Chapter Seven: Restarting life in another world

The cool breeze, the shadowy trees, and the high hill… Wait—where am I?
When I opened my eyes, I was lying beneath a tree with pink leaves, my body covered in some of them.
“Huh…?” I remembered leaving home for school, running through the almost empty streets because I was late. The last thing I saw was the figure of a very long-haired girl standing at the intersection, a bright smile on her face.
How did I get here? And just where is here?
As I was about to sit up, I heard a feminine voice yell, “Nooooooo!” and before the voice stopped, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.
It’s dark… I must have passed out from the pain.
But then, a frantic voice called out, pulling me from the darkness: “Heal! Heal! Heal!” Warmth spread through my body, and the pain faded completely.
“Urgh! What just happened…?” When I came to, a young girl in strange clothing was straddling me, both hands pressed against my stomach.
“You came back!!” She looked overjoyed to see me conscious again and sighed in relief.
“I’m so very sorry I fell on you! I was just taking a nap on the tree.”
Nap? Tree? … So that’s what happened.
While I was about to stand earlier, this girl had fallen out of the tree and crushed me. I must have passed out from the shock, and she healed me with magic.
That was in the past, but if she keeps sitting there, then…
“Umm, it’s fine, really, but if you keep sitting there then you’ll wake him up.” She was sitting on my friend the whole time, and I wanted her to get off before she unintentionally woke him up.
“Wake who up…?” she asked, clueless, her wide eyes blinking in confusion.
“…In short, get off me.” That ought to explain it.
“I’m so sorry! I was focused on healing you that I forgot where I was seated. Please forgive my rude manners!”
She looked so cute and polite when apologizing that I almost wanted to tease her more.
But wait—she said she was healing me. And what’s with those strange clothes? No—everything here is strange.
When did I switch places? I found myself in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by trees and rocks for miles. I had so many questions that my brain couldn’t process them all.
Then, when I checked my belongings, I realized I was dressed in leather-like armor, with a long sword and a pouch of coins lying next to me.
“Hey, you!” I got the girl’s attention as she kneeled beside me. Sitting cross-legged, I placed my left hand on my chin like a great thinker.
“Where is this place? Is your outfit some kind of cosplay? Are you shooting a movie—is that why you said you were healing me?”
Riddled by my questions, the girl panicked and cried out, “I’m so sorry!!”
So annoying, all these apologies.
“Hey, I didn’t ask you to apologize. Just answer my questions.” I snapped at her, frustrated.
“…I don’t really get what you’re saying, but you passed out, so I used healing magic on you.”“Again with the magic. Can’t you just tell me how I can get back to school? Kidnapping is a serious offense, you know.”
Trying to intimidate her into answering, I raised my voice.
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t understand what you are saying!!”
Maybe I had gone too far. The girl—dressed like a modern-day witch—looked on the verge of tears.
“Okay, I’m sorry too. Can you tell me what’s going on here?”
“Umm…” she hesitated, then began to explain.
Apparently, she had been stranded in a village six days away by horse since the last Mighty Week. When the next Mighty Week finally came, she set out for the capital to join the Adventurers’ Guild. The merchants she followed stopped at a nearby town, and she continued with her ground dragon. But they became separated when she climbed a tree to find food. It had been two hours since the dragon left. Tired from searching, she had fallen asleep in the tree.
That was something straight out of a game script, if you ask me.
“So you want me to believe everything you just said? Doesn’t it haunt you when you waste people’s time like this? Just get me out of here!!” She was already annoying, but hearing that game-like story made me furious.
“I’m really sorry, but that’s the truth.” Tears finally spilled from her eyes.
“Wait! I’m sorry, but you can’t expect me to be calm in this situation. I don’t even know where I am!”
It took several minutes before I managed to calm her down.
“So if we find this ‘ground dragon’ of yours, you’ll be able to reach the capital, right? Take me with you. I might be able to figure out where I am—and make a phone call.” Besides, I wanted to see just what kind of creature this ground dragon was.
And so, with the crybaby girl and her staff in hand, we began searching for the dragon.
From what I could tell, it was about 9 a.m. when we started, but by the time we found traces of an animal, it was already 11.
Behind a huge rock I wandered to, I caught a glimpse of a lizard’s tail—except it was massive. My heart pounded, but curiosity kept me from calling out. Instead, I moved closer.
“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” I screamed and dropped to the ground.
“A-a-a-a-a dragon with a lizard’s tail!!!”
The girl traced my voice and rushed over.
It had a head just like the dragons in movies, long legs, short arms, and rough brown scales. At first, I thought it was another prank when I found it sleeping, but then it suddenly stood up and locked eyes with me.
“Doki, is that you!? I’ve finally found you!!” The girl rushed forward and hugged the dragon’s neck like a long-lost friend.
“I-It’s really… a dragon…”
Frightened, I could only watch their reunion.
“You must have been hungry, right? I’m sorry I didn’t bring food for you.” She petted its head gently.
What is going on? She was telling the truth…?
“Just where in the world am I!!!!????”A few minutes later, once things calmed down, the girl shouted, “We really have to go! The Mighty Week will end in just five hours!”
Mighty Week? Five hours?
Strangely, I knew what that meant—without her even explaining.
Is it really possible that I’m in another world right now? Without a doubt, this isn’t the world I was born in. How did I get here? Was I summoned to be a hero, just like Ridi always fantasized about?
If that’s the case, shouldn’t he have been summoned instead of me? I don’t even play games, and I never wished for this. Just what is going on?
Wait. If I am the hero, doesn’t that mean I get everything I want? Ridi always said heroes can do whatever they please. That means… I can have all the girls I want, right?