[Location: Himouto! Umaru-chan – Japan – National Route 357 – Tokyo Bay Industrial Area.]
A few hours past midnight, the street lay empty and dark.
A young man, Arata Nobuyuki, dressed entirely in black—dark pants and a hood—stood silently within the shadows.
He remained still, hands buried in his pockets, eyes fixed on nothingness.
The silence was overwhelming, and the faint moonlight hovered over him.
Suddenly, the vibration of his cellphone repeated itself. It was the twenty-third time it had buzzed in the past few hours—without making a sound.
Of course, he didn't need to look at the screen to know who it was.
Curiously, the prolonged, nearly unbearable silence had sharpened his senses. Even that faint vibration felt as though it echoed directly within his chest.
Even so, he didn't answer. He didn't even flinch.
The relentless buzzing was merely a reminder of what he would have to sacrifice.
Despite everything, he continued waiting… though this time, a soft smile formed on his face.
Almost a minute later, the roar of an engine shattered the stillness of the early morning. A truck was approaching, its lights slowly gliding along the road.
The young man raised his head and watched carefully.
Soon, the truck drew close enough.
There was no hesitation.
Only a smile that conveyed obsessive desire. Only a body throwing itself onto the asphalt.
The driver barely had time to react.
To his misfortune, that scene would remain vivid in his memories for years to come.
…
'Amazing. Simply amazing… I can't move a single muscle.'
'Ahgh. It hurts. Damn it, it hurts too much. Why don't I just die already…?'
Arata Nobuyuki cursed within his own thoughts.
He had imagined this scenario hundreds of times, using countless similar scenes from anime and manga as references.
But in the end, it seemed he had drawn the worst possible outcome.
The pain he had estimated didn't even come close to what he was feeling now.
He could only blame his own naivety.
And yet, those thoughts didn't allow his consciousness to fade—only prolonging his agony.
_____
[Location: The Walking Dead – United States – Georgia – King County – Military settlement near Harrison Memorial Hospital.]
A few seconds later, before despair could completely consume him, an icy sensation ran down his spine.
And then… he opened his eyes.
He swept his gaze across his entire field of vision for several seconds, then attempted to rise from the ground.
Though disoriented, it didn't take long for him to determine that his body was in perfect condition—and that the place he found himself in—a desolate landscape. Gray. Lifeless—was unfamiliar.
…
After the silence that engulfed him, a roar of excitement and joy burst from his throat.
"YEEEEEEES~!!! DAMN IT!!! YEEEEEEES~!!!"
He shouted. He laughed. He fell backward, staring up at the pale sky, smiling like a madman.
Then, he took a deep breath.
He needed to calm down.
After releasing everything he had been bottling up deep within himself, he realized just how much he needed to calm down.
Ding!
[The system that governs the laws of the world has detected your great bravery and obsession.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world has granted you a choice. In this world, will you be a survivor or a predator?]
Arata Nobuyuki blinked, bewildered. His initial enthusiasm surged through him once more, but this time he chose to restrain himself.
He hunched over on the ground, his body trembling repeatedly with excitement.
"Heh… Hehehe~… Hehehehe~… Hehehehehe~…"
The expression on his face, combined with his eerie laughter, would have unsettled even the most patient and kind-hearted person in the world—and it would have been far worse for anyone unfortunate enough to witness it.
After a few seconds, he finally composed himself.
He sat cross-legged, resting his chin on one hand. His gaze and attention weakly focused on the holographic window while intrusive thoughts swirled through his mind, excitement still coursing through his body.
In fact, the answer should have been obvious. But… the intrusive thoughts made him hesitate.
'Survive… what exactly does that mean? More importantly, am I in some generic isekai?'
The environment around him evoked a post-apocalyptic world. And as a proper otaku, he was quick to associate everything with an isekai.
However, he was certain of one thing.
In this scenario, he would either obtain the power that would allow him to live a luxurious life in this new world—or, failing that, he would simply have to work a bit harder than usual.
He had already imagined several scenarios where, even if what he received turned out to be complete trash, he would ultimately overcome the adversity.
Of course, he had prepared himself in advance for such an outcome.
That said, he only possessed the knowledge necessary to endure it. If given a choice, he would unquestionably choose to obtain enough power to oppose the entire world.
Once again, he observed his surroundings. He had no intention of answering immediately, nor of expressing his thoughts openly.
If the system "that governs the laws of the world" misinterpreted any of his actions, that would be the end of him.
Naturally, he also had no intention of stalling. He simply needed to calmly analyze the current situation.
After a few moments of contemplation, he confirmed that his initial outburst hadn't triggered any dramatic consequences.
He refocused on the holographic window, trying to appear calm.
"Before answering, I'd like to know: what will I gain if I choose to survive? And what will I gain if I choose to prey?"
His respectful tone and simple, direct words were meant to elicit answers.
But even if he didn't receive them, it wouldn't matter.
[Survival implies obtaining what is necessary to secure a future with offspring.]
[Predation implies obtaining the power necessary to gain benefits and harm others.]
Two holographic windows suddenly appeared, overlapping the previous one.
Arata Nobuyuki's eyes gleamed.
'Offspring… Power…' His eerie smile returned, but he quickly pressed his head against the ground, suppressing his excitement.
Once again, after a few seconds, he calmed down.
He didn't need to think too hard. The answer had already formed in his heart.
Yes, survival was simply too good to ignore entirely, but… he had already reached a conclusion.
Sex is overrated.
Back when he had been preparing for this day, and in an effort to avoid dying a virgin, he had spent a night with a highly skilled woman.
Now, despite having gone even further into debt, he could say with certainty that it had been disappointing.
He definitely wouldn't pay for it again—but if it were somehow offered for free, he wouldn't object.
After all, he was a man, not gay.
On the other hand, there was something that didn't quite add up.
As far as he remembered, a predator was a hunter—one who hunted other species in order to ensure their own survival.
Still, it was a trivial detail.
If he had to hunt others in order to gain power, then so be it. After all, he needed to bring his skeptical best friend along.
And when he did, he would definitely mock him for being such an unbelieving idiot.
"I choose to be a predator," Arata said as he stood up.
He didn't know what would come next, and unconsciously, his body tensed.
According to his own delusions, the scene where the protagonist gains power was usually dramatic—or painful.
He only hoped that, with a bit of luck, it wouldn't hurt.
[The system that governs the laws of the world has detected your response.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world has detected your greatest object of envy.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world grants you the power and appearance of Satoru Gojo.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world wishes you good luck.]
Arata Nobuyuki's pupils contracted, and his breathing hitched.
Suddenly, upon finishing the last text window, he lost consciousness and collapsed face-first onto the concrete.
Had that not happened, he would probably have praised every god in existence.
…
"H-Hey… are you okay…?"
Rick Grimes, who moments earlier had exited a ruined hospital—wearing a white hospital gown—asked tentatively.
'Is he dead…? No. He doesn't look like the others… But… he looks so young. Why does he have white hair…?' As he carefully observed the young man, he couldn't help but marvel at his unusual appearance.
Aside from the extravagant white hair, he appeared remarkably tall, with smooth, strikingly beautiful skin.
Rick Grimes, still struggling to walk, approached close enough to notice that the young man was in perfect condition.
However, the question of why he was there firmly took root in his mind, and caution followed soon after.
Ding!
[The system that governs the laws of the world is analyzing the situation.]
Suddenly, a holographic text window appeared.
Confused, Rick Grimes stared at the text obstructing part of his field of vision.
Ding!
[The system that governs the laws of the world has detected that the host species is on the brink of extinction.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world is balancing the scales.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world has granted you everything necessary to survive.]
[The system that governs the laws of the world wishes you good luck.]
"…".
Rick Grimes was left speechless, nearly stumbling from the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"Th-This is…" Despite his initial confusion, an idea soon came to mind. "A… hologram…?"
As he looked at the scene before him, the name of a movie surfaced in his thoughts: Minority Report.
He had watched it years ago with his wife, thanks to the recommendation of his close friend, Shane Walsh.
He remembered paying little attention at first due to his skepticism—but before long, the plot had captured his interest.
The world it portrayed—a futuristic, highly technological society—had been impossible to ignore.
Now, the scene before him looked as though it had been taken straight from that movie.
Ding!
[The Survivor System has been activated.]
[The host has been detected in a disadvantageous situation.]
[The Survivor System has initiated the emergency protocol.]
[The host will be transported to the safest possible location…]
[Error.]
[Medical sector not detected.]
[Redirecting…]
[Error.]
[Safe zone not detected.]
[Redirecting…]
[Error.]
[No combat team members detected.]
[Redirecting…]
[Error.]
[No reconnaissance team members detected.]
[Redirecting…]
[Complete.]
[The least hostile human in the area has been detected.]
[Please obtain support from "Arata Nobuyuki".]
One holographic text window after another appeared in rapid succession.
"…".
Rick Grimes had no time to process the messages when, suddenly, the young man lying on the ground opened his eyes and woke up.
/////
Well... Working and studying at the same time is quite difficult...
In any case, Happy New Year!
I also want to thank everyone who voted for my ambitious fanfic.
Especially Destroyer3000, reader_needtoread, and DomikPonchika. Thank you so much for your support!