Suzuki Arima, seventeen.

He stepped out of a convenience store, holding a small bag with a couple of energy drinks.
“Tonight, I have to beat that level… I’ve been stuck at 97 for way too long,” he muttered, glancing up at the sky as it started to darken.

He took a few steps on the sidewalk when, suddenly, everything inside him—his muscles, his organs, even his thoughts—came to a complete halt, as if the world itself had paused his existence.
No pain, no fear. Just emptiness.

Then, darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on soft ground, bathed in a gentle light filtering through towering trees.
A forest.
The air smelled of earth and wind, and the silence was so profound it felt alive.

Arima slowly pushed himself up, looking around.
No buildings. No cars. No city noise. Just nature.

“Huh?”

It was the only word he could manage.
Not fear. Not joy. Just a bewildered surprise.