The Fall, The Transfer, and the Clinging“Sighh, the week’s finally over…Cla.s.s sucksss…”
On my way home from school, I sigh deeply as if to vent my anger. Day after day, the same routine is repeated, which is really boring.
“Won’t a messenger from another world come for me. That, or a beautiful girl falling from the sky would be nice too.”
I know it’s impossible, but even as I think such stupid things to myself, I unconsciously blurt out. Well, even if something like that happened in real life, there’s no way I’d be involveeeeeeee-!!!”
“Uoooooooohhhhh!!!??? Why was a hole opened somewhere like hereeeeeee!!!
Suddenly, I fall through a hole opened in the ground. Woah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Mikado Tsuchio, a high school freshman that loves anime, manga, light novels, etc.! Right now I’m falling through the pitch black darkness!
” …h.e.l.l, who the heck am I introducing myself toooo!!! Don’t tell me because something this crazy happened my brain’s been fried—ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!???
When I look down, light is peeking through the darkness. Ossha, an exit!
(TLN: Basically F*ck yeah, but left the original in.)
“Tooooou!”
(TLN: Think Rance.)
I put my hands on my head and brace for landing. How do I kill my momentum, or rather leave that stuff for later! First, cover the head, if’s fine if several bones break!
…But, the shock from impact never comes. When I timidly open my eyes, I see the area around me is completely white. Though I say white, it feels like mist that’s drifting in one direction…. This kind of scene, I’ve seen it on an airplane before. Maybe, is it possible that I’m right now…
“I’m in the cloudsssssss—!!!???”
I mean, why isn’t it cold even though I’m in the clouds! Places where clouds can form, aren’t they supposed to have pretty low temperatures!? Ahh, this isn’t the time to be thinking about things like that! If you don’t do something soon, you’ll hit the ground like ‘splat’!
While I spin my wheels over a solution, the clouds are pushed away and my vision becomes clear. What was reflected in my eyes, was blue blue blue. So I’m above the sea!
“Aaahh, c.r.a.p c.r.a.p c.r.a.p! If it’s like this then I can’t get help from any pa.s.sersby! Is this game over?”
However, at that moment, a miracle happens to Tsuchio. Something suddenly pa.s.ses right in front of his eyes, and he somehow manages to grab onto it!
“Ughh! Owwww… It hurts, which must mean I’m alive huh. Phew, that’s good…Come to think of it, what’d I land on? It’s strangely lumpy…”
I feel something looking at me too… As I think that I look up and…
Pteranodon, no a Ch*rizard-looking thing is only looking at me with its eyes….Wait, only its eyes? Which means… this is, this guy’s back?
“GYAAAAAAAA!!!”
“Gyaaaaaaaa!!!”
The wyvern begins to spin round and round to try and buck me off. I hurriedly cling to its neck.
Upwards, downwards, left and right I’m flung, as my stomach and brain jolt round and around. Urp, I feel sick… I feel like I’m gonna faint, but if I faint here it’s a straight fall to the ocean. I’ve gotta somehow hold up…!
“Uguuhhhhhhhh…”
“Gyaaaau…”
It seems even the flying dragon isn’t able to continue its flying acrobatics, and it returns to a horizontal position. I, I’m saved…
“Guruuuuuu…”
“D, don’t stare at me like that….It’s scary.”
For now, it looks likes it’s given up on bucking me. It’s probably thinking it’ll deal with me somehow later. s.h.i.t, out of the frying pan and into the fire huh. Now what…
After thinking for a bit, I came to the conclusion that there’s nothing that can be done. When it comes down to it, we’ll fight and at that time I’ll think of something So, anyways, on to the next important issue. Which is…where is this.
This wyvern, it doesn’t exist on Earth. If it did, your best best would have been prehistoric dinosaurs. It’s either that, or…a parallel world.
No, you’re seriously thinking stupidly impossible things y’know!? But, ‘it’d be nice if it were another world’, or ‘I’d be happier if magic or animal-eared girls or monstergirls existed’…of course I’d think such things, I’m a guy after all!
…Well, that can probably be confirmed little by little. I have no regrets even if I died here. I feel bad for Mom and Dad, but I’m thinking of living here from now on. Even if there were a way to go home…I probably wouldn’t go, huh.
Sighh, for now I’ll just wait until we reach a place where I can calm down. Then do something about this guy, and wait for help huh.
After flying for about nearly an hour, a huge wall came into view. Seems to be some sort of steep cliff. Right around the middle a hole has been dug, and has something like a bigger version of a bird’s nest. So that’s your nest, huh.
I tumble off the flying dragon as it lands, and distance myself as much as possible from it. This guy’s nest is small, and at best I’m 5 meters away from it. If I move just a little forward, I’ll be gobbled up. W, What should I do…
Contrary to my expectations, the flying dragon didn’t do anything. It looks towards me, sighs with a ‘hmph‘ and curls up into a ball, like a cat.
But I don’t understand. Why won’t you eat me? Maybe, are you saving me for tomorrow’s breakfast…I’m glad though, if you’re gonna overlook me.
Anyways maybe it’s because I reached a stable place, but I suddenly feel tired and drowsy. c.r.a.p, if I sleep now I’ll be eaten tomorrow morning! Ahh, but I’m crazy sleepy. . . .
When I woke up, it was in the middle of the night. Good, looks like I somehow managed to wake up.
I look beside me and see the flying dragon sleeping soundly. If I look at it like this, it’s pretty cute. Rather than being tormented to death by Goblins or Orcs, being gulped down by this guy is so much better.
Looking up at the sky, I see the moon has just about reached its peak. In the dark blue sky filled with twinkling stars, the moon shines a pale blue.
“Whoa, the moon’s blue. This means I can call it a parallel world, huh.”
So this is a parallel world, it’s because even as a joke I kept saying I wanted to go, I’m touched…
But, that means it’ll be tough to keep living. There are monsters like this, so there’s no doubt that there are other kinds too. Which means, no matter what I won’t be able to avoid fighting. To an average joe high school student from modern j.a.pan, fighting to the death isn’t something that can be so easily done. What to do…
“Ah, ah, achoo!”
Maybe because we’re by the sea, but the wind is strong. It got cold while I was sleeping, so I unconsciously sneezed. Whether it woke up because of the sound, the dragon opens its eyes and looks at me. c.r.a.p, at this rate I’ll be its midnight snack!
It moves its mouth closer to me. s.h.i.t, I finally made it to a parallel world and it’s already over?! If you’re going to eat me anyways, at least do it in one bite!
Though, once again the dragon betrayed my expectations. It grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, and tucking me in its wing begins to sleep again. Ah, it’s pretty warm. Rather, why isn’t it eating me!? On top of that, to warm me up! Ah, no, doesn’t mean I want to be eaten y’know?
“H, hey. Why aren’t you eating me?”
I tried asking, but the dragon glances at me and with a “Hmph!” simply snorts without answering me. I wasn’t expecting anything, but as I thought it can’t talk huh…Communicating sure is difficult.
“Um….th, there there?”
For now, I’ll try patting its head with grat.i.tude. It seemed to dislike it at first, but after seeing that I didn’t stop apparently gave up. It’s letting itself be petted. Had it really hated it, my hand would’ve been ripped to shreds huh. Probably doesn’t hate it that much. Those petting skills which have been trained on cats and dogs, for there to be a day where it’d save my life…Seems like no matter how stupid the skill is, if you practice it properly a day where it’s useful will come…
Maybe because I warmed up, I felt sleepy again. For now, looks like I’m safe so let’s sleep. I’ll think about the future after resting up.
Just like that, I fell asleep wrapped up in the dragon’s coils. It had scales, but they were pretty soft and easy to sleep in.
“Nnn uuuuurrrghhhhh….I slept well~”
The dragon moved so I woke up. It stretched its wings, and shook its mane. With a shake of its wings, it grabs the scruff of my neck.Eh, so it’s really gonna eat me?
It then puts me on its back, and takes off into the sky! …Tteeeeeee! ! ! ? ? ?
“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!???”
It accelerates suddenly with a sharp “gyuuuuuuuun” sound. How, how does it do this!?Magic, is it magic!?
Unlike yesterday it doesn’t do any aerial acrobatics, and flies straight while sometimes flapping its wings. That fact that I don’t feel any wind pressure despite flying, is probably due to magic. ..I don’t know the reason, so I feel like I keep blaming it on magic…
“Geez…If you’re gonna fly, tell me.”
I grumble as I slap its back. “Gururuu…”is what I feel like it replied with.
Come to think of it, why’re we flying? It’s morning so maybe we’re going to get some food.
Still, flying like this feels quite nice. The wind is blowing at just the right strength, and the sunlight is warm. I’ve gotta go where there are people, but flying for just a little “””Gyuaaaa!!!”””… Gyuaa?
“Egh, something’s coming from behind! Oy oy, didn’t you notice!!!”
“Uuu …”
Three birds are approaching from behind. All of them have absurdly large claws and beaks, and I wonder if they use them to take down prey.
When the three birds cry in unison, a fireball sp.a.w.ns and flies towards us. Uwooooh. Magic!!!
“Shi-, dodge dodge dodge!!!”
“Guraa!”
As if it were saying, “Shut up, I know!”, the dragon nosedives and avoids the magic. The birds stick closely to our backs, leaving us with no room. They’re not that stupid, huh…
After firing magic at us for a while, the birds saw that they were getting nowhere as all their attacks were being dodged, and surrounded us on three sides. Pincer attack? No, the one behind us is planning on ramming us too!? To dodge this…do a barrel roll!
“Oy, do a barrel roll, a barrel roll! Ahh s.h.i.t, I don’t know how to get through to you!”
Get through, my vision! As I’m thinking, desperately imagining a barrel roll, the birds finally begin to charge in with their talons. This looks like the dragon’s top speed, and above all it’s showing a considerably pressured visage. Shiitttt! Is this the end!?
“You stupid dragon! I’m telling you this to save us! For the love of, do a barrel rooooooooooo-!!!”
When I smack its back with all my might, the dragon makes a whoom! sound as it ascends. It then turns left, and after taking some distance returns to a horizontal position. …It’s a barrel roll. How did it know? No way, maybe my thoughts were conveyed. What kinda fantasy is that, wait this situation is really fantastical too. Nothing can be considered strange.
As I watch the birds fall after wounding each other, I try talking to the dragon that read my thoughts.
“You, you can read my thoughts?”
“Gururuu …”
“Somehow” is what I feel like it’s saying.I’m also, somehow able to understand it’s thoughts, huh…What’s going on.
“That reminds me, even though you struggled so much earlier, why didn’t you eat me when we got to the nest?”
“Gu, gururu…”
Hmm, so there are some kind of circ.u.mstances. Of course I don’t know the details. Well, it’s enough that I confirmed it doesn’t have any hostility towards me.
“Ah, we came to get food right.Enough for me too please.”
“Guru”
Seems like that was the intent from the start. How thoughtful.
After that, we caught two fish and went back to the nest. In the wyvern’s feet, two big fish have been caught. When it was catching them, it made a sudden nosedive, and seriously surprised me. I unconsciously grabbed its neck, and yelled “I can’t breathe!”
“…Hey, are you gonna eat it like that?”
And, it’s now mealtime. From the wyvern eating the raw fish in large gulps, I look at the fish placed in front of me. As to why the fins are as sharp as knives, I won’t mind it.
“Guraa”
Ain’t that obvious, of course I’m gonna eat it, says the wyvern-kun. Well, asking it to understand my intentions is barking up the wrong tree huh.
“At least barbeque it please. Don’t you have something like dragon’s breath?”
“Gyau”
Seems impossible. What should I do… It was just killed, so I think it’s still fresh but…Eei, to h.e.l.l with it!
I chomp into the fishes’ side. Spreading in my mouth, is the rich taste of blood. Bleghhh, fishy… There aren’t any parasites, right?
With the raw fish, three bites was my limit. I give the leftovers to the wyvern, and eat the snacks in my bag. Tomorrow, I decided to head to a place with people. It’d be mentally tough to continue this kind of diet.
“So, we’ll be staying here for today only. Tomorrow we go somewhere with people okay.”
“Gyau”
Seems like it’s ok. You don’t have any attachment to your nest huh. Tomorrow will be an early start, so let’s sleep early. Sleeping with the wyvern today too. Warm in there, after all.
Like that, I slept in the coils of the wyvern. I didn’t dream of j.a.pan.
(Author’s Note: I started this series. If I’m stuck on Gokufuri (other author’s series), I’ll write this one. Please read “Those who Min-Max (gokufuri)” too.)