Tokyo did not burn.
It did not crumble beneath meteors or drown in rising seas.
It respawned.
Riku Hayashi blinked awake to the sound of his alarm, the same shrill tone he had cursed every morning. But when he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the world outside his window shimmered like a buffering video. The skyline flickered, neon signs stuttering, and for a heartbeat the city looked like a half-rendered game map. Then it stabilized — except it wasn't the same Tokyo anymore.
Convenience stores now had glowing quest boards nailed to their doors. Train stations pulsed with runic light, icons hovering above them like fast-travel points. And every passerby carried something impossible: translucent status windows floating above their heads, awkward halos of numbers and class titles.
Riku's throat tightened. He stumbled to his desk, where his wooden practice sword leaned against the wall. It was ordinary, worn smooth from years of kendo drills. But now, when he touched it, a faint chime rang in his ears.
[Item Identified: Wooden Practice Sword]
Rarity: Common (Unrated → Rated)
He dropped it in shock. The sword clattered against the floor, but the glowing text remained, hovering like a ghost.
"What the hell…"
His phone buzzed. A message from Aoi Mizushima, his girlfriend.
> Aoi: Riku, are you seeing this?
He typed back with trembling fingers.
> Riku: Yeah. Status windows. My sword has a rarity rating.
> Aoi: Meet me at Tokyo Station. Something's happening.
---
The streets were chaos. Salarymen stared at their new stat sheets, muttering about "Strength: 12" and "Luck: 5." A group of middle schoolers laughed as they compared class trees, one shouting he'd rolled "Mage" while another sulked at "Farmer."
But beneath the confusion, fear simmered. The air itself felt different — heavier, charged with possibility.
Riku pushed through the crowd until he spotted Aoi near the station steps. Her long dark hair was tied back casually, but her eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the strange light of the respawned world.
"You're late," she teased, though her voice carried tension.
"Had to check if my sword was still… real." He lifted it, and the rarity rating flickered again.
Aoi's smile faltered. "Riku… look."
She pointed toward the subway entrance. Shadows writhed across the tiled floor, glitching like corrupted data. Then, with a sound like tearing code, a beast erupted — a chimera stitched from fragments of NPC models, its body flickering between lion, serpent, and bird.
Screams tore through the station. People fled, tripping over each other. The chimera roared, its voice a distortion of static and animal fury.
Riku's pulse hammered. He raised his sword instinctively, though he knew it was useless. He wasn't a hero. He was just a high schooler with a practice blade.
Then his vision blurred. A translucent window appeared before him, different from the others he'd glimpsed.
[Unique Skill Acquired: Contracted Hearts]
Form bonds. Forge power. Rewrite fate.
Another prompt followed, glowing between him and Aoi.
[Eligible Partner Detected: Aoi Mizushima]
Do you accept the Contract?
Riku's breath caught. "Aoi… it's asking me to—"
She didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Light spiraled around her, pages torn from a celestial grimoire. Her school uniform dissolved into radiant armor etched with constellations, luminous threads flowing like a living star map. Her eyes blazed, not with fear, but with choice.
Riku staggered back. "You—"
"I'm fine," she said, gripping his hand. "Fight with me."
The Bond Gauge appeared above them, a living meter pulsing with warmth. It rose as their fingers tightened, as trust surged between them.
The chimera lunged. Riku swung his sword, clumsy but determined. Aoi moved in perfect rhythm, her spirit blade flashing. When he parried, she counterstruck. When she channeled energy, his weapon became the conduit.
Combat became choreography. Not master and weapon. Partners in motion.
The chimera shrieked as their synchronized strikes carved through its glitching body. Its fragments dissolved into cascading code, vanishing into the air.
Silence fell. The crowd stared, wide-eyed, at the two teenagers standing amid fading light.
Riku's chest heaved. He turned to Aoi, who was still glowing faintly in her spirit form. "You… accepted without even asking what it meant."
She smirked, brushing hair from her face. "Do you really think I'd let you fight alone?"
The Bond Gauge pulsed higher.
---
Later, as they sat on the station steps, the world still buzzing with panic and wonder, Riku stared at the interface hovering before him.
[Contracted Hearts: Active]
Heartbound Partner: Aoi Mizushima
Bond Gauge: 42%
He swallowed. "This… isn't like anyone else's system. Everyone else just has classes and skills. Mine… it's about connection."
Aoi leaned against him, her armor fading back into her school uniform. "Then maybe that's the point. Maybe the world didn't respawn for efficiency. Maybe it respawned for us."
Her words lingered, heavy with possibility.
Above them, the skyline flickered again. Towers stretched higher, glowing like server spires piercing the clouds. Quest boards multiplied. Guild banners unfurled across rooftops.
And somewhere deep in the city, a voice whispered through the code:
[System Update: Stabilization Test Initiated]
Riku tightened his grip on his sword. He wasn't ready. He wasn't chosen. He was just ordinary.
But when Aoi's hand found his, the Bond Gauge rose another notch.
For the first time, he believed ordinary might be enough.