Vol. 1 Chapter 1 - Awakening in Another World

“What… is this place…?”

When I came to, it was a different world.

In the alley, amidst the stench of decay, there was someone dressed in cosplay on the other side of the alley.

A humanoid creature with ears and faces like dogs or cats… with bird-like features.

“Are you awake, Frim?”

“Pakis.”

A name I didn’t recognize came out of my mouth.

He was a boy with orange hair wearing tattered clothes, the leader figure here.

“What happened… um, to me?”

“You finally can speak properly, huh? You got kicked because you didn’t pay the tribute to the boss, remember?”

“I don’t remember.”

“You were pretty messed up… sigh.”

As I moved slightly, I felt pain in my hips and arms… My back, hips, and head were throbbing with pain.

More importantly, where am I, and who am I?

“Some old man who liked your water gave you some money and told you to go play with it. But when the boss tried to take it, you resisted, and you got beaten up.”

“I don’t remember any of it.”

I didn’t understand what the boy was saying, but it seemed like something unfair happened.

More than that, this pain, and the air, were signaling an emergency to me.

I shouldn’t be someone who gets beaten up like this.

Even though this should be a dream without any sense of reality, the pain proved otherwise.

“Anyway, you stink, so hurry up and wash yourself with your own water.”

“Water?”

“You always use magic, right? Water magic. It’s pretty convenient. Give me some for myself too.”

I was rudely pulled by the arm, and though I managed to get out of the garbage pile, I ended up licking dirt.

Even though I should have been tall, I was surprised by my child-like hands.

I could see something blue within my visible range.

“Hey, are you alive? You’re pretty out of it.”

“……”

Thud!

I was hit on the head.

It felt like my whole body was in pain as if the anesthesia from surgery had worn off…

It hurt so much, and then I lost consciousness.

***

I… I must have been Japanese.

I think I had a regular research job at a company.

I remember going shopping, and then what happened? Oh right, the escalator.

A ball came rolling down.

I followed it with my eyes…

―――Then a child came falling down.

My body moved on its own, and I tried to catch him with all my strength…

I thought I fell backward, but I was probably thrown forcefully onto the hard floor, maybe on my head or neck.

***

That was death.

…But, was the child okay?

So, why am I in this situation?

That should have been my last memory, but I have memories since I got this body.

I remember… there were strange-colored parents, and before I knew it, I was living on the streets.

The blue thing at the edge of my vision was probably my hair.

“Are you awake? Jeez, how much did my brother hit you?”

Pakis is one of the homeless around here and manages this area.

“Get to work quickly.”

“Yes.”

The previous Frim seemed to rely on him, but this guy was definitely not someone to rely on.

“Water! Get your water here! High-purity magic water! Good for your body too! One cup for a half copper coin now! A bottle full for five copper coins! It’s delicious!”

“Hey, over here!”

“Coming! Let’s go, Frim.”

“Yes… <Water, come out>.”

Some part of me wonders what magic is, but as usual, the magic came out.

Frim sells water. Under Pakis’ orders, I sell the water that comes out with my power in the place he instructed.

Considering the doubling of the height of the assumed bottle, the capacity wouldn’t be enough with just double.

“Hurry up, Frim, we’ve got more places to go.”

I probably should be taking ten copper coins for this large bottle, but I still hasn’t realized I’m being deceived.

I spend a day wandering around this incomprehensible world, working.

“Here’s today’s earnings. Make sure to eat too.”

Stale bread and soup, along with only two copper coins… I don’t know the breakdown of the earnings, but over 90% is being sucked up by this man.

There are no labor laws or human rights. That’s evident from the people sitting around in the alley while moving, and the security is poor.

Even for this stale food, there are people with greedy eyes. The only reason they don’t attack is because the boss here is Pakis’ parents..

After Pakis, the money flows to another member of the family.

―――――… It’s a cruel world.

Even though there’s a girl still red from being punched, none of the inns, pharmacies, or soldiers I worked with cared at all.

Though my whole body aches from being hit the day before, the fact that I feel nauseous suggests that my stomach acid is rising.

How much better would it be if this were all just a bad dream?

As the dull pain from being hit lingers, I find myself sleeping on the ground of the alley.

New life, just having memories of my past life is appreciated, but it would have been nice if I were treated more decently, not necessarily like a princess but at least with some dignity…

What I have is pain, tattered clothes, modern knowledge, and some incomprehensible power called magic.

“At least…”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

―――――… I just wished I could have slept somewhere with a roof over my head.