull Yu back.
Yu, deciding not to hit women, let Ito Makotou go for the time being.
"Azami. I didn't expect to meet you here."
Soei, Alice's father, looked coldly at his brother-in-law. "Don't do anything rash."
Soei had heard that since being expelled from the Nakiri Family, Azami had been involved in shady dealings.
Not to mention the twisted, elite education he had inflicted on his own daughter Erina when she was young, which had angered the entire Nakiri Family.
"As strict as ever, Soei-niisan."
Azami smiled slightly, clearly unfazed by the warning.
If Makoto were threatening him, he'd be concerned. But with the influence he had nurtured underground, he wasn't afraid of the Nakiri Family.
He then looked at his wife and daughter, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, his smile gentle. "Long time no see, Mana, Erina."
Mana's expression immediately contorted with fury.
She had always detested the twisted education her husband had imposed on their daughter but had been powerless to stop it.
"After all these years, this is the attitude I get. A bit sad, isn't it?"
Seeing his wife and daughter's reaction, Azami feigned a bitter smile.