A couple hours after the debacle. The three heroes had been assigned separate large guest rooms to accommodate themselves to. They were offered extravagant food and other luxuries, but they could seldom enjoy it. The refreshing boy leaned on his elbows on the white balcony observing the moon in the sky. A full moon, it was.
“It really looks like the sky from home.”
A voice filled with worry and longing. It had only been a couple of hours since he and his two friends were in their home world.
“We really were just going home, and then a sudden flash of light came under me. That was the summoning circle, wasn’t it? And then the two grabbed onto me, bringing themselves here as well. If only I had shook them off there. To be caught up in such a situation.”
The refreshing boy sighed.
“I guess it can’t be helped now. But I do really want to help the people of this world, even after all that. Sorry, I have decided. It looks like we can’t go back anyway without the Hero of Light’s help. But as the prince looking guy said she’s dead, so there’s nothing we can do for now. For now I’ll defeat the demon lord so we can help them while being one step closer to getting home. ” What a justice filled boy, this refreshing boy was.
“But first I’ll have to convince Yuna. She has always been like that. I’ll definitely get her and Shirane-senpai home if it’s the last thing I do.” With the refreshing boy’s smile, he closed the doors to the balcony and went inside, closing the curtains along the way. Little did he know there were blue eyes watching over him from the very beginning he set foot on the balcony.
A couple minutes later, the balcony doors next to his opened. It was the homely girl dressed in nightwear. Her hair was wet from having recently taken a bath.
She too looked towards the sky, towards the moon. Her eyes were still red from the tears earlier, but now her eyes were much firmer. The homely girl didn’t say anything, but quietly looked towards the neighboring balcony towards the refreshing boy’s room. Maybe somewhere in her heart she had decided on something and resolved herself like the refreshing boy.
Why are you otherworlders so obsessed with the moon, you moon loving weirdos?
But the homely girl couldn’t hear the young boy’s complaints, and headed back inside like the refreshing boy did a couple of minutes earlier.
Now let’s see the last one. Where are you, no longer elegant girl?
She wasn’t in her room from the absence of life in the room. The young boy closed his eyes, feeling for her life force signature around the area. Unfortunately, it was a really troublesome area.
Not the courtyard! No longer elegant girl, don’t be insane. It’s not the time to test magic!
The young boy melted into the darkness quickly moving towards the place of the not so elegant girl. Silently moving like a ghost towards the location, and what awaited him was not a scene of magic or a hero’s resolve, but one of awe and enchantment.
With the moonlight glowing on the fountain’s water’s surface, the not so elegant girl became an elegant girl once again. Every single step was placed with care, every single movement had no wasted motion, every breath matched the rhythm of silence. The black hair fluttered so brilliantly as if it was following her very footsteps. The fan in her hand spun in her hand as if it was intertwining fate along with it. A face so full of beauty and elegance that could pull any man’s heartstrings. Even for the hopeless young boy watching from afar.
Every little movement added more to the story being written under the light. Violet eyes longing for something that she can’t reach. A light that she could only hope to see. A story that she hopes to only get a glimpse of.
The performance went on. Slower, and slower, it got, as if she were approaching the ending of a story.
The young boy could only watch in silence as the story came to an end.
The again no longer elegant girl was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily sitting on the ground in front of the fountain.
“Practicing in a school uniform is really hard, isn’t it?” Words for no one.
“If someone is there, would you please talk to me? Even a ghost would be fine. It is an isekai, it wouldn’t be too strange if some god was actually here as well.” Empty words with no real meaning.
“As if somebody could be here at this time of the night.” Laughed the girl seemingly at herself.
She got up and walked back towards the rooms, and the hopeless boy could only watch her back disappear into the darkness.
“Young master, was it really fine to let her go?” A transparent figure asked worriedly besides the young boy. A ghost of an old man.
“It’s fine, it’s not right to meet her like this.”
“You should have definitely talked to her, boy. Wouldn’t it have been the meeting of a lifetime under the moonlight? An impactful meeting like one from the stories you read all the time. Like everything you have been dreaming of, “ teased another ghost, this time one of an old woman.
“Shut up. Leave me alone.”
“Polla you don’t understand a young man’s heart. The boy only wanted to look much cooler for a beautiful girl. Look at him, dressed in all black. What is that!” Laughed a middle aged-man hysterically.
“It’s part of the get-up, damn it! It’s not like I wanted to wear this either. It’s this stupid transformation! Doesn’t this look like I’m trying too hard? Aren’t I some loner? What is this? I’m really going to cry, you know! I’m really going to cry!”
“Leno, don't bully the young master too much. He’s always had struggles talking to people, talking to an otherworlder girl he just met even in disguise is too high a hurdle.” said the old man.
“Stop it please!”
It hits too close to home!
“Also, what’s up with you three following me tonight? I told you ghosts to stay home.”
“But when I heard the young master had to go watch over the otherworlders since he was late to the summoning ritual, I couldn’t be more worried.”
“Yep, yep, I completely understand. This boy here other than talking to ghosts is completely socially inept. Come here, grandma here will take care of you.” Polla opened her hands wide with her arms in wait, but instant rejection.
“Shut up. It’s not like back then. I can talk properly to people now. Right, Zayne? Right, Leno?”
The boy's eyes sought confirmation from the two others.
“Yeah…” the two said in unison, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Hey, what’s with that? Is there something wrong?”
“No, you can definitely speak well now, boy.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, young master.”
“Somebody tell me what’s going on!”
“Then let me explain for you,” said Polla with her index finger up as if she was a teacher.
“Let’s look at the scenario here. Boy, you enter a new school. What’s the first thing you do?”
“Umm, check the layout of the school?” answered the boy honestly.
“A normal answer expected of you, but okay next?”
“Then I read the details of all the students enrolled there? Isn’t that obvious?”
“What are you, a spy! He’s too far gone. Maybe it was our education?” sighed Polla essentially giving up,
“Boy, stop thinking in terms of the job. Let’s say all you need to do is to enjoy your school life. What then?” asked Leno.
“Wouldn’t the right thing to do be to grandly introduce myself? A dramatic mysterious transfer student, or maybe a cool lone wolf character, maybe a class clown? What would be good, you think?”
“Introduce yourself normally! It’s not a rom-com!” sighed Leno, giving up like the poor soul before him.
“Young master, don’t overthink it too much. Just be yourself…”
“Hey, Zayne, why are you trailing off? Why do you always know how to say the most hurtful words in the nicest way possible? Is it your talent? Were you born with it? Or did you get it when you die?”
“Well, if it’s you boy it will probably be fine,” said Polla returning from the dead with a troubled smile.
“Young master will definitely be fine,” said Zayne.
“Yeah as long as he becomes self-aware.”
“What did you say Leno?”
“Nothing, boy. As long as you be yourself, everything will be spectacular!” said Leno with a smile.
“I see. Thanks, you three. Then it's time to leave this spot I guess. Even if everybody is asleep, if one of the guards passes here, it will be a serious pain.” The young boy faded into the moonlight once again, leaving the three ghosts behind. With a ghost’s abilities and freedom of movement, there was no need to worry about anything happening to the three. Not even the best magicians in the world could sense or detect them, but more importantly for the ghost’s, the young boy's future was at stake.
“Fooling such an innocent boy, what are you thinking Leno!”
“It wasn't my fault, Polla! Besides, you and Zayne are definitely laughing at him. In a week when he goes to school, won’t he only cause troubles?“
“And most likely women troubles, too. What a troublesome young master.”
“Well… he does have a handsome face after all, it’s just that he has the common sense of a ghost rather than a human…”
“Who’s fault was that, old hag! Because you doted on him too much , he became like that. Well, knowing him, he’ll probably be popular with the girl’s anyway. Though he’s a bit of a showoff”
“Young master is a sinful man making all the girls he meets cry.”
“Hey Zayne, don’t say that to his face , he really will cry you know. The boy has a sensitive heart.”
“But even if the boy makes a lot of girls cry in the process, I want him to be happy.”
“What are you saying old hag, isn’t that decided from the beginning?”
“Right, may the young master obtain happiness. That is our only wish.”
A young boy returned to his room. Books and books everywhere, on the ground, on the bed, on the shelves. The young boy sat at his desk opening a large worn-out notebook. At the very first page what was written was the boy’s name, Ori Stella, the sole heir to the Stella family’s earl rank. Many pages had been written in detail about many things that the boy could think and remember. What was written in here wasn’t a diary, but a boy’s recount of history along with his hopeful wishes for the future. In the second half of the book, there were empty pages only waiting to be filled in by the boy’s own hand. Today would be the first day since that day long ago he would be able to write in this book once again.
“Finally the story will start once again.”
The truth is that the young boy didn’t have the desire to write in this book again.
“If I hadn’t been late! Well… I guess it can’t be helped.”
And so the hopeless boy, Ori, finished the first entry into the large book. And he could only wish, for a better future for all involved within the hands of fate, as he fell asleep gently, as if he was beloved by the goddesses themselves.
The MC's place in the story is very confusing.