I was absolutely drained. For the past few nights, I'd been hooked on a WebNovel with over 400 chapters. Last night, I stayed up until two in the morning—too close to the end to stop. I figured I could push through, just a bit more willpower before bed.
Big mistake.
I finally finished it… and the ending ruined the whole story.
Frustrated, I trudged up the stairs to my room, each step heavier than the last. That's when I heard a strange ding, followed by an automatic voice:
"Invasion of Earth: 99 days."
A floating screen appeared right in front of my eyes.
You have been chosen to create a defensive force from fictional worlds to protect Earth before the deadline.
To obtain rewards, you must complete missions. Each mission set completed unlocks a new world.
Would you like to start?
I stared at it, blinking. At this point, I was pretty sure I was hallucinating. If this is what sleep deprivation does to a person, then yeah—I really needed to fix my sleep schedule.
Whatever. Maybe if I played along, it'd go away.
"Yes. Start."
The moment I spoke, my vision began to blur. The ground trembled. My body shook violently. Static buzzed in my ears like a broken radio. Strangely, I wasn't panicking. Was this dangerous? Could sleep deprivation actually cause death? No… probably not. Worst case, I'd pass out and wake up on the floor.
Oh well. Good night, I guess.
My eyelids felt like sandbags, and just before everything went dark, I heard the automatic voice whisper softly:
"System successfully integrated. First world: Re:Zero."
A teenager, around eighteen years old, with dirty blonde hair and hazel-green eyes, was lying face-down in a grassy clearing. Beside the clearing was a shabby village made up of crooked wooden shacks and crooked chimneys puffing thin smoke into the air.
A young child in grimy clothes cautiously approached the unconscious teen, holding a long stick. Poke.
"Mr… are you dead?" Poke. Poke.
"If you're dead, can I have your clothes?" Poke. Poke.
"Those clothes look fancy. Maybe I can sell them." Poke. Poke.
Finally, the teen stirred.
"Where… am I?" he muttered hoarsely, his voice slurred like he was drunk. "Wasn't I just… on the stairs? Wait—did I die?"
Poke.
"Kid… stop stabbing me with that stick, or I'll break it in half."
The child grinned playfully, poked him one last time, stuck out his tongue, and ran off into the village.
The teen, too dazed to do anything, just sighed. "Yeah… this clearly isn't heaven. No way a grimy little brat would be hanging around my perfect heaven."
The sun hung high in the sky—definitely noon. As he sat up, he noticed the nearby village, smoke lazily drifting from the chimneys. Beyond the tree line, a massive castle towered above the village—easily three times its size. On the opposite end of the clearing, a thick, dark forest loomed—so dense it looked like something from a nightmare.
And yet… he felt no fear. In fact, it all felt strangely familiar.
"I'm pretty sure I have a mental problem," he muttered.
He glanced down at himself, inspecting his clothes and pockets. He was still wearing his casual white t-shirt and sweatpants. In his pocket, he found one lone cough drop and his iPhone.
"Well, let's test the isekai theory," he said, flipping it on. The screen lit up—48% battery.
Zero bars.
"Either I got transported to the middle of nowhere… or I'm dreaming. Either one's fine. I was getting too bored anyway." He paused. "Yeah… definitely a mental problem."
With nothing else to do, he started following the direction the little kid ran—toward the village smoke. As he walked, bits and pieces of memory started to return. Something about… saving Earth. A countdown. Missions? It was all fuzzy.
"At least I'm not tired anymore," he muttered.
By the time he reached the edge of the village, he could see a group of children crowding around someone—an older Japanese teenager in a butler outfit. The man looked like a living stress ball. Kids were hanging off his arms, pulling his hair, stuffing things into his pockets.
He looked kind… but something about his expression was wrong. There were bags under his eyes, but not from sleep deprivation—no, they were more like the stretch marks of someone carrying invisible weight. His eyes looked… tired. Hollow. Dead, almost.
"I swear I've seen that expression before…" the teen whispered. "Where…?"
Suddenly—
Ding!
System prompt:
First Mission: Help Natsuki Subaru cherish himself.
Mission Two: Become Subaru Natsuki's friend.
Mission Three: Help Subaru Natsuki avoid his deaths.
Note: The more deaths avoided, the higher the rewards.
The teen's face went pale.
"Subaru Natsuki…?" he muttered. "No. No, please no…"
He knew that name.
This was one of the most tragic stories in all of fiction. A tale about an ordinary boy dragged into a brutal fantasy world where people could use magic, move faster than light, and even create black holes. In a world where power levels were absurd and monsters, cultists, and concept-slicing maniacs ran rampant… an average boy had to face it all.
Alone.
His one ability—granted by the Witch of Envy herself—was called Return by Death. Every time Subaru died, he was sent back in time, forced to relive the same moments, again and again.
Sometimes he watched his loved ones die.
Sometimes he was the one who died screaming.
Sometimes… he was betrayed by the very people he trusted.
It wasn't a gift. It was a curse.
Subaru couldn't use magic. He wasn't strong. He wasn't talented. The only thing he gained from his power… was trauma. Pain. Endless suffering that led him to loathe himself for not being able to protect the ones he loved.
And yet… he kept going. And the worst part of it all was he wasn't able to tell anyone about his ability because if he did, the witch would kill them.
He pushed forward, no matter how many times the world tried to break him.
The teen clenched his fists, his throat dry.
"…Why did it have to be this world?"
"If I remember correctly," the teen muttered to himself, still crouched behind the tree, "this should be the second arc. I don't remember which death he's on, but… it's gotta be after he died in his sleep from the curse."
His memory was fuzzy. He'd watched all the way up to season three of the anime and read the light novel up to the middle of Arc 6. He couldn't remember every detail—but the important parts were burned into his mind.
People called Subaru weak. A crybaby. Pathetic.
But those people had no idea.
"If any of them were in his place," the teen said under his breath, "they'd be broken by the first death. This absolute unit of a guy is the king of mentality."
Still, he wasn't Rem. He couldn't comfort Subaru like she did. How was he supposed to make Subaru appreciate himself when the guy hadn't even fully broken yet? That development had to come later. Right now, all he could realistically do was help avoid a few deaths. Maybe be a friend.
But even that would be hard.
Because that truly disgusting man—Roswald—was the one orchestrating everything behind the scenes.
As he was lost in thought, he noticed a familiar moment unfolding nearby. A small girl was approaching Subaru, holding a puppy in her arms. It had a weird little bald spot on the top of its head. Subaru leaned in, reaching out like a magnet drawn to fluff.
"Look at that fur…" he whispered, transfixed. "I just can't resist."
Subaru gently petted the puppy's head… then its paw.
Snap.
The puppy suddenly snarled and nipped at his finger.
"Really? Again?" Subaru yelped, dramatically flinching back. "How many times is it now?"
The little girl blinked in confusion. "This is the first time you've petted him, isn't it?"
Then came the children.
A boy with a ponytail shouted, "He's always been good!"
A girl with a red bow added, "He's only like that with you, Subaru!"
A chubby boy chimed in, "What did you do to make him bite you?"
Subaru, clearly just amused, gave a small chuckle. "That's what I'd like to know…"
Watching this scene from behind the tree, the teen's face turned serious.
It was already too late.
The curse had been set.
If he was going to do something, it had to be soon. He had to make contact. At least introduce himself. He—
"—Gotcha."
A sudden grip grabbed the back of his shirt, lifting him clean off the ground with one hand.
Heart racing, he turned his head slowly.
A pink-haired maid glared at him with deadly suspicion.
Ram!
"Why are you stalking Barusu?" she asked coldly.
"I-I'm not stalking!" the teen stammered, nervous and clearly outmatched. "I just wanted to say hello!"
"Then why were you hiding and what are those unique clothes?"
"Because… it's rude to interrupt the moment and this is an outfit I made."
"Tch."
She clicked her tongue and unceremoniously dropped him on the ground. He landed on his butt with a thud.
Then she turned and walked off toward Subaru. "Barusu, how long are you going to make me wait?"
Subaru, still holding his bitten hand, looked over and tried to smile. It came out weak.
"Well, stuff happened… You can see that, right?" he asked, raising his injured hand so she could see.
"When I came back, I thought it would all be over soon," she said quietly. "Instead, I return to see you with a bloody left hand."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're useless, Barusu."
And with that, she spun and briskly walked toward the looming mansion at the end of the path.
But after a few steps, she paused, looked over her shoulder, and called out:
"Aren't you coming, Barusu?"
"With you…?" Subaru asked, caught off guard.
The teen, still crouched behind the tree, just watched. Thoughts swirling.
Should I follow?
He still hadn't made contact. Still hadn't altered the story. And time… time was ticking.
If I derail the plot too much, then I could die. And I don't have any powers… at least, I don't think I do. Not that I want to test if I have Return by Death.
The teen crouched low, thinking hard. This world was dangerous. Unforgiving. The last thing he wanted was to become another unnamed casualty in someone else's story.
Maybe I should wait until after the beast attack. When everything's calmed down…
He paused.
Wait, no. I can't do that. I have no place to stay. It's already past noon.
He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe if I tell Subaru I'm in the same situation—someone from Earth—he'll help me out.
But even as he thought that, discomfort twisted in his gut.
I don't want to rely on people for freebies, though. I need a reason. A chance to talk with him alone…
His mind raced, recalling the events of the arc as best as he could.
If I remember correctly, that puppy bit him. He should come back to the village before nightfall, then get injured by the mabeasts.
If I jump in to help him… maybe I'll not only get a place to stay as a reward, but I'll also get some alone time to talk. But… I don't have a weapon.
Panic crept in.
Crap. I remember in the anime one of the fingers—someone almost as powerful as Petelgeuse—was torn apart by mabeasts just because of Subaru's trap. And those forests are supposedly crawling with them.
His throat went dry.
But Subaru's a normal guy, and he survived. Barely. If he can do it, then so can I… I just have to stick close to him the whole time.
Resolved but stressed, the teen made his way under a large tree. Its thick branches cast shade over the grass, creating a quiet spot to rest. He sat down with his back against the trunk, pulling his knees in slightly.
"I'll wait," he whispered to himself. "When he comes back… that's when I'll make my move. I need to conserve energy for the main event."
His eyes slowly drifted shut, tension giving way to brief, uneasy sleep.
After about 20 minutes of resting, he heard a loud sonic boom. Looking up, he saw the ridiculous image of Roswaal flying overhead—like some kind of Superman clown.
"Wait… he's leaving?" the teen muttered. "If I remember correctly, it was only in the final loop of arc two where he left… and that was specifically emphasized."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Perfect. This is the right loop I should be waiting for."
Though a thought lingered.
How did none of the maids—or Subaru for that matter—get suspicious? He always seems to leave during emergencies…
Somehow, no one really found out the truth until Season 2. And that was only because Roswald admitted it.
Feeling a little more assured, the teen leaned back and drifted off again.
(AN: First time trying to do a fanfic, I will try to be faithful to the original story, but since there is a manga, anime, web, and light novel, I have to cover a lot of bases.)