When I am thinking, suddenly a notification comes from my pocket. A phone. I have a phone.
I think, A notification? From home?
I look at the message.
"Where are you, Haruto?" Mom says.
I look at the sky. "Hey, author," I say. "Give me his body memory."
Then I think, What the fuck? Why am I saying this again?
Suddenly, my head flashes. All memory comes. Fast. Like a movie on 2x speed.
His name is also Haruto. Haruto Tanaka. High school second year. I see classrooms. I see a desk near the window. I see friends. Club friends. All memory comes. Basketball club. Practice at 4 PM. Homework. Tests. Everything.
My breathing becomes faster. I hold my head.
"What the fuck!" I shout at the sky. "Is there an author who is writing me? You! Listen!"
No reply. Just clouds. Normal clouds. 2D clouds.
"Whatever," I say.
I start walking. I walk to the memory location of home. My feet know the way. Muscle memory. I walk on a road. Small shops pass by. Vending machines. A cat sleeps on a wall.
I look at the sky again. "Hey," I say. "You are writing my story. Which genre is this? Romance comedy? Or fight?"
Then I stop. I tell myself, "What the fuck am I saying?"
I think again. Memory comes because I reincarnated in a 2D world. Not 3D realistic. This is why the author can give me memory so easy. This is anime logic. Not real life logic.
The sun is going down. The sky becomes orange and pink. I look up.
"Wow," I say. "What a color. 2D world. Whatever."
I keep walking. I think about 2D girls. They look cute. Not like 3D real world girls. Their eyes are bigger. Their hair has strange colors. Pink. Blue. Green. In real world, this is impossible. But here, it is normal.
I walk faster. Home is close now.
I wonder what my anime mom looks like.
I open the door. The house is small. Clean. I walk to my room.
"Hey, Haruto," Mom says. "You are late. Where did you go?"
I look at her. She has brown hair in a ponytail. Apron. Cooking smell comes from the kitchen. She looks tired but kind.
"Na," I say. "I just... ok."
I go to my room. I think, Oh. This is my mom. My father is already dead. So we live only. Just two people.
I throw my bag on the floor. I lay on the bed. I look at the ceiling.
"What the fuck story," I say.
Then oo, something also.
Suddenly, the door opens. No knock. Just opens.
A girl stands there. Small. Middle school uniform. Pigtails. Big eyes. She looks at me.
I think, This is my little sister. Her name is...
Memory comes. Yui Tanaka. Third year middle school. 14 years old. Likes manga. Hates vegetables. Calls me "brother" in a rude way.
"Brother," she says. She looks at my hair. "What is this? New hairstyle?"
I feel awkward. "Good," I say.
She puts her hand on my head. Her eyes are serious.
"Are you okay?" she says. "Brother, you are saying my hairstyle is good. But you did not even tell me 'knock the door.' Are you good? Or something happened to you?"
I think, Obviously, she thinks I am weird. Because this is not my body. I am a 25-year-old adult. Now I am a 17-year-old kid. This is my new life.
"Nothing," I say. "I am just tired."
She looks at me for three seconds. Then she shrugs.
"Whatever," she says. She closes the door. No knock. Just closes.
I lay on the bed again. I look at my hands. Young hands. No scars. No work marks.
"Now," I tell myself. "My new life."
I come down. The stairs are old. They make sound creak creak.
The kitchen is small. One table. Four chairs. But only three people. Mom is cooking. Yui is sitting. She looks at her phone. She does not look at me.
"Haruto," Mom says. "Sit. Dinner is ready."
I sit. The chair is wood. Hard.
Mom puts food on the table. Rice. Miso soup. Grilled fish. Vegetables. Normal Japanese dinner. But the fish looks too perfect. The color is too bright. This is 2D food. Anime food.
I look at Yui. She eats fast. Shovel shovel. Like a character in a manga.
"Yui," Mom says. "Eat slow."
"Yes, yes," Yui says. She does not slow down.
I pick up chopsticks. My hands know how. Muscle memory again. I eat rice. It tastes... normal. But also too normal. Like the author did not think about taste details.
"Haruto," Mom says. "You are quiet today."
I look up. "Am I?"
"Yes," she says. "Usually you talk about basketball club. Or school. Or your friends."
I think, Usually? What is usually? I don't know this body well.
"Just tired," I say again.
Mom looks at me. Her eyes are soft. Worried. "If something happens, you can tell me."
I nod. I don't say anything.
Yui looks at me. Her eyes are sharp. Like she knows. Like she sees the difference.
"Brother," she says. "Your chopsticks. You hold them wrong."
I look at my hands. I hold chopsticks like an adult. Like a 25-year-old man. Not like a Japanese high school boy.
"Oh," I say. I change my grip. "Like this?"
"Yes," Yui says. But her eyes still sharp.
We eat in silence. The TV is on. News. Something about weather. The voice is too cheerful. Too anime.
I think, This is my family now. Anime mom. Anime little sister. Dead father. Small house. Normal dinner.
But it is not normal. Because I am not normal. I am a man inside a boy. A 3D mind inside a 2D body.
"Haruto," Mom says. "After dinner, do your homework. Test is coming."
"Yes," I say.
I eat more rice. The sun is gone now. Dark outside. The kitchen light is yellow. Warm.
I think, What genre is this? Romance comedy? Slice of life? Or something dark?
I don't know. The author does not tell me.
I finish dinner. I say, "Thank you for the food."
"Thank you for the food," Yui says too. But she looks at me strange.
I go back to my room. I close the door. This time, I lock it.
I lay on the bed again. I look at the ceiling.
"What now?" I say to the air.
No answer.