Day 100
Kaito Arisawa never believed in destiny.
To him, life was a dull routine: wake up, go to university, listen to half-hearted lectures, return home, and repeat the process until the inevitable. He was just another 21-year-old student in Tokyo, blending into the crowd like a forgettable extra in a low-budget drama.
That was until he received the message—a message that would change everything.
It happened on a quiet night. The rain drizzled against his apartment window, a rhythmic tapping that filled the silence. He sat in his dimly lit room, eyes glued to his ptop as he half-heartedly worked on an economics report he had zero interest in. The faint blue light from the screen illuminated the messy space: a bed unmade, empty instant ramen cups stacked in a corner, and a pile of unread books collecting dust on his desk.
Then, his phone vibrated.
Kaito gnced at the screen.
> UNKNOWN NUMBER: A NEW GAME HAS BEGUN.
You have 100 days to become the world's greatest vilin, or you will die.
Acts of kindness reduce your lifespan. Vilinous deeds extend it.
Day 100 begins now. Good luck.
Kaito stared at the text, an eyebrow twitching.
"...What the hell?"
A prank. It had to be. His friends weren’t the type to pull these kinds of jokes, but maybe someone hacked his number?
He tapped his phone and typed a quick reply:
"Nice try. Who is this?"
No response.
A few minutes passed, and Kaito shrugged, tossing his phone onto his bed. He had better things to do than entertain some weirdo with too much time on their hands.
But then—
A new notification appeared.
> SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
Your time has begun.
Remaining Lifespan: 24 hours.
His phone screen suddenly turned bck, then flickered back to life. But now, the usual apps were gone. Instead, a single glowing number sat in the center.
24:00:00
Kaito's heart thumped.
It was a countdown.
"What... the hell is this?" he muttered, his fingers tightening around the device.
A deep unease settled in his chest, but before he could fully process it, something even stranger happened—
His bank account bance changed.
From 3,600 yen (a broke college student’s reality) to 10,000,000 yen.
The numbers were real. He refreshed the app. Checked again. The money was still there.
Kaito swallowed hard. This was no ordinary prank.
And then—a scream.
---
The First Crime
Kaito rushed to his apartment window.
Down below, in the rain-drenched alley, a man was curled on the ground, clutching his stomach as blood pooled beneath him. A figure in a bck hoodie stood over him, a knife glinting under the streetlight.
A mugging.
A terrible, normal crime in Tokyo’s darker alleys.
Kaito grabbed his phone, his first instinct to call the police. But—
“Acts of kindness reduce your lifespan.”
His finger hovered over the emergency number. A chill crawled up his spine.
Could this game… really be real?
Kaito hesitated for three long seconds.
Then, another notification appeared.
> SYSTEM UPDATE: You have chosen to remain passive. No lifespan penalty applied.
Remaining Lifespan: 24 hours.
He exhaled sharply. So ignoring the crime didn’t punish him.
But if he had tried to help—would the countdown have dropped?
His gaze returned to the alley. The mugger wiped his knife and ran, disappearing into the night. The injured man groaned, struggling to sit up.
A cruel thought entered Kaito’s mind.
What if he… finished the job?
Would the countdown increase?
His stomach twisted. No. That was insane. He wasn’t a murderer.
But he needed to understand the rules.
Kaito grabbed his jacket and stepped out into the rain. He approached the bleeding man cautiously. The street was empty—no witnesses.
The man coughed. “H-Hey… help me…”
Kaito’s hands trembled. He clenched his fists. Test the system. Just a little.
Instead of offering help, he reached into the man’s pocket and pulled out his wallet.
The victim gasped. “W-What… are you…?”
Kaito didn’t answer. He flipped open the wallet, pulling out 20,000 yen and slipping it into his own pocket.
Then, his phone vibrated.
> SYSTEM UPDATE: You have committed a minor crime.
Lifespan extended by 6 hours.
Remaining Lifespan: 30 hours.
A sharp chill ran down his spine.
It worked.
His breath came in ragged bursts. The numbers had changed. The system was real.
He had stolen—and it had rewarded him.
Kaito took a step back, staring at his hands. They were shaking.
The man on the ground whimpered.
Kaito turned and walked away.
The first step had been taken.
The game had begun.
---
To Be Continue
