Chapter 154: Omake[Non-Canon]: Glass Box

"W-What the heck happened...?" Zenkichi groaned as he opened his eyes, feeling his body aching with pain for a moment before his regeneration kicked in.

To his surprise, he found himself in a public park, on a metal bench. The area looked peaceful and familiar. In fact, looking around closely, it was a park he once frequented in his hometown!

Did he returned home? Zenkichi thought as he sat up and rubbed his head in confusion.

'The last thing I remembered was fighting against Envy in the underworld....and an intense bright white light appeared in the middle of our fight.' He shook his head and called up on his system.

'System, question. Why am I back home?'

[Answer: You are not home, user.]

Zenkichi blinked. 'What? Uh, do I have to be specific? System, why am I back in my home world?'

[Answer: You are not in your home world, user.]

'...System, please be specific.' Zenkichi felt a sinking feeling in his gut.

[Answer: You are in a world similar to yours; one that didn't have the original Zenkichi Hitoyoshi die and a soul from another world occupy his body and awakened a system.]

"What?!" Zenkichi shot up to his feet with a dumbfounded expression.

"System, are you messing with me right now? This....you can't possibly be saying that this is some kind of parallel world, right?" He mumbled, pacing back and forth as the reality of the situation started to sink in.

[Answer: Affirmative—This is a parallel world.]

Zenkichi paused, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "You gotta be kidding me... alright, alright." He groaned, sitting back down on the bench and contemplated on his situation.

"Get it together. I've dealt all kinds of weird and terrifying situations before, how could an alternate timeline or parallel world compare?"

Zenkichi pursed his lips with an audible pop and asked inwardly, 'System, how did I wound myself here?' he furrowed his brows. 'Are my mysterious sponsors the ones behind this?'

[Answer: Negative, user. You were caught in a space-time storm during your battle with the Ancient Monster Envy. The storm was a side effect of the immense energy generated in the clash, distorting the fabric of space-time and displacing you into this parallel reality.]

Zenkichi sighed deeply, leaning back against the bench. "A space-time storm.... that's a thing? Huh. I guess that explains the bright light."

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to process everything.

"So... I'm stuck here. In a world where the 'me' from here is still living a normal life without the system or any of the chaos." He muttered, mostly to himself, but the system within him took it as a question for itself to answer.

[Answer: Affirmative. The 'original' Zenkichi Hitoyoshi in this world has not experienced the same events as you. His life has progressed normally as it should've been.]

Zenkichi frowned, rubbing his chin. "Alright, first things first, I need to figure out how to get the hell out of this world. System, a little help?"

[Generating Questline...]

[Ding! New daily draw available!]

[Ding! New Quest available!]

<Quest: Unboxing Thy Fate>

—Objective: Change the fate of this world's Zenkichi Hitoyoshi

Reward: Return to the Nasuverse, ???

"...What?" Zenkichi stared at the blue screen in front of him in complete shock. "You want me to do what?!"

[Explanation: Changing the course of this world's Zenkichi Hitoyoshi will create a divergence significant enough to trigger an anomaly in the space-time continuum. This anomaly may open a pathway for you to return to your original world, or potentially the Nasuverse.]

Zenkichi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait—you're telling me I have to mess with this world's me just to get home? Isn't that....I don't know, dangerous?"

[Answer: There is a calculated risk. However, affecting this world's Zenkichi will create enough of a ripple to alter the current trajectory of fate, giving you a chance to escape.]

Zenkichi groaned, pacing once again. "I can't just mess up someone's life like that. Even if he's an alternate version of me, he's still... me."

'The original...' He silently added in his mind, but that's a can of worms that he didn't want to open again.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, "I don't have a choice, either way. I have to go back as quickly I can. I still have to help Gudako and save her world from incineration."

He slapped his face with his palms and determinedly said, "Alright! I gotta do this! I have to do this! Yeah!"

"Hitoyoshi, what are you doing?"

'That voice...!' Zenkichi froze and he slowly turned his head. "N-Nekomi?!"

Standing a few feet away from him was a familiar girl with green hair, a cattish face, and wearing the Hakoniwa Academy's girl uniform.

Nekomi tilted her head, closed eyes and a mischievous and curious grin on her face, she then asks, "Hm? My, Zenkichi~ I didn't know we we're close enough to call each other by our first names. Oh, and, since you called me by my first name I'm gonna have to call you Zenkichi too, right?"

Nekomi Nabeshima, the former Judo captain and his girlfriend...well, in his world that is. Zenkichi quickly realized that the Nekomi he was speaking with was from this world.

'What are the chances?!' Zenkichi thought, sweat dropped and said. "I...I'm sorry, I'm just surprised to see you here."

He narrowed his eyes. "Actually, why aren't you in school? Isn't it way past the morning first class?"

Nekomi chuckled and said, "I could say the same thing to you, tardy pants~ What are you doing in this park?" She then looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow. "Damn, you look good. When did you get a full-on makeover?"

"....Training. I got all this through training."

She blinked, surprised by the immediate response. "Training? What for?"

"What do you think?" Zenkichi said, dodging the question.

"Hmm." Nekomi hummed, rubbing her chin as she eyed at him suspiciously. "Well, I did hear a rumour that you and the rest of the Student Council are fighting against the new transfer students and the guy who easily wiped us off back in the clocktower."

'Huh? The clocktower? Hm. I think she, my...counterpart and their friends here might have already dealt with the Flask Plan incident. Did they also deal with the Ultimates?' Zenkichi has so many questions, but they weren't really important.

Right now, he needs to find this world's Zenkichi.

'And I think I know where he might be.'

"Nekomi, do you know where Medaka is right now?" Zenkichi asked.

"Huh? You don't know?"

"Haha. Yeah....I kinda forgot to bring my phone with me, so I can't contact Medaka. Can you...?" Zenkichi sheepishly said.

Albeit a little confused, Nekomi shrugged and brought out her phone. "Eh, sure. You helped me out a lot after all, I think it's about time I return the favor."

Zenkichi sweatdropped. "It's just a phone call though..."

"And you know how much it costs?"

"I don't know, a 100 yen?"

Nekomi waved her hand at him dismissedly. "Eh, close enough. But even so! It costs money and I need all the money for college. Now shush, I'm calling your girlfriend!"

"She's not my—"

"Abababa! Shush!" Nekomi cut him off, raising a finger to her lips as she pressed her phone to her ear. Zenkichi sighed, rubbing his temples.

'Some things never change, no matter the world,' he thought, a soft smile playing on his lips as he watched Nekomi chat away on the phone. He made him miss his Nekomi, his girlfriend, and felt a mix of nostalgia, longing and guilt well up inside him.

'I'm gonna buy her a present when I come back,' He thought to himself.

"Uhuh. Got it, Kurokami~ Bye~" Nekomi hung up the phone with a satisfied grin, turning back to Zenkichi. "Alright, Medaka says she's waiting in the Student Council office alongside the others. You should head over there if you want to find her."

Zenkichi nodded, "Thanks, Nekomi. I owe you one."

Nekomi waved him off with a playful smirk. "Don't sweat it. Also, I'm coming along with you. I also want to....give something to Kurokami, and yes, I want to give it to her in person."

'That look in her eyes; it's the same look she gets when she's expecting something amusing....Ah, I see. My other self is probably with Medaka, so when Nekomi says she wants to "give something" to Medaka, it's probably more about seeing what happens between us. Typical Nekomi.'

Zenkichi sighed internally but gave her a nonchalant shrug. "Alright, sure. Let's go together, then."

The two headed towards the academy leisurely. Zenkichi decided to passed the time chatting with Nekomi about any recent news in the academy.

"Huh. So Itami is under the care of Maguro in the old school building along with Youka? Damn. That's gonna be a nightmare for them, especially Youka." Zenkichi chuckled, recalling Maguro's very....unique personality.

Maguro Kurokami, the older brother of Medaka Kurokami and the biggest siscon that he had ever known—had been presumed to be missing for a year.

Zenkichi had only met with the man a few times during his middle school year and heard about his disappearance when he was about to move up to highschool. Hearing that he had been living in Hakoniwa Academy's old school building all this time... honestly, it really didn't surprise him.

Maguro was just that weird in his opinion, more so than just your typical siscon.

Nekomi giggled, "True, I heard about his "illness" and about Naze's true identity. So it's going to be hell for her. But considering she mostly directed the whole Flask Plan....eh, she deserves it."

"Please don't talk about her like that."

Nekomi frowned. "Why not?"

Zenkichi smirked, "Because she'll like it. Do you know why she left her family and home? Because she wanted to experience hell, to feel hell that she wouldn't be able to in her luxurious and well-off life, only by doing so would she proclaimed herself as a true genius."

Nekomi's mouth hung open. "Wow....okay, yeah. She's a total masochist if she went this far to say she's a true genius." She glanced to the side and said, "Oh! We're here!"

"Looks like it," Zenkichi said and a smile crept onto his face as they reached the Student Council office. The familiar building felt oddly nostalgic, even in this parallel world.

He took a deep breath and tried to push aside his swirling thoughts.

With Empathy skill, he could already tell that Medaka, Kikaijima, Akune?, and... himself were waiting in the student council room warily.

It was weird feeling the emotions of his...other self. It was like looking at a stranger yet strangely familiar, as if he were peering into a mirror that reflected both himself and someone entirely different. His other self's emotions were a swirl of wariness, confusion, and a hint of curiosity.

Zenkichi couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by it all.

It wasn't every day you confronted another version of yourself.

"Well, this is it," Zenkichi muttered, glancing at Nekomi. "So, ready to see how this is going to unfold?"

Nekomi grinned, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Oh, you bet." She sighed, raising her hands resignedly. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you, so, when did you know?"

Zenkichi smiled. "Since the beginning. You just had that look in yours eyes whenever you want to see something interesting or amusing."

Nekomi opened her closed eyes, blinking in confusion, and pulled up a mirror. "I do? Huh? But...I try to close my eyes all the time like those mysterious characters in manga and anime!"

Zenkichi chuckled and rubbed her head affectionately, "Well, in my world, I just know you a lot."

"Huh? In your world...?"

Zenkichi smiled and turned to open the doors of the student council room, pushing them open with a steady hand. As the doors creaked, revealing the familiar faces of the Student Council, the air inside was thick with tension.

Medaka sat at the center of her usual seat, exuding her usual confidence, while Akune and Kikaijima were seated, their eyes flickering with curiosity and suspicion.

Seeing Akune as part of the student council put Zenkichi a bit off, considering he put him in the hospital and hasn't been discharged in his world. Did this world's Zenkichi not beat him to near death?

'And there he is...' Zenkichi eyed his other self, looking shock and dumbfounded as he stood up from his seat.

"W-What? How is this possible?!" Hitoyoshi exclaimed as he stared at Zenkichi with wide eyes.

"Damn, Hitoyoshi. I didn't know you had a twin," Akune said, despite the teasing tone in his voice, there was the unmistakable wariness and edge in his eyes.

Kikaijima fixed her glasses and added, "I concur, although, this one seems to look more...handsome than the one we have here."

"Oi!" Hitoyoshi glared at her, Kikaijima blew a raspberry at him.

All the while, Medaka remained calm and composed, watching the interaction with an unreadable expression. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes shifting between Zenkichi and his counterpart.

"Zenkichi," Medaka began, talking to the one near her. "Why haven't I heard about this twin of yours? We've been childhood friends for so long!"

Hitoyoshi face planted onto the desk, with Nekomi, Kikaijima and Akune palming their faces.

Zenkichi chuckled, "Medaka, I don't think this is the best time to joke around. Also, it was kinda stale."

Medaka tilted her head, "Really? Hmm. Looks like I have to read more comedy books and attend stand-up comedy."

"Please....don't..." Hitoyoshi said, groaning. He shook his head and turned towards Zenkichi, pointing his finger at him. "You! Who are you?! Are you another Minus? An ability that can turn into me or something? Answer us!"

Zenkichi blankly stared at him for a moment and....decided to mess with him a little.

[The End + Divine Reflection+God Mode(Sun)]

Zenkichi's blond hair grew and turned jet-black, his blue and red eyes turned completely red with celtic cross pupils.

A divine aura started emanating from his body, putting everyone else in the room on edge.

'I can't move...!' They all thought, shocked.

'His ability...I can't copy it...?!' Medaka was shocked for a different matter.

Zenkichi spread his hands apart and a golden halo appeared behind him, as if he was an apostle that was given divine enlightenment from God.

"Zenkichi Hitoyoshi. It has been many, many years...but I have descended upon the mortal realm to correct a mistake."

"W-What?" Hitoyoshi sputtered, completely dumbfounded.

"I am a messenger from Takamagahara, a messenger of the God of Love. He has ordered me to tell you that he apologizes for the mishap of your love life." Zenkichi solemnly said, trying his best to keep a straight face.

"Eh?" Hitoyoshi, Nekomi, Akune, Kikaijima, and Medaka stared at Zenkichi in stunned silence.

The atmosphere in the room had shifted dramatically, and the divine aura surrounding Zenkichi was causing a palpable tension.

Hitoyoshi's jaw dropped as he tried to process what he was hearing. "W-Wait, are you serious? This is some kind of joke, right?"

Zenkichi maintained his solemn expression, his voice unwavering. "It is not a joke. The God of Love has taken notice of your struggles and seeks to make amends. Your hardships were unforeseen, and it is time for restitution."

"As you have noticed in your whole life, you have not received any love letters or love confessions. Nor has there any girl that seemed to show any interest in you."

Hitoyoshi was about to retort, saying that he had someone he loved so he didn't care about other girls, but paused.

Not just because his crush was sitting near him, but also because the messenger with a similar face to him—was completely right!

Even if he wasn't pursuing anyone in school and his previous ones, others girls would've at least shown some interest on him! Sure, he had a dark history in middle school, but so did Akune!

And yet, even during his time as the destroyer, Akune still had numerous admirers!

As someone who's constantly in the know of rumors in school, he would've known if someone had taken a liking to him.

But no, no one did! Not a single girl had taken fancy on him!

"N-No way..." Hitoyoshi took a hard hit to his heart, sinking down on his seat.

"Damn man," Akune placed a hand over his shoulder, giving his condolence. Though the slight smirk on his face was unmistakable.

"Pfft." Both Kikaijima and Nekomi snickered, not looking at anyone.

Medaka on the other hand...looked strangely blank faced.

That's because unbeknownst to everyone, she had been the main cause of any girl that would've had interest on Hitoyoshi disappeared quickly—either out of fear of her background or inferiority complex from her voluptuous figure.

Zenkichi ignored their remarks and continued, "Ever since the birth of mortals, their destiny has mostly been written, and obviously so does their love life. All of you have heard of soulmates, right?"

They nodded, listening in attentively.

"Now typically, someone could only have one soulmate in their whole lifetime. But..."

Zenkichi paused for a moment, causing them to be nervous.

Honestly, he just paused for a moment because he was about to burst out laughing but just stopped in time.

He took a deep breath and deeply stated,

"Well, to put it simply, the God of Love messed up writing Zenkichi Hitoyoshi's love bond and now he's going to have 100 soulmates! Congratulations! You shall now have a 100 girlfriends! Or wives really."

"....WHAT?!"

...

AN: The ending was inspired by the manga/anime called "The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You". The premise is weird, I know, but it's strangely entertaining and wholesome.

Honestly, I was just going to go with the troupe of Devil's Luck Zenkichi arriving at a critical moment to save the day and shock everyone, especially that he was from another reality....

But nah, that would've been so boring! It was more fun to write it this way, trolling the OG cast all the way.

❄️Shout-outs to the best Reincarnators who arrived in my patreon!

•Lustful-Angel96

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❄️A bigger shout out to the ones who ascended to become a One Above All!! The GOATS! THE MAJESTIES!!

•Tyler Dann

•Albert Jojo

•Adrian Durand

•Orion Chung

•Gilgamos

•swift arrow

•Uncle father

•Micell Kaing

•joao goncalves

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