Pov: Theatre
I was sitting in the back row of the theater, a tub of popcorn in one hand and a half-finished soda in the other. On my left was Max, and on my right, Rimru. The screen lit up our faces in a soft glow, and the three of us had our eyes fixed—completely locked in—as the final scene played out.
"Damn, that intimate kiss… I want that too!" Max blurted out, practically bouncing in his seat with excitement.
Rimru smirked, elbowing him lightly. "Bro, remember—that guy's not you."
"Tch," Max scoffed, sinking a little lower into his seat.
Rimru chuckled and leaned in. "So what? You dreaming of a lustful anime girl now?"
I sighed, trying not to laugh. "Shh…" I whispered, not wanting to miss a second of the final scene.
"Looks like your favorite part's playing," Rimru teased, glancing at me with a grin.
The scene faded out. The music slowed. And finally, two words appeared on the screen:
The End.
I leaned back into my seat with a satisfied sigh.
"I love this happy ending," I said, eyes still on the fading screen.
Rimru looked over and grabbed the popcorn from my lap, casually munching on it.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you seriously can't waste good food in a place like this."
Max glanced at him with mild annoyance. "Such a food-craving guy," he teased.
Rimru ignored him, stuffing more popcorn into his mouth.
"Num num... hey, you can't blame me!" he said with his mouth full.
I chuckled and tried to change the topic.
"Guys, this isekai anime was seriously amazing... and the happy ending? So wholesome."
Max gave a big thumbs up.
"Agreed, bro!"
Rimru nodded as he finished the popcorn.
"Yeah, I guess I'm with you on that."
I stood up and stretched my arms, letting out a small yawn.
"Man, I really wish I could experience something like that... imagine being summoned to another world."
"Ahem—bro, wake up to reality," Rimru said, giving my arm a playful punch and laughing.
Max got to his feet too. "I can't blame you, but still—being summoned to another world? That's just fiction."
I let out a sigh, half laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Isekai isn't real... it's just fictional."
Rimru stretched as well, grinning.
"Aww... still, I wouldn't mind being isekai'd into a world full of beautiful waifus. Heh~"
Me and Max both shouted in unison at Rimru's words, then burst into laughter.
"Brother, eww! You're such a womanizer!" Max said, shaking his head with a grin.
"Damn it, bro," I added, still laughing, "You seriously want a world full of women where you're the only guy?"
"Of course!" Rimru declared proudly. "I want to experience a harem, hah~ But hey—hopefully I don't get them all pregnant!"
He burst into loud laughter.
Me and Max couldn't hold it in anymore—we joined in, howling with laughter.
"Oh—oh! Guys, stop, please!" Max gasped, clutching his stomach. "I can't take it anymore, it hurts!"
"Brooo…" I choked between laughs. "Imagine you actually made every single girl in that world pregnant!"
We laughed like idiots, tears in our eyes, not knowing... that this would be the last time we'd ever laugh together like this.
"Okay, okay, stop it now—it's all just imagination, alright?" Rimru said, trying to calm himself. "I don't actually want to be the dad of every child."
I placed a hand on Rimru's shoulder with a teasing grin.
"Bro, don't give up on your dream! Just work hard, and you'll achieve it—Harem King in the making!"
Max wiped away the tears from his eyes, still chuckling.
"Yeah, man. Chase your dreams!"
"Eh...?" Rimru stood there, frozen, dumbfounded by our nonsense.
The way he looked—completely speechless—was too much for us.
Me and Max looked at each other and burst into laughter all over again.
"That's not my goal—hey, stop laughing, idiots!" Rimru said, trying to defend himself while pouting like a child.
"But still," I smirked, nudging Rimru, "if you don't wanna end up being the dad of every kid in that world, better use some protection, bro."
Max burst out laughing, "Yeah, yeah! And not the cheap kind—go for that premium stuff! Maximum safety for the harem king!"
"Shut up, guys!" Rimru snapped, trying to sound mad but already smiling. "You both are just messing with me now…"
He tried to say something else but totally fumbled it, and that just made me and Max laugh harder.
Max wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning. "Man, we're seriously stupid sometimes. Anyway, it's already 8:15 PM—we better get back home."
I nodded, still chuckling. "Alright, let's Go".
"Finally," Rimru sighed like a grandpa, "the madness ends…"
We walked out of the theater into the night air, still in a good mood. As we reached the car, I slid into the passenger seat while Max jumped into the driver's seat. Rimru took the spot next to him in the front, earbuds already halfway in.
I leaned back into the seat, stretching with a big yawn.
"Today was a vibe, not gonna lie…"
Max fired up the engine. The hum of the car mixed with Rimru softly humming his favorite anime song. The streetlights passed by like lazy comets as we drove off into the night.
As we drove through the night, my thoughts wandered.
What if I really did get summoned to a magical world?
What kind of adventures would I have? Would I be the hero? Would that life… be better than this one?
I chuckled quietly at myself.
"It's just fiction… hah," I murmured, resting my head against the window.
Outside, the city lights blurred as we passed trees, buildings, and people. Everything felt calm… until the engine suddenly roared louder.
The car lurched forward with a jolt.
I sat up straight, my heart skipping.
"Bro—what the hell are you doing?" I asked Max, eyes darting to the speedometer.
Rimru snapped his head toward him, panic already in his voice.
"Yo, don't speed! You know I hate this kind of stuff!"
But Max… he was grinning.
"Oh come on," he said coolly, his eyes locked on the road. "Enjoy the rush. I got this, trust me."
I glanced at the dashboard—180 km/h.
"Dude! This isn't a racing game! We're on a city road—are you nuts!?" I snapped, gripping the edge of my seat.
Max didn't answer. He just pushed the pedal harder. 200 km/h.
My chest tightened. The fun was gone now. I could feel it—this wasn't safe.
"Max… please, slow down," I said, my voice shaky now.
Beside him, Rimru looked like he was about to cry, gripping the dashboard like it would save him.
"Bro, stop the damn car! I don't wanna die today!"
But Max didn't stop.
He didn't even blink.
But Finally, Max eased his foot off the pedal as a traffic light came into view up ahead.
The car gradually slowed from the insane speed, coasting down from 200 km/h.
"Phew…" I exhaled deeply, finally able to breathe again.
We rolled to a stop at the red light. The engine idled softly. Everything went still.
But then—HONK!
A loud horn pierced the air.
My head snapped to the right—out the window.
And my heart dropped.
A massive truck was barreling toward us from the crossroad… too fast, too close.
"MAX!!" I shouted. "Start the car! There's a truck coming—RIGHT AT US!"
Max turned lazily, confused at first… but the moment he saw it, his expression snapped to horror.
He fumbled with the key, twisting it in panic to ignite the engine.
Rimru was frozen in place, trembling like a leaf.
"Oh no no no… not like this!" he whimpered.
I looked back out the window.
It was almost here.
The headlights were blinding. The roar of the engine thundered in my ears.
My breath caught in my throat.
CRAAASSHH!
The truck collided with brutal force—our car lifted off the ground, twisting through the air like a toy. Time slowed. The world spun. Then—
BOOM!
The car slammed back down, rolling across the asphalt. Metal tore. Glass exploded. Every side crushed into mangled wreckage. And I couldn't able to see Max...Rimru. As it like the Car was broke into Two pieces. The Crash impact was too heavy to tolerate by an human like us.
Silence.
Then faintly, through the ringing in my ears, I heard distant voices... sirens...And ambulance siren.
"Two victims found—they're alive but critical. There might be one more but... we can't reach them…"
My vision blurred. Blood ran down my face. The cold seeped in. I barely lifted my hand…So that I could show them sign that I'm still in car, but then—
BANG!!!
The car erupted in flames.
Everything turned white And blur As I close my eye forever.
(I knew it.I was already dead. Maybe… that was all my life was meant to be. Just like a game—played, ended, Game Over.But in games, at least… there's always a Retry button.
You click it, and boom—back to level one. Where's my retry, huh?. Hey... God…I didn't wanna go out like this. Not so soon… not like a damn virgin. I didn't even get to fall in love. I didn't even get to really live. How could You let Your child die before his story even began)