Jiro (because that's how he decided to call himself from now on and we respect how people self-identify, and won't judge him for it, but to be honest why is this parentheses section so much longer than the rest of the paragraph, ok sorry, let's get back) kept kicking the single little rock as he walked through the town pouting.
"Screw that NPC trader. I would have bought her if I had more money. Five gold? I bet you could buy a house with that" sigh "but since the world is peaceful, then maybe she'll be free in a few days? Urgh! Why do I even care about that?"
He stopped for a second and, in his overwhelming frustration, kicked the rock again, putting some power into it. Thankfully, unlike last time, he aimed upwards, into the sky, where the little stone soared through with the speed of a meteor, roaring with the sheer power of the divine hero's kick and disappeared behind the horizon. I'm sure this is the last time we're seeing this pebble, and it will never become relevant to the story.
(Mr Narrator. You need to stop doing so obvious foreshadowings)
But I just said it won't be relevant. I totally threw them off the scent.
(You know they can read you now, right?)
Stop talking to the narration, Jiro.
(Make me)
(Hey, what are you doing?)
(Hey!)
(OUCH!)
.
.
.
.
Jiro was walking through the town with a bright red imprint of a mysterious hand pulsating on his left cheek and readjusting his pants after a devastating wedgie.
(That was unnecessary)
As I was saying. Jiro was walking through the town. Still burdened with the guilt of leaving the wolf child alone, but also knowing he couldn't sacrifice everything he had for some random person he's never met before.
This was not the time to be sulking.
"Ok. Time for a plan!" Jiro said to himself in the middle of the street, attracting uncomfortable stares from other pedestrians. A little boy was being dragged away by his mother to avoid being near this crazy person.
"Think Jiro. What would an isekai protagonist do in a situation like this? How would he go about making money…. I know!" he clasped his hands together, scaring nearby birds "The Adventurer's Guild!"
Jiro smiled to himself, remembering all the manga and light novels he had read in his original world. Otherworldly adventures, monster hunting, herb collecting, continent travelling, dungeon exploring, and friendship-making tales always began at the adventurer's guild. A place where anyone could be welcomed. Place where legends are born. At that moment, Jiro knew precisely what he had to do and where to go.
"Excuse me!" he waved at the passing royal guard "Could you tell me where the Adventurer's Guild is?"
The older guard turned his head towards him and, with a laugh that belonged to a tavern, patted Jiro's shoulder.
"Looking to be an adventurer, ey, lad? Very good, very good. Youngsters like you ought to have guts. You have to go down this road, and when you see a big sign with a dragon on it, you're there"
"Thank you so much!" Jiro responded with a smile, turned his heel, and started walking.
"Lad? The guild is the other way," the guard said with visible confusion as Jay stepped away from where he had directed him "I told you where to go just one paragraph ago".
The young man looked over his shoulder, his lips curled up at the corners as the wind gently waved his dark hair.
"I know, sir. Just wanted to know where it is to avoid it," and waved goodbye, leaving the knights completely speechless.
(No chance I would go to this villain-infested, sword-swinging, tsundere-appearing, magic-explosive, insane house. Screw adventure. I want a safe, stable job. Only a complete idiot would volunteer to fight monsters for fun. I need to find myself an office job with good health insurance.)
Jiro quickened his step as if frantically getting away from the spirit of adventure that seemed to be haunting him from the moment he was summoned into this realm of sword and magic.
Finally, after a bit of walking, our hero managed to reach his destination. The one place he has been hoping for.
He stood on the steps at the entrance of a grand building that seemed to combine the fantastical tales he had read in his past with the architecture he had seen on his only trip abroad, which his parents could afford on their teachers' salaries.
The one where his little sister couldn't contain her excitement and kept jumping around their small apartment, once their father revealed he managed to snag some tickets to London.
Jiro could only admire this City Hall from another world.
The impressive black front gate was surrounded by a granite frame, sculpted into intricate, tiny decorations, featuring the royal eagle insignia at its top, surrounded by the kingdom's core values: Freedom, Resilience, Wisdom. The same insignia rested on his holy sword, which he was still holding by his belt.
The brick walls, accented with white marble, shone brightly in the afternoon sun. Jiro looked up to see a large clock on the very top, right under the copper roof that had already oxidised.
The clock, surprisingly, was larger than the ones he had seen in the past, and there was an apparent reason for that. It contained all 24 hours of the day. Although it seemed like just a slight change from his reality, it gave him a big clue about this new reality.
"I might still be on earth…. " Jiro whispered to himself, "Just a different version of it. Gravity appears to be the same, so the planet must be the same size. The sun doesn't burn, so this planet's star must be the same size and distance from here. I can breathe, so the air composition must be the same. And the time. That means it probably has a moon. The day-night cycle is also 24 hours. Not only that, but they also divided it into the same 24-hour/60-minute intervals. If this is just a different version of Earth, then I might know more about this place than I thought"
He stopped himself from going further because there's one thought that comes next, that Jiro didn't even let himself mention.
If this is Earth, then maybe there's Japan, and if there's Japan from where he was taken, then perhaps…. There's a way for him to return to his world.
(GREAT! And now you said it! I was purposely avoiding saying it, not letting my hopes up. URGH!)
Oh…. Sorry…
Anyways.
Jiro stepped through the heavy door and entered the Rosalia City Hall. Inside, there was a familiar sense of everything that reminded him of his own world.
(Yeah. That lazy life, with people just strolling around, fills me with unease. Defo different from Tokyo. But this corporate, deadline-hitting vibe? Smells like home)
People holding heavy books and stacks of paper, rushing through corridors, up and down the stairs. All wearing velvet uniforms with soft gold accents. Very similar to the king's throne, and not by accident, since those were the official colours of the Arame Kingdom.
The young man started following the signs on the wall until he entered the main hall. It was a half-sphere, with multiple desks positioned along its circumference, and at least one government employee sat at each of them. The large glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling made the room feel more intimidating than it should have.
As Jiro walked through the room, he saw people lining up in front of various departments, passing a multitude of regular and fantastical signs.
Dragon Registration
Birth Certificates
Marriage Registration
Oracle Submission
Patent Department
Slave Redisposition
Scroll Registration
And finally…. The one he's been looking for. The one that gave him hope.
Our protagonist lined up in an orderly fashion, in an appropriate queue and waited for his turn.
"Next", an elder dwarven woman waved to Jiro to come closer
He pulled back his chair, sat down, and with a smile bright enough to wake a sleeping baby, the confidence befitting the all-mighty hero, he puffed up his chest proudly.
"I'd like to apply for unemployment benefits"