[Vol. 1] Chapter-2: To a Different World! (5)
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As we were both gazing at our reddening faces, we heard a door knock which came unexpectedly, making us flinch in surprise. Aya got up from the bed and strided to the door as I followed behind her, and as she opened it, we saw an old lady outside.

“Hello!”

She was limping unsteadily as she came a few steps inside.

She had winter-white hair which almost looked like it was fossilized. She wore brown, musty, soiled clothes and had a chiseled face.

“I-it's a pleasure to meet you.” 

I greeted and bowed my head down, Aya flinched a little and copied me, bowing down.

“Aww such nice manners. You both are the new students. Am I right?”

“Yes, I’m Hisashi Kurogane, and she is Aya Tsukuyomi.” 

We both replied, and she continued her-

“Kurogane… Anyways, I am Emily, the hostel warden. It might be a little late to say, but welcome to our academy!”

“Thank you...”

Same reaction from her. Why do all the people I meet here seem to mutter my surname? Not only Emily, but even Julian, Valentina and principal ma’am Celesta! Have they really met someone with the same name before? This is the only thing that I can think of as of the moment, as it was my first time in this world. First time for Aya also.

“Your school uniforms are present inside the closet along with normal clothes, I’m sure you might’ve already taken a look inside. Also, I am waiting outside, you can get changed and come with me, and here are the keys.”

She handed two keys to both Aya and I. Fumu. We were wearing our own school’s uniform, the uniform of Kaisei High. I guess it's time for a new uniform to wear daily to school.

“I will show you the cafeteria. Please hurry as lunch is about to be served.”

“Okay.”

Emily left the room, limping along the way, and closed the door. We both took turns and went inside the bathroom and got changed, made sure that the door to our room was locked, and went with Emily as she guided us to the cafeteria. After we reached the cafe, Emily headed back to the hostel, and we went inside to grab our lunch.

The cafe was filled with students and staff members, including teachers, all in their uniform. It kind of makes both of us be the odd one out, wearing casual clothes, me wearing blue jeans and a bottle-green t-shirt, Aya wearing a short red skirt with designs of black lines, and a black top.

We grabbed our lunch and took a seat at a two-person table present in the corner of the cafeteria. I suggested that we should sit at a corner so that we don’t draw attention being in all casual clothings since it was our first time, and I think Aya would be very uncomfortable if such a situation arises.. 

Anyways, the food, it looked really delicious! Even though we don’t really know what animal’s meat it is, the delectable aroma that emanated from it watered my mouth and made me forget that it was an unknown meat for us. I couldn’t hold myself back and took the first bite. 

*Munch* *nom* *nom* 

“This food is so tasty! It reminds me of that day during the summer vacation when we went to the aquarium. The lunch in that restaurant was also tasty, right, Aya?”

She was already munching on her food, her face conveyed that she liked it a lot, which I expected because it is way too good to not like.

*Nom* *nom*

“Yes! But for some reason, the food here is tastier than that restaurant!”

“Yea!”

Yea, she’s actually true. The food here was tastier than that restaurant for some reason. Probably because it was our first time eating such meals, the meals of a different world.

Anyways, after lunch, we headed back to our rooms.


We even had our dinner in the cafe, Emily had come to call us and inform us of the time when dinner would be served. Even about tomorrow's class, which will start at eight. Breakfast would be served in the cafeteria at around half past seven, so we have to get up at around half past six, or at seven, I guess. Lol, please don’t mind me. I just sometimes plan ahead so that no time delay would be experienced. 

Now, with a new pair of clothes, I was waiting for Aya to come out of the bathroom, waiting for my turn for the bath. Well, it was only now that I realised we would be sharing the same bathroom! I mean, I don’t mind, but for some reason, I was starting to blush, and I don’t know why, though.

After a few more minutes or so, the bathroom door opened, and Aya walked out. She was done with the bath, and when I saw her, I found my gaze stuck on her beauty, the beauty visible in one right after their bath. 

She wore new clothes. A mint-green t-shirt and blue revealing hot pants that made me blush intensely. These were the clothes in this world and to see that their fashion is this modern, when the houses and the market we came by were medieval type, and horse-carts running around, fumu. This world Brieztopia is truly absurd.

Anyways, it was the first time I saw her immediately after bath. Her black hair was giving out a faint glow and her velvety face looked brighter than usual, beautiful like a lovely goddess.

She slowly began to blush as she caught me gazing at her with perverted eyes. But I didn’t mean to look at her with a lecherous gaze! I have absolutely no right to deteriorate her youthful and exquisite beauty with my lewd intentions. It might’ve been because of teenage…But whatever. I was still not able to revert my eyes from her though, until-

“H-Hisashi…”

-I heard her mutter my name. I snapped out of her beauty that caught my eyes and apologised-

“Aah I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to look at you like that…”

“It's o-okay...Since it was you, I-I didn't mind....”

W-w-wait…What did she just say?? She didn’t mind because it was ME? She muttered in a low voice though, so there’s a chance that I might’ve been mistaken, but I knew I had not. Something was pretty EXTREMELY sus. 

About what she just said, I began gleaming red with embarrassment, and her face further reddened also. She might’ve realised what she just spoke, lol, and that’s why she was now gleaming red.

“S-s-so anyyywayss, Imma go take a bath now…”

“O-okay...”

I went inside the bathroom with the spare clothes in my hand.

The delightful sensation of the cool water from the shower made me very relaxed, and I reflected on Aya's beauty that made my eyes get transfixed onto her. I guess I shouldn't have thought about it, because now I’m starting to gleam red, disrupting my relaxing feeling.
But she really is pretty though, and as I mentioned, it was my first time I saw her immediately after a bath.

I came out of the bath and saw Aya who just completed spreading the bedsheets for both the bunks, it seemed, and was now sitting on the bed. 

She now seemed to be gazing at me, her face turning all red like tomatoes. I guess what happened with me was happening with Aya also, lol. Her blushing face made it blatantly obvious. That’s right. Her cheeks flushed as soon as she noticed me coming out. At that time I was rubbing my hair dry with my towel, and little did I notice that my muscular arms and legs were clearly visible to Aya because of wearing an orange t-shirt and black shorts.

Lol, now I was beginning to gleam red also. I couldn’t help it. Along with my reddening face, I gave a small laugh at her, scratching the back of my head.

“Haha...”

Anyways, about tomorrow. I’ve already mentioned, but we need to get up at around half past six in the morning. Aya already knows that too, so no need to tell her that.

“Ok then, let's head to bed, Aya. It'll be our first day in the academy tomorrow, so gotta wake up early.”

“Huh? O-oh, mm!” 

She replied stutteringly, snapping out of my natural handsomeness that had piqued her attention. Haha, just joking. But it was true that her gaze was perpetually stuck on my face.


It’s been a few hours since we slept, Aya on the top bunk literally above my face. If the bed happens to break down on me, it would actually be my last breath, lol.  But I know Aya ain’t that heavy though, the bed ain’t even that weak to start with.
Still, I was feeling a little uneasy, and I wasn’t able to sleep because of it, such a trivial matter. Lying on the bed awake was also slowly becoming a nuisance for me. I kept on tossing and turning left and right, but I was still not able to doze off. I guess I can get some fresh air from the balcony.

I slowly got off my bed, trying my utmost not to wake her up from her sleep. I could hear her breathing, being faintly audible, and she was slowly drifting into deep slumber, and I took a peek at her adorable sleeping face. She was like a sleeping beauty, asleep on a comfy bed for eternity along with a tiny smile built up on her face, as if she was living her life at the fullest in an idyllic dream.
But wait, cut out the ‘sleep for eternity’ part, lol. Or else, I would get lonely in this unknown bizarre world, ‘Brinjalophopia’ or whatever it was, lol. ‘Brinjal having a phobia’ sounds good ha-ha! Ahem, please don’t mind me.

But, seriously speaking, I would not hesitate to become a murderer if something happens to Aya. I swear to god. I wanted to protect her out of my own accord after getting to know that she was living such a miserable life, and I will.

Anyways, I was a little happy as she was at least peaceful in her dreams, getting to know from that tiny smile. It might not always be the case, though. ‘Coz that day, back at Aya's home, she had a terrible, terrible nightmare. I mean, getting her limbs and head sliced off, who could bear such horrific things? Just the thought of it sends minute chills down my spine.

I approached the glass door that separated the balcony from the room and opened it feebly and silently so that she would not wake up.  Walking up to the parapet glass walls, I stood there relaxed, gazing at the remarkable view of the campus of this ‘Fedmorth’ academy while resting my arms on the steel just above the glass parapet walls.

The minty fresh air I breathed eased me from the inside, and the cool zephyr that blew brushing over my skin eased me from the outside. The view truly was remarkable as I’ve mentioned! Since the campus was vast, there were roads and stuff, having lamps and street lights that seemed to be glowing on its own. 

It was different for our room, though. The technology of the lights in our room was just like any other house on Earth. Electrically powered lights. Were we really in a different fantasy world though? Or just on Earth in a parallel world? Because I have another point in favour of my question: Clothes. They wore modern clothes according to our world, that is jeans, t-shirts, etc. People in fantasy worlds usually wear sort of medieval clothes like...you know...Doublets, breeches and...stuff. 

Wait, in the market area, houses were medieval type, and jeans can’t be sewn bare-handedly. So does that mean that they have surpassed the age of industrialization??

Well, we are still learning about this new world, so it would definitely take some time to get to know it fully and properly. I think there are more such bizarre things yet to be known by us, and far more bizarre things yet to be discovered. For the time being, me and Aya are just students in a magic academy in a different world.

It was not too long while enjoying the peaceful silence that suddenly, all the lights went out. The street lights beside the roads, faintly glowing lights from the buildings, and the lights present on top of the walls that marked the boundary of the academy’s premises. Every single one of them. It was as if the whole campus had gone to a lights out status.

I was shaking tremendously, one could surely tell so. My arms and legs slowly began to shake with terror and I started sweating, quite intensely. It was all because of fear, and I was frozen where I was standing, along with my shaking limbs.
Thankfully, the lights came back pretty soon, in just about a minute or so. I slowly calmed down as my arms and legs went back to normal state from the shaking. But the question remains: What was it just now? I could go and ask Emily, our hostel warden about the thing just now, but that would be a little stupid of me, I guess. Whatever, stupid or not, my curiosity was more important to me than caring about my stupidity. And I truly was curious. I could even get some fresh air at the same time, I guess.

I slipped out of the room, making sure Aya was still asleep, and made my way down to the ground floor where Emily sat on her desk, her hands on a candlestick telephone on her desk. She was trying to dial some numbers. I hid behind the wall near the hallway which entered the main front room of this building we were in, and peeked at her.

Wow, so there are telephones and stuff in this world too! I genuinely didn’t notice anything like that since we came. A modern fantasy world, huh. Well, not that modern though, because that was a candlestick telephone, and there ain’t no mobile phones and stuff, at least I haven’t seen any. And not to mention horse-drawn carriages instead of motor cars!

She kept the telephone on loudspeaker too. What? How is this possible? I mean, I was clearly able to hear the ringing sound that the phone makes while trying to connect the call, from the telephone. But I am very much aware that these kinds of telephones don’t have any loudspeaker feature.

Well, I see now. Magic. I didn’t even notice the white magic circle that was formed over her left hand. That hand was not in my line of sight though, and I had to move a little in order to catch that. That might’ve been why I didn’t perceive it. But what kind of magic??

Anyways, she was trying to call someone, and has been doing it for a few minutes now. I was also peeking at her this whole time, and now, the call was finally answered-

[*Ring*......*ring*...... This is Juuulian~]

Aah, Julian.

He sounded like his usual self, shouting in a playful voice like kids when they hear the bell depicting the end of school. It was past midnight, and he still shouted like that. Yare yare.

“Did you notice what happened a while ago?”

[About the sudden power cut? Yeah, we're working on it. From what I believe, this was not a usual power cut.]

Wow, that was pretty quick. I mean, to turn his voice from playful like a kid to serious like an owl, that was pretty impressive, not gonna lie.

“Okay. Just be careful, I might have a slight idea on what’s wrong.... Do you think it's them?”

[I was thinking the same thing. We are going to give a full round of security checks around the campus. And classes should not be cancelled if there's no potential threat found.]

His voice slightly fainted in tone. I could feel that he might’ve gotten immersed in tension and worry. 

“Okay. Please make sure to cover each and every corner of the campus, they're really good at hiding.”

[Yes, leave that to me.]

Saying this, Julian cut off the line of the call, and Emily kept the telephone in its place. Her face was still engulfed with a concerned look, I could see, and then sighed out in exhaustion.

I wonder what I should do...Let’s not disturb her. I mean, she’s already overwhelmed with anxiety, I don’t want to put extra unnecessary pressure on her.

I reached our room, got on and slept on the bunk bed. Aya was still asleep, her breathing being faintly audible like before. I somehow managed to slip out from there without Emily noticing me, but their conversation still made me feel uneasy.

I mean, what did she mean by “do you think it’s them?” and what did Julian mean by “this was not an usual power outage.”? Haah, my head’s gonna explode from all that thinking. Tomorrow’s the first day of our class, and here I am awake past midnight. 

I was slowly beginning to feel dizzy also, my eyelids became heavy and I wasn’t able to keep them open for long, and shut them, dozing off in deep slumber.

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