Walking on the sidewalk in the early morning, Jin covered his mouth and yawned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small bottle with flowers in it on a sidewalk corner but didn’t think much of it and looked back down at his phone.

On the screen, he saw a handful of messages from Directionless First Mate, most of which had typos in them. To his surprise, Railgun, who had changed her username again despite complaining about it, was the one who attempted to teach First Mate how to use the chat. There was also a brief conversation between Wizard and Origami Master that he had missed while sleeping.

“Wow. She actually opened up a bit… Weird. They aren’t just role-players or something, right?”

* * *

After school ended, the members of the kendo club worked together in preparing their gear for a competition that was two days away. For the most part, they ignored the young man sitting against a wall with his practice sword leaning on his shoulder since he was out of everyone else’s way. Every once in a while, somebody grimaced or clicked their tongues at the young man for texting on his phone while they were busy working, but he didn’t react much to any of them. Instead, he focused on the interesting conversation taking place on his phone.

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [All of you got the lottery ticket, right?]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Yes. I haven’t used it yet, as you suggested.]

Railgun: [Same.]

Origami Master: [*Nodding emote*]

Directionless First Mate: [I accidentally used it.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Oh. What did you get?]

Railgun: [There are emojis? How did you do that Origami Master?]

Directionless First Mate: [Acceleration (A). It changed my body.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [It affected the outside world? Is it a good or bad change?]

Directionless First Mate: [I don’t know. It affected my swordsmanship, so I’ll have to get used to it before I can fight normally again.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Interesting. It sounds like a Hunter skill. It’s hard to believe the ticket gave you an ability like that. How exactly did it affect you, First Mate?]

Directionless First Mate: [My muscles twitch a lot every time I try to move. Even sending these messages is hard.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [I see. Once you reach land, try running in a straight line. You might be surprised.]

Directionless First Mate: [Alright. I’ll try it later. Going to work out now to get rid of this itchy feeling.]

Railgun: [*Jotaro Thunk emote* What’s a Hunter? I assume you’re not talking about people who go out to hunt in the woods for food?]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Long story short, it is someone who hunts monsters, though there are several worlds I’ve observed with similar abilities. Also, nice emote.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Well, since First Mate-san tested the waters for us, we may as well use the tickets to see what happens.]

Jin lifted his head and looked at all the people around him. Sighing, he stifled the excitement bubbling within him, but his heart thumped more deeply than normal when he considered the possibility of getting some magic skills from his lottery ticket. Even now, in the back of his mind, part of him wondered if it was an elaborate prank. Opening the ticket later would prove to him whether this was all real or not, and he anticipated it to the point of tapping his foot and smirking uncharacteristically.

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [I’ll open mine later when there aren’t any people around me.]

Railgun: [I opened mine… but it gave me a grimoire. I’ll just burn it.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [What?! How could you burn such a thing?! If you don’t want it, please give it to me instead!]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Is there anything on the cover?]

Railgun: [A three-leaf clover… and it won’t burn.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [I’m going to cry.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Ah, I see. That can only be used by you, I think. Three-leaf is pretty good in the world it comes from. Just keep it for now. I have a feeling we’ll need everything we get from our tickets later.]

Origami Master: [Sage, do you know what an Ukaku Kagune is?]

“Lord, have mercy…” Jin muttered while gesturing a Catholic Cross despite not being Catholic. He then pressed his lips together and replied to her message.

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Yes. Did that automatically fuse with you?]

Origami Master: [I felt something near my spine. Is it dangerous?]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Try eating some food, then let me know if it still tastes normal to you.]

Origami Master: [Ok.]

Railgun: [Oi, old man. That reply is kinda scary. What happens if the food doesn’t taste good anymore?]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [I’m also curious.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [It’s a long story.]

Origami Master: [My cookies still taste good.]

Jin sighed with relief. His tense shoulders relaxed, and he wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Thank god. You dodged becoming a cannibal. *Thumbs Up emote*]

Railgun: [...]

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [...]

Origami Master: [...]

Outside the chat, Origami Master broke out in a cold sweat, and her amber eyes quivered anxiously. Since she already believed this Sage person’s words, they felt like a brick to the stomach for her. Wizard and Railgun also stared at the chat with eyes and mouth agape.

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [What’s wrong? Nothing bad happened, so nothing to worry about. So, did you use yours, Wizard?]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Erm, well, I got some sort of quirk.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Really? What kind?]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [It says “Cell Regeneration Quirk”. Do you know anything about it?]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [...]

Railgun: [If that works how I think it works, that sounds really broken alongside your status as a magician.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Broken?! Will it prevent me from using magic?]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [She means it sounds really powerful.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Oh, good. You scared me after that mention of cannibalism…]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Since it’s a quirk, it’s something unique to you. You’ll have to practice with it and experiment to find its functions.]

Wizard of Regret and Redemption: [Okay. Thanks, Sage-san.]

Railgun: [Do I really need to hang on to this grimoire? I’d rather not.]

Bored Soul of a Lonely Sage: [Just keep it. You can always try to get rid of it later if you don’t find it useful. It might even boost your powers.]

Since there wasn’t much else to add to the conversation for now, Jin tucked his phone away under his sash and decided to head home for the day. He quickly picked out the short and neat black hair of the kendo team captain who stood almost a full ahead above the rest of the members. He quickly approached the captain from behind and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Masao.”

Turning around, the captain raised a brow and asked, “Hm? Oh, Jin. What’s up?”

“I’m going to head home. I’ve got something to do.”

Masao’s eyes moved slightly as though disappointed, but he quickly hid the expression before replying, “Alright. Are you coming to the competition on Saturday?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“We would love to have you there to support us.”

“I’m sure you would, but the rest of the club might disagree,” Jin retorted, briefly glancing at the other club members who quickly avoided his gaze. Then, he started walking away, waved, and said, “Anyway, I’ll see you later, Masao. Good luck with the competition.”

“See you later, Jin,” Masao replied with a wry smile. Once Jin left the clubroom, Masao scratched his head and sighed before mumbling, “Man, if only you hung out with everyone more or participated more, they’d all love you, Jin.”

After returning to an empty home, Jin removed his shoes and hurried to his bedroom. Once there, he tossed his bag onto the bed and pulled out his phone. He only glanced at the chat log long enough to register a brief conversation between Wizard and Railgun before navigating to his personal inventory. He pressed on the ticket icon.

{Would you like to use [Platinum Ticket]?}

{Y/N}

Jin’s heart rate quickened as his thumb hovered over the ‘Y’ for a few seconds. Then, he clicked it. Before he could see the next notification, his eyes dilated, and he zoned out as though in a trance. He felt like he was floating through the fabric of his own mind. Then, he saw something similar to the moon.

Jin felt like something about this situation was familiar. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to think about it.

A soft masculine voice echoed around him and interrupted his thoughts by inquiring, “What is it that you seek?”

Lips curling downward, Jin considered the question for a moment.

“You are a contradiction. You harbor great desire yet lack it. So, why are you here?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Yet you want to. Would you like to make a contract?”

Falling into silence, Jin pondered. A moment later, his thoughts were broken by the sounds of distant murmurs and screams. The eerie sounds disturbed his thoughts, but something within his soul bubbled up. A drive that had vanished for a long time drove him to subconsciously answer, “I will find purpose here and make this world my own.”

“You seek purpose and meaning. I can help you find it if you wish.”

“With a Geass?”

“Yes. You know how this works, so let us make a contract. You will gain power, and in return, you will do me a simple favor one day, one that won't inconvenience you too much. How does that sound?”

Heart thumping with adrenaline, Jin thoughtfully asked, “What kind of favor?”

“Like I said, a very simple one between you and I.”

Smiling, Jin answered, “Slightly suspicious but simple terms. Sounds interesting. As long as it doesn’t risk the lives of me or anyone I care about, then that works for me.”

“Perfect. A contract has been established under those terms, then. Let us meet in the future once you are ready.”

Jolting awake, Jin looked around his bedroom. His gaze immediately landed on the mirror in front of him. Startled, he blinked several times and rubbed his eyes. He stared at his reflection in amazement as a shimmering V-like symbol slowly dissipated from his right eye.

Dizziness crept into his mind, and he felt as though he was falling into a dream-like state. Darkness clouded his sight. Then, his feet touched solid ground, yet it felt soft as though he was standing on cotton candy. Colors spread out from a single point in front of him and arrayed themselves into a vaguely familiar scene.

“Hmm?”

Jin stared at a child that manifested in front of him in a cowering posture in the corner of the room. The kid wore frayed and worn-out clothing while crying in a corner. Gradually, the scene filled in some basic furniture, and a sense of nostalgia swept over Jin. Finding the room familiar, he looked around and frowned. Sobs brought his attention back to the child. When he looked more closely at the kid, his brows furrowed. The shoulder-length ruffled brown hair and dog bite scar on his left arm made him shiver.

Unable to believe what he was seeing, he approached the kid and reached out toward him, but his hand slipped through the boy’s body as though he had become a ghost. Jin looked at his hand, but it still looked normal. Unsure what to make of the situation, he stood back to observe the situation.

Before long, a woman entered the room with a belt in her hand and an expression of pure fury on her face. The moment he saw the woman, Jin’s facial muscles twitched a bit before settling into a grimace. Although he knew it wouldn’t change anything, he tried to grab the woman’s arm, but she passed right through him without pause. He could only watch the belt cracking against the child’s back, limbs, and face over, and over, and over, and over… The child wailed and huddled even deeper against the wall.

With a lump in his throat, Jin finally shook his head, turned around, and walked toward the open door. After stepping through, his steps halted, and his brows furrowed. White walls with green trim formed a small room furnished with a hospital bed and medical equipment. A bald and frail middle-aged man who looked like a skeleton with skin pasted on top of it slept deeply on the bed. A young man with messy brown hair, a dog-bite scar on his arm, and an old laceration scar on the side of his neck sat by the bed with tears streaming from his eyes.

Startled by the familiar scene, Jin stood rooted in place with quivering lips. While he felt his throat tighten and struggled to hold back his own tears, a loud beep sounded out. A handful of doctors rushed into the room and walked straight through Jin’s body. They ushered the young man sitting by the bed out of the room and Jin followed them out in a daze.

Outside, he halted again and looked around at yet another change in scenery. He saw a nightmare cityscape wrecked by artillery strikes, bombs, and all sorts of other dangerous and explosive firepower. Looking down, he saw a man with a dog bite scar on his neck wearing camouflage military gear crying over half a body hugged tightly in his arms. Numerous other wounded or dead soldiers laid crushed under the wreckage of a fallen building.

Heart tightening painfully as though a belt had been pulled tight around it, Jin stood straight and saluted for the fallen brothers in arms. Tears forming in the corners of his eyes, he watched silently until he blinked again, bringing along another change of scenery.

Now, he stood on an empty urban sidewalk in the middle of the night. Rain pelted down and flooded the street in front of him, yet he remained dry. Recognizing some of the buildings across the street, he turned his head and saw a young man with short brown hair, a dog bite scar on his arm, and an old laceration scar on his neck. When he saw it, Jin’s grimace deepened, and he subconsciously reached up to his own neck. He shook his head and sighed realizing his own actions.

Meanwhile, the scarred young man next to him stared up at the dark clouds with eyes that looked tired; weathered by the winds of life. The rain masked the tears streaming from his eyes. The whir of tires on wet pavement echoed in the distance and grew louder as the seconds passed. Jin sighed and looked at the familiar face of the young man next to him with a contemplative gaze. The young man lowered his gaze to look at the approaching car. Then, he stepped onto the edge of the sidewalk and stared at the approaching car with fists tightly clenched. The young man raised his foot as though intending to jump into the car’s path, but lowered it shortly after.

Next thing Jin knew, water splashed over his face. Instinctually, he recoiled.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked around and blinked his eyes a few times while adjusting to a change in scenery. He stood in a dark room illuminated by numerous computer screens. Sitting in front of the screens was the face he could never forget. Curly brown hair, dog bite scar, laceration scar, heavy bags under his eyes, hunched and tired posture with his knees pulled up to his chest… Seeing it from a different angle than he once knew was quite jarring, but Jin continued to watch in silence.

Eventually, the sun rose, and the broken hush of a man got up from his chair and dropped onto the bed a few steps away. While lying on the bed, he closed the blinds.

Jin blinked.

The scene changed.

This time, he looked around for the familiar face since he was starting to understand what was happening. Once again, he saw the man, only he wasn’t nearly as young anymore. Instead, wrinkles and graying hair gave him an aged look.

Again, Jin sighed, but he continued watching as the middle-aged man typed at his computer. The man looked over at a nearby window and saw the sun rising. Then, he returned his gaze to his computer and resumed typing. This continued until sunset, and Jin watched every boring moment of it.

“That’s enough,” Jin calmly stated. The aged man in front of him stopped halfway up from his seat. The grandfather clock nearby also halted. Jin breathed deeply through his nose and closed his eyes. “I know what happens after, so that’s enough. These scars have already healed, though I'll never forget them.”

Jin opened his eyes. He was back in his bedroom. He got up from his bed and stepped closer to the mirror on his desk. Pulling his right eyelid wide open, he observed the shimmering V-like symbol in his eye until it gradually dissipated.

“What an annoying geass.”