Alex asked, "What would you do if you were me?"

Fufi replied, "I would use my gift from the gods. With the magical powers and skills from the system, people can do things that are impossible in your world. For example, Emerald Dryad could build a house for someone with just a cute song, a nice dance, and a bag of seeds."

Alex was perplexed. How could someone make a house with just three things, two of which were intangible? He thought to himself, "How could someone even make a house with just a dance?"

Fufi responded, "She would plant the seeds, then dance around them to encourage them to grow. The song was about how the plants would grow together to form a house. The house would have living trees for walls, a roof with vines filling in the gaps, and cute flowers decorating everything."

Alex was shocked when Fufi told him that magic could make home builders obsolete. It felt like he was living in a different world, where anything was possible if you were cute enough. Alex muttered under his breath, "Is there no justice in this world?" Fufi didn't hear him, as she was too busy staring off into space.

Fufi said, "Of course there is justice. Justice and love are a magical girl's mission. For example, when I was hit by a truck and you saved me and nursed me back to health, you showed me love and justice. That is how I knew you were the one I was destined to have a contract with." Fufi lowered her head in embarrassment. "I suppose I was overbearing and arrogant." She looked up at Alex and said, "You're an angel sent from heaven. With wings it fits. Have you considered becoming a winged magical girl?"

Alex ignored the suggestion to grow wings. "But why were you in my neck of the woods? There are surely people in this world who you could have contracted with."

Fufi smiled. "I was looking for someone special, someone who embodied love and justice. And I found you."

“That is a very generous opinion of me.  But I don’t know anything about these lands or magic.  You’d think a local girl, any local girl would be a better choice.” Alex pressed.

Fufi said, "That's where it gets complicated." Fufi stared off into space for a moment, "I tried this world first but the war with the demon queen is going really poorly for humanity. At this point in time it is more like they are mopping up the remains of the old nations. Most of humanity gets transformed by the demon queen's forces and by that time it is impossible to form a contract with them even if they had potential as a magical girl. Only the children don't get corrupted but they are kept under guard in camps awaiting processing."

 

Alex pondered this and said, "Why do they spare the children? One would think the forces of evil would have no qualms about corrupting the innocent."

 

Fufi seemed aghast, "They corrupt them by doing lewd things to them. Even the dark gods agree, sexual acts against children should result in divine punishment. It is also why magical girls are effective against the demon queen's minions. If they use their preferred methods . . . divine punishment."

 

Alex motioned for Fufi to continue.

 

Fufi said, "After that I moved to a different continent that was being invaded by a different group of demons but ran into the same problem. Eventually Luna sent some of us that were having trouble finding someone to bond with to other worlds. I just wasn't expecting fast moving metal things rolling along the roadways. Here we have carriages. Yes some magical carriages can go fast but most are only as fast as the animals that pull them."

 

Alex said, "That's fine though. I can drive my jeep and ride a horse from one of the nearby ranchers. I do miss my stuff. This would have been a whole lot easier if my cabin and all my stuff got transported here. Though in hindsight that might not have been a great idea. When we were in the carriage with Luna one of the things I really wanted to ask her for was some footwear."

 

Fufi cocked her head. "I bet if you'd asked her with reverence, she would have granted your wish."

"I agree," Alex said with a sigh. "But while I wanted sturdy boots, I'm sure she would have given me the most luxurious high heels."

"She is the goddess of cuteness, after all," Fufi said. "She would have given you something beautiful for your feet.  You should have just asked."

"True," Alex cringed. "That was my mistake. But at least I could have asked for something that would keep my feet dry and warm while I walked. I thought I could easily earn enough money to buy something from a cobbler."

Alex headed out back and grabbed a stick and the rug he got earlier. He beat the rug and to get the dust and dirt out of it.

 

[New class skill acquired: Cleaning Level 1]

 

Looking up, Alex grumbled, "Sexist much system? I guess I now know how a woman feels when she is expected to do all the cooking and cleaning in a relationship." 

Ugh, cooking is probably a class skill for magical girls as well.

 

Fufi tilts her head and asks, "Is this not how it is in your world?"

 

Alex mused, "While it is common for women to enjoy cooking and cleaning, it doesn't mean that all women do. It is offensive to assume that all women enjoy these activities simply because of their gender. Just because I am a man doesn't mean that I don't enjoy cleaning, and just because you are a woman doesn't mean that you do. Everyone should be free to enjoy the activities that they want, regardless of their gender."

Fufi tilted her feathered head. "I see your point. Even though you are a man, you should still be able to do housework if you want to. It's not fair that the system forces people to do things they don't like, and denies them the opportunity to do things they might enjoy."

Alex hummed in agreement. "I think we're on the same page. Everyone should have the freedom to choose their own path in life."

Fufi giggled, "I think you would be cute in a maid outfit holding a duster. The best maid outfits even give bonuses to cleaning and cuteness."

 

Alex grumbled, "Maybe you are missing the point." After beating the rug, he placed it on a stone table where he was planning to use that and the clothing Luna gave him for a makeshift bed. After going inside he noticed that the rug had a nice lavender smell to it. He sniffs and says, "That's weird I didn't put any perfume on this rug."

 

Fufi happily chimed in, "That is your skill at work! Someone without a skill would have more trouble making it smell nice." 

Alex tempered himself, he had to keep an open mind. He needed to keep pushing forward. Of course things would not be the same as in his old world. Ignoring the weird happening, he prepared some sashimi for the two of them. He didn't have a sharp knife so avoiding cutting his hand was going to be a problem. The next best thing he had was the rusty screwdriver. He scraped off the rust with a rock to make it a little bit better to use for the purpose. This went much better than expected. It didn't take very long before the metal was sparkling like new after a few passes with the rock.

 

Fufi could see the surprise on Alex's face, "That's your cleaning skill at work. Aren't skills great?"

Alex couldn't complain. Yes he was just bad mouthing cleaning earlier but this skill stuff let him accomplish what should have been impossible.

 

Alex contemplated, "I guess I will have to thank Luna later for that skill."

 

Fufi nodded her beaked head, "We all have our talents."

 

Alex took a bite of the sashimi, "Not bad. Not bad at all. The cuts are not great because I used a screwdriver but if we can find a rusty knife in one of the ruined buildings I can use the skill to clean it and make it like-new."

 

Fufi randomly stated another magical girl anecdote. "One of my siblings went to another world and found this bunny girl who used powerful cleaning magic. When the bun used cleaning magic to purify a dungeon core of a dreadful parasite she wanted to make a contract with her. However, it turned out that the heroine was summoned from another world to save that world. Luna told us it is rude to summon someone who has already been summoned and was still in the middle of a task. Considering that her first response to adversaries was to make friends with them, I believe she would have made a great magical girl."

Alex looked at the flamingo and blinked a few times. Things were quiet and awkward after that.

 

Fufi and Alex got ready for bed.

Alex asked, "Would you like to sleep in my bed?"

Fufi replied, "I usually curl up into a ball and stand on one leg when I sleep. I am a flamingo, after all."

Alex grumbled, "Fine, my bed is just a stone table with a rug on it anyway. It's not much different from sleeping on the floor. Hopefully it doesn't get too cold tonight." Alex flopped on the bed and tried to get comfortable.

Fufi looked at him and said, "One more thing, you should check your stats."

Alex opened the app on his phone.

 

Name: Alex Parker

Class: Magical Girl

Sex: Male

Strength: 15

Constitution: 15

Dexterity: 12

Intelligence: 7

Cuteness: 0 (naturally 0, +1 from equipped items -1 from dirty clothing)

Skills:

Cleaning: 1

 

Alex whined, "Ah, my cuteness went down."

 

Fufi gave a beaked nod, "A magical girl must keep herself clean. When the sun comes up we should go to the river where you can wash yourself and your clothing."

 

Alex sighed in relief, "Thank god for that. I am too used to my old world. I could use a hot bath right now. We'll have to make one. Everything is so dirty."

 

Fufi added another thing, "Please think about receiving Luna's gift. She is a very caring goddess. She even went so far as to open portals to other worlds when it became apparent we could no longer find partners in this one. When she offered to transform you her intention was only to protect you."

 

Fufi used guilt.

It was super effective.

 

Feeling guilty, Alex opened his phone and went to his contacts. The first name on the list was Luna, with a heart emoji next to it. The message said, "Call when you are ready to transform." Alex's finger hovered over the name, but then he turned off his phone and shook his head. "What was I thinking?" he asked himself.

Alex closed his eyes and said, "I know Luna cares about you and the rest of your flock of flamingos... hmm, wait, is flock the right word?" He opened his phone and tried to search for the collective noun for flamingos, but he didn't have an internet connection.

"No internet, darn it," he said.

Fufi chirped helpfully, "It's a flamboyance of flamingos."

"Thanks, what a silly word for a group of birds," Alex said. "I guess I'm tired. Let's get some sleep."

Fufi fell asleep easily, but Alex had a restless night. The hovel he had made was drafty, and he used the panties and blouse as a pillow and the skirt as a blanket. His feet were cold, and the robe was too tight on his waist and too loose on his hips. He was also going commando, which didn't help.

When Alex woke up, he looked for his cell phone to see what time it was, but he remembered that he had turned it off. He saw that Fufi was still curled up in the same position. He hoped that the last day had been a dream, but the meager building he had slept in confirmed that he was still in another world..

 

Alex got up and put on his clothes. He went outside to the stream to wash up and dry off. His cleaning skill made his clothes look fresh and his hair look clean. He turned on his cell phone, which had a 75% charge. He put on his robe and pants, which restored his cuteness to level 1. He confirmed that being clean was important for keeping his cuteness stat up.

He gathered some tall grass and sticks. He tried to make grass sandals, but they fell apart after a few steps. He tossed them in the fireplace and went back into the ruin to look for a carpenter's shop. He hoped to find tools to make wooden shoes.

Alex searched through many ruined streets until he found an empty carpenter shop. He cleaned up some debris and looked for tools. It was still early in the morning, so he knew it would take time to find anything useful. He found a rusted set of woodworking tools in a leather case that broke when he opened it. He used his cleaning skills to scrape the rust off the tools and make them usable. He went back to the hovel he had slept in the night before and gathered a log. He used the tools to create simple wooden soles. He tried to braid grass together to make straps, but it didn't work well at first. He finally found a pattern that worked, and the sandals turned out fairly well.

Alex put on the sandals, and Fufi inspected them. "I give it 2 out of 10 for cuteness," the pink bird said. "It might work if you're going for the ninja or samurai magical girl look, but it doesn't match the rest of your outfit very well."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I have no intention of wearing sandals forever."

Fufi said, "Good. You need to look presentable for our adventure. I have an idea!"

Fufi stood up on her two legs and pointed her beak at Alex. "Get a straw that you can braid, and I'll be right back." Fufi flew off and returned in about five minutes with a mouthful of small white flowers with long stems. She dropped them in front of Alex. "Stick these in your braid for the geta's straps."

Alex did as instructed and braided them into a braid that resembled the strap on the sandals. Once it was finished, Fufi walked back over and placed them on Alex's feet. The sandals had a cute look to them with flowers sticking out along the strap. Oddly, the knot patterns had reformed themselves to resemble the same type of small flowers. Alex made sure to keep them hidden beneath his robe, but they still stuck out a bit. The whole outfit was almost cute enough to make Alex consider becoming a magical girl.

Alex was impressed with Fufi's creativity and thanked her for her help. Fufi smiled and said, "You're welcome!"

Alex, hungry, spent the rest of the morning gathering berries and fruit from the spot Fufi had discovered by the stream the day before. He then prepared a meal of fruit, berries, and leftover fish, adding a little water to make it more palatable. Alex took a bite of his meal and grimaced at its blandness, but the fruit provided enough flavor to make it edible. He knew that food could be a challenge in this world, as most of the things they could eat might not be safe or simply not palatable. Alex was grateful for the food skills he had gained in the last world.

Alex asked Fufi, "Do you know where that adventurer's guild is that Luna mentioned? Maybe we can find the rift she mentioned."

 

Fufi replied, "There is one here, not far from where we live. It is in a building with a sign  lying next to it that has a rusted picture of some adventurers. Calling it a building is a bit generous though.  The place doesn’t have a roof anymore."

 

Alex nodded at Fufi, "Well then, let's go find it."

 

"It is only a few blocks away, just follow me." She took off to the skies, leading the way.

 

Alex followed Fufi through the streets of what was once a nice city. They passed through several ruined streets, and by the time they neared the guild, Alex noticed that it was one of the most damaged areas in town. Perhaps a battle had been fought there in the past. As they got closer to the building, they were able to navigate the rubble and find a decayed trap door that Alex easily lifted and set aside. He didn't have a light, and the stairs descended into darkness. However, he was able to make his way down slowly. Fufi followed him, and the gem in her forehead lit up, illuminating the space. Alex looked at her and said, "Nice trick. I was worried about how we were going to find light."

Fufi nodded with her beak and said, "It is just one of my abilities. It is one of the least costly, so as long as I haven't used any big spells recently, I can keep it up for hours."

Alex replied, "Well this one is certainly helpful."

Fufi said nothing more on the matter, and they explored the area. Most of the furniture was completely decayed and unusable. There was a small room with a crooked door that was held on by only one bent hinge. Alex was able to yank the door off and look inside. There he found a strange obsidian pillar that went from floor to ceiling. The pillar had a seam in the middle that gave off a faint glow.

Alex pointed at the pillar. "I believe this is what we were looking for."

Fufi walked up and inspected the pillar. "Yes, this is the dungeon rift," she confirmed.

Alex asked, "So where is this dungeon?"

Fufi replied, "Nowhere really. The magic creates something appropriate for the user, and when they leave, it dissipates into the ether."

Alex asked, "Well, if that is true, then how does it work?"

Fufi stated, "It is simple. You just touch it with the intention of entering it."

Alex nodded and said, "Are we ready to do this?"

Fufi nodded as well.

Alex placed his hand on the pillar and thought about entering it. With a sound like scraping glass the pillar expanded from the seam in the middle and became a hollow circle. A speck of light in the center expanded until it created an oval sized portal that led to places unknown.

 

Alex looked at Fufi and said, "I guess this is it."

Fufi tried to enter the portal, but it wouldn't let her through. "Looks like you're on your own for this one."

Alex took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. "Here goes nothing," he said, his voice not sounding very confident.

Fufi was left behind.