Chapter 0:

Prologue: Waifu End Laifu

Reborn in a Harem Fantasy Light Novel?!


Wind rushed through their ears, as they faced off against the Legendary Dragon of Doom; mountains evaporating before their very eyes. If Daikichi wasn’t to defeat this dragon soon, the safety of the entire school would be at stake!

‘What a dangerous dungeon,’ Daikichi mused, as he protected two dozen students from an onslaught of eroding stones with just the mere flick of his hand; students’ expressions widening with awe.

“As the hero, I will save the day! I, Daikichi- the only Holy magic student in the world- will rescue us all!” With his flowing pale white locks of hair and golden-brown skin, he was undeniably handsome. “Celestia! Will you lend me your aid?”

“Hmph! I-I won’t help you because I like you or anything!” Casting runes for luck onto his back, an enormous pink blush enveloped her features, as her bubblegum-pink twin-tailed locks of hair fluttered in the air. “Let’s show these students the might of the S-rank class!”

That Celestia confused Daikichi greatly with her dishonest persona; however her healing magic was most helpful. As the magic of the runes seeped through his skin, he unleashed his sword; leaping ferociously towards the dragon, as their attacks razed the very earth.

“Prepare to meet your maker!” Daikichi rushed towards the glimmering beast, as its translucent scales released a pernicious volley of demonic laser beams that he weaved around with ease.

“Daikichi, get your crap together!” Celestia yelled angrily, as she busied herself with healing the frail students. “I-I don’t want you to die...” Although her words were harsh, her heart thudded with pain at the sight of his wounded body. She didn’t want him to die.

‘I love you...’ She channeled her pure heart into praying for his sake, hoping that her clandestine feelings of unconditional love could protect him. They had been together since childhood. She needed him like how the trees depended on oxygen (or carbon dioxide) to survive!

Sadly, Daikichi didn’t notice her efforts at all, due to him parrying the lurking beast.

‘Oh crap,’ Daikichi wiped his brow, floating from mid-air. ‘This boss is much harder than I imagined. It’s so damn hot so damn hot so damn-

HOT!!!!

Snapping my latest volume of the ultra-famous light novel named 'The Holy Reign Breaks through the Dawn' closed, I screamed with rage- voice drowned out by the peaceful cheers of cicadas. Sweat.

Heat.

Torture.

I hated the burning rays of the August sunshine with a deep passion. After rushing to pull a popsicle out from the deep confines of my haggled old fridge, I slumped back down onto the straw mat flooring of my tiny box of an ‘apartment’; groaning as I pick the book back up again.

What I had just read was volume two of [MaruMaruさま]’s humongous light novel saga; that currently had spawned eight volumes, two voice CDS, a world anthology and even a budding anime in the works. Although it was greatly adored by anime/manga fanatics such as I, critics didn’t approve so much of it- labelling it ‘otaku propaganda’ for its anime-style narrative.

Well, that’s their loss. Not my fault if they don’t appreciate the finer parts of life.

As it followed the magical university adventures of an extremely powerful guy named Daikichi- who was often followed around by a bevy of beautiful girls- it was right up my street (although I wished that it focused more on the mythology of its world sometimes).

However, something about this particular volume irked me.

Maybe it had something to do with its endless references to bubblegum-pink hair. Maybe it had something to do about that one character who was utterly terrible at hiding her feelings for the protagonist.

It was Celestia De la Argent.

Or Celestia for short, as the fans liked to call her.

She was his childhood friend, his healer, and his bully all at once; wrapped neatly into one little stereotypical box named ‘tsundere love interest’.

‘Her romantic feelings for him feel so forced,’ I threw the book to the side, as I opened up my rickety old laptop. ‘I’m not interested in a waifu like that.’ 

 Compared to the sweet and kind personalities of the other three heroines, Celestia’s hot-and-cold tsundere characteristics were boring, to say the very least.

However, such a controversial opinion often left me isolated on group forums. You see, this was because of one very important issue.

Celestia was extremely popular with the fans.

So well-loved that in a poll that racked up as many as FIFTY THOUSAND respondents, she came in 3rd place in terms of popularity.

‘What a pain in the backside.’ There was only one place that I could go to find some much-needed solidarity from my fellow brethren. Hopefully they’d be able to relate with my sorrow.

It was none other than 88 chan, of course. To me, it was like a relaxing little abode for me to rest up my feet against, a site whose aura was akin to the hot springs- it was nice and toasty.

As my PC finally loaded up 88 chan’s humble little forum site, I searched desperately for the one chat thread that provided me with endless warmth and comfort; a discussion that only the most seasoned fans of culture would visit.

It was the ‘Waifu Discussion Thread’, in which only the bravest of fans would gallantly rush to defend their favorite characters against the blasphemous words of their foes. In other words, I was bound to find fellow Celestia haters here! As I lazily scrolled through an entire web of conversation threads, a gleaming snack of wisdom finally caught my sight. Clicking eagerly on it, magical words spread before my very eyes as the users on the chat came to life; as a faceless cacophony of anime images began to debate against one another at court...

88 Chan/ Waifu Discussion Thread No. 234563- Celestia is Boring...

User234324 (momo-daikun): dudes Celestia is a bit too mean for my liking. Please tell me she doesn’t end up with Daikichi

User333 (wHATever): nope I’m reading the latest volume right now (vol 8) and Regina seems to be taking all the limelight

User234324 (momo-daikun): WHO’S SHE

User333 (wHATever):she joins in like volume 3, seems cute at first but is deadly and has a great rivalry with Daikichi

User467 (mamma-mia-here-we-go-again):CANCEL REGINA, DEUS IS BEST GIRL

User1111111 (ONEkickMAN): dudes stop fighting, obviously Daikichi is gonna end up with all 5 love interests. It’s obvious by now.

User79 (go_to_sleep): uncultured swine! LUMIERE IS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE AND YET NONE OF YOU NOTICE HER

User467 (mamma-mia-here-we-go-again):She lost her relevance after volume 4 (lol)

User4858868849393 (bananas):Deus and Lumiere aren’t even popular, they’ve lost the waifu wars already...and nobody mentions Kerostasia at all (sic)

User333 (wHATever): This is a REGINA AND CELESTIA CHAT ONLY

User79 (go_to_sleep): [Press X to DOUBT]

User4858868849393 (bananas): Regina is nothing against Celestia’s cute smile. Imagine hating Celestia. Can’t be me that’s for sure (because I actually have good taste)

User333 (wHATever): whatever you say; she legit got rejected the latest chapter anyway

User4858868849393 (bananas): GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS. RIGHT NOW.

User234324 (momo-daikun): FIGHT ! FIGHT ! FIGHT !

User467 (mamma-mia-here-we-go-again):@User234324 how about you read volume 3 first (lol)

‘Regina, eh?’ My eyes lit up with intrigue. ‘Now that I think about it, she was ranked 1st on the popularity poll.’

If that was the case, maybe there was hope for this series after all! If this Regina was powerful enough to knock even the hardcore Celestia fans off their thrones, then I needed to buy volume three as soon as possible.

With a regained sense of enthusiasm, I slung my pale lilac jacket onto my skinny body, as I resolved myself to travel to the city for the first time in ages, brushing stray strands of poorly dyed, pale blue hair from my black-bagged eyes (I wanted to look like a certain famous hero whose drill pierced the heavens). My skin was pale from me hiding away from the sun.

Yes, that was me. A young adult named Yuuto, who usually only went outdoors either to go to University or buy necessities. Unlike heroes such as Daikichi- who were motivated by factors such as fame and power, I was more likely to do things for the sake of my beloved hobbies.

As I stepped outside for the first time in an entire week, my face scrunched up with disgust as the bright waves of the sun tried to cook me like a piece of fried chicken trapped within an air fryer.

This weather would be the death of me.

After boiling like a crab in a pot within the bustling city trains for around an hour, I finally made it to my destination. Fresh air whipped into my sides like a welcoming hug, as bright city lights and sprawling skyscrapers greeted me; cosplayers and maids milling by the sidewalk- hoping to lure fans and tourists into their shops and cafes.

I wasn’t in just any old city. No, I was situated right in the centre of my anime mecca; my heavenly home of consumer products and fantastical goods.

It was Animebashi, a small sector of this country’s capital city that had been restructured by the fans, for the fans. As I clutched my heart in agony as I weaved through various tempting stores, I eventually found my favourite bookstore. Leafing through entire floors of novels, I came upon the glistening, high-quality zone that was specially reserved for 'The Holy Reign Breaks through the Dawn'.

Glaring at the horrendous poster of Celestia blushing profusely next to the words ‘Anime Release: Next Year’ scrawled across it in bold pink letters, I grabbed volume 3 with as much force as humanely possible; sighing with relief at the cover- which had Regina’s cute face on it. With her deceptive smile, black crown and flowing, long green hair- Regina was the complete opposite of my most hated waifu.

‘Thank the anime gods for that!’ A beam of rainbow light cleansed my spirits as I lifted my palms to the sky. They had truly heeded my call.

As I loaded my assortment of books onto the machine, the cashier began speaking to me after we exchanged a sparse greeting. Now that was unusual. Usually they barely started talking to me, even when I did say hello to them. But I understood why.

Working in retail was like taking a trip straight into the gaping maws of hell. These people were going up against the Demon King on a daily basis, after all.

‘I must’ve caught her in a good mood...’ I felt like laughing at that. Nice to know that even awkward old me could attract attention sometimes.

“Hey, nice book! It’s my first light novel, I’m really enjoying it.” She smiled sweetly, as she thrust the book against the machine. “How about you?”

“It’s fun. I like the setting, though I wish they expanded upon the world’s lore and magic more.”

“Who cares about that, when you’ve got cute girls in there!” This rather beautiful cashier had a good point. “Who’s your favourite? Mines is Celestia, she’s just so bratty and cute! I wish I could become more tsundere like her...”

And with that, all respect that I once held for the cashier faded to ash, like a vampire being exposed to the dawn.

“Get better taste. I’d hate to meet a real life tsundere. Lame.” The words shot out of my mouth before I could even clap my hands around them; bullets of social destruction ricocheting against my chest.

Beep, beep, beep. A deathly silence engulfed us; with only the beeping noise of her pressing the books against the machine echoed through the walls of the store, as she hung her head with shame.

I hated how honest I was sometimes.

Although I had accomplished my book hunting mission with ease, I had lost the war of socialization yet again.

‘I’m such an idiot,’ I pressed my palms against my face, as the train rattled quietly through stations; dark tunnels spreading before me. ‘I really suck at this people thing.’ No wonder why a guy like me barely had any friends. Life certainly sucked sometimes.

Desperate to free myself from the painful wrench of negative thoughts clawing themselves against my skin, I leafed for my latest volume like a devout believer reaching for their holy prose. But as soon as I finally pried the heavenly pages open, a cheerful voice slipped me out of my dreamy reverie...

“Oh, is that 'The Holy Reign Breaks through the Dawn'?! I love that series!”

What was all of these people popping out around the place today? Just why on earth were fans of this book so damn sociable?! Usually nobody would bother to talk on the train, especially not to other strangers.

Yet here they were, seated on the opposite row, on a seat just as wrinkly as my own- speaking to me on the quiet journey back home.

Begrudgingly lifting my head up, my eyes widened with shock once I realized that they were leafing through none other than the latest volume of the series. In addition to that, he was an extremely flashy guy with many piercings and two-toned black and white hair.

“Yes, it is. I see you’re reading it too.” As soon as I replied, his dark brown eyes creased with joy; elated at the fact that I had responded to him. “How’s the latest volume?”

“Oh, it’s awesome. We’re finally getting to learn about how the magic system works this volume,” He leaned towards me, covering his mouth with an ebony hand. “You should definitely keep reading the series, dude. Legit changed my world.”

Rather than focusing on his words, I was terrified by the sheer number of belts he had tied across his body. “That’s a relief. MaruMaru really scrimps on his description sometimes.”

“Oi, don’t speak about MaruMaru like that, damnit! He’s freaking talented!” Oh no. Now an extremely threatening woman with incredibly long locks of red hair covering the left side of her face was apprehending us both, standing ominously against the train handrails. “Lore is for losers.”

“How can you say that? That’s not fair!” Now the flashy guy was debating with her. “Lore is what makes these novels so great!”

‘Please spirit me away from these loud people,’ I looked for help from someone, anyone; but as there weren’t many people on the train, nobody seemed to care. ‘MaruMaru...why the hell is your series at the core of so many debates?!’ As my turquoise eyes continued to search the premises, they landed upon the cool gaze of an older man wearing black-rimmed sunglasses- who was staring me right in the face!

How creepy.

“I only read one volume,” He shrugged his shoulders at me, as he dived back into his newspaper. “You’re on your own for this one, kid.”

If I had more confidence in my social skills, I would’ve definitely made a witty comeback against such a suave older man. However, I didn’t have the gall for it. So instead, I turned back to the flashy duo; who were now breaking into a fight over whether Daikichi was a good character or not.

“He’s kind, he helps people and all that crap. Of course he’s damn good!”

“Without his team of cutie-pies, he’s nothing.” Wow, who even used a phrase like ‘cutie-pie’ in this day and age?! “You obviously don’t understand a thing about MaruMaru’s mindset.”

“Like you do? Hah, don’t make me laugh.”

This was dreadful. Desperately, I rushed to stand between them both, stretching out my frail arms to stop them from causing any more nuisances to the other passengers. “Come on, let’s just agree to disagree here.” If this was a fight over Celestia, I certainly wouldn’t agree to disagree; but sometimes peacemakers had to act hypocritical for the sake of good! “Let’s just enjoy the rest of this trip, shall we?”

“It’s very hard to do that when you’re all making a ruckus.” Now even a young high schooler- with bobbles in their hair- was joining us in our little chat. “All of the characters in that series are just mere foils for fans to admire, anyway. There’s no need to fight over them.”

“Huh?!!!” We all gasped in shock at this sassy, lost teenager; who looked like something straight out of an idol anime.

“You heard me. MaruMaru’s plan all along was to make us root for certain characters over others. You’re all victims to his web of deceit!” Red eyes gleaming with mischief, this kid stunned us all into silence.

It didn’t last for long.

“Shut up, brat! I couldn’t care less about MaruMaru’s goals!”

“This is tiring, you really don’t understand a thing.”

More chaotic squabbling over waifus; MaruMaru’s intentions; and the books broke out like wildfire between us, as I slowly grew to enjoy one of the most fun journeys I’ve ever experienced-

And then it happened.

Lights suddenly blacked out, drenching us all in a cave of darkness; as the train skidded to a halt.

All joy drained itself from my heart, as a cold sweat pooled from my arms; scattering noises leaping about the train like a collective of demonic entities.

“What’s happening-” A sudden lurch spiked right into us all as soon as the sassy one spoke; knocking us all to the ground, as the train shuddered and screeched; as if a being was ripping it apart from the inside, coming closer; closer; closer. Barging us round in circles, the train launched us into our very worst nightmare.

Before I could even gather my bearings, a massive force thrust into me; knocking the wind out of my very being. Clattering onto the freezing cold surface, as lights flickered overhead- glass strewn all over the place- a cold substance drizzled around my head, as my breaths began to wane.

Was I dying? No way, no way. This couldn’t possibly be happening. Memories of being severely bullied as a child, acting like some sort of magical wizard in high school (I was deluded, okay?!), moving out from my parent’s house, reading all alone at university; as well as lazing about in my crappy box of an apartment flooded through my brain as my vision blurred, taking me away from the hold of reality.

As a final darkness swept over my vision, only one thought pervaded my mind.

‘I didn’t even get to read volume three yet...’

What was once a world sparkling with potential and hope faded into grey.

takaishi
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Haen
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