"You have won ONE BILLION!" a beautiful announcer lady shouted with gleaming joy, her voice echoing across the stage as she held up a giant cheque that nearly dwarfed her in size. Her smile sparkled under the lights as she leaned toward the mic and added cheerfully,
"How does it feel, Mr. Leo?"
Leo smiled softly and stepped forward to touch one edge of the oversized cheque. With a small, humbled breath, he answered, "Wellll, what can I say?... Hmm... Without these people... I would've never even dreamed of touching something like this," he said, his voice slightly cracking with emotion as he pointed toward four figures whose faces were blurred out like glitched pixels on a bad TV channel.
Leo's eyes trembled slightly, and he looked as if he was on the verge of crying. His voice wavered as he tried to speak through the lump in his throat,
"S-So... thank you. Thank you to these unknown angels—whoever the hell you are—thank you for brightening up my life. Thank you so, so much. May God... or whatever the hell you believe in... bless you!" His voice cracked into a whimper as he added a sniffle, "Sniff, sniff..." He rubbed his teary eyes with one hand while the other clung to the cheque's corner like it was his life raft. He began tugging at it ever so slowly, trying to pull it away from the announcer.
Then suddenly—
"Even though you're a total thief, I fell in love with you the moment I saw how gracefully you stole my diamonds! I LOVE YOU!" one of the blurry figures shouted dramatically, throwing out an arm like a theatre performer.
Leo blinked.
Another figure folded her arms, looking off to the side in a huff. "Don't get cocky. Hmph! Just because you saved me doesn't mean I'm impressed. But... I guess I'm a little grateful... maybe."
Leo scratched his head.
"One biiillion~ Please MARRY me!" another figure squealed, twirling like she was in a wedding dress. "I'd LOVE to be knocked out by you~ you know what I mean~ Hehe~" she giggled like an anime fangirl on sugar.
Leo's mouth dropped open. "Knocked out?"
Then the last figure stepped forward, licking her lips slowly. "Hmm... congratulations, Mr. Leo. I thought you were just a scared little kitten, but turns out... you've got some claws." Her voice dripped with seductive as she added,
"Come to Mommy~" And with one swift motion, she ripped off her clothes, "Mommy knows exactly how to graduate you from being Virgin ~ Fu~Fu~"
Leo's face turned the colour of ripe tomatoes as he stumbled back a step, "I—I'm not ready for this! I-I can't take that much—ahaha! I'm just here for the money!" he stammered, laughing nervously while his fingers clung tighter to the cheque like it was a security blanket.
Suddenly, a deep, cold, and raspy voice echoed from just behind his ear.
"Oh? Can't take that much?"
Leo froze. His smile dropped. His neck turned painfully slow, like a malfunctioning animatronic, creaking toward the voice. Right next to him, towering above, was a grotesque monster. Bat wings unfurled like hell's curtains, and a massive jaw opened above his head, dripping saliva like it was hungry...
CHUCKKK!!
THUD!
"Ouch! Damn it!" Leo shouted, clutching his lower back in agony. His eyes shot open as he realised he was on the floor—face twisted in pain—having just rolled off the sofa like a ragdoll.
His blanket had tangled around one leg, and his cheek throbbed from the fall. He winced. "What the hell kind of dream was that?!"
Still half-asleep and groggy, he rubbed his forehead, then his eyes, then his lower back again, "Shit... that escalated way too quickly. First a billion dollars, then... women confessing? Mommy doms? Did I eat something weird again?"
He glanced around the living room. Reality slowly sank in as he noticed the dull light coming through the curtains, the scent of dust and old wood in the air.
Yup, he was still here.
He shook his head, dragging himself up from the floor.
As he sat on the edge of the sofa, trying to collect himself, his memories of the previous day returned—bit by bit—like puzzle pieces falling into place. His expression grew pale.
Pride was still there, sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed and posture perfectly still, as if she were meditating... or in a trance. Or maybe she was just sleeping upright like some weird monk.
Leo frowned and cautiously waved his hand in front of her face.
No response. Not even a twitch.
"Okay... that's either deep meditation or coma-level sleep." He slowly backed away. "Either way, not my problem right now."
His common sense finally kicked in—along with the oh-so-familiar fear crawling down his spine like a spider. He gulped.
"I-I need to leave this place. Immediately."
Sure, he'd made a deal... technically. But come on, this whole thing screamed death trap. And not just any death trap—the spooky, horror-movie opening-scene kind, where the guy dies before the title card.
Leo crept toward the exit with exaggerated steps, careful not to make a sound. As he exited the living room, his eyes caught the landline phone on the nearby table.
"Oh, thank God," he whispered, tiptoeing to it. "At least I can call the bar owner. Maybe he can help me."
He quickly dialled the number he had memorised. The line rang.
Ring... ring...
Click.
Leo instantly spoke, "Owner! It's me, Leo. You have to help me, have you seen—Huh?"
A dry voice replied, "Sorry, wrong number."
Leo blinked. "Wait, isn't this the number for the bar owner? Mr. Sasakura?"
Click.
The call ended. Leo stared at the receiver, his brain stalling.
"...Okay... maybe I dialled it wrong." He checked the number. It was correct. He tried again.
"Wrong number."
His hand began to tremble.
He called another... His coworkers and anyone he knew.
"Gojo?... No, this isn't Gojo. Who?"
Next.
"Sebastian?... You must be mistaken."
Next.
"I am not your grandma, F#######"
Each call added another layer of horror to his face. The numbers worked, but the people on the other end were all strangers.
His voice came out dry. "No. No, no, no. This is not happening."
He slowly set the earpiece down like it was cursed and whispered the one word that might still save him:
"Police."
Even though he hated them, even though he never wanted to deal with them again... this was officially beyond weird. If anyone could fix this twisted mess, it had to be the police. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
He glanced back at the living room. Pride hadn't moved. Still sleeping upright like some Zen statue.
"Okay, let's do this," he whispered to himself, locking the door behind him as he stepped out into the daylight. The sun hit his face like a warm slap, jarring him back to the real world.
People bustled through the streets, walking, laughing, and talking on phones. Everyone looked normal.
No giant monsters, no little weirdos.
He asked a few locals for directions to the nearest police station. They responded politely, and after a short walk, Leo finally arrived at the building that would, hopefully, pull him out of this madness.
Leo gulped hard, feeling the dryness in his throat. "Calm down... It's not like they're going to arrest me the moment I step in... yeah... calm down," he muttered to himself, placing a hand over his pounding chest in a hopeless attempt to slow his heart.
He took one shaky step forward toward the police station's entrance—
"SHOOT THAT BASTARD!"
Leo's soul nearly left his body. His entire posture jerked stiff as he instinctively spun 180 degrees on his foot with an unnaturally calm, blank expression on his face.
"I... I'm terribly sorry, sir," he said, already half-lifting his hands as if surrendering.
But no—thankfully—it wasn't him.
A group of teens came laughing and bolting out from the side, holding what appeared to be a camera. They'd clearly been pranking the police—maybe recording some idiotic video for online clout.
One officer chased after them with pure murder in his eyes.
The grumpy, exhausted-looking police officer near the front entrance growled like a tired bear. His expression soured even more as he spat to the side and muttered, "Bastards... just doing whatever the hell they want these days..."
Then his tired eyes swept the area—and landed squarely on Leo, who was tiptoeing away like a cartoon thief trying not to trigger a tripwire.
"You!" the officer barked.
Leo flinched so hard he almost dislocated his shoulder. He slowly turned back, pointed to himself with wide eyes and a nervous laugh. "M-Me? Dear sir?"
"Yes. You. Come in."
Leo gulped again. "I'm terribly sorry, but I wasn't even here. I just happened to be walking by. Coincidence! Crazy world, huh?"
The officer gave him one long, piercing look—a stare so dry and disappointed it could curdle milk.
Leo's brain short-circuited. With a sheepish smile, he said, "Of course. Anything you say, dear sir. Your wish is my command."
He followed the officer inside, hands awkwardly folded, nerves fried. The interior smelled faintly of coffee, paperwork, and... disappointment?
The officer sat heavily in his creaky chair behind a desk, then gestured for Leo to take a seat opposite him.
Leo hesitated. He eyed the chair like it was a trap. If he had to run, sitting would make it harder.
Standing-to-running was fast.
Sitting-to-running? Death wish.
"It's fine, sir. It's my personal code to remain standing before authority. A way of showing maximum respect, you see," Leo offered with an awkward nod, trying to sound noble.
The officer frowned slightly. "You..."
Leo began sweating like he was in a sauna.
Then suddenly, the officer chuckled. "Hah... You haven't changed at all."
Leo blinked. 'Wait, does he know me?'
The officer shook his head with a light smile. "Anyway, sit down already."
"It's fi—"
"I said sit down."
Leo sat instantly.
The officer gave a nod of satisfaction, then leaned back with a tired sigh. "Listen, Leo... I told you before. Your parent died in an accident. Not murder. There was no foul play involved. The investigation was thorough. No conspiracies, no hidden enemies, no government agents. Just a tragic accident."
Leo stared at him, utterly baffled. "...What?"
The officer blinked. "Hmm?"
Leo snapped out of it. "N-No! I mean... I came here... um... that's not why I came here, actually..." He looked genuinely lost now.
The officer, clearly mistaking Leo's confusion for grief, offered him a glass of water. "I know it's hard to accept, but sometimes... reality is cruel. And we have no choice but to live with it. You're a smart kid, Leo. You should understand that better than most."
Leo took the glass and drank slowly, trying to collect his thoughts. 'Okay... this guy clearly knows me... but why don't I remember him?'
Still, he nodded politely and set the glass down. "Anyway, dear sir... I actually came here for another reason entirely."
The officer looked intrigued. "Go on."
Leo leaned in closer, lowering his voice slightly. "You see... I think I'm being hunted."
The officer's face twitched. "By...?"
Leo took a breath, then blurted out, "By monsters. And Magic Girl. And Sword Girl. And Staff guy. And vampires. And—one—giant—bat demon."
There was a moment of silence so heavy it could have crushed a watermelon.
"..."
"I know how it sounds!" Leo added quickly, hands up. "I know! Trust me, if you told me this yesterday, I'd have laughed too... Haha...
But I swear I'm not making this up! I saw a magical girl who shot flames... puff, puff!
A gothic vampire who drinks blood like wine... ssusppprrr!
And there was this monster—big wings, huge teeth, zero chill.
Please, dear sir. I'm begging you. You're my only hope!"
The officer blinked a few times, then slowly nodded.
"I see."
Leo exhaled with relief. "You believe me? Oh, thank goodness. I thought I was going cra—"
"So you've moved on to fantasy stories now?"
Leo blinked. "Huh?"
"What next? Your parent was killed by magic, too?"
Leo's mouth opened and closed like a broken puppet. "No, I wasn't sayi—"
The officer frowned deeper. "I'm honestly disappointed, Leo. You were doing so well. And now you're running away from reality again?"
Leo groaned. "I know this sounds crazy, but—"
The officer didn't stop. "And why are you even here right now? Huh? Shouldn't you be at school? Today's a working day, isn't it?"
Leo opened his mouth but didn't even get to breathe in before the officer leaned in furiously.
"Don't tell me you're skipping classes now too? Is that it? You want to add 'truancy' to your growing list of delusions?"
Leo raised his hands weakly, "I swear I'm not skipping—"
"Looks like I'll have to inform the school about this."
Leo froze.
He blinked once. Then twice. Then quickly stood up. "Thank you so much for your cooperation, Dear sir. Truly honoured. Blessed, even. Bye!"
He practically sprinted out of the station like his life depended on it.
The police officer watched him go with a blank stare, then sighed.
He reached beneath the desk and pulled out his phone. Calmly, he typed a message:
He sent the message and leaned back in his chair, letting out a quiet sigh as the office around him returned to its usual, tired silence.