You are not special.

“Hey, did you end up here too?”

H-Huh? I… did I die? Yeah, I remember it clearly. In my own bedroom, I tripped and smashed my head against the edge of the table while getting up to grab the TV remote… and that was it.

So I really died like that… How stupid. What an idiot. No social life, no friends—just a hikikomori, a NEET who contributed absolutely nothing to society.

I’m definitely dying full of regrets…

“Hey… you there.”

So then, where am I now? Everything’s pitch black. Is this the color of death? I always thought it’d be white, but whatever.

Am I going to turn into some kind of spirit or something? Is this a transition phase? Or maybe… heaven?

Honestly, I can’t tell if I’d go to heaven or hell. I mean, I never did anything truly awful—but I also never did anything especially good either.

But if I could choose, I’d definitely want to—

“CAN YOU HEAR ME OR NOT!?”

—Isekai’d!

“W-WOAHHH!”

W-WAIT, I’M ALIVE?! I—I CAN FEEL AND BREATHE—

And wait, I’m lying down? No—someone’s gripping my collar!

A-A man, and… tsk—

“I-I’m sorry! I—I can hear you, really!”

“…Tsk.”

He let go. My butt slammed hard against the ground.

And yet… there was nothing. Nothing but endless darkness.

“That’s good. So I’m not hallucinating after all.”

This guy… even in the pitch dark, I can see him perfectly up close, I can clearly make out his face.

About my age. His hands are jammed into his pockets, and even though the background is completely black, his features stand out sharply:

A white beanie with some dark brown hair coming out, a white coat and pants.

He’s tall. Like, ridiculously tall—at least two meters. Slim, yet at the same time incredibly muscular… and handsome.

Is he some kind of Hollywood actor!? A jagged jawline, tall stature, a huge nose... W-Wait, no—he’s a—

“Foreigner!”

S-Shit, why did I shout that out loud!? How embarrassing, you idiot!

“Ah, now that I look closely, you’re Asian. Interesting. We probably didn’t end up here by coincidence.”

His voice was deep, yet calm and soothing. He didn’t seem nervous or bothered by my presence at all.

“Here, let me help you.”

He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet.

What a nice guy!

“Thank you so much!”

“Huh? It’s nothing.”

Only then did I realize—I hadn’t even had time to process where I was.

The world was completely black. No walls, no ceiling—everything stretched on infinitely, except for the solid ground beneath my feet.

What kind of place is this? This isn’t the world where a big-breasted girl is supposed to be waiting for me!

And yet, I can still feel my hands, my black hair, my hoodie—everything’s still here.

Is this some kind of in-between world? A transition between dimensions? Then why is this guy standing right in front of me?

“Do you know anything about this place? I was just on my way to school and suddenly got teleported here. I’ve been stuck here for a few minutes with no clue what’s going on.”

“A-Ah… no, sorry. I literally just woke up here too. I’m just as confused as you are.”

So he’d already been here for a few minutes… waiting for me to die? That’s weird.

No way I’m telling him I died—especially not how. The last thing I need is to get mocked by some American guy. Wait, American? I thought only Japanese people could get isekai'd. Who thell is this!?

“Sorry, but let me ask you something,” I ventured.

“Go ahead,” he replied.

“In American schools, you don’t wear uniforms, right? What do you think about that?”

Personally, I think that’d be awful. Imagine putting up with school and having to see every girl in jeans instead of cute skirts. Sounds like hell—

“Who said anything about me being American?”

A-Ah… wait—he—

GAAAAAH!!! MY DAMN HABIT OF ASSUMING ALL WESTERNERS ARE AMERICAN!

HOW RUDE!!

“I’m European… and you? Well, you don't seem like it."

Europe? Cool… France, Italy, Spain—I can’t really tell just from looks.

I mean, he can’t tell where I’m from either, right?

Well, we Asians are good at telling Chinese, Korean, and Japanese people apart… They probably have something like that too among themselves.

T-Though now I’m scared he’ll name some tiny country I’ve never even heard of… Better to just stick to continents.

“I-I’m from Japan. Born and raised.”

“Japan? Hm. Honestly, I’ve never met anyone from there.”

He didn’t seem particularly impressed—or bothered.

That’s probably a good thing.

“So, um… could you tell me your name?”

“You can call me Theo.”

Theo… That’s a cool name. Stylish, unique.

Though for him, it’s probably just a normal name.

“And yours?”

Yes! I was waiting for that!

“Mori Jo—”

Wait. He’s Western, right? Then it’d probably make more sense to introduce myself with my given name first.

“Jojiro Mori. Nice to meet you!”

Ahhh, I’ve always wanted to say that!

“Jojiro? Wow, that’s a great name.”

Great… name?

I’d never thought of it as anything special.

…That was definitely a culture shock.

He’s been here longer than me—and he seems a bit older too. Better stay polite.

“Um, Theo-san, you—”

“Theo what?”

H-Huh? He cut me off? I was just trying to be respectful…

“D-Did I say something offensive?”

“Forget it. Just continue.”

“Well… your Japanese is amazing! It’s not perfect, but I can understand you completely—and it has its own charm! Seriously, congratulations!”

Japanese is a really hard language, after all. Three writing systems, nothing like English.

That just proves how impressive he is—

“W-Wait… I’m speaking Japanese?”

His gaze locked onto a dark spot on the floor. His breathing grew heavier for a brief moment.

“Since when did I learn a third language?!”

Third language? So English isn’t even his native one?!

Good thing we didn’t say that out loud…

And why did I just assume English was his second language anyway?

But more importantly—he couldn’t speak Japanese before coming here?

“Theo-san, are you saying that before coming here, you didn’t know any Japanese at all?”

“Of course not. Not a single word. Why would I?”

Fair enough…

His speech still isn’t perfect—you can tell it’s learned—but it’s the kind of Japanese that makes people say “Your Japanese is amazing!”

He sounds fluent. Like someone who studied for at least a year.

He looks worried… maybe even scared. His brows furrowed.

“I’m sorry, but do you think someone made you learn Japanese specifically to talk to me?”

“It’s possible… but who would do that? And why Japanese instead of English? Wouldn’t that make more sense internationally?”

That’s a solid point.

I don’t speak English at all either…

And what the hell am I even doing in this place?

Where’s the medieval Europe? The magic? And most importantly—my harem?!

This isn’t what I signed up for!

“Hey, Jojiro.”

Suddenly, his tone was extremely calm. I barely noticed him take a deep breath.

“Do you think gods or something put us here?”

“Ah… honestly, I think that’s the only explanation, Theo-san.”

What else could it be? There’s literally no other option.

I was chosen by a god to conquer another world!

…But then why am I stuck with some random guy—

“Then why would those gods put two people from completely different worlds together? Damn it, this makes no sense!”

That was exactly what I was thinking.

But after watching countless hours of anime, this has to be a transition zone, right? That’s the best explanation!

“I believe this is a transition area.”

“Transition? Like purgatory?”

“Exactly!”

“But… a transition to what?”

“Uh, isn’t it obvious? A magical world! With magic! Beastfolk, elves, magical girls, powers, taverns, kings—”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

E-Eh!? Wait—he doesn’t know any of the tropes!?

Well… I guess that makes sense. He’s probably just a normal European guy—not a hikikomori like me.

Though anime has gotten popular overseas… still, probably not the time to bring that up.

“I-If my theory is right, we’re going to a world kind of like—”

How am I supposed to explain this to someone who doesn’t know anything about it!?

Ah—wait, I’ve got it!

“Like Harry Potter! You at least know what that world is like, right?”

“Ah… yeah, I think I get what you mean. But why would we go there?”

There’s really no way to explain this properly…

“Well, Theo-san, I’m 99% sure my theory is correct. So don’t worry—I’ll be your guide there!”

“Oh,” he gave a faint smile, “I’d really appreciate that.”

Yeah… he really is a nice guy.

“And then we’ll form a massive harem—! B-BWAH—”

WHY THE HELL DID I SAY THAT!?

NOW HE’LL THINK I’M A WEIRDO AND—

“A... uh, well sure, why not?”

H-He knows?

Ah, right—harem is a loanword. Katakana. Of course he knows it…

W-WAIT—HE SAID YES!?

“Hello.”

A voice echoed through the black space.

Not mine. Not Theo-san’s.

It was female—mature, calm.

Before we realized it, a yellow figure was standing beside us.

“WHO ARE YOU!?” he shouted, trying to sound intimidating.

The yellow figure was a silhouette, radiating such intense light that it nearly illuminated the entire space that had once been pitch black.

She carried the elegance of a finely sculpted statue—arms spread wide as if welcoming us, straight hair, and a blurred, metallic-looking skin.

“You are not special.”

That’s all she said. And—

She touched Theo-san.

And he vanished.

“WAIT!”

Ah—wait. I was right, wasn’t I?

He must’ve been teleported to another world.

Yeah, there's no reason to be afraid, everything will be fine!

So now… it’s my turn!

“Hey, hey, hey! Touch me too! I’m right here—let’s go!”

She turned her gaze toward me.

“You are not special.”

Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want—just hurry up and touch me already!

I can’t wait to finally get a second chance at life!

I died full of regrets—but this time, I won’t have any! I’ll do everything I’ve ever wanted!

She touched me.