Multiversal Babysitter

[Yoshida Family Home]

In the Yoshida family's living room, Saki Yoshida sits on the couch with a video game in her hands. She has just finished her second year of middle school and is enjoying a brief break before a new school year begins—or at least, she's trying to. Her eyes are fixed on the screen, but her thoughts are far from the game.

She presses the buttons on the controller mechanically, almost thoughtlessly, while a bitter thought crosses her mind. "Two years of middle school... and I haven't made a single friend."

Saki isn't shunned or ignored by her classmates—quite the opposite. On multiple occasions, they had tried to approach her with friendly invitations:

"Want to hang out with us after school?"

"We're planning something this weekend—are you in?"

But her response was always the same.

"I-I'm busy… Sorry, I have other plans."

Phrases she repeated over and over, not because they were true, but because she was terrified of what they might say about her if she accepted. "What if they regret inviting me? What if I don't fit in?" That constant fear became a wall, one Saki didn't know how to break down.

As her fingers move reflexively over the controls, she reflects on how she had gradually grown used to spending time alone. It wasn't a conscious decision; it just happened. But watching other girls laugh together stirred something inside her. Without meaning to, she started viewing them with distrust, even with a hint of resentment.

"They're so… irritating," she mutters under her breath, almost inaudibly, but she immediately shakes her head.

"No, that's not it," she thinks, gripping the controller a little tighter. "I don't hate them. I hate myself."

A sigh escapes her lips as she tries to refocus on the game, but deep down, she knows she isn't enjoying it.

Saki's self-destructive thoughts are interrupted by a voice calling out from another room.

"Saki, come say goodbye to your father!" It's her mother. 

"Coming!" Saki responds, raising her voice to make sure she's heard. She quickly turns off the console and sets it aside. Before getting up, she discreetly wipes away a tear that's beginning to form in the corner of her eye.

With hurried steps, she reaches the entrance of the house. There, her mother and father are waiting for her. He holds a suitcase and looks ready to leave for a business trip. Saki doesn't know much about the details, but from what she overheard, it's an important meeting with a client.

She forces a smile as she approaches, more for her family than for herself. "If I can't be happy for myself, at least I can be happy for them." In recent months, things have been going well for the Yoshida family. Her father recently received a promotion, something they attributed to the acquisition of the company he works for by a larger one. "Green Couture… Yeah, that was the name," Saki thinks. "Sounds like a foreign company." Although she doesn't fully understand how the corporate world works, she knows that this change benefited her father. And that's enough reason to feel happy.

"I hope it goes well," Saki says, bowing respectfully. Her voice is soft, but sincere.

Her father doesn't respond immediately, only nodding his head. Then, he bends down to kiss his wife on the cheek and, with a serious look, says his goodbyes before getting into the company car waiting outside the house. The vehicle is sleek, one of those company cars that always seem brand new and shiny.

Saki watches him leave from the door. The engine hums softly as the car drives away, leaving behind a sense of emptiness that Saki can't fully explain.

[Company Car]

Mr. Yoshida, a middle-aged man, seems lost in his own thoughts as he settles into the back seat of the car. Routine has made him absent-minded, and for a moment, his eyes fixate on the reflection of his family in the rearview mirror. But soon, something else grabs his attention.

A woman, the driver, subtly enters his line of sight. At first, he hadn't noticed her when he got into the car, distracted by his own thoughts. However, now, as he observes her more closely, his eyes widen slightly, surprised. She is, without a doubt, an incredibly beautiful woman.

[Image]

Her white hair seems to glow under the car's light, her skin delicate and soft like porcelain, and her blue eyes so intense they almost seem to reflect a clear sky. Something about her bearing, that quiet elegance she exudes even while driving, makes her even more captivating. The driver's uniform gives her a peculiar look, but strangely, it's attractive.

Mr. Yoshida furrows his brow, confused. "How is it possible that someone so attractive is working as a driver?" His mind can't help but quickly compare her to a model, something that, in his opinion, would be more fitting for her.

A brief flash of curiosity leads him to observe her more closely. Her figure is slender, undeniably delicate. Without meaning to, his eyes wander down her body, tracing it unconsciously. Finally, his gaze lands on her cleavage, and it lingers there, longer than he would have liked to admit.

He murmurs to himself, almost without thinking, "Truly, a desirable woman..."

Without Mr. Yoshida realizing, time passes much faster than he expects. So absorbed is he in his thoughts, staring at the driver, that he doesn't notice how an hour has slipped away. The sound of the car accelerating snaps him out of his reverie. R-Rrrrrr!!

The woman's figure in front of him remains unchanged. Always with that somewhat silly smile that gives the impression of a naïve, almost superficial woman. "At least I could try," Mr. Yoshida thinks as a plan begins to form in his mind.

"Tell me," he began without thinking too much, "why is someone as pretty as you working in something like this?" His tone sounded dismissive, but there was a curious insistence in his voice.

She didn't take her eyes off the road, completely indifferent.

"I like my job!" she replied with a calm smile, almost as if she were talking to a child.

"I see…" he murmured, somewhat disappointed. But he didn't give up.

"You know, I recently got a promotion," he said, glancing at the rearview mirror, trying to make eye contact. "It wouldn't be hard for me to get you a contact at a modeling agency," he added, attempting to reel her in.

R-Rrrrrrr!! The car accelerated a bit more, but she continued driving without showing any change in expression.

"Ah…" Mr. Yoshida sighed, disappointed that his attempt hadn't had the desired effect. But then, after a brief silence, she broke the stillness with a question that confused him.

"Do you like stories?"

Mr. Yoshida was bewildered. The question seemed so far removed from what he had been expecting.

"What?" he replied, not understanding.

"Stories? Do you like them?" she insisted, maintaining that same serene smile.

"I don't read much," he responded curtly, showing little interest.

"What a shame…" she said, not in a sad tone, but rather one of mild disappointment. Instead, Mr. Yoshida interpreted it as a new opportunity to exploit.

"Do you like writing stories?" he asked, a false smile quickly returning to his face. "Because if you do, I could also get you a contact at a publishing house."

"No," she replied without hesitation.

"I like ruining them," she said with a light laugh, as if it were a game. "Changing their course, for better or worse."

Mr. Yoshida was about to respond, but R-Rrrrrrr!!! The sound of the engine interrupted him. He was startled to realize just how fast the car was going.

"You should slow down," he said, worried.

"I love stories!" she exclaimed with a smile, not paying attention to him. "I like to think about what would happen if something changed in a character..."

But he wasn't listening. The car's speed kept increasing, and she made no attempt to control it.

R-Rrrrrrr!!!

"Would it change for better or for worse?" she asked, placing a hand on her cheek with a thoughtful air.

R-Rrrrrrr!!! The car's speed had long since surpassed the limit.

"You have to slow down!" he shouted, a mix of anger and pleading, more desperate with each passing second.

R-Rrrrrrr, R-Rrrrrrr!!!

She did nothing.

"But this story... people have already rewritten it, modified it, made their own versions. I'd like to say that this one will be unique and original, but I'd be lying. But I still want to write it, because I think it would be fun," the driver said, a wide smile on her face.

"What are you talking about?! STOP, PLEASE!" Mr. Yoshida shouted, now completely confused. He thought maybe he'd gotten into a car with a lunatic. Nothing she was saying made sense.

"But I really think Saki doesn't need a hero, she needs friends and experiences," the driver said, unbothered. "She's not a reject like Tomoko, she self-excludes, and that's why she doesn't have friends. That's different."

Mr. Yoshida screamed when he heard his daughter's name.

"WHAT DOES MY DAUGHTER HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?!?" he roared, pressed against the seat, as the city lights flew past his eyes faster and faster.

"But writing a story about Saki just making friends isn't my style... plus, I have an employee I have to use," the driver said, pausing for a moment as she swerved around a car at high speed. "But if I use him, I'd fall into the hero stereotype. It's a dilemma..."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?! GOD, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Mr. Yoshida screamed, on the verge of collapsing, his eyes filled with panic as he clung to the seat.

But the driver continued, as if she were in her own world, as if nothing he said affected or mattered to her.

"In the end, in a revealing dream, I came up with an idea. Something more interesting... or silly, however you want to see it." She turned her head toward him, skipping the steering wheel to look him directly in the eyes.

"But first, I need a painful event to shake things up a bit."

Mr. Yoshida froze upon hearing her, fearing what she might say next.

He swallowed hard, his eyes full of fear.

"And what better painful event than the loss of a father?" the driver said, with a chilling smile.

"No, please!" Mr. Yoshida screamed, trembling, as he felt the air grow heavier.

"And then, a move," she continued, as if it were all part of a plan he didn't understand. "A change of scenery, a cliché story, and an unexpected twist."

"No, please, don't do this!" he pleaded, his voice broken, as despair overwhelmed him.

"Ah…" the driver sighed, as if she had finally been relieved of something. "Well, this was a good chat. I never get the chance to talk about my plans with someone, and no one reads the author's notes..."

She smiled calmly and added, "Well… goodbye!" Then she snapped her fingers, and suddenly disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

Mr. Yoshida was left completely confused, not knowing what had just happened or where the driver had gone. But those thoughts didn't last long, as something else caught his attention.

He looked ahead, through the windshield, and his pupils contracted when he saw what was about to happen. The car was too close to a guardrail, and there was no time for anything

With a burst of instinct, he threw himself into the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel. He tried to turn it as fast as he could, but it was already too late. He didn't react in time.

The impact was inevitable. The car hit the guardrail, crashing through it, and then fell several meters. It rolled and slammed into the ground with a deafening roar.

It was a significant impact, and then, there was complete silence.

Of course, there were no survivors.

-/-

Author's note: How's that? Did you notice that I disguised the longest author's note in history as if it were a whole chapter? And don't worry, I don't think I'll repeat a chapter like this… maybe.

If everything's good, the other chapters should already be finished when this one goes up.

Kisses and hugs!