I open my eyes. It seems I’ve been dropped inside some sort of cave. Luckily, the cave isn’t pitch black. I turn to look at my surroundings along with the crystals that is giving the cave some weak lighting. I touch the nearest crystal, fascinated of it’s light blue hue. Now, I must figure out how to find a way out of this cave. There is a path behind me, and two paths in front of me. I’ve read somewhere that the deeper you walk inside a cave, the more the main path will diverge. I don’t know if acting on such information is a wise idea, but it is better than standing still. I start walking down the path with only one entrance.

I’ve been walking for a few hours now, and I still can’t tell if I am reaching the exit or not. It’s also hard to tell if I am walking downhill, or uphill. This is not good. I don’t have any food or water, so I wouldn’t last even a day if this goes on. Suddenly I see something bright up ahead. I exit the tunnel and enter a large space with six entrances on the other side. There are so many crystals in front of me, enough to light up the whole space. I stare in awe. There are also crystals bigger than my whole body. I don’t think I would ever get a chance to see such a sight back on Earth. At that moment, I heard footsteps from one of the entrances on the other side. I carefully move to hide behind one of the bigger crystals, and sneak a peek at one of the entrances. Hm? Suddenly, a familiar face emerges from the entrance.

“Is that you, Tsukoki!?” (Meirou)

“Wh-What? Who’s there!?” (???)

I walk from my hiding spot, and raised my palm in greeting. I am slightly shocked that Tsukoki is here.

“Whoa, it’s Meirou! Oooooiii!” (Tsukoki)

He runs over to me.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Did you encounter a green wolf-like spirit before being dropped inside this cave?” (Meirou)

“Ah, yeah, I’ve met him. You too?” (Tsukoki)

“Not just me. I was together with Mein and Tayori. While we were together talking to Green Spirit, we were all dropped in different locations by him.” (Meirou)

“They’re here too!? Then do you think Numeke got dropped here as well?” (Tsukoki)

“I assume so. The moment we got engulfed into the pure light, half of the city was already gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole city was engulfed, and all the residents were dropped in the same manner as us.” (Meirou)

If the whole city was engulfed, then it would be a disaster if all the residents got involved like us. At that moment, Shuka’s face flashed in my mind. I start feeling more impatient. Now that I think about it, this selfish guy left us behind and ran to save himself. Numeke also ran off, but I have a good grasp of why he was running off desperately, and it’s not because of the pure light. He is smarter and more clever than any of us, so he should’ve understood it was impossible to run away from it; yet he ran. He also didn’t simply run straight down, but sharply turned right, which is the direction to his home. He couldn’t have disappeared that quickly if he was running straight down the road. I also caught a glimpse of his expression. That expression was not one of fearing his own life, but distress. I could only think of it as worry for someone very close to him. On the other hand, my assessment of Tsukoki has gotten worse because of that incident. His expression was too easy to read during that time. I honestly feel a bit uncomfortable being alone with him right now. We are all human, but I had hoped that our friendship could have overcome that, even a show of any hint of hesitation would’ve been great. Yet nothing like that was there in his expression, only Tayori turned back to help us. I have always had second thoughts about Tsukoki’s nature, but seeing as how he got along with Numeke and Tayori I forced the thoughts to the back of my mind since. I never got to any situation where I was alone with Tsukoki ever since he joined our circle, so being alone with him now is causing those thoughts to resurface.

“How long have you been walking in this cave?” (Meirou)

“Well, about an hour.” (Tsukoki)

So, he was dropped not long after me.

“Did you encounter any other creatures along the way?” (Meirou)

“I’ve met a few rats, but nothing else. How about you? Oh! Did you also get the blessings from the wolf bastard!?” (Tsukoki)

“Ah, I guess so.” (Meirou)

Tsukoki sighs. There are suddenly sounds of several footsteps again from one of the entrances on the other side, coming from a different entrance that Tsukoki appeared from. A few faces suddenly emerges, not giving us enough time to hide. We were in the middle of the space, so we were spotted quickly. A man dressed like a bandit appears right in front of us after a few seconds, and punches our stomachs. Was that magic just now!? That was my last thought as I fell unconscious.

I wake up to see that I’m still in the space of the cave. My hands are bound behind my back, along with my feet by rope. I look toward Tsukoki which is also in the same situation.

“Oh, kid, you’re awake?” (???)

I look around, and see seven men. Some of them are polishing their swords, others are skinning some sort of creature the size of a large dog. I turn towards the man, that had the appearance of being in his late 30’s, that spoke to me.

“…How long were we asleep? No, rather why did you knock us unconscious?” (Meirou)

“You were asleep no more than 10 minutes. Don’t take this to heart, but we are currently being relied on to transport some ‘goods’. Whoever we encounter while traveling on this route, we will have to restrict their movements. This is to ensure that we complete our task without problems, without worrying about being snitched on.” (man in his late 30’s)

S-Such an unreasonable reason to tie someone up! Is this world that unruly that you’d have to worry about every other nearby passerby as suspicious!? I sense movement beside me. It seems Tsukoki finally woke up.

“We don’t care about what you’re transporting, and we will pretend we didn’t see anything. Isn’t that enough?” (Meirou)

“No can do. Blame your luck for encountering us at the wrong place, at the wrong time.” (man in his late 30’s)

“Then will you return to untie us when you finish your task?” (Meirou)

“Why would I waste my time returning just to untie you two? Figure things out yourself. When we are done with our break, you two are on your own.” (man in his late 30’s)

I can’t believe it! I’ve suddenly gotten involved in a complication situation not hours into being dropped in this world.

“O-Oi! How about taking me in as your subordinate! I can show you my strength, and prove my worth! You need manpower, right!?” {Tsukoki}

“Hoho? Before that, tell me why you suddenly want to join us.” (man in his late 30’s)

“I’ve always hated this guy here beside me. I just thought this was a good opportunity to finally separate from this guy. Things never go my way when he’s here. Since you are all experienced, I want to learn from you.” (Tsukoki)

I stare at Tsukoki in dismay.

“Hey, you. Untie that kid. Hey kid, show me what you got.” (man in his late 30’s)

The man tosses a sword to Tsukoki, and Tsukoki walks up to a middle-sized boulder that reached up to his knee. He swings down the sword and cleanly slices the boulder in half. I stare in shock. Did he get a blessing that gave him superhuman strength? Which blessing was it? My thoughts are a jumbled mess from the turn of events.

“I’m surprised the sword didn’t break.” (Tsukoki)

Tsukoki stares at the sword in his hands.

“Of course, our group’s swords are not just any sword. They are swords enchanted with magic. They will not break so easily.” (man in his late 30’s)

Tsukoki then gazes at me.

“I’ve always hated you, Meirou. Ever since the day we met at the entrance ceremony. If you weren’t there, my confession would have been accepted. If you weren’t there, my bullying would not have escalated. If you weren’t there, my relationship with Tayori would not have deteriorated to this point. If you weren’t… my… family…” (Tsukoki)

His tone became audibly hard to make out as he spoke. A few seconds later, he then walks up to me. His eyes were showing a dangerous glint which I’ve seen once before. Tsukoki then kicks me a few times in the head.

“Guah!” (Meirou)

“What should I call you?” (Tsukoki)

“Call me Lanz.” (man in his late 30’s)

“Then Lanz, I’ve given my reason, and proven my worth. Is this enough?” (Tsukoki)

Lanz then looks over to me, as I laid here panting from the pain of the kicks. It is not as if Lanz believed Tsukoki’s reason, but Tsukoki’s strength is the real thing. Tsukoki’s mindset is also in the right place. He betrayed his friend at the drop of a hat. A kid like this can be raised into a powerful ally. As long as Lanz can gain powerful allies free of charge, only thing left that matters is the person’s beliefs. This kid might turn out to be a great find.

“One question, kid. If you befriended a kind family. What would be the first thing that comes to your mind?” (Lanz)

“Take advantage of them.” (Tsukoki)

“If you decide to return the favor?” (Lanz)

“If it benefits me.” (Tsukoki)

“If you were ordered to kill that family to steal something valuable.” (Lanz)

“I would not kill. I would try to find a different approach if the gains can cover the loss.” (Tsukoki)

As Lanz asks the questions, Tsukoki replies almost instantly. Tsukoki’s smooth replies has gained a bit of Lanz’s trust. There is no need to be kind when there are no benefits attached to it. If Tsukoki replied that he would kill the family for the last question, Lanz would’ve killed Tsukoki on the spot. What he wants is an ally that will always reap the benefits, not an ally who kills whenever he wants something. Having a relationship with such an ally will invite trouble for the future. The first and last question were trick questions to determine someone’s nature. It would not work if it was someone very intellectual, but this kid should be fine. This kid’s answers were what Lanz wanted to hear. He thinks it over for a moment, then-

“We welcome you, kid.” (Lanz)

“I’m glad to hear that.” (Tsukoki)

Both of them shake hands. Lanz then loudly clap his hands.

“Oi, guys! Break’s over, time to leave!” (Lanz)

Everyone stands up and walks towards a different path among the six paths. I focus on the direction they are walking, to find out which entrance might possibly be the exit out of this cave. As Lanz being the last few who turned their backs to me, Tsukoki approaches me.

“H-Heh. I w-was left speechless from these turn of e-events.” (Meirou)

I glare at Tsukoki angrily, as I manage to spit out a few words. I was blatantly betrayed. At most, I was half-expecting Tsukoki to disappear on me after we work together on finding a way out of this cave. This situation was beyond my expectations.

“Good bye, Meirou. I’ll take good care of everyone else that was dropped into this world.” (Tsukoki)

He grabs a cloth and pushes it against my mouth, at the same time stabs the sword through my chest area.

“MMHMMHMMMM!!!!” (Meirou)

“It’s such a pity. I am saddened that I could not protect you from the wolves that started tearing you apart.” (Tsukoki)

He take his sword out, and stabs me again in the chest area as he keeps the cloth inside my mouth, so I can’t spit it out and scream. What is with his ridiculous strength!?

“MHMMHHHHMMMM!!?” (Meirou)

“I will avenge you. I will return and kill those wolves that took your life.” (Tsukoki)

He stabs me one last time, then stands up. He looks down at me as I suddenly cough out blood that went up to my throat. I try to look up and catch his gaze one last time before the energy in my neck leaves me, and my head falls to the ground. I stare at Tsukoki’s feet as he walks away. Shit, I don’t want to die. I can’t die yet. I still need to reunite with Mein. I want to make witty jokes with Tayori again. I want to have consultations with Numeke as we eat out together again. I want to hear Shuka’s voice again. I have never thought that Tsukoki was still such an unstable person. He was always selfish, but confident for some reason. Was that self-confidence used to mask his unstable nature? He always went with the flow back when he was being bullied. Is that his true nature? It must be in his nature to follow only the strong, and abandon everything else in exchange. Doesn’t he realize that betraying his friends again will only lead himself to another sad ending? He hasn’t changed since the day we met. It only took me until now to realize that he is just as demented by malice as he used to be. He still is. I regret being involved with such a person, and I hate myself for accepting him into our group despite that. He never tried to change. I thought he changed and put everything behind, breaking free from the chain of wanting revenge; but I guess it was just my imagination. As my thoughts were running amok, my eyes then moved to Tsukoki’s feet as he continues walking away. After a minute, which felt like a lifetime, he disappeared from my sight into one of the entrances.

…

…

I suddenly open my eyes, then gasp for air. After I steady my breathing, I look at my surroundings. Huh? Why am I still alive? I look down at my chest. There are holes on my school uniform where I was stabbed, but my body itself doesn’t look injured. Did someone heal me? I highly doubt neither of my blessings had anything to do with this. No matter how I try to figure out what happened while I was unconscious, nothing comes up. I store this mystery in the back of my mind for now. More importantly, I am still bound by rope. I need to figure out how to free myself, and get out of this forsaken cave. I am suddenly overcome with rage. I am angry at Tsukoki, and at myself for falling to this situation. He nearly killed me. I will be returning this favor tenfold someday when I meet him again.

I hear footsteps again. God dammit. I try to stand up, but then I fall down after two small jumps. I look over to the source of the footsteps. It was some sort of alligator with four long legs comparable to a large dog’s leg. Were these things those bandits were skinning? The alligator spots me and runs over, and I quickly roll around to face my back toward the creature. I quickly lift up my bounded hands behind my back towards the creature. I will take a gamble. The creature takes the bait and bites onto my bounded hands.

“AHHHHGHHHGHH!!” (Meirou)

Please endure it! Please endure it! I try to press the rope along with my two hands inside of the creature’s mouth. It’s no good, I can’t free myself from the rope. This creature is clutching on me too hard for me to be able to move the rope bounding my hands against the sharp teeth. As I was trying to think of another solution on top of the pain, I manage to free myself by forcibly rolling to the side a few times, and use my bounded feet to kick the creature a few times in the head. It ran off as it yelped in pain, finally giving up. I sigh in relief. I let go of the tension in my body all at once, feeling relieved from escaping my second life-threatening predicament. After a bit of time has passed, I regained my vigor and crawled towards a crystal sticking out of the ground. The idea came to me only after I calmed myself down, organizing my thoughts. Using the pointed edge of the crystal, I rub the rope bounding my feet against it. As it finally rips, I sigh in relief. I laugh at myself in derision as I look at my bloodied hands which I purposely injured.

“My hands are a mess…” (Meirou)

It could’ve been worse, but it still hurts like hell. It isn’t bleeding profusely, but it’s still somewhat bleeding. It could turn into a life-threatening injury if I leave it like this for too long. I direct my gaze at the entrance where those bandits disappeared into. I take out a handkerchief from my pocket, and wrapped it around my left hand. I unconsciously grab my right arm to contain the pain, and slowly start walking towards the entrance.

…

Surprisingly, after 30 minutes I’ve reached the exit. I look up at the sky turning orange. Sunset is near. I should hurry. As I was thinking that I come across a spectacle. There was another one of those alligator-like creatures again, and it has cornered a small human-like creature with wings against the cave wall on my left-hand side. It’s about the size of my palm. The first thought that came to mind was ‘fairy’. I didn’t have time to think about it, as my legs suddenly moved on it’s own. I ran towards them. As the wolf was about to jump at the fairy, my hand makes it in time to cover the fairy from the incoming bite of the wolf. The wolf ends up biting my forearm, and the fairy stares in shock at my sudden appearance.

“AHHHH! DAMMIT!” (Meirou)

I can’t believe I just went and consciously threw my hand in the same creature’s mouth again. I use my free hand and punch it’s face a few times, forcing it to let go and stagger. I quickly grab the fairy with my free hand and ran at full speed away from the cave. I ran, and ran, and ran. After running for a good while, I felt a sense of refuge and slacken my grip on the fairy.

“U-Um… Thank you for saving me, mister.” (Fairy)

“Aha… Don’t worry about it. My body unconsciously moved itself before I realized what I was doing.” (Meirou)

For some reason, I didn’t feel any shock when I heard the fairy start speaking to me. I must really be too tired at this point. The fairy directs her gaze at my bloodied hands with an extremely worried and apologetic look.

“My hands were already injured before I came to save you. You don’t have to feel guilty about it.” (Meirou)

The fairy doesn’t seem to have heard what I just said, and nods to herself for some reason. She turns her gaze, and we gaze into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. As if she was determining something, she then places her small hands onto my left hand, and starts focusing. I see a yellow light that starts surrounding my hand, and my hand slowly feels a sense of warmth. The pain slowly drifts away as my hand’s wounds are closing up. The fairy starts sweating after she finishes with my left hand. She then flies to my right hand. I unconsciously lift up my right hand for her to place her small hands on, and she repeats the same process; closing the wounds on my right hand as well. After she finishes, she starts falling. I panic and frantically manage to catch her in midair with both my hands.

“You…” (Meirou)

I just stare at the fairy in bewilderment. Forgetting about the fact that she used magic, she used magic to heal me without question, then suddenly fainted. I felt something on my cheek. Ah. Are these tears? Since when did I start crying? After what felt like a lifetime, the fairy is roused awake from my sobbing. Before I knew it, the sky was already dark. She slowly opens her eyes and looks at my unsightly face full of tears. She still seems to be struggling on flying, but she approached and touched my cheek, and smiled at me. It’s only been a little over half a day since coming to this world, and yet I went through a turmoil of emotions. I can confidently say that this fairy’s small act of kindness may very well be what saved my heart from the brink of breaking down.

“Thank you… Thank you…” (Meirou)

I repeated words of gratitude toward the fairy. The fairy then lands on my hands again to lay down to rest, as if it’s telling me that it’s leaving it’s life to me. I notice a hole in a giant tree. I manage to fit myself inside the hole, and fell into sleep for the rest of the day, while cradling the fairy in my hands.

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