―This is really bad.
Lost and penniless, those few words were all he could think of.
Well, penniless wasn't quite right. He did have his wallet in his pocket, and setting aside the fact that he had an abundance of small change and very few notes, it couldn't be denied that he had his assets on him.
More than enough to go to the nearest mall to do some shopping and eat some lunch. Even so, he could only be called penniless.
"Looks like the currency around here is completely different after all…"
Flipping the rare ridged 10 yen coin he was holding, the youth sighed deeply.
He was an unremarkable youth bearing short black hair and average stature. He had some muscularity which combined with his cheap jersey gave off the air of an athlete.
His sharp eyes were his only noteworthy feature, and now even they drooped helplessly.
The banality of his appearance was such that one could instantly lose him in a crowd, however the gazes directed at him were those of wonder and incomprehension, as though they were looking at something strange.
Obviously, there wasn't a single person sporting black hair or a jersey among those looking at him. Their hair varied extensively, blonde, white, brown, green, blue and so on. Furthermore their outfits were armor, dancers' clothes, monotone robes and more which possessed a certain vibe.
The youth could only cross his arms in comprehension as their brazen gazes washed over him.
"So basically, it's like that, huh."
Snapping his fingers, he pointed at those who were staring at him.
"Seems I've been summoned to another world."
Before his eyes was a carriage drawn by a massive lizard-like being.
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Natsuki Subaru was born in Heisei-era Japan's pressure-free education system.
He had lived seventeen years, and to describe his life would take seventeen years in itself.
Setting that aside, his present situation could be simply described as "High school third year, shut-in."
Or in more detailed terms, "A piece of trash who disregards everything, even his parents, to shut himself in his shell even with his entrance exams right around the corner."
There was no particular reason for his solitude.
On typical weekdays, he would occasionally think "Getting up now would be a pain", and that became an impetus to cut school.
With his absences steadily increasing, before he realized it he'd become an exemplary shut-in who brought tears to his parents.
He spent his days in sloth, plunging ever deeper into the net with minimal communication.
"The result being a summons to another world, huh… I don't really get it myself."
Reconfirming his surroundings yet again, he heaved his umpteenth sigh.
He had moved from the street he was on, and was presently sitting in a somewhat dim alley.
The ground was paved. A rough job compared to modern Japan, but it wasn't bad.
"Supposing this is a parallel world fantasy, I guess this must be the standard medieval civilization. I didn't see any machinery, and they build with stone and wood…"
He thought back to the sights he'd seen on his way to the alley and organized the information in his head. He would frequently let his imagination run wild, as a result he was more than prepared for his present situation.
First, calmly analyze that time period's culture and its differences with Japan. Ascertain any differences in the laws of physics, and possibility of contact with humanoid organisms. These were his priorities.
"Alright, let's do this. I'm not imagining you guys, and I'm fairly certain about the level of civilization. It seems like my money won't be of any use, but I took the opportunity to speak to a shopkeeper and we had no problem communicating."
Upon realizing he'd been summoned, the first thing Subaru did was attempt to negotiate with a "Grocer?" Having attempted to purchase the "Apples?" with his Japanese Yen, he was promptly denied. It seemed that this world used gold, silver and copper coins as its currency. The inherent value of currency in this world was easy to understand, certainly befitting a parallel world fantasy.
"Well, I suppose there would be mixed-metal fakes. Something like a 500-won coin would probably degrade, though."
'Probably heavy to carry around', he thought as another lizard-drawn carriage passed through the street. This produced a giant cloud of dust and yet the townsfolk paid it no mind, as though they were completely used to this.
"Even so, they don't seem nearly as common as cars were… Come to think of it, I haven't seen any dogs or cats around here."
The lizards drawing the carriages appeared considerably larger than horses. Their body mass seemed constant relative to their proportions, but it was certainly worrying to see reptiles of that size.
"They're commonplace, huh… Both lizards and humanoids."
Then the final piece he had to confirm, the unique looks of this world's humans.
They possessed very colorful hair, but one could easily obtain any hair color with dye. For a parallel world fantasy, that was nothing extraordinary. Instead, Subaru focused on their "animal ears."
At a cursory glance he spotted dog ears, cat ears, perhaps even bunny ears and he may have even caught sight of a lizardman-like being. There were also those who looked no different from Subaru which led him to conclude-
"The genre is parallel world fantasy. The culture is that of your typical medieval civilization. Demihumans are common, so battle and adventure might be common as well. The animals show some minor changes but they basically serve their functions. Is that how it is?"
Having deduced that, Subaru exhaled a long breath that wasn't quite a sigh.
Having spoken of the circumstances he'd ended up in, he knit his brows at this seemingly convenient development. If things proceeded according to his fantasies, he'd freely use his modern knowledge to obtain incredible power, however this world was slightly different from what he'd planned for.
"I'd run perfect simulations of the Sengoku era… If I'd ended up there, I'd have seized the country from Nobunaga."
When it came to parallel world fantasy, at best his knowledge amounted to gunpowder production. And even that was meaningless considering this world's technological level Parallel world fantasy generally came with magic, if that were the case it would probably make gunpowder little more than fireworks.
"Well, there's also cliches where magic isn't the end all be all. If I ever get the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of science, I'll do my best to… First, my current problem."
He had no clue how or why he'd been summoned here.
He clearly remembered what he was doing prior to the summoning. He had just gone out for the first time in a long while to buy some cup ramen at the convenience store and was about to return home. He didn't want to use his bicycle so he went on foot
Midway, he looked up at the night sky and thought "It's almost a full moon tonight, huh." And then as he looked down and blinked, it was noon.
Night to noon in an instant. He immediately realized something was off, but that was it. He'd calmed down now, but immediately after the summoning his panic was such that it could be told of for generations to come.
"Considering I being an only son have gone missing, those generations might not exist."
As he muttered this, he once again checked his belongings. In a parallel world fantasy, starting gear was even more important than he'd imagined. He'd need everything he had, however little.
First, his cell phone (with a dying battery), his wallet (containing many video rental membership cards), the ramen he bought at the convenience store (Shoyu Tonkotsu), some snacks (corn potage flavored), his beloved gray jersey (unwashed), worn out sneakers (of two years) and more.
"That's that, huh… Why didn't I at least carry a pistol? What do I do now?"
It seemed only his snacks would prove useful, and only to fill his belly.
"The situation is hopeless. And of course I don't know the source, I don't even have any memories of passing through a mirror or hopping in a pond. Most importantly, where's the beauty who summoned me?"
The heroine's absence, by 2D standards, was an act of inconceivable negligence. To summon him and just leave him like that, it was as though he was simply thrown away.
In truth, Subaru could no longer escape reality now that he'd assessed his situation and he could only hang his head in despair.
"Oh, give me a break already. What on earth am I supposed to do here?"
Subaru was already at his limit as he muttered complaints. He earnestly wanted to go back, fantasy was best left in the realm of fantasy. It was fun to imagine arriving in another world to obtain incredible power, but to actually end up in such a situation, what could he really do?
"For now, what's important is survival, but… Will my level 1 communication ability be enough?"
Aside from his family, he only really spoke to store clerks. He'd lived this lifestyle for almost a year now and had long forgotten how to navigate social interactions.
"Even though I can type at speaking speed in online chats…"
Subaru moved his fingers nervously as he contemplated his future in despair. However, his expression changed when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the alley. He looked up to see three men blocking the exit.
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The men gazed at him with scorn and contempt as Subaru appraised them. They appeared to be in their mid-twenties. Their clothes were filthy and it was as though their inner evil had manifested on their faces. They weren't subhuman, but they couldn't be called decent humans either.
"Damn, a compulsory event."
Facing the grinning men, Subaru wiped his face and stood up in a panic. They were clearly bandits, and considering the state of the world they might even take his life. Mission 1: "Repel the bandits" had begun. The clear condition was eliminating them, and the failure condition was probably his death.
Subaru smacked his cheeks and ignored the chill running up his spine. He had to get serious, hesitation could cost him his life. He at least had confidence in his decisiveness.
"Furthermore, this is another world. Considering the typical pattern I might be super strong here. Something like the gravity being a tenth of what it was or… Come to think of it, my body feels light! Maybe I can win!"
"He's murmuring something."
"Maybe he doesn't get what's going on. Should we teach him?"
Unlike Subaru, the men remained fairly calm. However, Subaru continued to face them without backing down.
"Woah there, you guys won't be so calm for long. Let me warn you, guys like me fantasize about this sort of thing all the time. I'll beat the crap out of you and turn you into XP!"
"I have no clue what you're saying, but you're going to die for mocking us."
"That's… My line!"
With that declaration, Subaru launched his preemptive attack before they could react. He flew into one of them with a full bodied right straight. He landed a direct hit on the leader's face with such force that his front tooth cut Subaru's hand.
He'd hit someone for the first time! And it was much more painful than expected!
This was all he'd tried in his simulations, but it was his first time actually doing it, the man he hit fell to the ground and stopped moving. Driven by emotion, Subaru immediately lunged at another man who was still in shock.
"Eat this! A high kick forged by after-bath stretches!"
"Guh!"
His foot drew an arc right into the man's temple and slammed him into the wall. Having knocked a second person out, Subaru started to believe he was invincible due to his unexpectedly competent performance.
"Looks like this world is set to raise my power after all! With all this adrenaline I can definitely win!"
Filled with courage, Subaru turned to the last man as he prepared to take him out. However, the glint of the knife in his hand caused Subaru to prostrate himself on the spot.
"I'm sorry, it was all my fault! Please forgive me, spare-!"
He surrendered on his knees, the greatest and lowest representation of Japanese spirit.
His earlier excitement had completely disappeared. Subaru felt his blood run cold as he tried his very best to beg for mercy, with his head on the ground.
After all, he had no chance against a blade. If he were cut, he'd be finished. Skill didn't matter when it came to a knife-wielding opponent.
He then realized the two who were supposed to be down were also getting back up. They nursed their bleeding noses and shook their heads dizzily, but otherwise seemed fine.
"Huh?! How come my peerless attacks failed?! Where's the power I'm supposed to have?!"
"What sort of crap are you spouting?! How dare you do that to us?!"
They stomped his head into the ground, causing his forehead to bleed as it scraped against the road. Subaru desperately curled up as they continued to pile on blow after blow.
―This is bad, it hurts like hell. I might actually die, for real.
They showed no mercy whatsoever, and unlike his old world there was no guarantee they'd spare his life, there was a strong possibility that he'd be tortured to death like this.
Perhaps he should have fought, prepared to die an honorable death. But that was no longer a possibility considering his injuries. Even so, he couldn't just die like that.
"Don't move, fool!"
"Owowowow! Hurtshurtshurts!"
The moment he tried to get up, they crushed his hands underfoot and he could only scream in agony. The man turned red with rage and sent spit flying as he yelled, he then held the knife in an underhand grip.
"We'll kill you and take everything you have. That's what you get for messing with us."
"If it's valuables you're after, it's useless. You see, I'm completely broke!"
"Your strange clothes and shoes will do then, we'll turn you into Giant Rat feed."
―Ah, there's rats in this world too. Sounds like a bottom-tier monster.
His mind started drifting in an attempt to escape reality as he looked at the knife which could tear into him at any moment. He wasn't seeing any lights, nor did the world slow down. His life would simply end just like that.
"Hey, move move move! You're in my way!"
An exasperated voice rang out as someone ran into the alley. The startled men looked up at the intruder, and Subaru attempted to do so as well though he couldn't move.
A beautiful girl crossed his field of view.
Her frame was small, and she possessed shoulder-length blonde hair which fluttered in the wind. Her eyes suggested a strong will and her fang-like canine protruded mischievously. She looked rather cheeky, but it could be said that she was cute considering her age.
The shabbily dressed girl had just come across the scene of a genuine mugging.
The seemingly deliberate timing caused hope to well up within Subaru. This was it, the development he was waiting for. Following the typical pattern, this kind girl would gallantly save Subaru who was on the verge of death, and then-
"Man, this is crazy. But I'm busy, gotta get outta here! Live strong!"
"Eh? What?! Seriously?!"
However, that fleeting hope was crushed.
Their eyes met momentarily and she raised her hand apologetically as she continued to run past them into what seemed to be a dead end.
She then proceeded to leap off a leaning board and rapidly disappeared up the wall.
With the girl gone, the alley naturally went silent. She'd gone by like a typhoon leaving them dumbfounded, but Subaru's circumstances hadn't changed one bit.
"Now that the mood's been lightened, I don't suppose you might let me go?!"
"On the contrary, we're even angrier. You're not going to die a peaceful death, you know?"
The man with the knife looked serious. Subaru realized that he was finished for sure this time, his hands were still trapped under their heels, it was too late to attempt to get up. Ultimately, despair conquered his heart.
―It's… Over? Just like that, in a place like this? It's true I haven't lived very virtuously. Even so, a death like this is just too cruel. If I were to ask what I did, the reply would be that I did nothing at all, a completely idle demise.
Pain… Wasn't it. There was something else causing him to tear up. It wasn't something like the fear of the end. He just couldn't bear having lived such an empty, meaningless life.
"―That's enough, villains."
A clear voice rang through the alley overpowering the noise of violence, the men's vulgar jeers, and even Subaru's own ragged breaths.
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'Time itself stopped', a phrase reserved for moments like this. At the entrance to the alley stood a single girl.
She was a beautiful girl.
She had tied up her long silver hair which reached her hips, her piercing gaze was brimming with intelligence, her soft features were both seductive and youthful and she exuded an air of nobility that was dangerously charming.
She stood about 160 centimeters tall, her royal blue-toned garments weren't particularly flashy, and yet their simplicity emphasized her presence even further. The one conspicuous feature was the emblem on her coat, a bird resembling a hawk, and even its magnificence was nothing more than a supplement to her sublime beauty.
"I won't let you run amok like that. Stop at once."
She spoke once again, her voice so exciting it could send tremors through one's body.
Her voice was like a silver bell, it was pleasant to the ears and her speech held such power it could shake one's heart.
Subaru was overwhelmed, to the extent that he'd completely forgotten his predicament. He could only think of her.
The bandits were no different, faced with her animosity their earlier vigor vanished. Even the man holding the knife turned pale as they retreated into the alley.
"Waitwaitwait! Please wait! We don't really get it, but we'll let him go! So please forgive us…"
"It's good to see you're so gracious. It's not too late, so return what you stole."
"It was our bad… Eh? What we stole?"
"Please. It's really important. I'd let go of anything else, but not that. - If you return it now, I'll spare your lives."
Though her words were only that of an entreaty, the last few were clearly filled with anger.
Her gaze was sharp, and the hand she'd extended as though reaching out was empty. However, there was something hard to put into words gathering in her palm, something everyone there could feel.
"W-Wait! … Um, perhaps there's been some kind of mistake?"
"… What?"
They pointed to Subaru who was still under their boots.
"Uhh, you're not here to save this guy, right?"
"… What strange clothes he's wearing. Perhaps there's been some internal strife among you? I can't say I approve of you ganging up on him like that, but if you were to ask whether or not I have any sort of connection to him, I'd have to say I don't."
Perhaps thinking they were trying to distract her, her tone was one of irritation. Seeming flustered by this, the men started talking in a hurry.
"Woa-W-Wait! If you don't want this guy, we have nothing to do with each other! About whatever was stolen from you, it was probably that girl from earlier!"
"A-Ah, right! The girl from earlier, she ran up the wall onto the roof!"
"Yeah, over there! She's probably three streets away by now!"
As they gave their rapid-fire explanations, her eyes met Subaru's.
Her eyes seemed to ask if they were telling the truth and Subaru nodded instinctively, unable to lie.
Having seen this, the girl reluctantly nodded in understanding.
"It looks like you weren't lying. So she went that way…? I'll have to hurry."
She turned her back on them, prepared to leave.
The men were blatantly relieved, and Subaru cursed his own foolishness for getting wrapped up in the atmosphere and squandering his only chance. However,
"Be that as it may, I can't overlook what's going on here."
She turned around with her palm facing them - And aimed the 'rock' in her palm at the stock still men as she fired.
Its speed would fit right in at the major league, and its course was that of a bean ball.
The sound of a regulation ball striking flesh rang out thrice, and the men were blown away as they screamed in pain.
[T/N: Major league refers to high level baseball, bean ball means a ball intended to hit the opponent, a regulation ball is a hard ball.]
Having scored direct hits on the men, there was a high-pitched din as lumps of ice fell by Subaru. Lumps of ice the size of a fist― Their existence defied any sense of season and even physics itself, and they dispersed as if consumed by the atmosphere once they'd served their purpose.
"―Magic."
The word most suited to explain this phenomenon immediately spilled out of his mouth. He didn't hear her chant or anything, but that ice just now was definitely formed in and fired from her palm.
Having seen this actually occur before him, he realized something.
"This isn't nearly as fantastic as I thought… It feels disappointingly real."
He'd imagined light scattering around or energy flowing wildly, but in reality it was just some lumps of ice rapidly coming into existence and disappearing just as quickly. There wasn't even the slightest hint of atmosphere to it.
"You've… Really gone and done it now."
Setting aside Subaru's impressions, the men who had been hit by that disappointingly real attack had sustained serious damage. Two of them could barely keep their footing steady as they stood back up and the third may have been hit in a bad spot, because he was out cold. Despite their bleeding, the two who were still standing appeared ready to fight. Even the man beside the guy with the knife was holding an object resembling a rusty nata as he prepared for battle.
[T/N: Nata = A type of blade]
"I don't give a damn whether you're a mage or whatever. The two of us together are going to kill you… You think you can win against both of us?"
The man with the knife raised his voice in anger as he pressed down on his broken nose with his other hand, but the girl showed no signs of faltering.
"I suppose two on one might be unfair."
"Then two on two should be okay, right?"
Yet another voice filled the alley, androgynous and high-pitched, as though speaking for the girl.
Subaru started looking around in surprise and the men shared his reaction. They couldn't find anyone who might have spoken those words, not at the entrance and of course not within the alley.
The three of them were confused and bewildered, and as if to show off, the girl held out her hand.
Her palm faced upward, and 'it' floated above her white fingertips.
"It's kind of embarrassing to be looked at like that."
It said as it bashfully groomed its face. 'It' being a cat small enough to fit in a palm, standing upright.
Its coat was gray and its ears were floppy, to Subaru it looked very much like an American Shorthair. Well, setting aside its pink nose and the length of its tail. The sight of this bizarre cat-like being caused the man with the knife to tremble as he screamed.
"―A spirit user!"
"Correct. If you withdraw right now, I won't pursue you. Think fast, I don't have time for this."
The men clicked their tongues at her words and started to carry their fallen friend out of the alley. As they passed by Subaru and approached the exit, they glanced back at the girl and―
"Just you wait, you damned brat. You'd best be careful the next time you decide to wander around here."
"If you lay a finger on her, you'll be tormented until the end of time. You'll be in the afterlife well before that, though."
They desperately tried to make threats, but the reply was dismissive in tone although its contents were rather severe.
The cat in her palm behaved rather frivolously, but their faces turned paler than ever before as they silently fled out of the alley.
Now that they were gone, only Subaru remained before her.
"―Don't move."
Forgetting the pain coursing through him, Subaru had tried to get up to thank her.
But she stopped him in his tracks, her ice cold voice devoid of any sentiment.
Her eyes were filled with caution. Even having understood Subaru wasn't with them, she clearly didn't think of him as a good person.
Despite this, he was enthralled by the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He wasn't used to dealing with beautiful women, so that alone caused him to turn red and avert his eyes. Seeing this, the girl smiled boldly as she maintained her cautious gaze.
"Your guilty conscience made you avert your eyes. Looks like my judgement was spot on."
"I wonder. I didn't sense malice whatsoever, that was probably just an instinctive male reaction."
"You be quiet, Puck. ― You, you probably know who stole my insignia, right?"
The girl silenced the cat as she tossed a question Subaru's way. She seemed rather proud of herself, but,
"Sorry to disappoint, but I have no clue."
"No way?!"
Her prideful front crumbled, allowing her usual expression to come through for a moment. Her imposing attitude had also vanished as she turned to the cat in her palm in a panic.
"W-What now? Did we really just waste our time…?"
"You're wasting time as we speak, you really should hurry. The culprit definitely has the divine protection of wind considering how fast they ran."
"Why are you treating it like someone else's problem?"
"You were the one who told me to stay out of it, though. Besides, what are you going to do about this guy?"
Subaru smiled bitterly when he once again became the topic of conversation. The girl seemed as though she'd just now realized that he was still there. Subaru put on a brave face for her and stood up,
"You've done enough. You're in a hurry, right? You'd better get going."
―I'll help you out if you so desire, how about it?
He'd planned to say this while his fingers combed through his hair and his teeth sparkled, however,
"Huh?"
"Ah, you'd better not try to sta―, too late."
His head felt heavy and his body was wobbly. He tried to support himself against a wall, but his hand only grasped air. In the end, he had a reunion with the ground he was just recently laying on. He fell completely undefended right onto his nose, the sharp pain making his consciousness drift.
"―Well, what now?"
"Well, it's not like we know him. He won't die, so let's leave him be."
As his consciousness faded away, he could make out bits of their conversation. This was parallel world fantasy alright, harsh even when it came to kindness.
He was going to be abandoned in some alley, a negative viewpoint.
Well, he was about to die so merely being alive was a blessing in itself, a positive viewpoint.
These half-hearted thoughts floated across his mind as his consciousness slowly―
"Really?"
"Really!"
On the verge of losing consciousness, he caught sight of the girl turning around, her face red.
"―I definitely, definitely won't stick around to help him."
―So cute even when she's angry, a true parallel world fantasy.
Those were his last thoughts before he blacked out.