Chapter Text

day 1: Dark Side of the Moon

“I have only my sorrow, and want nothing more.

She has been and still is faithful.”

There is no color in this world.

I lazed there, in that same chair, in front of that same screen, clicking and tapping away so as to muffle everything else around me.

A gray sky spreads out across the event horizon, as if to silence its denizens completely.

It’d been two weeks since I stopped going to school. There was no reason to, not anymore. Actually– I was struggling to find a reason to live in at all. 

Empty existences followed with drab, colorless lives are all that walk this world. Perhaps, they can see what I cannot. A world filled with vibrant colors.

What was the point, if they weren't there?

“–No more.”

He felt his mechanical skill plummeting, no feeling in his hands. In that small empty room he had stayed for an unquantifiable amount of time, unsure himself of when the last time he ate. Somewhere inside of him, the part that still experienced conscious thought, expressed admiration for monks and shut-ins and such who were able to go such long periods of time without sustenance or rest.

Well, he understood now. And it wasn't exactly fulfilling– not that anything in this world could ever be, for him.

It wasn't as if the world broke him. He wasn't bullied. He wasn't completely socially incompetent. People would always talk behind his back, he would always fail to find the right words– but many had it worse than him. Despite “fitting in” being the least of his concerns, his not being is what ended up hollowing him out. 

Even then, however, he could find individuals who understood. Maybe they didn't feel the same, or maybe they felt worse. These people— were likely what demonstrated “meaning” in the boy’s life. 

“No… more.”

There was no attempt to push himself up. No attempt to move. No attempt to think. Juno Aischleidin simply leaned into the leather of his chair, unmoving, unfeeling. 

–Bink.

There was nothing to really liken the sound to– but the boy recognized the dull expression as his email notification.

Normally, such a thing wouldn’t even get him to consider moving. It could be anything, spam, a random newsletter he forgot about, more spam… but, for some reason he couldn’t pin down, he had an odd feeling.

So, Juno sat up, staring at the mail icon with a “+1” next to it for a moment, before leaning over his desk.

Once again, hovering his finger over the mouse and the cursor over the icon– something was odd. Something.

With only a moment of hesitation, he clicked the notification.

His eyes glazed over as he read, before——

“Do you, who have nothing left in this world, feel as if there is no feasible way for you to find your place here?”

“What…”

A beat passed, and Juno swallowed.

Who was this? There was no sender address, and below the only line of text, there was a link Juno didn't recognize.

Another click, nary any hesitation.

Welcome!

He was greeted by a familiar black-and-white board and a jingle that played when that “welcome” popup appeared.

“Ugh, I suck at chess…”

Clicking away the popup, he was greeted by an option– black, or white.

Well and truly, Juno Aischleidin believed that he was nothing short of awful at the game he was greeted with out of the blue. He knew the rules, but never really played it, especially now that he had no one to play it with . 

“Ah, but there is…”

Before choosing, he tabbed into the area where he could type– a message space on the right side of the screen. Will I be playing against a bot, or…

“i’m not very good at chess” Juno typed in a flash, and sent. “please don't expect this to be much fun”

No answer. 

Juno considered, for a moment, why he was humoring this person in the first place. Nonetheless, he chose black.

He had always preferred to go second, even if it didn’t really lead him anywhere, under the pretense that it allowed him an advantage in the aspect that it was up to him to “counter” instead of “advance”– a position he was much more comfortable with than the opposite, seeing as he knew next to no strategy.

——A few turns passed. Neither party had made much progress, with no pieces taken on either end. However…

“This is…” There was a familiar feeling to how the other player was handling the board. Like he had it in a chokehold, even if nothing had happened. This was–

“Feh…” Juno rubbed his eyes, strained. “Is this some kind of sick joke…?”

It reminded him greatly of his late friend’s playstyle. Juno couldn't put a name to it, as, once again, he knew of no chess strategy, but it was undeniably the feeling he was getting. “I guess that’s just how it feels to play against someone that much better than you…”

By turn twenty, he had lost track of how long they had been playing. All things considered, Juno was surprised he was still in the game. 

“Hm? Oh, that’s…” 

Seemingly, his opponent had made something of a blunder. To Juno, it wasn't all that hard to point out– they had cut off their own assault. But at the same time, they had gone this entire game nary a real mistake.

He had been hit with this same play too many times by Troy too many times to fall for it again. It was a ploy.

……

CONGRATULATIONS! You are WINNER

“ Paaagh… ...What the hell…” He sighed, exasperated. He ended up putting much more thought into that game than he initially intended to. If anything… he had a bit of fun. The feeling had already become a touch foreign. “...oh. Another one.”

Closing the chess application and clicking the next email notification, he was greeted with another single line of text. 

“Well done. Did you enjoy yourself?”

Reflecting on his thoughts before… yes, yes he did. 

“You may not think you’re much, but I wasn't holding anything back.”

Juno doubted this, but he was more concerned with this person’s awareness of his character.

“If there was a world where simple games decided everything… a world on a board, where the rules were clear, what would you think about that?”

For a few moments, Juno just stared at the screen, thinking. Then, he began typing.

Dull clicks sounded throughout the small, messy room. They were suddenly stopped by a final, more resolute one.

“if it's not here, i’ll take it”

Looking back on it now, he found it odd— that email. Well, of course it was odd, but there was something more… otherworldly about it. Judging by the wording, he really did think that, if anything, it would take someone to another world.

“Otherworldly, huh…” Juno sat in front of his bed again, deciding to feel them once more, just to make sure of just what the hell was going on.

So, he reached out, and…

Upon feeling the base of the fox-like ear, the seemingly unconscious black-haired little girl leaned into his touch, and mewled. The equally jet black tail produced much the same result.

Juno stayed there, hand over his mouth, leaning forward over his knees.

“They really are soft, huh…” He whispered to himself, realizing how bad it sounded. Taking a resigning slouch and sighing, he thought back on this… situation.

On an odd compulsion resembling hunger, Juno had decided to order food, unwilling to cook for himself– vaguely recognizing that he almost always did in the not-so far off past. Very, very reluctantly, he had brought himself to leave his apartment for the first time in weeks. 

On his way to a god damned burger joint, he found what he thought was a cosplaying kid on the side of the road, unconscious. When he tried to shake her awake– she hadn't so much as budged. So, instead of opting to call the authorities like any individual in their right mind, he picked her up and brought her home.

… Yes, yes, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it made him out to be.

In any case, he had discovered soon after that, no, she wasn't cosplaying– the ears and tail were in fact very real. It also took him a moment to realize that, despite appearing to be more casual and fit the likes of a child, the fox’s clothes were quite immaculately crafted– resembling Japanese garb that he couldn't quite name. 

… Acting on a compulsion, he poked the girl’s cheek. It pushed back into her mouth slightly, her skin porcelain, and softer than anything Juno could remember, sans the fur of her animalistic features. Whenever his hands brushed by them, her ears would twitch. Whenever he scratched the base of them, pet her head, or poked her cheek, her tail would wag up and down.

I’m having— entirely too much fun, Juno admitted to himself with another exhale, pulling away.

“—Did I give you permission to stop, please?”

“ W-Wah!” 

The sudden exclamation caught Juno off guard, and he jumped out of his seat. 

——When he looked into the small girl’s eyes, it felt more like he had looked up into the sun. Or at least, that’s what Juno equated it to.

After a few more moments of that staredown, Juno sighed and sat back down, looking his guest in the eye. More silence ensued, and after his umpteenth sigh of the day, Juno motioned for her to do— anything.

“Where the hell am I, please?”

“My house.”

“Are you a suspicious person, mister?”

“... I would say no, but—”

“It doesn't matter, please,” The fox waved a hand and rubbed her eyes. “But… seems I really am here, please.”

Well, isn't that crazy?

The small girl looked away, and hopped off the bed, making her way toward the window– and opening the blinds.

—For a moment, she appeared shocked. Amazed? No, not particularly. It was as if she had seen something similar to the sight of the city, but was moreso surprised by her confirmation of… something.

“Uh, who… are—”

“You.” The small fox pointed to the significantly larger young man, her stoney face returning. “You're gonna feed me while I'm here, please. Izuna has deemed you an asshole of sufficient standing for such a task.”

“I literally picked you up off the side of the road.”

“Thanks, please.”

“Gah…” Juno groaned into his hand. Such a happening that would have seemed to be nothing more than an unnatural occurrence and an annoyance, to anybody else.

… But to the young man, something was happening before his eyes. Something he hadn't seen before. Perhaps… it could distract him, for a bit.

“... Sure.”

Black hair turned back around to face the host of its owner, her eyebrows raised in relative surprise. “You have no issues?”

“Just clean up your own messes and I’ll feed you or whatever.” Juno stood, making his way to the exit of his bedroom– his guest close on his tail. “What's your name, by the way?”

“Hatsuse Izuna, please. Sorry for suddenly hitching.”

“It’s fine,” The young man opened his bedroom door and chuckled at both the complete absurdity of what was happening before him, and his blind acceptance of the situation. “Name’s Juno. Can I ask why you’re… here , exactly?”

The boy of the “modern man” of this reality felt a sudden compulsion to slam his head into a wall.

Dragons, elves, angels, and practically every other necessary fantasy element— all crammed into one world, where everything was considered a “game”. 

Oh, and, yes, there were also animal-eared people. 

The world seemed as if it was meant to cater to the exact tastes of an “otaku”— Juno cringed at his even thinking of the word, much less saying it out loud.

The messenger herself– the fox child he had taken in– munched away at the food her host had prepared as she continued her surprisingly intelligent retellings of the nature of the world whence she came. “As of now, Disboard is in relative harmony, what with the completion of Immanity’s ‘conquest’... Those two have been rendered complete thrill-seekers now that their actual ‘mission’ there is over, please.”

“Blank”, Izuna said, was what the siblings referred to themselves as. It didn't surprise Juno that he hadn't heard of them, as he wasn't much of a gamer himself (especially seeing as they’d supposedly been in that world for 6 years now, “disappearing” when Juno would have been 10 if the times were consistent), even if they supposedly came from his world. For a few moments, he entertained the possibility that they came from a different Earth than his. In the end, though, he resolved that such conjecture was worthless– no matter how envious he was of their predicament, that was the only reason he bore any interest in them.

“... delicious, please…”

—Juno blinked before meeting eyes with the excessively pleased Izuna.

It’d been too long since anyone gave him praise for his cooking.

He waved away the feeling, before muttering a simple thanks.

Izuna, polite courtesan that she was, neatly wiped her mouth with the paper towel provided before expressing her gratitude for the food. Honestly, Juno expected more complaints about the state of his abode due to her supposed status, but he hadn't heard a word of it.

Juno pondered on her previous words some more. Tet, her reason for being here, all that good stuff. Now that her world was more or less at peace, she was given an offer by, “uh, literally God?” as Juno put it, to see the realm that Disboard’s otherworlders hailed from. She was to be here for fourteen days— and so, Juno began planning for some tours around town. Just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks, he got Izuna interested in more than a few concepts of this Earth. 

… A minute or so after she finished her meal, Juno put down his phone when he noticed his guest was starting at– through?– him with those pink-amber eyes.

“Your arms, please.”

“No, you can't have them— oh.”

Right. He had been wearing a t-shirt, which even in his own home was uncommon, citing the comfort provided by thicker, baggier wear. That wasn't the issue, however.

Izuna was noting the jagged lacerations spanning from the thin left forearm to wrist. 

“Ah… uh, sorry.”

Ashamedly, with uncharacteristic emotion donning his face, Juno quickly slapped a hand over the arm and stood from the chair, making his way out of the room. Izuna said nothing, simply watching him enter his bedroom.

After another minute or so, he walked out in a more typical hoodie—

“Did you, uh… get enough to—”

—and into the kitchen, where Izuna was throwing all the sharp objects she could find into a heap.

“H-Hey, I at least need those to cook!” Juno ran to her side, but seemingly interpreting it as him going for the pile, Izuna blocked him— despite being over a foot shorter.

“You can procure safer items, please.”

“That’s…”

Juno sighed into his hand, before stumbling into the chair behind him.

He stifled a chuckle before continuing.

“What’s it to you, anyway?”

As quickly and matter-of-factly as usual, Izuna responded. “You're my damn host. It is your duty to take care of me, as we have established—”

“No, no, we didn't…”

“—so, it is preferable for you to be stable, please.”

Juno laughed once again. “You’re a damn handful. I’m fine.”

“That’s bullshit, please,” the fox replied, monotone.

—This was going nowhere, they both realized.

“... Izuna,” Juno began, his tone shifting to and fro. “How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“... you’re a smart kid— though maybe I’m not in any position to be calling you that. I’m seventeen.”

“What could have you doing that at that age, please?”

Once again, proving that she was at least emotionally intelligent, and equally insensitive.

Juno was a little annoyed.

“That’s not for you to know, now is it?” He muttered, peering at her through his fingers. She took a step forward, toward him. And another.

Now, he was just pissed. 

“Look, if you want to—”

Although, all of that faded when he was suddenly dragged into the crook of Izuna’s neck— yes, a hug, such an action would be called.

This day was odd for Juno, but not weirder than Izuna herself, he mused in his head— or so, he would have, if the action hadn't caught him so off-guard.

“This is what big brother and big sister do when Izuna’s sad.” She patted his back lightly, her tiny hand eclipsed by his back. “I know it helps me, please.”

—There she went again, with her erratic speech patterns. Talking like a scholar before sounding like a kid… truly, Juno couldn't get a read on the girl.

“Pretty, hah…” He— choked back a bit of a tear, before continuing. “Pretty nice to… someone you just met. You know, some would see this… as kind of insensitive.”

“Izuna’s just a kid, please,” she said, her tone mocking. “Izuna doesn't know what that means.”

“Haha… yeah okay, sure, we’ll go with that.” 

Juno placed a hand over her back— noting how tiny it was. Was she really only two years younger than him? She looked like she hadn't grown since she was ten.

—Well, not that that mattered to him, of course. It’s not like he was having intrusive thoughts about the diabolically cute little fox-girl squeezing him or anything.

“I don't have a cot or anything, so I’ll just take the couch.” Juno motioned for his bed. “Sorry, it's not much. I cleaned the sheets, though—”

Izuna disappeared from below the doorframe and jumped onto the mattress, sinking into it pleasantly. “... satisfactory…”

“—Um, are you fast?” 

An odd question with no answer. He laughed at himself.

“Alright, if you need anything, just holler. ‘Night—”

—And, as if to confirm his previous query, the speedy little thing appeared in the doorway once again, blocking him from leaving the room.

Juno looked down to her for a moment, both expressionless— before leaning into his right as fast as he could, and—

—being faked out by a little girl half his size, and pushed onto his bed.

“You have made it apparent that you cannot be left to your own devices.” Izuna, now on top of him, gave him a weak whap to the forehead. “Thus, Izuna is mandating your damn presence at all times, please.”

“... uh, a-at all times…?”

“ At all times, please.” Her sternness did not betray her intentions. 

Juno thought that, by now, patience would be reaching its limit, but he found himself more privy to his whims than previously intended.