Realities Collide

Chapter 1: What Is Real?

Milan, Italy, december 2022.

It was a cold winter weekend in Milan and Luca Di Paolo, a normal engineering student at the "Politecnico di Milano" university,  was relaxing in is rented appartment watching "Our Sweet Age", a popular slice of life anime that went out in the 2022 fall season.

"They say that it has a tragic ending but I hope that they were trolling me." He commented.

It was the story of a clumsy high school girl that fell in love with a shy boy. They were both dense people and their friends tried to make them realize their mutual love with very comical results.

"This is the penultimate episode and I hope that they will finally confess to each other." He said

Then the episode started and it arrived in a point where the male protagonist fell ill.

"It's a rare genetic disease the doctors said. They also told us that he will die in a few days." The friends of Yua Sato, the female protagonists, said.

"I refuse to believe that. I love Hayate kun so much." She said while crying and going towards the bed of her ill loved one.

"WTF is this bullshit? I thought this was a relaxing slice of life anime. I hope Hayate will be ok in the next episode." Stated Luca in quiet voice hoping to not wake up his roommate..

Then the last episode started and it arrived to the last scene...

"I love you Hayate kun. I've always loved you since the moment we first met." Said Yua.

"Yua chan. I love you too but I have to go now. Don't be sad, ok?" Said the boy before dying.

Then a sad but sweet music played showing the credits.

"What a shitty ending. Not in tone with the rest of the episodes. I hope that in the next season she will find happiness."

Meanwhile in an "alternative Japan".

"Yua san, let's go home. Staying there will only hurt you more." Said one of her friend.

"No, I want to stay with him a little more."

Then a strange light appeared from nowhere bliding everyone and when they were finally able to see again Yua was gone.

Italy, Luca's appartment.

Luca placed his smartphone on his bed with the end credits still playing.

"Time to go to bed. I have an important exam in a few days and I will screwed if I don't pass it. Tomorrow I will wake up early and study." He thought.

But then a strange light came from his phone blinding him for few seconds and when he was able to see again a strange asian girl in a school uniform was standing in front of him.

She had a very sad face and some tears could still be seen falling. But when she realized confusion and fear prevailed.

The girl then started shouting some words in language that seemed japanese.

"Her voice seems familiar." Thought Luca before trying to speak to her in english.

"Calm down. You're in my appartment and my name is Luca. What are you doing here?" 

"I was in a hospital till a moment ago. I don't know where I am now. By the way, are you a foreigner?" She stated in a quite good english.

"Foreigner? You're the one because you are in Milan, Italy, right now." Replied the university student.

"Wait. Are you telling me I travelled to Italy from Japan?" She said.

"By the way, my name is Sato Yua. Nice to meet you." She introduced herself while bowing.

"Wait. Are you cosplaying right now? Because you have the same name and almost the same voice of the main character of the anime "Our Sweet Age"." Asked Luca.

"I don't know what are you talking about. I'm a second year high school student in Osaka at the Waru Private Academy. I was in a hospital because a friend of mine was very ill." Yua explained.

"You mean that he died." Stated Luca.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"Because it's the plot of the anime I was watching earlier. I think my roommate is trying to fool me by paying a japanese girl in order to make me believe that anime are real..." Stated Luca.

"Show me the anime you were talking about." Asked the girl.

Luca then picked his smartphone and showed Yua a clip from an episode.

"This is when my class went to Tokyo in a trip. What is going on?" She shouted almost waking up Luca's roommate.

"What is this place? Where am I? Who are you?" Asked the girl before fainting.

"No way. She can't be the real Yua from the anime. These thing only happen in light novels not in the real world." Thought Luca while wondering what to do next.

Meanwhile in the real world Japan.

A JSDF military base near Tokyo.

"Sir, we have an UFO on the radar. It's too fast to be plane." Stated a soldier.

"Continue tracking. It could be the north koreans playing with their missiles again." Said a general.

Skies near Tokyo.

"Where am I? I was fighting Gorat and it was being a very fun match but then that strange light appeared." Commented Xenton, the main protagonist of the shounen anime Superfighters.

"Anyway, I hope that strong opponents will appear very soon." He stated while flying with a superhuman speed.

When fiction and reality collide I ask you a question: "What is real?"