Leave the World Behind

Keitaro and Toko Owari at the ages of twenty-three and twenty-seven respectively were out of school, living with their parents, and unemployed. In other words, they were both certified NEETs.

And it wasn’t for lack of trying either. Both had thrown themselves into the world, attempted to make it out there, yet neither could even manage the bare minimum. They were a pair of complete and utter failures.

However, things weren’t so bad. There were certainly fates worse than eating junk food and playing video games every day.

***

With the last of the cheap broth drunk, Keitaro slammed down his cup of instant noodles. While they made a lousy breakfast, something about them just hit the spot.

However, looking over at his sister, Keitaro couldn’t help but notice how she hadn’t even touched hers. “You okay?”

She jumped a bit. “O-oh! Um… Yeah…” Looking back down, she stirred her noodles with her chopsticks. “S-so, um, anyway…” Nervously, she forced out the words, “A-about last night…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Keitaro responded bluntly as he got up.

“O-okay…” Her gaze went even lower.

He was feeling better after last night, or at least he thought he was. No matter what, the darkness always consumed him. Nothing could change how he was still stuck here. Stuck in this house, stuck in his life. But there just wasn’t anything he could do.

“Keitaro.” Toko had seen his grim expression and was now trying to remedy it. “Mom and Dad called. Their flight got delayed, so they’re not coming home ‘til tomorrow.” “Wanna play some, Ningyo Senso?”

Hearing about their parents' delayed return was a relief. Keitaro was well aware of how much of a loser he was. He didn’t need the passive aggressive comments and glares from people who didn’t understand him at all.

However, playing video games with Toko was as good a way to spend the day as any.

“Sure, I don’t have anything better to do.”

“All right!” Toko jumped up and trotted to the TV, setting it up.

Ningyo Senso was an old fighting game that the Owari siblings both had a liking for. They hadn’t been playing it as much recently, but the hours would still pass by like minutes when they did.

***

After a day of gaming, Keitaro made a trek to the local convenience store to pick up dinner. As the two ate, Keitaro checked his phone. There wasn’t anything interesting on there. There never was. However, just as he was about to put it away, he got an email notification with the subject “Leave the World Behind.”

Curious, he clicked on it.

“Keitaro Owari, do you feel trapped, stuck, lost in this world? Do you feel like despite fighting as hard as you could you were unable to find a future for yourself? If yes then why not leave the world behind? Come to Tokyo Tower at midnight with your elder sister. Come and leave the world behind.”

It was a creepy email to say the least. The personal details were a bit unnerving. However, what could it possibly be? It wasn’t like any scam he’d ever seen, and what’s the deal with Tokyo Tower?

While any normal person would’ve deleted the email, Keitaro just wasn’t able to let it go.

Leave the world behind. He repeated to himself under his breath.

That was the one thing he’d wanted to do more than anything else for years. This world that had beat him down for years and treated him like an invalid when he just couldn’t take it. The world that he wanted absolutely no part of it.

Keitaro had seen his fair share of Isekai anime. Pure fantasy, of course, but if there was even a chance…

***

“Ugh, are we there yet…?” Toko followed sluggishly behind as she complained. “What

“What? Do you need to get up early for work tomorrow?”

Toko sighed. “What are we even doing out here? Doesn’t Tokyo Tower close at 11:00?”

“Just humor me a bit, all right?” Keitaro sped up.

“H-hey, wait…!” Toko stumbled to not get left behind.

A short train ride took them a short walk away from the Tokyo Tower. Even at this hour, Tokyo was still bustling. However, one part certainly was not.

“What the hell?” Keitaro squinted his eyes as the Tokyo Tower came into view. While it normally shone brightly in the Tokyo Skyline, its lights were now shut off, almost even shrouding it in darkness.

“Huh? Why are the lights off? Is there maintenance or something?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Keitaro pushed forward, but as he got closer and closer to the Tokyo Tower, the atmosphere became more and more oppressive. When he finally arrived it felt like the building was stuck inside a cave. Somehow the surrounding city lights couldn’t cut through and the sounds of traffic felt like little more than a whisper.

As Keitaro approached the entrance, Toko had finally caught up to him. The sliding doors opened for them, presenting a dimly lit path to an open elevator.

Toko took a step towards her brother, fearfully eyeing the path before them. .“Keitaro… W-what’s going on…?”

Without a word, Keitaro walked forward.

“C-come on! At least say something!” Toko chased after him, entering the elevator.

As they stood side-by-side, the doors closed and the elevator car began its ascent. Thanks to the windows, they were treated to a fantastic view of Tokyo. The buildings shone brightly, each like a cluster of stars in the night sky.

“Keitaro, can you please tell me what’s happening?”

“Well… I don’t really know myself. I was just told to come here at midnight.”

“You were told to come here!? By who!?”

“I don’t know.”

”You don’t know…” Toko sighed. Her little brother could be exhausting sometimes, but not much could be done about it now.

With a ding, they had reached the top floor. The doors opened, revealing the observation deck. The two stepped out, now able to enjoy a full 360 degree view of Tokyo in all its splendor.

Keitaro went right up to the glass. “You know, Toko. I hate this city. It’s busy, crowded, and filled with bastards and cowards. But from up here, it doesn’t seem so bad. Even almost beautiful.”

With a frown, she replied. “What’s got you like this all of a sudden?”

He chuckled. “I don’t know. Just in one of those moods.” He cocked his head, looking over his shoulder at Toko. “By the way, do you have the time?”

“Uh, yeah.” She pulled out her phone. “It’s 11:59.”

But before Keitaro could even reply, the clock struck midnight and everything started to shake.

Toko screamed and fell to the floor.

“Don’t worry! It’s just an earthqua—!” But before he could even finish his sentence, a violent shake threw him onto the ground.

This wasn’t like any earthquake he’d ever felt before. The rumbling was almost enough to rupture an eardrum, and they were being shaken like dice in a cup. As the quaking became more and more violent, all they could do was hold on and pray.

After around a minute, the shaking had finally subsided.

His breathing heavy, Keitaro looked over at Toko. “Are you okay!?”

In between short, shaky breaths, she managed to squeeze out, “Y-yeah…”

Slowly, Keitaro got to his feet. He put his hands on the railing and looked down, catching his breath. Earthquakes were common in Japan, but that one was so much worse than anything he’d ever felt before. Still, at least they were safe and sound.

“Um… Keitaro…?” Toko tentatively called out to him.

He looked over at her. “Yeah?”

“What’s that?” She pointed out into the distance.

Looking at the target, his eyes widened as he saw what looked like a second Tokyo Tower. But as he leaned forward and looked closely, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“That’s impossible…! That’s the…!”

It was unmistakable. The building in the distance was the Eiffel Tower.

Keitaro took a step back in disbelief, but as he did that, the picture became clearer. The city before him had changed, transformed. The skyline was completely foreign. Skyscrapers he didn’t recognize were covered in neon displays. And the Eiffel Tower wasn’t the only landmark he could see. The Empire State Building, Big Ben, the Shanghai Tower, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, each somehow stood proudly before him.

Keitaro had no idea where he was, but it was absolutely not the Tokyo he knew.