Back on Earth, every time Kōya went online, he'd always see people arguing about height.
Some insisted six feet wasn't tall, others acted like it was divine bloodline genetics. Now that he was actually six feet and walking among people shorter than him, he finally understood the truth.
It was tall… very tall.
He descended the stairs of the apartment building, dragging a hand down his face as he exhaled.
The people passing by weren't short like ants, of course, but in comparison to how he used to be… five-six and constantly looked down upon, it felt bizarre to suddenly be the one looking down at them.
But what felt even weirder… was the way people were staring at him.
Across the street, a trio of girls in neatly pressed civilian academy uniforms walked past, their eyes widening as soon as they saw his blond hair and tall frame.
"Hehe~ ne, ne… did you see him? That person… he has a Crest," one whispered while covering her mouth shyly.
"A Crest… and he is handsome too… aaah, so ikemen…" another breathed out, her cheeks turning rosy.
"I… I wouldn't mind letting him pin me to the bed, ara araaa~" the third girl added while fanning herself dramatically.
Kōya blinked twice.
'Why are they talking like low self-esteem side characters in a downbad manga?' he thought, but then exhaled sharply. 'Right… because this is the manga.'
He shook it off and continued down the busy street.
The original Kōya liked visiting the library, so Mateo inherited both the memories and the route. He walked with purposeful steps, trying to blend into the crowd though it was becoming painfully clear that blending in was no longer possible.
People glanced… whispered… turned their heads.
Some even slowed down just to stare openly.
His spine tingled.
In his previous life, he was used to being invisible or mistaken for a child. Now? He felt like a walking spotlight, glowing at max brightness.
'…Damn.' He rubbed the back of his neck as he reached a crosswalk. It was just meant to be a quick walk to the library, then studying, then figuring out more of this world.
That was it... Very simple.
But the world clearly had different plans.
As he waited for the light to change, one of the cars speeding down the road suddenly jerked upward as though ripped by invisible chains, then flew sideways and slammed into two other cars.
Metal screamed, glass shattered, and people around him broke into panicked shrieks as chaos exploded across the street.
"What the fuck?" Kōya muttered, quickly moving to the side of a building and peeking around it.
Sure, he had a crest now, but with a single black mark he was barely above a regular human. He wasn't suicidal enough to charge into danger without reward.
At the far end of the street stood a man with messy blue hair, wearing a mechanical backpack that had metallic tentacles writhing and swinging with unnatural force behind him.
Two of the tentacles were currently holding an entire car above his head.
"Ahahahahaha!!!" the man cackled as he hurled the vehicle like a toy. It smashed into a corner building, the impact sending dust and broken bricks flying.
On the man's exposed forearm gleamed a black crest with two full marks.
'Yeah, I can't take him,' Kōya thought flatly.
Running into battle now would only add one more corpse to the scene. 'Pretty sure fighting him with one mark would be the same as suicide. And why wasn't this guy in the manga…?'
Rogues existed in this world… Awakened individuals who rejected law and order, much like supervillains in comic books.
They emerged randomly, caused massive damage, and were hunted by registered Awakeners from academies like ALI.
"Ahh… only two marks? Maa maa, I'll get about 100 Individual Points for defeating you," a voice said calmly.
A boy with green hair adjusted his glasses as he approached the rogue with a bored expression.
He wore the black-trimmed uniform of ALI, and on the back of his hand glowed a black crest… except unlike the rogue, he had four full marks.
'Right… ALI dispatches students for city support missions,' Kōya remembered.
The girls who had been shrieking moments ago immediately changed tones.
"H-Higikaya-kun!!"
"Higikaya-sama, please defeat him!"
"Kyaa~! As expected of ALI students!"
The rogue sneered. "A popular Awakened, huh? And you even have fame with the ladies. How troublesome."
Four tentacles shot toward Higikaya with slicing momentum.
But the boy moved like water… leaning back and sprinting forward as the first tentacle carved into the pavement where he once stood. The impact split the concrete cleanly.
The rogue's remaining tentacles converged toward him like striking whips, but Higikaya twitched his middle finger and the four marks on his hand glowed sharply.
"Invisible Thread." he whispered.
The tentacles froze mid-air as though snagged by something.
"Sharp Thread."
All three were cut cleanly apart.
"H-how are you doing that…?" the rogue shouted, stumbling back as Higikaya suddenly blurred forward.
He slid beneath the rogue's airborne form, flicking his fingers in a series of precise movements. Thin, invisible lines latched onto the backpack-like device controlling the tentacles.
With a swift motion, Higikaya sliced the anchor points and ripped the entire exosuit free, sending it flying toward a building.
A girl on the rooftop with long brown hair caught it awkwardly. She nearly fell over but managed to secure it. "G-got it!"
"Great work, Kōhai," Higikaya called up to her with a grin while giving a thumbs-up.
"I-I have a name, Higikaya-senpai!" she yelled back, flustered. But he already turned away.
The rogue, now powerless, screamed and charged.
Higikaya vanished once more, and in a single movement, reappeared behind him. The man's entire body was wrapped tightly in invisible threads.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy your time sleeping in jail," Higikaya said, brushing his green hair back dramatically.
The crowd erupted into cheers. Some clapped. Some called out his name with admiration. Some even cried in relief.
Kōya took that moment to slip past the ruined street and sigh deeply.
'Awakened really like to show off,' he thought.
But it was normal in this world. They fought dungeon breaks, rogue attacks, monster outbreaks… there was danger everywhere and peace nowhere.
Just another day here.
He soon reached the library.
It was a tall glass building with a serene blue emblem, and when he pushed the door open, a chime rang.
The woman behind the counter flinched upon seeing him… she was clearly a new employee he didn't recognize from the original Kōya's memories.
'New face,' he thought as he approached.
"I'd like to read a couple of books today," he said casually.
She nearly dropped her scanner. "Y-yes! Of course! Eto… I-I will need to scan your library card, Amagi-sama… The lady here told me you were a regular."
'Sama? Calm down,' he thought while fumbling through his coat. Thankfully, he had the card. He handed it over, and she scanned it with a trembling hand.
"Sir Amagi Kōya… your ID has been verified. You may freely use the Keropolis Central Library," she said, bowing her head lightly.
"Thanks," he replied, turning to leave.
But she froze… her face turning bright red. Her hands tightened around her phone as she suddenly bowed deeply.
"Um…! A-Amagi-sama… c-could you…" she swallowed hard, "…could you please… please give me your… your number?"
Kōya stared at her.
She stared back.
Her phone shook in her hands.
"…Bro. What?" he muttered.