Chapter Text
"I guess anyone would be tired if they were a shut-in NEET like me..." Natsuki Subaru mumbled, rubbing at his eye with the back of his hand.
The fluorescent hum of the convenience store sign buzzed behind him. His eyes stung, dry and gritty from a lack of sleep, as the *whoosh* of a solitary car passing by broke the late-night silence. The plastic bag in his hand crinkled, heavy with the corn potage and potato chips he’d bought to fuel the rest of his all-nighter.
Then, he blinked.
That was all it took.
The sound of the car cut out instantly. The cool night air vanished, replaced by a stagnant, heavy silence.
"H-huh? What is this place?" he asked weakly, his voice deadened by the sudden expanse of darkness. He looked around, but there was nothing—just an endless, suffocating black.
But then... the void warped.
It wasn't a fade; it was like someone had spilled paint on a canvas. Colors bled into existence, swirling aggressively until they hardened into shapes, walls, and light.
"...!?"
The black nothingness was gone. In its place stood a room that smelled of old timber and strange herbs.
It was a shop. Definitely a shop, but not the 7-Eleven he’d just left. Rough-hewn wooden shelves lined the walls, cluttered with items that defied explanation—glowing blue crystals, dried lizard tails, and metallic boxes that ticked without gears. It looked exactly like the item shop in a low-budget RPG, the kind where you blew all your gold on potions before a boss fight.
And he was standing right in the middle of it.
"Welcome, welcome," a feminine, light voice called out.
Subaru whipped his head toward the sound. Leaning over a wooden counter was a young woman with blonde hair.
"W-woah..." Subaru stammered, his brain trying to catch up. "The goddess that summoned me..."
"Hm? Well, not really, chump." The blonde girl waved him off, a large bead of sweat rolling down her temple. She pointed to the apron tied around her waist. "I'm just the cashier of this place. A worker. Just a wage slave."
He blinked. A worker? In this seemingly interdimensional space? Either he was hallucinating from sleep deprivation, or he’d died. After all... how could this be real?
"Okay... and why am I summoned here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
He stepped forward, his eyes drawn to a massive object dominating the corner of the room. It was a spinning wheel, but not a normal one. It was a monster of a game show prop, divided into thousands of multicolored slivers. The text on each wedge was so small it looked like a swarm of ants.
The blonde walked out from behind the counter, grinning innocently as she sidled up to him. "You wanna know?"
"Of course I do!" he shouted, his irritation spiking. "This is a big deal for me, y'know! I don't get teleported every Tuesday!"
The blonde stopped next to the colossal spinning wheel, patting its frame lazily. The wood creaked under her hand.
"You see, you're about to be summoned to another world," she started, her grin widening.
"And?" He tilted his head, waiting for the catch.
"Aaand, since I'm basically supposed to get you started with this whole thing, you'd better shut up and listen.”
He nodded weakly.
“Alright, so here’s how it works. The world you’re about to be sent to? It’s dangerous. And I don’t mean ‘fighting a level two slime’ kind of dangerous. More like, encountering the final boss when you’re level ten dangerous.” Her eyes narrowed, something serious slipping underneath the playful facade.
“And frankly? It’s impossible for you to survive like this,” she stated with absolute certainty, each word a dagger driving into his heart.
“Makes sense… Isekais are always hardcore at first,” he stammered, his voice lacking conviction.
The cashier shifted her weight, her eyes narrowing further as she dissected his posture.
“Oh, you silly fool,” she purred, a smug, condescending smile stretching her lips. “You think this is still a game? An Isekai where you grow OP and get a harem with fifty members?”
She stepped into his personal space, her hands balling into fists. “You’re gonna wake up soon.”
Subaru sidestepped. The motion was fluid—his daily workouts kicking in on pure instinct—as the punch blew past his ear, the wind pressure ruffling his hair.
“Nice reflexes,” she admitted, stepping back and shaking out her hand.
“Heh… You don’t underestimate a shut-in that actually works out,” he joked, though a cold bead of sweat finally traced a line down his forehead.
“But just know, scary eyes, I’m not your enemy here. I’m just a normal, perfectly human cashier. I’m trying to warn you of what’s coming, so you don’t go and cry to your mother with your bowels leaking out.”
Subaru gulped, the graphic image hitting home. But then he smirked, trying to regain control of the conversation. “Y’know, lady, it’s not nice to try punching people… you’re lucky I’m a nice guy.”
“Pfft.” The cashier just snorted. “Alright, whatever. I’m bored, so let’s get this over with.”
She walked back to the wheel and tapped it lightly with her knuckle. “So, this little thing? It’ll actually help you survive in the wilderness.”
Subaru squinted, leaning in to get a clearer look at the microscopic text. “The entries have… a pig, a boar, a dog… AN AK47!?”
The girl smiled dangerously. “Exactly. It’s all random objects or creatures.”
“And… What does ‘White Whale’ mean?” he asked, tilting his head. He didn't know why, but reading the words sent a phantom chill down his spine.
“You’ll find out if you actually roll it,” she replied vaguely.
“So, what happens if I roll any of these?”
“Oh? Simple. You turn into it for twenty-four hours. Then you turn back to a human. But here’s the kicker—you cannot re-spin the wheel for five hours while you’re human.”
“Ah, I see…” he murmured, nodding slowly as the math clicked in his head. Then his eyes widened. “Wait, doesn’t this mean I can literally turn into a chicken or a literal brick!?”
“Yup!” she confirmed, thoroughly amused by his dawning horror. “It’s all a big RNG, pal. Good luck, you’re gonna need it.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” he shouted, crossing his arms in a big X. “I don’t consent! I don’t consent to this at all!”
Desperate, he lunged toward the wall. There, hanging on a display hook, was a gleaming, holy sword that looked suspiciously like Excalibur. If he could just grab that—
THWACK.
His face collided with empty air. It felt like running full tilt into a glass door.
“Gwagh—!?”
He stumbled back, clutching his nose. The air in front of the sword shimmered like a heat haze, rippling where his face had impacted.
“Sorry, buddy, but you either get this…” She tapped the wheel’s wooden frame again. “Or nothing at all. Pick one.”
Subaru lowered his hand from his nose, sighing. “I get the choice to spin the wheel, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I can… just choose not to use it, forever?”
“Yup.”
“And there’s… no side effects? None at all?”
“Absolutely none.”
He gulped. The deal seemed better than nothing, to be honest. Perhaps it’d be useful in the future. Plus… there was an entry to turn into a dragon there... So…
“Argh—Fine! I accept it!” he shouted, closing his eyes.
“Great!” she chirped. “Now, when you’re in the world, remember these words…”
“...?” He waited patiently for the keyword.
“I am weak, please help me.” she said, grinning.
“...No way. I’m not saying that.”
“Your choice,” she sang, shrugging apathetically. “But if you ever need to spin the wheel? You know the words.”
Now, she held out her palm towards him, mana coursing towards her hand from her chest as blue light began shining.
“I will watch your journey with great interest, Natsuki Subaru,” she murmured, smiling. “And… perhaps that wretched witch will finally pay me.”
A beam of light shot towards him, enveloping him whole. He began to feel his consciousness slipping away, his body feeling sluggish.
“Now go. Conquer the Od Laguna!”
And then—
…
…
Motion.
Click.
Start.