Some people say they'd rather die without pain. Hikari used to think the same. He wanted a peaceful death—quiet, painless. But life, or rather death, rarely gives you what you want.
He died in the most excruciating way imaginable—burned alive in a gas explosion. He felt his skin peel, melt, and disintegrate as the fire devoured him. The pain was beyond comprehension… but mercifully, it didn't last long. Darkness soon swallowed him whole.
And just like that, he opened his eyes again.
"...Alright everyone, we have a new transfer student joining us today from the United States," announced a woman's voice.
Blinking, Hikari found himself standing inside a brightly lit classroom.
"Would you like to introduce yourself?" the teacher asked, her black hair falling neatly over her shoulders as she looked at him expectantly.
The boy with blue hair and dark eyes hesitated for a moment, visibly confused—but then, almost instinctively, gave a standard introduction. The teacher smiled and pointed to an empty seat.
"You can sit over there."
He nodded silently and took the seat. That boy… was Hikari. Somehow, impossibly, he had appeared in this strange new world.
A world he immediately recognized.
Highschool of the Dead.
"This is insane…" he thought, gripping the desk tightly. "What the hell am I doing inside an anime? And of all places, this one... the one where the apocalypse is about to begin!"
At that exact moment, something unexpected appeared in front of Hikari.
[The Point System has been successfully activated.]
[Would you like to open the host status panel? Y/N]
What the hell...? Hikari almost said it out loud, blinking as a glowing blue holographic screen floated before his eyes.
So I have a system? Like one of those main characters? Damn... I wasn't expecting this. I've just been handed a bundle of clichés, huh?
"Open it," he said aloud.
In response, a game-like interface expanded in front of him, displaying his status.
Name: Hikari
Class 0 – Civilian
Points: 10
Skills:
• [Cooking (Intermediate)]
• [Weapon Handling (Basic)]
• [Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)]
• [Academic Knowledge (Advanced)]
• [Situational Awareness (Advanced)]
Stats:
• Strength: 10
• Intelligence: 12
• Endurance: 10
• Speed: 8
Wow... This is definitely new for me, he thought, eyes scanning the information. I never imagined I'd become a system user inside an anime... hahaha.
He chuckled nervously to himself. The classroom continued around him, unaware of the strange twist his reality had just taken.