Miseries and Luck

Regaining consciousness was like slowly surfacing from a vivid nightmare. My eyes struggled against the oppressive darkness, and when I finally pried them open, I wished I hadn't.

"Oh, you're up! Took you long enough!"

The voice pierced through my confusion. As I squinted into focus, I saw him—a mirror image of myself. Only, he seemed oddly pleased about it, like winning a weird look-alike contest.

"He... looks like me. But with a smug expression."

"Hi there! I'm Akira Miyamoto," he said, flashing a grin as if auditioning for a toothpaste commercial. "And you must be Adachi! Yep, that's you, right?"

"Uh... I think so?" I stammered, wondering if I had suddenly entered the Twilight Zone.

Dressed in all black, stood there a bunch of men behind him. Then the only woman present in this place opened her mouth, "Certainly, Akira-sama. His name is Adachi Miyamura. Born in the Akita prefecture. Only child of his parent. Completed his high school in Akita and then shifted to Tokyo to complete his degree. Currently unemployed and lives with his girlfriend..."

I was mesmerized by her beauty and terrified by her words. She rattled off my life story with absurd precision. It was like she'd read my autobiography over breakfast.

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" I asked, trying to break the bizarre tension in the room. "I'm not really the best hostage material, you know?"

Akira rose from his seat, striking a dramatic pose. "Guess what you can give me that nobody else can!"

"Uh... a bad impersonation of you?" I offered, trying to play along.

"Yourself!" he declared, looking way too excited about his own punchline.

"Seriously?" I snorted, almost chuckling. "Is this a prank show? Because if it is, I've got to say, your casting department nailed it!"

But Akira was undeterred. "Nope! We've got matching faces! You're gonna step into my shoes and live my oh-so-fabulous life!"

I blinked, speechless, wondering if this was some surreal sitcom I'd accidentally wandered into. Now what this scene lacked was a sidekick of this villan boss who would come forward and threaten me to open my mouth. I know, I have seen many movies.

Then, as if on cue, that girl leaned forward with a menacing glare. "Open your damn mouth, you bastard, or I'll slit it open for you."

Oh, there she is! They really nailed the casting!

My heart pounded like a drum. I wished this was some elaborate prank, but each passing second made it clear: I wasn't getting out of here for free.

Kana walked towards me, her calm, elegant movements belying the threat in her eyes. She stopped just a step away, her face inches from mine.

Soft-white cheeks, like pink mochi, and azul eyes that seemed to pierce my soul. Her pink lips moved as if whispering a prayer, until—

"You damn sucker!!" She grabbed my shirt tightly with one hand and formed a tight fist with the other, ready to strike.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!! I wish the illusion had lasted a little longer!"

"Kana-chan, stop." Just as her punch was about to make contact, Miyamoto intervened.

"But Akira-sama, he's not cooperating. Just give me three punches and I swear he'll start talking."

Scary!! Does this girl have a dual personality? One moment she's a thug, the next a tamed kitten.

I was in dismay. Before she started beating me down, I decided to speak.

"I AM TALKING! I am talking. See, I am talking. Please, ma'am, please leave me alone. And sir, please explain more clearly what you mean."

Kana retracted herself, while Miyamoto gave me a wide grin. "Just like I stated, I want you to step into my shoes and live my life. That includes taking my business meetings, hanging out with friends, and taking care of my girlfriends."

His words were confusing, especially the word "girlfriends". Does he have a harem?

"Girlfriends!?"

"Yes. I have four girlfriends. Well, actually, one is my wife, and one is almost my wife, and the other two are girlfriends. But it's not like some harem anime. They just don't know about each other."

"Awwww, no harem! Boring!"

"Well, yeah. So, I want you to take over my life. Of course, I will pay you. Whatever money you want. But you don't have many choices. After that incident, no one will hire you. You have tons of loans, and your girlfriend—"

"SO WHAT!? Just because my life is going down, I should destroy someone else's life?!"

Why can't I say no? Why can't I refuse?

Under their sharp gazes, my head dropped in embarrassment over my cowardice.

"You are right. Being selfish isn't wrong. As I said, you will live my life. Be the hero and save the day from me, the villain. And I am even paying you to do that."

His words echoed in my ears, and I looked up, meeting his eyes. There was no malice, no goodness, just emptiness.

"I want 100 million yen for one month. And I will only work for you until I get a proper job. If you accept, I'm in. Otherwise, I'm going home."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, then laughed. "Wonderful! I didn't think you'd turn so fast. But desperation and money are great motivators. Deal. But you must work for me for at least three months. Take it or leave it."

Annoyingly, he knew what I would answer.

"Deal."

Mission survived with self-respect.