They will never find common ground with the heroes.
Not while heroes protect the innocent.
It took the boy a moment to realize he had no idea where he was—that might sound careless or spacey, but unfortunately it was also the truth. The boy, a teenager, had been standing on the platform at Ikebukuro Station, waiting for the train, when suddenly he blinked and found himself someplace he had never been before.
“What…? Wait, where am I?”
He stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar scenery. It was a park, in a quaint medieval town, almost like something from a game. The sky was blue, and people dressed in rustic garb were walking to and fro.
He was obviously not in Japan anymore.
The boy stood there slack-jawed. It all seemed so surreal.
Was it a prank?
A hidden-camera show?
Had he been kidnapped?
The boy tilted his head to the side in confusion. None of those possibilities made much sense.
As far as pranks went, it was a little underwhelming. He doubted anyone would want to put him on TV. And if this was a kidnapping, then where were the kidnappers? Besides, what would anyone gain by kidnapping him in the first place?
Which left just one possibility.
“…Of course! It’s a dream.”
That was the only thing that made sense. He must have fallen asleep in his seat on the train, and now he was dreaming. Not that he remembered boarding the train, but dreams could be like that.
“Wow, so this must be what lucid dreaming feels like. I’ve heard before that when you’re in a lucid dream, you can do anything. I wonder if that’s true.”
The boy took another glance around. On closer inspection, he realized the place didn’t actually resemble medieval Europe so much as a game he’d played before.
“It sure is convincing for a dream, though—the water from this fountain actually feels cold.”
The boy reached out his hand. The water, satiny and chill, felt pleasant against his skin.
The liquid pooling at the foot of the fountain looked inviting and pristine. He could see his own reflection in it clearly. Just the ordinary face of a regular high school boy. He had to admit, there was nothing particularly special about it.
“Man, you’d think I’d at least get to look a little cooler in my own dream.”
The boy took another glance around. The park was a decent size, bordering on a dense copse of trees toward the back.
Look at that, he thought admiringly.
The boy stepped closer. The forest was so beautiful that it almost seemed to sparkle. The scent of the trees seemed real. It truly was hard to believe this was no more than a dream.
But that scent—why did it feel so nostalgic…? He reached out to touch one of the leaves.
His hand came into contact with something plump and soft.
“Hmm?”
It felt springy, almost like a marshmallow.
Once again, the sensation felt far too real to be a dream. Whatever he had just touched definitely wasn’t a plant.
The boy looked timidly in the thing’s direction. There was a girl standing there. In the forest. She had deep green hair and silver eyes—and she looked none too pleased.
As for his hand: It was resting on her full, ample…bust.
He had just grabbed the girl’s chest.
“I, um, I can expl—”
“Just what do you think you’re doing?!”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!!” The boy immediately threw himself to the ground and prostrated himself at her feet. “It was an accident, I swear! I thought this was a dream. I wouldn’t do that on purpose—never!”
“So you think, as long as it’s just a dream, you can go around fondling random girls’ breasts?!”
“No, of course not! That’s not what I meant! I’m so sorry—you have to believe me!”
“Maybe we should go see what the police think of your apologies!” the girl shouted.
A moment later, however, she relented.
“Fine… Fine. I forgive you. You can get up already.” She smiled at the boy as he continued to trip all over himself in an attempt to apologize. “I’m not a dream, just so you know. I’m real. In fact, that’s why I’m here.”
“You’re saying this is real?” The boy lifted his head, even more confused than before. “So then it’s a prank, after all…?”
“Of course not! Look around. Don’t you get it? You’ve been reborn in another world. One of those, what do you call them, isekais.”
“An…an isekai?!”
A fire suddenly ignited in the boy’s eyes.
“You’re telling me I’m in a real, live, honest-to-goodness isekai—? Wait a second, what am I saying…?” The boy’s eyes instantly clouded over again. “There’s no such things as isekais and rebirth. I knew it—this is just a dream.”
“Aren’t you listening to me? I already told you this isn’t a dream! See? Look over there.”
The girl pointed toward the town, beyond the entrance to the fountain plaza.
The boy stared in the direction she was indicating, but there was nothing there. Just more townspeople milling about.
“? What am I supposed to—?”
The boy hadn’t finished his sentence before he noticed. The townspeople seemed to be afraid of something. Their faces were pale, and they were moving quickly.
“That’s strange. Why is everyone so scared…?”
“Look closer. There’s something else there, something that isn’t human.”
The boy did as he was told, squinting hard. Dark shapes were scattered throughout the town. They were small, like children, and holding what appeared to be clubs.
“What are—? Ow!”
The boy was still staring when something suddenly struck him from the left. He had been attacked by a monster—some sort of tiny black demon.
“What the heck is that?!”
“It’s proof, hero!”
“Hero?!”
The pain certainly felt real enough—maybe he actually had been transported to another world. He would have preferred a less painful introduction, though.
The demon didn’t seem to be after the boy so much as it was after the sword that had suddenly appeared at his waist.
“Just—what the heck are these things?”
“They’re goblins. One of the many monsters that threaten this world!”
At some point, several goblins had appeared at the entrance to the town. The townspeople screamed as they ran about in a confused panic.
“Goblins?! Actual goblins? Like, for real?!”
“This is no time for gawking, hero! Goblins may be weak, but they’re still monsters! Our world is in danger!”
“Monsters, huh? Okay, I think I’m starting to get the picture now.”
The boy knew enough about isekais to see what was happening here. He had been summoned to this world to defeat the monsters.
“Why didn’t you say so? So what do I do? Just whack ’em?”
“Yes, hero, we’re relying on you! As our summoned champion, you now possess a variety of skills. A few measly goblins should be no problem for someone as strong as you!”
“Let’s get to it, then! Lemme activate one of those skills.”
The boy extended his hand. For some reason, he already seemed to know what to do.
He focused the magic (?) into the palm of his hand. Now all he had to do was temper the magic and release it. The feeling came naturally, like riding a bike.
“Huh. Piece of cake. Activate skill: Dragon—”
Ting.
“…Hmm?”
As the boy thrust his hand forward, the movement caused something in his pocket to make a noise. He reached inside and pulled out the item, curious to know what it was. His eyes widened.
“A rabbit…?”
A basic plastic key chain. Shaped like a rabbit.
The key chain had been inside his pocket, but he couldn’t remember ever having seen it before. Was it his? Someone else had acquired it, not him. He seemed to remember that much, but nothing else.
So then, why was he carrying it—? The boy was confused. There wasn’t time for this now, however. He thrust the key chain back into his pocket.
He turned his eyes toward the goblin once more. It was a vile, fantastical monster—his enemy. And it was up to this hero to defeat it—
“Huh—?”
For a moment, the goblin seemed to waver, like static.
In all happened in the blink of an eye, but for the briefest moment the marauding goblin’s head, face, and limbs appeared different. The boy paused. He suddenly felt uneasy.
“Did that goblin…just turn into—?”
“Why are you still standing there? Can’t you even handle a few measly goblins?”
He could feel the girl’s eyes on him. Her stare seemed to snap him out of his confusion. When he turned back to the goblin, there was no trace of anything strange.
The boy stood there, dazed, as the girl leaned in close and whispered into his ear.
“You’re finally here. This is your ideal world. There’s no need to hold back…”
Yes, why hold back?
The girl’s voice was enchanting. He was finding it harder and harder to think—
“No one can hurt you anymore—not here. You can stay forever and have so much fun. Forget about your old life. There’s nothing there for you anymore.”
He felt so confused. The girl—the Goddess—warmly took his hand in hers.
“This is your skill. Pray, and your prayers will be answered. Wish, and you shall receive. Speak it now. Name the power that is finally yours.”
The boy pondered this. Yes, it was finally his. This power belonged to him.
Images appeared within his mind, just as she said they would. Was this…fire?
Fire, shaped like a dragon. He knew the words to say.
“Activate skill: Dragon Flare!”
The boy gasped in wonder as flames sprang from his hand and took the form of a massive dragon.
This mass of fire snaked through the air, barreling straight toward the goblins now fleeing from his might—