Chapter 19: Arrival in San Francisco
For a brief moment, the world around Anshul twisted.
The familiar sensation of space folding around him appeared again. The room in Pune faded like mist while a new environment slowly formed in front of his eyes.
This time, however, Anshul remained calm.
He had already experienced this phenomenon once before when entering the Limitless world. Compared to that first disorienting trip, the second felt much easier to handle.
The distortion disappeared within seconds.
When Anshul opened his eyes again, the surroundings had completely changed.
He was standing on a quiet street.
Tall houses lined both sides of the road. The architecture looked distinctly American, with colorful wooden buildings and steep streets climbing up the nearby hills.
A cool breeze passed through the air.
Anshul glanced around carefully.
"San Francisco…"
He recognized the place almost immediately.
This was the setting of
The Princess Diaries.
The city looked exactly like he remembered from the movie.
Cars moved slowly along the street, and a few pedestrians walked past without paying any attention to him.
For them, he was just another person standing on the sidewalk.
Anshul took a deep breath.
The first thing he needed to do was assess his situation.
He quickly checked his pockets.
A wallet.
Some cash.
And his phone.
The system seemed to provide basic necessities when entering a world, but there was no official identity or background information.
That meant he was still technically an outsider here.
He couldn't rely on documents or legal status.
Everything would have to be handled carefully.
Anshul began walking down the street while observing the surroundings.
The neighborhood looked peaceful and quiet.
After a few minutes, something familiar appeared ahead.
A small house with a colorful exterior.
Anshul slowed down slightly.
He recognized this place.
This was Mia Thermopolis's home.
He had arrived earlier than expected.
Which meant the main events of the story probably hadn't started yet.
That was good.
Meeting Mia before the major plot developments would give him a huge advantage.
Anshul leaned casually against a nearby railing and checked the time on his phone.
Everything looked normal.
According to the synchronization rule, time was still moving simultaneously across all active worlds.
That meant while he spent time here, the same amount of time would also pass in:
the Limitless world
and his original world in Pune.
Which meant he couldn't stay here too long.
His family would notice.
His company needed attention.
But for now, he could spend some time exploring.
Anshul looked down the street again.
Just as he was about to move, a familiar sound approached from behind.
The faint buzzing of a scooter.
He turned his head.
A teenage girl with messy curly hair and large glasses was riding slowly toward the house.
Her school uniform looked slightly awkward, and her expression showed the quiet nervousness of someone used to being ignored by the world.
Anshul smiled faintly.
There was no doubt.
This was Mia Thermopolis.
The future princess of Genovia.
Right now, however, she was still just an ordinary high school student who had no idea that her life was about to change.
Mia parked the scooter near the house and began adjusting the books in her bag.
She hadn't noticed Anshul yet.
Anshul considered his options for a moment.
There were many ways he could approach her.
But sometimes the simplest method worked best.
He stepped forward.
"Excuse me."
Mia turned around in surprise.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the tall stranger standing behind her.
"Uh… yes?"
Anshul smiled politely.
"Hi. I think I might be lost."
Mia blinked.
"Lost?"
"Yes," Anshul said casually. "I'm visiting San Francisco, but the streets here are more confusing than I expected."
Mia looked around awkwardly.
"Well… this area is kind of confusing."
"Exactly," Anshul replied.
For a moment Mia studied him curiously.
"You're not from here."
"No," Anshul admitted.
"Where are you from?"
"India."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Wow."
Anshul chuckled.
"Yeah, it's a long trip."
Mia pushed a strand of messy hair away from her face.
"Well… if you need directions, I can probably help."
"Actually," Anshul said, "I was hoping someone could show me around the neighborhood."
Mia hesitated.
Then she looked at the time.
"I have school in a few minutes."
"That's perfect."
Mia frowned slightly.
"How is that perfect?"
"Because I'm curious what American schools look like."
For a moment Mia just stared at him.
Then she laughed nervously.
"You want to visit my school?"
"If that's okay."
Mia wasn't used to strangers asking to spend time with her.
In fact, most people at school barely noticed her at all.
But somehow this conversation felt strangely natural.
"Well… I guess it's not a big problem."
She picked up her scooter again.
"The school is just a few blocks away."
Anshul nodded.
"Lead the way."
As they began walking together down the street, Anshul glanced at the sky above San Francisco.
The first step of this new world had already begun.
And the future princess of Genovia was now walking beside him.