[Japan, Kyoto]
The morning in Kyoto carried the scent of cherry blossoms, while its fresh air greeted the morning people first thing in the morning.
There could be seen a young man, Kiyoma, walking through the bustling city, filled with the noise of people.
He had his schoolbag slapped against his back while a group of foreign tourists walked past him, talking loudly while gawking at every single store, or anything unique enough to catch their eyes.
"Tsk, just my luck." He clicked his tongue in annoyance, not at the tourists themselves but at their loud tone.
He sprang his legs faster as the familiar, but sprawling gates of Kiyazumi High came into his view.
"Kiyoma!" Just as he was about to quietly enter the gates, his history teacher, Tanaka, called him before he could sneak past him.
With his arms crossed over his chest and a look that screamed more serious than anything.
"Exceptionally early today, too?" He smiled, tapping on his wrist that had a modern-ish look to it. The watch showed 8:25 AM while homeroom started at 8:30 AM.
"Haha." With a nervous laugh, Kiyoma explained how he was carrying an old lady while crossing the street, and how, he, on the way to school, had to help a child get his balloon back from the "scary" tree.
"Sigh, enough! Just don't come late again!"
"Thanks, Tanaka-sensei!" With a cheeky smile, Kiyoma made a run for his classroom that was about to start.
Frantic energy pulsed through the school grounds as the students who were late made a run to the main building. They were all wearing the same, identical navy blazers while sweating like crazy.
As they reached the main building, they all started swapping out their shoes and wearing the indoor uwabaki shoes.
Without wasting any more time, Kiyoma took the stairs to the second floor and made a run toward Class 2-A.
Swoosh!
The door slid open as what greeted Kiyoma was his homeroom teacher, Ms. Yamaguchi, who had just finished her morning announcements.
"Kiyoma, you're late again!" She said, her voice snapping into a high-pitched tone while her glasses glinted in the light that came from the windows.
"I apologize! I won't be late from tomorrow morning!!" Kiyoma bowed as deeply as he could while sighing before he went to the last row of seating where he sat beside the window.
"Man, you got a love-hate relationship with the bell, huh. You hate it, but it loves you, haha!" Takashi Shuu, his friend, started teasing him.
"Oh, shut it, Takashi!" Kiyoma remarked casually as he took his notebook out.
<><><><><>
Morning lessons dragged on for what felt like hours with a focus, especially toward mathematics and history.
But when the bell rang and the lunch break started, almost everyone sighed in relief. Chairs started getting scraped as they pulled out their lunch boxes from their bags, while chatting up with their friends.
"Finally!" Takashi said, swiveling around.
"You got anything good today? I'm starving, here."
Kiyoma was about to answer when the air suddenly started growing thick and heavy.
A low hum vibrated through the floor, up through the legs of the chairs.
"What's that?" Chatters started dying down as confusion filled the room.
Just then, a sudden light, which was brilliant and searing, erupted from beneath their feet as a complex circle covered the entire classroom's floor.
Intricate symbols pulsing with power swirled around within its circumference.
A girl near the front screamed, which broke the frozen students who had been scared as hell.
"It's happening!" A boy with thick glasses screamed as he gripped his anime pin on his bag with a mix of terror and bizarre excitement.
"It's an isekai summoning! We're being summoned!"
"Pervert! This isn't a joke!" A girl shrieked back at him while clutching the arm of her friend.
The light started growing at an insane speed; some tried running, while the others covered their heads under their desks, but it was all useless as they were all swallowed by the searing white light.
Kiyoma felt a sensation of being pulled, of falling through nothing before the classroom got empty.
<><><><><><>
Just as it began, it stopped. The white light faded as their view started recovering.
Kiyoma was standing on a cold, stone floor.
"??" He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the dimmer light in this new room.
He was inside a vast, circular chamber. The air was cool with the scent of burned incense.
Around him, his classmates started stumbling, some crying while others could be seen looking in both confusion and fear.
They were surrounded by men in gleaming silver armor.
'Are they knights?' Kiyoma thought to himself while watching their stern and unreadable faces.
At the front of the room, on a raised dais, stood a woman. She was unimaginably beautiful. Her hair was a cascade of gold and silk, falling just over her shoulders.
She wore an elegant, white gown that hugged her figure, accentuating her slender legs and a large pair of breasts that almost looked heavy to onlookers.
"Welcome, brave souls from another world!" she said with a melodic voice that echoed through the chamber.
"I am Princess Lorelai. Our kingdom of Aethelgard is in grave danger because of the constant attacks from the newly risen Demon King."
She continues, "and that's why we have summoned you, the chosen heroes to—" Just before she could finish, a collective gasp interrupted her.
Students stared at Kiyoma in confusion, which made him confused, before he slowly looked down to notice a magic circle.
However, it was only under his feet; this time, the magic circle was small, unlike the previous one.
'Fuck... Why is it only under me?' Kiyoma panicked inside, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The princess's smile, which had bloomed since the arrival of the students, faltered; her blue eyes widened in shock and confusion. The knights shifted as their hands started going to the hilts of their swords.
"Hey, what's happening to Kiyoma?" someone whispered to another student.
"That circle, why is it only under him?"
The red light glowed in an ominous light before starting to intensify differently from the last time.
This time, it was really hot and aggressive. It started pulling him. The princess, knights, the students... They all began to blur and stretch.
"Wait! That summoning—!" the princess cried out, taking a step forward.
But it was too late. The world twisted into a vortex of crimson.
The sensation was nauseating, a violent tug that felt like it would tear Kiyoma apart.
His vision darkened as the world started to fade to pitch black. The last thing he saw was the terrified faces of his classmates and the princess.
<><><><><>
As his consciousness returned, he noticed a pleasant, floral incense. Unlike the previous one, this one... it was more calming and... something he could not explain.
Right after that, he felt the softness beneath him—he was lying on a proper bed with a firm mattress and silken sheets.
Opening his eyes, he noticed the ceiling was high. It seemed to be made of dark but polished wood with intricate carvings.
"Young master?" Before he could get up, a melodic voice called him out, which was crystal clear like a jade chime.
Turning his head, he could see a young woman kneeling on the floor beside the bed. She was exquisitely beautiful, with flawless, pale skin. She had dark honey-colored eyes. Her hair was styled elaborately with elegant pins.
She was wearing a long, flowing robe of pale lavender silk.
"You are awake," she said, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. "Your mother and father were incredibly worried!"
<><><><><>
A/N: Comment down your thoughts... or not!