Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Kichirou slowly opened his eyes. It was bright—very bright, and as his eyes began to adjust, a small voice escaped him: "Huh?"
As he surveyed his surroundings, he couldn't believe his eyes. He was sitting on a grass plain stretching as far as the eye can see.
What the hell?
What is this place? Could I be dreaming?
No. It's funny how this line of questioning would always come up in a movie or book because, in reality, it was very easy to differentiate between what was real and what were simply fabrics of imagination. He was awake, that much was for certain.
Confusion and anxiety coursed through Kichirou's mind as he struggled to recall the events of the night prior.
Given the bright sky, he must have passed out for the night. But just a moment ago he was at the restaurant, how did he end up on this grass field? No matter how hard he tried to recall what happened, everything was blank. The only thing he could remember was a flash of white.
Kichirou sighed in defeat as he laid back on the grass, trying to relax his heart rate. There was no point in stressing over what he couldn't remember, all that was left was to figure out what to do from here on out.
My phone!
Feeling slightly stupid that he didn't think of it sooner, he pulled out his phone.
Kichirou rejoiced with a slight smirk as his phone screen lit up. But in the very next moment, the screen shut off along with the phone.
"Noooo, damn it!"
It was nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions. Smartphones these days can't even last one night out! A night out… his friends! He was at Oma with his friends, could they also be here?
Kichirou immediately scanned his surroundings once more, but there was nothing, not a single figure in the distance.
His friends were nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't the only trouble lingering in his mind.
There was an irritating warmth, and it wasn't from an internal source like psychological shock or hyperventilation. Kichirou felt it, a warm summer-like breeze. It wasn't just his imagination.
It's still winter in Japan.
Kichirou squeezed Kurosho and took a few deep breaths, calming himself down to focus on the problem in front of him.
The human mind is a curious thing, it gives way for anxiety, fear, and worry. And with these feelings, people spend most of their time doing things that are irrelevant, binding them from working on what matters, like dealing with the problem itself.
But fear would not triumph, his head was still clear as day.
Before anything, he needed to figure out where he was. It's mid-December, there isn't a single place in Japan that could have this summer-like weather. He couldn't have left Japan overnight, but then, where could this be? His mind raced until his head metaphorically went up in smoke as his headache pounded against his rational thought.
The only place that could be this warm at this time of year should be the tropics, but the grass and landscape before him suggested that this was a temperate region.
This is impossible.
As much as he would love to deny it, this couldn't be Japan. But if it wasn't Japan, then where could he have ended up? Kichirou did not know the answer, in fact, he knew full well that he would probably not be able to find out no matter how much more thought he poured into it.
Despite his valiant effort, the sense of terror that crept in now blossomed to full-blown fear of his situation.
Not only was Kichirou lost, he was probably in some foreign country.
Right before panic took control of his senses, he felt a small but chilling sensation graced his hand.
Kichirou looked up in confusion and saw a grey and lifeless sky. Clouds covered every vacancy as if the azure sky and the welcoming breeze were nothing but an illusion.
He sat there staring at the sky, dumbfounded, uttering a single: "Huh?"
As if waiting for his small and confused voice, a blanket of white appeared.
It was snow.
It appeared to have happened in an instant. Just a moment ago, the sun was high in the sky with no clouds in sight. But now the grass was no more, covered by a thick sheet of snow.
As the gentle and soothing snowflakes covered him from head to toe, he thought to himself: What the hell is going on?
Ever since he woke in this strange land, nothing has made any logical sense whatsoever. Where did this drastic change of weather come from? He couldn't answer it. But nevertheless, his fears grew more emollient with each cold touch.
As his consciousness waned and fears faded, he closed his eyes and drifted away.
At that moment, Kichirou felt as if he belonged there, a feeling that this place welcomed him with a promise of eternal tranquility.
His mind drifted, and he saw pure emptiness lying ahead. There was no pain, no suffering, no anger, no joy, and no laughter, yet to Kichirou, it felt so inviting—until a wet sensation on his face interrupted him. It was a familiar feeling, and it brought him back from the edge of that empty abyss.
He raised his hands up and held back the pile of fluff that slobbered all over his face.
"Hahaha, stop it!"
The bright summer sun welcomed his sight as he opened his eyes. Before him was a dog of pure white fluffiness, wagging its tail furiously.
"Wynter?!??"
"Woof!"
No, she's gone. Upon a second look, this dog was quite similar, but it wasn't Wynter. Wynter was a mix between Alaskan malamute and Samoyed, with her coat of almost pure white and a single spot of black fur on her left ear. This dog was probably a purebred Samoyed. Other than that, the only notable difference would be their size, this Samoyed was larger, much like a wolf dog.
…
She's in a better place now.
"Woof woof!" The dog rolled over on its back as if to invite Kichirou to a friendly belly rub.
Of course, with such a gracious offer, he couldn't turn it down.
As Kichirou rubbed the dog's belly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Based on how the dog was behaving, it must be someone's pet, which ruled out the possibility of being isolated in a remote location. Despite his confusion, as long as he was near civilization his situation could be resolved.
But still, what was that? The snow, and that feeling. As real as it may have seemed, it must have been a dream or a form of hallucination. Kichirou had heard that sometimes dreams and hallucinations could be strong enough that a person could actually experience their own delusions. That must have been it. That was the only acceptable conclusion he could reach.
As he pondered to himself, a soft whistling came from the distance.
The dog's ears perked up with the sound, causing Kichirou to instinctively pull back his hand in response to the sudden movement.
Then, without even taking another look at Kichirou, it ran off.
Following the direction it was running towards, Kichirou saw the silhouette of a young girl.
Finally, Kichirou could get some answers. Perhaps even find out that he was just in a very secluded area of Japan, an area with unique weather patterns.
At first, all he saw was a distant silhouette with gleaming golden hair. Kichirou initially thought it was just due to the glare of the sun, however, as he got closer it was evident that it was not the case. The girl's golden hair looked very natural, and with a white dress and the radiant sun—she had quite an angelic appearance.
She was a foreigner.
That would mean Kichirou really did end up somewhere outside of Japan. How could that be possible? Despite the overwhelming evidence that suggested so, a part of him refused to believe it and hung onto the slither of hope that it wasn't the case.
Forget it. I'll just ask where this place is and figure out the rest later. Wait a second, how am I even going to ask her?
At that very thought, Kichirou stopped in his tracks. If this was not Japan, there was little to no chance that such a young girl would have learned a second language, and especially not Japanese.
Could she be Russian, Scandinavian, or perhaps American? How would I ask in English anyway? Let's see... Wait, what if she doesn't even speak English? AHHHHHHHHHH! What am I supposed to do if she can't understand me? Do I just gesture something and follow her to town? I'm gonna seem like a freaking pedophile following a little girl in the middle of nowhere, crap...
This entire time he was standing still, staring right at her, and he was close enough for her to tell. Kichirou must have seemed like a lion stalking an antelope, getting ready to pounce.
Shit... Now I actually seem like a creep, or suspicious at the least. What if she just runs away now?
If Kichirou was in her shoes that would certainly be his course of action. And it wouldn't be surprising in the least. After all, every parent tells their kids to avoid strangers.
Though, even if she were to run, at least he would know which direction was towards civilization. And if rumours were to spread of a weird guy stalking children, surely it would be cleared up eventually. Still, that was something he would hope to avoid, especially given the possible language barrier.
Thankfully, the girl didn't seem too worried. Perhaps it was because she had her dog with her. Though that wouldn't last forever, even the most confident person in the world would get creeped out if this staring contest continued.
As he approached her, he forced a smile on his face, suggesting his friendly nature. But in reality, his awkward smile made him look more creepy than anything else.
A nervous look grew on her face as she saw Kichirou's.
Is something wrong? Why is she looking so nervous all of a sudden?
…
I should probably call out to her before I get too close.
Kichirou's approach slowed as he simulated the foreseeable conversation, struggling to recall the English pronunciation in his head whilst preparing his question.
Having been one of the higher-ups in a development company, Kichirou was required to have a certain level of proficiency in the English language. However, he had never actually had the chance to practice it, and it's been years since Kichirou studied it as part of his foreign language curriculum, which meant he was quite rusty when it came to speaking.
"Hello, I'm lost. Can you direct me to the nearest city or town please?" He repeated that phrase in his head over and over, by the time he was in speaking distance with her, his pronunciation, to him at least, reached an acceptable level. However, if she didn't speak English, it wouldn't matter anyway.
Here goes nothing.
"Um, can I help you, mister?"
"What?" It was only a reflexive thought, yet he found himself saying it out loud.
It was a simple question yet he couldn't understand it, not because it was asked in some foreign language, but because it was in plain Japanese.
Was I wrong? Could she just be a half-blood? Maybe this could be Japan after all…
The look on the girl's face suggested that she was equally confused at his response.
"Mister?"
"You can speak Japanese?"
"Hmm? Japanese? What's that?" She tilted her head slightly, with a look of genuine confusion.
Huh? Could it be that she doesn't know the language that she's speaking? Is something like that even possible?
"Never mind that..." He said that as much to her as to himself. "My name is Kichirou, um, what's your name?"
"I'm Schnee, and this is Eralya," she said while pointing to the white fluff that was gnawing on a twig.
"Well, nice to meet you, Schnee, I just happen to be a bit lost at the moment. Uhm, could you tell me where the nearest town is?"
"We were just headed home, Mercini is this way," Schnee pointed.
Mercini?
"Sorry for the strange question, but what country are we in?"
"This is the Kingdom of Reinocha, are you not from around here mister?"
"No...."
Reinocha...
Given these names and all the other evidence so far, it was abundantly clear that this could not be Japan, now he had no choice but to accept that fact.
Unlike the majority of the world, he was quite confident in his geographical knowledge. Yet those two names didn't ring any bells whatsoever, could it be possible that this was just some remote area that wasn't well documented? That's certainly unlikely. It was more probable that this was a small state within known boundaries of another country, unrecognized by other nations.
"Do you know what continent we are in? Is this somewhere in Europe?"
"I've never heard of Europe before, but my father told me that this is the heartland of Himmegal."
None of this information is helping at all… It must have something to do with that flash of light… Furuya must be here somewhere, and maybe even the others. What would they make of all this?
"My friends... They might be lost around here too, I have to find them."
"Oh that would be easy, Eralya is a hunting dog, are you carrying anything that has their scent?"
"No, I don—OH!" He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small white card, and on it was the name Toshihiro Furuya, Senior Developer of Apple.S Entertainment.
Furuya... Always pulling through one way or another.
Finally feeling lucky, Kichirou held the business card to Eralya. Then, with just a few sniffs, it dashed off with unbelievable speed and vanished into the distance.
"Uhm, are we going to follow him?"
"Don't worry, Eralya will find them. We can head to town, he'll catch up to us."
Hunting dogs are supposed to be very fast, and Kichirou had seen one in action when he went on a business trip with his boss once before, but this was far beyond that, Eralya seemed almost unnaturally fast.
It must be some kind of special breed.
But there was no time to dwell on such trivial matters, there are more important questions at hand than just the species of dog.
"Have you heard of the country called Japan?"
She tilted her head down and thought for a moment.
"No. I haven't, but maybe my father would know! He used to be a traveling merchant, I'm sure he might know the place you speak of."
Of course, a child wouldn't know much, that's only to be expected. Getting to town and asking her father would appear to be the correct course of action. If not him, surely someone in town might be able to help.
With a nod, the pair walked along in silence.
Silence while walking with someone is normally fine, however in the case that he was walking with a stranger, nonetheless, a little girl who appeared to be rather friendly, he would rather avoid a strange atmosphere during the walk.
Usually, this wouldn't be a problem as friends would break the silence. But in this case, the other person was only a girl about the age of 10, so as the adult, it would be his obligation to engage her in conversation.
"Soooo… what were you doing out here all by yourself?"
"I was looking for a flower, my mother called it Winter's Blood. It was my mother's favorite, but father is too busy with his business to come out here in the middle of the day."
For a moment Schnee's smile faded from her face.
That look… a familiar look that reflected the suffering of the soul, the loss of loved ones, and the damage that time could not repair. For such a young child to have experienced such a thing... The world is such a cruel place, and we all suffer till we meet our ends…
I gotta keep the conversation moving or else she's gonna dwell on that sadness!
"Well, did you find what you were looking for?"
"No… My father told me that it's supposed to be very rare and only found in the northern reaches of the Howling Fuji, but my mother told me that the spirit of Pamola visits this land every couple of years, and with it, the Winter's blood will blossom."
The spirit of Pamola? It must be one of those stories that parents tell their children. Spirits aren't real, she is still at that age after all.
There are plenty of people who are feverishly spiritual or religious in the world, who would then pass on such notions to their children. In Kichirou's opinion, religion wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but as a whole, the world could probably do without it.
"Have you ever seen it happen?"
"Yea, just once… it was during the summer too. All of a sudden snow fell, and they just appeared like my mother said they would…"
Summertime. Sudden snow.
Could that be what I saw earlier? That would explain what I saw, but spirits…? No… Those are just fantasies for children.
"I'll find it again someday and bring it to her," Schnee stated, with that brimming smile on her face once again.
"I'm sure you will," Kichirou replied, with a weak smile.
"HEYYYYYY!!!" A voice roamed in from a distance.
They turned and saw a few figures running towards them. It was Furuya and the others, with Eralya leading at the helm. Seeing them brought upon a sigh of relief and comfort. He wasn't alone.
"Are those your friends?"
"Yea that's them alright."
For the first time since he had awoken, the smile on his face was genuine.
"Good boy!" Schnee pulled out a star-shaped treat and fed it to Eralya.
Ryuta was the first to reach the pair, with Furuya right behind him.
"Shiro! You're okay! Thank god we found you… Haaaa haaaa." Ryuta struggled to catch his breath as he spoke.
They must have run the entire time seeing that even the musclehead Ryuta was in this state.
"We followed the dog thinking that it would lead us to a town or something… haa... Who's the foreign girl?" said Furuya, who was just as exhausted as Ryuta.
"This is Schnee, she helped me find you guys, and she's gonna help us get to town."
"Yea… that… would be… great…"
"I was just heading home. I can lead you guys to Mercini."
The expression that he saw on Furuya's face showed that he was just as shocked as Kichirou had been before. He must have had a few questions for Schnee himself, but now wasn't the time to discuss those matters.
"There's something.."
"Yea... I know," Furuya interrupted. "Our phones are all dead, but at least we can figure something out once we get to town." He stepped closer putting one hand on Kichirou's shoulder and whispered: "Everyone else must have noticed something too. We're better off not saying anything too conclusive, no need to confirm any of their worries."
Ryuta, who was playing with Eralya, nodded in reply.
Furuya was right. Telling the rest of them would not do any good for anyone. In fact, all it would achieve is bring on unnecessary panic.
Everything'll likely be resolved after we reach town.
"Is... something... wrong?" Calbi asked.
"Uhh, we are just worried about how we are gonna get home is all," Furuya replied.
Good, good.
"COME ON GIRLS, LET'S GET A MOVE ON! Man, they are taking forever."
"Hey not everyone can run like you guys, you know."
"Hah, I guess you're right."
*************************************************************************************************************
Mercini... it appeared to be quite a lively town, even at this hour.
Some sort of festival must have been taking place as there were people everywhere. The main road leading to the town square was lined with street vendors that catered to all walks of life. There were food vendors serving up regional specialties that would entice any weary traveler, merchants with trinkets and jewelry, and several antique shops that piqued the interest of many.
Several of the stores seemed to be selling antique armour and weaponry with a whole array on display. Kichirou had heard of families passing down these types of antiques as family heirlooms, as well as people who would collect such things as a hobby.
Seeing that many stores were dedicated to these hobbyists meant that this area must be infatuated with medieval armours and the likes. It's not too surprising to see something like this, especially given how certain areas of Japan would have something anime related at every street and every corner.
One shop stood out as the vendor was demonstrating his goods. He held out a small scroll with strange inscriptions and chanted something softly. Then, as if reacting to his voice, the parchment he held lit up, producing a strange series of lights as a creature landed before the vendor.
"Take a look, friends! Here I've got the rare and mythical spirit of Pamola from the northern reaches! For only ten gold coins it can be yours, the best deal you'll find anywhere!"
For a moment, Kichirou thought he was just seeing things, there was no way that the creature could have been real. The closest thing it resembled was a small chicken, but there was something seriously wrong with that chicken, instead of feathers there was only a white sheen along the entire creature, making it semi-transparent. It was as if it was made of ice.
What was that thing? What was the scroll? Could it have been a magic trick? Or could that creature be real and was actually summoned by that scroll somehow. No, it must be some kind of toy or mechanism of some sort for children. But that name, Pamola, could it be what Schnee spoke of earlier?
The spark that lit up Schnee's eyes suggested that it could be the case.
"I need to get some money from father," said Schnee, as she picked up the pace down the busy street.
Despite the lovely and charming atmosphere, there was something slightly off about this town, much akin to the entire situation. The roads were paved with smooth stones, and the lamp posts appeared as if the bulbs at the end were floating freely. The only form of transportation in sight were horse-pulled wagons. And the people—their clothing, everything seemed a bit dated. In this day and age, almost everyone would be walking around with their smartphones, yet there was not a single trace of technology in sight.
"Hey Kichirou, is it just me or does this town look like it's straight outta that last MMO we played?" asked Calbi.
"Hah, I guess it does.."
Now that Calbi had mentioned it, it did bear a strong resemblance. Back in their college days, they spent entire weekends playing a fantasy based MMORPG that revolved around the survival of mankind during the middle ages. But that was just a video game. This is real life.
Could this be…? No, all those Isekai animes must be going to my head.
A brilliant explosion of light gathered everyone's attention towards the city square. There, several men stood atop a manor's balcony with a crowd gathering underneath.
"Announcing, lady Ashel Debouf!" The crowd cheered and roared to the sound of her name.
"Good evening, people of Mercini."
Her golden hair was enthralled by the soft orange incandescent glow of the street light, giving it an amber appearance. The rest of her features were hidden behind a silver mask, yet her voice alone brought forth an aura that enveloped the dusk with a feeling of warmth.
"Who is she?"
"You guys must be not from around here." It wasn't Schnee but rather a vendor that spoke: "That's lady Ashel Debouf, the light of Mercini, and the daughter of the Duke Tray Debouf—the one who governs over this town."
"In the spirit of celebrating the holy day in the name of our Lord, as the heir to the Debouf family, I declare that the week leading to the holy day shall be known as the week of light. And in turn, the usual festivities will be extended for the entire week. We remembered you during the times of hardship, but have not forgotten you, the people, during times of good fortune. There will be a new tax exemption this month, and soon a new public school shall be built, offering free education for all."
Cheers erupted once more in her name, but one face amongst the crowd remained unmoved.
"What's wrong, Schnee?"
"Nothing, I just need to get home."
Her faded smile would suggest otherwise. This time it seemed to be more than just that, however, prying any further did not seem appropriate.
"Yea, we should get going too."
Kichirou and the others followed Schnee away from the crowd, crisscrossing through several narrow alleyways until they ended up on another large street. But this street was completely devoid of life. Compared to the main road earlier, it was as if they were in a different town entirely.
They came to a stop in front of a large two-story building. An old dusty sign hung on the outside, it looked as if it once shined a vibrant gold, but now had a dark yellow tinge covered with the stains of time. It read, The Grand Nemo.
"This is the place. My father should be back."
"This is your house?" Ryuta asked.
"It's the inn my father runs, we also live here from time to time. Let's go inside."
Much like the street outside, the interior was just as devoid of people. It was a small shanty of a place with only six tables and a small bar to the side. A small curtain that acted as a divider led to what was most likely the kitchen, and next to it was a shady looking stairway that led upstairs.
The wooden walls were lined with all sorts of dark stains, with origins that were rather difficult to tell as they've aged along with the establishment. The whole atmosphere reeked of laziness, much akin to Kichirou's home on most days in between the monthly cleaning that he did from time to time.
"I'm home! And I brought some guests!"
The curtains were pushed aside revealing a man with short messy brown hair and short sleeves, displaying his well-toned muscles on his thin arms. He wore a friendly and genuine smile that would convey a sense of safety and warmth to just about anyone.
"Welcome home dear, and how can I help you folks? Rooms for the night perhaps?"
"I found them lost out in the field. They were hoping that you could help them. I'm a bit tired, so I'll head to my room."
"You go ahead dear, I'll do what can for these folks."
Schnee ran up the stairs along with Eralya, and the man's attention turned to Kichirou and his friends once more.
"The name is Zakin by the way, let's have a seat," gesturing towards the large round table. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "Now what can I help you folks with?"
Furuya went through a quick set of introductions for formality's sake and then went on to describe their whole ordeal. The story started with the flash, being that this was clearly a different place and era, there was no point in telling him anything detailed about Japan. Other than that, there were no other omissions as there was simply no need to deceive this man. Giving him the whole story would only serve for Zakin to better evaluate their current situation.
"That's rather a strange predicament. I've never heard of the island nation of Japan before, it must be a land far beyond the nations I know of. The only island occupied by a human country closeby is the Republic of Magana. There are a few more island countries further out, but little is known of them."
Human countries, those words lingered on the minds of their entire group, why would he mention it as if there were countries composed of other species.
Ryuta was the one who raised everyone's concern: "What do you mean by human country?"
"Does your country not have any demihumans? That would be very rare in these times, almost every country here has a demi-human problem. They often attack small towns or villages, only in our great kingdom of Reinocha, where we have a standing military to patrol our lands, do our people have the safety of mind. However, to not have any at all, that's unheard of."
Demi-humans, could he be referring to orcs and goblins? Like in folklores and video games? To live in a world of fantasy, unbound by the realms of reality, could this be possible? The first thing that flashed before Kichirou was a memory of the first MMORPG he had ever played, the endless realms, the adventures and his companions, and…
Then that would mean that spirit before was real.
…
"Are you guys alright?" As Zakin's words brought him back to reality, he accidentally caught someone's gaze, and his eyes quickly darted back to Furuya.
The look of realization dawned on almost everyone, the combination of what they saw in town and the new information they had just received must have confirmed everyone's suspicions.
"How the hell did we get here… how is this possible!?!?"
"The only thing I can think of would be a highly ranked teleportation spell."
"Teleportation spell?" multiple voices exclaimed in unison.
"Yes, teleportation itself is only known by a very few elite spellcasters, but for mass teleportation across... possibly by continents, I'm not sure if that's even possible."
Magic, spells, and demi-humans… If Zakin is speaking the truth, then that would mean that this world would be the closest thing to being a better world. Just like an MMORPG. Just like Calbi said. Then, would it be possible for me, someone who entered this new world, to also learn spells…?
Unless… it would require an innate talent from birth. Che, life is just a lottery of luck even in another world.
"I only took one night off... Oh my god, I'm gonna lose my freaking job."
"How are we gonna get home…? People are gonna notice that we've gone missing, my girlfriend is gonna be worried sick."
To go back home, of course, that would be the reaction for any sensible person, to return back to their lives and normality with friends and family.
What a bore… the constant grind of a day job, just to slave away to further someone else's ambitions. Nothing but a hollow shell, only going through the motions of living… Then again, that would apply to me too, wouldn't it? Hah, how could I forget?
"That would be beyond my knowledge. But you might be able to find something at the Great Library of Eisene, the capital of Reinocha. Rumour has it that if something exists in the magical realms, there would be records of it there."
Even if we got there and found this information, it wouldn't do any good without a practitioner of magic. Mmmm Zakin did say only very highly ranked spellcasters could use teleportation. Still, this could be an excellent opportunity.
"Even if we were to find some clues to this spell, who would be able to cast such a thing?" Of course, Furuya was thinking the same thing.
"To find a spell caster of such caliber would be rather difficult, the only world-renowned casters in Reinocha would be Lord Ioe or the Black Dog of Basteil. Lord Ioe is head of the Church of Ballione, and only the King himself or highly ranked members of the church would be able to grant you an audience. A private meeting with him would be out of the question. As for the Black Dog of Basteil, rumour has it that he is no longer in the realms of the living."
Before Zakin could continue, Ryuta interrupted. "So what you're saying is that we are stuck here and that the only people who can help us are part of high society and won't be helping a bunch of random people that they don't even know?"
"Well if you put it that way, it wouldn't necessarily be incorrect. So what do you folks plan on doing?"
Hmph, "it's not entirely incorrect." If such a spell is indeed that rare, all we would have to do is find the proper information and entice those so called spell casters with such information, it would be a win-win situation regardless, still, would any information on such a spell even exist?
Grrururr...
"Ah, how rude of me to not offer our guests some supper. If you'll excuse me, I'll go prepare something."
"Um, thank you..." The voices trailed off to the sound of silence as Zakin left the room.
"Is this for real guys? I can't afford to stay here. I need to go home, everything I worked for my entire life would be for nothing if I don't show up to work tomorrow!"
"What do you guys think about what he said, demi humans, spells, and magic? That's impossible right? They're not real, they can't be real, he has to be a mad man. Guys!?"
"Aoi relax, he didn't have any reason to deceive us with such ludacris information. Think about it, what would he gain from doing that? I'm sure everyone noticed how strange this entire town is. It's certainly very probable that everything he said is the truth..."
"Kichirou, does your phone have any battery left?" Calbi asked.
All eyes turned to him, each and everyone of them shimmering with hope.
He sighed: "No, it's dead." His words were like a hail of bullets piercing their hope.
"Then we just need to charge our phones somehow."
"How do you propose we do that? Did you not see the town? They appear to have nothing more than medieval aged technology. Where the hell are you gonna find a cell phone charger?" Ryuta retorted.
"You don't know that for sure!"
Was he not listening to the same conversation we had just now? This place is not of the world we know, the level of technology is completely different. There's no chance in hell our phones will be of any use even if they had battery. The sooner everyone accepts this reality the better.
"I saw something earlier, one vendor pulled out a scroll and, well, the only way to put it is that he summoned a small bird like creature, I thought it must have been some kind of trick to promote his goods and didn't think much of it, but looking back it must have been the work of a spell."
"Yea I saw it too, there were some strange symbols on the scroll as it lit up, the creature was called forth," Miku chimed in.
…
"Well isn't that great, you two can actually agree on something," said Ryuta.
A familiar sound filled the room for the first time since they arrived, laughter.
For a moment it seemed as if they never left Oma. They were still just sitting there, a group of old friends catching up on life.
… Come to think of it, what happened to Schnee? She wanted that spirit so badly before.
"So then what are we going to do? We're stuck in a strange world with nothing and no way home!"
Wasn't that obvious? Aoi's always too emotional in these decisive moments.
The man literally gave them the road map, with a very clear X that marked the spot, all they had to do was follow it.
"We need to address the elephant in the room. This is most definitely not our world, but it's not as bad as you guys think. First of all, we can understand the language since everyone seems to be speaking Japanese. Therefore we can probably find ourselves some jobs here to sustain ourselves while we try to find a way back home."
"No, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening," Aoi muttered.
As always, Furuya gets it. If there is no immediate way to return home, then the first order of business is to sustain ourselves with food and shelter, which means we must first find jobs in this unknown world.
But most of them were only adept at office work, what kind of jobs would they even find in this world? Surely even here they could work some type of office job. In this case, it would most likely be for the government or for some noble. However, it's unlikely that they would get hired without any basic knowledge of this world.
Aoi and Akira could work at some type of restaurant, given their background it should be no problem. Everyone else would most likely start off with some blue collared job. Come to think of it, why was he even worried, everyone here made it after college with a job and a career. The only person he had to worry about was himself.
"It's already late, where are we going to stay?"
"Well this is an inn, we can just stay here."
"Wait, guys, how are we going to pay for the meal and for a place to stay for tonight?" Calbi brought up a valid question, they had no money at all, only their credit cards.
"Well let's hope Zakin can take labor as payment then."
If Zakin would take their labor, then they could even get a job here, which would give them a place to stay and put food on the table. However, if Zakin's words were true regarding the grand spellcasters who could help them, then they would need to split up for more efficiency. One party would need to visit the library of Eisene, while another would need to build status somehow, and the rest of them would need to generate income for everyone. Much like a multilayered party quest.
Mmm, not everyone would be comfortable traveling in an unknown world, I should volunteer myself to travel to Eisene and see what this world truly has to offer.
"It's all we can offer for now."
"But look at this place, it looks run down and without a single customer, would he even be able to hire us on such terms?"
"Schnee said her father was a great merchant, this probably just serves as their home for now."
Zakin came back carrying a large pot along with a few bowls.
"Sorry for the wait folks, I didn't have much food left for the night, hope a hearty helping of potato soup will suffice."
The soup he served was clear in color, with some simple green vegetables, chunks of potato, and a strong chicken aroma. It wasn't the dinner Kichirou was expecting after going out to Oma, but it would have to do.
It was quite a disappointment, the ingredients in the soup were all normal ones. Being in a fantasy-like realm, he was expecting something extraordinary, like dragon meat or some kind of crazy vegetable with a unique flavour.
However, that didn't imply that the soup was of poor taste. Simple hearty soups like these were among Kichirou's favorites. The delicate taste of the chicken broth, seasoned perfectly with salt and basil, embodied a soup to warm the soul.
There was no need for words, after the exhausting walk to town took its toll, the soup brought a look of delightful satisfaction on everyone's faces.
"Glad you folks like it. Anyhow, since you folks need a place to stay, how about staying here for the night?"
"Umm, about that, we don't have any money…"
Zakin nodded and smiled: " It's only to be expected, if you folks were telling the truth then you wouldn't have any money. Ever since my wife passed away this place has gone with the wind, I could use some extra hands around this place. How about it, I'll give you folks two meals a day and a place to stay if you work for me, and of course, there will still be fair wage compensation."
The group all nodded to the notion.
"Sounds good to me."
"Yep."
"Anyhow, in terms of the rooms, if we're going to turn this place around I need to save most of them for the guests, meaning you folks would have to share three rooms."
"That'll be plenty, thank you, sir."
"There's no need for sir, just call me Zakin."
"Thank you Zakin," the group said as they bowed in unison.
It was the first time they had even properly thanked the man, after all he had done for them.
"Oh come on now, there's no need for that. Here, I'll do the dishes, then show you folks to your rooms."
"Let me and Aoi take care of it. We used to work at a family restaurant, we're familiar with this type of work."
"Alright then, I'll show the rest of you to your rooms."
The group followed Zakin up a set of dark and enclosed stairs that were in just as sad of a state as the rest of the place. There were many stains and broken wood along its entirety, and with each step followed a creak so loud that the wood underneath was likely rotten and needed replacement as well.
They were staying in three adjacent rooms upstairs at the end of the hall, with a single window lighting up the hall slightly with just enough moonlight shining through for them to see the doors. The only other source of light was a lantern at the start of the hall.
"It would be these three rooms here. Well, I'll let you folks sort it out. I'm going to check on Schnee. I'd advise for an early retirement for the night, we have a lot to do tomorrow. Good night."
"Thanks again."
Sharing rooms with these guys shouldn't be so bad. He could share a room with any of them, Calbi, Furuya, Ryuta, or Akira. The guys could take two rooms, pick their roommates, and the girls would have their room. It was a very clear-cut choice, but Calbi's proposition exploded like a nuclear strike.
"There are two bigger rooms, so I'll share a room with Furuya and Ryuta. Aoi, Akira, and Karin can share the other one, so I guess Kichirou and Miku will share the smaller room."
What the hell did he just say?!?!
"That will be fine. I'm sure the twins wouldn't have a problem sharing a room with me. Then if there are no problems, it's settled."
No this isn't fine! This is far from being fine! Sharing a room with her!?!? What the hell is going on? First, she just shows up at the party, and now all this is happening!?
As much as Kichirou wanted to speak up, he couldn't voice his own objections. There was no way in hell that he would let her see how much she still affected him, showing her any weakness was far worse than just tolerating her presence. Still, she must be feeling the same way, so why isn't she saying anything to object to this?
Calbi, that punk. They set me up.
What was there to gain for everyone else from this? Probably just a few laughs over how he would react, but if that was the case, he would simply not play along. That should devoid any satisfaction they would gain from his misery.
I can't let her get to me!
"Well you heard Zakin, we got a lot of work ahead of us. And look at this place, he's right. It's going to take forever just to clean everything, not to mention that we might have to replace a lot of the broken wood."
"Wait, what about a shower?"
"Karin, we can figure that out later, it would be rude to impose any further."
"Fine… Good night."
And with that, everyone disappeared into their rooms.
With a sigh, Kichirou entered the room along with Miku.
The room was dark with no lighting in sight, but the small shreds of moonlight that shone in from the window were enough for Kichirou to make out the entire room. The room was old fashioned to say the least, the bare minimum was all it had to offer. There were two beds, one by the door and the other next to the window, separated by a small table stand in between the two.
With another sigh, Kichirou spoke: "I'll take the window side."
Especially now that they were in an unknown world, sleeping by the door gave Kichirou the jitters. Even though it barely made a difference, it still felt important to him.
"But I wanted that side," Miku retorted.
…
"Fine, you can have it."
Kichirou wasn't in the mood to argue, nor did he wish to have an extended conversation with Miku, so he simply laid down on his new bed and closed his eyes.
His bed wasn't comfortable by any means, it was much harder even than the cheap worn out mattress he had back in his own apartment. Nothing else was much better, the pillows were almost like rocks, and the sheets were scratchy and irritating.
Are all the inns here this terrible, or is it just this place? It's no wonder that they don't have any customers. But whatever the reason, it was gonna be a rough night. As if what he had on his mind wasn't enough to keep him awake already.
The job they had just signed up for wasn't specific at all, there was no telling how much work they would be required to do tomorrow. Even if it was just to clean up the place, looking at how badly the place had been maintained, there was quite a workload ahead of them. A well-rested body will be much required, however for Kichirou, it was likely that he wasn't going to get much sleep at all.
For light sleepers like Kichirou, it was already difficult enough to sleep in his own bed at home. He would normally twist and turn in his bed for hours before the sweet relief of sleep could finally take him away.
And today was no different, his efforts to fizzle away has yielded no fruit. The more he tried to keep things out of his mind, the more keenly aware he grew of what bothered him so much.
If only I had listened to myself and just stayed home…. None of this would have happened, I wouldn't have had to see her.
"Are you still awake?"
Kichirou opened his eyes, to his surprise yet again, she reached out to him.
After a brief pause, he answered: "Yea, I am."
"So you can't help it either huh?"
What did she mean by that? Could she be referring to back then? No, that doesn't make any sense… or does it? No, she must be referring to falling asleep, why would it be anything else?
"Yea, this bed isn't very comfortable. I'm not really used to sleeping on anything other than my own."
"Is that so? Well, I'm up too, so let's talk for a bit."
Let's talk huh? As if we have anything real we could even talk about anymore. There's nothing but formalities and small talk just like at the party. It's not like it once was, and it'll never be like that ever again.
"How are Autumn, Jp, and Tops?"
They were the three cats Miku owned, three strays that she picked up off the streets. Jp was his favourite, Kichirou used to bring snacks for Jp every day. But unfortunately the feelings were not mutual, even when presented with gifts, Jp would just scratch up Kichirou's hands and run away.
In the end, Autumn would be the one to eat it all, and since he was already being fed regularly, he put on a lot of extra weight. Then there was Tops, the troublemaker, his favourite thing to do was knock down Kichirou's cup. It didn't matter if there was water, soda, juice, or even nothing inside it; As soon as Tops came around before Kichirou even knew it, his cup had fallen.
They were a pain, but even still, he loved them all.
With a sigh, Miku replied softly: "I guess you wouldn't have known. Autumn and Tops passed away a year ago, then Jp went and joined his friends just a month ago..."
Tears rushed to his eyes as another unknown feeling rose from his heart, and Kichirou fought that feeling with all that he had.
That little punk passed away...
It was too late. Just like always, things just tend to slip right out of his grasp. So close yet so far. He never got along with Jp even till the end… Yet another disappointment in his exhausting life.
"…I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm sorry too. I know how much you wanted to get on his good side."
There was a soft sob, so faint that he could barely hear, or rather, he thought he had heard it.
What was the point in any of this anymore? All that awaits is death, no one is exempt from the natural laws of this world, for all life will walk down different roads to meet the same miserable and cruel end.
Did Jp's life have any meaning? What about Autumn and Tops? A short fifteen-sixteen years was all they had, what was it all for? What was his own life for? These rhetorical life questions could never be answered truly, for everyone gave their own lives meaning. But after passing away, all the meaning built over the years would mean nothing, it was truly perplexing.
Why must all things come to an end? If only he had the power to stop the passage of time, the power to live in the moment forever.
"What about Wynter?"
Wynter…
The room fell into silence yet again. Kichirou took a moment and a few deep breaths to calm his heart and replied: "She's gone..."
The tears flowed freely as the dam collapsed, yet he didn't make a single sound. He laid there facing the wall, for that side of him would never see the light of day again.
"I missed her you know."
Sensing this dreadfully lingering air about, Miku was quick to change the topic: "Um, have you seen the Hollywood remake of The Train to Busan?"
It was a good change of pace, horror films were a go-to for Kichirou. He would always watch all the newly released horror films in theaters, and judge them on his own personal rating system, and if he was really interested he would probably watch it again after it's been released online. Needless to say, he was somewhat of an enthusiast.
"Yea, I went to watch it with a friend just last weekend. It was better than expected, almost as good as the original."
"Oh, I bet it must be with someone special?"
"Hah, I wish it could have been." Kichirou found that he replied without processing the thought entirely. This isn't good, the sarcastic way in which Kichirou had replied, could be taken very differently than what he had intended. Would she possibly view it as if he still harbored those feelings he once had for her? Surely there was no possibility of that, how could it be interpreted that way, he was only answering the question in a matter of fact way. But perhaps, Kichirou was only overthinking it, creating something that didn't even exist.
"Is that so… well, do you still play those MMOs?"
"That umm, I haven't played anything in quite a while." All those sleepless nights spent during college with his closest online friends playing video games, they were some of the best times he'd ever had. But it was slowly taken away as he spent more and more time with her instead of his online crew until eventually, it stopped completely. Of course, she would have remembered this.
"So what do you do for fun these days?"
"Um, nothing, in particular, just busy slaving away at work…"
"You don't like it there?"
"Well I'd always keep my eyes open for new job opportunities."
"Oh, if you're still looking for opportunities why not come work with me? My company is trying to hire more sales managers in the Japanese branch. If you'd like I could put in a word for you. If we ever get back that is."
…
What do you take me for, a fool? Spare me your pity, I don't need anything from you. Am I not good enough on my own? Just like back then, working together… No, there's no future there anymore. Must you remind me of my own incompetence, that was a fool of a different time, he's dead and gone.
"No thanks. I'd prefer to do it on my own."
"Accepting help is not a weakness you know? Oh never mind that, you never change."
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Kichirou replied, not realizing his raise in tone.
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't, just like all those times before. I didn't know what was wrong."
Miku got up from her bed and shouted at Kichirou on the top of her lungs. Her expression twisted in anger: "Well maybe you should!"
The sheer volume of her voice shocked him, Kichirou was taken aback, that expression on her face. He had never seen it before, not even on that day.
Why is she so angry??
*KNOCK KNOCK*
A loud knock intruded upon the awkward silence.
"Hey! You two keep it down! Unlike you guys, some people are actually trying to sleep! And we got work first thing in the morning. Save whatever it is for tomorrow!"
Confronted with Calbi's sudden interruption, the realization of her outburst dawned on her with a blush. She laid back down, facing the window as she muttered: "Sorry."
"Um, good night."
Then, as if waiting for Kichirou to finally say the words, she replied: "Good night."
"Um by the w…" Before he could even ask her anything else, he was interrupted and shut down.
"I said good night."
Why was she getting so worked up for, I should be the one that's angry here!
Sigh...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone