"Hey, kid—want to buy some apples?"
"?"
When Shichen snapped back to himself, he found he was standing in front of a little fruit stall.
The stall owner looked a bit intimidating: a headscarf tied around his head, a sturdy, muscular build, bold features, and a deep, sharp voice. A vertical knife scar ran down his left cheek. At first glance he didn't look like a street vendor at all—more like a thug who might bully passersby into buying his fruit.
"No thanks, I don't eat apples," Shichen said with a shake of his head, turning to leave.
"Tch—thought I had a customer. Dressed so nicely, too." The owner just clicked his tongue; he didn't chase or try to force a sale.
Shichen wasn't worried he'd be chased. As he walked, he asked Her about their situation.
[Can you tell me what world this is now?]
[Didn't you remember?] She asked.
[Remember what?]
[The scene just now.]
[What about it? Is there a problem?]
[…Then you can figure it out slowly.]
[Not you again… Why do you love speaking in riddles? Where are you? You really won't just tell me? Fine, fine—when I drag you out later, I'll give you a proper lesson… Still not talking?]
No matter how Shichen threatened, She kept silent.
Looked like he'd have to rely on himself.
He ducked into an empty alley and summoned Est.
"Shichen-nii~" As soon as Est appeared, she took his hand, looking up at him with a smile.
Shichen ruffled her hair, glanced around, and asked, "Est, are you familiar with this place?"
Since She had told him to bring Est, maybe Est recognized the world.
"Here?" Est peeked left and right and then shook her head. "Nope."
"Not familiar?"
"Mm. I don't think I've been here before."
"Haven't been… Figures. Let's walk around and see."
"Okay~"
Hand in hand, Shichen and Est began exploring this world.
It felt a bit like the world of Konosuba: stone-paved streets, buildings with a medieval look; and most importantly, the locals had a look of their own. Hair colors tended toward blond, red, and brown—there was green and blue, too. Some people wore armor, some wore dancer-like outfits, others were wrapped head to toe in black robes.
They looked like adventurers.
There were demi-humans everywhere as well—dog ears and cat ears as far as the eye could see, and even lizard-like humanoids. The otherworldly vibe was strong.
Since She had said he'd recognize it when he got here, it must be a world he knew. Another world… Hm?
Just as Shichen was guessing, he suddenly felt a ripple in space-time—not far away!
He tugged Est along and quickened his pace.
…
"Uh… excuse me, but could you tell me what you want?"
"Seems you don't understand your situation, huh? Whatever—hand over anything valuable and save yourself a beating."
"Ah, so that's how it is… Sigh, figures… this is bad…"
When Shichen arrived, he saw a boy in a tracksuit—obviously from the modern world—surrounded by a few punks. The men were around twenty, their faces openly showing their mean streak—no good sorts.
The scene wasn't in the boy's favor. The instant Shichen saw him, he knew what world this was. No wonder She had asked if he recognized it. The fruit stall had already been a dead giveaway. But he'd just arrived—no way to place it instantly.
He didn't rush to help—he kept hidden to watch, especially since the boy looked… eager? And he didn't quite match how Shichen remembered him.
"…Heh heh~ Maybe gravity here is a tenth of my world's… I can do this! I'll beat you all down, turn you into feed for my bright future—and XP!" the tracksuit boy shouted to the sky to psych himself up, face lit with excitement.
"What's this clown muttering?"
"Can't really make sense of him, but I can tell he thinks we're idiots. Kill him."
"Kill me? That's my line. You'll regret this—hyah!" The boy suddenly swung a punch at the hulking leader.
Caught off guard, the big guy took a perfect shot to the nose—but…
"OWWW—!" the boy yelped, pulling back a bleeding fist.
"This is my first time hitting someone! It hurts way more than I thought!"
Clumsy as he looked, the big guy did topple over.
"What?!"
"You little—!"
"Great chance!"
Throwing honor out the window, the boy sprang at another stunned man and whipped a perfect arc-kick into the side of his head. The man slammed into a wall and slumped, out cold.
"Hahaha! As expected—in this world's parameters I'm super strong! My adrenaline's pumping—uh."
He didn't get to celebrate. One of the men was holding a gleaming knife.
Thump!
The boy dropped to his knees without hesitation, folded himself in half so his forehead scraped the ground, and went full dogeza.
"I'm sorry! It's all my fault! Please, be magnanimous and spare my worthless life!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, shameless, his surrender as sincere as it gets.
"Heh—where'd all that swagger go?" the knife-man taunted, slapping his face.
"Enough talk. This punk took a swing at me—just kill him."
"Right. Kill him and loot him."
"Eh?" The boy looked up blankly at the other two. Only now did he realize the two who should've been down were back on their feet—one clutching a bloody nose, the other shaking his head awake—but both surprisingly lively.
"Huh?! My one-hit KO was only that strong? Where's the isekai truth when you need it?"
"Still spouting nonsense—got guts for a dead man!"
Wham!
The big guy with the busted nose kicked him; the boy flew sideways, slammed into a wall, and slid down.
"OWWW—!"
"Not done yet."
The other, fully alert, stepped over and stomped on the boy's face, grinding down.
"Gah—!"
The boy screamed, cheek scraping the ground open and bleeding. The man didn't stop—fists and boots rained down. The boy could only curl up, arms around himself, trying to minimize the damage.
"Shichen-nii, aren't we going to help?" Est asked, watching.
"Want to? Do you know him?" Shichen asked back.
"He looks familiar… but either way, helping or not is whatever," Est said calmly.
"Yeah? Let's not rush. He seems like he wants to fight back… Alright, we should step in."
"Still moving? Trying to fight? Trash!"
"You're dead!"
"It hurts! Ow—! It really hurts! Stop, please—let me go! I was wrong! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
The boy had tried to get up and fight, but the big guy saw it and stomped his hand, grinding down. The man with the knife tightened his grip, ready to stab.
"Think you can look down on us? I'll start by cutting off your fingers!"
"Wh-what? Don't—help—help! No—!"
"Alright, that's enough," Shichen said, stepping into the mouth of the alley at just the right moment.
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
The punks and the boy all turned to look at him.
"Who are you?"
"That outfit! You're like me, aren't you?" The boy, unlike the confused punks, got excited—Shichen was wearing modern clothes too; he might be a fellow transmigrant!
Shichen gave the boy a small nod, then said, "Just a good Samaritan passing by."
"A good Samaritan? You feeling brave?"
"Please. I'm very brave."
"Another punk who underestimates us… and that little girl beside you—nice catch~"
"Bet she'll fetch a good price."
"Maybe play a bit first…"
"You can die now."
Shichen's voice went cold, slicing through their words. He raised his hand; a storm gathered in his palm and swept over the three punks.
"Wha—!"
"Guh—!"
The gale snatched them up, lifting them into the air; wind blades sliced, and blood rained down. In the blink of an eye, the sounds were gone—and so were they. The sky was quiet.
"Uh…" The boy in the tracksuit stared dumbly at the sky, face drained of color.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 220+ Chapters Ahead of Others!