Striding Forward, Gallantly.

(Practice piece, improving writing style slowly.)

(Slice-of-life focus; will face consequences for being a jerk early on.)

(If it's not too much trouble, please click the yellowish button on the last page of the work; it won't get your hands dirty at all.)

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was a project proposed by the current Prime Minister Kijima about fifteen to twenty years ago, back when he served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It was implemented by the previous chairman, Sakayanagi, and developed into a renowned institution.

Every student enrolled at this school is at least 18 years old and considered an adult.

Early April, the season of enrollment.

It is the season when cherry blossoms bloom. It is the beginning of a memory that many students will never forget for the rest of their lives.

Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward. A detached house in a residential area.

"Goodbye, Grandma. Sorry to have troubled you these past few days. If nothing goes wrong, I'll see you again in three years."

The kind-faced grandmother stood with her hands behind her back. Her gentle eyes reflected a tall, slender figure. That figure was waving goodbye with his back turned to her.

The spring breeze stirred, and cherry blossoms drifted down. The wind ceased, but the petals continued to fall.

Jingle, jingle...

The sound of the wind chime seemed to play a melody of parting for the boy, marking the beginning of this journey.

The scene froze in this moment.

Walking along the road filled with cherry blossoms, Kamigami Haruo appeared to be watching the road, but in reality, he was deep in thought.

This led to the bus heading to the school already appearing before his eyes by the time he was about to reach the bus stop.

Watching the bus doors about to close, he could no longer maintain his calm, leisurely pace.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters. As the distance closed, he faced the doors that were about to shut.

His legs, which had been running with all his might, came to a halt. As if brewing something up, he gathered his strength and lunged. His slender figure appeared before the doors in an instant, successfully blocking them with his palm.

Kamigami Haruo felt a bit helpless; because of that sudden burst of effort, his leg muscles had cramped. It wouldn't be getting better for a while now.

The bus driver, confused by the person who suddenly appeared, blinked and rubbed his eyes. He truly couldn't understand it; he had clearly checked that there were no passengers before pressing the button to close the doors.

Looking at the eye boogers on his hand, he thought to himself that his vision must have been blurred by them, which was why he hadn't seen him. No, he needed to tidy up his appearance, or he would have his wages docked by the company.

Since this was the starting point of the bus route, the seats on the bus were still mostly empty.

After swiping his bus card, Kamigami Haruo leaned on the chairs for support, limping his way to a window seat.

After placing his bag on the seat next to him, he rested his arm on the window frame to prop up his face, looking aimlessly at the scenery of falling cherry blossoms outside.

His pupils reflected the scenery outside the window, but his thoughts drifted to somewhere else, as if he were fantasizing about something.

Was it uncertainty about the future? Or perhaps that "genuine" thing he was pursuing?

His name is now Kamigami Haruo, and he is currently riding a bus to a destination called Advanced Nurturing High School.

This will be the beginning of everything, and the start of a youth he had never possessed before.

As for why he appeared here, that goes back to a few days ago.

He vaguely remembered the sun and the moon alternating at least seven times.

At that time, he had intended to enjoy some long-awaited takeout dessert, but was interrupted by a sudden urge to urinate.

After finishing his business, he shuddered and subconsciously closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he saw a toilet different in style from the one in his own home.

With a sense of confusion and bewilderment, he looked around the restroom, only then realizing that he was no longer in his own home, but had appeared in a strange place.

So, he walked out of the building in a daze. Before he could even think, the landmark tower in his field of vision clearly told him where he was.

He scratched his head in confusion, then narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Only then did he realize he was in a foreign land.

"Hey! You pervert! Scum of society!"

Slap!

Kamigami Haruo could be certain he wasn't dreaming; the slap mark on his face was enough to prove everything.

This wasn't self-harm to confirm if he was dreaming, but rather a result of returning to the restroom he had just visited to see if there was a way back, only to be slapped by a girl he encountered inside.

After all, as a shut-in, he was accustomed to not wearing a shirt, and in Tokyo, where perverts were everywhere, he was naturally mistaken for one.

To avoid being caught as a molester, he had no choice but to quicken his pace and leave the scene of the incident as fast as he could.

To those who didn't know the truth, his retreating figure certainly looked the part.

Reaching the street, Kamigami Haruo took out the phone he carried with him twenty-four hours a day to check.

Looking at the screensaver of Fushiguro Toji, he used his fingerprint to unlock the phone and enter the home screen.

He stared at the notification indicating that the network was out of service.

Having never held much hope to begin with, he had disguised himself as a hoodlum and squatted near a nearby convenience store, all for the sake of leeching off the store's wifi.

However, even after he connected to the wifi, the browser still displayed that he was out of service.

Furthermore, all applications requiring data were unusable; he didn't know if it was due to the server or if the version was simply too advanced.

Not knowing where to go, he walked aimlessly through the noisy streets of Tokyo at night.

Filled with curiosity, he watched the people coming and going, among whom were plenty of delinquents, gyaru, jk, and students.

A glance around revealed nothing but colorful hair, almost indistinguishable from the Tokyo in his memories.

In a Japan with such high levels of openness, him walking around shirtless shouldn't have been that conspicuous.

However, upon realizing that the people around him were focusing their gazes on his back, he became aware of something strange on it.

Though puzzled, he simply moved away from the crowd at a leisurely pace and walked to a nearby park.

With his average build, he removed several sticky notes from his back without any effort.

Looking at the sticky notes in his hand, he read the content on the paper with curiosity.

From the first sticky note, he learned the reason for his appearance on the streets of Japan.

However, the look of sudden realization only lasted a few seconds; after reading the subsequent notes, the expression on Kamigami Haruo's face shifted quite dramatically.

After all, the content on the sticky notes told him the truth behind this series of events.

"Please forgive me, child, as the lifespan of a certain universe has come to an end."

"Due to a spatial anomaly caused by a spatial collapse, a spatial node was created."

"Because of my carelessness, you, who are now in an otherworldly realm, have been implicated."

"As compensation, I will grant you an ability to protect yourself in this otherworldly realm ^_^"

"A body with an extremely high upper limit. The limit is based on the highest standard of the current world."

"Good luck ^_^"

Although the paper said good luck.

Feeling the strange sensations in his body, he still broke out in a cold sweat.

He couldn't describe what it felt like—was it the writhing of muscles? The intense pain coming from deep within his bones? Or his body gradually losing control?

Suffering intensely, he could only curl up alone in a corner of the park, gripping his phone tightly.

To selectively and temporarily forget the excruciating pain in his body, he recalled memories from deep within his mind.

From the babbling of his childhood to the clipped-wing bird that studied by rote, and finally to his current solitary self.

(Practice piece, slowly improving the writing style.)

(Daily life oriented; because he acts like a jerk early on, he will be sanctioned.)

(If it's not too much trouble, please click the poop-yellow button on the last page of the work; it definitely won't get on your hands.)

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was a project proposed by the current Prime Minister Kijima about fifteen to twenty years ago, when he served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It was implemented by the previous chairman, Sakayanagi, and built into a renowned university.

The students attending this university are all 18 years old and have reached adulthood.

Early April, the enrollment season.

It is the season when cherry blossom trees bloom. It is the beginning of memories that many students will never forget for the rest of their lives.

Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward. A detached house in a certain residential area.

"Goodbye, Grandma. Sorry to have troubled you these past few days. If nothing goes wrong, see you in three years."

The kind-faced grandmother stood with her hands behind her back. Her gentle eyes reflected a slender figure. That figure was waving goodbye with his back turned to her.

The spring breeze rose, and cherry blossoms drifted. The wind stopped, but the flowers continued to drift.

Jingle, jingle...

The sound of the wind chime seemed to play a tune of parting for the black-haired youth, and it was also the opening chapter of this journey.

The scene froze at this moment.

Walking on the road full of cherry blossoms, Kamigami Haruo appeared to be looking at the road, but in reality, he was thinking about something.

This led to the bus heading to the school already appearing before his eyes by the time he was about to reach the bus stop.

Looking at the bus about to close its doors, he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor while strolling.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters. As the distance closed, he also faced the doors that were about to shut.

His legs, which had been running with all his might, stopped; as if brewing something, he gathered his strength and lunged. The slender figure appeared in front of the door in an instant and successfully blocked it with his palm.

Kamigami Haruo felt a bit helpless; because of the lunge just now, his leg muscles had cramped. It wouldn't be getting better for a while now.

The puzzled driver rubbed his eyes in a daze at the sudden appearance of a person. He really couldn't figure it out—he'd clearly confirmed no passengers before pressing the close door button.

Looking at his hand smeared with eye gunk, he thought it must be that which had crusted over his eyes and made him miss it. No good, he needed to straighten his uniform, or the company would dock his pay.

Since it was the starting point of the bus route, the seats on the bus were still empty.

After swiping his bus card, Kamigami Haruo gripped the chairs for support, limping his way to a window seat and sitting down.

After placing the bag slung over his shoulder on the seat beside him, he rested his arm on the window sill, propping up his face, and gazed aimlessly at the cherry blossoms drifting outside.

His pupils reflected the scenery beyond the window, but his thoughts drifted off somewhere, as if lost in some fantasy.

About an uncertain future? Or that pursued truth?

His current name was Kamigami Haruo, and he was currently riding the bus toward his destination, Advanced Nurturing High School.

This place would be the start of everything, and the beginning of a youth he had never possessed.

As for why he was here, it all started a few days ago.

He vaguely remembered the sun and moon alternating at least seven times or more.

At that time, he had been about to enjoy some long-awaited delivery dessert when a sudden urge to pee interrupted him.

After relieving himself, he shivered and instinctively closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he saw a toilet that looked different from his own at home.

With a mood full of doubt and confusion, he looked around the bathroom, finally realizing he was no longer in his own toilet but in some unfamiliar place.

So he stumbled out of the building in a daze, and before he could even think, the landmark iron tower in his view clearly told him where he was.

He scratched his head in bewilderment, then narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

Only then did he realize he was in a foreign land.

"Ya! This hentai! Social scum!"

Slap!

Kamigami Haruo could be sure he wasn't dreaming—the slap mark on his face was proof enough.

This wasn't him self-harming to check if it was a dream; it was from the girl he encountered in the bathroom when he returned there to see if there was a way back.

After all, as a shut-in who habitually went shirtless, in Tokyo where perverts were everywhere, he was naturally mistaken for one.

To avoid being caught as a molester, he could only quicken his steps and rapidly flee the scene.

That retreating figure did look suspicious to the uninformed.

Once out on the street, Kamigami Haruo took out the phone he carried with him 24/7 and checked it.

Looking at Fushiguro Toji's screensaver, he unlocked it with his fingerprint and went to the home screen.

Looking at the notice that the network was out of service area.

He hadn't held out much hope anyway, so he disguised himself as a thug and squatted at a nearby convenience store, all to mooch off the store's WiFi.

But even after connecting to the WiFi, the browser still showed out of service area.

And all apps that required data wouldn't load either, who knew if it was the servers or his version being too advanced.

With no idea where to go, he wandered aimlessly through the noisy nighttime streets of Tokyo.

Out of curiosity, he watched the people coming and going around him, including plenty of delinquents, gals, JKs, and students.

Looking around, it was all hair in every color imaginable, no different from the Tokyo in his memory.

In Japan, with its high tolerance, a shirtless guy like him shouldn't have stood out so much on a crowded street.

But when he realized the people around him were focusing their gazes on his back, it made him aware of something odd there.

Though puzzled, he simply moved away from the crowd unhurriedly and headed to a nearby park.

With his average build, he effortlessly peeled off several sticky notes from his back.

Looking at the sticky notes in his hand, he read the contents carefully out of curiosity.

From the first sticky note, he learned the reason he had appeared on the streets of Japan.

But his enlightened expression only lasted a few seconds; after reading the later ones, Kamigami Haruo's expressions grew quite varied.

After all, the contents of the sticky notes revealed the truth behind this whole series of events.

"Please forgive me, child, due to one universe reaching the end of its lifespan."

A spatial anomaly caused by space collapse, creating a space node.

"Because of my carelessness, it dragged in you, now in another world."

"As compensation, I will grant you, in that other world, an ability to protect yourself ^_^"

"A body with extremely high potential. Limits standardized to the current world's highest."

"Good luck ^_^"

Although the note wished him good luck.

But feeling the abnormality in his body, he still broke out in a cold sweat.

He couldn't describe the sensation; was it the writhing of his muscles? The intense pain coming from deep within his bones? Or his body gradually slipping out of his control?

Tormented, he could only curl up alone in the corner of the park, gripping his phone tightly with his hand.

To selectively forget the intense pain racking his body, he recalled memories from the depths of his mind.

From his babbling as a child to the broken-winged bird struggling to rote-memorize books, and finally to the person he was now, all alone.