The Boring World

Chapter 1: The Boring World

The ticking of the clock echoed softly through the classroom.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Hikaru Foster rested his chin on his hand, eyes fixed on the round clock above the blackboard. The second hand moved with perfect precision, never too fast, never too slow.

Everything about it was… normal.

Too normal.

“…Five more minutes,” someone whispered behind him.

Hikaru didn’t respond. He just kept watching the clock.

For some reason, he always did.

Like he was waiting for something.

RINGGGG—

The school bell shattered the silence.

Chairs scraped. Students stood up instantly, energy returning like a switch had been flipped.

“Finally!” a voice called out.

A boy dropped into the seat next to Hikaru, grinning.

“Bro, I thought time stopped or something,” said Mickey.

Hikaru glanced at him. “It didn’t.”

“Yeah yeah, you and your serious face,” Mickey laughed.

Another voice joined in.

“You were staring at the clock again, weren’t you?”

Jade leaned against the desk, arms crossed, a small smirk on her face.

Hikaru shrugged. “Nothing else to do.”

“Touch grass,” Mickey said immediately.

“I go outside... sometimes,” Hikaru replied.

“Not mentally,” Jade added.

“…Fair.”

The three of them walked out together, blending into the crowd of students leaving the school.

The road home was familiar.

Too familiar.

Same streets.

Same buildings.

Same routine.

Hikaru lived in a government-funded children’s home — an orphanage on the quieter side of the town. It wasn’t bad.

Just… empty.

No parents.

No real attachments.

Just a place to sleep, eat, and repeat.

“See you tomorrow,” Jade said, turning down her street.

“Don’t stare at clocks too much,” Mickey added before leaving.

Hikaru gave a small nod and continued walking alone.

His room was simple.

A bed.

A desk.

A small shelf.

And his laptop.

That was enough.

He dropped his bag, sat down, and opened his laptop immediately.

Anime.

Then a game.

A gacha banner popped up.

LIMITED CHARACTER – RATE UP

“…Alright,” Hikaru muttered. “This time.”

He pulled.

Gold flash.

His eyes sharpened slightly.

“…Wait.”

It turned.

Not the featured character.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Another loss.

“50/50 again?” he muttered, leaning back. “Nice system.”

He stared at the screen for a moment.

Then sighed.

“Of course.”

Night came quietly.

The lights were off.

The room was still.

Hikaru lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“…This world is boring.”

No magic.

No power.

No mystery.

Just repetition.

Wake up.

School.

Eat.

Sleep.

Repeat.

His eyes slowly began to close.

“…If only…”

His voice faded into silence.

He stood in a different world.

The air felt alive.

Power flowed through his body like fire.

In front of him—

A girl.

A princess.

Behind her, destruction.

“Don’t worry,” Hikaru said, raising his hand.

Energy gathered.

Reality itself seemed to bend.

“I’ll save you.”

Light exploded outward—Hikaru’s eyes snapped open.

Silence.

Darkness.

His room.

“…Just a dream.”

He turned to his side.

“…Of course.”

The next day felt the same.

Same classroom.

Same seat.

Same clock.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Hikaru stared at it again.

Then—

The second hand…

stuttered.

Just for a fraction of a second.

A glitch.

Then it continued like nothing happened.

Hikaru blinked.

“…Hmm.”

He looked away.

“Probably nothing.”

Night came again.

This time, later than usual.

Hikaru walked with Jade and Mickey under the dim streetlights, snacks in hand.

“You always pick the worst flavors,” Jade said.

“It’s called taste,” Mickey replied.

“It’s called bad decisions.”

Hikaru listened quietly, the usual calm expression on his face.

Then—

He stopped walking.

“…Wait.”

A strange feeling crept in.

Heavy.

Cold.

Like something was watching him.

Hikaru turned.

Nothing.

Empty street.

“…You guys feel that?” he asked.

No response.

“…Jade?”

“…Mickey?”

Silence.

Hikaru’s eyes widened slightly.

They were gone.

No footsteps.

No sound.

Just—

Gone.

“…What?”

A soft voice echoed behind him.

“So he noticed.”

Hikaru turned sharply.

Two figures stood under the streetlight.

A boy.

A girl.

Strangers.

But something about them felt… wrong.

Hikaru stepped back. “Who are you?”

The girl didn’t answer.

Instead, she looked at him carefully.

“…So this is him.”

The boy nodded slightly.

“Matches the signature.”

Hikaru frowned. “What are you talking about?”

No response.

The girl raised her hand slightly.

Hikaru’s expression hardened. “I don’t understand what you’re doing.”

“You don’t need to,” the boy replied calmly.

“We’re not here to explain.”

A sudden pressure filled the air.

Hikaru’s body froze.

“…What—”

He tried to move—but couldn’t.

His fingers wouldn’t respond.

His legs felt like they didn’t exist.

Panic flickered in his eyes.

“What did you do?!”

The girl stepped closer.

“Violation of realm laws.”

Her voice was cold.

Precise.

“Punishment: retrieval.”

Hikaru’s breathing grew heavier.

“This doesn’t make sense— I didn’t do anything!”

The boy looked at him for a moment.

Then spoke quietly—

“Everyone says that.”

Hikaru’s vision blurred.

The streetlights stretched.

The world felt… unstable.

“…Wait—”

Darkness crept in from the edges.

“…Jade… Mickey…”

No answer.

The last thing he saw was the girl lowering her hand.

“Spatial Transfer.”

Everything went black.