ã€ŠAnother Me, But Cuterã€‹


 Prologue

    Volume 0: Ren One

    The story began on a cold afternoon in December.

    The setting was on the rooftop of the local high school. Ren stood there alone ¡ª fidgety from both the tension and the cold ¡ª as he constantly checked his watch while noting every passing second. 4:42 pm, 23 seconds in. Tick, tock, tick, tock.

    He breathed in, he breathed out, white clouds forming with his every breath. Ren believed that the chances of failure were extremely low.

    First off, he lined up his assets inside his head. He had the looks. The confidence. The money. And most importantly, the brain. Everything a girl could ask for, he could offer at one wave of his hand.

    4:42 pm, 50 seconds in.

    Ren knew they got fairly well enough. They always crossed paths at the library, her silently reading her books at the corner while him hosting a group study for his friends. One thing or another led them to exchange sneaking glances at each other. After a few weeks, they began exchanging greetings, albeit very short ones. And before they knew it, they were comfortable talking about their favorite books with each other.

    4:43 pm, 17 seconds in.

    Ren understood that he was taking a risk. He knew that the balance between their presupposed friendship was fragile. An event like this would surely change their relationship for better or for worse. But he was desperate for change. And spurred as well by his meddlesome childhood friend, this moment was the only time he had.

    4:43 pm, 56 seconds in.

    Ren''s heart tightened up as soon as he heard hurried footsteps climbing up on the stairs to the rooftop. But the footsteps mysteriously stopped right at the door ¡ª paused ¡ª and turned back running as well.

    Ren sighed nervously at the intense pressure released by that false alarm.

    But his respite was not to last. The footsteps came back, more gingerly than before, and the door to the rooftop opened with a creak.

    4:44 pm, 44 seconds in.

    ¡°...Ren? About that letter...¡± a soft bell-like voice called out for him.

    She was finally here. Soft brown hair carefully braided into pigtails, a heavy coat over her uniform, and a book clutched within her arms ¡ª it was his one true love.

    Without further ado, his spilled out all his feelings and emotions into this one moment in time.

    ¡°I love you! Please go out with me!¡±

    4:44 pm, 50 seconds in.

    ¡°I don''t like you. I like someone else, and it happened that he isn''t you. But thank you anyways.¡±

    She left just as fast as she arrived, leaving Ren all alone in the cold.

    These were the events that happened a year ago. Aside from the unbearable indifference about this whole situation, the next thought that came into Ren was how a shame it was for his surprise to go to waste like this.

    This is how our story began.

    [ Prologue: Gone and Back ]

    <hr>

    Four strange students emerged from the rooftop''s door, wearily carrying a heavy-looking box to the center.

    ¡°Careful! Careful!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Lift it up a little bit to your side.¡±

    ¡°I know what I''m doing, four eyes!¡±

    ¡°Just a little more push!¡±

    ¡°Here we go!¡±

    And as soon as they safely placed it on the floor, everyone simultaneously gave out a sigh of relief. Their arms felt like rubber, and their legs gave out and made them all drop to the floor as well.

    ¡°Ha... Come on, up to your feet!¡± the student council president, Rosellier, called out to everyone as he forced himself to stand. He was tall, and his glasses made him look more like an intellectual, so he looked like everyone''s leader. ¡°Lunch break won''t last forever!¡±

    Although reluctantly, the rest went back to their feet and began unboxing their cargo. Another box ¡ª made with iron sheets ¡ª revealed itself, and everyone lifting that cover together revealed the machinery''s wire-filled guts.

    Ren unfurled a roll of blueprint on the ground and gave it a quizzical look. ¡°Everything looks fine to me.¡±

    Ros gave his friend a suspicious glare. ¡°Ren, last time you said that we almost blew up the whole school.¡±

    ¡°Don''t be such a scaredy cat, Ros. Have a little more confidence in me,¡± Ren replied with a smug smile. Seeing that Ros wasn¡¯t buying it, he folded. ¡°No? Okay okay, let''s do some checks.¡±

    They began working on their own parts of the machine. They double checked every wire and circuit and made sure that everything was where it was supposed to be.

    ¡°Hey, you think this will work?¡± Ros asked, trying to make some small talk with Ren as they both meticulously checked for loose wires.

    Ren paused, thinking about it seriously. He then came into a sound answer. ¡°Theoretically, it should. Realistically, it won''t. But it''s my design, so it will work. Probably.¡±

    ¡°I''ve never seen you this unsure of yourself, you know? Even since you were kids. I mean, I''ve seen you run away from home, and you were never this unsure. It gives me the creeps.¡±

    Ren went back to his work, but not without trying to alleviate his friend¡¯s fears. ¡°Failure isn''t a real thing, you know? It''s a state of mind. A concept we created to explain stuff that doesn''t go our way. Trust me, I know what I''m doing. In fact, let me tell you what will happen in a few more minutes. The box''s gonna work, you''re gonna get the recognition that you want, Ken''s gonna be exempt from school for the rest of his life and Yuu''s gonna drown buying his... figurines. When I''m in charge, in that brief moment, I am a god.¡±

    It was a bold declaration by his longtime childhood friend. But Ros felt that Ren always had good intentions in his heart, even if it wasn¡¯t obvious. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, that''s right. Just as you have that unfounded confidence in yourself, I''ve got confidence in my work as well.¡±

    A short guy with wild blonde hair came in between their talk. His name was Ken, and he looked like the kind of student who smoked cigarettes behind the school building with his other delinquent friends. But he wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t for his boss, Ren.

    ¡°Boss, the regulator''s busted. What''s next?¡± he asked, showing a circuit board in his hands.

    Ros turned to Ren with a worried look. ¡°Please tell me you predicted this. I''m losing what little confidence I have with every passing moment.¡±

    Ken, for whatever reason, took that as an insult to himself. ¡°Hey four eyes, are you telling that I''m at fault here?¡± he shouted.

    Ros wouldn¡¯t be outdone. ¡°I wasn''t, but now I will.Your kind''s only good at destroying things. I bet if you got lost and went back to kicking trash cans, we''d be done here in no time.¡±

    ¡°What''d you say? Bastard, I''ll kill you!¡±

    ¡°Try it, blonde freak. I''ll teach you not to mess with the people above you.¡±

    Ros adjusted his glasses and Ken cracked his knuckled, but in the midst of this Ren was unaffected. He took a second to think of an alternative solution for the broken regulator, then called over Yuu who was fiddling with the wires. Everything about him was average, maybe except for his slightly strange hobbies.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Yuu asked with a tilt of his head.

    ¡°Can we build a new regulator on time?¡±

    Yuu took the circuit board and looked at it with his trained eye. ¡°Let me see... harmonic signature set at 1233458. No good, the circuitry''s busted. I don''t think we''ll be able to do anything about it for now.¡±

    It was bad news, but Ren wouldn¡¯t be stopped now. ¡°No worries. We''ll just manually regulate it. I''ll handle that. We''ll have Ros and Ken monitor the data and make sure nothing''s going to go boom. Yuu, do the final checks and turn on the machine.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Yuu replied as he returned to his battle station.

    Ken, hearing his boss¡¯ orders, temporarily backed away from his staredown with Ros. ¡°...Tsk. I''m gonna sock your face next time.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Ros replied with a smile. His expression immediately turned serious as he faced Ren. ¡°I hope you know what you''re doing.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Everyone scattered to their own task. The time was right, and everything was at place. They carefully placed the box''s iron cover back, with multiple wires sticking out from the bottom towards their portable computer, three car batteries, a small switchboard and the manual regulator.

    ¡°Beginning the first run of the Harmonics Box!¡± Ren shouted, signaling the beginning of a new age.

    As soon as Yuu flipped a switch, a low hum filled the rooftop. Ren raised the feed and entered the harmonic signature in the manual regulator. Gradually, the hum grew louder and louder, to the point where it hurt their eardrums. It felt as if bees were crammed inside their skulls. Everyone instinctively covered their ears in hopes of easing the pain.

    ¡°Ros! Ken! Anything unusual?¡± Ren shouted, trying to carry his voice over the hum.

    ¡°Everything is just as we predicted!¡± Ros replied, his eyes never leaving the monitor.

    ¡°We predicted this!?¡±

    Ken shook his head. ¡°The numbers, boss! But this noise, no!¡±

    It wasn''t over, not yet. There was one more switch to flip. The flip that would determine if the Harmonics Box was a revolutionary tool that would change the world or a piece of junk. One more step.

    A wave of nausea hit Ren that drove him to his knees. He tried to wipe his face to clear his mind, but his shaky hands were instead stained with blood. His nose was bleeding. His whole body shook as his world shook.

    He felt fear, a primal fear of what he created. For the first time, he felt that this machine should not have been born to this world. But he was a scientist at heart, and no secrets of the universe could be kept from him. Curiosity took over his soul as he raised the final signal.

    ¡°Do it, Yuu! The final switch!¡±

    ¡°Here we go!¡±

    The sound of the switch rang throughout the whole rooftop.

    A blinding flash of light burst forth from the box. Everything was engulfed in white for a moment.

    And suddenly, everything died down. The noise and the light disappeared as if it was never there in the first place, and the machine was as dead as a rock.

    The four students froze in shock, their minds trying to comprehend the events that just unfolded. The first one to snap out of it was Ros, who fell down on his butt.

    ¡°...Where''d that light come from? Nobody placed some hidden light bulb in there, right?¡±

    ¡°Prez, light won''t seep out from an iron box,¡± Yuu replied, still rubbing his ears from the pain. His reply awarded him with a chop in the head.

    ¡°I''m not asking for the obvious.¡±

    Ren also snapped out of it and checked the computer. Everything was showing that the box was indeed turned off. Perhaps there was a mistake in the calculations? A mess up in the wires? Something else? Whatever it was, there was still one fact that couldn''t have been made any clearer: the machine didn''t work.

    ¡°It should''ve worked. It should''ve worked!¡± Ren cursed at the heavens, stomping on the rooftop floor in anger to these unexpected results.

    Ros patted his shoulder, trying to console his angry friend. ¡°Not everything works out in your favor. Just like the time you ran away from home. Or the time you got stuck with a perpetually drunk Russian. Or the time you got rejected by your first love. And the time you failed your final exams just because of that. Here, a tissue. Your nose''s bleeding.¡±

    Ren frowned. ¡°...Thanks. For the record, I did not fail my finals.¡±

    ¡°Sure you didn''t, buddy.¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Ken reflexively backed away from the box after trying to touch it with his bare finger. ¡°This thing''s freaking hot!¡±

    ¡°Let it cool down for a while,¡± Ren said, finally collecting himself. ¡°Today was unfruitful, but there is always next time.¡±

    His words did not please Ros. ¡°Next time? Ren, don''t tell me you''re planning on doing this again?¡±

    Still, Ren insisted. ¡°I don''t know about you people, but I will not allow all my efforts to go to waste.¡±

    Yuu went to Ren''s side and showed him the busted regulator. ¡°I believe we should try fixing this before the next test.¡±

    ¡°...So be it. I''ll fix it myself, as well as do some more minor modifications to the machine. As for today, I believe we''re done.¡±

    With that, their first test ended up in a failure. They carried the heavy box back to where they hid it in the school''s storage room, three floors down, with heavy hearts. No matter their differences, they all had high hopes for this day. But there was always next time, and that was what Ren believed.

    <hr>

    Unfortunately, the regulator wouldn''t be fixed until three days. Parts had to be shipped from overseas, and Ren wasn''t too intent on using cheap alternatives. This was a mark of a true engineer.

    In the meantime, everyone got a well-deserved three-day break. Ren used this time to reviewed the blueprints once more to see if any modifications were needed. He also needed to do something about that mysterious light. His first hypothesis was that a dangerous amount of energy was released as they turned it on, and the light and buzzing was a byproduct of that. That could have explained why the machine overheated as well. But that was impossible. The law of conservation of energy stated that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, and so a ¡°dangerous amount of energy¡± couldn''t have come from three car batteries. Or could it? At the very least, they were not creating a machine that could do so.

    On the second day, the ideas stopped flowing, so Ren decided that he deserved a break as well. He went out in the middle of the night to the convenience store to stock up on junk food and iced tea, a force of habit he had ever since he ran away from his family. The feeling of having somewhere to go, even if it was just the convenience store, was comforting. On the way back, Ren caught sight of Ken all alone on a bench in the park, wistfully staring at the stars with a cigarette in his mouth.

    Ren took a seat beside him, neither one of them giving out a greeting. This silent acknowledgment of each other''s presence was the norm for these two strange souls.

    ¡°The stars never change..¡±

    Another long pause between them.

    "Here, get some."

    Ren opened one of his grubs for the both of them to feast on. Soon the park was filled with the sound of the chill winter winds and the munching of deliciously unhealthy junk. To pass the time, Ren traced the smoke from Ken''s cigarette as it rose up above. It was ironic how something as soulless as smoke had more freedom than he, a human, had.

    ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± Ren asked, feeling that enough time has passed.

    Ken puffed his cigarette once more before replying. ¡°Something''s terribly wrong, boss. Things don''t add up. I''m not sure what''s wrong, but I know there''s something wrong. It''s a gut feeling.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I went home tonight boss. I saw my parents. You know how I was greeted at the door?¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    "With a smile,¡± Ken replied, the fear in his eyes clear as day. ¡°A smile, boss. Those good-for-nothing bastards who did nothing all day but despise me, greeted me with a smile and a warm meal. That ain''t right, that just ain''t right. Just this morning we were this close to punching each other again.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But I don''t know. Maybe they changed. But still, I feel there''s something wrong. I know something''s wrong. I don''t know.¡±

    Ren took a moment''s time to think his words through. ¡°When did you start feeling like this?¡±

    ¡°...Maybe, just maybe, that experiment we did on the rooftop. The moment that light hit, it felt so wrong. Yeah, that''s where it started. That light. Can I express my honest opinion about that box?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°It''s evil.¡±

    That was a surprising reply from the usually wild Ken, Ren thought. What advice should he give? Clearly, he was just in shock with his parents'' sudden change in behavior. If Ren''s family suddenly turned normal, he''d be in shock too. Although he didn''t like dealing with other''s problems, Ken was still his friend. Although impossible in practice, he was still a friend.

    Ren stood up from the bench, leaving his haul of snacks and iced tea for Ken.

    ¡°I don''t know what I''d do if I was at your position. But I''ll be around as always. And don''t worry, I''ll cover for you at the next run. Take a break from everything, even from school.¡±

    Ken chuckled for the first time tonight. ¡°That''s kinda irresponsible.¡±

    ¡°I''m not student council of anything, so it''s fine to have fun once in a while, I believe. I''ll even treat you to my favorite milkshake shop.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, boss.¡±

    ¡°Your welcome.¡±

    For a moment, the doubt disappeared from Ken''s face, replaced with a subtle smile. He immediately went back to focusing on his smoke, returning the precious silence back in the park. There was no need for goodbyes, Ren just left as silently as he came.

    But before he went back home, he returned to the convenience store to buy a second batch of junk food and iced tea for himself.

    <hr>

    On the third day, early in the morning, Ren received a message from Ros.

    ¡°Meet me on the rooftop, 10 am sharp.¡±

    Ren left his house at around quarter to 11, as he took his time cozy on his bed arguing to himself if going was a good idea to go out on such a cold Sunday. Not only that, it has been exactly one year since he got rejected by her, so his luck today was probably abysmal as well. But after imagining poor Ros'' face freezing all alone in the cold, waiting for nothing just like he had, made Ren believe that the risk was worth it. It was lightly snowing outside, so he brought an umbrella.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Ren and the other three were used to breaking to school grounds, through a makeshift hidden backdoor at a blind spot on the wall. The rooftop as well was normally forbidden for students to enter ¡ª if not for the key they duplicated in one of their many daring heists. There, sitting on the ground with his back on the fence, was Ros. White flakes of snow gathered on top of his head, but he was too busy fiddling with his smartphone to care. He must''ve been playing his usual mobile game.

    ¡°What did you need me for?¡± Ren asked, cutting straight to the point. Ros, upon noticing Ren, paused his game and stood up, wiping the accumulated snow around his body.

    ¡°Hey. How are you feeling? I remember your nose bleeding during the test.¡±

    ¡°Just as I said, I''m fine. Should I greet you as well?¡±

    Ros gave a knowing smile. ¡°Don''t bother, I know you don''t like greeting people. Anyways, have you heard anything from the others?¡±

    It was weird. Ren knew Ros wasn¡¯t a person who would make small talk like this. ¡°Where are you getting at, Ros? If you know I don''t like greeting people, you must know as well how I don''t like beating around the bush.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Ros replied. As usual, his friend knew him well. ¡°You see Ren, I found out a little side effect of our experiment the other day.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Here, take a look at this.¡±

    Ros threw the newspaper at Ren, dated today. He slowly read the headline for the both of them. ¡°...1-Year Anniversary of Mysterious Class Disappearance: Still Unsolved. What''s this about?¡±

    ¡°A years ago at this exact same day, a whole classroom supposedly disappeared in the middle of the day. There weren''t any signs of violence in the classroom, nor was anybody found in the vicinity that matched any of the students or the teacher in that class. It was like they mystically disappeared into thin air, never to be found again.¡±

    ¡°I admit, it''s quite an interesting phenomenon,¡± Ren said, throwing the newspaper back to Ros. ¡°But what does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Ren, this happened at our school. Not only that. You see, the classroom where these all happened? It was the classroom just beside ours, 1-B.¡±

    Ren frowned. He didn¡¯t like what he was hearing. ¡°...If that was the case, then shouldn''t we have heard about it already?¡±

    ¡°That''s this thing. I called up some of our classmates this morning, and everyone seems to know about it. Even on the internet, there are tons of articles trying to make sense of the mystery. Why can''t we both remember anything about it?¡±

    Ren took his time absorbing this new information, but Ros wasn''t done yet. ¡°Ren. I have reason to believe that the Harmonic Box scrambled our memories. Maybe there is still some stuff we haven''t noticed, stuff we forgot.¡±

    He finally understood why Ros was hesitant about this topic. And rightly so, he couldn''t just ignore it.

    But the implications were great.

    ¡°We have to postpone the tests, just until we completely understand the phenomenon that occurs around it.¡±

    Ren thought it over in his head, and came to a final conclusion: ¡°...Understood.¡±

    It was an answer that Ros didn¡¯t expect. ¡°I thought you''d be against it.¡±

    ¡°Don''t be silly. I know when to stop when we have to stop. Basic scientific discipline,¡± Ren said. His talk with Ken resurfaced in his mind. ¡°I''ve heard from Ken as well last night. If your hypothesis is correct, then he might be the most affected out of all of us.¡±

    Although hesitantly, Ros accepted Ren¡¯s silent favor. ¡°...I''ll check up on him as well.¡±

    He didn''t have anything more to say, so Ros wiped the accumulated snow on his head once more and headed towards the door. But before he could leave, Ren stopped him.

    ¡°...I just wanted to check on something. We are friends, ever since we were children, if I recall correctly?¡±

    Ros took a while to understand what he was getting at. ¡°Oh, I see. You want to compare memories. Sure. Yes, we''re childhood friends, ever since we were seven.¡±

    Ren nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, it doesn''t seem like there''s anything wrong there. Remember my little sister?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget, she left a great impression on me. With her foot.¡±

    ¡°...No, the other little sister.¡±

    ¡°You mean the youngest one? The silent one who always stuck her nose in front of the same creepy black book?¡±

    ¡°.....Did I ever have younger twin sisters?¡±

    ¡°Not that I remember.¡± A thought came into Ros¡¯ head. ¡°Wait, did you have? I can''t remember.¡±

    ¡°No, I did not,¡± Ren said while shaking his head. ¡°Don''t worry, it was just a test. Anyways, you were leaving?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Then.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Ros,¡± Ren said with a lonely smile. Ros didn¡¯t understand, but he felt it inside his head-- something was wrong.

    ¡°...Goodbye, Ren.¡±

    And once again Ren was left all alone, just like that day exactly one year ago. But instead of unbearable indifference, this time he was filled with both fear and determination. For a scientist, those two emotions were his only weapons against the world.

    <hr>

    Ren sent a message to Yuu.

    ¡°Front of shop. Now.¡±

    With an umbrella on top of his head, Ren set out alone towards Yuu''s place, where his family ran an electronics shop. Perhaps he was only friends with Yuu because of the great discounts, but it was a great friendship nevertheless.

    But it wasn''t Yuu waiting for him in front of the shop. The young girl stared intently at the doorknob, unsure whether she was welcome to freely enter or not. And she must have been there for quite a while, as a pile of snow has accumulated on top of her soft brown hair braided into pigtails. And as usual, she was never found without a book clutched in her arms.

    Ren hardened his expression and cleared his throat. ¡°Excuse me, I believe you''re blocking the way.¡±

    Her eyes widened, immediately recognizing him. ¡°...Ren?¡±

    But Ren had other plans.

    ¡°Hmm? Do I know you?¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, you dummy. It''s me, Lily. It''s been so long. I haven''t seen you in the library for a while.¡±

    Ren winced at her casual tone. She was good, but he wouldn¡¯t be beaten. Not again. ¡°...Lily...Lily...Yes, I remember being a regular visitor of the library once. Things are so hectic lately, I''ve never found the time to return.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Good luck with whatever hobby you''re up to now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    And the conversation ended there.

    Yuu finally emerged from the store with an apologetic look. ¡°Sorry, I only read your message now. Haha, I was too busy confirming things...Lily? What are you doing here?¡±

    Ren¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    Lily turned to Yuu and gave him a big pout. ¡°Yuu! You haven''t been attending our club activities lately. We''ve all been waiting for you.¡±

    For the first time in his life, Ren saw Lily''s interested expression directed to a person. A slight blush, quivering eyes.

    Ren couldn''t understand, but there was something he couldn''t pass up in her words. ¡°You''re in a club, Yuu?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yuu replied. ¡°The computer club.¡±

    ¡°The school had a computer club?¡±

    ¡°It''s a fun club,¡± he replied, fondly reminiscing his fun memories with them. ¡°And I can tell everyone''s passionate about it.¡±

    ¡°Are you still being dense, Ren?¡± Lily interjected. ¡°You haven''t noticed that we''re all girls?¡±

    Ren¡¯s eyebrows twitched more.

    Yuu, oblivious to his friend¡¯s unstable mental state, replied innocently at Lily¡¯s question. ¡°Huh? I think it''s great that girls are having a lot more interest in computers.¡±

    Lily slumped. ¡°I can''t believe it...if only it wasn''t unfair to everybody...¡±

    Ren couldn''t understand at all. This situation was confusing ¡ª but there was no wonder to be found. Why was Lily suddenly acting like a proper girl instead of a cold-blooded heart crusher? Perhaps this was the phenomenon Ros was talking about. It had to be.

    ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce you both. Ren, this is Lily, my clubmate and close friend. Lily, this is Ren. He''s a friend, and is actually the leader Of the Harmonics Box project.¡±

    Finally, the dam exploded.

    ¡°You told someone outside of the secret project about the secret project!?¡±

    Yuu backed away from Ren¡¯s glare filled with murderous intent. ¡°Wait, Lily can be trusted, I swear with my own life!¡±

    ¡°There''s no point in a secret if you tell people about it! I bet you plastered a poster about it in your all-girls club!¡±

    ¡°No! I only told Lily because she was interested in helping! In fact, she helped me develop the software for the box!¡±

    ¡°Is that¡ª so...?¡±

    Ren and Yuu stood frozen in their spots with the sudden strange developments unfolding beside them. On Lily''s once pristine face were tears, freely flowing down like a leaky faucet. Her lofty demeanor broke into sobs. She was clearly just forcing herself to stand ¡ª but even then, she forced her mouth to give out a bitter smile.

    ¡°Ah... So this is what you meant... ahaha. I might...I might have understood everything,¡± she said between her sobs. ¡°How cruel... You could''ve just...told me everything right from the start...¡±

    This complete 180-degree turn on events was too much for Ren and Yuu, and they began throwing the blame at each other.

    ¡°I believe she''s mad because you stopped coming to the computer club.¡±

    ¡°Eh? No no no, isn''t she looking at you?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to check your eyes for any ill aftereffects from our experiment?¡±

    They kept going on like this, until a soft chuckle escaped Lily¡¯s lips. She did her best to compose herself and wiped out the tears at the corners of her eyes. ¡°Ahaha... Yeah. It''s you after all. Everything also works out in the end if it''s you. Ren, I know this is a strange question, but do you want a completely random 7-digit number?¡±

    Ren cast a suspicious gaze at her, but accepted in the end. ¡°...I can use a number right now.¡±

    ¡°Okay then. Here goes: 3, 2, 2, 1, 4, 2, 8 and 6. Have you memorized it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do believe I did. 32214286.¡±

    ¡°Mn.¡±

    And without a single explanation or at least a goodbye, she left them both in a daze. Nobody understood what happened. As usual, Lily was incomprehensible.

    ¡°It''s me, isn''t it. Is this because I didn''t attend club? I feel so awful,¡± Yuu said with a guilty face.

    Seeing his pathetic face, Ren snapped out of it and remembered his purpose in coming here. ¡°Yuu, go get the computer and the manual regulator. And a sturdy box. And a dice, and some coins. And, I don''t know, three random stuff from your room.¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you going to try starting the Harmonics Box again? Why? Aren''t we supposed to continue tomorrow?¡±

    Ren gave him a smile brimming with confidence. ¡°Science waits for no one. Now get going!¡±

    The road to science is never feared ¡ª only walked. For there was the path to progress. And this was the only path left, if Ren''s fears were right.

    <hr>

    It was at around 4 in the afternoon when Ren and Yuu finished the preparations on the rooftop.

    The snowfall has finally stopped, but cleaning up the snow on the floor took most of their time. With just the two of them, they carried the Harmonics Box and the rest of the things all the way to the top, hooked everything to the car batteries and did the final checks.

    ¡°Um, is it okay that we don''t tell the others?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know, you''re the expert on telling others here,¡± Ren replied with a harsh tone.

    ¡°...Like I said, I''m sorry. But if you know Lily, she''s very dependable. In fact, if it wasn''t for her I''d still be struggling with the box''s code.¡±

    ¡°I''d trust you more than her, and I don''t trust you at all.¡±

    ¡°That kinda hurts.¡±

    Ren wanted to test something out. He had an aching suspicion about this whole situation, a theory that might clear up everything that has happened so far ¡ª and this was the only way to confirm it.

    There was no time to fix the regulator. Classes resumed tomorrow and Ren wasn''t confident enough to be able to sneak the box from Ros'' sight then. There was no time like today.

    Yuu tried changing Ren¡¯s mind one more time. ¡°...I really believe we should wait for the regulator to be fixed.¡±

    Ren didn¡¯t budge. ¡°It is fixed. The manual regulator is as good as any. We are even able to manually input the harmonic signature. Anyways, have you noticed anything strange about your memories ever since the experiment?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Hmm, nothing, I guess,¡± Yuu answered with a shrug.

    ¡°Is that so? Have you heard of the incident that happened last year? About the classroom disappearance.¡±

    ¡°Of course I have. I mean, who hasn''t? Isn''t that partly why we''re doing this project?¡±

    Panic signs blared within Ren¡¯s mind, but he pushed through. ¡°Last question, what class was Lily from last year?¡±

    ¡°Did you forget? She was our classmate last year.¡±

    A huge bomb dropped within Ren¡¯s world, but he did his best to hide it from Yuu. Now was not the time. Instead, he ordered him to bring out the things he told him to.

    Yuu laid out on the floor the things he gathered from his room: A box with a magical girl design and a heart lock, a dice, five coins, a figurine of a catgirl, a perverted book about a girl with flat chests, and a small toy sword that must have come from another figurine.

    ¡°...This is random?¡± Ren asked, looking at Yuu¡¯s collection with a complicated expression.

    ¡°Yeah, I just grabbed whatever without thinking about anything.¡±

    ¡°It shows.¡±

    With the dice, Ren rolled for ten numbers and noted them on a small piece of paper: 1, 6, 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 2, 3, and 5. With the coins, he tossed them one by one and noted them on the same paper, with H as heads and T as tails: H, H, H, T, and H. Thus, on the paper was: 1621312235HHHTH.

    He placed that paper, along with the random things from Yuu''s room, inside the strange box and handed it to Yuu. "Keep that. How are the final checks? All green?"

    Yuu nodded. "Yeah, I think. I hope. No, yeah, they''re all good."

    Ren patted his head for a job well done. "Good. Now go away."

    "...What?"

    Ren forcefully pushed Yuu all the way towards the door.¡±What are you planning?"

    "Just an experiment."

    As soon as Yuu was at the other side, Ren slammed the door to his face and locked it by slipping an iron bar on its handle. He was still mad that he told Lily of all people about the box, but he wasn''t stupid enough to make him unconsciously risk another person as well. And besides, he needed a control group.

    Ren walked over towards the box. It reminded him of a story called Pandora''s Box, where Pandora''s curiosity led her to open the box that unleashed death and many evils to the world.

    But there was hope. There was always hope.

    Ren flicked the first switch, and a familiar low hum filled the cold atmosphere.

    "Ren? What are you doing?"

    Ren ignored Yuu''s question on the other side of the door as he began increasing the feed of the regulator. As for the harmonic signature, he entered 7 completely random numbers: 32214286.

    "Um, should I be calling for someone? The police? The fire station? The morgue? Oh, wait, prez. I''ll call prez."

    This was the only chance to try the box once more. He wanted to make sure, with complete certainty, that his theory was wrong. Ros'' explanation of how the box scrambled their memories didn''t fit something in his head. Because he remembered the events exactly one year ago as if it was yesterday. And on that day, Lily clearly went on this very same rooftop just to reject him. Those events were as real as can be.

    But how could that be, when Lily was from class 1-B, the class that mysteriously disappeared? She was not his classmate last year. That was just impossible. Was the box really capable of creating false memories like that? Was the box that complicated to do so?

    There was another explanation that could solve all this.

    "Ah, I forgot my phone. Ren, I know you''re busy, but can I borrow yours?"

    The hum grew to an ear-shattering level, drowning the world in a buzz. He could feel blood flowing out of his ears and nose. It was even stronger than last time. But Ren didn''t flinch, he knew it was coming. His vision blurred and his shaking hands stopped responding to him.

    "*************************************************"

    But this was the only path. With his hands out of commission, Ren used his forehead and placed it on top of the final switch. In this moment, he was truly alone. This decision was for him and him alone to make. Not by fate, not by a higher power, but himself.

    And he flicked the switch on.

    As expected, an immensely bright light burst forth from the box, filling everything in white. The pressure in Ren''s head felt like it could crack his skull at any moment. His bones felt as if they were repeatedly crushed to a fine powder. His innards were twisted and pulled by a child. It was pain unlike which he has ever felt before, and he did not have a voice to shout, for his tongue was stuck in his throat.

    It was the kind of pain that broke his spirit, that made him regret his decision. One that would make him abandon his ideals.

    An eternity passed, and the buzz finally settled down, followed by an oppressive silence. Not the whirring sound of the box, not the cold December winds, not even the voice of his friend. Only silence. The pain gradually faded and he began to regain control of his self, but the world was still white as snow. The first thought that came to him was worry if he was permanently blinded like this.

    Breaking the silence was a small chime-like voice, soft as a whisper.

    "What...are...you...?"

    Ren did not recognize this voice, but he answered anyway. To ensure that he was still sane even after everything. But his voice would not come out.

    "...Ren...?"

    A loud explosion erupted from within his mind, and the world turned black.

    Volume 0: Ren One¡ª End

 Chapter 1

    Volume 1: Everyday Life

    <hr>

    When Ren came to be, he found himself in a rustic library. It was dim, and the only source of light was the faint sunbeams seeping through the gap of the closed windows and the soft glow of a strange arcane circle drawn in light on the floor. The stale smell of old books and scrolls lingered in the air, along with a slightly burnt smell from somewhere. The sudden change in atmosphere struck his head like a bat, and it took him all he had to hold his vomit.

    But the next thing he realized, he was face to face with a girl, and a very cute girl at that. It was a great sense of deja vu for him. She had messy black hair just like him, hers only kept by tying it in a ponytail. Although she was slightly shorter than him, they had the exact same look of curiosity on their face. They looked so similar that he''d mistake her as his twin sister. But there was a striking difference between them. In contrast to Ren''s long winter coat, she wore decorated robes and a pointed witch hat with a wide brim. It was a garb that one could only see in fantasy settings.

    "...Are you me? No, that can''t be it, you''re a guy...just wait a second."

    The girl flipped through a notebook, and a wave of realization hit her.

    "Hm, interesting. I did it. I actually did it. I really have summoned a hero of my own... I don''t know what to feel in these moments of triumph."

    But surprisingly, rather than confusion, it was a moment of clarity for Ren. This weirdness, this new place all of a sudden, confirmed his suspicions. He reached for his own notebook from his pocket, a compendium of all his works. It looked similar to the one of the girl''s: a pocket-sized notebook with black leather covering.

    "...I see. For once, I don''t like being right."

    They both looked at each other once more.

    "Wait here, I''ll get something."

    The young girl disappeared to the stairs leading to the second floor and quickly came back with a steaming cup of tea.

    "Here, calm yourself down."

    "No thanks, I''m quite allergic to hot drinks."

    "...Fascinating. Sure, water for the both of us."

    She went back upstairs and came back with two cups of water. Silence returned, their minds still processing how to approach this situation.

    ""So, what''s your name?""

    Neither one answered the other''s question and merely stared at each other.

    "...Is that blood? Your nose. I believe that it''s bleeding."

    Ren noticed it too but just casually wiped it off with his sleeves, and stopped the flow completely by lodging a hand on it. It was an expected development, nothing surprising. It happened as well when he first turned on the machine.

    "Ah, no worries. It''s just a side-effect."

    "O-oh. That so?"

    A loud knock on the door startled the both of them. The girl hurriedly stuffed all the scattered papers on the floor under the bookshelf and ran to the door to peak on the other side.

    "...Rosse! You could''ve told me it was you! I was sure the church found out about my project and sent people to arrest me. Haha."

    She proceeded to unlock the door and let the bright sunlight stream in.

    "You shouldn''t joke about things like that, you know?"

    Letting herself in was another girl, taller than the first. She had a sharp aura surrounding her, and you could tell that there weren''t any wasted movements in her step. Her long bluish white hair flowed freely and her bright purple eyes shone like diamonds. But what caught his attention most wasn''t how she was clad in a light silver armor, or the realistic sword dangling on her hips, but the fact that she looked like Ros'' older sister, only younger.

    They both caught each other''s line of sight, as the strange knight girl shot a questioning glance at the mage girl.

    "...Am I interrupting something?"

    In return, the mage gave her a smug grin, pushed her inside and ceremoniously locked the door, returning the world to darkness.

    "Lights, shine brightly."

    As the mage gave breath to those words, the lamps scattered around the place gradually emitted a soft yellow glow. Ren felt unnerved. In contrast to the rustic feel of the library, their technology was pretty advanced to have voice-controlled lamps.

    At the library''s second floor was the mage''s living quarters. It was worse than below -- the place has never seen care of any kind. Ren felt it similar to his own room. Papers, scrolls and books were strewn about on the floor. Her untidy bed was still the way she left it in the morning, and dirty clothes and underwear were all over the place. Even the room had a familiar musky smell, making Ren shiver. It was his room, but it was not. It was unnerving.

    "Sorry, I haven''t cleaned it in ages. Even though I promised to. Last week."

    "Rena!? W-w-were you the type to bring a boy to your room? Even if he is your family?"

    "Today is a special day, after all. Come, take a seat, I''ll explain everything."

    "...Okay. But I''ll help clean up first."

    "This is more important than cleaning u--"

    "Nothing is more important than cleaning up! Come on. Excuse us, Mr..."

    "...Ren. Call me Ren."

    "Mr. Ren, can you please excuse us for a minute?"

    "Sure, sure go ahead."

    Despite the young mage''s reluctance, the knight dragged her all around the room until the room was barely passable as "tidy". It took them around half an hour to air the room, set aside the scattered thing around and do a quick sweep on the floor. It was a sight similar to how Ros would randomly barge in into his room and fix the mess. Ren did nothing but went along with the flow, still unsure of the severity of his situation. It was only funny how the knight was too mindful of him. She would always look away blushing furiously every time he caught her staring at him.

    When all of their cleanups were done, the mage brought out a retractable short roundtable, set it on the floor and placed some pillows for everyone to seat around. And lastly, she placed a steaming cup of tea (that looked awfully the same cup he served to Ren, only reheated) on the table for the knight and two cups of stale water for them both.

    "So? Who is this mysterious Mr. Ren? Is he a family I''ve never heard about?"

    "I thought you''d never ask. You see, I''ve been working hard on a spell this past year, I''m sure you remember."

    "Yes, I do. Because you borrowed the Harmony Stone from me, just for that. Ah, now that you mention it, Rena, please give it back now!"

    "In a moment. But you do remember that spell. Well then, without further ado, let me present-- the fruits of my labor."

    The mage -- Rena -- presented Ren as if he was a science fair project, making both him and the knight tilt their heads in confusion.

    "I, Rena Salia, have finally done the impossible: summon a hero from another dimension, all by myself."

    She was spouting some pretty weird stuff, but Ren''s mind was still trying to catch up with the situation. It was like watching a dream, waiting for it to end. Although this new environment might confirm his theory of the strange events that happened to him, everything was too unrealistic and new that it wouldn''t fit his view on reality. Although he blamed it mostly on the two girls'' off-season Halloween costumes. And if he waited long enough, the dream would surely end.

    "...Hah? I mean, ha ha ha ha ha..."

    The knight girl, on the other hand, gave out a laugh that was clearly forced. But she pulled it off anyway, because it would be sad if nobody laughed at her friend''s joke.

    "What''s so funny?"

    "...Ha. But you shouldn''t joke about that kind of thing outside of the library."

    "No! No, it''s not a joke! I''m even planning on bringing him in front of the Magic Council together with all my findings. Tell her, Ren. Tell her how you came from the dimension of heroes, and how I summoned you!"

    "...so the capacity of the regulator wasn''t enough. I should''ve taken preventive measures against hallucinogenic effects as well. Or maybe I should''ve taken Yuu''s advice instead and waited for one more day..."

    "Really, to even bring a relative in this. You should know better, Rena. Ah! And before I forget, please bring the Harmony Stone now."

    "Tsk. Fine. I know, I''ll prove it to you, by performing the same spell once again right here in front of you!"

    "Yes, yes. Now get going before I get mad."

    Rena went back downstairs to fetch what they called the Harmony Stone. Meanwhile, the knight girl turned towards Ren, and her aura shifted into a gentle and well-mannered lady.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "Good afternoon, Mr. Ren. I''m sorry that Rena brought you into her silly joke, but she didn''t mean any harm done. So where are you really from?"

    Ren was perplexed. The question was so sudden that he wasn''t able to formulate a proper answer. He was suddenly plunged into this mysterious library, and now he was being asked where he was from. Where was he from? Was it even okay to divulge that fact without thought? But seeing those shining purple eyes stare at him with sincerity and respect almost made him believe that it was alright.

    But he learned his lesson. Always err on the side of caution. And thus he decided to avoid the question as subtle as possible.

    "...Why, don''t you believe in whatever she was saying?"

    "Of course I don''t. Only the Goddess can summon heroes, after all. It''s a divine act outside the realm of magic. Did the both of you really believe that I wouldn''t know? I''d understand Rena, but don''t you know who I am?"

    "...Should I?"

    "Nevermind. Oh, I forgot to ask. How are you and Rena related?"

    "To be honest here, I don''t know."

    "R-really? Then, you''re not a relative?"

    "Not that I''m aware of."

    "And you and Rena are really complete s-strangers?"

    "I think."

    "And you, a complete stranger, came inside the room of a girl you don''t know!? Isn''t that i-i-i-indecent? You shouldn''t do that until you''re married...I think."

    She was doing her best to act calm, but Ren noticed how dangerously close her hand was to her sword. The silent stand-off between them was too much for him to bear, and he wondered what was taking the mage girl too long. And just as he thought of that, the mage came bursting in with a smile -- a smile desperate but failing to hide her panic.

    "S-So, about the stone. Yes, that wonderful mythical stone. Yes. So, What was it about the stone again?"

    "...Rena? What happened to the stone?"

    "Oh, nothing. It just, It''s just having a short break, nothing unusual."

    "I''ll really get mad, Rena."

    ".........It broke."

    "WHAT!?"

    Her surprise shook the whole room, and her refined demeanor broke into fury. The mage revealed what was in her hand: a translucent orb the size of her palm with a small crack on its surface.

    "What have you done! How Did you manage to break a mythical stone that''s said to be unbreakable?"

    "I''ll try bringing it to Lin. Maybe he can fix it?"

    "A blacksmith!? Are you really trying to fix that through a blacksmith!?"

    "It doesn''t hurt to try. Please watch over my prized possession for me!"

    "Hey! Wait up!..."

    Rena''s figure disappeared within a flash, leaving only the sound of the unlocking and slamming the door open and shut. It was the only way to escape Rosse''s fury. The knight gave out a heavy sigh as she rubbed her temples, thinking of how troublesome her childhood friend was.

    "How am I gonna explain this... I think I can make something up."

    This was the perfect chance for Ren to escape and really view what was outside. He just had to see with his own two eyes. But even if the knight girl was distracted by something, she didn''t seem the type that would easily let him sneak pass without repercussions. He needed a distraction, and a good one at that. But what could he use? What did his experience as a student, as an amateur scientist who has bent its laws to his whims?

    "...Can I use the toilet?"

    "W-w-w-w-w-w-what!? I-I-I... I don''t know what boys... Do you need a corner?"

    "No, I need a toilet, thank you very much."

    "Eh!? What should I do, what should I do... Um, you''re not allowed to use this place'' toilet! It''s for girls only!"

    "That would be perfect. The toilet-- that is not inside this house-library, I mean."

    "What about your own house?"

    "That''s right. Please wait for Rena here!"

    "Hey! Wait up!... No goodbye from you as well..."

    Ren took advantage of her confusion as he dashed away the same way as Rena did. He was even surprised when the knight girl didn''t chase after him, a tell-tale sign of her naivety. He ran off into freedom, into that unknown abyss that was the outside. He had to see it with his own eyes, where he really was. If his theory was correct, or he was merely dreaming. The battle between his pride and his sense of survival struggled within him with every step towards the door.

    [ Chapter 1: Where We Should Go ]

    <hr>

    As soon as he stepped outside, he was enveloped in a picturesque Europian town.

    His modern concrete buildings were nowhere to be found, replaced by rustic wood-frame houses, cobblestone streets and busy stalls that sold anything and everything under the afternoon sun. But the people were the strangest of all. If it wasn''t their dresses straight from medieval times or their uncharacteristically kind smiles as they did their business -- it was perhaps how none of them had no single electronic device anywhere.

    Ren could not move a muscle over the shock. He tried seriously pushing his thumb through his palms to check if he was dreaming, but to no avail. This was reality.

    A rushing hooded stranger bumped him down to the ground, and he felt the hard stone floor slam on his cheeks.

    "Ah, the seed!"

    The stranger dropped what seemed to be a flowerpot on the ground, the ceramic pieces scattered all over with some black soil to the mix.

    Ren was about to apologize until he saw what was underneath that hood. Snow-white skin and golden hair as bright as the sun -- and those pointed ears that didn''t look like prosthetics. The sight gave Ren a jump as he ran away from the scene of the crime.

    He continued bumping people along his frenzied way, most of them shooting disapproving glances and mild scoldings at him. But they all washed over him like static noises. Questions overloaded his mind, and he was having a hard time clearing it when he didn''t know where to go.

    Ren was lost in more ways than one.

    That was when a gigantic shadow cast over him. He was face to face with an incredibly high cliff he estimated to be at least 50 meters in height. But it was not the cliff that shocked him, but the enormous castle fixed in it. About three-fourths of the castle has been swallowed by the earth of the cliff, and there were even abnormally thick roots encroaching on its insides. It was the marriage of a giant castle and Earth. Something clicked, and clarity washed over Ren''s troubled mind.

    "Ah...I knew it."

    This was not his world, he was sure of this fact more than anything else.

    Ren finally confirmed his theory about the Harmonics Box''s true malfunction. It wasn''t something stupid as a memory scrambler like Ros hypothesized. His memories one year ago, the day a whole class, 1B, disappeared without a trace, wasn''t erased. In fact, it was a memory he dearly treasured-- because it was the day he got rejected by Lily. His mind did not make those events and the feeling behind it up. He also clearly remembered that Rena was from class 1B.

    But there was a simple but absurd theory that could explain it all.

    The Harmonics Box, in one way or another, had the power to transfer people into other realities-- into other worlds. The realities that shouldn''t normally interact with each other were linked by the box. The first time they turned it on, he was transferred from a world where he confessed to Lily, his Prime Reality, to a world where class 1B disappeared--the Beta Reality. And in the Beta Reality, Lily was his classmate during their first year, which is why she wasn''t part of the supposed disappearance and still existed.

    Then the second time he turned it on sealed his fate. Into this messed up world which he pre-emptively called the F-W Reality. As in Freakingly Weird. Or Fantasy World, whatever worked for him. The weight of this confirmation was too much, making him drop to his knees.

    "...Ha...Haha. If this is a joke I must say it''s a funny one."

    It was then that Ren noticed an intricate silver sword dangerously close to his neck.

    "Rosse, I told you to keep watch over him. What would you do if humanity''s door to a new magical renaissance age ran away all because you believed in the classic toilet excuse?"

    "Please stop, Rena. This is all your fault to begin with."

    A quick glance behind revealed it to be the two girls he first met in this world: the mage Rena and the knight Rosse. People who looked so similar to both himself and Ros. It was a mystery his theory did not cover. He didn''t give up a fight against them and instead surrendered to his fate. In this world, there was nowhere he could run away anyways.

    Ren gave out a defeated sigh. In the end, he blamed Yuu for not convincing him hard enough to wait for one more day to actually repair the broken regulator.

 Chapter 2

    The knight dragged everyone back to the library, fending off curious stares around them with an apologetic smile. Once they arrived, she locked the door, closed the window blinds and ordered both Ren and Rena to kneel on the floor.

    ¡°Why do I have to kneel with him?¡±

    ¡°Keep quiet, you aren''t innocent either.¡±

    ¡°Why do I have to kneel with her? I don''t remember doing anything wrong.¡±

    ¡°I think lying is wrong, Mr. Ren. Really, why are the both of you so troublesome?¡±

    Rosse paced around, hand on her chin, thinking of where to begin. She snapped her fingers at Ren first.

    ¡°Okay, you first. And please, I want the truth. Where did you come from and how are you related to Rena?¡±

    ¡°I''ve already told you many times, Rosse. It was my spell¡ª¡±

    ¡°Didn''t I tell you to keep quiet?¡±

    ¡°Ouch ouch ouch! Understood, understood!¡±

    Rosse squeezed Rena''s cheeks until they turned red, and the mage finally piped down muttering something to the floor while wiping away the pain on her cheeks. Although Ren was glad that the attention shifted away from him, it was short-lived. Rosse''s purple eyes glared at him next. But mysteriously, he could still feel a slight hint of expectation behind them.

    Ren paused. Was it even okay to simply reveal everything without thought? If this really was another world¡ª and it was¡ª then would staining this new environment with knowledge not naturally from here have adverse effects? It was more of a philosophical question than a scientific one, but it was still a valid point of consideration. It was an awkward sense of ethics driven into his mind by his little sister ever since they were kids fiddling with their parents'' car.

    Those patient eyes of the knight bore through his guilt and drove Ren to a compromise.

    ¡°Fine. I''ll reveal my secret, and I promise it''s the truth. But this knowledge has to stay within the walls of this library. Please.¡±

    ¡°Mm, I''m fine with those terms. I swear by the name of my family, vol Resima, and the sword granted to me by the Goddess, the Sword of Revelations.¡±

    ¡°I''ll believe that was a yes. What about her?¡±

    Their eyes all turned to Rena, but she only replied with muffled noises and a big pout. Rosse thought that she was being childish, but allowed her to speak either way.

    ¡°Thank you. Like I was saying, it was my¡ª¡±

    Rena was cut off by Rosse''s smile. A perfect smile in every way, if not for the fact that her hand was already at the hilt of her sword.

    ¡°Like I was saying. I agree with those terms as well.¡±

    Ren was a little doubtful about that last agreement, but he pushed through anyway and explained as vaguely as possible.

    ¡°¡­To sum it up as simple as possible: I am not from this world. Back from where I came from, my friends and I were testing a special machine, but it malfunctioned¡ª sort of. And that malfunction, I believe, is what brought me here.¡±

    ¡°Hold on just a minute, I believe a correction is due there. Your machine-clockwork thing did not bring you here, my Hero Summoning Spell did.¡±

    ¡°Hah, spell? I''m sorry, but arranging letters in a recognizable pattern does not make you suddenly switch realities. Now, where was I?¡±

    ¡°You think my spells are jokes? I''m not the person who make-believes that clocks produce any magical effects other than just make needles spin.¡±

    ¡°And your shmagic magic does?¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to roast your head with a flame spell just to drive a point into your thought-ridden brain?¡±

    ¡°What if I roast your head and that stupid pointy hat with a flamethrower as well?¡±

    Ren and Rena began an intense staredown, sparks flying between them neither one willing to back down on their claims. Ren knew that it had to be his machine that brought him here. Because if it wasn''t, then it would feel like someone else stole his questionable success, and that was the worst feeling of all.

    ¡°Enough, you two!¡±

    Rosse cut their fight short with a slam of her foot, giving the whole library a slight shake. Ren and Rena snapped back into their apologetic position and silently waited for her next words, but not without giving each other sneaking looks of scorn.

    ¡°I can''t understand what the both of you are fighting about, but¡­is Mr. Ren really from another world? That''s the point you both agree about, right?¡±

    ¡°¡°That is so.¡±¡±

    Even after being told this to him by both her long-time friend and the person in question, Rosse did not want to believe so. Because if she did, it would be very problematic. It was then that Rena spoke up for her.

    ¡°You know, there''s a much easier way to confirm this all.¡±

    ¡°And what''s that?¡±

    ¡°The Stat Checker Spell, version 3.¡±

    ¡°Right, there was that option as well. But is it okay? Last time we tried it on me, it almost blasted my head off.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine, that was version 2. I do believe it''s safer than before.¡±

    ¡°Wasn''t that what you said with the first version and how it almost burned down the whole library?¡±

    ¡°¡­It''s a work in progress. Now, no time to waste. Let''s set things up, shall we?¡±

    Ren didn''t like the conversation he just overheard, but he had no choice but to go along with these two''s whims for now.

    [ Chapter 2: A Long Day ]

    <hr>

    In the center of the library when Ren once woke up, Rena and Rosse set up a rectangular wooden table. It looked eerily similar to an operating table, but Ren shoved that thought aside. Then, copying the contents from a scroll under her robes, Rena began filling the table with uncomprehensible runes and arcane geometric figures using a blue chalk. Rosse surrounded the area with lamps to provide sufficient illumination.

    As a finishing touch, Rena unfurled an empty scroll and pinned it just below the table.

    ¡°¡­And it''s all prepared, I believe. Well then. Ren, please lay down here.¡±

    ¡°No, I am not laying down on that dangerous looking table.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ren, please. Believe me, Rena may not seem like it, but she''s a gifted mage.¡±

    ¡°I''m an easy man to talk to.¡±

    With slight hesitation, Ren climbed on top of the table and laid down without taking his coat off. Although Rena seemed a bit unstable, he felt he could trust Rosse. It was simply payback for fooling her a while ago.

    ¡°Okay Rena, you can begin. But please take extra care.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Beginning the first casting of the Stat Checker Spell, version 3.¡±

    ¡°¡°First?¡±¡±

    Rena closed her eyes and began pouring mana on the table, making the arcane symbols glow in a faint blue light. It was a sight made every hair on his body stand up¡ª his brain understood that this was an unnatural light.

    ¡°Shine bright upon the mysteries of this body!¡±

    As those words formed into reality, a bright beam of sparkling blue light gushed forth from the table. He felt something warm on his left arm, but it didn''t hurt so he ignored it. Rather, he was too preoccupied with the lights. It was like a front-row ticket to a magnificent fountain lights display.

    ¡°Whew, it''s over.¡±

    The lights died down, consuming the complex chalk figures along with it. As everything went back to normal, Rena picked up the scroll from under the table and examined it, with Rosse taking a peek from behind as well.

    ¡°What do we have here¡­ Oh, my.¡±

    Apparently, something very shocking was written on the scroll, based on the two girls'' frozen expression. Rena read it aloud.

    ¡°Health, thirty. Mana Pool¡ª one. Heavenly Blessing, none. Continent of Birth, Undetermined.¡±

    Rosse took a few steps back from the shock. She knew how Rena''s spell determined the continent of birth. Since each of the five continents in the world had a unique magical signature, the spell would trace what signature was the person''s mana most attuned to. It was a foolproof spell Rena stole from the adventurer''s guild and improved to include the small scattered islands separated from the main continents.

    Having a result of undetermined only meant two things: that this person was born outside of the continents, meaning the sea or the sky¡ª which was crazy considering he had zero mana¡ª or that he was not from this world.

    ¡°¡­But that''s impossible. The heroes, they all had blessings. They varied in usefulness, but everyone was blessed by the Goddess nevertheless, no exceptions. Mr. Ren, have you met the Goddess during the transfer here?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I can''t remember. It''s like my mind is blocking something out.¡±

    ¡°¡­But that means, you''re from another world, and yet without the Goddess'' blessing?¡­ A rogue hero.¡±

    Ren felt he did something wrong, but he didn''t know what. He felt lightheaded, and it wasn''t just the uncomfortable atmosphere building around the three of them. He tried rising up from the table as it was getting uncomfortable, but then he noticed his left arm was a lot heavier than usual.

    ¡°That''s strange¡­ Huh?¡±

    Rena and Rosse noticed it as well. On his left arm was a huge gash. Ren admired how clean it was, almost as if it was mechanically cut. Blood was profusely gushing out from that wound, which would probably explain his lightheadedness. He also noticed his finger disgustingly twitching as well.

    ¡°Rena! You messed up with the width of the chalk line, didn''t you!?¡±

    ¡°A healing spell, he needs a healing spell. I haven''t used one in ages. It''s¡ª yes, it went like this.¡±

    Rena quickly placed her hand on his gash, but Ren couldn''t feel any pain despite his open wound making contact with her skin.

    ¡°Blessings be upon you, heal!¡±

    Her hand emitted a strange white light, and Ren could feel the strength flow back to his arm once more. And like magic, his wound was nowhere to be found¡ª not even a scar remained.

    Rosse gave Rena a huge scolding after that, but it all passed by Ren from one ear to another. He rubbed the arm where the wound was supposed to be, but it was as smooth as it always has been. To see was to believe, and he just witnessed an impossible spectacle.

    The realization finally sunk in.

    ¡°¡­This really is a fantasy world. Huh. Wait a second.¡±

    He noticed something wrong, terribly wrong. Almost half of his arm was almost cut, but he didn''t feel any pain. Even when Rena touched the wound, there was nothing but numbness.

    ¡°No, no, no. This will get me killed in no time.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ren? What wrong?¡±

    He lightly pinched his cheeks, and he indeed felt a soft pain spreading.

    He then tried driving a punch into his gut¡ª much to the surprise of the two unsuspecting girls. He felt nothing but hollow numbness no matter how many times he punched himself, even to the point of coughing up blood.

    ¡°Hey, stop it! What''s wrong with you!?¡±

    Rosse forcefully restrained Ren''s hands, and he could do nothing against her vice-like grip.

    ¡°¡­I''ve lost my sense of pain¡ª specifically, extreme pain. I promise I won''t do it again, so you can release me now.¡±

    The knight slowly eased her grip. Feeling that he had no intention of repeating that shocking spectacle, she completely released him. Rosse then struck Rena with a dangerous glare, but the poor mage girl stood her ground.

    ¡°N-no, it wasn''t my spell! You know this, Rosse. If I did, in fact, make a mistake, which I did not¡ª maybe a little¡ª then forget about his sense of pain, his whole body would''ve been fried together as well.¡±

    That questionable explanation somehow convinced Rosse.

    Ren hypothesized that it was during the world transfer, but he couldn''t prove it, and whining about it wouldn''t do anything about it. Being unable to feel pain might sound cool, but it almost got him killed of blood loss.

    Although hesitantly, he asked Rena if the possibility existed that magic could heal him back to normal, to which she answered with a shrug.

    ¡°I''m not that good with complex healing magic, especially when it comes to the brain. But it is possible. Do you want me to try?¡±

    ¡°No thank you.¡±

    <hr>

    All three of them returned the table and the lamps back to their places. With Rosse''s spell, every drop of Ren''s spilled blood soaked up on a rag she prepared, which was then unceremoniously dumped into the trash bin. Rena thought of tiptoeing back to her room, but Rosse swiftly grabbed her robes and ordered both her and Ren back to kneeling on the floor.

    ¡°We weren''t done with this?¡±

    ¡°No we aren''t. We aren''t, sadly.¡±

    Ren felt that behind Rosse''s resolute purple eyes was fear.

    ¡°¡­Mr. Ren really is from another world.¡±

    Rena smiled in pride of her spell, but Rosse replied with a grim look.

    ¡°You understand as well, don''t you? The act of summoning great heroes to this world, that''s a right only reserved to the Goddess. Rena, if Mr. Ren really is from another world, then¡­ you have performed heresy of the highest order.¡±

    Silence befell upon the whole dimmed library. With a serious look, the mage replied.

    ¡°I know, Rosse. I am perfectly aware of what I am doing.¡±

    ¡°If the church¡ª no, if anyone in the kingdom hears about this¡­you''ll be tried for heresy, and the law shall cast you into a burning stake!¡±

    ¡°I know. I know. I know, and I understand. But I shall stand by my claim. Magic is not a force limited by anything in this world, even by the Goddess. To think so otherwise would be heresy upon the act of Magic itself.¡±

    ¡°Rena! I''m the Captain of the Knights of the Holy Kingdom of Sephir, and I''m obligated to arrest you for heresy! Don''t you understand!?¡±

    For the first time, Rena flinched. Realization finally dawned on her.

    ¡°A-ah, that is troubling indeed.¡±

    It all fell down on Rena.

    She didn''t like the fact that she was forcing her friend in a difficult situation. But the other path led her to deny the accumulation of her lifelong dream as well. The mage couldn''t decide. Two sides kept raging on within her.

    Ren somehow understood a bit of the situation, based on the snippets of dialogue between the two. Basically, Rena''s spell was something very illegal, and Rosse had to arrest her because she was captain of the knights or something. It was a plot straight out of a fantasy book.

    He sighed, and his enormous pride took over.

    ¡°Ladies, what are the both of you arguing about?¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Mr. Ren, please stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°That''s right, just kneel like a good hero.¡±

    ¡°No, I believe it is the both of you who should be staying out of this. My machine brought me here into this world, an unfortunate freak accident indeed. But it was my machine that worked¡ª not Rena''s spelling bee. Just a reminder.¡±

    As expected, the both of them were quick to catch up on what he was implying. Rena slammed the floor she was kneeling on in anger.

    ¡°You¡­ bastard. Lunatic! My spell¡­ it was my spell¡­¡±

    Rena stole anxious glances at Rosse, who was looking at Ren with a sorry look on her face. The knight did not speak up like she normally would and just waited for Rena''s reply.

    The mage looked as if she just ate a bunch of sour grapes.

    ¡°¡­By admitting that his machine dohickey alone did summon him here, means that my spell didn''t do anything. Which means that Rosse has no reason to arrest me. That''s¡­just cruel.¡±

    Rena didn''t want to accept it. For her, it felt like someone else stole her success, and that was the worst feeling of all. But the pleading look of her childhood friend, the one person that took care of her after all these years, melted her pride.

    ¡°Tsk. I won''t say anything at all. I don''t know about his claims, but for now, I am not claiming anything. Is that satisfactory?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Rena. I¡­ don''t want to arrest my only friend. It really means a lot to me.¡±

    Ren could feel the deep sentiments shared between these two friends. Rosse tried drawing Rena into a hug, but she declined. Once Rosse remembered that a man was watching the whole thing, her whole face burned red and gave up on the hug as well.

    <hr>

    Rosse temporarily banned Rena from continuing her research on the Hero Summoning spell.

    ¡°But why?¡±

    ¡°Do you really have to ask? No means no! And I better not catch you doing anything suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­¡±

    Rena gave out her usual cute pout and retreated back to her room, her imaginary puppy ears and tail down as well.

    It was already dark when both Rosse and Ren left the library. The knight locked library door with a mysterious spell and smiled wryly at the open lights on the second floor as if to offer a silent apology. Quite a lot of time has passed, and Ren felt his stomach rumble.

    ¡°Do you drink alcohol, Mr. Ren?¡±

    ¡°I believe so, yes.¡±

    ¡°Then follow me.¡±

    Rosse led Ren into a tavern. Even deep into the silent night, the spirited noises of merriment leaked outside the establishment.

    Inside was a circus. There were tough men of all sizes laughing, clanking their ale-filled mugs without a care in the world. Many of them wore heavy armor, some with robes¡ª others even without anything on their upper body. As soon as they caught sight of Rosse, everyone without exception raised their mugs in the air.

    ¡°¡°¡°Cap''n!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°A-aha, please continue. Don''t mind me.¡±

    A bald muscular man clad in full body armor, pushing the limits of his wooden chair as he reclined on it with his feet on the table, gave Rosse a whistle.

    ¡°What''s this? Bringin'' home a bride, cap''n? The good girl''s finally turning bad? This calls for a celebration. Lads, what do you say? A toast for the newlyweds!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°Cheers!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°Vice Captain Lucks! Anyways, everyone, may I have your attention?¡±

    Ren expected her voice to drown from the noisy cheers, but they surprisingly died down. All eyes were now on the young knight girl.

    ¡°Men, let me introduce to you a friend. He''s¡­ a distant relative of Rena the Mage, Ren. If you see him around, please help him out, okay? That''s all, carry on.¡±

    ¡°Not only is he the cap''n''s bride, but a brother to Miss Rena as well? Lads! Two cheers for Ren!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°Cheers!¡±¡±¡±

    The rough knights burst into laughter, but Ren was too intimidated to speak up. Rosse swatted everyone''s questions away and brought Ren to a silent corner in the tavern. Without even taking their order, the waitress set down two mugs of ale and a plate of fried chicken.

    Ren blinked his eyes. The chicken looked more like a giant rat with a cut tail, but he tried to push the thought out of his mind. He was starving, and its chicken-like aroma tickled his nose. That was more than enough.

    ¡°Shall we start eating?¡±

    ¡°¡­This is chicken, right?¡±

    ¡°You haven''t tasted fried ratt meat yet? Then you have to try this. And you lost a lot of blood earlier, this should help you recover as well.¡±

    Ren convinced himself that ratt was this world''s term for chicken. Surprisingly, it really did taste like chicken, even if the meat had a weird rubbery texture. He took a swig of the ale to drown that uncomfortable feeling.

    Thus Ren and Rosse drank and feasted into the night. No words were exchanged between them, perhaps both drained from the long eventful day. It was a great thing that Ren could handle his alcohol well, thanks to being trained by his perpetually drunk Russian master.

    He found it funny that in contrast to Rosse''s ladylike appearance, she ate like a beast, to the point where they needed a fourth serving of fried ra¡ª chicken. Also, Just as Ren, Rosse showed no sign of being affected by the alcohol.

    When all was said and down, the merry laughters gradually died and the rowdy knights retired to their homes for the night one by one.

    Light from the silver moon streamed through the window, giving Rosse''s bluish-white hair a magical shine.

    ¡°Mr. Ren, I know this is a bit late, but thank you for what you did back at the library.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°About being responsible for your arrival here. I wouldn''t know what to do if I really had to arrest Rena¡­ I''m not strong enough. My heart wouldn''t take it, and I might¡­ I really might betray this kind kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I don''t understand your sentiments because I didn''t do it because of you both. I have pride in my invention, even if they produce mistakes.¡±

    ¡°You really do sound like Rena. You must be her equivalent in your world, I think. Rena''s hero equivalent¡­ yes. Also, I''d like to say sorry in advance.¡±

    ¡°Because I have to be as discreet as possible in this world?¡±

    ¡°¡­So you do understand the situation. If people found out that you''re from another world, the church would hold an investigation. And if they trace it back to Rena, then I don''t think they would listen to any of her excuses and have her executed immediately. The kingdom doesn''t take heresy lightly.¡±

    ¡°Well, you don''t have to worry about that.¡±

    In the first place, Ren''s sense of ethics didn''t allow him to stain this environment with outside knowledge.

    ¡°¡­As for a place to stay, I''ll give you some money to stay at an inn. But do you have any plans for the future?¡±

    Ren was a scientist at heart. This whole convoluted mess of a situation started with a goal, and he was dedicated to ending it with the same goal in mind. There was no other path.

    ¡°Of course I have one.¡±

    He told the noble knight his plans, to which she expressed her intention of lending her help along the way.

    <hr>

    Rosse left Ren ten silver coins and went on her way back to her house since she still had to wake up early for the knights'' morning training. She also gave him a map of the city with the inns encircled in chalk.

    Leaving with an apologetic gesture, Rosse left Ren alone in the dark cobblestone streets, illuminated by the soft yellow glow of the lamps overhead. Ren snuggled deep inside his long winter coat as he walked.

    There were no convenience stores to wander to, despite this being the time he felt lost more than ever. It was a shame. Still, his habit kicked in and he refused to retreat for the night. Thus he drifted around the empty streets with no destination in plan. Ren amused himself in reading the welcome signs of the shops all over the place. It was interesting to note that everything was conveniently written in his language.

    He met some knights patrolling along the way.

    ¡°Hey, you''re that guy together with the cap''n. It''s pretty cold out now, eh? Probably gonna snow in a couple of days. Anyways, don''t go into the alleyways, you hear?¡±

    Ren took his advice to heart. Eventually, Ren ended up on the outskirts of the city. He found a nice spot to rest: a small hill with a giant tree, overlooking a small field of blooming sunflowers.

    It was winter in this world as well, so seeing sunflowers in bloom at this time of the year was as eerie as it can get.

    He sat on the hill and leaned his back on the tree, and after making sure that nobody was around, began checking the tools under his coat.

    He had his pocket notebook, a mechanical pencil, three rolls of duct tape, his trusty Swiss Army knife and his smartphone that wouldn''t turn on. He tried slamming it on the ground several times, but nothing seemed to work. It must have been busted during his world transfer.

    There was something else bothering Ren. His curiosity couldn''t be held. He took his Swiss Army knife and popped out a pointed needle. He took a deep breath, held it in¡ª and dug the needle straight to his thumb. Blood oozed out the wound, but he felt no pain. Why? He could still feel the cold winter winds and small pain, but his sense of extreme pain was completely broken. He wanted to perform more experiments to check how high his tolerance was, but someone else interrupted him.

    ¡°You''re here as well?¡±

    Rena appeared out of nowhere, complete with her robes and her pointed witch hat, carrying several sticks of skewered meat. Ren quickly hid his tools and his bloody thumb under his coat and gave the mage a questioning glance.

    ¡°Aren''t you supposed to stay in the library?¡±

    ¡°No, I''m not supposed to perform any spells.¡±

    Silence befell the both of them as Ren took sat down and leaned on the tree as well. Rena ate her skewered meat with an angry look on her face, having no intention of offering Ren any.

    ¡°¡­This is supposed to be my secret spot.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Ren gazed at the sky, and the thousands of stars sparkling above him. It was winter, but the gray clouds haven''t thankfully eaten up most of the sky. A warm feeling spread within Ren the moment he saw that the stars were exactly the same from the world he came from. It gave him something familiar to look at. He was grateful for this moment.

    ¡°¡­Is your thumb bleeding?¡±

    Ren was too caught up in his emotions and let his hand slip away from his coat. Rena took the thumb without indignation and cast a healing spell on it¡ª and like magic, the wound disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°There¡­ I believe it wasn''t only your sense of pain that was damaged.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, I propose a ceasefire between us.¡±

    ¡°A ceasefire?¡±

    ¡°That''s right. Neither of us shall claim that our creations worked. And in exchange, I shall help you along in this world. I imagine it must be harrowing being suddenly thrown into this new environment.¡±

    Ren thought about her offer. She really couldn''t take that blow in her pride, so she opted for a compromise with him. Although Ren didn''t have any reason to accept, Rena reminded him of himself. She had a face desperate to keep face. She had to stand strong, or she would be engulfed by her own drive.

    The both of them, for better or for worse, were one step away from being villains.

    It was strange, but Ren understood her feelings.

    ¡°I''m alright with that. I don''t have any people to impress here after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then that is all.¡±

    Rena stood up, patted her robes, and threw Ren a single stick of her meat skewers. Before she left, she turned to him one last time.

    ¡°There''s always a place in my library to crash. But only do so in the library proper.¡±

    She left as silent as she arrived. Once again, Ren was left alone.

    He went back to his discussion with Rosse, about his plans for the future. He couldn''t stay here too long. It was an interesting world, Ren admitted, but it wasn''t his. He wasn''t done discovering new impossibilities back in his world.

    He had to end this with how he started: Building the Harmonics Box.

    It was possible. Even with only raw materials, Ren could rebuild that machine. And he had his knife and duct tape with him as well. He came through the box, he was going to get out through the box as well. He did not want the help of magic or any other force¡ª he wanted to be brought by a phenomenon he understood: Science.

    ¡°¡­Still, being unable to feel extreme pain would be troubling.¡±

    If he wasn''t careful, he could die of blood loss without him noticing. And to die in this world was acceptable.

    As a final experiment, Ren thought back to the events a year ago, the day he got rejected by Lily. The events were so clear in his mind that it felt like yesterday.

    ¡°¡­Ah, what do you know? I can still feel extreme pain. There really is no perk to this condition.¡±

    The pain was too much. Ren decided to continue the rest of his experiments tomorrow. It was time to rest from this long day.

    <hr>

    (Optional) After-chapter Skit! <input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">

    [ Welcome to the After-chapter Skit! ]

    Rosse: Welcome to the after-chapter skit! I''m Rosse vol Resima, Captain of the Knights of the Holy Kingdom of Sephir.

    Rena: And my name is Rena, a mage. A talented mage. It says so in the story description.

    Ren: I see, so this skit is supposed to be an outside commentary on where the story is. But why us? Why not the author himself? And my name is Ren, by the way.

    Rosse: Um, it says here in the memo that the author was bored. In return, he paid me five gold coins.

    Rena: What? I was only paid two silver coins!

    Ren: You people are getting paid for this¡­?

    Rosse: Anyways! We shouldn''t get out of track. Let me read the agenda of this chapter. By an unknown reader. ¡°Shouldn''t this story have the Gore and Secret Identity tag?¡± Good point.

    Rena: A good point indeed. Ren, as the subject of this accusation, what can you say?

    Ren: I couldn''t feel the gore, to be honest. And as for the Secret Identity tag, wouldn''t those be normally given to superheroes?

    Rena: But why? Heroes are already super in their own right.

    Ren: Yes, but¡­ well, how would I know? I have never seen your heroes.

    Rosse: Let''s just end it here before you guys go off-track again. Anyways, this is the after chapter skit, thanks for listening!

    Rena: Wait! The author still hasn''t explained why my pay is lo¡ª

 Chapter 3

    Sunlight streamed through the open window, rousing Ren from his sleep. What greeted him was not his room''s familiar ceiling, but of the inn he crashed in late at night. Everything felt like a blur. He was still wearing his coat even now, showing how tired he was.

    Ren opened the window to let the cool winter air in. He laid out his notebook on the table near the window and sat on a wooden chair.

    ¡°First off, I believe I should make an outline of my goals,¡± Ren said with his mechanical pencil ready in his hand.

    Before anything could be written, his stomach grumbled. It was late in the morning, judging from the position of the sun in the sky outside, and he hungered for breakfast. Writing outlines could wait. He left his work on the table, made sure to lock his room and headed downstairs to the inn''s reception.

    The manager of the inn, a grumpy muscular man in his forties, sat behind the counter. He did not even try to hide his suspicion at Ren, as he watched his every move like a hawk. Ren hesitated to approach him for breakfast. The manager was more fit in a bloody battlefield than a cozy inn like this.

    ¡°Ah~ It¡¯s a customer~! Come, Ruu, it¡¯s a customer!¡±

    ¡°Rii, no¡­!¡±

    Cute pitter-patter of footsteps approached Ren.

    It was two little twins ¡ª maybe around nine years old ¡ª both with the same wavy blonde shoulder-length hair and snow-white nightgown. The one with the oversized red ribbon behind her head excitedly pulled along her poor timid sister, wearing a similar ribbon, only colored blue.

    ¡°Hey mister, are you a criminal?¡± the red ribbon girl asked, eyes brimming with curiosity.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Papa told me that only criminals go to inns late at night drunk.¡±

    Ren frowned at the false accusation. ¡°Then your papa told you wrong. I am an upstanding member of the community, and I was not drunk last night. Your ale here tastes like a mishmash of carbonated water and flowers anyways, and any drink less than a hundred proof won¡¯t make me even a little bit tipsy.¡±

    The girl tilted her head at Ren¡¯s use of strange terms. ¡°Proof? What¡¯s a proof? And does ale really taste like flowers? Really? Hey mister, mister!¡±

    ¡°Rii! Don¡¯t talk to strangers! Papa¡¯s gonna get mad at us again¡­¡± The blue ribbon girl tried restraining her twin sister¡¯s energy, but to no avail.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ruu! He looks like Nana, so he¡¯s not a stranger¡ª maybe! Right, Mr. Stranger?¡±

    Ren nodded. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re exactly right on that.¡±

    Their nonsensical conversation too much for the manager¡¯s ears. He tapped on the desk to catch the two¡¯s attention and gave them an angry glare. ¡°Rii, Ruu, go back to your rooms. Now.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡­Yes, papa.¡±¡±

    They both obediently followed the manager''s order and retreated, one of them with a clearly disappointed face. With only the manager and Ren alone on the reception, an awkward atmosphere began to settle in.

    ¡°So, how much do you charge for one night?¡± Ren asked, taking the opportunity to break the ice between them.

    ¡°¡­You already paid last night,¡± the manager replied. His suspicion of him grew even deeper than it already was. ¡°One silver a night. Comes along with two meals as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Where do I get breakfast?¡±

    ¡°You just missed it.¡±

    Ren¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Oh no. That¡¯s not nice.¡±

    His stomach grumbled from the unfortunate news, and the manager showed no signs of making an exception. Instead, Ren decided to weather the uncomfortable sensation in his stomach and wait for dinner. He still didn¡¯t know how far ten silver coins could bring him, aside from the one-silver-a-night lodging. Besides, once he immersed himself in writing plans and recreating the blueprint for the Harmonics Box, he wouldn¡¯t even notice the time.

    On the way upstairs back to his room, Ren took notice of the lamp on the wall. Rather than electricity, it was powered by lamp oil. Combined with the fact that he hasn¡¯t seen any kind of electronic device up until now, he could only come up with one conclusion: this world did not have any practical source of electricity. It was almost like a practical joke. Ren grumbled as his workload just doubled.

    <hr>

    Ren unlocked his door and went into his room, only to be shocked by the unexpected visitor.

    On his table perched a fuzzy ball of yellow. Perhaps it was a new kind of flightless bird, based on its twig-like legs and the beak attached to it. It was a wonder how it got to the second floor, considering it didn¡¯t have any discernible wings.

    Its black beady eyes met Ren, and Ren met its.

    Ren was tempted to throw his Swiss Army knife at it. Not because it was creepy, but because the little bastard had his pocket notebook wedged between its beak.

    He grabbed one roll of duct tape, unfurled it, and tiptoed towards the table, careful not to startle the yellow fuzzball. In reply, the fiend hopped around the table in an almost mocking manner. It was surprisingly strong, given how it could carry around a notebook with ease.

    Ren was two large leaps away from the fuzzball, when it hopped away and perched itself on the windowsill.

    ¡°Here, bird¡­thing. See this? It¡¯s going to keep you warm in winter. It¡¯s a new outfit from a different world.¡± Ren enticed it with his sweetest tone, trying to trap it with the duct tape. ¡°Come on, try it on you cheeky basta¡ª¡±

    The bird unfurled two tiny wings out of nowhere. Without waiting for a response from the startled Ren¡ª it took off into the skies.

    ¡°AAHHHH! Come back here you dumb bird!¡± he screamed in rage.

    He wasted no time in dashing down the stairs, skipping two or three steps at a time. On the reception, he met the eyes of the bewildered manager behind the counter.

    Ren, for better or for worse, was a smart person, and he found it appropriate to ask for the common sense of this new world. ¡°Excuse me, one question please. If I walked around town waving a crossbow, would I look weird and eye-catching?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°That silence meant yes, thank you very much.¡±

    Ren ran outside the inn and scanned the skies, hoping to catch a glimpse of the flying fuzzball. They were a lot more common in the city than he thought, seeing several of them perched on the roofs.

    Ren felt someone tug his sleeves.

    ¡°Hey Mr. Stranger! Are you running away from papa too? Customers always run away from papa! He¡¯s so cool!¡±

    ¡°Rii¡­ Let¡¯s go back¡­papa¡¯s gonna catch us¡­¡±

    It was the two blonde twins, still in their white nightgowns. Red ribbon girl was as energetic as ever, pulling along her sister who anxiously looked around like a criminal on the run.

    Ren tried to swat them away, his head back in the sky hunting for his prey. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t play with you kids. I¡¯m hunting this fuzzy flying ball of yellow, the little bastard took off with my noteboo¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called a burd!¡­¡± the blue ribbon girl shouted over Ren in a rare show of firm resolve.

    ¡°A bird?¡±

    ¡°Burd!¡­It¡¯s called¡­a burd¡­very important difference¡­yes¡­¡± Her intensity dwindled with every passing moment, until it completely fizzled out and she shrank back behind her sister.

    Ren would normally argue more about it, but he didn¡¯t have the time right now. ¡°Fine, a burd. I¡¯m looking for a burd. It took a very important notebook ¡ª a black pocket notebook ¡ª from me.¡±

    ¡°Just like that one?¡± the red ribbon girl asked, pointing to the roof of a two-story house nearby ¡ª where the little fuzzy burd with the pocket notebook looked down upon them three with a mocking gaze.

    ¡°Ah, yes, that burd,¡± Ren replied, ruffling the girl¡¯s soft blonde hair as a reward. ¡°So it was just around. I commend it for its bravery of showing up this early in the game. We shall hunt it! Any suggestions how?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s shoot it down with a blowgun!¡± red ribbon girl ¡ª who¡¯s name was Rii ¡ª suggested with an innocent smile.

    ¡°No!¡­¡± her sister immediately rejected.

    Ren rubbed his chin, deep in thought for a new plan that wouldn¡¯t end him up in fantasy world prison, and Rii followed suite thinking that it was a very cool pose.

    ¡°¡°Hhmmmmmm¡­¡±¡±

    The timid girl ¡ª Ruu, if he was right ¡ª raised a shaky hand. ¡°Um¡­ I-I have¡ª I mean, I might have¡­ an idea¡­ if you want to hear it¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Ren replied, with a lack of a better plan.

    ¡°So, um¡­ burds are very attracted to human voices¡­ and, uh, I think if we sing it a song¡­ it will give us back the notebook¡­ I think.¡±

    It seemed like she knew what she was talking about, so Ren decided to give Ruu¡¯s idea a shot. Remembering how his three friends always gave him looks of pity every time he hummed during their work on the Harmonics Box, he gave the stage to the twins instead.

    ¡°Me! I wanna sing!¡± Rii nominated herself with a hand up in the air, but Ruu plunged a hand into her mouth before she could say anything else.

    ¡°No!¡­ Rii will scare the bird. I-I will sing!¡±

    Ruu stepped forward. She placed her hands on her chest, a small gesture to give herself courage. A breath in, and she sang with a voice akin to soft chimes of winter bells.

    ¡°F-Flying high in the sky~ Is a burd flying high~ Mama burd, papa burd~ Sister burd and brother burd~ Baby burd is flying too~ I also want to fly with you~¡±

    Ren was immediately drawn in by her sweet voice despite the song¡¯s childish theme. The burd, captivated by the tune, fluttered down from the rooftop landing on the cobblestone ground. It hopped closer, and closer, and closer towards the young songstress, and once it was near enough¡ª Ruu offered the burd a hand along with a smile.

    A simple smile that brought a shiver in Ren¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Come here, burd¡­ Let¡¯s play a game¡­ hehe¡­¡±

    The fuzzy yellow creature, sensing the dangerous glint in her eyes, took off to the sky once more like a rat in a mad dash for its life.

    Rii couldn¡¯t contain her laughter any longer and let the dam burst forth. ¡°Animals still hate Ruu! Ahahahahahaha!¡±

    And poor little Ruu was on the brink of tears.

    Ren couldn¡¯t worry about them, as the dumb burd still hasn¡¯t let go of his notebook. It was a wonder what made it so obsessed with it. Perhaps the fuzzball was smarter than it looked, and it knew the madness hidden between the notebook¡¯s pages¡ª that kind of crazy theory.

    Ren mentally slapped himself for losing focus. He didn¡¯t know how big this city was, and if he lost sight of the burd, it would be near impossible to find it and his notebook again.

    The two sisters blocked his path before he could run for it.

    ¡°Mr. Stranger, we wanna go, we wanna go!¡± Rii said, jumping in excitement at the prospect of a fun adventure. ¡°It¡¯s an adventurer quest!¡±

    ¡°M-Me too!¡± Ruu followed, her eyes burning with dangerous desire. ¡°I¡­ I want to play with the burd as well¡­¡±

    Ren winced at their request. If he thought about it, he didn¡¯t really know these kids. They were either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid as well for talking to a complete stranger like him. No, they were incredibly stupid¡ª and so was he. The twin¡¯s figures overlapped with his own little sisters, bringing a prickly sensation into Ren¡¯s heart.

    Out of selfishness, he nodded. ¡°Alright, come along¡ª but hold on to my hands. I don¡¯t want to be bothered looking for lost kids. Now let''s get moving, we have a burd to catch!¡±

    With frail little hands grasped tight in each hand, Ren set off to catch the burd.

    [ Chapter 3: A Wonderful Everyday ]

    <hr>

    The trio ran around the city in merry abandonment, uncaring of the strange looks they were attracting. For them, nothing mattered but that bright yellow dot on the sky carrying a piece of black. Every time the burd rested on some rooftop, the same routine would always occur: Ruu sings her song, the bird goes down, Ruu smiles at it, and up and away the fuzzy ball goes, resuming the chase. The burd never learned and always fell for her song, disproving Ren¡¯s theory that the burd was somewhat smart.

    Unless it was doing it on purpose to dispel any suspicions, then the theory stood strong.

    Everywhere Rii, Ruu and Ren went, a trail of laughter, soft sobs and mild curses followed.

    The residential area gave way to the busy market streets, and they were met with a sea of people. Shouts of bargains, business-like laughter and occasional angry disputes filled the open market air, but it did nothing to disorient the three. Ren and the twins zigzagged through the noisy crowds, never once letting go of each other, but they were obviously falling behind the burd who had no such hindrance up in the air.

    Soon enough, Ren felt the twins lagging behind. He stopped and watched as the both of them desperately heaved for air¡ª but their weary eyes still expressed their willingness to go on.

    Luckily, fatigue struck the bird as well, as it perched itself on top of a nearby statue of a man in light armor and a sword raised to the heavens.

    ¡°This won¡¯t do us any good.¡± Ren looked around and found a shop close by with a hanging sign that read ¡®COFFEE CAFE¡¯. He was really thankful for the strange convenience of this world having the same alphabet as his. ¡°Now who¡¯s hungry for some lunch?¡±

    Upon hearing the word ¡°lunch¡±, both of their eyes shone.

    ¡°Me! It¡¯s lunchtime, lunchtime!¡± Rii shouted as she jumped all over the place, completely forgetting about her fatigue.

    ¡°Haa¡­ me too¡­¡± Ruu wasn¡¯t as energetic as her sister, but she still nodded with all she had.

    It was time for lunch.

    <hr>

    The tinkling of the bell top of the door greeted them as Ren, Rii and Ruu entered the establishment.

    It was a homey little cafe, with tables and chairs made out of furnished wood. The air was filled with the scent of freshly-brewed coffee and a calming silence, greatly contrasting the noisy buzz outside. The only other customer around an elderly lady on the corner, admiring the steady stream of people through her window.

    After giving strict instructions to the twins (specifically Rii) not to make unnecessary noise, Ren chose a table beside a window that gave a clear view of the statue. Surprisingly, the burd with his notebook was still on top of it, now joined by several other burds who clumped together like a family.

    ¡°Aha, customers! Welcome to the Coffee Cafe!¡± the cute bubbling waitress greeted with a charming smile as she distributed a menu for each one of them. She wore a white apron over a simple brown dress, fitting the cozy atmosphere of the shop. She tied her dark hair back into two long low-hanging pigtails, swinging left and right with the waitress¡¯ every little sway. ¡°What will it be for our three special customers?¡±

    ¡°Mumumu!¡± Rii squinted long and hard at the menu, turning it over and under in hopes of somehow understanding it¡ª to no avail. ¡°I can¡¯t read it, it¡¯s too fancy!¡±

    Ruu sincerely gazed at the menu and nodded several times showing understanding, but it was a poor attempt as her menu was turned upside down.

    Ren read it for them. ¡°Let me see here. Plain Coffee, 12 coppers. Simatran Blend¡ª let¡¯s skip the coffee. And the tea as well. Oh, here we are, the food menu. What¡¯s a¡­ Pizacato?¡±

    ¡°¡°Pizacato!¡±¡± Both Rii and Ruu cheered with the mention of the strange dish.

    ¡°Pizacato!¡± the waitress cheered back. She then shared high-fives with the two kids, and an awkward one with a bewildered Ren.

    ¡°Can we have pizacato? Can we, Mr. Stranger, please?¡± Rii begged with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Mn, mn! Please, Mr. Stranger¡­¡± Ruu begged along with her sister. They both looked like puppies stranded in the rain, begging Ren to pick them up. It was worth sacrificing a few his funds for these two creatures, as thanks for the entertainment they provided.

    But the waitress heard differently. Her smile at Ren broke and heavy drops of sweat formed on her forehead. ¡°E-Eh!? Mr. Stranger? K-Kidnapper!?¡±

    Faced with this sudden dilemma, she looked around for help but in confusion asked the suspect in question himself. ¡°D-D-Do I call the guards?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    It took time for Ren to clear up the (false) misunderstanding, mostly because of Rii who kept calling him Mr. Stranger over and over again for the sake of fanning the flames. In the end, she redeemed herself as her stupid excuse of ¡°His true name is Stranger Danger!¡± did the trick for the gullible waitress. Ren simply went along with it since he of all people couldn¡¯t think of a better excuse.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    With the waitress gone to prepare her order, Ren glanced out the window to check if the burd was still on the statue. It was¡ª but Ren could swear that the fuzzball was looking straight at him, waiting for him. It couldn¡¯t be. It was dumb and unthinking after all. Or maybe it was a genius¡­?

    To keep his mind away from it, Ren asked the twins about the many tales of their adventures. Rii tried proudly standing up on her chair which she made a makeshift stage, but Ren scolded her to sit down properly. Still, she happily recounted their story.

    ¡°Ruu and I always escape from the house to play around the city, even if papa always gets angry at us after!¡± she admitted with a big smile. ¡°Then, we always play with Nana and Auntie Roro! Nana is grumpy, but she gives us candies so we keep coming back. Auntie Roro, oh she¡¯s very cool! She brings us lots of trinkets and stuff, and her stories are all super interesting!¡±

    ¡°Mn, every day has just been wonderful,¡± Ruu added, nodding in agreement with her sister¡¯s sentiments. ¡°¡­it¡¯s nice, we don¡¯t have to hide in our houses anymore. Very nice.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked.

    ¡°Because of the war?¡± Rii answered with a tilt of her head, confused as to why Mr. Stranger didn¡¯t know something so obvious. ¡°Papa said only adults like him and mama can go to war. But mama hasn¡¯t returned yet, so we¡¯re going to be adventurers and catch up with her! Right, Ruu?¡­¡­Ruu?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Mn,¡± Ruu faintly replied, gazing blankly at the floor. Ren noticed the slight wetness on the edges of her eyes and understood that he really should be changing the topic.

    ¡°So, does anyone want to see a magic trick?¡± Ren asked, taking out a silver coin from his pocket. The word ¡°magic trick¡± piqued the twin¡¯s curiosity, forgetting about the weird atmosphere from before. He presented his two palms before them, placing the coin on the right. In one swift motion, he turned his hands over as he closed them into a fist.

    ¡°Now, if you kids find the coin, you can keep it. You have my word on it,¡± Ren said with a smile full of himself.

    ¡°Really? Yes, free money! We pick right!¡± Ruu confidently answered. Ruu nodded as well, confirming their choice. Ren turned his hands up¡ª and revealed the coin on his left palm.

    Ren¡¯s laughter prevailed over their shock at this unexpected loss. They began accusing him of using magic, to which Ren offered another rematch. He repeated the trick and the twins, believing they were wiser, chose his left hand this time.

    Only to reveal that the coin was still at his right hand!

    ¡°This is cheating!¡± Ruu shouted, unable to accept the humiliation.

    ¡°Mr. Stranger is unfair¡­¡± Ruu said with a pout.

    This small game continued like this as the two kept challenging Ren who mysteriously kept winning, until the waitress arrived with their order. It turned out that the pizacato dish was just a fancy term for plain cr¨ºpe on a plate smothered with cream. What was more surprising was Rii and Ruu¡¯s surprised looks¡ª they didn¡¯t know what pizacato was as well, and only ordered it as it sounded delicious.

    It was dumb luck that it looked delicious as well.

    In the instant their food was set on the table, reason left them as they descended upon the feast like rabid dogs who haven¡¯t eaten for days. Hunger was the best spice, and the hungry trio was filled with praises.

    ¡°Well. not bad. Not bad at all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the best! I wanna eat this every day!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very delicious.¡±

    ¡°Ehehe~ Thanks!¡± A sweet smile bloomed on the waitress¡¯ face, acting as if the compliments were about her. She went back to her station with a skip on her step, boasting to the old inconspicuous bartender sitting quietly on a rocking chair behind the counter.

    With every last cream on the wooden plates licked clean, the bill arrived and asked for one silver and twenty coppers. Ren didn¡¯t want to look like an ignorant fool by asking how money worked, and instead gave two silvers as payment. He got five coppers in return, silently teaching him how: one silver equaled twenty-five coppers.

    It was good to know that this small lunch was worth more than one night in the inn with two meals.

    With their stomachs full and Ren¡¯s pocket lighter, they left the homey cafe with satisfied smiles.

    Funnily enough, the burd on the statue patiently waited for Ren, Rii and Ruu to walk closer to it¡ª before taking off to the sky once more. It confirmed Ren¡¯s suspicions that the burd knew what it was doing: choosing the optimal actions that would piss him off the most.

    <hr>

    The chase continued for quite a while. The burd took them back and forth to the residential areas and the market, tempting Ren several times to just hurl a stone at the bastard and be done with it¡ª but holding the innocent Ruu¡¯s hand made him reconsider. The pizacato break charged the twins¡¯ energy levels, as there were times when they would take the lead and pull the heaving Ren together.

    The chase abruptly ended when both Rii and Ruu stopped dead in their tracks, tugging Ren back. Ren was about to ask why they were widening the distance between them and the burd¡ª until he realized that the people around them were purposely avoiding the area as well.

    What laid before Ren and the twins was a huge cathedral with alabaster-white walls and long-reaching spires that climbed up to the heavens. Standing on each side of the grand double doors were two strange people, garbed in a long white hooded cloak that spilled all over the ground. They also wore an eerie faceless mask, its surface smooth and without any discernible holes.

    The whole cathedral gave off a very unwelcoming vibe around it.

    ¡°Papa told us to never go near the cathedral,¡± Rii said. ¡°Only important people can, and Ruu and I aren¡¯t. If we go near it, a monster is gonna pull us inside and we¡¯ll never see papa again.¡±

    ¡°And who are those?¡± Ren asked, pointing at the strange men.

    ¡°They¡¯re priests,¡± Ruu answered. ¡°They ask the Goddess to bless our crops and our lands, and to give us the wisdom and knowledge¡­ I think.¡±

    No more words were exchanged between them as they merely watched the burd perch itself on one of the cathedral¡¯s many spires. There was no other choice but to sit on the ground and wait, soaking in the hallowed atmosphere.

    A notable amount of time has passed, and the double doors that served as the entrance creaked open, revealing Rosse, still clad in her light armor, exiting the premises with a tired look on her face.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Auntie Roro!¡± Rii shouted the moment she saw Rosse. She ran to meet her halfway, forgetting about her previous apprehension about the cathedral, followed closely behind by a happy Ruu.

    And all of a sudden, Rosse was wrapped into a tight embrace by the two adorable creatures.

    The twin¡¯s soothing aura wiped off her tiredness, replaced by a soft smile. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Rii and Ruu. Are you both playing outside alone again? That¡¯s very dangerous, you know.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not alone!¡± Rii proudly replied. ¡°We¡¯re with Mr. Stranger!¡±

    Rosse¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Mr. Strange¡ª Oh, Mr. Ren?¡±

    She finally noticed Ren who walked closer as well.

    ¡°Huh, so you know these two kids?¡± Ren asked, amazed at how small this world was.

    ¡°I should ask the same to you,¡± Rosse replied. ¡°Rii and Ruu here are the daughters of my vice captain¡¯s sister¡ª so they¡¯re basically my nieces.¡±

    Ren shrugged. ¡°As for me, I met them at an inn, and they joined in my quest to hunt down this burd.¡±

    Upon hearing this, Rosse scolded the two kids for following a stranger, even if he really ¡°looked like Nana.¡± But she was unable to bear their downhearted faces, so the knight rubbed their heads and gave them a candy each, instantly cheering them up.

    Ren glanced back at the cathedral. ¡°So what were you doing inside that creepy building?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call it creepy, it¡¯s the Sephir Kingdom¡¯s pride and joy,¡± Rosse replied. Recalling the events that transpired inside the cathedral, fatigue returned to her face. ¡°As for what I was doing¡­I don¡¯t even know. The queen said she didn¡¯t care about the broken Harmony Stone since it didn¡¯t have any practical use. Really, I have mixed feelings for the supreme monarch of the kingdom regarding one of our most prized treasure as a glorified trophy.¡±

    Ren felt a tug on his sleeves. It was Ruu, pointing on where the burd once was. ¡°I-It escaped¡­¡±

    Rii snapped in attention as well. ¡°Ah, it went on that tree!¡±

    The burd landed on a branch of a nearby tree, the notebook STILL on its beak. With her hawk-like vision, Rosse took a look at the burd as well.

    ¡°¡­Isn''t that Rena''s burd?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s Rena¡¯s notebook he¡¯s biting, right?¡±

    Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope, it¡¯s mine.¡±

    Rii couldn¡¯t wait any longer and grabbed both Ruu and Ren¡¯s hands and dragged them towards the tree. ¡°Sorry Auntie Rosse, we wanna catch that bird! Ruu, Mr. Stranger, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine, but don¡¯t stay too long, okay? Look, the sun¡¯s setting.¡± And true to her word, the sun was indeed beginning to dip into the horizon. ¡°Mr. Ren, can I trust these kids to you? I still have more errands to run for the queen, sadly.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Ren replied. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them back before nightfall.¡±

    <hr>

    Ren, Rii and Ruu gathered around the tree, surrounding the cornered burd from all sides.

    ¡°H-Here goes¡­!¡± Ruu prepared for another song, but Rii plunged a hand into her mouth before her voice could escape.

    ¡°Ei! Ruu keeps scaring the bird away! It¡¯s my turn now!¡±

    Ren half-expected Rii to sing as well, but as usual, she defied expectations: she began climbing the tree like a skilled monkey, a great feat considering she was in her now dirty white nightgown.

    ¡°Rii! Be careful!¡± Ruu warned her sister with worry. Rii didn¡¯t listen and instead focused on climbing higher and higher, until she reached the same branch as the burd¡¯s.

    Ren finally snapped out of it once he realized that the branch was dangerously high.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too reckless, Rii!¡± Ren shouted, although the irony of those words was lost due to the tense situation.

    Rii laughed at the face of danger. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m soooo high! Look, Ruu, Mr. Stranger!¡±

    After having her fill with the spectacular scenery above, Rii got on all fours on the branch, and prowled on the burd like a cat hunting for its next meal.

    Rii crept closer, and closer. The oblivious bird just stood their, unknowing of its eventual doom. Closer. Closer. Rii was a light person. Her movements shook the branch lightly, but not too much to scare away the burd.

    Closer,

    and closer.

    It was too late to notice that Rii¡¯s branch was a dead branch.

    Snap.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ªAAHHHHHH!¡±

    It was all too sudden. Ren¡¯s reflexes weren¡¯t fast, but they were enough. In one moment, Ren calculated where Rii would land¡ª and dove straight to the ground face up to catch the falling Rii.

    Thud.

    It did not hurt.

    Ren¡¯s rib cage cushioned Rii¡¯s fall greatly. Rii safely rolled on the ground, but she couldn¡¯t move from the suddenness of everything. Ren forced himself to stand despite the sluggish feeling in his chest in order to check if Rii was alright.

    ¡°I... I-I¡ª¡± Rii stuttered. Ren noticed that she scrapped her elbow, blood slightly oozing from the wound. As Ren thought about patching it up with duct tape¡ª

    ¡°Nooooooooo!!¡±

    The scream of pure terror surprisingly came from Ruu. The moment her eyes met her sister¡¯s blood, her whole body convulsed¡ª and dropped to the ground unconscious.

    ¡°R-Ruu!¡± Rii called out in worry. She stood up and limped over to her sister.

    Ren immediately took action and carefully carried Ruu¡¯s body up away from the uncomfortable ground. The normally cheerful Rii was on the brink of tears, feeling the full weight of the guilt. ¡°I-I forgot¡­ Ruu, doesn¡¯t like blood¡­¡±

    Calm and collected footsteps approached the three. Looking at the messed up scene was Rena, called to deal with her burd by Rosse who passed by the library.

    ¡°¡­What a terrible sight.¡±

    <hr>

    Rena came to the rescue, healing Rii¡¯s wound and using a scroll with the strange geometrical arcane circles on them to heal Ren¡¯s. Apparently, healing broken bones was a lot harder than healing cuts.

    On the way home, Ren recounted their whole events leading up the fall to Rena. She carried the unconscious Ruu on her back, while Ren carried the sleeping Rii, tired from crying, on his. It was a sad way to end their once merry adventure, but there was nothing Ren could do. Everyone was tired.

    ¡°I see, so it was all Burdy¡¯s fault,¡± Rena said, glaring at the burd perched on her shoulder. The burd turned out to be Rena¡¯s pet Burdy, who mistook his pocket notebook for her own. They were quite similar after all. ¡°I was hoping on repaying my doubt to you through this, but it seems like this was all instigated by someone under my command. A shame.¡±

    Rena gave back Ren¡¯s notebook to him, but not before skimming its contents only to be greeted by gibberish numbers and strange figures.

    During the trip, Ren noticed the people around did not dare to cross Rena¡¯s path. Everywhere she went, people parted and gave way to her. Ren wanted to ask if she was a bigshot like Rosse, but decided against it. His mind was too muddled to process new information.

    Passing by the castle half-eaten by a cliff, an exhausted Rena stopped.

    ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­ Let¡¯s stop here for a bit¡­¡± Rena pleaded.

    While resting on the cold cobblestone road, dyed by the color of the sunset, Rena told the story of the castle.

    ¡°¡­Hey Ren, do you know how powerful magic is?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, how should I?¡±

    ¡°Then listen to this story. It¡¯s a short one, don¡¯t worry, and a very simple one at that. You see, long long time ago, around two hundred years or so, there was this great war in this world. Everyone called it the Divine Wars, because back then gods and goddesses fought tooth and nail against each other to grab the divine throne.¡±

    ¡°I must say, I¡¯m not a fan of the fantasy setting.¡±

    ¡°Then worry not, this is no fantasy setting; this is reality. Where was I? Yes, now, during the Divine Wars, there was this terrible dragon. His name was the Elder World Dragon, and his hatred for humans was deeper than the oceans. With a single step he crushed villages, and every time he moved, the air stirred around him and caused a storm. As his greatest show of his hatred, the dragon, with his great powers, tried engulfing the humans¡¯ castle inside a huge mountain created with his powers.¡±

    ¡°¡­I still don¡¯t see the point of the story.¡±

    ¡°The dragon almost succeeded with his diabolical plan, until one human stood up against him: The First Archmage. His spell, still unknown to this day, slew that great beast, and the Archmage took the Harmony Stone embedded on its chest and gave it to the humans to show that the Human Spit will always triumph against all. Wasn¡¯t it a wonderful story?¡±

    ¡°Wonderful, indeed. So this is the effect of Rosse getting angry at you for breaking that stone.¡±

    ¡°¡­I have rested enough.¡±

    once again, the two set out back at the inn.

    <hr>

    Rena¡¯s appearance somehow greatly helped the manager¡¯s anger subside for bringing home daughters unconscious, but he still barred Ren from ever staying at his inn. He did not even bother to listen to Ren¡¯s part of the story.

    ¡°So in the end, you took my offer of staying in the library,¡± Rena said with a chuckle, giving Ren a pillow and blanket. ¡°You¡¯ll have to sleep on the cold floor though. Unless you want to sleep on one of the tables, that¡¯s acceptable as well.¡±

    Ren was back at the library where he began. It was too troublesome to look for a new place to stay, and once Rena offered her cold library floorboards, his laziness kicked in and he accepted her offer. For Ren who ran away from home at a young age, any place was fine as long as there was a roof.

    ¡°Now if you would excuse me, I¡¯m quite busy with something. Don¡¯t disturb me,¡± Rena said as she retired to the second floor, leaving Ren all alone in the library.

    Ren sat on a chair and placed his pocket notebook on the table.

    ¡°¡­First off, I believe I should make an outline of my goals,¡± Ren said once more with his mechanical pencil ready in his hand.

    But his hand would not move. It could not progress. This whole day, he did nothing but play with the twins ¡ª and even that, it even ended on a negative note. It was dumb and made Ren anxious towards the future.

    In this other world, Ren slept on the table with nothing new written on his pocket notebook.