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

At that moment, Reika slapped him in the face. But as soon as her palm made contact with Soru's cheek, a sharp, tingling sensation surged through her own left cheek. Her head jerked slightly to the side, as though an unseen force had struck her.

Did he… just use it on me?!

"You...!"

Reika shoved him, but she was taken aback when a strange force seemed to pull her off balance, sending her crashing to the ground. She knew then that Soru had used his peculiar power against her.

Looking up, Reika saw Soru still standing, his gaze fixed on her with a chilling lack of emotion. The slap she had delivered earlier had been strong, but Soru seemed unaffected, his strange power preventing any pain or discomfort.

"I understand why you're acting like this, Mitsuha-san..."

Reika's anger flared at his words. 

"Enough! Do you really think you can talk your way out of this?! Even your face is screaming how self-centered you are!"

If you can't even protect others' lives, why the hell have you bothered saving me?

Soru paused, his gaze still locked on hers. After a moment, he opened his mouth and spoke again.

"I... couldn't understand the reason why humans could feel emotion in the first place..."

Reika blinked, momentarily confused as Soru’s words broke through the tension of their quarrel.

"Are you messing with me? How could a grown person like you—"

"When I was young, the people who took care of me said they never saw me cry, not even once. They were confused because a child should cry and throw tantrums, but I didn’t."

He paused. "As I got older, I saw emotions everywhere. A child crying over a lost toy, a mother smiling while carrying her child, and a dog wagging its tail at its owner. Somehow, I wanted to feel what they were feeling..."

"I tried everything to experience it, to be a normal human who could understand others. But no matter what I did, it was like there was something missing. I just couldn't feel it."

Reika remained silent, her brow furrowed in thought. Though his words sounded genuine, something about the way he spoke made them feel distant. She should have felt sympathy, but instead, there was nothing—his words didn’t seem to carry any weight. It was like listening to a story that didn’t quite connect.

His tone was flat, almost rehearsed, and Reika couldn’t help but wonder if anyone could truly believe it.

"There was a time when I found out that anime were popular all over Japan. I was curious about it, wondering why they had such an impact on people..."

"Someone introduced me to One Pixce, telling me it was one of the most popular anime in the world. I watched it, and I was amazed at how the characters' emotions felt so real. They laughed, cried, even got angry, and it all seemed genuine. The way they spoke... it felt real."

"I ended up watching other anime—Blexch, Narxto, That Txme I Got Rxincarnxted As A Slxme, Overlxrd, and more—just to see how different emotions were portrayed. There was even a character in One Pxnch Mxn who shared a similar experience to mine. But unlike me, he could still feel something in the most intense moments."

Reika listened closely, her mind racing as she tried to piece things together. Then, the realization hit her.

Wait. Could his words be true?

She locked eyes with him, his empty, gray gaze unwavering. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

In the silence, something clicked for Reika. Despite only knowing him for a short time, she realized that Soru was a straightforward person.

Reika wiped the tear from her cheek and massaged her eyebrows, taking a moment to compose herself.

Guhh... After all that lengthy backstory, I really have no choice but to believe him!

She opened her right eye and glanced at Soru.

Alright, time to get this straightened out...

"Shin-kun...!"

Reika took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she stood up, her gaze turning serious as she faced him.

"Ahem! First and foremost..."

She bowed slowly before Soru, catching him off guard. His eyes widened at her unexpected gesture.

"I apologize for my violent outburst earlier. I acted on impulse because of your... messed-up viewpoint, and slapped you. Also..."

Reika lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes filled with sincerity and a touch of shame.

"Knowing that you're the one who's saved me so many times, I feel deeply ashamed of my behavior. I'm truly sorry."

"I don't mind," Soru responded, his tone calm and unaffected.

"Secondly, about your superpower... I want the truth, directly from you."

Soru's expression remained unchanged, his voice remained steady as he answered her question. "Yes."

Just then, Reika closed her eyes after hearing his answer and nodded in agreement.

"Good. And lastly..."

Reika walked toward him and pointed a finger at his head. Soru was baffled by her actions.

"Your viewpoint is so wrong! I can't believe I met someone who’s incapable of expressing emotions, let alone understanding them. No wonder there's not a shred of pity or empathy in your eyes every time I look at you!"

Reika stepped back and stroked her chin, as if pondering something important.

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she looked at him with a spark of realization.

"How about this? Since simply asking for an apology isn't enough, what if I help with that problem of yours? Think of it as an extended apology, considering you've saved me so many times, hm?"

Soru stared at her, still baffled by her proposal.

"What problem are you referring to?"

Reika’s eyebrow twitched in disappointment upon hearing his question.

How dense can he be to ask something like that?

"You know, the lack-of-emotions, what chamacallit...?"

Soru paused for a moment, his expression thoughtful. Then, his eyes widened as he realized what she meant.

"That... seems fair."

"Uh-huh? Indeed, it is fair!"

Reika smirked at him in a dignified manner.

"I'll help you find your own emotions by acting as a guide every time your decisions are off or when something’s troubling you. Maybe, by doing that, we can kindle your dormant feelings!"

Soru thought carefully about her words. A few moments passed before he nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I’m in."

"Hmm~? That's good then!"

Reika paused for a moment, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that same problem of yours before... Was it at a mental awareness event I attended years ago? My memory’s a bit fuzzy..."

"A doctor told me that I have a similar case of Schizoid Personality Disorder."

Reika’s eyes widened in realization.

"Eh? What about its severity...?"

"Pretty high, as I’ve been told."

Reika was taken aback, then slapped her face in frustration.

Then this plan is probably impossible to work out in the first place! If I remember right, severe cases of SPD are hard to deal with!

She stared at him, suddenly worried, and shyly scratched her cheek.

"W-Well... maybe a miracle could happen? Who knows?"

While Reika was lost in her thoughts, Soru noticed that the sun was beginning to set on the horizon.

"It’s getting dark. It might be best to head back inside."

Reika looked up at the sky, now deepening into twilight. The stars, previously hidden by the daylight, began to appear in the heavens.

"Yeah..."

Reika looked ahead and realized that Soru had already started walking away. She turned around and saw him heading back toward the village.

"H-How could you...! Hey, wait for me, will you?!"

Soru heard her and slowed his pace. Reika caught up to him, and they continued walking side by side, crossing the burnt wheat field together.

"By the way, I’m curious about what you did to that dragon earlier. What kind of method did you use?"

"I used the sun to kill it," Soru answered abruptly.

Reika blinked, clearly confused by his response.

"W-What exactly did you do? You burned the dragon to death using the sun? HAHAHAHA—"

"Exactly."

Ehhh~?! I was right?

"I used the sun’s overall energy release to inflict damage on the dragon and killed it with ease."

Reika was stunned, her jaw practically dropping at the explanation.

He used that to deal with that terrifying dragon? That sounds... kind of complex, I guess?

What Soru had done left a deep impression on her. Despite how unbelievable it sounded at first, she found herself believing him without hesitation.

That was a truly out-of-the-box response... The fact that he possesses such power to perform something so absurd is terrifying!

Reika glanced at Soru.

Although his sense of morality might be a little off, his actions had still saved many lives. Blaming him earlier for the deaths of five people had been a mistake on my part...

Reika spotted the village entrance as they approached. She suddenly stopped, watching as Soru continued walking ahead.

"H-hey, Shin-kun!"

Hearing her call his name, Soru halted but didn’t turn around, waiting silently to hear what she had to say.

"S-since both of us came from the same place, sticking together seems like a good idea. And to make that work, establishing some familiarity between us is important, don’t you think?"

Intrigued, Soru turned back and glanced at her. She stood frozen, her expression slightly unusual, as though she was holding back something.

"To establish that familiarity," she continued, "I think we should start calling each other by our first names and drop the formalities."

Soru remained silent, giving no immediate reaction to her suggestion. Noticing his lack of response, Reika fumbled to clarify.

"F-for example, you could just call me Reika without the '-san.' In return, I’ll call you... S-Soru."

Despite her efforts to sound casual, Soru’s silence lingered. Reika couldn’t help but wonder what was holding him back.

Is he... hesitating?

The longer he stayed quiet, the more her nerves started to build. Unable to bear the tension, Reika realized how awkward her request sounded. She quickly covered her face with her hands, her embarrassment washing over her.

Ghhk! Why did I even suggest that?! What if he thinks it’s weird? Was it too much?

“It’s a world different from Japan, you know? Calling each other by our family names feels out of place, s-so I thought we could use our first names from now on. Hehe~”

Reika tried to laugh it off, anxiously awaiting his response. After a brief silence, Soru finally spoke.

“If you say so, that’s fine with me.”

Reika froze in place, stunned by his answer.

Did he just... agree?

Soru turned away and started walking again. A gentle breeze passed between them, the chill in the air signaling that night had fully arrived.

“Let’s go... Reika.”

The sound of her name from his lips made her pause. Then, without warning, a soft giggle escaped her. She quickly realized what she’d done and slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

The heck was that?!

She glanced at Soru, who showed no signs of stopping or looking back. Flustered and eager to move past her own reaction, Reika hurried to catch up with him.

When they finally reached the village entrance, they were met by the sight of Silas, the old man, standing by the gate. His face carried a worried expression as he approached them.

"Mister Soru, Miss Reika, where have you been? I've been searching for you this whole time," Silas said, his voice laced with concern.

Reika, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched her cheek nervously.

"I'm sorry we worried you. We were just outside the village, getting some fresh air..."

The old man sighed but softened his expression. He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter the village.

"After everything that’s happened, I’m sure you must be hungry—just like the rest of us. Come with me, and I’ll get you something to eat."

Silas began walking ahead, and the two followed closely behind. They made their way to the gathering spot where the villagers were seated, sharing their meals under the dim light of lanterns.

Reika glanced around, observing the villagers conversing in a language she couldn’t understand. Though curious, she chose to ignore it and focused on keeping up with Silas and Soru.

While walking, Reika’s attention drifted as a faint sound reached her ears. Amid the many voices speaking the native tongue of the continent, something stood out—soft yet distinct, like a whisper weaving through the noise.

Come here...

She stopped and turned in the direction of the mysterious voice. It felt distant, yet clear enough to catch her attention.

What was that?

Her eyes scanned the villagers around her. Some were eating, chatting with one another, while others stood in line for their share of food. Everything seemed ordinary, yet the voice unsettled her.

That voice... I’m certain it was calling me in Japanese...

A few villagers noticed her sudden pause, their glances curious but brief. One woman stepped closer, looking like she wanted to ask something, but she hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

While they were away earlier, the villagers grew curious about the newcomers. With nothing to hide, the old man explained that they were foreigners from distant lands who spoke a different language.

Although I want to help her, I doubt we’d understand each other..., one of them thought.

Moments passed, and the strange voice that had called to Reika fell silent. With no sign of it returning, she sighed, dismissing the incident.

I must have imagined it...

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

"Are you alright?"

Startled, Reika spun around and froze. The woman before her was speaking in fluent Japanese.

"You...!"

The woman grinned warmly. "I can speak Japanese? Yes, I can!"

Reika recalled that only Silas and his son were supposed to know Japanese in this village. She stared at the woman, confused by how fluent her Japanese was.

I thought only Silas and his son knew Japanese here... So how does she know it?

"You... Who taught you to speak Japanese?" Reika asked, her curiosity piqued.

The woman smiled brightly. "Oh! My childhood friend taught me to speak Japanese fluently."

Reika remained silent for a moment, processing the unexpected answer. Sensing her hesitation, the woman quickly added, a little anxious, "Uh... My childhood friend, Fumeirō, taught me. At first, I just learned it to gossip with him about the villagers without them knowing."

The woman suddenly grabbed both of Reika's hands with excitement.

"Now, who would've thought that I'd meet another person who could speak Japanese fluently? Maybe learning it isn't so bad after all!"

Reika tensed up, surprised by the sudden gesture.

"Ah... Yes, hehehe..."

The woman quickly let go of her hands, noticing Reika's unease.

"Ah! I'm sorry... I got a little too excited..."

Reika smiled, relieved. "It's okay. I'm used to people approaching me like that..."

The woman smiled awkwardly, then extended her hand.

"Before I forget, we didn't have a proper introduction, did we? My name is Sylva, by the way."

Reika reached out and shook her hand with a warm expression.

"I'm... Reika. Reika Mitsuha."

Both of them shook hands in greeting, then let go, smiling at each other.

Just then, Reika's gaze shifted behind Sylva to the dragon's corpse, which had been hacked into smaller pieces and was being loaded onto wagons.

"That dragon... What are they doing with it?" Reika asked, her curiosity piqued.

Sylva turned around and noticed the dragon's remains as well.

"Well," she began, "the village elder said that if the body is left here, it will rot. So, they need to take it to the forest and let it decompose there."

"Is it necessary to mutilate the corpse?" Reika asked, eyeing the process with some hesitation.

"Hm... I think so," Sylva replied. "The corpse is too big and heavy. Dragging it to the forest whole would take too long, so they cut it up and use wagons to transport the pieces. It's just the quickest way."

"That makes sense..." Reika murmured, her gaze following the workers.

She watched the villagers carefully cutting up the dragon’s massive body. Its four large legs were being placed onto the first wagon, while other parts—its neck, head, tail, and wings—were similarly sectioned off and loaded onto separate wagons.

"I’ll be guiding them to the forest," Sylva said, turning to Reika. "Want to come?"