The Maid, the Princess and the Magician.

Keikichi looked left. An empty street.

He looked right. Not a car in sight.

It was strange how quiet it was. Even at night, the city was usually still full of cars and people, but not tonight, it seemed.

Just before he crossed, a glint on the ground caught his eye. A penny. Something about it gave him the irresistible urge to pick it up.

“You can never have too much money, I guess.”

He shrugged to himself, bending down to pick it up. Right then, a van hurtled down the crosswalk, speeding by, only inches away from hitting him.

If he’d stepped forward a second earlier, he would surely be dead.

Keikichi gave a shaky laugh at his brush with death. “Guess this is my lucky coin.”

He took a deep breath before checking again. Still no cars. He stepped forward onto the road.

As soon as he did, another van’s engine roared. The bright light from its headlights swallowed him whole.

His life flashed in front of him, small fragments of his memories replaying in his mind.

Him taking deep breaths when he got anxious in a test.

Annoying people with fancy words it seemed only he knew.

Nightly walks that made him feel at peace with himself.

His seemingly random memories comforted him in his dying moments.

He thought back on what he used to say to himself: “Take what life gives you, and in the end, it will work out.”

His go with the flow attitude stayed even in death. He did have some regrets though.

He wished he had tried more hobbies. Maybe taken more risks outside his comfort zone. Get a girlfriend.

But regrets didn’t matter. Not anymore.

A foreign voice boomed inside his head. Calm, deep, but with a hint of anger.

“Death won’t be the end for you. It was never going to be.”

Keikichi tried to respond, but no words came.

“Now that you're dead, you will be taken into another world. Once you figure out who took you there, I’ll come to visit you.”

His vision went black, a sharp ring playing in his ear.

—

Keikichi’s eyes shot open. He sat up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as he felt his body… he was alive again.

He started laughing to himself.

“Did I really die? Hah… Took long enough.”

He wasn’t laying on the concrete anymore. Instead, he sat in a spacious bedroom, but it wasn't his.

A soft, king-sized bed cradled him, something he could only dream of having back in his lousy apartment.

He looked down to his new attire, a sleek black suit and jeans, a pair of polished brown shoes, a small white handkerchief poking out the suit's pocket.

“I'm going to assume what that strange man said was true. I don't think any kidnappers would be putting me in a suit and giving me a nice bed to sleep on.”

He stood, wobbling a little. Everything felt different. His body was smaller, younger. Even his voice changed, it was softer, like a young child.

“If I was reborn, shouldn't I start out as a baby? Not a child? Hopefully nothing morally questionable is going on.”

He stepped out through the door into a long hallway he couldn't even see the end of, it wasn't some dingy apartment hallway, but a mansion's.

“Judging by my fancy suit and this expensive looking mansion, I think I'm in the body of a noble… Sweet!"

He looked both ways in the hallway unsure of which way to go.

“I need to try finding someone around here. Maybe then I can figure out who took me here.”

“Who took you here? That would be me, sir. I carried you to your room once you passed out.”

Keikichi jumped. A girl in a maid uniform had appeared behind him without a sound. Her tone was calm, polite yet slightly unsettling.

“Don’t sneak up on people like that! Who the hell are you?”

“Hm? Have you lost your memory again? Do you still remember who you are?”

He thought to himself. How would a noble act in this situation? Arrogant maybe?

“Uh, wow? Thanks for ignoring my question. Of course I remember! I’m the great noble of this mansion!”

She stared blankly at Keikichi before looking around nervously. Crouching a little to look him in the eyes.

“Incorrect, sir. Your name is Itsuko. You are the personal attendant of Lady Himeko.”

Keikichi stared at his clothes, then back at her. “Oh… So I'm just a butler? Great…” He said dryly.

The maid ignored his sarcasm.

“We should go see Lady Himeko immediately. Please follow me, sir.”

She marched down the hall, fast enough that Keikichi had to jog to keep up. They arrived in a vast entrance hall, covered in polished white stone, that was so clean he could see his reflection in it.

“Ah! Lady Himeko! Down here!” The maid waved up at the hall's indoor balcony.

A young blonde girl leaned lazily on the railing, tapping on it whilst bobbing her head.

She wore a luxurious white dress, pink embroidery weaved into a pattern across the sides.

She immediately lit up once she noticed us. Without hesitation, she jumped over the balcony railing.

However, instead of crashing to the floor, she floated gently down, her long hair fluttering as she landed without a sound.

“That’s a bit extra…” Keikichi murmured under his breath.

The words slipped out louder than he intended. Both the maid and the girl glared at him.

“S–Sorry! I mean, it’s really cool magic! Totally cool!”

The girl tilted her head, now looking more confused than angry. She leaned close to inspect him, her eyes sharp.

“Don't you mean ability? Did you lose your memory again?”

“Yes Lady Himeko, it appears that Itsuko-.”

Himeko stopped the maid from speaking anymore with a sharp glare.

“You know you shouldn't call him that.”

Himeko looked back to Keikichi with a sweet smile on her face. Keikichi got slightly intimidated by her.

Keikichi let out a nervous smile.

“My name is Keikichi Satou.” 

When he realised what he said, he immediately slapped his hand over his mouth. He tried to say Itsuko, why did he say his real name?

The maid looked down dejectedly. Himeko just smiled faintly.

“Alright Keikichi, you should probably rest up for now. Come to me later if you still don't remember anything.” Himeko gave a polite wave before gracefully ascending back to the balcony.

Before Keikichi could say anything else, the maid grabbed him by the collar, dragging him back to his room.

“Hey! I can walk back on my own!”

She immediately dropped him in the middle of the hallway and bowed.

“Alright then, I will go assist Lady Himeko instead. Call me if you need me, sir.” She immediately bolted away, speed walking down the hall.

Keikichi didn't even know the maid's name. He would have to ask someone for it later.

He picked himself up from the floor and dusted himself off.

He faced the long hallway full of different paths and doors, he decided to open the first one he saw and stepped inside.

His bed, his nightstand, his room. But with one key difference.

A skinny boy with bright blue hair sat cross-legged on Keikichi’s bed. He gave a wide grin as Keikichi stepped inside.

“Hey~! Remember me?”

Keikichi froze. “…Who the hell are you?”

The boy gasped dramatically. “Unbelievable. You already forgot me? After all we went through in the prologue?”

The boy faked a teary voice before jumping off the bed, leaning forward and staring intently at Keikichi.

“My name's Kouga. The world's most powerful magician, future overlord, and devilishly handsome!”

Kouga delivered dramatic pose after dramatic pose as he introduced himself, everything about him was strange.

It felt like the world's most obnoxious anime character was just placed in front of him, and now he had to deal with him.

Keikichi stared at him blankly. “…What are you even talking about?”

Kouga sighed and fell back on the bed, shifting his demeanour completely.

“I was watching you talk with Himeko and that maid. It's lucky you said your real name, it would've been really inconvenient if you didn't."

Most of what Kouga said made no sense to Keikichi, but it seems he knew a lot about him and the mansion. He thought it would be good to humour him and try to get some information.

“Alright then, Kouga. Since you seem so knowledgeable, could I ask you a few things?”

Kouga fanned himself with his hand, imitating an old lady. “Oh~ Are you trying to flatter me already?”

Kouga placed his hand back on the bed and fell backwards, laying down, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Yeah, shoot.” He said dryly.

“First off, who was that maid I was with?”

Kouga groaned. “Who cares? She's just a side character! I've lived here for 13 years and I still don't know her name. Trust me, she's irrelevant.”

“...That wasn't helpful at all.” Keikichi muttered to himself

“Alright second question. I think you know I'm not from here. So who took me here?”

Kouga sat back up “Well I can answer that. But if I said that an overlord named Priscilla took you here, would you have any idea what that meant?”

That was true, Keikichi didn't understand anything he just said, he wished someone could just appear and explain everything to him.

“I'm going to say this though.” He stood up and approached Keikichi

“You, me, and all the others who got sent here, are here for a reason. If you want to get some answers you're going to have to come with me.”

Kouga’s eyes glowed a bright blue, like he was charging up for something. He got up close to Keikichi, gently placing his hand on his forehead.

A powerful blast emanated from his hand. The entire room shook.

Keikichi was flung backwards from the shockwave, hitting his head on the wall. Keikichi groaned, holding the back of his head.

“Agh… what was that for?”

He paused for a moment.

His hands felt bigger. His voice was deeper. The sleeves on his shirt weren’t black silk anymore, but the worn hoodie he used to wear on his nightly walks. He staggered upright, realising he was back in his old body.

Keikichi turned to Kouga, hoping for an explanation. Instead, he watched as he stood over a limp, unmoving body.

A small boy. With a sleek black suit and jeans, polished brown shoes, a plain white handkerchief poking out the suit's pocket.

His new body… lying dead on the floor.

Keikichi’s blood ran cold. He was too stunned to speak. Kouga just laughed.

“Wow… dying twice in the same day. How unlucky can you be?”