Chapter 1:

What a trashy isekai scenario!

Burning Soul: Flaming Passion of Men


"Train tracks are a metaphor for life, aren't they just? It seems like you'll be safe as the comforting reins guide you through cliff sides and forests that you'd normally be defenseless in...but what happens when the train goes off the rails? Good people get hurt and there's nothing you can do to stop that fact. Lives are ruined because one single train couldn't stay on track and right now, I wish my train would just crash."

Seishin kicked his foot through the chalky ground, sighing after lamenting about how upset he was. He and his best friend had arrived at the tracks to search for something, but something had bothered him. He wondered to himself if it really was safe to be rummaging through nature right near a train track that frequently passed by this route. It would only take an instant for the two of them to wound up dead if they weren't careful. Seishin's best friend, a short and bright eyed boy who was given the name of Kasai, like fire, was digging his hands through a piece of shrubbery, just off the railway track itself. He had taken in what Seishin said, but was trying to identify a way to respond that wouldn't offend but also wouldn't provoke too many feelings, he decided a simple approach may be the best way to unlock the thick cage around Seishin's cold heart.

"Cheer up, won't you?" he replied. "Life's only been getting better recently, won't you just take that as a sign that great things are coming up?"

Kasai spoke without looking away from the thick bush, but his words were almost delightful to hear, he had a tone that would please anyone if they were to listen closely.

Seishin mumbled, "You're hopelessly optimistic, even after everyone outcasts you, you still keep a smile stretched from ear to ear. Are you mental? Are you incapable of feeling sadness?"

Seishin's prodding of questioning had driven Kasai to let out a heavy sigh. He chuckled at Kasai's reaction, only hoping that would bring some light into his cold response.

"Maybe I am hopelessly optimistic, it's better than whatever you're talking about."

After this snarky comment, both of them began to laugh. The truth is, it didn't matter that no one liked the boys as their friendship had kept them going for this long. Seishin was not an avid believer of the famous friendship is everything troupe, he believed friendship was nothing compared to merit, but his friendship with Kasai is one of the only things that kept him sane.

Kasai would groan, wishing something would change. The truth is, they were looking for a Donteno Playboy, one of the small handheld consoles you could play games like arbitrary Italian plumber and Kasai's personal favourite, Storémon or Store Monsters if you prefer the full name. Neither of the boys could believe that such a valuable possession was lost but in the heat of the moment it all added up. Kasai didn't even notice his Playboy was missing until the entire next morning, this led to the boys skipping school to find it.

Seishin questioned him, "Are you sure you lost it here? This seems hopeless, it's been over 24 hours since we lost it and there's no guarantee a fox hasn't eaten it or something…"

Seishin was too lazy to search any longer, but the truth is not even Seishin wanted to accept they had lost it. He too had some cherished memories with the device.

Kasai shook his head,

"If we don't find it, my parents will never get me a new one and our Storémon saga will end. Do you really want Porkachu to die so young?"

Kasai kicked around the bushes, hoping he'd at least find a single spec of evidence.

From above, this scene looked questionable, two boys on a railway rummaging around. Kasai would move out into the blaring sunlight to try and see if he saw any reflection, meanwhile Seishin relaxed in the shade of darkness hoping to find it under a canopy.

Suddenly, the darkness grew stronger and Seishin would feel himself becoming short of breath and nervous as his entire body would be engulfed with a burning pain. Kasai would slide over to investigate and soon meet the same terrible fate. The two of them screamed out in pain, but there was silence. As both of them faded to black.

When the two teenagers woke up, they found themselves in a place they've never seen before. It looked quite like an average beach, but beyond that point, there were oddly unique landscapes. Seishin woke up from his state of unconsciousness first, rubbing his eye and looking around. Moments after, Kasai awakened and followed the same motion that Seishin had just done. When they finally realized that they were no longer where they used to be, they began to panic.

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE? WEREN'T WE GOING THROUGH A BUNCH OF GARBAGE JUST MINUTES AGO?" Seishin screamed.

Kasai pinched himself once, and just to be sure, he pinched himself 2 more times. He still could not believe that they magically ended up on a beach.

"Oh my god...THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT SEISHIN! IF YOU DIDN'T WISH FOR THE TRAIN TO GO OFF THE RAILS IT WOULDN'T'VE TAKEN IT LITERALLY!"

"THIS IS NOT MY FAULT!" Seishin argued. "IT WAS JUST A FIGURE OF SPEECH, I DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING MUCH BY IT! NOTHING THAT COMES OUT OF MY MOUTH MEANS ANYTHING, NO ONE ACTUALLY TAKES THESE THINGS SERIOUSLY!"

Kasai walked around and noticed that they were surrounded by water on all ends. Escape would prove to be quite difficult, and the nearest landform was hundreds of kilometers away. His levels of panic only kept increasing.

Kasai suggested, "Wait wait, what if we got transported to a different world? Like one of those isekai thingies. You know, the one where the fat guys get hit by a truck and suddenly become both attractive and surrounded by women."

Seishin perked up, his interest piqued. "So...this is a good thing?"

"Of course it's a good thing!" Kasai exclaimed. "Think about it, we've basically hit the jackpot here. We're probably overpowered too and have magic of some sort."

Seishin wasn't buying it, he believed that something like this couldn't possibly happen. "We weren't hit by a truck, or even that obnoxious train that passes by every 10 minutes, Kasai. Not to mention, our looks haven't changed in any way either."

"That's not fair," Kasai protested. "But I'm still pretty sure that we're not on Earth anymore. Just look at the other places, there's literally some weird red patch of land. This doesn't seem like something you'd find on Earth."

Seishin growled with anger, "Don't be silly, that isekai crap is all fiction made to sell y'know. Your otaku dreams don't cross the boundaries of being any more than that, DREAMS!"

Kasai shakes his head and yells, "A MAN'S DREAM NEVER DIES!". Proud of himself he stands tall, brushing his upper lip with his index finger.

Kasai's yell seemed to attract something as the sea water began rippling it's beautiful blue stillness soon became a raging splash of terror as a giant sea snake emerged from the water.

Seishin immediately froze, shaking and sweating. This being was larger than any animal he had ever seen at a zoo and there was no glass between him and certain death. He would snap back to reality after feeling Kasai's sweaty palm on his shoulder, as he looked back he saw the much shorter boy using Seishin as somewhat of a shield.

"USE YOUR MAGIC!" Kasai commanded, very clearly uncertain as if this would work or not. Seishin would push Kasai off him and cuss the teenage dirtbag down.

"This is real life, idiot, I don't know any magic! We're simply in a place beyond laws of nature, I believe it's called Australia."

Kasai's face contorted in a mix of rage and confusion, but also a hint of humour. "WE ARE NOT IN AUSTRALIA! EVERYONE KNOWS SEA SNAKES ARE A COMMON ENEMY AMONG RPGs. BESIDES, IF THIS WAS REAL LIFE IT WOULD'VE ATTACKED ALREADY RATHER THAN CONVENIENTLY WAITING FOR OUR BANTER TO END!"

No matter how much Seishin tried to convince himself that the sea snake was just another creature on Earth, it clearly wasn't. The being looked alien, it wasn't anything like the bears and tigers he was used to seeing. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought that there could've been a possibility that they were no longer on planet Earth.

"EVEN IF THIS REALLY WAS ANOTHER WORLD, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?" Seishin barked. "IF WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS THING, WE'RE AS GOOD AS DEAD!"

Kasai shook Seishin and shouted, "LIKE I SAID, USE YOUR MAGIC! THOSE THINGS ALWAYS TEND TO EXIST IN ISEKAIS!"

Seishin took a deep breath and put his arm out in front of him. He was trembling, presumably due to fear. The sea snake finally decided to make its move as well. It opened its mouth and swung out its head towards the duo, in an attempt to eat them. Seishin closed his eyes and averted them away from the snake, hoping to blast something that could kill the beast. However, it was futile, as nothing had happened.

The beast would be set aflame, like clockwork. However, a red haired girl would soon diminish all their beliefs that they could ever have produced that magic themselves. She would tie a rope around the seasnake, allowing it to sail with a small rowing boat. She would then slowly row over to the shore and see two men.

"How did you two get out here, get back to your wives quickly. How are they going to react to finding out their husbands aren't there, what if they need something."

Kasai and Seishin awkwardly stared at this girl, she was the least human thing about this world. Her body was that of an athlete, it was as if she had trained everyday since birth to support a lifestyle that gave her defined abdominal muscles and such clear strength. Kasai cleared his throat with an awkward cough and smiled, "I lost my wife, can I use you instead?"

This girl was taken aback, she glared at the two and quickly hopped onto her boat.

"Y-you're...a man that doesn't obey every single word I say but also isn't faithful to his own wife. Your kind were wiped out generations ago, every man is supposed to be submissive and work like a slave for their wife. You're an anomaly and should therefore be executed, prepare to die."

Kasai jumped back, sweating. "Is everything in this world out to kill us?!" He cried out in frustration, "I JUST WANTED MY PLAYBOY!"

The girl would stop her threatening glare, instead itching the back of her head. "How can you be aware of the playboys existence? You're not part of the queen's allegiance..she doesn't keep men around her, she sees their stupidity as a detriment."

Seishin tilts his head, "I'll have you know that us men are smart, we don't appreciate the discrimination."

The girl didn't seem to understand what they were saying. Both of the boys easily pieced together what was going on, it's clear that in this universe every man acts like a nerd who does what he's told no matter what. It was horrific to think about, slaves to women that could take away their lives in under a minute. How were they intended to survive in a world like this? They gritted their teeth facing the terrible truth.

Kasai stepped up, "My name is Kasai, this is my friend Seishin. We're not from this world, we want to get out of here quickly so we can go back to our mundane life as school boys talking about how much girls hate us."

The girl would sit on her boat, pondering this confusing situation. "My name is Shinjuku, I don't really understand what you want me to do about this but it's obvious you aren't from around here. I'll take you back to the village I'm from but step out of line and you're no longer my problem. I'm intrigued as to how men who don't live to be boring truly act."