The snow falling outside the window means that winter has completely entered in the north of the Central Continent. It has been half a year since I entered school.
There are quite a lot of heating methods in this world, but apart from magic, they all rely on coal and charcoal.
Get up from bed, wash up and eat breakfast prepared by the maid
Norn and Aisha did not have classes today, but I still have to go to the college because there are students who need practical examinations.
When I was about to go out, the voice of Sylphie came from behind me
"Rudeus, this~"
Sylphie handed over a scarf. She was a little coy and her long ears were slightly red.
I was stunned for a moment, and instead of reaching out to pick it up, I spoke softly
"Is this...?"
"I knit it myself, because it's winter."
"Oh... thank you... well, do you need anything? I'll bring it to you when I come back in the afternoon."
Sylphie put his index finger on his chin, thought for a while and said with a smile
"Then I hope Rudeus can wear the scarf I knitted and come back for dinner early."
As she said this, she came closer to me and gently wrapped the scarf around my neck.
Warm? Comfortable? Or something else... I can't tell
This may not be a physical feeling, but an inner feeling
It's just that I don't know what this feeling should be called.
Sylphie is not like Eris who suddenly shows her cute side and makes my heart beat. She just stays by my side and makes me feel... warmth.
"Well, I will..."
Sylphie at the entrance door watched me leave like a virtuous and gentle wife.
A little irritable, but I can't refuse the gentleness of Sylphie, because I like this feeling
Maybe I asked Sylphie what he needed just because I wanted to give something back... This way I could lie to myself that Sylphie's feelings for me were just childhood sweethearts.
No...
I know very well that Sylphie likes me
In the past six months, Sylphie has never shied away from showing his affection for me
She didn't hide her feelings and showed her kindness to me openly.
And what about me?
I was enjoying the tenderness from Sylphie unilaterally, without even responding.
I feel a little disgusted with myself like this
After arriving at the campus, after showing his face, he walked towards the venue for the actual combat assessment.
I have been working in this school for more than a month, and I have a thorough understanding of how this school operates.
If I have to say it, it should be the university in my previous life.
Well... a more relaxed university
When we arrived at the place where the practical assessment was held, the students were already in place.
In fact, many students seem to be older than me, but they probably regard me as the younger type, and they still respect me quite a bit.
It was already afternoon after the assessment, and my work was over. Originally, the workload should be less, but I didn't expect that there were quite a lot of surprises in today's assessment.
"Go back"
Stretching, I walked towards the school gate
In front of me is a girl in school uniform
Long black hair...
Although I have almost never seen it, it shouldn't mean that there are none
Just as I was thinking this, the girl in front turned around and spoke.
"Rudeus. Greyrat"
What does it feel like...
I always feel terrible... like the fear deep in my memory
"Are you...?"
"Forgot me? Or this will make you more impressed."
As she spoke, she took out a mask from her arms
That mask... is...
Dragon God! Orsted!
This name that frightened me echoed in my mind again. By the way, she was the black-haired girl next to Dragon God at that time!
But... I'm his subordinate now, right?
Does the appearance of this girl mean that he is finally going to hand over the task to me?
Take a deep breath...
After calming down, I asked
"I remember, do you have a task to give me?"
"No"
"Ah?"
"I just remembered you. I didn't expect you to be a teacher in this school. It was a coincidence that we met."
"Just think you are complimenting me. What is your name?"
The girl in front of me thought for a while
"I have two names. Do you want to know my real name or a fake one?"
"Is there any deeper meaning to this question?"
"No, no... maybe there is, but for you it shouldn't be."
"Really? Then please tell me your real name"
she spoke
It's a language I haven't heard in this world for a long time
But that's not my mother tongue, I just know the language
"Nanahoshi Shizuka" [Japanese]
"You... this is..."
"Huh? Have you ever heard of this language?!"
She grabbed my shoulders as if she suddenly went crazy
Asking me like a question
"Your language... are you from Japan...?"
"Yes! I came from Japan, you! Are you... are you also from the earth?"
"Yeah... it seems like we can have a good chat for a while..."
People from Japan travel together with their souls and bodies
Maybe it's because of her body that she can't use magic
After she met Dragon God, she followed Dragon God, so...
"What about you? Where are you from? What's your name on Earth?!"
"Where are you from... If it weren't for your appearance, I would have almost forgotten my hometown because of the memories of more than ten years. I am not from Japan, but I am from Asia. You should understand this, right?"
"Oh! I almost understand. Where is your real name?"
"Is it necessary to know?"
"Of course!"
"XXX, so, after knowing this, are you going to call me by my real name?"
"No, so do you have any clues?"
"Uh... your topic is a little off topic. What clues are there?"
"Of course it is a clue to return to Earth! I have been researching and found that there is transfer magic in this world. It is very likely that we can use that magic to return to Earth!"
Nanahoshi said and stood up excitedly
It seems that she feels quite uncomfortable after not talking to anyone for so many years.
"Sorry... I have never looked for clues to return to Earth... because I am dead on Earth."
Hearing what I said, Nanahoshi was stunned for a moment, and then sat down calmly.
"I'm the one who should say sorry..."
"But I will help you. If you need anything, just ask me for help."
"Really? No payment or anything like that?"
"Reward... if you really go back, can you ask my mother for me?"
Perhaps because the topic was a bit heavy, Nanahoshi took away his smile and nodded seriously.
"Okay, the atmosphere is a bit too heavy."
I took the initiative to break the heavy atmosphere and asked
"So, how can I help you?"
"Magic! I only need magic to give me one experiment. You should understand, right? The so-called failure once or twice is not a failure, and success twice is not a success, so I need hundreds or even thousands of experiments, and this experiment requires a lot of magic."
"No problem, my magic power reserves are quite exaggerated. Except for that desperate attack Dragon God, I have never been out of magic power in my life."
"With your words, I feel relieved! Are you going to drink tonight? Of course, I'll treat you!"
"Are you over 18? I don't drink with minors."
"What's 18? 20 years old is considered an adult, okay! Don't worry, in my previous life plus the age in this world, I have already become an adult. To celebrate meeting fellow earthlings here, the two of us must have a drink tonight!"
"Fellow fellow... do you need me to talk to you in Japanese? I'm proficient in many languages, and I won't be suspected in any language in this world."
"Can you? Thank you, uh... XXX!"
"Just use the name of this world. My name must be difficult for you to pronounce."
After the sun went down, Nanahoshi and I came to the pub to drink wine and eat meat.
She spoke in Japanese that no one around her could understand, and talked about her years of hard work.
Will not grow, will not metabolize...
Maybe time can't take her away unless there is external force
I encouraged her that she would definitely find a way to go back, but she seemed to be drunk, quite drunk.
"Rudeus! Look at this! My research results! It is not impossible to transfer magic back to the earth! There is definitely a way!!"
Nanahoshi yelled and took out his drawing and slapped it on the table.
I just glanced at it and felt complicated
To be honest, magic circles are not my strong point, because I rarely use chants or draw magic circles.
"So! People in this world are all bullshit! One or two of them have no brains! There is such a convenient magic, but they don't study it?! Is this really reasonable? Do you think there is something wrong with their brains?"
She was completely drunk, and while saying this, she pointed at the person next to her.
The people next to us noticed and looked towards us.
"Haha... She said you adventurers are working too hard and you need to take care of your family more..."
I explained to the adventurer being pointed at
Fortunately, what Nanahoshi said did not belong to the language of this world. Although they were dubious, they were still fooled by me.
After an hour of such fuss, she fell asleep
I don't think I'll ever drink with this guy again.
If I were in my previous life, this kind of person would definitely be the type of person I hate the most.
But now that I have encountered... I feel a little emotional, and I don't hate it. I may have changed a lot...
I picked up Nanahoshi and left the tavern. It was still snowing outside.
Putting the windbreaker on her body, I asked
"Where do you live?"
The only thing that responded to me was the sound of her sleeping and the smell of alcohol.
... There is no other way, I walked towards my home
It must be wrong to send a girl who is so drunk to a hotel, let alone one of my fellow countrymen.
By the way, wasn't it your treat? In the end, I paid for it