The Song of Fractured Light (Love Live Superstar x Lantern Male Reader)

Prologue - Seizing The Ring

"Sure thing, just tell me what to grab." I said

After she told me about what to grab, I got to work, taking each box where I was told to, my mind up in the clouds. We'll be starting highschool in a couple days and while I'm all for supporting Sumire in her ambitions, I kind of hope that she'll make friends with some people in her class, since we won't be in the same one. Though she'd probably get annoyed with me if I brought it up.

"So Sumire, do you have plans to do anything different this school year? Or are you just gonna keep trying to get scouted?" I said

"Are you implying something? But in any case, I'm still going to try and get somebody to scout me, I need to get back into show business." Sumire said

"Ah, right. In any case, I'm gonna take some time to expand my world. You know, experience new things. Who knows, maybe I'll find something I have an aptitude for and will be able to do in the future" I said

"I'm glad to hear you're trying to improve yourself, but I wish you'd realize you're better at more things than you seem to realize." Sumire said

"Right." I said. Sumire might be right, I just wish I knew what those things were.

—-------------------------------------------

"Thanks for the help Naoki" Sumire said after we had spent a while cleaning

"Hey, what are friends for?" I said. I don't really need any thanks for helping her out, as she's somebody who's been somebody important to me for a long time.

"Naoki, here." Sumire said as she handed me a charm. "With how you were talking about us starting high school in a couple of days and that you were going to improve yourself, I thought you'd appreciate a little more luck."

With a smile on my face, I said "Thanks Sumire. Here's to a good school year to come."

"Since we're about done, I'm gonna go change." Sumire said

"Right, I'll see you later." I said before we headed off our own separate ways.

As I walked down the steps to the shrine, my mind started to wander towards what I should do now. I could probably just head back home and play the game I've been going through on my ps4, but it kinda feels like a waste to go home so soon. Maybe I could go to an arcade or something.

As I continued walking down the streets of Shibuya, trying to decide on what to do, I heard a scream. I turned and saw that out of the way, a scruffy looking guy had a knife pointed at a girl with black hair in a ponytail and was trying to lead her into an alley.

Not fully aware of what I was doing, but fully aware that I wanted to help, I tried to run in and attempted to punch the man in the face, saying "Go get help!" to the girl while he recoiled. The girl nodded and quickly ran off, leaving me alone in an alley with a man who had a knife pointed at me. Shit, I probably should have ran with her. Welp, I guess it's a bit late for that so for now I should try to stall him until help can get here.

"Damn you!" the man grunted as he swung the knife at me wildly. I tried to jump back out of the way, only to trip on scattered garbage that covered the area. I dodged the cut at the very least, but this situation definitely didn't get any better.

Thinking on the fly, I tried to grab some of said garbage at him, hoping to make him flinch long enough that I could try and go for the knife. And while the initial plan worked, as I grabbed the hand he held onto the knife, he grabbed onto me and desperately tried to break my grip on him. And in the end, as much as I tried to keep hold of the knife, my grip eventually broke, and with his now free hand, he stabbed me in the stomach with the knife before kicking me to the ground.