Everything was definitely bigger on his own.

Once Sakuta had left the guild hall, he stood outside for a couple of minutes with no clear objective in mind. There was nobody else around, either. They’d all disappeared and he had no idea where they had gone. Saying that Sakuta felt completely lost would've been an understatement. He was beyond it.

Eventually he started walking for the sake of it. He thought that at the very least he could try exploring the city of Fortuna and see what he could find out about it. It was better than simply standing around doing nothing, after all. Unfortunately for Sakuta, that would prove difficult.

It was almost midday and every street was roaming with people, making it challenging to navigate and get a clear sense of the city’s layout. At some point, Sakuta was simply wandering about like a headless chicken following the din of crowds.

I have no idea what I’m doing, he thought to himself depressingly. Sakuta thought that he would get an idea of what to be doing if he had some sort of purpose in mind, but nothing. He wondered how everyone else was doing. Somehow, he doubted they were having as difficult a time as he was. Sakuta got the feeling that they were all doing just fine and he was the only one having a rough time.

He was walking around mindlessly for a while when he came across a white building where a throng of people were going in and out of. The building was fairly large and possessed a serene aura about it.

Sakuta felt an immediate sense of nostalgia wash over him. That was his impression as he gazed at the building. He could just hear singing coming from within. Wait...is this a church?

It definitely must have been. Actually, Sakuta was almost certain it was.

A church. He wondered if he should go inside or not. He was curious about what he'd just discovered. He wondered which God this place worshipped and if they were any different from his one.

His one? Who was his God? Sakuta drew a complete blank on that memory, as well.

He glanced about the area and his eyes fell on a familiar face nearby. It was Makoto. She was talking with a red-haired girl who wore a cape over her shoulders and had shiny, steel armour on. When Makoto was done, she bowed her head and walked towards Sakuta's direction.

This might have been Sakuta's only chance to learn something from someone in the same position as him. He took a deep breath, and got in front of Makoto's path when she got near. “H-hey!”

Makoto stopped and looked at him curiously. “Can I help you?”

“Y-yes...? I mean, eh, your name is Makoto, right? From earlier?”

“From earlier?” She cocked her head to the side. “Oh. You’re that boy who got hit by the arrow. I remember now.”

“R-right...”

“So, what is it?”

“Well... I was walking around and I saw you. To be honest, I'm a bit confused? I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to be doing, exactly...”

There was a pause, with Makoto just studying Sakuta’s face. She suddenly chuckled. “I knew it. You really are hopeless.”

“E-excuse me?”

Makoto sighed. “Everyone that we arrived here with left an impression on me. It’s how you root out who’s going to be useful and who isn’t. In a situation like this, it’s good to know and separate those kinds of people so you don’t involve yourself with the weak. You and that timid girl didn’t impress me much. It seems I was right to think that.”

“I...” Sakuta was at a loss for words. Is this what people think of me...?

“You look surprised,” Makoto said. “What, am I wrong? When we were attacked by gnolls, you didn't do anything, did you? You just stood there like a stump whilst everyone else risked their lives.”

She was right. He did stand there like a stump. But how could you blame him for that? To Sakuta, everyone else who could still somehow act in that situation were the strange ones.

Makoto began walking away. “I don’t remember your name, but sorry I can’t help you.”

“R-right... Sorry for disturbing you...” he said but she probably didn't hear him.

Sakuta was left standing there. He had just been called useless to his face and didn’t know how to react.

I mean, she isn’t wrong... She’s right, isn’t she? I am hopeless. I ended up asking someone in the same predicament as me for help. Honestly, what was I hoping for?

But, I mean, I have some right to be hopeless... I can’t remember anything but my name. What the hell is that? And I was suddenly thrust into this situation. It makes no sense. That’s right, it doesn’t make any sense. As I see it, I have every right to be hopeless right now. Everyone would be, right...?

Even as he said that, Sakuta wasn’t too convinced himself. It felt like he was just making excuses. He eventually noticed that he was standing in the middle of the road and people were glancing curiously at him.

Sakuta sighed. “I should just go... I guess?”

He started moving again until he ended up on a street teeming with life and stalls assembled on either side of the street. The amount of people hustling and bustling around was disorienting.

Was this some sort of market?

Following the crowd, Sakuta walked around examining the many carts. A captivating aroma caught his attention and he was lured toward it. It came from one of the stalls where a man was frying an assortment of meats and other foods and assembling a sandwich. Sakuta’s stomach wailed at the sight and smell.

“Thirteen coppers for a sandwich, friend. It will satisfy your hunger and leave an impressionable taste in your mouth, that’s a promise,” the young man behind the stall said, almost routinely.

“Thirteen coppers...?” Sakuta’s eyes widened and he reflexively reached for his pockets. They were empty. That’s right, he wouldn’t have any money. “I don’t have it...”

The man looked at Sakuta as if were stupid, tilting his head to the side. “What? I can’t sell this to you without any money. I’m running a business here, you know?”

Sakuta knew that. But it wasn’t like he could help it. “How do I...” He cleared his throat. “How do I get money?”

“Huh?” The man looked Sakuta up and down. After coming to some realisation, he sighed. “Are you one of those Scouting Legion trainees?”

Sakuta nodded.

“Of course. Every time.” He pressed the inner corners of his eyes in exasperation. “You adventurers earn money by completing quests and selling whatever you find. Well, you aren’t an adventurer yet. You need to join a trade first.”

A trade. Sakuta recalled Lucy mentioning something like that. “How do I join these trades?”

“I don’t know the procedures, man. I just run a sandwich stall. Shouldn’t you be one who knows this stuff?”

“R-right...”

The man sighed deeply. “Your best bet is going to one and finding out yourself. You’ll find most of the different trades back where you came from. They’re big buildings with signs in front of them. Should be hard to miss.”

“Thank you!”

“Don't mention it,” the man said. “And here. Take these.” He handed Sakuta a bag of sandwiches.

Sakuta didn’t know how to react. “I said, I don’t have money...”

“Just take it,” insisted the man. “You can pay me back once you get yourself sorted. You must be starving. Hell, you were practically drooling. There’s more than one in there so share it with whoever.”

Sakuta smiled and bowed his head so deeply the man thought he was going to tip over. “Thank you very much!”

Sakuta made his way back, scarfing down the sandwich as if his life depended on it. The taste exploded with flavour in his mouth. It was absurdly good. He decided he would definitely buy more once he acquired money.

Along the way, Sakuta heard a bunch of voices emanating from a nearby alleyway. The sound immediately caught his attention. Despite himself, Sakuta decided to take a peek.

“Come on, tell us your name. We won’t bite, ehehe.”

“P-please, let me through...”

“You aren’t from around here, are you? I’d remember a pretty girl like you. Won’t you come spend time with us? We can show you around.”

There was trouble brewing. By the look of it, a bunch of vandals had cornered a girl and were harassing her.

“Ah...” Sakuta even recognised the girl herself. She was part of the group that arrived here with him. Fumiko, was it? The shy and timid girl. Realising that, it wasn’t surprising that she was being taken advantage of. She didn’t seem the type to defend herself. At the rate things were going, it was definitely going to end badly for her.

Unless, of course, Sakuta tried to help her.

But what could he do? There were three of them and only one of him. The odds weren’t on his side. Involving himself might even make things worse. And yet...

“Ngh...!”

“H-hey!”

All it took was one of the boys touching the girl inappropriately and Sakuta acted on impulse. “Leave her alone...” he ordered but it didn’t sound too frail. His voice lacked any form of conviction.

The boys turned to face him. At the sight of Sakuta, they looked rather annoyed. “Are you lost?” asked one of them, a boy with flimsily cut yellow hair and a nasty scar across his cheek.

“N-no, but...you look like you’re bothering that girl...”

“We aren’t bothering her. Right?” The same boy placed a hand over Fumiko's shoulder. She trembled at the contact.

No, you’re definitely bothering her...

“Why don’t you get lost? This has nothing to do with you. Clearly. Or are you looking for trouble?”

Sakuta didn’t know what to say to that. They were right. This had nothing to do with him. He didn’t even have the guts to stop them. Sakuta slowly turned around and made to walk away.

He couldn’t help the girl. He should just leave before he got himself hurt. Maybe he’d ask someone else for help but he himself was of no use in this situation. Sakuta was leaving when his head felt like it was splitting in two.

“Ungh!” The sudden influx of pain sent him to a knee. It was excruciating. The type of pain only a migraine could induce.

Sakuta heard sobbing. He wasn’t sure but it sounded like it came from nearby. ...Huh? Nearby where?

He opened his eyes and what he saw was a completely different scene from where he last was. It was much darker now. Night-time, maybe? But that didn’t make any sense.

Sakuta looked around and found that he was in the same alley, only this time the time of day had apparently changed. Not only that but the bustling sound of the city had ceased and it was much quieter.

All save for the quiet sobs echoing nearby.

Those sobs came from...that girl...

Sakuta saw her. It was Fumiko. She was crouched against the wall, her face a mess of snot and tears. Her clothes were ripped apart and she was desperately covering herself with the parts that were still intact. Sakuta could only imagine what had happened to her.

When is this? How did it get dark so fast?

Before Sakuta could make sense of anything, the headache ceased and he found himself back where he was, clutching at his head. It was midday once again and he was back in that alley, about to walk away from an ongoing assault.

Huh...? Sakuta was beyond perplexed. What the hell was that...? I saw...

“You're still here? Are you looking for trouble, asshole?”

That was when Sakuta realised what had happened. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure what it was he saw, but he understood its implication.

Sakuta had to stop those boys. He saw what they were going to do with Fumiko. Whether it was real or not, the image was embedded in his mind now. He couldn’t leave the girl alone after seeing what could possibly become of her. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did.

Sakuta turned back around to face the ruffians once more.

They were fiddling with the girl's clothes, giggling, completely uncaring of her soft pleas. Sakuta was disgusted.

“P-please stop...” Fumiko whispered but the boys showed no signs of respecting her wishes.

It was real. Whatever Sakuta saw was real. They were going to defile this girl and leave her in such a broken state. He didn’t want to see that. He didn’t want to see that at all.

“Leave her alone. She wants nothing to do with you.”

“What was that?” a boy with shaggy black hair looked at Sakuta.

“I said, leave her alone. You’re scaring her. Don’t you realise that much?”

“And I said, get lost. This has nothing to do with you. What’s the matter with you? Are you an idiot or something?”

Sakuta gulped. Ignoring the boys, he held his hand out towards Fumiko. “Come.”

She looked like she wanted to run to his hand more than anything, but the boy in charge held his arm across from her, preventing her from doing so.

They weren’t going to let her go that easily. So, Sakuta started edging towards them.

“Don't be a hero, pal. Come closer and we'll kick your ass. Seriously, we’ll do it.”

Sakuta ignored the threat. He kept walking forward, his eyes looking only at the girl. He reached his out and without saying anything, grabbed her hand.

A fist pummelled into the side of Sakuta's face, sending him colliding into the brick wall.

“You’re annoying, aren’t you?! Why won’t you just go away?!”

Sakuta picked himself up. Again, he grabbed Fumiko’s hand and began walking away.

Another fist slammed into his face.

“That's it, teach this idiot a lesson!”

The three boys began piling on Sakuta, stomping on him mercilessly.

“S-stop...! I'm begging you!” Fumiko pleaded, her voice a whisker above a whisper.

They weren’t going to listen to her, though. They continued their assault on Sakuta, until another voice echoed throughout the alley.

“Hey!” it shouted.

The boys immediately stopped. “Help! Guards!” the voice cried out.

“Shit! Let’s get out of here!” The three boys quickly fled from the scene upon hearing that.

“Sakuta-kun!” the voice from earlier said. It was a boy’s voice. He rushed to Sakuta's side. “Are you okay?”

Huh...? You’re that boy from before. You remembered my name...?

“It’s me, Yamato. Can you stand?”

Sakuta nodded. He was in pain but he wasn’t seriously injured, it seemed. He could still move. The most the boys did was hurt him. Yamato helped Sakuta to his feet and held him against the wall.

“Thank you...” Sakuta said. “That could have gone really bad.”

“What happened? How did you end up like this? Who were those boys?”

Sakuta glanced at Fumiko. “Are you okay?”

She managed a stiff nod, tears welling in her eyes. She was still trembling.

“They were going to...” Sakuta was about to explain but couldn’t find the words to. “I couldn’t let it happen, Yamato. I just couldn’t.”

Yamato took note of Fumiko's condition and quickly put two and two together. “Ah... I see.” He frowned. “You did well, Sakuta-kun. You too, Fumiko-chan. Come, let's get out of here.”