Izuma stared at the elf girl.
His mind blanking out for a full, agonizing second. She looked just as nervous as he felt—her eyes darted away from his, cheeks tinged a faint neon-pink, and her hands fidgeted with the strap of her satchel. She took a tiny step back, then forward, then back again, as if she couldn't decide whether to run or stay.
"Um… I, uh, saw you…" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "You… look like a–"
she cut herself off immediately.
"I meant new—no, um–like not from here. Are you… okay?"
Izuma's throat went dry. This was the kind of scene that would make even the most hardened rom-com protagonist want to crawl under a table. He tried to answer, but what came out was a strangled, "I—uh—yeah, I guess? I mean, no, not really—uh, I mean—"
She winced, her own embarrassment practically radiating off her in waves.
"Sorry, I—I'm not good at talking to, um, strangers–I mean people. Or… anyone, really."
He nodded, then immediately regretted it because he now felt like he's agreeing to her not being good at conversations.
"Same. I mean, I'm not good at… this. Either. Talking. Or… meeting people."
They stood there, both blushing, both staring at their shoes. The silence stretched so long Izuma could practically hear the background music from a slice-of-life anime playing in his head.
Finally, she cleared her throat, twisting a strand of her hair around one finger, eyes flicking to each and every corner except onto Izuma.
"Um… do you, uh… need help? I could… show you around? Or… somewhere to sit? Or… um, somewhere not here? I was going to take you to the stalls to eat, but… oh! I, uh… I left my friend there. She's… um, waiting."
Izuma nodded, grateful for any excuse to move. "Yeah. That'd be… good. Thanks."
She turned, still not quite meeting his eyes, and started walking. He followed, keeping a careful distance, both of them so awkward it was almost painful. He could feel people glancing at them—maybe because he was still in his school uniform, maybe because the elf girl looked like she was about to faint.
After a minute of walking in silence, Izuma realized he needed to get a grip, his main goal now is to survive. He shoved his hands into his pockets, searching for anything familiar or useful. His fingers closed around his AirPods case—useless here, probably, but oddly comforting. In his other pocket, he found his wallet. He flipped it open, heart sinking as he counted: a few hundred yen, some coins, his student ID. No credit cards, no cash that would mean anything here.
He patted his other pockets, but his phone was missing. Then he remembered—he'd shoved it in his backpack before crossing the street, just in case he had to run. The backpack was gone, just like everything else from home.
Great. No phone, no bag, no clue.
He glanced at the elf girl, who was still walking with her head down, braid swinging.
"Uh… where are we going?" he asked, voice cracking a little.
She flinched, then answered,
"Oh! Um, there's a… square. With benches. And food. And… people. I thought, maybe, you'd want to sit? Or eat? Or… um, talk?"
Izuma nodded, his mind whirring. He needed a plan. Food sounded good, but he doubted yen would buy anything here. He needed information, a place to stay, a way to survive. Maybe he could trade something? Or find work? Or—his thoughts spiraled, possibilities branching out like a flowchart.
He tried to imagine himself as the protagonist of one of his favorite isekai series. What would they do? Gather information. Find allies. Don't die. Easy enough, right?
Wrong! He's an introvert...how could he find allies if he can't even talk to a single female? How was he, a loser with the nickname of "Kurushimi-kun", going to survive on this alien planet? He had already started to miss his parents and friends...news must've spread of his death by now, right?
He was so deep in his own head, thinking about his past life and trying to piece together a strategy to survive at his new one, that he barely noticed the crowd thickening around them as they approached the square. The air was buzzing with voices, the smell of unfamiliar food, the clatter of carts and hooves. He felt a prickle of tension—something was happening, something big.
The elf girl stopped suddenly, her eyes wide. "Oh no," she whispered.
Izuma looked up, heart pounding, just in time to see a group of armored figures pushing through the crowd, shouting in that broken, patchwork language. People scattered, some running, some freezing in place. The elf girl grabbed his sleeve, her grip surprisingly strong.
"We need to go," she said, her voice trembling.
"Now."
And just like that, his plan—whatever it was—shattered. He let her pull him into the chaos, adrenaline surging, the world spinning out of control...