Anime Crossover: My Part-Time Job as a Giant of Light While Studying Abroad in Chiba

On this desolate island devoid of light and entertainment, with a typhoon raging outside, his only pastimes were reading downloaded novels or staring blankly at the wall.

"Dong dong dong."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

On this apocalyptic morning, in the corridor of a high-rise apartment building where you could hear nothing but the wind.

The knocking sounded exceptionally clear and eerie, making Duan Zilian's hair stand on end.

In this kind of weather, who would knock on the door?

Delivery? You must be joking.

Checking the water meter? Even less likely.

Could it be... a monster has chased us into our house?!

Duan Zilian stared intently at the security door, her breath catching in her throat.

He slowly pulled a baseball bat from under the sofa, and barefoot, he moved silently like a cat to the entryway. He held his breath and pressed his ear against the door.

"...Is anyone there...?"

A somewhat muffled male voice came from outside the door, sounding weak and trembling, "Um... could I borrow an umbrella? Or... could I have some hot water?"

Sounds like a human? And a human who's about to freeze to death.

Duan Zilian breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his vigilance remained undiminished. He peered through the peephole.

The emergency lights in the corridor flickered, casting a ghastly green glow outside.

A man, soaking wet, was leaning against the wall, head down, rubbing his arms incessantly.

He was wearing a leather jacket soaked by the rain, his cowboy hat dripping water, and two large Lawson convenience store plastic bags at his feet.

Duan Zilian hesitated for a moment.

After hanging up the security chain, I carefully turned the first lock.

Click, the door was opened a crack.

A gust of damp, cold wind rushed in instantly.

"Um... I'm sorry to bother you."

Hearing the noise, the man outside immediately looked up, revealing a face that was slightly blue from the cold, with an apologetic smile. "I was delivering goods downstairs, but the elevator was out of service, and the wind was just too strong..."

Before they could finish speaking, their eyes met in mid-air.

The air froze for three seconds.

"...How could it be you?!"

"...How could it be you?!"

The two shouted it out almost in unison.

The drenched man outside the door was none other than the mysterious master who kicked the monster away in the alley—the cowboy hat-wearing weirdo who loved discounted popsicles!

Hong Kai's eyes widened as he pointed at Duan Zilian, "Is this your home?"

"This is my home, of course!"

Duan Zilian was also completely bewildered, pointing at the dripping plastic bag in Hong Kai's hand, "You... are you here to sell expired food?"

"Hey, this was just taken off the shelves this morning! Even though it's past its expiration date, it still tastes great!"

Hong Kai argued earnestly, "Besides, I'm soaking wet and really cold. Kid, as payment for helping you fight off the monster, can you at least let me find a place to dry my clothes? Otherwise, I might become the first wanderer in Japan to freeze to death from a typhoon."

Duan Zilian hesitated for a moment.

Although this man was suspicious, his skills were beyond human comprehension, and his origins were unknown.

But he was the one who saved me that day. And looking at his current purple lips, it would seem rather heartless not to let him in.

"...we can only wait until the rain stops."

Duan Zilian sighed and loosened the security chain.

"And my house is without power, there's no heating, and no hot water."

"A wall to block the wind is enough."

Hong Kai grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

……

Five minutes later.

In the dimly lit living room, a scented candle was lit, which somewhat dispelled the chill.

Hong Kai had taken off his soaking wet leather jacket, wearing only a black vest that revealed his well-defined muscles.

He sat cross-legged on the carpet, holding a dry towel that Duan Zilian had given him, and was wiping his precious cowboy hat.

"What a disaster."

Hong Kai glanced at the still violently shaking floor-to-ceiling window and said, "A storm of this magnitude hasn't been seen in decades, even in the world."

"The weather bureau said it was the highest instantaneous wind speed in history."

Duan Zilian was wrapped in a blanket and huddled on the sofa, holding a can of beer in her hand.

He glanced at the plastic bag that Hong Kai had placed on the coffee table.

"You braved this typhoon just for this bag of rice balls that's about to expire?"

"That's for making a living."

Hong Kai picked up a tuna mayonnaise rice ball, tore open the packaging, took a bite, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face. "Besides, if I don't come out, I'll have nowhere to live. My rented room is an illegally built tin shack, which is probably already flown to Tokyo Bay by now."

"..."

Duan Zilian's lips twitched slightly.

How could such a skilled master end up in such a miserable state?

“I said… Uncle.”

Duan Zilian couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you? Your skills last night... are you a retired special forces soldier? Or a descendant of some reclusive family?"

"Uncle?"

Hong Kai paused in his chewing of the rice ball, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do I look that old? I'm only... never mind, age is meaningless to a wanderer."

He swallowed the rice ball, and his gaze became deep.

The candlelight flickered across his face, casting a mysterious shadow over it.

"My name is Hong Kai, and I'm just a passerby in this world... searching for something."

“Sometimes I’m looking for a good ramune soda, sometimes I’m looking for a lost melody…and of course, I’ll occasionally sweep up some trash that’s blocking my way,” Hong Kai said in a low voice.

"Rubbish?"

Duan Zilian remembered the faceless monster from yesterday.

"There's been more and more of that kind of thing lately."

Hong Kai raised his head, his eyes staring directly at Duan Zilian, shining brightly even in the dim candlelight. "Young man, can you feel it? The balance of this world is being broken."

"balance?"

Duan Zilian's heart skipped a beat.

He remembered the "darkness" that Professor Diye Jin had mentioned in class, the faceless monster from the day before yesterday, and the tinnitus and déjà vu that he had been experiencing frequently in the past few days.

"You mean...this typhoon?"

"It's not just typhoons."

Hong Kai pointed to the bluish-purple sky outside the window. "The wind has color. Ordinary wind is transparent, but this wind... carries a rotten smell, a greedy smell."

He suddenly stood up and walked to the French windows.

The gale pounded against the glass, emitting a dying wail.

Hong Kai pressed his hand against the glass, as if sensing something.

"It's on top."

Hong Kai said softly, "Above the clouds. A giant bird... is building its nest."

"bird?"

Duan Zilian was also affected by his tone, and subconsciously stood up and walked to his side, "What bird?"

"Mogbasa".

Hong Kai uttered an unfamiliar word.

"what?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just meant that the wind feels like a big bird flapping its wings."

Hong Kai snapped out of his daze, seemingly realizing he had let something slip, and immediately put on an indifferent expression.

"I'm probably overthinking it. After all, this kind of weather can easily cause hallucinations."

He turned around and picked up another rice ball, handing it to Duan Zilian.

"Want some? It's plum flavored, a bit sour, but it's very appetizing."

Duan Zilian looked at him.

This man is truly shrouded in mystery.

Even though they know a lot, they always hold back some of what they want to say. Beneath that nonchalant attitude, there seems to be a huge secret hidden.

Strangely, while in the room without power with this man, Duan Zilian's original fear of loneliness and the storm miraculously disappeared.

Thanks.

Duan Zilian took the rice ball and said, "I'm not picky about food, as long as it fills my stomach."

The two sat there in the dimly lit living room, listening to the wind outside the window and munching on expired rice balls.

A wonderful tacit understanding flowed between the two strangers.

"So, you're an international student from China?"

While chewing on his rice ball, Hong Kai asked indistinctly, "You've got guts to come all the way to a place like this to study, kid."

"It's for the sake of learning."

Duan Zilian sat on the sofa, looking at the storm outside the window, and said with a wry smile, "Who knew I'd be so lucky, running into this kind of once-in-a-decades weather as soon as I arrived. If I had known, I would have stayed in China to take the college entrance exam."

Life is always full of surprises.

Hong Kai shrugged. "Like me, I just wanted to work at a convenience store to make a living, but now I have to eat expired rice balls here to avoid the typhoon."

The voice just fell.

Boom! ...

The wind outside the window seemed to be enraged by something, and it let out a muffled roar.

Immediately afterwards, a visible shockwave struck the apartment building.

The chandelier in the living room swung wildly, emitting a creaking and screeching sound.

The empty beer can on the coffee table rolled to the edge of the carpet.

pat.

On top of the TV cabinet, an inconspicuous old wooden box was shaken off and rolled onto the floor.

The loose brass clasp popped open, and a silver bracelet rolled out.

Its shape is simple and unadorned, like some kind of unpolished ore blank, with a grayish transparent crystal embedded in the middle.

In the dim, flickering candlelight, it lay there quietly, looking somewhat forlorn.

"Oh, my family heirloom."

Chapter 11 Unexplained Concern