The Ability to Shift Anything is Convenient, Even in Another World!

CAW! CAW!

An irritating sound pierced the silence. Reika tried to open her eyes, but the blinding light kept her from seeing anything.

Ow...!

Even with her eyes shut, she felt her vision dim, as though something was covering her face. Then came the sound of wings flapping, followed by a gust of wind brushing against her cheeks. Curiosity stirred within her, and she finally opened her eyes, revealing what had been blocking her view.

"A bird...?"

Reika watched as the bird soared past her, its wings cutting through the air with a graceful ease. She squinted against the light, the sudden shift in her vision forcing her to adjust. Slowly, she opened her eyes wider, feeling the warmth of the sunlight as it flooded back into her sight.

As her vision cleared, Reika took in her surroundings. The world around her was still a blur, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the sky above looked different.

Is it just me, or did the night sky seem a little too bright?

Reika blinked twice and couldn't believe her eyes. Out of nowhere, she found herself floating in the sky, suspended in the broad daylight.

“EHHHHHHHHHH?!”

The sun’s rays warmed her skin as the light-blue sky stretched endlessly above her, thick clouds scattered across it. Suddenly, a strong breeze rushed past her, carrying the fresh scent of the air up to her nostrils.

Reika gasped as the spectacular view unfolded before her. The lush green forests stretched endlessly beneath the vast sky, leaving her stunned and filling her mind with a sense of tranquility.

"Is this... heaven?" Reika muttered in disbelief.

After all the amazement she felt from the staggering scenery, she suddenly noticed something was off.

Wait a minute...

She glanced down and realized she was freefalling toward the ground.

"GYAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Reika's heart raced as panic surged through her. The height between her and the ground was far greater than the building she had fallen from before. In her mind, the fall would possibly kill her the moment she hit the ground.

Where am I?! Why a-am I falling a-a-again?!

Reika's thoughts raced violently as panic gripped her, her mind struggling to understand what was going on. She glanced around, still in disbelief and confusion, when something familiar caught her eye.

A white shirt? Who...?

She quickly turned around and froze. It was her classmate, Shin Soru.

"Shin-kun!? Why are you here? W-Where are we!?" Reika exclaimed while in the state of panic.

Reika couldn't help but notice how calm Soru seemed despite the chaos surrounding them. But no matter how strange his lack of reaction was, she quickly realized there was no time for pointless questions. The immediate problem at hand was all that mattered.

Suddenly, Reika slapped her cheeks, hard enough to jolt her back into focus.

There’s no time for this. I have to do something...!

She took a deep breath, steadying her racing thoughts as she tried to think of a way to survive. The sheer height they were falling from made the situation look hopeless.

"What should I do..."

Her eyes darted downward, taking in the vast expanse of thick, green forest below. A plan began to form in her mind. She could aim for one of those trees, hoping that the branches would cushion the impact enough to survive the fall.

"Shin-kun, look at the forest below! Find a tree to land on... Maybe, just maybe, we can survive if we land on one..."

Soru glanced at Reika. In a calm tone, he simply replied, "Sure..."

As Reika kept scanning the forest below, she paused when something caught her eye.

On the ground, she spotted a large, lizard-like creature surrounded by a wolf-like beast. At first, she hadn’t noticed them from up high, but as they fell closer, the creatures became clearer. Her heart raced as the sight of these strange beasts sent a fresh wave of panic through her.

"W-What was that? What are those things? H-Hey Shin-kun, are you seeing those strange creatures?"

Soru heard her and looked down as a response. Reika was taken aback when he simply nodded in response.

What the...!? Did he just nod? He's not surprised by this at all?

Distracted by the creatures below, Reika momentarily forgot her plan to land on a tree. By the time she remembered, it was too late.

"Oh my...!"

The speed of her descent was too fast—there was no time to reach the nearest tree. 

Hitting the ground was inevitable.

Fearing the worst, Reika shut her eyes tightly. In her mind, the thought of survival was impossible—even the faintest glimmer of hope is nonexistent.

Why... Not again...!

In the blink of an eye, Reika felt the warmth of the grass brush her skin before her body slammed into the ground. 

THUD!!

Reika braced herself for the searing pain to follow. But instead of agony, there was nothing at all.

That’s it? I thought dying from a fall would hurt... she thought. I-I guess the pain was too much for my brain to register and died instant...ly?!

Reika was surprised when the warm rays of the sun touched her gentle skin. However, her brief comfort was interrupted by a strong, foul stench entering her nostrils, throwing her senses into disarray.

She gagged instinctively, struggling against the unbearable smell, but then froze in shock as she realized she could move freely.

Wait, I can move? I... I survived?!

Reika quickly opened her eyes to assess her situation, but instead, she found herself staring at Soru. His calm demeanor remained unchanged as he extended his right hand toward her.

"Get up," he said plainly.

Still overwhelmed by confusion and the lingering stench, Reika eventually reached for his hand. She stood up shakily, instinctively covering her nose to shield herself from the foul odor.

"Thank you...?"

As Reika regained her composure, she quickly checked her body for injuries. To her surprise, there wasn’t a single scratch on her. No blood, no broken bones—nothing. From head to toe, she was completely unharmed.

"What the...? How!?" she muttered, disbelief etched across her face.

Suddenly, she remembered the strange creatures she had seen moments before. Panic surged through her as she whipped her head around, afraid that they might attack at any moment. 

But what she saw left her frozen.

The large, lizard-like beasts lay crushed, as though an invisible force had pressed them flat without warning. Smaller wolf-like creatures shared the same grim fate, their bodies mangled and lifeless, mirroring the destruction of the larger beasts.

As Reika tried to make sense of the unsettling scene, her eyes drifted to Soru. He stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the grotesque remains. Unlike her, he showed no fear or hesitation. His calm silence felt strange, almost as if he was oblivious to the danger these creatures could have posed if they were still alive.

Baffled by his calm demeanor, Reika hesitated before taking a step toward him. Just as she moved, a strange, piercing howl echoed through the forest, freezing her in place. She stood still, her breath caught in her throat as the eerie sound rippled through the trees.

ROOOARRR!

"What the hell was that?" Reika asked, her voice tinged with confusion and fear.

She quickly turned her head to the right where the direction the unsettling howl seemed to come from. Suddenly, the ground trembled lightly beneath her feet, accompanied by the sharp crackling of trees snapping in the distance.

Glancing up at the sky, Reika saw birds fleeing in panic, their frantic flight heading away from the source of the noise. The tremors grew stronger in every breath she took, accompanied by thunderous footsteps pounding the earth, as if something massive was charging straight toward them. The oppressive tension climbed until, without warning, everything fell silent. The tremors ceased, and the booming steps stopped, leaving an eerie stillness in their wake.

Reika's eyes darted around, scanning the dense trees and the shadows within their depths. The rancid stench of the dead beasts lingered in the air, but she paid it no mind, her focus sharp as unease gripped her. As her gaze shifted downward, she quickly froze. She noticed a shadow—large and ominous—stretched across the ground.

Slowly, as if afraid to confirm her suspicions, Reika tilted her head upward. Just then, something massive loomed overhead as its form obscuring the sun, casting her and the clearing into an ominous gloom.

SWOOSH!

A powerful gust of wind suddenly tore through the clearing, whipping around them with such force that it scattered dust in every direction.

"Cough! Cough! What is going on!?" Reika cried, her voice barely audible over the roaring gale.

The swirling dust cloud obscured everything around her in a second, stinging her skin and making it impossible to see. She quickly shielded her eyes with her arm, desperate to keep the particles out. Through the chaos, she glanced at Soru, who was similarly shielding his face, his calm demeanor unshaken even amidst the blinding storm.

Moments later, the whirlwind began to die down, and the dust slowly settled. Blinking through the haze, Reika's breath caught as her surroundings came back into focus. Towering above them was an enormous, terrifying creature, its shadow swallowing the clearing and its monstrous presence overwhelmed her.

The massive creature flew in the sky with wings stretching wide and two powerful hind legs on its lower body. Each wing ended in massive claws, sharp and gleaming, adding a sinister edge to its already menacing form. Its ash-gray skin seemed rugged and weathered, exuding an aura of raw power. Though it bore a small resemblance to the lizard-like creature from earlier, this beast was far more terrifying—its sheer size and presence were overwhelming.

As Reika's gaze traveled up its elongated neck, she froze when her eyes locked onto its glowing crimson orbs. Those piercing eyes seemed to cut straight into her soul, filling her with dread and making her legs weak. Her entire body trembled under its unrelenting gaze.

Unbeknownst to her, this fearsome creature was a "Wyvern," a beast of legend mentioned in fantasy stories.

Before their arrival, the wyvern had been gliding silently through the sky, scanning the forest below with its keen crimson eyes. It had sensed the presence of a Basilisk—a formidable lizard-like creature—and a pack of Rabid Wolves locked in a fierce battle. Driven by hunger, the wyvern decided to descend, landing far from the commotion to observe the ongoing fight from a safe distance.

As one of the more intelligent monsters of the forest, the wyvern opted for a calculated approach. Rather than risking unnecessary exhaustion by intervening prematurely, it planned to bide its time. It would wait for the combat to end, anticipating that one or both parties would either perish or become too weak to resist. Once the moment was right, the wyvern would strike swiftly and claim its prize without a struggle.

After a while, using its heightened sense of smell, the wyvern quickly realized that both the Basilisk and the Rabid Wolves had perished. It prepared to move toward the fresh corpses to feast while the flesh was still warm. However, it suddenly paused, its instincts flaring with caution.

Something was off.

The wyvern’s sharp nose picked up two unfamiliar scents drifting through the area. Alarmed, it shifted into a state of vigilance and silently crept deeper into the shadows of the forest. Its sharp, predatory eyes scanned the clearing with precision, and it quickly located the source of the disturbance: two humanoid figures standing amidst the mangled remains of the Basilisk and the wolves.

The wyvern narrowed its glowing crimson eyes. These creatures were unfamiliar intruders, and their presence in its territory was enough to provoke a mix of curiosity and caution.

Seeing that intruders had interfered with its hunt, the wyvern grew enraged. With a furious roar, it charged toward them, intent on eliminating the humans it blamed for ruining the Basilisk and Rabid Wolves’ corpses. A picky eater by nature, the wyvern found the damaged bodies unappealing and assumed the two figures were responsible for rendering them unfit to consume.

Reika, still frozen in fear, couldn’t bring herself to move. Her legs felt like lead, and her mind raced as she tried to comprehend the danger before her. She watched in horror as the wyvern’s wings began to flap more rapidly, stirring the air into a furious gust. Then, the creature opened its massive jaws, and to her shock, a glowing, yellowish-red orb began to form within its mouth.

Before she could react, the wyvern unleashed its fiery breath in an instant. The searing flames raced toward them, engulfing everything in their path. Reika flinched as her instincts attempts to brace the unbearable heat and pain that should have followed.

But to her surprise, she felt nothing.

She opened her eyes, baffled. Despite the inferno surrounding her, she felt no discomfort or pain. 

What on earth is going on? she wondered as the fiery blaze continued to swirl around her harmlessly.

When Reika opened her eyes to see what was going on, she was stunned by what she saw.

Instead of being burned alive, the flames had no effect on her or Soru. There were no signs of burns on her body, and even her clothes remained untouched.

"What the... how is this possible?" she uttered as her confusion growing with each passing second. 

Desperate for answers, she turned to look at Soru.

To her astonishment, he too was completely unharmed, standing there calmly amidst the fading flames. His gaze was fixed on the wyvern, his expression as composed as ever, as if the monster’s fiery attack hadn’t happened at all.

Adding to her confusion, Reika noticed something strange: the trees surrounding them were ablaze, even though the wyvern's fiery breath hadn't reached them. The distance between the creature, its target, and the trees should have made it impossible for the flames to spread that far.

What is going on here...? she wondered, her thoughts spiraling as the oppressive heat filled the air.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind roared through the clearing. Reika looked up and saw the wyvern flapping its wings violently, its movements stirring the flames into a chaotic dance.

The massive beast opened its mouth again, and this time, a swirling orb of fire began forming within its maw. A wave of heat radiated from the orb, growing stronger with each passing moment. Without giving them a time to spare, the wyvern quickly spewed its breath ahead.

The wyvern's fiery breath reached them in an instant, leaving Reika no chance to escape. Yet, as the searing heat enveloped her, she realized something strange—she was unscathed once again, despite the flames being fiercer than before.

When the blaze finally subsided, Reika let out a shaky breath, expecting the same outcome as before. However, her assumption was wrong. This time, the aftermath was startlingly different.

The wyvern's massive body was engulfed in flames. Its ash-gray skin burned violently, as though it had been struck by a powerful fire attack from an unseen force. The beast roared in agony, thrashing wildly in an attempt to extinguish the flames consuming it.

"KRAAAAAHHH!!"

The wyvern's relentless wails echoed throughout the forest as it spiraled in the sky, unable to escape the flames devouring its body. With its wings severely burned by the unforgiving flames, the beast struggled to maintain altitude, descending lower and lower until it plummeted to the ground with a deafening crash.

The impact sent violent tremors through the earth, almost toppling Reika. Steadying herself, she cautiously approached the fallen monster while keeping a safe distance. Her heart pounded as her gaze remained locked on its massive, charred form.

The wyvern's body twitched weakly, its scorched skin crackling as the relentless flames continued to consume it. Reika could feel the heat radiating from the creature as she watched in stunned silence. Moments later, the wyvern let out one final, shuddering groan before its movements ceased entirely, leaving only the flickering fire and the acrid smell of burning flesh in the still air.

Reika was stunned by the wyvern's brutal death. She glanced around, half-expecting another creature to emerge, but the forest was eerily quiet. The only thing she saw were the scattered remains of the other monsters and the smoldering wyvern. Confusion and unease filled her as she failed to make sense of what had happened, leaving her speechless.

"I... I don't know what's going on anymore..."

Then, she remembered Soru. Turning toward him, she saw him standing unharmed, calm as ever. Unlike her, he showed no signs of fear or shock. His eyes were fixed on the burning wyvern, unbothered by its lifeless state.

Reika thought, He's still calm as ever...

After a moment, Soru shifted his gaze. He scanned the surroundings until his attention landed on a long, thin twig lying at the base of a nearby tree. Curious and slightly wary, Reika opened her mouth to question him, but hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, what are you doing—"

"Ah, there you are."

Soru didn’t respond. Instead, he quietly made his way to where the twig lay and crouched down to pick it up. Without saying a word, he returned to his original spot and began positioning the twig upright on the ground.

Reika watched in puzzled silence as he meticulously adjusted the twig, ensuring it stood perfectly straight. The moment it was stable, Soru let go. The upper end of the twig, where his fingers had been moments before, tilted slightly and pointed to his right. 

Without glancing back, Soru stood up and took a step forward. In a calm, even tone, he said, "Let's go, Mitsuha-san."