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

"Hm. That was quite an assumption you made," the mysterious figure said as she stepped closer in their direction.

"Let's see... I'll begin with a clarification—then, a question. How's that?"

"First," she lifted her chin slightly, "I wasn't a Miss."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

Not... a Miss?

"Now, the question was..."

Reika saw the figure raise a hand into the air. She felt a sense of dread and quickly mirrored its action.

"Everyone, get back! Move as far away as you can!"

The orcs obeyed and immediately leaped away from the scene.

"Was it you who did this?"

Snap!

A symbol suddenly flared beneath Reika’s feet.

"What the—!"

FWOOM!

The flame shot into the sky and blazed fiercely in its wake. The humans stationed at the forest's edge immediately saw it and got startled.

"What was that? Did they encounter someone dangerous over there?"

"It seems to be the case... Should we head over and help?"

"Did you not hear what I just said? There's a dangerous individual over there!"

"Urk... Then what should we do?"

Another man stepped forward.

"Someone should go check the situation, while another will return to the settlement to inform the higher-ups."

"Sounds like a good plan."

They nodded to each other and ran in opposite directions. The others stayed behind and waited to see what would happen.

Meanwhile, Reika and the mysterious individual were still locked in battle. Reika was seen dodging her opponent’s strange attacks.

What was that?

Unlike her past encounters, the person standing before her used strange and unfamiliar methods in combat.

Aside from her insane speed and reflexes, the way she attacked was downright unusual. She would pause briefly, inscribe something in the air with a strange pen, and a glowing character—marked with a symbol I don't understand—would appear and unleash an attack.

"Heh. You seem interested in it. Wanna know what these are called?"

Though Reika heard the mysterious person’s words, she didn’t respond.

"Of course I'm not telling you~!"

Reika landed several meters away, keeping her distance.

This person... are they trying to test me?

"In that case..."

Reika raised her hands into the air. Several spheres of flame emerged and launched toward her opponent in rapid succession.

<Flame Blitz!>

Seeing Reika's attack, the person reached into a pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper, raising it into the air. The paper ignited on its own, and a translucent circle inscribed with several inscriptions appeared in front of it.

"Defensive Circle, come forth!"

The circle instantly blocked the relentless barrage of Reika’s Flame Blitz. Not a single flame managed to break through its defense.

With her attacks deflected, the opponent quickly closed the distance.

"Ghk!"

I have no choice but to do it...!

<Draconic Aura!>

Reika unleashed a single pulse of her aura across the area. Even the orcs instantly dropped to their knees under the pressure.

"Guh... Such pressure...!"

As Reika’s aura reached her opponent, its defensive circle shattered instantly—having absorbed most of the force. The opponent was knocked back and slammed into a ruined structure.

"Ghakk!"

Despite the heavy blow, her opponent didn’t give up. The opponent reached into its cloak again and grabbed something. Reika noticed the movement and immediately unleashed several chains, which shot out and bound the individual in place.

The individual stared in shock and struggled against the restraints.

"What is this? Damn it...!"

Refusing to surrender, the mysterious individual hurled its pen straight into their mouth.

This is my trump card!

In just a split second, a symbol appeared from thin air and transformed into a single beam of light. Reika barely noticed it—the speed was overwhelming.

What is that...? Aeon Ba—

Reika realized that it was too late to deploy a barrier.

So she took a gamble.

Reika had no choice but to tilt her head and let the beam pass by. Though she barely dodged it, the attack grazed her, burning her skin.

Tssss...

The individual saw this and immediately dropped to their knees.

"No way... Even my fastest attack...!"

That beam had traveled at light speed—and she dodged it by the smallest margin?!

The orcs watched the battle’s end. Reika managed to subdue the mysterious individual with minimal effort.

"Miss Reika was unstoppable..."

One of the orcs suddenly sensed a presence approaching in their direction. He turned around and saw a human running toward them.

After the human arrived at the scene, he panted briefly before speaking.

"What... what happened here?"

One of the orcs who understood human speech stepped forward. "An unknown... individual ambushed us. Luckily, Miss Reika... sensed it on time... warned us. She... to subdued that person."

"I... that’s a relief."

The man took a peek at the scene but froze when he saw the face of the person kneeling before Reika.

"...Fumeirō?"

Everyone tensed at the name, especially Reika, who felt a sudden familiarity with the name the man just uttered.

"Eh...?" The individual turned and saw a familiar figure standing among the orcs. "Why are you here...?"

Before another word could escape from its mouth, its vision started to blur. Within seconds, the person went unconscious and collapsed to the ground.

...

It was dark. Though murmurs echoed softly around him, Fumeirō couldn’t make out what was happening beyond the black curtains of his vision.

"Guhh..."

The noise quickly fell silent at his groan. Footsteps began to approach him, accompanied by muffled voices he could barely understand.

"He’s awake!"

Fumeirō forced his eyes open and sat up while clutching his head.

Among the crowd, one face stood out—one he recognized instantly.

It was his father, Silas.

"...Father?"

"Oh, Fumeirō!"

Silas hugged him tightly. Fumeirō slowly returned the embrace, still confused about what was happening.

He looked around and saw the villagers smiling warmly at him. They seemed relieved to see him after months away from the village.

"You rascal. Where have you been all this time?" one of them asked.

"You’ve missed so many things that happened in your absence!"

Fumeirō stared at them. "What are you talking about?"

Silas stepped forward and faced the villagers. "Now that you’ve seen my son awake and well, you can all go. Let him rest!"

"Alright, alright! Geez, you get so worked up when it’s about your son, Silas..."

One by one, the villagers left, leaving Silas and Fumeirō alone in the room.

Outside the house, Reika and Soru watched the villagers exit. Reika guessed that the person she had fought—Fumeirō—had woken up after seeing their positive reactions.

Reika spoke with a villager who had come inside to check on Fumeirō’s condition. The villager shared the good news with a smile and spoke fondly of how kind and thoughtful Fumeirō had been as a child.

After a lengthy conversation, the woman excused herself and left. Reika and Soru then entered the room, where they found Silas and Fumeirō still deep in discussion.

Silas noticed their arrival and paused.

“Oh, you two made it on time,” Silas said and stood up. “My son wants to have a private conversation with you. I’ll take my leave and attend to some matters outside.”

After Silas left the room, Reika and Soru approached Fumeirō’s bedside.

“I heard from your father about everything you did while I was gone...”

Fumeirō took a deep breath.

“Hm. You’ve probably heard so many thanks your ears are numb by now, so I’ll skip that part. Instead...”

Reika was surprised when Fumeirō suddenly lowered his head.

"I want to apologize for what I did back then. I shouldn’t have treated our benefactor that way."

Reika waved her hand dismissively. "No, no. It’s alright. I understand your suspicion—especially seeing a human accompanied by several orcs suddenly appear in your ruined home..."

Fumeirō raised his head. "...Is that so? That’s a relief, then."

Suddenly, his expression shifted. Fumeirō reached into his sleeve and pulled out a paper with strange inscriptions written on it. He then placed it on the wall.

"Now, no one can eavesdrop on our conversation," he said seriously.

"You probably already know that I possess knowledge foreign to this world. Actually, I’m—"

"You’re a reincarnated individual," Soru interrupted.

Fumeirō paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Exactly. Since you two also possess the same knowledge as I do..."

He glanced briefly at Soru before returning his gaze to Reika.

"At first, I thought you two were reincarnated—just like me. But seeing your appearances and his clothes, it was clear you were foreign to this world..."

"We were transported here," Soru interrupted again, "unlike you, who was born and raised here."

Reika briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Couldn’t he just let Fumeirō finish?

"...Mhm, just like you said," Fumeirō replied. "I guessed it when I saw him wearing that school uniform boys used to wear back in Japan, though the design was slightly different compared to what I saw back then."

"Yes," Reika answered. "I also had one, but I kept it in my room. As for him..."

She glanced at Soru before turning back to Fumeirō.

"Well, he likes to wear it all the time..."

"Hahaha, I see. That means the three of us are otherworlders."

"That seems to be the case," Reika replied.

Fumeirō held his chin for a moment before he spoke again.

"Hm, since I already know your names, I think it’s only fair I tell you mine—my former name on Earth, I mean..."

Fumeirō looked at them with his face gleamed with positivity.

"My name before I was reincarnated... was Romanov Natsuri."

"Romanov... Natsuri?" Reika repeated.

"My family name sounds foreign, doesn’t it?"

"Yes... Why is that?"

Fumeirō nodded and closed his eyes.

"You see, my father was of Soviet descent. His father—my grandfather—died during the battle in Stalingrad. Fearing that he might be recruited into the war, his mother decided to flee to Japan aboard a fishing boat crowded with illegal immigrants."

"After several days of traversing the harsh sea, they managed to hide on a remote island at the northernmost part of Japan. When the war finally ended and travel became safer, the two of them made their way to the mainland. A few years later, he met my mother. They got married, and the rest is history!"

"I see... No wonder you had a foreign family name in your past life," Reika murmured.

"What was the cause of your death?" Soru asked without a hint of consideration.

Reika quickly turned to him. "Hey, that’s a little too—"

"Haha... it’s alright. It’s all in the past, anyway."

Both Reika and Soru looked at Fumeirō, waiting for his answer.

"I died... from asphyxiation."

"Oh... Was it because you drowned or something?" Reika asked him.

"No...?"

"Uh... Did someone choke you, then?"

"Hm. I got choked to death, specifically. But... it was my fault I ended up in that situation in the first place."

Reika raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

Fumeirō scratched his cheek. A sense of embarrassment was evident on his face.

"I choked... because of mochis."

"Eh?!" Reika exclaimed.

I thought someone had choked him out of ill will. Turns out it was just his own doing?!

"H-How did that even happen?"

"Eh... I was reading this novel, Record of Lod*ss War: The Grey W*tch, in bed while gobbling down several mochis at the same time. The story was getting intense, so I got distracted and ended up stuffing my mouth full without realizing it."

Fumeirō suddenly clenched his fist and teared a little. "Urk! I should’ve waited until I finished that scene before eating it!"

"I didn’t have much of a choice... My mom insisted I eat them right away, and it was one of my favorite snacks!" he added. "I just couldn’t resist, you know?"

Reika stared at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe someone actually died just like that.

"I got emotional at a particular scene, and accidentally swallowed all the mochis at once. It was the unluckiest day of my life!"

"Couldn’t you just... seek help? Or cough it up yourself?"

"Oh, I wish I could!" Fumeirō sighed. "But I was alone in the house at the time. And with that many mochis stuffed in, coughing it up was impossible..."

"So you got choked to death because you couldn’t do anything..." Reika said softly. "I’m... sorry to hear that."

"Nah, you don’t have to feel sorry for me. Honestly, it just reminds me how foolish I was in my past life."

Fumeirō let out a sigh.

"Now that I’ve been given another chance, I should be more careful—and not end up hurting myself because of my own stupidity."

Reika remained silent. She could relate to his situation—a hundred percent.

Well... I also fell from the top of a building because of my own carelessness back then, so I can’t really argue with that...

"Hey, at least I died doing what I love!" Fumeirō said with a soft grin. "It’s better than dying from some grim... tragic incident or something..."

"No matter how you look at it, both situations still suck," Reika replied with a shrug. "Death is still death, even if you try to put a positive spin on it."

"Yeah, I suppose it is..." Fumeirō responded.

He noticed that Soru had been quiet the entire time. Wanting to shift the mood, Fumeirō quickly came up with an idea to change the subject.

"Oh, by the way," he asked, "I have no idea what kind of advancements you guys had in your era. Mind sharing something that might interest me?"

Reika and Soru exchanged glances before turning back to him. Reika began to explain the modern advancements in Earth’s technology and society—particularly those in Japan.

"Holy cow! You're telling me all that amazing stuff happened years after I died?! That's so unfair!"

"Eh, well...," Reika said in a soft tone. "What year did you die, anyway? I’m guessing it was way before we were even born..."

"Hm... let’s see...," Fumeirō murmured. "I believe it was... the year 1990? I was twenty at the time..."

Reika’s eyes widened.

"Eh, that means—"

"What year is it on Earth now, anyway?" Fumeirō interjected.

"It's the year 2024," Reika answered.

"I see, I see," Fumeirō muttered. "So time in this world and on Earth moved differently, huh... No wonder there's such a big leap in progress..."

"I thought the same," Reika replied.

A brief silence settled between them before Fumeirō spoke again.

"Anyway, what about the other forms of entertainment? You know, Japanimation and all that? I used to watch Studio Ghibli movies back then..."

"Oh! I remember watching some when I was little," Reika replied quickly. "Spirited Aw*y was one of my favorites!"

Fumeirō paused.

"Spirited Aw*y...? Was that a new release?"

"Yeah...? It came out in 2001, if I remember correctly..."

"Gah! I only saw five of their movies in my previous life, and now you're telling me they released many more after I died?! Rggghhh!"

I bet those movies were fascinating! Studio Ghibli was known for making incredible animation with a Western touch, after all, Fumeirō thought to himself.

Fumeirō glanced at Soru.

"Hey, Soru. Do you have any information you can share with us?"

Soru met his gaze without a trace of emotion. Fumeirō noticed it but didn't pay any attention out of anticipation.

"The kinds of media entertainment I saw before—based on your previous life's era—were Ak*ra and Dor*emon. I also watched Space Battleship Y*mato because I thought it was all about the real battleship Yamato..."

Fumeirō laughed after hearing Soru's response.

"And here I thought I was the only one who mistook that series like you do! HAHAHAHA!"

Reika sighed quietly as she listened to their conversation.

Well, I never really knew any of those animes except Dor*emon... I’m not a man, so I never took much interest.

Besides, those were old shows...

"Hrm... Were those the mainstream animations boys used to watch back in your day?" Reika asked Fumeirō.

"Eh...?" Fumeirō looked at Reika in confusion. "They were. But some girls my age enjoyed those shows too, so it wasn’t just boys who liked to watch them..."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I mean... I was a woman in my previous life, and I liked watching those shows that were mostly meant for boys..."