I miss listening to music. Sometimes, I just want to lie down and stare at the ceiling all day, wishing to have no responsibilities. I want to live in a wooden house that I built myself on a mountain, with my wife, children, and dog. Sometimes, I want to drink hot chocolate while looking out the window on a quiet and snowy day, fall asleep watching my favorite cartoon, and sleep as much as I want. I want to exercise and run until I run out of breath, scream as loud as I can. Sometimes, I want to swear a lot and curse everything, and sometimes, I want to cry until my tears run out. I want to laugh with my friends until we faint, have a crush on a girl, be too shy to confess, gather the courage to tell her I love her, and be mocked by my friends after being rejected. Sometimes, I want to feel sad and sometimes, I want to be happy. I want to travel the world, engage in extreme sports, watch my favorite movies repeatedly in the biggest cinemas, and discover new favorite films.

And I woke up to a new day.

Lilith still seemed to be asleep, probably exhausted from what had happened. I used to dislike waking up early, but now, I found myself waking up early involuntarily. I never skipped my daily routine workout, so after washing my face with cold water, I went outside for a run and to breathe. The best thing about waking up early is that the streets are almost empty, even if you're in a big city or another world; it's always like that. I started exploring the streets of Drynsoll with a brisk run. We were in such a big city that I ran on different routes every day, feeling like I was embarking on an adventure. Different streets, different houses, and different shops every day. The various smells of food from houses, the different colors of clothes hung from window to window on streets with close-set houses, and the presence of two different types of people on the street, those who had jobs and those who had none, or those who had no reason to be there so early. Even the smallest change we make can add different meanings to our lives, so I decided to protect the people I love and value.

I must be strong enough to protect everyone, and brave enough to love something.

Turning the corner of the street, I saw a small bird on the ground, struggling to fly.

"Come here, let me see. Are you injured?"

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a crow chick.

"Hasn't anyone helped you?"

I knew it was early in the morning, but I had seen a few people pass by this street just a moment ago.

"So, you're like me, huh? Lonely and forgotten. But I'm not like before anymore, you know? When I was excited to come to this world, I thought I would die right away, so what do you think happened now? I have a lot of friends, even a people."

The crow I held in my hand seemed to be looking at me without understanding what I was saying, but I felt that it listened to me attentively.

"I guess you don't understand what I'm saying, huh? You'll understand with time."

Taking care not to harm the crow, I walked to the nearest church. Many nuns and priests in churches gained abilities from the gods they worshipped, and some egoistic gods began forming their own cults, starting to "bestow" healing abilities to people under the name of "divine skills." I guess the number of followers you have among gods is like followers on social media; who is the most famous god, I wonder? Surely, a goddess with big breasts. Well, if there was a religion with busty women, I think even I would occasionally pray, amen.

I entered the church and tried to find a healer who could take care of the crow; luckily, a nun approached me shortly.

"Hello, can you heal it?"

Nun: "Its wing seems injured, don't worry, I'll heal it right away."

She was a nun with black hair and black clothes, extending her slender fingers towards the crow to perform a healing spell. I don't believe in God, but I'm sure she must be an angel because only an angel could have such a smile.

Nun: "It should be better now; it should be able to fly again soon."

"Thank you. I don't have money on me, but I'll stop by later."

The crow was asleep in my hand.

Nun: "I didn't do this for money; I'm just serving God."

"Well, I don't get along well with that 'God,' but you can convey my thanks to him, I guess."

Nun: "Hahaha, you must be quite brave to say you don't get along well with a God to a nun in a church."

"Is that so? Maybe I am. Well, is there a place in God's house for this crow?"

Nun: "I would love to keep him, but I don't think the church elders would allow it. I don't get along well with the elderly, but I can ask them, I suppose."

She formed a sentence using my words and smiled gently; she was a good and beautiful girl. She must be truly devoted to her God; I hope that God doesn't disappoint her.

"Well, then, I'll take care of this little friend of ours. I think it's better this way. Thanks again for everything."

I headed towards the door to leave the church with the crow. Before leaving, the nun called out to me loudly.

Nun: "By the way, what's your name?"

There were a few meters between us, and when she shouted to address me, the whole sound echoed in the church.

"Daichi! What's your name?"

Juliet: "Juliet! I think God loves you, Mr. Daichi! Because you are kind enough to care even for an animal!"

I smiled politely at Sister Juliet and left the church.

"Well, kind, huh? What do you think, Mr. Crow?"

The crow was still asleep.
"I thought so too."

I returned to the inn with the crow. When I entered, I saw Lilith, Malik, and Aiden waiting for me at the dining table.

Aiden: "Welcome back, my friend. It was challenging to convince them to wait for the meal until you arrived."

Malik: "Bear? Where?"

Lilith: "Good morning! Who's this little friend?"

"So, you noticed, huh? I found him on the road; he was injured, so I took him to the church to heal."

The crow seemed to have woken up due to all the noise, whether it was the effect of healing or the warmth of the atmosphere, but it looked more cheerful and energetic.

Lilith: "He's so cute! Can I take care of him?"

"I'm just asking out of curiosity; snakes don't eat birds, right?"

After receiving a solid punch from Lilith, I sat at the table, leaving the crow on it.

Aiden: "Does our friend have a name?"

"When I found him, I only planned to heal and release him, but bringing him along ended that, so I haven't named him yet."

Lilith: "A name, huh? How about Mr. Crow?"

"That's a really creative name."

Lilith: "Really?"

A big smile appeared on Lilith's face until she realized I was teasing her. Thus, I received the second punch of the day; violence against men seems to be increasing day by day; we must put an end to this!

Lilith: "Why do I feel like you're thinking of something stupid?"

"N-no, I'm not."

If I got punched again, I could faint on the other side, or worse, I could vomit everything I ate.

Aiden: "How about Super Bird? Like a superhero's pet."

"Or should we call him Crowman?"

Lilith: "Not Mr. Crow, but Crowman? I don't accept that."

While we continued to debate about the name, Malik continued eating, having already finished his plate and starting to steal food from our plates. By chance, when his mouth was empty for a few seconds, he made a name suggestion.

Malik: "How about Kuro?"

"Kuro? I didn't know you were Japanese."

Malik: "I'm not, but there's more manga than water in Africa, and I learned some Japanese through that."

"Is it more surprising that you made this joke or that you know Japanese?"

Aiden: "Doesn't Kuro mean black? I also took a few Japanese lessons; my childhood dream was to marry a Japanese woman."

Lilith: "What's Japanese?"

I had forgotten that there was something special for everyone to communicate with each other in this world, and Lilith, being from this world, was a bit distant from our conversation.

"It's one of the languages used in my world. Although I'm not exactly Japanese, people assumed I knew Japanese because of my name, so they suggested a Japanese name."

Malik: "Aren't you exactly Japanese?"

"Actually, my father is Turkish, and my mother is Japanese. My father went to Japan for university when he was around my age, met my mother there, and they fell in love, eventually getting married within a few years."

Aiden: "You must miss them."

"Well, actually, I lost them in a traffic accident when I was only 4 years old. I lived in Turkey with my father's closest friend until I was 18, and then, just like my father, I went to Japan to study, and here we are."

Malik: "I'm sorry for what happened, my friend."

"Thank you. I'm happy now, and that's what matters."

Aiden: "Exactly, we are like a family, aren't we?"

Malik: "Daichi, you could be a father. You always protect us and put yourself in danger."

"A father?"

Lilith: "Then I'll be the mother!"

Aiden: "And I can be the cool uncle of your future child!"
Lilith: "O-Our child?"

Lilith's face turned red; despite her boldness, she was actually quite shy. That was one of her sweet characteristics.

Malik: "Then I'll be the aunt."

"Aunt?"

Malik: "After all, doesn't the uncle need a partner? And Aiden doesn't seem likely to be with a woman anytime soon."

Aiden: "Hey! I'm trying, okay? I just need to find a new haircut, and all the girls will fall in love with me!"

Actually, Aiden was quite handsome by normal standards, and considering he was a good guy, there was no reason for women not to like him.

A waitress from Dembrick's staff came to our table to bring some drinks.

Aiden: "Hey, baby, would you like to have a drink later?"

The waitress looked at Aiden with disgust.

Waitress: "Creep."

Turning around, she walked away from the table.

Malik: "I told you."

Aiden: "Ahh, shut up, okay! If you want to impress women, you must be confident."

I think I understood why Aiden had trouble with women; he talked like an old perverted uncle.

Lilith: "So, what are we going to do now? Since Aiden is safe, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Not exactly; I've learned from the slave trader who kidnapped Aiden that the person funding all these events is the eldest son of the Lirius Family."

Malik: "Lirius Family? Didn't we rescue their child from the slave traders?"

"At first, I thought the same, but something strange is going on. They didn't tell us about another child, and they seem unaware of all these events."

Lilith: "So, either they really don't know about the events..."

"Or they are lying to us."

Malik: "What should we do?"

"If we want to end these events, we need to dig to the root of the problem, but we should retreat for a while to gather strength and prepare. If they are wealthy and powerful enough to conduct slave trading secretly even from the kingdom, confronting them in our current state might be difficult."

Aiden: "So, what will we do?"

"First, I'll meet with the King for aura training."

Aiden: "King? Aura? What happened while I was away, kids?"

Malik: "It's a long story; I'll tell you later. So, what about us? We can't gain experience points by killing monsters near the city anymore, and getting lessons from famous warriors or high wizards in the city costs too much."

"Don't worry; I've prepared a plan for that too. I'll take you to a place where even a regular goblin is ten times stronger, and the best trainers are available."

Aiden: "Is there such a place?"

Malik: "Or is it..."

"Yes, it's the place I've wanted to take you for a long time..."

The Monster Kingdom.