It begins

Tamashi was nervously pacing around the small apartment, occasionally looking out the window to check if his siblings had arrived yet.

Enraku Sukegoro—Mika’s biological father, and a disgusting human being who kidnapped, raped, and beat women of all ages, like Tamashi’s mother. That monster had just escaped from prison, now once again roaming Tokyo’s streets, probably already looking for his next victim.

That thought alone was enough to send Tamashi into a rage, burning with the desire to do something he would never be able to come back from.

Tamashi had had a plan, aiming to buy the magic scroll called Dimensional Cage as one of his first spells, trapping that demon inside it before he could learn how to use the System properly and resist him. Because of a random explosion occurring in the prison where Enraku Sukegoro was being held, all that preparation had now been rendered useless.

Finally spotting Kengo’s car on the street outside, Tamashi’s unease subsided a little.

“Big brother!”

It didn’t take long for them to get inside. Mika sprinted towards Tamashi, and while he knelt down on the ground, she jumped into his arms, throwing both of them to the ground and burying her face in his chest.

Mika's hair was long, straight, and black, and her bright azure eyes matched Tamashi's. 

“Big brother, I missed you!”

“Ohhh, I missed you too, Mika!” said Tamashi with a bright and lively smile, his earlier tension now nowhere to be found.

He then picked her up and lifted her in the air, making Mika laugh joyfully and spread out her arms and legs, pretending to be a bird.

While they played together, Tamashi had a realization.

This... This is it. This is what I want to protect. This happiness, this innocence. I can’t lose my composure and give up now.

His sister didn’t deserve to be robbed of her opportunities to attend school and enjoy her youth with friends, but circumstances made it inevitable. Therefore, Tamashi had to do everything in his power to make sure his sister, and even his brother and mother, could still live happy lives with the opportunities to shape their own futures.

That was what he wanted, and needed, to achieve.

***

Carefully checking his watch, Tamashi asked after about twenty minutes on the road: “Kengo, can we take a short break at the next gas station? I need to use the restroom.”

“Sure,” answered Kengo, who was currently driving.

He had gotten a driver’s license right after turning eighteen, and Tamashi had bought him a used car with the promise of Kengo gradually paying it back.

Mika and Tamashi were in the back seat, both sharing what they had done and experienced throughout the time they lived apart.

Glancing at his watch again, Tamashi sighed.

Originally, he had wanted to stay in the city until the system was introduced and then drive off, but with Enraku on the run, he couldn’t risk that, so he had decided to leave right away, hoping to reach his house in time. After realizing they were just short of reaching it, Tamashi suggested a quick stop, so they wouldn’t be on the road when the Guide would reveal itself to everyone the age of six and above.

Their car pulled to a stop when they finally found a gas station, but Tamashi, who said he needed to use the restroom, stayed in the car, unmoving.

“Tamashi?” inquired Kengo. “Didn’t you want to go pee?”

“Hihihi, did you already forget you had to go pee, big brother?” teased Mika.

“No, I didn’t forget,” replied Tamashi grumpily. “And don’t say pee, it’s impolite and rude to say.”

Only a few seconds left...

Tamashi opened his System screen, looking at his current stats. At the very bottom, there was a line of text that read:

Points undistributed: 61 — Add Points

Tamashi glanced at his watch again, ignoring his siblings’ questioning gazes.

Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three...

He then selected the Add Points option, and whispered:

“Luck, sixty-one.”

Two, one...

“Hello, people of Earth!”

Tamashi suddenly heard a voice in his head, and at the same time felt weak and fatigued—he had lost all those points he had gained over the past year with the system in an instant, so his strength and stamina dropped rapidly. Tamashi, however, was smiling—grinning from ear to ear, even.

It worked.

Every time a human wanted to increase some of their stats and added multiple points at the same time, it took the system a while to adjust the person’s body to the changes, so it wasn’t instant, taking a few seconds to a minute or two instead.

Therefore, by adding all his points to Luck just before the Guide appeared, his Luck stat was gradually increasing despite him losing his beta tester status instead of him losing all his saved-up points.

While Tamashi was experiencing all that, every human on Earth who was biologically at least six years old—that included his brother and sister—also had a blue screen before their eyes, hearing the voice of the Guide. And so, the Guide continued speaking.

“I am the Guide, a being sent by an otherworldly race called #@!%$&, or Myou, translated to your language. They are mighty and benevolent beings that sent me here to guide you and spread their holy teachings. What you see before you now are your body’s stats, which you can increase by leveling up or getting stat points from a random loot box. The System was designed to resemble what you humans call a video game, so you would have an easier time adjusting. It will allow you to use magic, lift hundreds of times more than before, or brew potions and create magic artifacts with alchemy—basically everything your mind can think of, it will now be possible.”

Tamashi was observing his siblings’ reactions—his brother had a confused expression, looking around like a lost puppy, while Mika’s eyes were glistening with wonder as she pulled on Tamashi’s sleeve, making sure he was seeing and hearing the same things she was.

“Your world will also gain various new and fascinating locations, such as divine castles or dungeons, where you can level up and receive wonderful rewards. If you have any questions or there’s something you’re unsure of, don’t hesitate to use the Guide button at the bottom of your System menu, and I’ll help with whatever might be troubling you. I wish you all the best of luck—and don’t forget to have fun!”

With that, the Guide’s voice grew silent, just like the atmosphere in Kengo’s car.

Before Mika or Kengo could say anything, Tamashi spoke first.

“Yes, I heard it too. In fact, every single living human of age six and above has heard and seen the same thing. You are not imagining the blue screen in front of you, either.”

Pausing and taking a deep breath, he looked over at both his siblings, then continued.

“For now, we need to get to my house. Once we’re there, I promise I will explain everything.”

His brother looked worried, but eventually, he nodded.

“Alright, I trust you. But you better keep that promise.”

“Don’t worry,” responded Tamashi, relieved.

Out of nowhere, his sister spoke up.

“But Tamashi...”

“Yes, Mika?” inquired Tamashi.

“Didn’t you want to pee? What if you pee yourself in the car?”

Both Tamashi and Kengo stared at their sister, astonished.

“Don’t worry,” said Tamashi after a while. “I can hold it in.”

Kengo then started the car again, and they drove off in silence.

Tamashi, however, turned to Mika again, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Oh, and Mika... Don’t say pee. It’s not polite.”

Then, Tamashi’s fatigue finally caught up with him. Weakened after nearly all his points had been taken away, his eyelids closed, and he drifted into deep slumber.