Chapter Text
But then, Raku Ichijou found himself completely oblivious about what was transpiring.
In the blink of an eye, he was enjoying a good day—stress-free, smooth sailing, with nothing much to complain except thinking about a bright future when finally Chitoge and he were going to end the ridiculous drama and live "happily ever after".
Until the darkness took over.
In his bedroom, he found himself pondering on whether or not it was already the time to have the 'talk' with Chitoge about their love affair. Which would it be? Would he tell her that "we're both totally blind for not acknowledging our mutual feelings for each other" or simply say, "I believe we are emotionally immature but that is alright"?
While he was preoccupied with the thought, he felt a bright flash in front of his eyes. His surroundings became blur and everything around him went in disarray.
"Behold an unthinkable present"
And in the next few seconds, Raku felt himself being whammed by dizziness. Everything turned out to be dizzy and confusing to see, until he heard a thump noise and he felt his back touching something soft and cozy—his bed.
W-what just happened?
Raku Ichijou sat up and was taken aback at the sight of his room; everything looked the same.
Or seemed to be. His study area, with its messy desk filled with school materials, his bookshelf stuffed with assorted manga books and some partially read novels. His childhood picture along with his best friend, Chitoge, staring at him as always, nothing much had changed but there was an eerie feeling of uneasiness hanging around.
His hand reached up to rub his eyes. Surely it must be a dream… or the product of an insane thought that had been induced by that blinding light, accompanied by a voice echoing "Behold an unthinkable present".
The dark light. The voice. It all seemed surreal to Raku. And then there was the lack of restful sleep. Perhaps he was just a little disorientated.
He got out of bed and planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"Just take it easy, and check everything out," he muttered under his breath as he approached the door. As soon as he pushed it open, he found himself stepping out onto the hallway. And he was glad to find out that everything was still the same, his house had not been altered in any way; there were no alternate reality members of the Yakuza gang hanging around the corner. Nothing looked amiss.
He exhaled a little bit of relief for the first time in a while. Maybe this isn't an alternate reality. Maybe he was only… exhausted. After his routine shower, he got dressed, and took his breakfast without any problem. As always, his Dad was out of the house, so he could finally enjoy some solitude.
Alright, alright. Everything is good. Everything is normal.
But as he left the safety of his home, everything turned out to be different.
His usual neighborhood streets, the streets he had visited countless times, felt like something was a little… off. As if he was seeing everything through some twisted glass. Everything was just… too perfect. It was a little too sunny. A little too silent.
He shook his head and made his way to school, choosing to push the unsettling sensation to the back of his mind. Perhaps his mind was simply playing tricks on him.
But one thing continued to bug him. One thing that felt off.
He had picked up the letter lying on his desk earlier.
He grabbed it from his pockets. He noticed how neat the handwriting was on the paper, as if it was leading him somewhere. His hands quivered a little as he read:
Dear Raku Ichijou,
Congratulations! You have entered into a new world – an alternate universe, in which everything is very much alike except the minor details.
Here, you are a close friend of Shu. You two have gone through a number of fun-filled, crazy and stupid times together. In addition, you will meet Onodera. But in this world, it is her whom you are in love with instead of Chitoge. Don’t try to deny or fight against it because it’s part of your new world.
Your reaction to this is understandable. However, keep in mind that the people who surround know you so keep up the act. Shu, Onodera, and others may seem like strangers to you at first, but they are not.
Take things as they come.
Respectfully,
A Higher Being who found this rather amusing.
Raku clenched tighter at the letter; he could not believe what his mind told him. Was Raku in love with Onodera? And he wasn't going to marry Chitoge? The letter had made it sound so simple, so easy, as though it were meant to be.
No way, it couldn't just go like that. Raku had imagined spending forever with Chitoge. But in this new world, it was going to be impossible; Raku couldn't fight the inevitable, according to the letter. But no matter how hard Raku tried, he could not help but feel wrong about this new situation.
Standing from his bed, pacing back and forth, it was obvious to Raku just how out of the depths of despair and confusion he was sinking. Fine, take a few steps back; if this really was an alternate universe... I'll have to play along with the letter's rules.
With a heavy sigh, he walked out of his room; nothing had changed—the same old Raku home, the same morning air surrounding him, the same streets. Everything was familiar to Raku, except for himself. Maybe things would settle if he just didn't overthink it.