How did it come to this?
Before my eyes stretched an endless grassland. Looking into the distance, magnificent mountain ranges that you could never see in Japan extended across the horizon. Sprawling right before me was a grandeur of nature that felt straight out of some fantasy RPG—the kind where you don't even know what's "Final" anymore.
C-Calm down. First, count prime numbers. 1, 3, 5, 7... wait, do prime numbers start from 1? ...Well, whatever, that doesn't matter right now. First, I need to stay calm. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Inhaaaale... exhaaaale...
...Yeah, even when I opened my eyes, it was still vast nature.
D-Don't panic. A high school boys doesn't lose his cool! Right, first step: assess the current situation.
...My name is Akira Kitajima. An ordinary high school student attending a school in Tokyo. OK, my consciousness seems clear. Now, next. Why am I in a place like this? Let's try to recall things in chronological order.
I woke up as usual in the morning, ate the breakfast Mom made, fixed my hair casually, left home at the absolute last minute, and was walking down the usual route to school—or at least, I was supposed to be. Then, without any warning or preamble, an endless prairie appeared right in front of me. I didn't walk through a tunnel, nor did I pass through any glowing mirror. When on earth did my high school cross over with a fantasy world? If you're going to do a crossover, notify the students first! At this rate, I'm going to be late for class... I stood there frozen, indulging in escapist thoughts.
...How did it come to this?
❖
About half a year has passed since I came to this... other world? Yes, an isekai. I've concluded that this place is definitely not the world I came from.
After that initial shock, I managed to regain some composure and started walking in hopes of finding people. Surveying the surroundings, I spotted smoke rising in the distance. Thinking there might be people there, I made my way toward the smoke. Fortunately, the terrain wasn't steep mountains but rather gentle fields, though for a city kid, it was still an agonizing trek. After walking for about two to three hours, I finally reached what seemed to be a town. Seriously exhausting. That was the first time in my life I had walked continuously for that long...
The smoke visible from afar turned out to be from burning coal or something similar. It was pitch black and smoky—the kind of town that looked just like a coal mining settlement you'd see on TV. Thinking about it myself, it was literally just that. And as for why I realized this was another world: although the people around me clearly looked like Western foreigners rather than Japanese, all their speech sounded like Japanese to my ears, while the written text on shop buildings was unmistakably not Japanese.
What is this? The cognitive dissonance was hitting hard.
For now, I had to ask around and gather information. Even though I'm somewhat introverted and socially awkward, I couldn't afford to be shy in this situation. My very survival was on the line, after all. No time to complain about being shy. It was a blessing that Japanese worked. ...Why does Japanese work, though? Is that... convenience of the plot? Well, if plot convenience is at play, at least give me a cheat ability!
According to what I learned, this town is called Golche. It apparently makes a living mainly from coal mining. By the way, when I asked about "Japan? What's that, something tasty?", they had no idea. I tried asking about America, China, and various European countries, but none rang a bell. When told, "This is the Aijien Continent," I had no clue what that continent was either. Yep, definitely another world, lol.
—How did it come to this—
In any case, even if I'm going to survive in this world, I don't have any money to start with. Without money, I can't eat or stay at an inn. The money I had on me was 3,652 yen. It was my meager life savings, but naturally, it couldn't be used in this world... Dammit, what the hell is a "Jenny"?! Yen should be fine since we're speaking Japanese! This is why I hate fantasy logic...
Complaining won't solve anything. It doesn't change the fact that I'm penniless. I have to work and earn money! ...Though I really don't want to do manual labor.
After asking around, I managed to find a workplace with room and board. Digging in the mines and hauling coal. A full-on heavy manual labor job, thank you very much. Well, beggars can't be choosers. They hired a suspicious stranger who couldn't even read the local writing or provide identification. They provide three meals a day, so I really can't complain...
And just like that, half a year flew by. Honestly, it's surprising. I want to pat myself on the back. To think I actually endured six months in an environment like this.
At first, I was a completely useless deadweight. After just the first day, my body was wrecked. I couldn't even eat properly. The next day, I had such excruciating muscle soreness that I could barely move, and the foreman yelled at me relentlessly. Somehow, I managed not to get fired. When I clung to the foreman in tears, begging that I'd have nowhere else to go if he kicked me out, he somehow showed mercy.
...Though he made sure to dock my pay!
After two or three months, I started getting used to the job. Or rather, I felt like I had gained a substantial amount of strength. Sure, I was doing physical labor, and without junk food my body was naturally getting conditioned, but did muscles always develop this easily?
At least in my original world, that wouldn't happen. Is this what they call the "isekai buff"? Maybe one of these days I'll get to live out the dream of being completely overpowered (Ore TUEEEEEE!).
...Well, among my mining coworkers, I'm still on the scrawny side, though.
Another year or so passed after that. By the way, this world also has 365 days a year and 12 months in a year, just like back home.
Still, as I thought before, it's amazing that I've survived for over a year in this kind of place. After all, there's no internet, no TV, and no manga. For someone who considered himself a bit of an otaku, it's been pretty rough. But humans are adaptable creatures. "Any port in a storm" or "Home is where you make it"—the ancients really knew what they were talking about. I've even learned to read the unfamiliar script. Though even when I understand the letters, the sentences feel like they're entirely written in phonetic hiragana, making them a pain to read.
My physical strength has increased considerably, but after reaching a certain point, my growth hit a plateau. It feels less like I've reached my ceiling and more like the workload isn't intense enough anymore. Maybe if I worked while wearing body weights, I'd gain even more power. Not that I'm going to do that, though—it sounds exhausting. My current strength is more than enough for this job anyway. It's not like I have a Demon Lord to defeat; there are no Demon Lords in this world. There do seem to be Magical Beasts, though—classic fantasy world.
I've gotten on good terms with my coworkers, and I've even got juniors working under me now. Nowadays, my greatest joy in life is having drinks and placing casual bets with my colleagues after work. ...Hm? Underage drinking? Who cares, 15-year-old kids drink booze in this town all the time. Different world, different laws. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Self-defense complete.
While drinking and gambling with my buddies as usual, some unsettling rumors reached my ears. Apparently, the mayor of this city was murdered by an assassin. Whoa, assassins actually exist here? Well, maybe they exist in the real world too if you look hard enough, but in a fantasy world, it's basically par for the course. Magical beasts exist, after all.
Rumor had it that the assassin might be from the legendary Zoldyck Family.
I see, the legendary assassination family, the Zoldycks, huh? Sounds pretty chuunibyou, hahaha.
...
...Zoldyck?? ...Seriously?
...Apparently, this world is the world of HUNTER×HUNTER. Or at least, an extraordinarily similar world.
When I investigated afterwards, terms like "Hunter" and "Hunter Association" popped up left and right. Thinking back, the currency unit "Jenny" is identical to HUNTER×HUNTER, and the common world script is called the "Hunter Alphabet."
No wonder my strength increased so rapidly. It really lives up to the meme that the air itself contains protein. It's almost definitively the world of HUNTER×HUNTER.
How on earth did I not realize this for a whole year and a half? Am I an idiot? ...No, I was just desperate to survive. It couldn't be helped; anyone could make a slip-up like that.
Now then, having realized that this is the world of HUNTER×HUNTER, what should I do?
Honestly, this world is dangerous as hell. It's a land packed to the brim with death flags.
Living an ordinary civilian life might be fine, but if you get involved with the main plot, your mortality rate skyrockets. This is a series where even fan-favorite characters get their heads separated from their shoulders. Getting involved leads to nothing good.
Does that mean I shouldn't get involved at all? Not necessarily. There are definite merits to stepping in.
First, let's list the pros and cons of getting involved with the canon plot.
Pros:
1. I might be able to return to my original world.
That's right—if this is the HUNTER×HUNTER world, Greed Island must exist. If I can use the cards found there, there's a chance I could go back home. And to obtain those cards, tagging along with the main protagonists is probably the best route. I have no illusions of clearing the game solo. Riding Gon and crew's coattails is the smartest move. Though if I want to go home, I'd need to convince Bisky to hand over her planned clear reward card.
2. I can see iconic scenes from the manga unfold right before my eyes in real life.
Honestly, I love HUNTER×HUNTER. I'm especially fond of Nen. You can develop your own unique ability, and depending on your power, you can even take down opponents out of your league. It's not a world where pure talent is everything (though talent certainly helps). Nen's mechanics might have been retconned in, but there are remarkably few plot holes or forced explanations. Certain ninja or shinigami series could take a page out of its book. In any case, experiencing a favorite work firsthand is incredibly appealing.
3. I can meet my favorite characters.
This overlaps with point #2, but I'd get to meet my favorites. Especially the female characters! Just once, I want to meet gorgeous, cute women like Machi, Shizuku, Bisky, Ponzu, and Neon. Unlike the manga, this world isn't 2D—it's 3D. Naturally, no one around me has anime face proportions; everyone looks like real human beings from our world. You could call it the live-action version of HUNTER×HUNTER.
Which means the original characters must also be 3D. They're guaranteed to be beautiful! If I play my cards right, maybe I could even... though they're far too dangerous to make a move on! Hitting on Machi or Shizuku would mean instant death. Unless I acquire combat power on Hisoka's level, it's hopeless. As for Bisky... looking is enough. She's cute, but, well, her true form... yeah. Neon is out of the question too—touching her means going to war with the Mafia. The risk is way too high. The only realistic possibility is someone like Ponzu. Even though Machi is my absolute favorite...
Cons:
1. Extremely high risk of death.
Seriously crawling with death flags. In the original story, the only arcs without glaring death flags are probably the Zoldyck Family Visit arc and the Heaven's Arena arc. Aside from those, the chances of getting up close and personal with the Grim Reaper are ridiculous. The Chimera Ant arc in particular is hopeless. How are you even supposed to beat the King? That guy definitely wandered into the wrong franchise. His power level is easily Class-B demon or higher. He could probably body Raditz without breaking a sweat. Someone call in a demonized Spirit Detective, please—that might actually win.
2. ...None.
Aside from dying, there are no other downsides. Yep.
Intervening in the canon plot carries a high risk of death, but the rewards are delicious. Above all, the possibility of returning home is huge. Even though I've grown accustomed to this world, I still miss home. There's no Japanese food here, and doing manual labor every single day is wearing me down...
Shoot, the moment I realized I might be able to go back, the homesickness hit me like a truck. I want to eat white rice! I want to surf the internet! I want to play video games! I want to read manga! I want to goof off with my friends! ...I want to see my family...
...Alright, I'm going to intervene in the canon plot!
Sure, I might die, but I possess a weapon that nobody else has: canon knowledge. If I utilize this knowledge effectively, my chances of navigating various death flags will rise significantly.
I don't know what year it is currently, but if it's before the start of the original story, as long as I train my body and master Nen, I should at least be able to handle the Hunter Exam. After that... well, I'll adapt to the situation as it comes. It might sound overly optimistic, but I feel like it'll work out somehow. All I have to do is avoid ever encountering the Chimera Ants. Once the Greed Island arc wraps up, I'll be saying goodbye to this world anyway.
Plus, maybe I can get close to Ponzu by teaching her Nen or something, and if things go well, maybe, just maybe...!!
To think the day would come where I lose my virginity to a manga character! (Assuming everything goes flawlessly).
Alright, it's decided! I'm going to intervene in the canon plot, and I am going to lose my virginity!!!
(Completely oblivious to the fact that his priorities have shifted).
...Or so I foolishly thought at the time.
Current Date: February 7, 1872.
Time remaining until the start of the original story: roughly 127 years...
Canon plot? What's that? Something tasty?
...... It's over.