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Re:swapped (A swap au)

lily_5064
7
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 7 chs / week.
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Synopsis
Emilia has never fit in. A fact she's always known. While others chase their futures, she hides from the world shut inside her room, wasting her days on games and sleepless nights staring at the stars. The only time she feels at peace is when the world forgets she exists. One quiet night, after a trip to the convenience store, she climbs to the rooftop of the tallest building around and looks up to the night sky above. During this day, staring at the beautiful lights far beyond her reach, she asks a question she never dared to ask aloud, "Why was I born so different from everyone else?" And thus the stars answered. Drawn into another world, Emilia wakes beneath unfamiliar constellations, surrounded by beauty, kindness and warmth she never dreamed real. "Isekai?" she wondered, a trope of fiction now brought to her reality. But when she meets a black-haired boy and his mysterious spirit, her new reality begins to twist in ways she cannot explain. In this strange? land called Lugunica, she'll meet friend or foe... never meant to be. ---Or--- A Re: Zero Role swap Au. I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 1 - Teaser - Why?

The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into the convenience store, the faint sound swallowed by the hum of fluorescent lights. Cold night air clung to me for a moment before giving way to sterile warmth.

The clerk behind the counter didn't look up at first. His chin rested on his hand, eyelids half-lowered in boredom, until his gaze caught me. He blinked, stiffened, and quickly straightened like someone caught doing something wrong. I didn't look back. Pretending not to notice was easier than acknowledging it. It wasn't the first time someone stared.

I brushed a few loose strands of silver hair behind my ear before freezing in place, realising what I had done. My hand dropped, letting the hair fall back over the pointed tip that always drew attention.

My skin caught the light too easily, smooth and almost luminous under the harsh ceiling lamps. Dark circles sat beneath my violet eyes, but even tired, they still glimmered with an unnatural clarity, like shards of polished amethyst. My silver hair fell down my back in soft waves, gleaming faintly as I walked, swaying with each lazy turn of my head.

I was dressed in a worn black-and-white tracksuit with orange stripes, something casual that made sense for being out this late at night, but probably not what people expected from someone who looked like me.

Still, what caught their eyes most weren't the clothes or the hair. It was the ears. The pointed, too-long ears that looked like something out of fiction. Like I'd stepped straight out of a story and arrived in one I didn't belong to. 

...

I exhaled through my nose and turned toward the snack section, pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind again.

Not long was it before, my fingers trailed along rows of brightly colored packaging, the rustle of plastic beneath my touch. Chips. Candy. Dried squid. Nothing felt right.

"No… not this one," I muttered under my breath, putting another bag back. The shelves stretched endlessly, and for a moment, I caught my reflection in the glossy surface of a soda can, my tired face faintly shown in its shine.

Finally, something caught my eye. A new flavour I hadn't seen before. "Haven't had this one before," I murmured, lips twitching into the smallest smile. "Maybe it'll be good." I placed it in my basket.

I wandered further in, toward the manga section near the big window that overlooked the street. My fingers brushed along the spines, pausing here and there until one caught my attention. I slipped it free, the paper smooth against my fingers, and flipped through a few pages. Clean art but simple, generic dialogue, and a predictable story with no substance left me uninterested. "I can see the ending a mile away," I murmured, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Then my gaze shifted, drawn upward toward the window. The world beyond glowed faintly under the golden wash of streetlights. Outside, a man and his son crossed the street side by side. The boy clutched a bag of snacks, laughing at something his father said, and nudged him in the ribs with a grin. The man laughed back, loud and carefree, his hand resting lightly on the boy's shoulder.

My reflection hovered faintly over theirs, ghostly and pale in the glass. For a fleeting instant, it looked like I was there with them, standing between the two. Then a passing car swept by, headlights flashing white across the window, and when the light faded, the pair was gone. All that was left was my reflection, still and distant.

I stared at it longer than I meant to. My grip tightened around the book, the glossy cover creaking faintly beneath my fingers.

"Hah… what am I doing?" I breathed, the words escaping before I could swallow them.

Setting the manga back on the shelf, I let my hand linger for a moment, fingertips brushing the spine like it might hold an answer. The moment stretched, too long, until I exhaled and let go, the book sliding neatly back into its place.

I turned around, exhaling through my nose, shaking the thoughts off before they could root deeper. The store's fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead, bathing everything in a sterile glow. Rows of neatly stacked products stretched in both directions.

I slipped back into motion, letting the rhythm of small decisions pull me along. A notebook went into my basket, then a pen set with a sparkly star charm that caught the light. I didn't need it, but it looked cute. 

Further down the aisle, I stopped by the snack section. Rows of colourful packaging filled the shelves, potato chips, candies, and instant noodles stacked like tiny towers. I crouched down to grab a couple of boxes of Pocky's and added a couple of packs of strawberry gummies.

Passing the drink fridge, I opened the glass door and felt the cool air roll over my fingers as I pulled out a bottle of Coca-Cola, lightly tossed it into the basket.

"That should be enough," I murmured. 

"That'll be 1,480 yen. Cash or card?" the clerk said, fully awake unlike before, his tone bright. He stood up straight, both hands resting neatly on the counter, the sluggish air around him gone. 

"Card," I said simply, setting my basket down and pulling the small black wallet from my pocket.

The scanner beeped softly as he passed each item through, his movements smooth but noticeably careful. Every so often, I caught the flicker of his gaze again, just in the corner of my vision. He was trying not to stare, but failing terribly so. 

I slid my card across the reader and waited for the machine to chime. The plastic crinkled as he bagged my things, his expression neutral but his posture slightly too upright for someone who'd been half-asleep five minutes ago.

"Would you like a receipt?" he asked, voice a touch too polite. His body stiff.

"Sure," I replied, taking the printed slip from his hand. My fingers brushed his lightly, cold against warm. His eyes widened for a split second before he blinked and glanced away, pretending to focus on the till.

I adjusted the bag between my fingers, giving him a polite nod. "Thanks."

"Ah-yeah, thank you. Have a good night," he said, almost tripping over the words.

The automatic doors slid open with a soft hiss, and the cool night air swept in again. I stepped outside, the faint chime of the bell fading behind me.

I tilted my head back toward the sky. Tonight, the stars were unusually clear, sharp points of silver scattered across the dark canvas above. The city's light pollution still dulled them, but not enough to drown them out completely. They shimmered faintly, like they were trying to reach through the haze just to be seen.

For a moment, I stood still, bag swaying lightly against my leg. My breath came out in a soft cloud that vanished just as quickly. Then I started walking, letting my steps fall into place. The streets thinned as I moved farther from the main road. The glow of storefronts and vending machines faded, replaced by rows of dim lamps that barely illuminated the streets.

By the time I reached the back alleys, the night had grown quiet, a peaceful silence of uninteruption. My gaze lowered instinctively, tracing the lines of the buildings towering above to ground. My feet had carried me here without thought, my mind drifting while my eyes stayed locked on the stars overhead. I blinked, realising I'd gone completely off course.

"Huh… guess I walked further than I meant to," I murmured under my breath. The air caught my voice and carried it away before it could bounce back from the walls. My head tilted back as I followed the lines of the architecture, searching the skyline. Between the tangled power cables, the stars peeked through faintly

"Maybe there'll be a better view here," I said softly. 

A small smile tugged at my lips as I scanned the alley. My eyes darted from one surface to another, ledges, pipes, and staircases.

A rusted bin stood near the wall, beside it a drainpipe and a narrow metal staircase curling upward along the building's side. My smile grew slightly wider. Efficient enough.

I adjusted the bag in my hand, tightening my grip. The first step was light as my foot landed on the edge of the bin. A push, a twist, and I was already reaching for the railing above. The cold metal bit into my fingers, but I swung upward without pause. My movements flowed together, smooth and practised. The staircase rattled faintly underfoot as I climbed, but I didn't slow down. One landing. Then another. My breathing stayed steady, the effort hardly noticeable.

A final leap carried me the rest of the way, landing softly atop the roof. The wind caught my hair immediately, tugging at the loose silver strands and brushing them across my face. The view opened before me in a quiet sweep of shadow and distant light. I exhaled, slow and steady, the city stretching out beneath me, artificial lights illuminating the streets afar.

I walked toward the edge, my steps light on the gravel-coated surface, and lowered myself to sit. My legs dangled freely over the drop, the faint hum of the streets below drifting up like a whisper from another world. Here, the chaos felt muted, reduced to just distant shapes and flickers of movement swallowed by the dark.

Above, the sky was open. Clearer than it had been in weeks. Stars scattered across it like spilt glass, soft and unsteady in the haze of light pollution, yet still managing to shine through. The moon hung low, pale and heavy, its light brushing faint edges across the rooftops and catching in my eyes like a reflection.

I leaned back on my hands, the cool rooftop biting gently against my palms. The night air wrapped around me, light and still, carrying the faint scent of concrete and rain long since dried. For a while, I said nothing.

Staring at the endless stretch of sky, I felt my mind start to loosen. Thoughts slipped free from the day's rhythm, one by one, until only quiet remained. And in that quiet, the smallest of questions began to surface, things uninvited, that never came when life was moving too fast to hear them.

My lips parted on their own, "From our point of view, the stars look all but identical to each other," I murmured. "Tiny points of light, all shining the same way... but each one's something completely different. Some are close. Some are dying. Some are already gone, and we're only seeing what's left of them."

"It's strange, isn't it?" I continued quietly, eyes tracing constellations I didn't know the names of. "How we look up and think they're all the same... just because they're far enough away." I take a glance back behind.

Before letting my gaze lower slightly, settling on the horizon where the faint glow of the city met the dark, inescapable bleakness of night. A long breath escaped me. "So why..." The thought lingered, "Why was I born so different from everyone else?"

...

I leaned back, tilting my head toward the stars once more. My eyelids fluttered, and so I let them close.

Just for a moment. Just for a moment.

Then I opened them.

The world had shifted.

The first thing I noticed was the ground. What had been the cool, smooth edge of a rooftop was now rough beneath my palms, warm, uneven stone, faintly dusted with sand. The air no longer carried the crisp chill of night but a dry heat that pressed against my skin, carrying the faint scent of dust and smoke.

My breath hitched.

The sky above me was no longer a dark canvas dotted with white freckles but a brilliant blue that frazzled the mind, clouds drifting lazily through the light. The sun hung high and merciless, forcing my eyes to narrow as I pushed myself upright.

The city stretched out before me, vast, unfamiliar, and filled with impossibilities. 

Stone towers rose in clustered formations, their red-tiled roofs gleaming under the midday sun. Banners rippled faintly in the wind, painted with symbols I didn't recognise. Narrow streets wove between them, merchants calling, carriages rumbling, the din of countless voices layered across the city. The view was breathtaking... yet so... so very different.

I shot to my feet, spinning around. Behind me, the ground sloped upward into a steep hill that climbed higher and higher until it met the silhouette of a grand structure at the top, a castle, vast and radiant. 

A faint breeze brushed past, tugging at my hair, the warmth of the sun still heavy against my skin. None of it felt like home. None of it felt real.

I turned back toward the sprawling city, the sunlight reflecting off distant rooftops, each glinting like a piece of some strange, new world. My throat tightened.

"W–where... how... what... what is this place?" I whispered, eyes darting across the unfamiliar skyline. "This isn't... it can't be..." My heart beat faster, each breath shorter than the last.

I took a shaky step forward, gaze sweeping the horizon, desperate for something

"Where... where am I?!"

A/N I hoped you enjoyed. Please comment because it will motivate me to do stuff, and the funny ones will make me laugh. which also motivates me. because i like laughing. If you have any critiques or mistakes i made, please comment cause I'll fix them... hopefully. If I'm not lazy.

Also, if you have any ideas, or anything, please do tell, because I am small small-brained writer, and if you big-brained readers throw idea's at me, one day i might grow a brain. (aka, your idea's help me alot.)

But that's all for today.

See ya!