The result of the final examination had been announced as the third-year students gathered in front of the information board. Ichinose Renge was greatly relieved to see her name and passing grade; the studying really paid off as her result was actually better than usual. It might not be a top grade but it was enough to make the purple-haired girl feel relieved, especially since she could focus on her stage play. 

The stage play for ‘A Lady’s World’ would be held at the end of March, a week before Amanohara’s graduation ceremony. The anime was getting even more popular with a live-action movie going underway. That, combined with the fact that it had no ticket fee (as it was a non-profit license)  made the demand to be quite high. It might not be nationwide like the Music Club’s concert, but the city of Kagamioka would definitely watch them, especially those interested in the series. The preparation and the practice had gone smoothly, thanks to the bond between the two leads.

 The Ichinose family reached the performance hall thirty minutes before the show started. They had gotten the first-seat ticket from their daughter as the hall had already been filled with familiar faces of the citizens of Kagamioka. Konomi-sensei, their daughter’s homeroom teacher, led them to their seat beside her. Another couple, which turned on to be the Yanagi family,  followed suit as the teacher welcomed them as well. The teacher then introduced them to each other since she knew that their daughters were so close. Before they could converse, however, the announcement asked for them to be seated, as the performance was about to start.

The hall’s lights turned off for a while, and as the lights were turned back on, the curtain was raised.

A brown-haired girl was laying on top of a large bed. 

“Is this a hospital bed? Where is this place?”

“The last thing I remembered, I was on top of the bridge, when a truck hits me…”

She looked around for a bit as she observed the room. The interior’s pretty traditional. Perhaps, a nearby village?

Her voice seemed to have gathered some attention as the door opened, and a black-haired girl entered the room. 

“Ah, thank you for saving me. Mind tell me where I—”

Before she finished her question, the girl immediately rushed to her. Their face was so close as the seemingly younger girl used her hand to stuff her mouth. 

“Shhh, don’t make any noise. I can’t be found helping an enemy!” 

Eh? Enemy?!-

Silence filled the air as the brown-haired girl was provided with food, on top of medicines. She had a lot of questions but she knew that it was not the time yet, as she quietly ate the food provided. The black-haired girl went out of the room once more as footsteps were closing in. She seemed to be talking with someone, but the voice slowly dissipated as she only went in when everything was over.

“The soldiers are gone, you should be safe for now.” The host, who seemed to be younger, take a seat at the side of the bed. 

“Why do you call me an enemy?” The brown-haired girl was very curious about this part.

The question surprised the black-haired girl instead. “Could it be that you lost your memory?”

The Nation of Orulia was split into two factions, the Knight and Magus Guild which are at war to find the true successor to the Kingdom. The Magus Guild’s members had their contract with the Dark Gods, so they all had black hair as a result. Thus, anyone with different hair colours was either the villager or the enemy.

The brunette was found in the middle of the battlefield, so she was likely to be an enemy soldier. Yet, she was dressed in weird clothing rather than armour, and she had no weapons. Until the black-haired girl could make sure about her, it was best that the soldiers did not find out about her.

Wait a minute? Magic? Kingdom? Where exactly am I? Is this a dream?

The brunette still had many questions, although she was soon interrupted by the black-haired girl joining her on top of the bed. 

“It’s getting late, we can talk more tomorrow. Staying up longer will gain unwanted attention, and you still need your rest as well,” she said as she turned off the lights. Her tone was a little domineering, yet caring at the same time.

As the brown-haired girl was asleep, an unfamiliar voice approached her in the dream. It was the voice of the Goddess (voiced by Chisato) as she said,

“I am really sorry. Your death is an unfortunate mistake from us. We did not expect you to change your mind before jumping on the bridge, and I’ve sent the truck wrongly. To compensate for that, I’ve resurrected you in another world.”

The Goddess’ words did explain a lot of her questions as she was still in disbelief. “Why this world, though?” she asked in curiosity. 

“It’s the only world available right now. We’re very sorry, but we’ll definitely move you to a better world when the war ends.” The Goddess said as her voice disappeared not long after.

… Such an irresponsible Goddess! But it means that I just need to wait for a while. The Goddess kind of hinted that the war is going to end, after all. 

The brown-haired girl woke up in the morning as she found the other girl already awake. The guards seemed to be on patrol so she could talk with the black-haired girl once more. “My name is Arisa, thanks for saving me,” she said, starting with her self-introduction given how they still did not know each other.

“Nice to meet you, Aliza.” The black-haired girl seemed to pronounce it that way. It still sounded similar anyway, and it could be her name in the new world so Arisa did not mind it.

“My name’s Falerys. I come from the Magus side of the royal family, and as the third princess I am a contender to the throne.” It explained her haughty tone, as she explained that she wanted to start a peaceful nation that unite the two sides once more. She saved Aliza, after all, so her words did have weight on them.

After a great battle the night before (the night Aliza was found), the two factions were in a ceasefire. The war was on the brink of ending shortly (as the Goddess promised), with the nation deciding to hold an election for its next leader. Aliza basically could wait for the end of the election to return back to her world. However, she had heard the history of the nation and so it would be wonderful for the nation if Falerys wins. 

“I have decided, I’ll help you to win this, Fally!” Aliza said with an excited tone in her voice.

“Fally?” Falerys asked in surprise. 

“Yes, it’s my nickname for you. Cute, isn’t it?” The brunette grinned, innocently.

“Don’t speak so casually to a royalty like me!” The black-haired girl said, with a blush. She was actually happy about the nickname, as Aliza kept smiling.

“I will do my best to support you as a villager representative.” Aliza said without really thinking it through. At this point, she might not have any specific idea to support Fally at the moment. Characters in the isekai series usually had superhuman strength or real-life knowledge that could change the flow of history. But Aliza had nothing, other than her willingness to help Fally.

Falerys introduced Aliza, the villager, as her aide at the next family dinner, to their surprise. Especially since she was not a member of the Magus Guild. However, they respected their lady’s choice, as they hoped that Aliza could help to appeal to the citizens as well. The Magus Guild really needed to win the election, after all. The table was pretty accepting and friendly even for a first-time stranger like her. Completely different from her work and family.

The scene entered a flashback to Aliza’s previous life. Arisa was the doormat of her company, and family. She never had anything that she decided on her own because others keep using her kindness, to do what they wanted. 

It was such a stressful day at work, and on her way home, her parents anyhow announced that they were visiting her, adding to the extra stress. She was pondering about it on the edge of the bridge when the Goddess’ truck hit her.

This was the first time Aliza was free from the pressure of her past life, and she willingly chose to help the lady that had saved her instead. The best part of it? The decision was all made by herself. It felt so fulfilling to be freed from the burden of others.

The stage darkened as the end of the Act is imminent. The Goddess appeared as she closed the scene with a bright smile.

“This is certainly an interesting development. I wonder what will it lead to.”