In the end, Syalt didn't take Rowley's offer. He was actually considering it, but ultimately decided it for the sole reason that he didn't want to be tied down right now. 

From what he heard, the job would require him to be there for almost seven hours everyday, save for weekends, which were holidays. 

He wouldn't be able to fulfill his goal of living his best life for a year. 

Wait… now that he thought about it… how exactly was he going to do it without spending money? 

Money was supposedly a measure of how powerful you were in this world. The more money you had, the more things you could do.

"I guess I can take on one of those jobs he told me about. And since I'm not actually an amnesiac, rather a reincarnator, then maybe I'll settle for a job that allows me to move around." 

Currently, Syalt was strolling the streets of Tokyo. 

Everything was still very much new to him, so to the locals he looked like a tourist who was lost. 

He couldn't even obey basic traffic signs and lights, and was saved multiple times by some good Samaritans who stopped him from moving to his death. 

"Oh, a street food stall? What are they selling?" 

Syalt stopped momentarily to see a stall, seemingly on wheels. The establishment was centered on a quiet corner of the road, where almost no cars passed by. 

Syalt's memory of food stalls like this were all on the positive side. Even when all the wealth he had garnered had placed him as one of the most wealthy men in the world, his love for establishments like these did not stop. 

The good thing about street food was that it was cheap and very delicious. Most of the time, you wouldn't even have to spend more than twenty copper coins, back in Syalt's old world. 

It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that street food was universally loved. 

And so, Syalt walked to the stall with an eager mindset. The last time he looked in his wallet, he had barely enough to feed himself for a week, by this world's standards. 

He figured he could spend a bit here, since he'd be getting a job soon. He didn't want to pass on this opportunity to experience this country's culture. 

Syalt couldn't exactly understand the meaning of the shop's name, but from the cutely drawn picture beside the shop's logo, he deduced it as some sort of ball made from batter that had a bit of sauce on top of it. 

It didn't look too appetizing, he had to admit. But one whiff of the scent emanating from the stall made him change his mind immediately. It smelled a bit sweet to him, but he didn't mind that one bit. 

"Excuse me. One please." Syalt gestured to the old man who was manning the stall. He was busy flipping the circular shaped food, which was cooking inside a similarly shaped cooker that enveloped the ball perfectly. 

He seemed to catch his order and nodded in response, taking a nearby bottle filled with what Syalt assumed was batter and started spraying its contents into the cooker. 

The batter somehow started to harden, and once it did, the old man started flipping it over and added what seemed to be some sort of meat and vegetables. 

He waited a bit for the food to harden a bit more, and then flipped it over and added some more of the batter. 

Syalt stopped paying attention to it there, instead opting to move his attention to the endless number of pedestrians moving between the roads. 

'If I ever get a job, I hope it doesn't require me to work this early in the morning. I don't think I can handle it.' 

It was only a minute later when Syalt snapped out of his thoughts as the old man from nearby had called him, indicating his food was now finished. 

The old man held the paper tray in his hand, and inside was the food Syalt had ordered. 

There were about three in total. Their size was nothing too small, each being about a quarter the size of Syalt's enclosed fist. 

The sauce he had seen earlier was spread generously on top of the food, making for a mouthwatering appearance. 

Syalt was about to take the tray from the owner's hands, but he was stopped before he even touched it. 

'Oh, right. I need to pa– where's my wallet?' Syalt's blank expression suddenly turned nervous as he noticed that his hand couldn't feel a wallet anywhere in his pockets! 

'Wait– I didn't bring it… Akari forcefully pulled me out of my home without even giving me any time to prepare!' 

Syalt's forehead was now covered in sweat. He had just ordered food from the kind old man, and yet he wasn't going to pay?! 

He would probably be taken in to jail. Or even worse, be forced to pay double the amount!

He couldn't exactly tell the old man that he would leave for a bit and come back with his wallet. It would be stupid. The food would get cold. 

Could he fight off a few policemen? Given how he was in the First Realm, that should be enough to handle a City Guard squadron, so maybe he could escape—

"Whoa, you don't have any money? That's okay, I'll pay for you. Here, take this." 

Syalt's monologue was suddenly stopped as a voice came from the man behind him, who had also lined up and placed his order when Syalt wasn't looking. 

The man was wearing an outfit similar to that of the many pedestrians Syalt saw today. Office clothing, was it called?

"That's okay, we all make mistakes sometimes. Here, take your food. It might get cold." 

After paying for the food, the man took the paper tray from the store owner and gave it to Syalt, who reluctantly accepted this display of kindness. 

"What's your name?" 

Once the man had taken his food too, he went over to Syalt, who had chosen to stand beside the stall. He hadn't eaten his food yet, and was just staring at it mindlessly. 

"You should eat it. I know your mother probably told you not to expect food from strangers, but it's not like it came from me."

Taking his word for it, Syalt took one of the balls using a small wooden spike he was given and placed it into his mouth. 

It was unlike anything he had tasted before. The food was soft, and melted easily in his mouth. It tasted savory and a bit sweet. 

He took the time to take in all the flavors, making sure not to miss one as he enjoyed every bit of the food. 

But it was then he had noticed the man from earlier. He was staring at Syalt with an amused expression.

"Who are you?" 

"Me? Just a hungry man who forgot to eat his breakfast, and so decided to have it here." 

"Why are you smiling?" Syalt watched the man warily as he took another piece into his mouth. 

"You remind me of a certain someone I used to talk to. The first time I met her, she was just a small child, about this tall." The man raised his open palm just above his thighs. 

"She had ordered some takoyaki, just like you did. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have enough money to pay for it." 

"What's Takoyaki?" 

"Huh? You don't know what Takoyaki is? It's the food you're eating right now." The man looked at Syalt with a confused expression.

"Oh. What happened to the girl?"

"I paid for the food, just like right now. She ate with the same satisfied expression you have right now."

"I see." 

"Heh. You don't talk too much, don't you?" 

"I just prefer to keep things to myself." 

"That's understandable. Anyway, enjoy your food. It's about time I head to work, or I might miss the train. The name's Daisuke, by the way. Daisuke Misuzu. I hope we cross paths again."

***

"Misu..zu?" 

The whole time during their conversation, Syalt was only paying half attention to what Daisuke had said. His takoyaki was simply too delicious.

He was grateful for him since he paid for the food, and as such tried to respond whenever he could. 

By the time he noticed the resemblance in his and Akari's surnames, he had already disappeared. 

"Is it possible? Or is it just a coincidence? But they looked too similar…" 

Syalt's trained eye could notice some of their more obvious features, such as their shared eye colors and identical shade of hair. 

"Whatever, it's not my business. I should head back home for now." Syalt threw the paper tray into the trash and headed in the direction of his house. 

Hours seemed to pass as Syalt ended up losing himself in the city. Every bit of sight caught his interest, from the trees to the landmarks. 

He'd even occasionally do some window shopping and practice communication with some of the locals, who were more than happy to talk for a bit with him. 

It was very enjoyable to Syalt, but he ended up forgetting the correct way to his home. 

The sun had already began to set and Syalt still couldn't find anything remotely resembling the apartment complex he lived in. He'd already passed by so many people and buildings that he'd already given up on making it back. 

"Wait, I should be able to get back home. If I remember, I still have it with me." Syalt dug his hands into one of his pockets. 

His fingers made contact with a rectangular shaped object. This was his phone!

Before he had gone to take out the trash, Syalt had checked his phone and saw the messages from Akari. When he decided to postpone replying to her, he placed the phone into his pocket. 

"At least I have you with me. Although I don't have a good idea on how to fully operate you, I at least know that I can use you to make emergency calls. Let's see here… 110."

 

Syalt carefully dialed in the number that he remembered hearing was the emergency contact number. 

A rhythmic rune began playing as the phone began contacting the authorities. Syalt himself didn't know he was calling the police, but he was happy to have something to rely on at this moment of crisis. 

"110, this is the police. What is your reason for calling this number?" 

"Hi, yes. I'm lost. I've been wandering around the city for a while now, and can't find my way back home." 

"Do you remember where you live, sir?" 

"Yeah, it should be at [*** ****** ******]."

Syalt's inhuman memory allowed him to remember almost every important bit of information he came across. He didn't exactly trust the person on the other side of the call, but he knew the number itself was trustworthy. 

"Great, and do you know where you are right now?" 

"No." 

"I see. Could you look around for me, then? Anything to help set the place apart?" 

"If it helps, there's this really large, pointed tower right behind me. It's pretty tall, and it stands on four legs. It gets thinner as it gets to the top." 

"Sir… are you at the Tokyo Tower?" 

"Is that what it's called? Then I guess I am."