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

Without looking back, Soru walked in the direction the twig pointed, his steps calm and sure. Reika stood still for a moment, trying to process what he had just done.

D-Did he really just use that stick to decide where we’re going?

Her gaze shifted to the burnt remains of the Wyvern. The faint smell of scorched flesh hung in the air, making her uneasy. The forest around her felt unnaturally quiet, and the thought of another monster appearing sent a shiver down her spine. Clenching her fists, she quickened her pace to catch up with Soru, not wanting to be left behind.

The forest grew darker as they walked, the thick canopy above allowing only traces of sunlight to filter through. The trees here were taller and denser than those they had seen before, their massive trunks stretching far overhead. The air was cool and heavy, carrying the earthy scent of damp soil. Aside from the soft crunch of leaves beneath their feet, the forest was eerily silent.

Deep in the forest, the faint sounds of insects chirping, leaves rustling, and distant screeches echoed through the air. Yet Soru moved forward without hesitation, completely ignoring the noises. Behind him, Reika followed closely, her steps quick but uncertain.

As she trailed after Soru, Reika tried to calm her restless thoughts. The events leading up to this moment replayed in her mind, each one more absurd than the last. Nothing about their situation made sense, yet here she was, trudging deeper into the unknown.

Monsters, strange creatures, magic, and such... Is this what they call another world?

Reika looked around the deep forest. Everything appeared similar to what she had seen on Earth, but the monsters she had encountered—along with the strange flame that had erupted from a monster's mouth—made it clear this world defied logic. Sorcery or magic, the very things she thought only existed in fantasy, were real here.

I thought all of this was just fantasy—a fiction that otaku, or fans of adventure stories, had fancied. I never imagined it could be real...

She clenched her fists, frustration bubbling up. If I'd known I'd end up in a world like this one day, I should've read those kinds of mangas, so I wouldn’t be so clueless. Instead, I’ve only read slice-of-life and romcoms!

She stole a glance at Soru, who walked ahead with his usual calm expression.

Given how calm he is, I bet he read those kind of mangas, like any other guy at school. That’s why all of this strangeness doesn’t seem completely new to him...

As they continued walking, Reika suddenly heard the rustling of leaves behind her. The noise grew louder with each passing second, making her feel increasingly uneasy. She tried to move closer to Soru, but before she could, a massive blur of shadow lunged at them from the left, pouncing on Soru.

"Eek!" Reika gasped in shock.

She stepped back, but her feet tangled, sending her crashing to the ground. Her heart raced as the strange shadow locked its glowing red eyes on her. It was then that Reika realized what it was—the wolf-like creature she had seen earlier, the Rabid Wolf.

T-That’s the wolf from earlier!

Reika's eyes widened in horror as she watched the Rabid Wolf sink its teeth into Soru’s upper body. She gasped and instinctively covered her mouth, her body frozen in shock.

But then, something unexpected happened. The Rabid Wolf’s lower body suddenly collapsed to the ground, severed cleanly from its upper half. The top half slid off Soru’s unscathed body before dropping to the earth with a thud.

"What...?"

Reika blinked in disbelief. Soru was completely unharmed. She had expected to see blood, to hear the sickening squelch of torn flesh, but instead, he stood there as if untouched, his body seemingly impervious to the creature’s vicious bite. His clothes remained spotless, not a single tear or bloodstain to mark the attack.

Shaken, Reika rose to her feet and cautiously approached the lifeless creature. Her senses were on high alert, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that the monster might still be alive. She kept her gaze fixed on the corpse, ready for any movement.

She noticed that the wound the Rabid Wolf had received looked like it had been caused by a bite. What was even more confusing was that she hadn't seen any monster nearby that could have inflicted such an injury, and only canine creatures were capable of making such a mark.

Reika recoiled in disgust as the wolf's guts spilled out, mixed with its purple blood. The foul stench hit her nose, and she stepped back, unable to hold back her revulsion.

Fighting the urge to puke, she turned away. To her left, she saw Soru adjusting his uniform, seemingly unaffected. Once he was done, he continued walking as if nothing had happened.

How is he so unbothered by all this? He almost died, and yet he’s not even fazed!

Reika scratched her head and followed him, struggling to make sense of it all. She couldn’t understand what was happening and tried desperately to come up with an explanation.

As she recalled the moment they had fallen from the sky, she realized that Soru had remained calm and composed the entire time, his expression not changing in the slightest. Even after they survived the fall unscathed, he hadn’t been fazed by the strange situation.

The way he had stared at the dead creatures, completely unfazed... Those creatures didn't even exist on Earth, and yet he seemed unaffected...

Reika's mind wandered to the time the Wyvern had attacked them. The flames that should have killed them were terrifying, but instead, the Wyvern had been burned alive in their place. Despite everything—despite the impossible nature of it all—Soru never questioned why they had survived. His expression had never wavered, not even once.

Did he anticipate that all of those things were bound to happen? Even at the time when he should’ve been bitten in half by that wolf-like creature, the wolf had instead died in his place, as if it had been torn apart by a canine creature...!

Reika gazed at Soru, her eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

Shin-kun... Don’t tell me he knew something about this?

Her gaze shifted to several creatures similar to the Rabid Wolf, lying lifeless on the ground. They shared the same fate as the ones killed earlier—bitten in half and dead on the spot.

Judging from his strange behavior, I think he knows something and is hiding it from me. But blatantly assuming that isn't good, especially since I don’t have any solid evidence that he’s involved...

Reika quickened her pace to catch up with Soru.

Argh! It’s better if I just ask him directly!

"Shin—Oww!"

Reika couldn't finish her sentence when she bumped her head against Soru's shoulder.

Hey! Why did he stop all of a sudden?!

"Here we are."

Reika wondered what Soru meant. Still holding her forehead, she moved around and stood beside him to get a better view. After being surrounded by darkness for so long, the bright light that greeted her was almost too much for her eyes. She quickly raised her right hand to shield them from the harsh glow.

After a moment, her eyes finally adjusted to the light. As her vision cleared, a breathtaking scene unfolded before her. Reika was mesmerized and slowly lowered her hand. In front of them stretched a vast plain, covered in golden wheat fields.

The sky was a soft blue, with a few clouds scattered above. A narrow path stretched ahead, leading toward a gate. From within the tall, sturdy wooden fences, Reika could see smoke rising into the air. It was a village nestled between the vast fields.

As Reika stood there, lost in the beauty of the scene, Soru quietly made his way toward the village in the distance.

While walking, Soru took in his surroundings, his curiosity piqued by the strange new world he found himself in. He ran his hand along the ripe stalks of wheat, feeling their texture as he moved closer to the village. Reika, still caught up in the peaceful atmosphere, savored the gentle breeze that brushed against her face. It wasn’t until then that she realized Soru was no longer beside her.

"Shin-kun...?"

Reika looked around, searching for Soru. When she turned toward the golden wheat field, she spotted him walking down the narrow path.

That bastard left me already...?

"Hey, wait for meeee~!"

Reika ran after him. Soru heard her but didn't turn around; he just kept walking quietly, following the path to the village entrance.

As she passed through the wheat fields, Reika glanced back at the forest. She was astonished at how vast it was. The trees stretched from left to right, as far as the eye could see, all the way to the horizon.

How huge that forest is! Luckily, we managed to get out easily. If we hadn't, we would’ve had to spend the night there, with no food or shelter...

Looking back at the village entrance, Reika saw Soru talking to someone.

Somehow, we managed to stumble upon this village. Maybe we could rest here for a while...

From a distance, Soru noticed a person standing near the entrance. Without hesitation, he calmly walked toward the individual, who seemed to be guarding the entrance.

The guard, noticing someone approach, quickly assessed Soru. His unfamiliar clothes and face made it clear that Soru wasn't from the village. Just then, the guard stepped forward and blocked the unknown individual, intending to confront him.

Soru, sensing that the man was trying to communicate something, stopped and regarded him for a moment. He then gave his name, assuming the guard wanted to identify him.

"Wa ta shi wa, So ru - kun de su."

After hearing Soru, the guard gave him a confused look and raised an eyebrow.

"@#$&@#, @&#-*?"

Soru didn't understand the words the guard spoke and tried to speak again. Reika watched from a distance, her expression filled with disappointment.

How foolish of him. Of course, this is another world. What did he expect—that they spoke the same language as us? They don’t even know Japanese!

The guard gripped his hatchet tighter, his stance growing more defensive.

 "@$&$*&@_$!!"

Just then, Soru felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Reika standing beside him.

"Let me do the talking."

Reika stepped forward and confronted the guard with confidence. Despite the tip of the blade still pointing at them, she didn’t flinch. Soru moved back, giving her space as she began to try and communicate with the guard.

Reika raised both her arms and began waving her hands in the air.

"What are you doing?" Soru asked, watching her random gestures.

"Shushh. I'm trying to communicate with the guard using gestures."

Reika continued her strange gestures. She raised both hands in the air, fiddled with her fingers, and kept pointing toward the direction of the forest. The guard only grew more confused.

"We. Are. Lost. We. Came. From. Deep. Forest."

The guard's confusion deepened, and he pointed his hatchet at her. Reika quickly raised her hands in surrender, stepping back to avoid the blade.

"It's no use," Soru told Reika.

Reika sighed and lowered her hands, about to turn away when she heard a hoarse voice speaking words she could understand clearly.

"Oho, so you can speak Japanese as well, huh..."

Reika froze, shocked at hearing someone speak Japanese.

"H-how did you—"

She noticed an old man behind the guard. He was short, with both hands resting on his back. His bald head contrasted with the white eyebrows and mustache that framed his face.

The guard turned around, startled at first, but then bowed his head respectfully to the old man.

"@#-$*&@$_@..." 

The old man smiled at the guard and nodded.

"@#&#."

He glanced at Reika before looking back at the wary guard.

"@#&@%."

The guard nodded and left his post. The old man then stood in front of Reika.

"Welcome, guests from afar. I'm the chief of this humble village."

Reika stood there, dumbfounded, wondering how an old man from another world could speak Japanese so fluently. The old man noticed her shock and chuckled.

"Hahaha... Are you surprised that I can speak Japanese so well?" 

Reika snapped back to reality at his words.

"How... can you speak Japanese? Does it even exist in this world?" she asked.

The old man scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"Well, that dialect doesn't exist in this world, I think. Only a few people knew that language and mastered it."

"May I ask where you learned it?"

"I learned it thanks to my son's guidance."

Reika was confused by his answer and pressed further.

"What do you mean, from your son?"

The old man walked past her and gazed out at the wheat fields in front of him.

"You see, my son was born in a pretty normal way, but his mother and I always felt he was special. He was an active baby, though surprisingly, he never cried. Unlike most babies, he was quiet and simply stared at us while we fed him."

"By the time he reached three, he uttered his first word—one we couldn't understand. Even though we taught him how to read and write, we often caught him talking to himself, repeating those strange words over and over again."

"One night, we tried to reach out to him, trying to understand his unusual behavior. Finally, he told us that he could speak 'Japanese,' a language we had never heard of. He could also see visions that neither of us understood."

The old man paused for a moment before continuing.

"Out of curiosity, I asked him to teach me the language. After hearing my strange request, he smiled gently and told me that he would teach me how to speak—and even write Japanese."

"How many days or months did it take you to learn it?" Reika asked.

Upon hearing her question, the old man chuckled.

"Months? Ohohoho! It took me two... maybe three years to master it. It was hard at first, but once you get the basics down, it becomes easier. Although I'm not as proficient as my son, it's still quite understandable."

Reika glanced at Soru, who was staring at the old man without showing any change in his expression. She turned back to the old man and asked, "Where is your son now? Is he here?"

The old man lowered his head and turned away, walking toward the rice fields.

"Fumeirō... He's in the kingdom's capital now. He has some business to attend to."

Reika fell silent after hearing the old man's answer. The old man lowered his head and turned, walking toward the rice fields. A sense of longing and loneliness was evident on his face.

After a while, someone spoke, breaking the silence between them.

"Can we stay here tonight?"

Reika was surprised and quickly recognized the voice. It was Soru who had asked the old man.

"You..."

This idiot can't read the mood at all!

The old man heard Soru and turned around, a slight smile forming on his face as he began walking toward the village.

"Ohoho! Of course you can! Follow me."