Chapter 1

It is 3AM. The summer night gently bring in humid wind through the bedroom window. The buzzing of mosquitoes seem to blur in one with the honking of vehicles below

16 year old Aki Hayakawa just has the revelation of his life

"I am inside a simulation" he sip on a can of coca cola "None of this devil shit is real, and I'm dreaming it all up"

See, this is the sort of things police use to caution people against using edibles, but Aki knew what he remembered wasn't a fabricated memory. Otherwise he'd be insane

He had a dream about another world where there are no Devils. A world so similar to his own, but yet different. And he felt as if he'd been living in there for a long time

Aki would tell you he's not religious, and he believes in rational thoughts over impulsive intuitions. So, being a man who only trust in himself, he knew the world he dreamt of is not false. Which means the one he lives in does not exist

"There is only one way to prove it" Aki got up his chair and walked to the balcony. The wind is strong, and neon lights move slowly down in the street, like signals on an electrical board

The chaos in this world is an organized system preordained to follow the same programming. A set of working components designed to stimulate reality to their utmost faithfulness

"If this world is a simulation. It mean two possibilities exist: that I will wake in the real world when I die, or the world will prevent me from doing so" He step on foot on the ledge "To test this hypothesis, I will commit suicide"

Aki jump off the window and plummet six stories down below

_______

The beeping of hospital monitor alert him that he is alive. Aki's eyes flutter open, taking in the blurring white around him. His head is a mess, tortured with a throbbing migraine

There is movement above and to the side. Men in white coats move around chaotically. Are they enemies? Perhaps they are members of a cult worshipping the simulation that they live in

"Hello mr.Hayakawa. Are you feeling well?" One of the cult members ask "I am doctor Rugi. You are currently in the hospital after suffering many fractures in the ribs, pelvis, and femur"

He carefully observe them

They are so good at acting it's making him suspicious. If Aki didn't know better, he'd say they are genuine doctors instead of crazy lunatics forcing him into this simulation

"How did I survive?"

"Ah. I'm not surprised. Falling at that height would have killed almost anyone save for elite Devil Hunters" the cultist smile "Luckily, you fell right into a truck carrying children pillows which cushioned your fall, and came out of it with the minimal defree of injury expected from that situation"

"I see..." he mumbled, the doctor shuffle the oaper in his hand

"Now we'll be doing a few checks on you. After this is over, you can choose to go home or—"

"I'll be going home, thanks" he smile at him. Aki got up despite the doctor's protest. His bones creak and he felt pain shooting up his arm, but he ignore them and open the door

The night sky reflected in his eyes as he left the hospital room. He breathed in the cold air and exhale

"I didn't die" Aki blink "I didn't die. I wasn't insane. This entire world is a simulation made to imprison me. It simply does not exist. Everything isn't real"

They thought he wouldn't notice the slip. Why would his life be miraculously saved when he is trying to escape this world? No, it is not a simple coincidence that truck save him

The doctor talking to him? A programmed NPC made to discourage him from discovering the truth. The wounds on his body? Merely simulated chemicals in his brains secreting that damn signal called pain- a natural preventstive to curiosity

Which means his parents might not be real. So is his brother. And he's been chasing the Gun Devil, which could only a figment of his imagination made to give him an objective to his existence, or a coping mechanism to this unreality

Aki's fist coil and he hit the wall

"So what have I been doing all these years? Wasting my life mourning their death and trying to get into Public Safety?" He wipe his nose, feeling the hotness of tears rolling down his cheek "In the end, it's all for nothing"

_______

Aki has existensial dread. For one week he has not eaten anything. He also does not move, instead he piss and shit on the floor

Why eat when when the food is only an illusion? Why go to the bathroom if every place is the same? He could not care for a life like this. It feels like no matter what he do, nothing can be achieved, as all has been set as is

He could just go on a street and kill a random woman and it won't even mean a thing. Stomp a baby's head out, snap a grandma's leg...doesn't matter. He couldn't feel any attachment to them

Aki sigh

He stood up from his pile of shit and piss. The boy look down at his unsightly appearance. Stained with you-know-what and looking malnourished, people would have mistaken him for a devil the moment they set eyes on him

"This won't do" He began cleaning it all up. Now that his depression is under control, it all seems silly. If nothing is real, he should make his fantasy a little more bearable. So Aki took a shower and cook himself a cup of noodle

The smell of food is comforting. He slurp on the noodle until there is nothing left

_____

Aki decide to go to the bank. He need money for this month's rent. If life is a game, it seems strangely insistent on making it as difficult as is for him

'Life is a game...that is an interesting philosophy' Aki wonder 'You can play a game and have fun even knowing it is all fake. It's not about authenticity, it's about the sense of accomplishment- as well as the experience you gathered while playing'

Instead of going the usual route, he can take a shortcut to the alley to the bank. A notice would pop up and say "New area unlocked: the Alley" followed by some EXP reward. Wouldn't that be exciting if it happens?

So he did just that, and Aki realize he enjoys doing this. Three robbers then jump out from the shadow and surround him

"Give us your money" one of them demanded, and Aki could almost imagine a window popping up that ask him to coose between compliance or barter or violence

"The Matrix will not claim me!" He howl and bite the robber in the neck. NPC flesh taste the same as beef. He spat out the glob of red meat as one of them convulse on the floor. The other NPC's screamed and fled.

Aki began running after them. Oh he could see it now, the simulation has begun sending active agents to suppress him who knows the truth about this world. There's no way these are just "normal people" who happens to meet him by coincidence

His feet moves faster. There's just sonething about knowing the inconsequentiality in your action that feels...liberating. He is alive. If nothing he does matters, then it's all the better!

Two screams resound from the alley.

Aki walked out moments later. He brush off the blood on his shirt and continue to the bank

________

The cashier type in his credit card number.

"How much do you want to withdraw, mr. Hayakawa?"

"5 million in 10,000 yen bills" He tap his finger on the register "I'm sorry, but I remember there being another woman who used to work on your seat. Is she transferred somewhere else?"

"You must be talking about Karin. She's killed in a Devil attack a few weeks ago" Her face express sorrow

He left the bank feeling quite empty. Having a familiar face killed off is disconcerting. It's like having your favorite ramen shop closed down, or coming home to your pillow one inch taller than it usually is. It is a change that affect him profoundly

"No one knew this world is fake aside from me, so it's only natural they'd get genuine sadness when somebody is killed" He look at the sky. Aki notice it's about to rain and hurried home

The rain is splashing around him. The droplets hitting the ground in rhythmic continuity, drowning out the surrounding sound. That's why Aki didn't hear the approaching footstep behind him, unt the shadow had casted its shade above him

The pavement exploded as a clawed fist smashed through it

The scaled creature look puzzled at where the human is supposed to be. Its nose twitch, before whirling around to strike at Aki. He once again disappeared, leaving the fist smashing through the ground

It was only thanks to his training to apply to Public Safety that save him, Aki suppose. He stood up and ovserve the creature that attacked him.

"What are you?"

The creature let out a low pitch whine. One of its many scaled limb expand and form a human head, flesh twisting and tearing to create a set of pearly white teeth

"We are the flesh Devil. Come and be assimilated into one" The mouth set into a grisly smile "Be consumed and digested. Be one. Be all. Be us. Every one of myself"

"You are not real"

He saw the Devil tilting his head in confusion. 

"Devils....are CGI" Aki brought a hand forward and pat him "Just like birds and lizards, you are part of a governmental campaign to invade on people's privacy. By fearmongering through the existence of monsters like you, they were able to establish an iron regime to control the masses"

He once dreamed of a world where Devils do not exist, and from there concluding in his fake life. Devils at their core is the jutaposition between the two vision of reality and the matrix and therefore could not harm him

This thing in front of him is a product of VFX and technical lighting, so it can't kill him. 

Just like falling six stories to the ground didn't kill him

Because everything in this world is fake, he will never die

"You little human fuck!" It screech and charge at him. Aki didn't dodge. It felt so trivial seeing something that could easily kill him getting so riled up. Is it because the creature hasn't met a human that laugh in the face of fear?

Aki Hayakawa looked on dispassionately as the spiked arm comes moments away from ripping his head clean off. 

And then, it missed

The Devil tripped on the previous crater in its haste to kill him. It fell face first into the ground. The arm that poise to strike him smashed into a nearby house, reducing it to rubbles from the tremendous crash 

"H-how,,,," 

It could not comprehend the fact that it had fallen. No, it refused to accept it being coincidence. That damned human must have predicted it would fell like this. He couldn't have just fallen through sheer dumb luck

Aki calmly walk to the surprised Devil and punch through its eye. It pierced through its brain, killing the monster instantly. 

Do every Devils have brains he wonder. Maybe he is just lucky in that regards  

_________

Aki turns 17 today. 

According to Japanese law, it is the age where you are acquitted of any immunity toward liability in murder. It is also the minimum age requirement to legally sign up for Public Safety

Revenge is no longer on his mind. Now that he know the world is a simulation and everything he did is fake, he might as well treat it like a video game

"I should make it my goal to become the strongest Devil Hunter. Or get my own Harem. Or kill all the Devils in this world. Something like that"

Aki will need EXP to level up. This is why he will apply for Public Safety

He walk up to their headquarter. It is a three stories building with people in suits walking in and out, seemingly void of security in the perimeter. Aki enter the lobby, and notice the reception table at the other end of the room  

"Hello. I'm here to apply to Public Safety as a Devil Hunter"

"Name and age" The woman slide a paper to him

"Aki Hayakawa. 17 and 1/8th year old" He check in the registration form. Non-existant family. Poor household. Waiver accepting risk of death on the job signed

But what about maximum pay? Aki don't know about economic, so he'll just have to sign up for the position with the highest pay. It also has the highest deathrate, but he don't care about it

"Thank you. Please meet miss Makima on the third floor and submit this application" The receptionist checked the form. He thanked her and move on. 

The lady does not know she is living in a simulation. If he were given a chance to trade place with her, to live day by day without the burden of the matrix, would he have accepted?

_______

Aki open the door.  He look at the person inside

Through the morning light reflected through the window, the woman on the desk appears beautiful. Her serene face is akin to that of a descended Angel

At the sound of his footstep, Makima raise her head and smile 

"Good morning. How may I help you?"

"Here" He hand her the application. "I wish to apply for Tokyo's Public Safety"

She picked it up. Makima's eyes swept over them, pausing at certain parts, and continued in leisure. There is something he can't describe about her

"Everything looks good. I'll need to stamp them and everything's set" They didn't even set an interview. Perhaps Public Safety is running low on men

She reach her hand out for the tool, but accidentally knock it over the table. They both stare at it in silence. Aki waited. Makima look at him

"Would you mind picking up the stamp for me?" 

Aki's neurons activated to think of a response to this beautiful woman. What would be the appropriate response when your boss need you?

Think...they say women loves chivalry, but that's a long time ago. The last he saw, treating both genders the same is the new way to impress the opposite side

Helping Makima would be the same as enabling the spread of gender stereotypes and damage her reputation. If he did that, he would be a misogynist

"Pick it up yourself"

Makima look at him. Aki look back

The woman step out of her seat and bend down to take the stamp, then use it on his application. A loud thud rang out in the office

"Welcome to Tokyo Division 2, Aki Hayakawa. I hope you have a great time" 

Aki nodded, feeling proud of himself

_________

Once the meeting with Makima is done, Aki stop at the water dispenset to get himself a cup of water

Then he get himself a second cup of water. It is weird, the security guards haven't arrested him yet. He stare at the beverage in his hand in contemplation

"Wait, this water is free"

He drank it. Aki enjoyed the taste of free water