《Partners In Death》The Arrival of The Hurricane.
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POV: Isozuki Izumi
To the left of Miscul there is a park that surrounds it till the front, usually, the workers take their breaks here, but most of the time the park is filled with normal citizen walking their dogs.
It is bigger than your normal park, with a path that circle inside it, benches alongside the path with public restrooms in the left corner of it. But the main merit of it is definitely the trees and bushes which makes it refreshing to take a breath in and have a break.
And in such a beautiful place, I am sitting here on a bench with this psycho that claims to be the new president, I mean he is the new president but he's not in his right state of mind.
"And that's how I discovered I was immortal, the only conclusion I could think of was your blood that transferred to me. I thought you were unconscious, but you are here, which proves my point of you being immortal as well."
He looks normal with a beautiful face but such a waste, his brain isn't functioning.
But I can't help but be amazed how someone can be this calm and expressionless while describing something as unbelievable as that... Wait, is there a hidden camera here? Is it a prank?
I don't know how but he seemed to have noticed I was away with thoughts that do not concern the topic he is talking about, so he forced a cough and asked me,
"Um, if you don't believe me why are you listening to me?"
I fixed a smile on my face and pointed my finger on my ear,
"I don't really have much choice when these are attached to my head."
I looked again at his face, I could see he's not a person that could gain anything by lying to someone like me, but his story is a bit-
I sighed and affirmed,
"So, you said you saved me at the riverbank when the truck hit me, then you saw me heal?"
He nodded his head slightly, so I proceeded,
"And then you tried to get me to the hospital but then we ended up in a car accident, then it ended up with my blood transferring to you, which you later on discovered after jumping from a hospital roof, that it made you immortal and you weren't able of dying as well?"
He nodded again.
"bullshit," I grumbled
I don't want to believe it, but thinking this way will explain why my story was different from Nao's. since Nao only thought I got into car accident, and it was weird how all my injuries I felt in the truck accident are not on me anymore.
Everything that's weird and happened to me last night will be explained by his story, but can I really believe this? It all sounds too unreal.
Is this nonsense even possible?
"Listen, I can't deny that there is some truth to your story, but this immortality thing is such a frigging fantasy I can't really bring myself to believe-"
Cutting me off, he proposed,
"Do you want me to show you?"
"Show me?"
"Yeah, I can just jump again, then you'll see, no?"
Oh, my goodness, he really is a psycho.
"No, you don't have to do that. It's too intense and if you really died it will be in vain and I don't want that kind of burden."
"Then, I can just prove my other ability to you, it's less violent."
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"You have another one too?"
"Yeah, ever since I was young I was able of knowing people's thoughts."
Thoughts? Wait, so then all this time I have been calling him psycho in my head, he heard it all?
"Yeah, I did."
Holly mother of the lord, he really heard it? Isn't it just a coincidence?
"It isn't a coincidence, you really have a problem in trusting people, huh?"
"It's just hard to believe, prove that you can read my thoughts, guess what I'm thinking."
Fine, I'll play with you your game, try and guess this, PINEAPPLE!!!!
He took a deep breath and let it out, and showed a disappointed look in me and replied,
"Fine, I'll play with you and your game, try and guess this, PINEAPPLE"
Woah, this jerk got it right! Oops.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to say jerk, no wait, I didn't say it."
He's so troublesome to talk to, he's making me confused.
But wait if his reading ability is real then won't that mean immortality is too?
There was only one thing I was uncertain of, and I had to ask it,
"Hey, I understand this all now, but... you said you jumped from the roof to test it, so back then you weren't even certain of the ability yet... What if you were wrong and died?"
He paused a bit and stare at me with ice-cold eyes and said,
"None of your business."
This rude jerk, he can just respectfully answer the question, but he had to do this?
But well, I don't know how but thanks to this jerk I became vice-president so,
"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, but we'll be associating with each other from now on, but even so, I wish to keep our contact with each other as minimum as possible."
He opened a book that he brought with him from his office and said,
"It is grandpa's decision I can't do anything about it, no matter how much I want to fire you."
That's right I almost forgot, but why does this guy detest me and want to fire me?
I questioned without a second thought,
"Why are you being rude to me though?"
He scoffs before standing up,
"I'm only polite to those who are polite to me."
After glancing at me for a while he headed back to the company.
--------------------
After staring blankly losing track of time, I started walking toward the company with a fazed look.
As soon as I entered, I was too tired of dealing with a psycho, discovering I died and getting into meaningless arguments, so I hastily decided that I should probably take an early leave.
"Izumi, you idiot!" As soon as I entered the company a powerful voice shouted.
I turned around to see Nao, he was enraged at me.
"C-calm down, what's up?" I asked since I have absolutely no idea why he is angry.
"First you got into an accident last night, then when I come to the company they tell me you have become the vice-president?! What the hell has happened? You didn't tell me anything about this!" Nao snapped at me.
"Not like I can help being in an accident." I answered the pissed Nao, "And about becoming vice-president, don't let me get started on that. Is this bullying? To think now I have to interact with that bastard more, just piss the hell out of me, it is not you who should be mad, it's me."
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"that bastard? Who do you mean by that? you mean the new president?" Nao investigated with a confused look on his face, well, I must have been out of my mind I just insulted the president, but I can't help but insult that kind of a rascal.
"About that... I just kind of-"I hesitated after I was about to explain the situation to Nao, I mean I shouldn't burden him with this thing, will he even believe it? When I, myself, can't understand it? Plus, I should probably keep my distance from Nao, we're not even that close to discuss that.
"Oh, speaking of which, here he comes," Nao announced while pointing at the entrance.
I shifted my eyes toward the spot Nao had pointed, to see the psycho president of ours. My body moved by itself and quickly chose to run away.
I put my hand on Nao's chest without really looking at him and slightly pushed him away,
"I'm sorry, let's talk later."
"Eh? You're going somewhere?" Nao asked confused by my behavior.
"Yeah, toilet," I said before rushing out of the office.
"By the way, I made them put the bars today, we won't have to fear thieves anytime soon!" Nao stated but not giving what he announced any regard I kept speeding out.
Like hell, I'm running into that bastard again. Can I even avoid him when I'm the vice-president now? No, in the first place, it's thoughtless for me to be one. I don't really have any skills in being one, someone like Nao should be more proper for the job, did the chairman just choose me randomly? I can't even endure the sight of that president. Should I go talk to the chairman again?
"So, why are you avoiding me?" a voice remarked from behind me sending shivers down my spine, I quickly turn around to see it was him again, Hoga, he was reading a book yet again, and when he was talking with me he didn't even bother to move his eyes from the book to look at me.
"You bastard, are you questioning this for real!?" I challenged while trying to kill him with my glare. I definitely told him to keep our interaction to the minimum, you think if you do this I'll come to believe you?! Bullshit! I'll avoid you like my life depends on it!!
"So, that's why." The guy said while putting the book in his hand away. He moved his eyes towards mine, and with a grin on his face he said, "then looks like, I have to kidnap you"
What kind of joke is he trying to pull? No matter how you look at him he doesn't look like someone who is good in fights, I can probably beat him in a one-on-one fight. Why does he think he's capable of kidnapping me? Where does he get all this confident from?
"you won't be able to land one punch on me," he said while smiling from ear to ear.
I knew he was just trying to make me mad, but it sure worked I couldn't help but launch a punch toward his face, he tiled his head to the side, evading the blow just barely. "This time!" I said while throwing another punch on the other side, and this time he smirked before catching my hand that was meant to be hitting him and raised it up before sending it to the side, which turned my whole body around, and my back was facing him now. "What the hell happened just now?" I said while looking at the ground, he was bending my arm to the back which was hurting me a bit, but while looking at the floor I could see one of his legs rising, then something pushed my butt and I fell on the ground.
Did this bastard just kick my butt?!?! He let out a small laugh before holding me by the waist and dragging me back to his office, "Let go of me you bastard, I'll remember this! I'll report you to the police! I'll let you go to jail! You psycho are you listening!? HEY!! PUT ME DOWN I SAID!" I kept screaming at him to let me go all the way to his office.
After casting me on one of the sofas in the office he went to his desk and sat on the chair, he said, "since you seem to have forgotten already, I can read your mind so no matter how good you are in fights. I can already see where you are aiming." Then he put his crossed hands on the desk and while staring at me he said, "Does anyone knows about your immortality other than me?"
"Can I..." I said after pausing.
"Can you what?" he asked while showing puzzled expression.
"Can I sit there!?" I asked while pointing at the chair he was sitting in.
He looked at me with loathing in his eyes, his disappointed eyes could be seen through his expressionless face, but not that I mind it much since I really want to sit there since it is the chair of the ex-CEO! The chairman used to sit there! I want to see what kind of scenery he saw every day while sitting there.
"You really are hopeless, I just kidnapped you here, and all you could think about is my annoying grandpa? Are you gay or something? You have a terrible taste." He said while slightly showing how irritated he is.
"H-How rude! How could you say that the chairman is annoying!?" I furiously scolded him.
"from all the things I said, that's the one thing that made you enraged? Are you really gay?" he looked at me with a blank look.
"I really respect the chairman and I won't allow anyone to badmouth him!" I yelled.
"Just what in the world did happen between you and grandpa?" He asked with an inquisitive look on his face.
I smiled and replied, "A bastard like you will never be able to understand!"
He sighed like he has lost all hope he had in me.
"Just answer my previous question, does anyone other than me know about your immortality?" he asked after returning to his serious expression.
This psycho, I just discovered I'm immortal, how the hell am I supposed to tell anyone when I, myself, am shaky about it.
I ceased to think for a while before saying, "Well... I once had a near-death experience when I was little... I'm not sure if it was near death or I really died, but at that time a friend- no a family member was there... but he is dead now, so I don't think anyone knows... except us."
"died? Why?" he asked while showing a really unusual expression.
"if I had to say a reason, it would be because of me..." I said while looking down.
I can't believe I'm telling this to someone like him... in the first place just why is he asking this? I really am not sure of what is happening to me... how am I supposed to know if anyone knows of this nonsense?
"What did you say?" he abruptly demanded with a confused scared look on his face as if he just heard something weird.
"Nothing? is something wrong?" I asked worried about his current state.
He seemed to be deep in thoughts for a while before glancing at me again.
"Then you are safe. If it happened when you were young." He said while flipping through some papers on the desk. "What do you mean?" I said while getting closer to him to get his attention.
"You really are stupid," he declared after clicking his tongue. "you can go now," he stated while pointing at the door.
"even without you telling me, I would have left already," I said while moving toward the door ready to leave.
As soon as I open the door to leave the room I see Nao. Although it was for a brief moment I could swear I saw him smirking with his eyes wide open, did he hear us?
"I came to make sure he got the papers." Nao stated as soon as he saw me giving him a confused look, "you don't have to give me any excuses." I said as I started walking away from there.
His tone was a bit weird and different than usual, but I continued walking without looking back at him.
Perhaps, if I had noticed how different Nao was acting, explained what happened or paid him more attention, the events that are yet to unfold wouldn't have befallen.
I wouldn't have lost my friend, I wouldn't have felt this much regret about my actions and moreover, I would have saved that person faster.
------
I took an early leave and left the company just like that, I took the subway till I reached my house.
I share a house with my housemate, Nao, it's close to work and have subway station near it, making it have a really ideal location.
Our neighborhood is quiet, most of the people I had met in here are old grannies, and retired grandpas.
Our house is two story building, with the second floor containing both, Nao's and my, bedrooms and bathroom to each of them, connecting the rooms is a long hallway that ends with a staircase that takes you to the first floor, which mainly contains a huge living room connected to the kitchen.
I quickly sped through the stairs toward my room and changed my clothes.
My room was quite simple, a desk that has my piled-up work papers and my laptop, with a bed to the side and a small closet.
It's simple but have everything that I need.
I heard the main door opening and closing, then footsteps that moved toward the kitchen, then quickly rushed to the second floor, directly in front of my room.
"Izumi?"
It was a very familiar voice, it was Nao's.
I quickly opened the door,
"You're back already?"
And something rushed inside my stomach, I saw Nao in front of me with a serious look that was unusual for the usually cheerful and friendly Nao.
His hands were extended toward me, holding an object.
I put my hand on my stomach, to feel a liquid.
My hands start trembling as I come to realize that the liquid is red.
I take a closer look at what Nao is holding, to see a knife stabbing me right in the stomach.
-End of Chapter 6-
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Death By Protagonist
Donavan has made his living by wading through hundreds of stories in search of the quality few he and his firm believe to be worth publishing. After a strange twist of fate, he gets trapped inside the fantasy book of a particularly campy and amateur author. There he will have to navigate a world built on wish fulfillment, power fantasies, and fanservice in order to fix the story from the inside out if he ever wishes to leave. But can he bring himself to play the many roles necessary to manipulate and guide the characters to a satisfying conclusion? Authors Note: Death By Protagonist is meant to be simultaneously a satire of, and love letter to the isekai/portal fantasy genre. It both makes fun of and embraces many tropes of the genre such as harems, explicit sexual content, OP protagonists, and other things many people might think of as "trashy." If that doesn't sound like your thing, you've been warned, but I hope you'll give it a shot anyway. Update Schedule: Plan is to at least put out one new chapter every week, hopefully two.
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