H_Si

Renji Aoyama is the kind of person everyone likes but no one remembers. He has talent but lacks consistency, jumping between hobbies, ambitions, and routines, always quitting before he can master anything. Surrounded by friends who excel in their own fields, Renji believes he could be great—if only he had discipline. If only he had focus.

Then he watches a movie about a blind girl whose split personality could "see." The idea grips him. If the mind can create something beyond its limits, what’s stopping him from doing the same? He dives into research, experimenting with methods to bring out a "perfect" version of himself. But nothing happens.

Or so he thinks.

One day, he hears a voice—his voice, but sharper, more confident, more refined. At first, it feels like an older brother guiding him. The new personality, who he names Shin, helps him in ways he never imagined—acing tests, handling social situations, and fixing the flaws Renji always hated about himself.

But as the days pass, Renji begins to question: Who is really in control? And if Shin is everything Renji should have been… then what does that make him?

As his sense of self starts to unravel, Renji will discover that Shin’s existence isn’t as simple as he thought. Because this "new" personality?

He may have been there all along.

The Other me

The First Sign of Strength

Sure, he had tried. Boxing, karate, kalaripayattu—all things he had once thought would be cool to master. He trained for a few weeks, followed tutorials, shadowboxed in front of his mirror.

Then, like everything else, he lost interest.

Now, standing in the middle of a dark alley, heart pounding, he regretted that.

Three guys surrounded Takashi, their expressions twisted with hostility. Renji had stepped into this without thinking.

"You don't have to do anything," Shin's voice murmured in his mind. "Just let me handle it."

Renji tried to step back. His body didn't move.

One of the guys, a broad-shouldered punk with a scar on his cheek, sneered. "The hell do you want?"

Renji's voice came out, but it wasn't his.

"You've got two choices," he said. "Leave, or I'll make you."

Takashi whipped his head toward Renji, eyes wide. "What the hell are you—?"

The scarred guy laughed. "Oh? You gonna fight us, pretty boy?"

The second thug cracked his knuckles. "I say we beat his ass first."

His foot slid back, weight shifting instinctively. The first punch came—a wide, sloppy swing. Renji ducked. His body twisted as his leg came up, striking the thug right in the ribs.

The second attacker came next. Renji didn't think—he reacted. His hands moved in perfect precision. A block. A counterpunch. A step-in elbow.

Pain shot through Renji's fist, but his body moved again.

The leader swung a bottle at him. Renji dodged—his head barely moving. His knee shot forward—straight into the man's gut.

The fight had lasted less than fifteen seconds.

Renji stood there, breath steady, heart pounding.

Takashi stared at him. "…What the hell was that?"

Because he didn't remember thinking through any of it.

Shin's Voice Grows Louder

Later that night, Renji stood in front of the bathroom mirror.

His knuckles were red from the fight. His face was calm. Too calm.

"You liked that, didn't you?" Shin's voice was smooth, pleased.

Renji gritted his teeth. "Shut up."

"Oh, come on. I helped you. You were useless before."

Renji slammed his fist against the counter. "I never wanted this!"

A Family That Starts to Notice

The next morning at breakfast, the family was unusually quiet.

His grandmother eyed his bruised knuckles. "What happened?"

Riku scoffed. "Nothing, huh? Looks like a fight to me."

His father, normally relaxed, set down his coffee. "Renji. Did something happen?"

His uncle, who had once been a violent drunk, looked at him sharply. He didn't speak, but his burned hands rested on the table, fingers twitching slightly.

Even his mother—normally overbearing and talkative—stayed quiet.

Renji shrugged. "Some idiots picked a fight with Takashi. I stepped in."

"…You won?" Riku's voice was disbelieving.

Renji's grip on his fork tightened.

"He doesn't believe you could've done it," Shin whispered, amused.

Riku frowned. "Since when do you know how to fight?"

Chapter 5: A Fist That Wasn’t Mine