Asahi Indra was having the worst day ever. And then he died. Talk about a bad day, right?
It all started when his alarm clock decided to play hooky. Asahi woke up super late, his hair looking like he'd stuck his finger in an electric socket. As he rushed to get ready, he stubbed his toe on the bed, hopped around yelling words his mom would definitely not approve of, and then face-planted on the floor.
"Smooth moves, Einstein," he grumbled, peeling himself off the floor. "Way to show off that big brain of yours."
By the time he got to the train station, Asahi looked like he'd been in a fight with a washing machine – and lost. His shirt was wrinkly, his hair was a mess, and he was pretty sure his shoes were on the wrong feet.
Standing on the crowded platform, Asahi had a weird feeling. Like the universe had woken up and decided, "You know what would be fun? Messing with Asahi!"
"Well," he said out loud, making the lady next to him edge away nervously, "at least things can't get worse."
The universe heard that and went, "Challenge accepted, bro."
Just then, a gust of wind blew through the station. Remember how Asahi was in a rush? Well, he'd forgotten to close his bag properly. Oops.
Papers flew everywhere, like the world's most boring confetti party.
"Oh, come on!" Asahi yelled, diving for the papers. He was so focused on grabbing them that he didn't notice how close he was getting to the edge of the platform. He didn't hear people shouting at him to be careful. And he definitely didn't see the train coming.
One second, Asahi was reaching for a paper. The next, he was falling. His last thought before everything went dark was, "My boss is gonna kill me for being late."
Asahi expected to wake up in pain, or maybe not wake up at all. What he didn't expect was to feel like he'd just had the best nap ever.
"Ugh," he groaned, his face smooshed into something soft. "Did anyone get the number of that train?"
He opened his eyes and blinked. Instead of being splat on the train tracks, he was face-down on the comfiest bed ever.
Asahi sat up and looked around. His jaw dropped. He was in a bedroom bigger than his whole apartment back home. The walls were cream-colored with fancy gold designs. There was a huge chandelier that looked like it belonged in a princess movie. The furniture was so fancy, Asahi was afraid to touch it.
"Okay," Asahi said, pinching himself. "Either I've been kidnapped by really nice rich people, or..."
He didn't finish the thought. Because it was too crazy. Like, anime-level crazy.
Asahi got out of bed, his feet sinking into a carpet so soft he thought it might start purring. That's when he saw himself in a big mirror on the wall.
Asahi froze. The guy in the mirror was him, but also... not him. Gone was the messy, stressed-out office worker. Instead, there was a tall, good-looking guy who could've been on a magazine cover.
Asahi was now over six feet tall, with muscles that looked like they actually knew what a gym was. His usual messy black hair was now Raven black and perfectly styled. His skin was clear and tan, like he'd been on a beach vacation instead of stuck in an office.
But the weirdest part? His eyes. They were now a golden color that made him look mysterious and kind of cool.
"Well, hello there, handsome," Asahi said, grinning at his reflection. "Guess dying isn't so bad for your looks. Maybe I should put it on my skincare routine. Step one: Die. Step two: Wake up gorgeous. Step three: Become a model."
As Asahi was admiring his new look (hey, he might be smart, but he's not blind), he noticed something on a desk behind him. It was a fancy laptop that definitely hadn't been there before.
Curious, Asahi went over and touched the laptop. It turned on, showing a message:
"Welcome to your new life, Asahi Indra. Your adventure starts now."
Asahi stared at the screen. Part of him wanted to laugh it off as a weird joke. But another part of him, the part that always loved a good challenge, was super excited.
"New life, huh?" he said, thinking out loud. "Well, if this is some kind of isekai thing, I hope I get cool powers. Maybe the power to always find matching socks? Or never get brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast?"
Just then, his stomach growled so loud it echoed in the big room. For a second, Asahi thought it might be a monster. Then he realized it was just his belly saying, "Feed me!"
"Right," he said, patting his new six-pack. "New body, same old hungry me. Time to find the kitchen. Hope this fancy new place has good snacks. I'd hate to have to order pizza in a parallel universe. The delivery fees must be insane."
As Asahi left the bedroom, he felt excited but also a little nervous. He'd always been good at figuring things out, at making any situation work for him. But this? This was a whole new level of weird.
The hallway outside his room was huge, with high ceilings and artwork that probably cost more than everything Asahi had ever owned put together.
"Fancy," he muttered, touching a marble statue. "Whoever lives here must be loaded. I wonder if they need a new best friend. I volunteer as tribute!"
Asahi wandered through the house, trying to take it all in. The place was massive, more like a castle than a house. There were so many rooms, Asahi was sure he'd need a map to find his way around.
"You know," he said to himself as he passed what looked like a movie theater, "maybe dying wasn't so bad after all. This place beats my old apartment by... well, everything. Though cleaning it must be a nightmare. Do they have roombas in parallel universes?"
Finally, after getting lost about a million times, Asahi found the kitchen. And what a kitchen it was.
Everything was shiny and new, with counters that went on forever and a fridge big enough to live in. Asahi whistled.
"Now this," he said, opening the fridge to find it full of every kind of food imaginable, "is what I call an upgrade. Goodbye, sad microwave dinners. Hello, fancy feasts!"
As he made himself the best sandwich ever, Asahi thought about how crazy this all was. Here he was, in a new body that looked like it belonged to a movie star, in a house that would make rich people jealous, about to start some kind of new life.
"You know," he said, taking a big bite of his sandwich, "I should probably be freaking out more. I mean, I died, woke up in a parallel universe, and now look like a snack. That's not exactly normal Tuesday stuff."
But the truth was, Asahi wasn't freaking out. Okay, maybe a little. But mostly? He was pumped. This was a challenge, a whole new world to figure out. And Asahi loved a good challenge.
As he finished his sandwich, Asahi saw a calendar on the wall. His eyebrows shot up when he saw the date.
"April 1st?" he said, laughing. "Really, universe? You're not exactly being subtle with the whole 'new beginnings' thing. What's next, a big sign that says 'Your New Life Starts Here' with flashing lights?"
According to the calendar, it was the start of a new school year. Which meant that Asahi, in his new 17-year-old body, was supposed to go to high school.
"Great," he muttered sarcastically. "Because high school wasn't awkward enough the first time. Let's do it all again! Maybe this time I'll actually get a date to prom. Or learn how to talk to people without sounding like a know-it-all jerk. Baby steps."
But even as he complained, Asahi couldn't help feeling a little excited. High school, with his smarts and his new... well, everything? It could be fun. Really fun.
Walking back to his room (only getting lost twice this time, which he counted as a win), Asahi found a school uniform on his bed. It was a white shirt, black pants, and a blue blazer with a fancy logo he didn't recognize.
As he put on the uniform, which fit him perfectly, Asahi looked in the mirror again. He had to admit, he looked pretty good.
"Watch out, new world," he said, winking at his reflection. "Asahi Indra is coming for you. And this time, I'm playing to win. Though I'm not sure what game we're playing yet. Is there a rulebook for parallel universe high school?"
With one last check of his hair (because looking good is important, even in parallel universes), Asahi grabbed his school bag and headed for the door. As he stepped outside, a bunch of cherry blossom petals blew past him on the breeze.
For a second, Asahi felt a little homesick for his old life. But then he shook it off, standing up straight and lifting his chin.
"Okay, universe," he said, his golden eyes sparkling with determination. "You wanted to give me a do-over? Let's see what you've got. Just remember, I didn't agree to any terms and conditions. So if this turns out to be some big prank, I'm calling the parallel universe police. That's a thing, right?"
And with that, Asahi Indra started walking towards his new school, ready for whatever this weird new world had in store for him. Little did he know, his adventure was just beginning.
As he walked, Asahi couldn't help grinning. High school, a new life, and a whole new world to explore? Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun.
"Look out, new world," he said under his breath, a mischievous look in his eye. "Asahi Indra is here to play. And I always play to win. Even if I have no idea what the game is yet."
The cherry blossoms kept falling around him as he walked to his new school, marking the start of what was sure to be a crazy new chapter in Asahi Indra's life.
The universe had some surprises up its sleeve. But then again, so did Asahi. And he was more than ready to face whatever came his way.
After all, what's life without a little challenge? And if that challenge happened to come with a side of parallel universe high school drama? Well, bring it on. Asahi Indra was ready to ace this test called life. Or at least not fail too badly.
