Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter 1 - PrologueA young man writhed on his bed.

The moonlight that seeped through the window curtain to the left of his bed shined upon him, illuminating his fair face, his disheveled short black hair, his black shirt-clad body that was no longer covered by the duvet he kicked off during the struggle, and the glimmering sweat that covered his entire body.

Suddenly, the young man jumped in a fluster and sat up with a gasp, heaving for air.

"Hah... Hah... Hah... W-What was that- Uuugh!"

A sharp pain suddenly assaulted his mind, hitting him like an intense migraine. He clenched his eyes shut and teeth together, and held either side of his temple tightly, trying to withstand the pain.

But the pain suddenly subsided as swiftly as it appeared as a soothing, warm sensation washed away the pain as if it never existed.

"W-What just happened...?"

His hands dropped to his lap. He was just sleeping just now. He was having a dream he couldn't recall before he was suddenly awakened by this intense pain in his head.

He looked around his room, wondering if something hit his head while he was asleep, causing that intense pain.

But, he found nothing. It was still the bedroom he had been living in for the past 11 years after being adopted by his stepmother and entering her and her twin daughters' family. It was still in the state he left it before he went to sleep.

He let out a sigh and turned towards his desk at the top of his bed to look at his alarm clock.

"It's still 4:am huh...? Hm?"

With his room dimly Illuminated by the moonlight, he noticed something on his desk. An unfamiliar item.

"What is that...?"

He stood up, picked it up from his desk, and sat back down on the edge of his bed, looking at the unfamiliar, yet strangely beautiful smartphone in his hand.

It has a stylish design that he had never seen before. Its surface was smooth, clear, and immaculate, enough to reflect his countenance perfectly like a mirror.

He turned it around to its sides and back. There were four camera lenses at the top right part of the rounded-corner rectangle, arranged in a square. While on its side, there were only two long, slim buttons to increase and decrease the volume and a button with a lock icon on it. There was no charging port, earphone jacks, nor speakers.

A look of confusion painted his face. It was certainly a cool-looking phone, the coolest he had ever seen. But it was... strange. How could he even charge it if there was no charging port?

Upon closer inspection, he realized there was no brand nor any signs of its manufacturer's number or the sorts.

"Just what in the world is this phone...? Is it a toy...? Did Yuna or Nina left it behind accidentally? Or could it be mom...?"

He stared at it for a moment, and just as he was deliberating to ask Yuna, Nina, and his mom about it in the morning, the screen suddenly turned on with a line of message and two options displayed on the sky blue wallpaper.

[Do you wish to join the Multiverse Group Chat?]

[Yes] / [No]

"....What?"

With his mind still in a state of daze from being woken up abruptly from his good night's sleep with intense pain, he didn't know what to make of it.

In all honesty, everything that is happening right now feels like a fever dream... If it wasn't for the fact that he suffered from that intense pain, he would've believed that this is all a dream.

He looked at the screen of the phone and thought for a moment.

...I'm curious. I'm super curious...

Judging by "Group Chat" part of the title, it seems to be a messaging app that has started becoming more and more popular recently along with the rise of smartphones.

However, as for the "Multiverse" part... He couldn't exactly recall it, but there was something in the back of his mind telling him that he knew about it.

Hah... I feel like I'm forgetting something again. It has been a while since I felt this way...

He sighed and plopped back down on his bed.

Ever since he was young, for as long as he remembers, there had been times when some things would trigger something in his mind.

It felt like Deja vu... He felt like he knew about it. That he was familiar with it, but no matter how long, he couldn't recall the exact memory of what it was. It happened when he first met his mother and twin sisters. It happened when he met some of his friends. Even when he read light novels, manga, or watched anime, he would feel a sense of deja vu.

He felt like he knew them, but he would always fail to remember it, and that feeling would disappear as quickly as it appeared.

These deja vu occurrences had become rarer and rarer in the past few years. He almost even forgot about it since it never happened again. That is, until now...

He looked at the screen for a moment, reading that one line over and over before finally, he made his decision.

...Sure, let's just join this chat group. Why not? My curiosity wouldn't have allowed me to fall back to sleep anyway.

He sat up and tapped [Yes] on the smartphone.

The message disappeared before another message appeared, replacing it.

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Welcome to the Multiverse Group Chat!

Congratulations! You have become the first member of the one and only Multiverse Group Chat, a soul-bound divine application and device connecting individuals of various universes and worlds!

Other members will join you shortly! In the meantime, the [Chat], [Mission], [Shop], [Gacha], and [Inventory] features have now been unlocked! Please feel free to explore the application to your content!

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"..."

If he was feeling dazed before, the message he's reading right now certainly snapped him out of it.

His eyes widened in shock. He read the message over and over, but he was still unable to process what just happened.

Wait... Soul-bound divine application...? Worlds? Universes? What the hell...? Is this real...?

He read it over, trying to memorize its content before closing the message. But just as he was about to look into the Multiverse Group Chat, he became distracted.

He knew about smartphones since his mom was a very successful investor in the technological field, and smartphones have been all the rage recently. They've been becoming more and more popular lately and have started replacing phones due to how convenient and advanced they are.

He, personally, didn't have one yet, nor did his sisters. In his family, only his mother had one since she needed it for her work. She had promised, however, to buy each of them the same one as hers. The newest product and most advanced type of the most popular brand of smartphone in Japan, iApple.

But this one was even more advanced than that! No, it couldn't even be compared to a regular smartphone. The specs on this thing far surpassed even his mother's PC, and his mother has a powerful PC for her work.

"T-This is insane... Is this even a technology of this world...?"

Such power in something slightly smaller than his hands... It was not something that should exist in this time and age...

No, I shouldn't be distracted. I need to find out more about the Multiverse Group Chat.

He shook his head and opened the Group Chat application.

Just as the welcoming message had stated, there are five menus in this application; [Chat], [Mission], [Shop], [Gacha], and [Inventory]. They were all lined up at the bottom of the screen with the [Chat] screen displayed above it, taking up the majority of the screen.

He opened up the Group Chat room. There was still no one there.

Hm... I wonder when the others will come...

Just as he was about to look at the other menus first, a notification appeared on the screen.

[*Ding!* "EdgyZero" has joined the Multiverse Group Chat!]

[*Ding!* "SisconMahesvara" has joined the Multiverse Group Chat!]

...What?

Contrary to his expectations, the names, or hopefully, the nicknames of his fellow Multiverse Group Chat members were... far beyond his expectations. They were... very unique.

EdgyZero: "Hello? Is anyone here?"

EdgyZero: "Wait, why is my name like this?!"

SisconMahesvara: "Hello. It seems I wasn't the only one here."

EdgyZero: "Uhm... SisconMahesvara-san...? Do you know anything about this Multiverse Chat Group...? This device just suddenly appeared on my bedside. I do not know who this belongs to or what this means..."

SisconMahesvara: "I'm not sure, EdgyZero-san. This device also suddenly appeared on the dining table in my living room. I do not know anything about this, however, it seemed to belong to us now..."

EdgyZero: "Hm... Judging by the name, at least my own, I can see how it correlates to me, albeit in an insulting manner."

SisconMahesvara: "I agree."

[*Ding!* "SalarymanTurnOverlord" has joined the Multiverse Group Chat!]

SalarymanTurnOverlord: "Uhm... I found this smartphone in front of my apartment door. Does anyone know who this belongs to...?"

SalarymanTurnOverlord: "Eh? This nickname seems weird..."

SisconMahesvara: "It seems more are joining as well."

SisconMahesvara: "SalarymanTurnOverlord-san, I believe you are now the owner of this smartphone and a member of this Multiverse Group Chat, just like the rest of us."

EdgyZero: "Yes. We also do not know what is going on..."

SalarymanTurnOverlord: "Eh?! I-Is that true? I-I didn't really read welcoming message, so I really don't know what's going on!"

[*Ding!* "PervertedGirl" has joined the Multiverse Group Chat!]

PervertedGirl: "Helloo~ I found this phone in my school bag, so if anyone knows who this belongs to, please tell me~ Also, I'm sorry if I accidentally made you join a group~ I needed to enter so I can ask someone who this belongs to~"

PervertedGirl: "Oh~ There's people here already. Do any of you know who this belongs to?"

PervertedGirl: "Pfft! Also, your names are hilarious!"

EdgyZero: "You're one to talk."

PervertedGirl: "Ahahaha~ I don't mind this nickname~ It is true, after all! That means, your nicknames are also true!"

EdgyZero: "I'm not edgy."

SisconMahesvara: "I am not a siscon as well."

SalarymanTurnOverlord: "Uhm, as for me, I am a salaryman. But I don't know what it means by 'turn overlord'..."

PervertedGirl: "Oh really~"

PervertedGirl: "Wait... Then is the owner of this smartphone also a perverted girl like me?"

SisconMahesvara: "No, I believe you are the owner of this smartphone. At least, you are now."

EdgyZero: "Yes. It seems the same thing happened to all of us. We all coincidentally found this smartphone and entered this Multiverse Group Chat."

PervertedGirl: "Eh?! You mean it's not just an advertisement?!"

As the other members of the group chat began discussing their current situation, he stared at the screen of his smartphone, thinking deeply as he watched messages after messages appearing in the chat room.

"This Multiverse Group Chat... Are they really from a world in a universe different from this one...? No, are there even other worlds...?"

The premise of being transported or reincarnated into another world of fantasy was not unheard of by any means. As someone who would occasionally read some light novels and manga or watch anime, the concept of another world was, at most, fiction to him.

But for it to happen in real life would be... impossible, right? It was all supposed to be a work of fiction. How could it happen in real life?

He contemplated for a moment and focused back on the discussions in the Group Chat.

He could certainly wait for them to give him the answer and not say anything, but he had been rude enough for not saying anything until now. If he was a member of this group chat, then it was only polite to greet them.

He took a deep breath and began typing his greetings.

H-AnimeProtagonist: "Hello. Forgive me for not joining in this conversation earlier. I was quite shocked and confused by everything that was happening..."

The moment his message appeared, he froze at the sight of his own nickname in the group chat.

H-AnimeProtagonist: "Wait, what's with this name?!?!"

H-AnimeProtagonist?! He couldn't believe this multiverse Group Chat thing! He is not the protagonist of a hentai anime! He's not a protagonist of any anime!!!

He had to admit. Being the stepson of a transcendently beautiful stepmother, a brother to a pair of gorgeous twin step-sisters, and a nephew to a hot and sexy step aunt was an extremely convenient setting for a hentai anime. But it's something that only happens in fiction!

He never had any sexual relationship with them at all, unfortunate as it was!


PervertedGirl: "PFFT!!! AHAHAHAHAA! WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE WITH AN AMUSING NAME!!! ARE YOU REALLY A HENTAI ANIME PROTAGONIST?!?!?!"

H-AnimeProtagonist: "NO I'M NOT! Ugh... Is there any way to change the name?"

SisconMahesvara: "Hm... One moment."

He also started to look for a way to change this ridiculous nickname. Now, he felt bad for finding their names amusing. Karma really hit him hard on this one, because his name was the worst of them all!

Shiba Tatsuya: "There we go. We can change it through our profile like usual. Thankfully it is not permanent."

Thank God!

He sighed in relief.

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "There we go... Thank you, Tatsuya-san."

Lelouch Lamperouge: "This is better. Thank you for saving us from such embarrassing nicknames, Tatsuya-san."

Suzuki Satoru: "Yes, thank you very much."

Kiryuu Aika: "Awwww~ Well, I guess this is much better for us to get to know each other."

Shiba Tatsuya: "No problem."

Wait... These names... I feel like I've heard of them before...

Yuuji thought for a moment before his gaze landed on his bookshelves.

He stood up from his bed and quickly began rummaging around, skimming through his collections of light novels before he finally found four series having a character with the same name as his fellow Multiverse Group Chat members.

As I thought... They're all characters from light novels, anime, and mangas!

Yes, there was a possibility of them coincidentally having the same names as these characters. But, after reading that first message from the Multiverse Group Chat and the sudden appearance of this smartphone with sci-fi level of advanced technology, he was starting to believe it...

Suzuki Satoru: "Uhm, I have something to ask... Is everything written in that message true...? Are you all from different... universes?"

Lelouch Lamperouge: "I'm not sure... Perhaps we're only living in different countries. I am living in Area 11. It was a country called Japan before Britannia occupied it."

Suzuki Satoru: "Eh? I am living in Japan as well, but what is Britannia...?"

Shiba Tatsuya: "So am I. I don't know what Britannia is."

Kiryuu Aika: "Me too. I have no idea what Britannia is, but I also live in Japan. Do you know anything about it, Yuuji-san?"

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Please feel free to call me Yuuji. After all, aside from Satoru-san, it seems we are all the same age."

Suzuki Satoru: "Eh? H-How do you know...?"

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "It seems the welcoming message displayed when we first entered is true..."

Shiba Tatsuya: "Hm, I'm also starting to believe it... I have no recollection of any country called Britannia. The only thing I know about the name is that it is the name of the national personification of ancient Britain in the form of a helmeted female warrior with a trident."

Lelouch Lamperouge: "I see..."

Suzuki Satoru: "T-Then, is Lelouch the only one in a different world? I mean, we are all in Japan, right?"

Shiba Tatsuya: "No. There is no guarantee of that. Just like Lelouch, we may be living in different versions of Japan in different worlds."

Kiryuu Aika: "That's true..."

Suzuki Satoru: "Eh? Uhm... Then does that mean you don't know about the DMMORPG Yggdrasil?"

Kiryuu Aika: "No. I've never heard of it."

Lelouch Lamperouge: "I have never heard of it as well."

Shiba Tatsuya: "Neither do I. It seems that you were right, Yuuji. Judging by these differences in our version of Japan, we are indeed living in different worlds... As unbelievable as it is."

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Yes. But, that is not the only basis I have. There is one thing I would like you to see. One moment."

Yuuji quickly downloaded all available volumes of "The Irregular at Magic Highschool", "Overlord", "Highschool DxD" light novels as well as the anime for "Code Geass" into his smartphone and quickly tried to send it to the group chat. He did feel slightly guilty for pirating them, but it is an urgent matter.

Fortunately, everything was downloaded in an instant and he was able to upload it to the Group Chat instantly as well.

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Please take a look at these."

Tsubakihara Yuuji: "These are fictional works in my world, and judging by your names and what you say about your world... I believe these stories will ring a bell to you. Unfortunately, most of them were still ongoing series except for Lelouch's, but I believe these will still help. Perhaps there exists a story in your world with a character who has the same name, background, and character as I am and a world just like the one I'm living in. If anyone knows such a story, I would appreciate it if you can tell me."

The new messages stopped appearing as everyone started to read or watch what Yuuji had sent them.

It would surely be a shocking sight to them. After all, not only were they just hit by the fact that there are multiple worlds, they were also shown a fictional story which they were a character in.

Even Yuuji, who didn't know if there was a story with a character just like him in another world yet, was very nervous and uneasy.

Yuuji waited for a while. But even after tens of minutes passed, there were still no messages.

...Should I try to explore the Multiverse Group Chat for a bit?

Looking at the still unmoving chat room, he decided to go explore the application in the end.

AN: Thank you [j n] for the support in my patr.eon~!!