On a small blue marble, drifting through the vastness of space, in a land of the rising sun, the sun has begun to set as we find a boy walking across streets and alleys all to go home.

The boy is tired as he laments, “Today, has just been a crap day. I thought it wouldn’t be that bad, even though I missed my alarm, happens from time to time, but when I found there was nothing to eat I knew it wasn’t going to be my day. Especially when my mother saw me running late. She laid into me telling me I needed to be more responsible and that I should take having no breakfast as a just punishment.” The boy was working himself up into a fervor as he continued to recount his day to himself.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice the storm clouds before I left, as halfway to school the sky's opened up completely soaking me, and let me tell you having wet socks all day is not fun.” The boy looks down at his still drenched socks and shoes as a small squelch sound could be heard with each step. “And the final nail in the coffin, my best friend started dating the girl I had a crush on. When I confronted him about it he said you snooze you lose. How much of an asshole can you be?” Watching the boy one could see a cavalcade of emotions flooding over him, making the boy look unstable.

“Sometimes I wish life was like one of those fantasy novels.” The boy stopped looking up imagining a better place, speaking only to himself. “You know the ones where a high school student gets transported to another world, I would be an awesome hero. Casting magic, saving all the babe's, I would definitely have a harem.” The boy smiled to himself wishing.

The boy quickly came to his senses letting out a long sigh, as he continued to walk home. Each step was accompanied by the annoying squelch, every step bringing his mood down farther and farther when he looked up to an intersection. In the middle of the intersection, a ball bounced right into the road followed by a little girl happily chasing the ball, not paying attention to the world around her.

The girl was safe as there was currently no traffic as she finally catches the ball, right in the middle of the road. The girl grabbing the ball stops looking around confused. ‘Did she not realize she was in the middle of the street? Actually, it kind of looks like she’s waiting for something.’ The boy thought. Then an air horn sounded causing the girl to drop her ball and cry. Behind the girl, the bright light of a large semi-truck appeared heading directly for the girl in the middle of the road.

The boy moved running as hard as he could to just barely reach the girl shoving her out of the way. As the girl was flying away she was smiling not a trace of tears to be found on her face. The boy smiled just happy the girl would be safe.

Right before the truck hit the boy’s body he had one final thought. ‘Oh, hey it's truck kun.’

——

In the middle of the intersection, where a boy had just been struck, sits a large semi-truck idling. The truck sat there, as people walked by the scene of an accident yet not a single person stopped, or seemed to notice the vehicle. If they did they would note how it was taller than a truck should be on this road, and would find it quite out of place.

No one remarked or commented or even saw the girl who was staring annoyed at the passenger side door. The door opened and the girl climbed her way into the cabin. Inside the cabin was a man sitting behind a wheel with a chagrined smile.

The girl sat annoyed, putting her seatbelt on properly. "You were late."

"We got him didn't we?"

The little girl pouted "Well at least he passed the test."

"Yeah gonna be a hero that one."

"Why were you late."

“...” The man stared straight ahead saying nothing.

"You got lost again didn't you?" the girl accused.

"Look. These Japanese streets are fucking weird.” The man said frustrated,

"Just use a GPS."

"I did, but driving through gates causes the damn thing to lose my position. It's annoying since it’s constantly recalculating."

“Let's just deliver the hero.”

"Don't get your britches twisted we're going." The rig began to move, driving through a gate that both never existed and had always been. Onto a highway between worlds.