New project, updates will be irregular, and I might split the chapters into parts because they’re long. I haven’t read any of this, so I don’t really know any of its genres, or whether it’s good or not.
"I"m hungry……"
This is at night, on the way home from the convenience store.
I thought I"d have a late-night snack, but I looked at my refrigerator, and found out my run down apartment had run out of food.
At the convenience store, I bought a cup noodle, tea, and onigiri.
"Will I able to make it through the night with this…?"
——And then, right after I left the convenience store.
——Kikiiiiiii!!!
The sound of a car breaking. And blinding me, the car lights.
Suddenly, a truck came at me.
Noticing that, I tried to quickly avoid it, but I didn"t make it.
The driver who I saw right before the collision was nodding off.
It"s not long till the revolving lanterns drift.
(……Right until the end, it"s s.h.i.+t.)
Receiving a shock that made my body scatter, I thought that, and lost consciousness.
＊＊＊
——There"s a bad smell. I can"t see anything.
I feel drowsy, and the air is bad.
(——This is……where? What happened to me?
Am I not dead? Is this the world after death?)
For the time being, I tried to raise my heavy body, but……
——Gashatu!
The sound of a chain swaying.
Also, the feeling of something cold on my limbs.
……There"s something made of metal on my arms and legs.
"——tu!?"
(——They"re shackles! There are shackles attached to my arms and legs, and I can"t move!"
An unpleasant premonition runs through my head.
(Is this an abduction? The truck made it look like an accident, but was it"s goal to abduct me? Is this that much of a stupid story? Who would do this, and why……?)
When I *gachigachi* feel my shackles——
"——Are you awake?"
In this darkness, I heard a beautiful voice that sounded like a bell.
(——Judging from the tone of the voice, is it a woman?)
"Who are you!? Show yourself!"
Her voice came from behind me.
So did the sounds of clothes rubbing against each other, and that of stepping on soil.
There is someone, behind me——.
"I am a magician, Arisa Feo Asteria.
Nice to meet you, otherworlder-san."
When the woman comes so close to me that I can touch her breath……
"——utu!?"
In spite of myself, I raised my voice.
From behind, I was suddenly lovingly hugged.
Without changing, her hands continue to grope around my body.
(——What"s with her? Stop it, don"t suddenly touch me!)
Her thin, cool finger crawls across my body, just like an insect.
Even if I tried to escape, I can"t run away due to the restraints.
Her feverish breath hits my ears.
"Everything"s alright. Leave your body to me.
I won"t do anything bad……tu!"
While feeling her heat, and getting dizzy due to her sweet smell, I desperately resist.
While getting confused due to this sudden situation, words floated around my head.
(Aren"t I dead?
What does this mean? Who"s this girl behind me?)
"Where is this place? Why am I still alive!?"
I desperately struggle to get away from her hands.
However, her hands gradually stimulate my body, and I lose strength.
"Don"t be in a rush.
I"ll explain everything,
because I need you."
She whispered into my ear.
*zokuzoku* A chill runs through my back.
……That"s a bad sign.
"Don"t mess with me! What are you…tu!?"
She closed my mouth with her hand.
"Calm down and listen.
I summoned you,
because you were about to die.
I thought if it was you, you"d look after me."
"You summoned? Me?"
"Yeah, you."
She *kusuri* laughed.
As she was laughing, the surroundings gradually lit up.
And finally, I saw it. I was able to see it.
The one who called me, that woman"s figure.
"Is it already morning?"
Skin as pure white as snow.
Smooth, sparkling silver hair.
Soft seeming cherry blossom lips
And red eyes that looked just like rubies.
She was a beautiful, transient albino girl.
"Were you charmed by me?……Fufu."
And then, the girl gently laughed.
＊＊＊
After that, a little time pa.s.sed, and the albino girl kept groping all over my body. I think she"s doing this to check for injuries, but isn"t this a little……
"……Get already from me already. Also, hurry up and release my shackles."
"Okay. I thought you"d try to attack me, but so seem to have calmed down. I"ll remove them soon."
When the girl reluctantly parted from me, she *gachagacha* releases my shackles.
"……You released me easier than I expected you to. I"m a man, and you"re a woman. Aren"t you cautious of me?"
"You may think that, but honestly that much wouldn"t change anything. If I wanted to, I could instantly restrict you magic too."
She said that, and showed a mischievous smile.
(……If so, wouldn"t it have been fine without the shackles?)
……Seeing that smile, my desire to hear why she restrained me vanished.
"Anyways, I welcome you to my laboratory, otherworlder-kun."
"……"
When I stay silent, and try to run away from her——
——Jogintu!
At my feet, an icicle grows.
While looking at me, she *nikori* silently smiled at me.
(——It seems like she won"t forgive even a little resistance.)
While sighing, I followed after the girl.
＊＊＊
The place I was taken to was something like a shed.
Right outside of it was a building that looked like an ordinary single j.a.panese house made out of stone.
However, the shed and its surroundings were enshrouded by a dense forest.
"What is this place……? At a glance, it"s obviously suspicious.
Would you normally build a place like this?."
I stare at the girl with suspicious eyes.
……Looking at her from the front, she really was beautiful.
Her hair has gone beyond white and s.h.i.+nes silver.
Her eyes s.h.i.+ne just like rubies.
Her skin was white and transparent, just like ceramics.
"——tu!? Ca,can you not stare at me so much?"
The girl who noticed my gaze and said that began to act shy, and *chirachira* looked over here.
"……My bad. More importantly though, you live in a really suspicious seeming place."
When I say that, she mischievously *kusuri* laughed.
"Fufu, if you say you absolutely want to, you can look at it forever.
Also, you"ll probably understand this eventually, so I"ll tell you now."
The girl *bis.h.i.+ritu!* points her index finger at the forest.
"The surrounding forest is the territory of majuu. Majuu are beasts that have magic power, and attack humans. Currently I"m studying them. Rather, do you think I"d live in such a dreary place for no reason?"
That girl laughed, and smiled at me like she was making fun of me.
(I don"t know anything about this world, how should I know that……!)
Seeing her like that, I got a little irritated.
(……No, I should ignore this. Ignore it. Calm down me..
Even if I was summoned to another world and agitated right now, I"m not going to be lead around by a girl who"s not even old enough to be in high school……!)
I strongly gripped my right hand, and made a very natural smile.
"I understand now that I don"t understand anything. Hurry up and show me around your house."
"Okay. After all, it"s been awhile since someone last came to my house!
It seems I got a little worked up."
With a bright smile, she grabbed my hand and led me.
When we got to the building"s entrance, she let go of my hand, looked back at me, and said:
"Welcome, to my magic laboratory!"
No, even if there"s a laboratory attached to it, it"s still a house……I looked up at the normal looking house, and thought that.
＊＊＊
When we got to the living room, I hurriedly began the discussion.
(Just like I thought, the inside of the house was just like an ordinary j.a.panese house. The laboratory is……I"ll stop thinking about it.)
"First, where is this place?"
"——? I said it was my laboratory didn"t I?"
"……I"m not asking for that. I"m asking where is it in the world. You knew that, right?"
(……What"s with that way of faultfinding, are you in elementary school?)
I thought that, but didn"t say it.
"……Yes yes, you"re starting from there. I understand that there are many things you want to ask about right after you got summoned, but calm down a little. Also, this is more important, but I"m not "you", I"m Arisa!"
While saying that angrily, the girl——Arisa took out something that seemed like a map.
"……Kohon. I think you"ve vaguely realized this, but this world is in a different dimension from the one lived in up until now. People use magic, and fight mamono every day. This world is like that.
Because there are various continents and countries and the conversation would be long, we"ll leave that aside for, but for the time being, the country we"re in is called the Adelheart Kingdom."
Arisa pointed to a somewhat large country in the middle of the map.
"This is a rich country with a monarchy. The king is excellent, so there"s a lot of support from the people. Compared to the empire that only thinks about war or the Saint Maria Kingdom, it can be said to be a good country. The place we are is right here."
Arisa pointed to the middle of the Adelheart Kingdom, which was written in a disturbing seeming red color.
"Forest of Demonic Beast"s"
(No matter how I look at it, isn"t this a dangerous place……?)
Even though I felt dizzy for a moment, I listened to Arisa.
"……Why are you in such a dangerous place?"
"I told you didn"t I? For research. I"m doing research on the mamono that live in the Forest of Demonic Beasts. Also, you don"t need to worry about majuu. I have a barrier protecting this place, so were safe."
(……I don"t know what a barrier is, but since she said so, I guess it"s fine. In actuality, since I was summoned, there hasn"t been anything dangerous.)
——More importantly, there are things I"m curious about.
"Arisa, you"ve been talking about magic and majuu since before, but……is there magic in this world?"
Magic.
Magic power.
Mamono.
The royal road to fantasy.
My interest was already pointed towards such things.
Arisa nods to my question, and lights a small flame at the tip of her finger.
"——Uotu!?"
To the small flame that suddenly appeared, I raise my voice in spite of myself.
While looking at me like I was interesting, *Shutu!* Arisa put out the flame.
"There is. What I used to call you to this world is called summoning magic."
(……Magic, it exists here.
I want to do things like lighting a fire out of nowhere, or creating water of nothing.)
It"s fantasy.
It"s really, seriously, a fantasy world.
(No, wait, if I was called here with magic then——)
"——Is it possible to return to my former world with magic?"
I casually ask——.
"……Do you want to go home?"
——I noticed.
The girl in front of me.
That she seemed hopelessly sad.
And her unbearably lonely looking expression.
"……No, not really. I just wanted to know. It"s not like I had any special attachment to my former world. Also, I"d like to try using magic."
Hearing that, Arisa made a full faced smile, and *gutto* brought her face closer.
"——Th,that"s right, I"ll teach you magic!
Even if I look like this, I"m one of only 4 magicians in the world!"
Arisa strongly grips my hand, and shakes it up and down.
While she did that to me, my body was swung around.
(Well, it"s not like I have any regrets……and it doesn"t seem like I"ll be able to live in this world without her help. I"ll just say that I"ll be studying magic under Arisa for a while.)
"I got it. I"ll be troubling you for a bit. Please take care of me, Arisa."
I say so while gripping her hand back.
"Nice to meet you to, ah, uhh…"
"Now that I think of it, I never told you my name, did I? I"m…"
I tried to remember my name from my former world, but.
(——I want to make this girl rest a.s.sured.)
Such a feeling comes to mind, when I remember her sad expression from before.
And then, after thinking for a bit, I said this:
"——Arisa, why don"t you think of a name for me?"
"……Is that alright?"
Arisa nervously looked at me.
——Throwing away my name means that I"m going to abandon the me from my former world.
It"s a break from the me up until now.
Arisa somehow understood that, and still asked me.
She"s asking me if I"m alright with throwing away my previous world, and living in this one.
"It"s fine."
I properly look Arisa in the eyes, and answer.
"……I understand."
Arisa thought for a bit, and said this to me:
"Edgar. Your nickname would be Ed.
How is it? I took it from a hero"s name from a story I heard a long time ago.
It"s common to be named after heroes too……also, I thought you"d like it."
That reminds me, there was a manga in my old world that had a protagonist by that name.
By this point, it doesn"t matter though.
"……Alright, let"s go with that. Thanks Arisa, from now on, I"m Edgar."
When I said that, Arisa gently smiled.
"Yeah, take care of me Edgar."
——Like this, my days as Edgar, and my life with Arisa began.