[Detective Conan] Which Hiro Did I Meet Today?

Before I turned 21, my days followed a predictable routine, calm and uneventful.

On my 21st birthday, I came home after finishing my part-time shift and lit a candle on a cake made with non-dairy cream. That was when the strange phenomenon began: I started seeing ghosts.

I mean that literally.

The ghost was very polite. He introduced himself and said his name was Hiromitsu Morofushi.

Once we got to know each other, I usually just called him Hiro.

Soon, I encountered the second biggest crisis of my life, after seeing a ghost: I was trapped in this day.

The first day of my 21st year repeated endlessly in my rented apartment. I never gained weight, my hair never fell out, and I never got hangnails... I couldn't tell how I was any different from a doll.

Beyond the apartment's front door, it could be tomorrow, yesterday, five years ago, or three years from now... Some unknown mage had jumbled the timelines into a complete mess. I was like some forgotten passerby, A, left behind when the protagonist of a fantasy show turned back time.

It didn't take long to discover that the ghost's timeline was out of place too. He came from the year I turned 26, and died on my 26th birthday.

My instincts told me he was the cause of all this chaos.

I took his hand and stared into his eyes, my tone firm. "Tell me every last detail of your life, from beginning to end. I'll put an end to this mess and take back our lives."

I had to make sure I could find Hiro in every timeline beyond that door. Then, in at least one of those futures, he would survive.

I would put an end to this mess with my own hands.

Tips:

1. This is a short-to-medium-length story. The final length depends on how things go, so please come chat with the author! ww

2. Mainly Detective Conan, though it may also include a Bungou Stray Dogs and Natsume's Book of Friends setting.

3. There's a long-form romance featuring Hiromitsu's older brother, Takaaki, in my works list. I'm currently building up a stockpile of chapters, so please add it to your reading list! OvO

Coming soon: [Detective Conan] The Phantom Thief's Career Change Investigation Report, pairing: Takaaki Morofushi

After studying the culture of the Three Kingdoms, Takaaki Morofushi says: "A commander who lacks courage is no better than having no commander at all. / Speed is the essence of war. / Everyone must die someday; a life may be long or short."

After studying the culture of the Three Kingdoms, I say: "Congratulations, Dad, you can become emperor now! / Keep the music playing and the dancing going! / ...If you keep criticizing Mr. Kongming, I'll stab my own ears deaf!"

What? Who says twisting the Three Kingdoms story doesn't count as Three Kingdoms culture?

Coming soon: [Gintama] How to Get a Job with the Shinsengumi, pairing: Sougo Okita

After leaving my hometown in the countryside for Edo, I desperately needed a job to support myself.

I got rid of my first unreliable little boss and joined a company with a magnificent building that looked like a sizeable operation. I started working as the company accountant under my supervisor.

Then the Shinsengumi raided the place for financial crimes...

Turns out they hired me as an accountant just so they could pin the blame on an outsider!

I was back to the grueling job hunt. One after another, I arranged interviews through a recruitment forum with a strange-talking long-haired young man, a perverted lolicon with a megaphone...

And once again, the Shinsengumi wrecked those jobs within days.

I knew those people didn't look like proper HR professionals.

Just as I was about to cry over my hopeless prospects, the chestnut-haired young man I'd once taken in suddenly handed me an offer from the Shinsengumi.

I became a government employee with no pain at all.

...Was I dreaming?

The chestnut-haired young man yawned and said lazily:

"The chief said that if we don't recruit you now, you might be working for the Harusame by the next time we meet."

"..."

You're giving me way too much credit!

But how did they know I've been sending my resume all over the galaxy lately...

Theme: Setting everything right again