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

Duan Zilian quickly put down the half-empty can of beer in her hand and bent down to pick it up.

But a hand was faster than him; Hong Kai leaned in and picked up the bracelet.

The moment his hand touched the bracelet, Hong Kai's hand, which was about to casually toss it back, suddenly froze.

A long-lost warmth appeared in his palm. Although faint, it was definitely not a mistake. It was light, and light was seeping into his body.

Hong Kai's pupils contracted instantly, but he quickly masked it.

He held the bracelet up to his eyes, a look of keen interest on his face, examining it closely as if he were appraising an antique.

"Whoa..."

Hong Kai whistled, "This thing looks quite old. What's it made of? It doesn't feel like silver."

“That was left to me by my grandfather.”

Duan Zilian did not notice anything unusual about Hong Kai.

He took the bracelet, rubbed the dull crystal with his thumb, and said nostalgically, "He said it was a talisman. I wore it all the time when I was a kid, but when I got to high school I thought it was too childish and I was afraid my classmates would laugh at me, so I put it away."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, his eyes dimming slightly: "It's called a talisman, but it's really useless. Look, didn't I almost get killed by that faceless monster the other night?"

Duan Zilian shook her head and casually tried to stuff the bracelet back into the old wooden box.

"That's because you weren't wearing it, right?"

Hong Kai suddenly spoke, his voice clearly reaching Duan Zilian's ears.

"What?" Duan Zilian paused.

Hong Kai picked up the can of beer again, tilted his head back and took a sip, but his eyes never left the bracelet.

"Amulets are something that depends a lot on fate and connection."

Hong Kai put down his beer can and tapped his chest with his finger: "It's like an old-fashioned radio. You need to pull out the antenna to get a signal. If you just leave it like trash on top of a cabinet to collect dust, even if it wants to protect you, it won't get a signal."

"...Uncle, your analogy is terrible."

Duan Zilian raised an eyebrow, looking speechless. "Besides, what era are you living in? Who still uses a radio these days? What kind of mystical theory is this?"

"Better safe than sorry," Hong Kai grinned, his smile carrying an irresistible confidence. "Besides, I think this thing is quite well-made. Although it's a bit old, that retro feel is all the rage right now. Anyway, you've been having such bad luck lately, why not give it a shot? Maybe it'll change your luck."

Duan Zilian looked at the bracelet in her hand.

The image of my grandfather handing it to me before he passed away, and the lingering bad luck I've been feeling these past few days...

"alright."

Duan Zilian sighed, as if to comfort herself and also to appease the strange guest's kindness.

He unbuttoned his cuffs and slipped the cold bracelet onto his left wrist.

Click.

A soft sound, the size of which was just right, as if it had always belonged there.

"now it's right."

Hong Kai looked at the bracelet on Duan Zilian's wrist, which, though faded, had finally returned to its original place, and a hint of relief, known only to himself, flashed in his eyes.

He silently added in his mind:

Don't let it get dusty again... That's proof of being chosen, Duan Zilian.

The two continued chatting casually.

"Uncle, you just said you've been to many places?"

Duan Zilian leaned back on the sofa. "Is it the kind of backpacking trip on a tight budget?"

"That's it."

Hong Kai sat cross-legged, fiddling with the brim of his cowboy hat. "I've been to so many places. Some places are all water, with no land at all, and the fish there are bigger than this apartment building. And in other places, there's no daytime, only two moons hanging in the sky, and the aurora borealis is purple all day long."

"...This isn't a vacation, it's like you're filming a sci-fi movie!"

Duan Zilian rolled her eyes, looking completely disbelieving.

Believe it or not.

Hong Kai smiled, but his gaze became somewhat distant. "However, no matter where you go, no matter how strange the place looks... as long as people live there, there will be troubles. Some turn against each other for power, and some kill each other for the sake of so-called justice."

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Duan Zilian:

"Young man, if one day you possessed the power to easily change all of this, what would you do?"

"Change all of this?"

Duan Zilian paused for a moment, then scoffed, "Forget it, I can't even change this damn back pain right now. If I really had that kind of power... I'd probably stop this typhoon first, then go to Lawson and buy up all the expired food, making you, the expired food lover, green with envy."

"Hahahaha!"

Hong Kai suddenly burst into hearty laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost streamed down his face.

"Expired food? What a wonderful wish!"

Hong Kai finished laughing and wiped his eyes. "But remember what you just said. Sometimes, the simple desire to have a full meal and a good night's sleep is the most powerful force. Don't let grand things blind you."

"...You really talk a strange way."

Duan Zilian muttered, "He clearly looks like an unemployed bum, but he always seems to have seen through the world."

"That's called experience, understand? Experience!"

Just then.

hum-

The phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated.

The screen lit up, appearing particularly glaring in the dimly lit room.

Duan Zilian picked up her phone.

The signal strength has actually recovered to three bars.

A new friend request popped up on Line.

[System notification: "Yukino Yukinoshita" has added you as a friend via the class group chat.]

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Duan Zilian was so startled by this sudden notification that she almost choked on her beer.

"Snow... Snow beneath?"

Has the sun risen in the west?

"What's wrong? Is your girlfriend checking up on you?" Hong Kai asked, leaning closer with a gossipy look on his face.

"Don't talk nonsense! It's my deskmate! A deskmate with a sharp tongue!"

Duan Zilian clicked on it in a flustered manner.

Verification message: [A little additional information regarding the harmonica.]

"It really is work..."

Duan Zilian breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little inexplicably disappointed.

He clicked "accept".

He replied almost instantly.

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: Excuse me. Although it's currently a school break, as the president of the Service Club, I think it's necessary to check on the survival status of the club members.

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: After all, with your intelligence and survival skills, I'm worried that you might get blown into Tokyo Bay in this storm because you forgot to close the window.

"..."

Duan Zilian's lips twitched.

Even through the screen, that familiar tone still came through.

[Duan Zilian]: Thanks to you, I'm still alive. And the windows are tightly shut. I'm currently eating expired rice balls with an old man I picked up, and life is very fulfilling.

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: An old man I picked up?

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: ...Dan-kun, although I know you're lonely, please don't bring home creatures of unknown origin. It's not only irresponsible to yourself, but also to your landlord.

"puff."

Hong Kai glanced at the screen and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "This little girl has a sharp tongue. Is she talking about me, 'creature of unknown origin'?"

"Yes."

Duan Zilian replied with a helpless emoji, "Anyway, does the Minister have any instructions?"

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: No instructions. Just…

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: Chiba News just reported that unusual electromagnetic waves were detected near Sobu High School. You live not far from the school, right? Be careful. If anything seems amiss, contact the police immediately.

[Yukino Yukinoshita]: Or... you can contact me. Although I might not be able to help much, I can at least call the police for you.

Meanwhile, in an apartment three blocks away, Yukino Yukinoshita was sitting by the window.

She held a cup of warm black tea in her hands, and a wool blanket covered her legs. Even at home, even when she was alone, her posture remained impeccably upright.

"...The wind got stronger."

Whispering softly beneath the snow.

The apartment building is very well soundproofed; you can barely hear the wind outside.

But looking at the wildly swaying trees and the billboards being blown around, you can still feel that destructive power.

Meow—

A faint meow interrupted her thoughts.

Yukino put down her teacup and walked to a flight case in the corner.

That's the black and white kitten I brought back from the park last night.

Although they said it was "just temporary foster care until an adopter is found," the airline crate was lined with the softest towels, and there were also top-quality kitten food and goat milk powder on the side.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Yukino crouched down and, through the cage bars, gently teased the kitten with her finger.

The usually affectionate kitten was now huddled in a corner, its fur standing on end, hissing softly towards the window.

That reaction... was like sensing the presence of some kind of natural enemy.

Snowflakes furrowed their brows slightly.

Animals often have more acute intuition than humans.

She stood up and walked to the window.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she saw what appeared to be a huge shadow moving within the spiraling cloud that had been hovering over the city.

Yukinoshita picked up her phone.

The screen displayed the message she had just sent to Duan Zilian:

[Or... you can contact me. While I might not be able to help much, I can at least call the police for you.]

"...What am I doing?"

Yukino looked at the message and sighed softly.

Mingming usually hates meddling in other people's business, and she's just a transfer student she's known for only a week who talks a lot of nonsense.

Why would you specifically care about his safety?

It's probably because of... that look in her eyes.

That look in her eyes as she straightened her back despite the pain in class, that gentle look in her eyes as she fed the kitten sausages.

The loneliness hidden beneath that cynical exterior resonated with her.

drop--

The phone screen suddenly flickered.

Immediately afterwards, all the lights in the room and the TV indicator lights went out in an instant.