Chapter 1.3
01. Visitor from Another World
1-3. Event Unfolds?
And so, at this very moment.
the story of Naota Hiraki adventures in another world, which will surely be passed down for decades, no, perhaps even hundreds of years, is about to unfold from this very place. With such determination, he took the momentous first step.
"Can I have a moment right nowwwww!?"
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed near his ear.
"Uwaaaaaaaah!?"
Startled, Naota couldn't help but jumped back, and shouting at the top of his lungs. What on earth was happening this time? He covered his ears and turned around in alarm, only to find an unfamiliar girl standing there.
"Huh?"
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
"Um, hello!"
With a friendly smile that seemed to radiate warmth, it was the girl who first greeted him. After blinking his eyes rapidly, Naota then glanced around the surrounding.
Presumably, this area was usually quite bustling with people. But Somehow, it seemed like the immediate vicinity around him was oddly sparse.
Well, at this point, that doesn't really matter. What's important now is to confirm the fact that there's no one else around me and the girl.
After all, that's right. I just need to make sure that the greeting I just received was directed at none other than me. In other words, I won't have to worry about it being a greeting meant for a completely different person behind me.
This was an important risk management mindset that Naota had acquired in the world he used to inhabit. However, he still couldn't completely erase a trace of anxiety.
So, Naota decided to be thorough and confirm it one last time.
Pointing at himself, he asked hesitantly.
"Um, are you talking to me?"
In response, the girl once again answered with a bright smile.
"Yes, of course I'm talking to you. I mean, there's clearly no one else here, right?"
The moment Naota finally breathed a sigh of relief was only after he obtained such a clear confirmation. But that couldn't be helped either. It had been who knows how long since he had exchanged greetings with someone he didn't know, especially a girl around his own age.
For Naota, who had spent a long time in the shadows of youth, it was something with an extremely high threshold, something that could be called advanced interpersonal communication skills.
However, once he had confirmed his safety. There was nothing left to fear. Naota, who had fully regained his spirit, immediately started his thoughts again at a dizzying pace.
An unfamiliar girl suddenly approached him.
Why? Because that's strange, isn't it?
After all, he had just transferred to this world a little while ago, as a person from another world. He didn't know a single person let alone an acquaintance.
Even so, why did this girl approach Naota and speak to him?
It didn't seem like she wanted to ask for directions either.
In that case...
With a thoughtful hum, then a lightning bolt of insight flashed through Naota's mind.
"I see, got it!"
With a thought process that even he found exceptionally sharp, and an exhilarating feeling of everything falling into place, he declared after decisively snapping his fingers.
"Could it be that you're having some kind of trouble right now!?"
"Yes?"
Receiving this abrupt doubt, the girl asked back with a slightly puzzled expression, while momentarily taken aback. However, without noticing even the slightest hint of her reaction, Naota's mind was once again forming thoughts at an astounding speed, convinced that it must be like this.
In essence, this was it.
This must be the occurrence of the first event since arriving in this world.
Surely, this girl must be burdened with an incredibly massive problem right now. That's why she called out for help to anyone she could find. And naturally, the next question would be why she chose him out of everyone else.
To be frank, thinking about it was just a waste of time. Because if you think about it, it's only natural. Otherwise, the story itself wouldn't progress.
Rather, wouldn't it be more unnatural if nothing happened even after undergoing a transmigration to another world like this? Yes, it's not really complicated. From the moment he arrived in this world, the world had already started revolving around him.
(Tn: bah.... Heck.. tchui...)
Hahaha!
He didn't let out the laughter audibly, but he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Then, with his excitement barely contained, Naota eagerly pressed on the girl.
"So, if that's the case, just tell me anything! Don't worry, I'll definitely help you out!"
And thus, Naota clenched his fist against his chest, confidently awaiting her response. Anything could come. By the way, during this time, in Naota's mind, the story was unfolding in all directions.
On the other hand...
"H-ha...."
The girl's responses were indifferent and vague. After all, she didn't quite grasp the situation. Why, in the midst of meeting someone for the first time after making an effort to approach them, did he suddenly have to ask about recent troubles? And she seemed quite eager about it. It was puzzling.
Even though it wasn't clear, there was a concern that if she took a perfunctory attitude here, it might interfere with the actual purpose that followed. No, no, that wouldn't do. The girl promptly shook her head in her mind. To smoothly progress in the conversation, it was important not to complicate this first contact unnecessarily.
Perhaps it was best not to make any unnecessary remarks and just answer the question honestly. With that in mind, the girl responded cautiously.
"Is there something troubling me? Hmm, let's see..."
She crossed her arms and struck a pose of deep contemplation before giving her answer after a suitable pause.
"――For the time being, it's the low salary, I suppose?"
Pointing her index finger, she said it with a clear smile.
"Huh?"
"Well, I've been feeling like the compensation doesn't match the workload at all."
Since she delivered such an answer so naturally, this time it was Naota who was taken aback. He instinctively asked for clarification, but to his surprise, the girl's response was far from over.
"Also, there's not enough time off, right? Today it's work, tomorrow it's work, the day after tomorrow, and the next day too. Oh, and not to mention the day after that. Wow, it's already sigh-inducing, isn't it? I can't keep up, really."
"Uh, well..."
"I'm saddled with quotas every month, and it gives me stomachaches. If I can't meet them, my boss demands a written apology. It even affects my bonus. Isn't that terrible?"
"... ... ... ..."
"And I'd really like them to stop with the emergency calls on my days off. I understand it's part of the job, but my heart never gets a break. The benefits aren't that great either. They should be more substantial. And the taxes are ridiculously high, aren't they?"
In this manner, the girl enumerated her answers to the question, all while counting them off on her fingers. Meanwhile, Naota, having lost his words to reply, stood there dumbfounded.
"And then, let's see... ah..."
The girl's expression seemed to suggest she had thought of something, until she bent her last finger.
"Yesterday, my lifespan decreased by a day. I suppose that could be considered a problem?"
"Hold on a moment!"
That was the breaking point.
"Huh, is something the matter?"
"Is something the matter? No! Almost everything you just said was just work-related complaints, wasn't it!?"
"Yes, that's true. But you were the one who said, 'If you're troubled, just tell me.'"
"True, but the meaning is completely different! What I wanted to hear was something more urgent!"
"When you say 'urgent,' you mean...?"
"Well, like being chased by bad guys and needing help, or a horde of monsters approaching the town and needing assistance! Well, even if it's not that extreme, something like dropping something really important and needing help finding it! That's what I meant!"
"I see, but none of that is happening."
"None!?"
"Yes, none of it. Even if something did happen, unless it's something really serious, I think I'd handle it myself."
"What's going on!?"
Frustrated that the situation wasn't unfolding as he had hoped, Naota held his head in his hands. But from the girl's perspective, there was no way for her to know what was bothering the boy. Throughout the interaction, she could only tilt her head in puzzlement, unable to read the situation at all.
However, it seemed he soon calmed down.
"So, why exactly did you approach me?"
While Panting slightly, the boy asked this question.
The girl let out a sigh of relief, Finally she could get to the heart of the matter.
"Alright, let's wrap up this icebreaker for now."
With that, the girl rummaged through her shoulder bag and pulled something out.
"I actually someone like this."
Finally, what she extended towards him was a single business card.
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