...Everything that just happened today… All those new people… The pain I felt when I came to be… The embarrassment I felt as everything feels like it’s falling apart.

I need to clear my head… Just how much can I trust words of people I don’t even know? And I’m just a weakling compared to them, why do I have to believe that they don’t actually hold me to any value? I’m probably just expendable to them when they find someone else to pity. If I don’t have strength what else do I have? Nothing.

Am I really doomed to be stuck here? After everything my luck is just shit isn’t it…

…Well at least no one confiscates my weapon, must’ve been quite confident to let someone who they don’t know keep it… Hmph, not like it’s misplaced from what I can tell, which is just peachy. I can barely think straight let alone wield a weapon. No idea what to do, no idea what to think. Of all the things that have to happen, it’s this, just why?

…I’ll just try to sleep and hope everything just sorts itself out… They better not come barging in screaming or some shit…

…

…

…

“Let’s go to a tavern!” WHAT THE FUCK!?

“Oi don’t just barge in so suddenly!” I scolded her sudden arrival. It hasn’t even been that long of a nap! “Respect my sleep would you!?”
“Huh? It’s a new day already.” She said sounding… Wait, I actually slept through yesterday?

“What.” I just spouted out nonsense, completely taken aback by whatever the hell she just said.

“Mhm? It’s a new day already… Must’ve slept well huh…” She muttered with a smile, sounding relieved… I felt like I could pop a vein, but… I literally can’t.

“Now what in the world are you thinking of having me do next…” I said still feeling tired. Mentally.

“Like I said. We should go to the tavern and get to know more people. And maybe other places too. You barely get to see even a fraction of the kingdom.” She said, sounding enthusiastic about the plan.

…Something tells me this is going to be my life for a long while… What a chore…

“Oh right! You should wear something a bit more casual than that.” She mentioned. I guess this ragged cloak or whatever looks odd, and my clothes are tattered… Meanwhile she’s… wearing a white shirt and black pants… It’s casual but not what I’d call impressive to look at. Speaking of that cloak, I already removed it. “I’ll go get a sweater or something for you.”

She left without giving me more time to protest… Great. Seems like I have to deal with even more people, probably some monstrous demons or shady mages or something possibly worse. I really would like to keep the axe with me just in case, but that sounds like asking for trouble.

“Here! This looks good on you!” She barged in again with a pinkish sweater and a…

“Why did you bring a skirt!?” I yelled at her feeling embarrassed just seeing it.

“Hm? It’s not like you’re gonna be fighting anything, so it won’t get in the way.” She said completely missing the point.

“Why the hell would I wear a skirt!” I complained loudly. Just what would possess her to think I’ll wear that!

“Eh? Because you’re a girl?” …Ugh. My head… It feels like it’s throbbing… “A-Are you alright?”
“Fine… I’m fine…” What was I again? I feel like I need to check myself again just to be sure… “Got a mirror or something?”

“Oh! Well we have that in the hallway and each of our rooms. Guess we sorta forget to give one to you huh…” She said, scratching her head… “...Oh! Wait a bit, I’m sure we still have one or two places somewhere dumb!”
She said before running off again… Just great…

I’m… I freaking hate this memory loss issue, it seems like I also forget what just happened yesterday as well, at least like the beginning of it. Can’t even quite remember my name… Maxi, Maxie, Maxi… Whatever, close enough.

“Back!” That girl said barging in with a full-body mirror. Let’s just take a look and get this over with…

“Hmm…” I mumbled to myself seeing my appearance again. Kinda scrawny, pale yet dark skin, and messy hair… Of course, I also look extremely different than back then, and also clearly not a…

…

“Are you sure you’re okay…” She asked again.

“I’m fine. Just… fine.” I said trying to reassure myself most of all. “Still… Not gonna wear that shit. Even you aren’t wearing it.”

“Jeez… Fine, be that way.” She said in disappointment. “Guess I’ll go find a shorts or something.”
And there she goes. She wasn’t this overly enthusiastic yesterday was she? It’s hard to tell since I don’t really know her, it’s literally been a day and my mind is being such an annoying mess.

“Back!” She said finding a blue shorts. Well that works I guess, better than a skirt that’s for sure.

She handed me the sweater and shorts and let me undress to… This feels embarrassing… I can see it on her face that she knows I am too, my body is completely different and having to undress and see it in full is really embarrassing and humiliating, at least she quickly looks away.

…Just don’t think too much about it… Don’t look at your chest and crotch and think anything weird…

“...I’m done.” I said, sounding very exhausted. It’s just dressing up, and I don’t actually feel physically exhausted, but it feels like there’s a large brick weighing my head down.

She turned around and observed me for a second, her eyes moving and looking at every corner of my body… This is freaking creepy.

“Good! Let’s go then. The tavern always has people going in and out from sunrise to sunset… Well this world’s version of it anyway.” She said, looking away awkwardly as she mentioned the otherworldliness of this place. “It’s the best way to get to know everyone here!’

“Do I really have to?” I said as we both walked out of my room and went downstairs, feeling like this is all just an absurd string of events still… It’s hard to see it all as real.

“Mhm? It’ll be fun! Isn’t it better to know a lot of people?” She innocently asked.

“At least I don’t have to wonder what kind of crazy people live here anymore...” I snarked back, still feeling a bit skeptical about this whole deal.

Both of us went outside and walked along the road again… Everything on the surface certainly looks normal enough, but when you look up… Well… Nothing is normal.

A dark void filled with random colors hovering over the sky like an abyss. It’s chilling to look at and certainly shows just how screwed up this place is…

“Oh right! The tavern has great food too! Wouldn’t you like to try some?” She chimes in while we’re still walking. Food huh… Wait…

“I can barely feel anything, can I even taste food?” I replied. I haven’t really eaten anything or felt a need to, so that’s a question worth asking.

“Uhhh… Probably not… sorry. There’s probably a way to change that, but I literally just started out…” She shamefully explained, scratching the back of her head as if conveying her cluelessness.

“Whatever…” I mumbled. At least I don’t have to eat so no taste isn’t that much of an issue… Still, who doesn’t like eating just for the sake of it every now and then… I’ll worry about that later.

“I’ll try contacting Teacher so I can learn how to fix it alright? Please be patient.” She said, bowing down for a moment to show how sincere she’s being. Then she pulled out the weird device again and started doing something with it.

…

*ZAP*
“ARHG!” IT HURTS! What the hell was that!?

“Eeeek!” Why are you surprised by this!? 

“Why does that scare you!? Didn’t you do that!?” I screamed at her. What the hell is with me being zapped!?

“N-No! I just contacted Teacher about it and suddenly…” She trailed off at the end. Doesn’t that imply she’s the cause if one happens right after the other!? I can tell she isn’t the one casting the spell or whatever but still! Definitely related!

*Bonk*

“What now!?” I screamed out after feeling something drop on my head. What is it… “A lollipop!?”

“Hmm…” She stared at that strange device again while I picked up this candy on a stick, it’s in a package still so it’s not being dirty on the floor. “I think Teacher did something to your taste buds. Try licking it.”

“But why lollipop?” I cringed at the instruction, because this lollipop is like one of those in drawings that is just a massive colorful flat circle on a stick. This one freaking looks like a rainbow too, it just looks like something for children.

She just stares at me waiting for me to do it… I’m just gonna look away while doing that…

It’s not even that sweet… Wait. “Huh. Can actually taste something…”

“That’s great to hear!” She joyfully said. Meanwhile I just stare at the lollipop. I think that was good enough so… “H-Hey why throw it away!?”
“I don’t wanna eat it.” I dryly said. Say it’s a waste of food or whatever, but it really wasn’t any good. Why is she pouting at me looking disappointed… “Just get going already.”

“...Alright. Please don’t litter again.” That’s her issue? Of all things she seems to be mad about…

“Just move on already.” I said, lightly pushing her to continue walking to wherever she’s leading me to. Thankfully she didn’t say anything else as we continued walking on this road. Of course there are beast people about as well, just gonna ignore that the best I can…

It’s best to not think about it and go with the flow right now, since I still have no clue about anything to act at all. All I really know is that wherever this is, it sure as hell far from my home, and no doubt many dangerous people are running about.

“By the way, don’t worry about the cost, I can cover it.” She said as we continued this walk. Now she’s flaunting her wealth? It’s not hard to tell she’s more than well-off with that kind of home.

“Right…” I replied with just a word, don’t really feel like snarking about that. Pretty lucky that I’m at least stuck with someone rich in these confusing times.

I can see a large building in the distance with multiple roads from many directions leading to it. Seems like this area we’re going to is like the center of this kingdom or town or whatever else, I really wasn’t told about this area aside from ‘people live here’.

“Here we are!” She announced once we actually got close to the place. It isn’t very tall but it’s extremely wide, it seems like it could hold a lot of customers.

“Is this the tavern?” I asked seeing as that’s where she’s supposed to bring me.

“Yeah. It’s a really popular tavern built when we all first moved here. It got this magic feel to it.” She said not giving much to go on. From the sounds of it, it's a very important location for locals here, and there’s gonna be tons of people coming in and out, but she has said that before already.

“Hopefully there’s no one out to get me the moment we got in.” I muttered, still feeling paranoid about the whole deal, she might be confident dealing with whoever comes in and out of here, but I literally have no idea about this place at all, so if there’s some unacceptable act or something chances are I’m gonna break it and die.

“It’s a very friendly place! That’s not gonna happen!” She assertively defended this place’s honor, considering she didn’t raise her voice at me much so far that’s saying something.

“Fine. I’ll just shut up and go in.” I said then gestured at her to go in first. Better someone who knows around the place takes the lead.