My alarm goes off, and I could only grind my teeth. I knew I had to get up, but my body protested even the idea. But as I opened my eyes, I saw a blue screen floating in midair. I looked in disbelief—was this real? I sat up and watched as the blue screen shifted in midair to stay in the center of my vision.
I rubbed my eyes. Is this real? I reached out to touch the blue screen, but I watched as my hand passed straight through it. This is a hallucination, isn't it? That's the last time I stay up late reading manga online—but even as I spoke those words, I knew they were a lie. This was a morning tradition of mine: to promise to stop, and then do it all over again the next night. But had it really gotten so bad that I started hallucinating?
I put on a clean shirt and grabbed my phone. Saturday. But as I turned to leave, I saw the door slam open. And there stood a redhead, her leg outstretched in a kick, a coffee cup balanced perfectly in her hand.
"Hey, loser. Mom sent me up to get you."
A breath escaped me, and my shoulders sagged as I watched her leave. How troublesome. Never let it be said that I didn't love my adoptive sister, but her personality was like gasoline near an open fire.
My attention returned to the blue screen. Is this just my new normal? Oh well, might as well make my way downstairs before Kusina comes and drags me kicking and screaming. It wasn't fun the first time, and it won't be this time.
As I walked, I shot glances at the blank screen. It looked exactly like one of those system screens from the manga I read. If this is a hallucination of me having a system, it sucks. But as if that was the trigger, letters began to appear.
"Greetings, selected host. You have been found worthy and have been selected for evolution."
And there's the rest of my hallucination.
"Correction, host. System is not a hallucination."
Great. My hallucination talks back.
"First mission has been assigned."
As I read those words, my body began to glow—and seconds later, I disappeared.
.