Chapter 1:

This girl who summoned me seems to enjoy chatting.

Is Abyss an Abyss because it is a Hole? Or is it because it is Black?


"I'm summoned here from another world?"

"Indeed you are!" - Acclaimed by a woman... no, a girl? A child? Who looked to be having a liking for oversized robe and long skirt. Her blonde hair tied into a ponytail, an eye hidden behind a cloth rolled across her face, and the other green eye was staring at me as her mouth curved up into a smug smile. 

I looked around. I was lying naked on a grassland; a few trees were in my vision, but no mountains and no hills. Weirdly, at the end of the horizon was no blue sky, but many thin and long, white clouds. Looking up, I could see no sun. That was also when I realized there was no shadow, either under me or under the leather boots of the girl.

Looking back at the girl, who looked at me like an amateur researcher awaiting results while not being sure if they did everything correctly.

"So... can you prove it?" - I spoke.

"Prove what?" 

"That I am in another world."

I was familiar enough with the isekai trope. There must have been some reason for her to drag me here, and likely not for chatting. Surprisingly enough, she seemed to consider answering my challenge seriously.

"Are you familiar with this scenery?" - She asked, with one hand holding her chin. She wore a pair of very torn-out gloves.

"No." - I don't remember seeing anything as surreal as a properly lit place and a blue sky without any sun.

"Is that not enough proof that you are not in a world of your own, then?"

"If seeing a weird place is sufficient proof that I am not in the world that I am acquainted with, it must have been assumed that I knew all the places there are in my old world so that when I see something not fitting into any places, I could say it is not my world. I don't think that is incorrect; I was not the kind who traveled a lot."

"Well said." - She immersed herself in thoughts for a second - "What was your latest memory before you woke up and saw this sky?" - She pointed upward. It looks like she's starting to talk more specifically.

"I went to bed in a room surrounded by white-coated concrete. Totally different. Is that enough description?"

"And you do not remember any events happening that could have caused you to wake up here?"

"Yes, I do not."

"Then is it not possible that you were simply being moved to another world?"

"I admit it is possible, but just being possible does not guarantee a conclusion."

"Hmm..." - She was lost in thoughts for a while longer. Her eye closed. Eventually, she sat down next to me.

Now I realized that we were having no trouble communicating at all. I knew the main characters in isekai stories are often provided with a way around it, but there was no harm in addressing it.

"Hey, what language do you think I'm speaking?"

"About that..." - Her face was stern, looked like she was concentrating hard. - "Don't worry about that, I configured it... you are speaking Yriela."

What does she mean by 'configured'? And I was not familiar with that name Yriela nor the way it is pronounced; however, I could imagine the way it is written in my head. The thought of someone messing with my head was quite disturbing. This girl did not seem to be a bad person in that moment, but I made a mental note to be cautious regardless.

Before I could ask something else, the girl spoke.

"Say... The only way for me to prove to you that you are in another world would be by showing you the method I used to summon you, which I cannot for the moment, or by making a complete comparison between your world and my world, which I cannot either because, as you said, you do not know enough about your world, and neither do I."

She was correct. She paused a little before continuing.

"Since I am not a god, and I reckon neither are you, the best each of us could do is to assume the knowledge we each have of our respective world to be the best estimate of the world itself. Then, upon comparing it or pointing out a few different points, we could conclude that you are in a different world."

Taking a small sample of knowledge to be the whole, it would have been called inductive reasoning, not sure if she knows that word if this really is a different world. Nevertheless, she was correct; it is a solid method that serves well at convincing people. But as for concrete proofs, we both knew we could not make any at the time. Eventually, my patience ran out before hers did.

"So it is inconclusive, then?"

"Indeed it is." - She faced me with a bright smile. Upon a close look at her face, I saw her ears. They are definitely not humans'; they are looking soft, long, and pointing downward. It... could serve as proof... but I did not address that.

"So... why did you summon me here?" 

"Ah! ah ah." - The girl jumped to her feet, then she dragged me up as well. - "How could I forget? I did not summon you here to be a chatting partner!" 

She gave me her blue robe. It was oversized for her but undersized for me. Better than nothing, I thought.  

"In these shallow floors I will find some clothes and gears for you soon enough. Follow close behind and don't wander off on your own." - The girl turned her back to me and started talking in a loud, high-pitched voice as if I was much further behind.

"Floors? What are you talking about?" 

She did not speak, her arm pointed to the right. Looking in the direction, I gasped.

It was not a grassland I was standing on, but an enormous floating piece of landmass, one among many slowly moving through this ambiguous blue sky. Under the edge of the land I was standing on, a white orb is shining its light, so bright I could not look at directly. 

"Enjoy the light when you can, before I drag you down to the floor where I need you be."

She spoke as her single eye stared at the white orb.

It was fascinating, yes. But did you forget something? Such as why...

Kowa-sensei
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