05—Hey! That’s not an assistant’s job!

SLUUURP!

Toma lifted his eighth bowl of ramen and chugged the broth down to the very last drop. The sound echoed through the tiny stall, thick with steam billowing from the vapor-powered stove. Copper pipes along the walls hissed softly, while antique gas lamps bathed the cramped space in a warm, yellowish glow.

"Puaaah!" Toma slammed the empty bowl down, gasping for breath. "Finally full!"

His belly now poked out noticeably beneath his white Ame-chan tee. The other customers stared in awe—it wasn't every day you watched someone demolish eight bowls in a single sitting.

"Thanks for the meal!" Toma bowed to the shop owner, a middle-aged man with a thick mustache and a white apron that read: Ramen Gorou.

"Man, that's one hell of an appetite, kid!" The man—Gorou—laughed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Haven't seen anyone put away that much ramen in ages!"

Toma fished out 4 coins from his cloth pouch. After paying, he staggered out of the stall—his stomach so stuffed it was on the verge of detonation.

Outside, Ame-chan's transparent form floated beside him, looking thoroughly amused. The blonde girl's body shimmered faintly like a glowing spirit, visible only to Toma.

"Thou eatest like a beast, Toma-kun," Ame-chan remarked with a giggle. "I hadn't imagined an earthling could consume that much."

"Hehehe, after being unemployed and starving for so long, eating a full meal feels like a dream," Toma patted his swollen belly with pride. "Alright, now that I'm stuffed, I can actually focus on work!"

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Ame-chan. "By the way, what exactly is the job I'm supposed to do as your assistant? And what kind of magic system does this world have? That Enkai Mantra earlier made me feel like I'd stepped into a whole wizard dimension!"

"Very well! Listen closely, Toma-kun! I shall explain everything..." Ame-chan floated closer. She smiled, but there was a sharp, serious glint in her eyes.

"First, thy duty as mine assistant is... to overthrow the Shogun of Oru no Kuni."

Thump.

"WHAT?!" Toma stopped dead in his tracks, eyes blown wide. Several passersby turned their heads. "OVERTHROW THE SHOGUN?!"

"Shh! Keep thy voice down!" Ame-chan waved her hands in a panic.

"Hold on a second!" Toma clawed at his hair in frustration. "That is NOT a normal job description for an assistant! I've never had a job before, but I'm pretty sure assistants are supposed to manage schedules, make coffee, or file paperwork!"

Toma jabbed a finger at himself dramatically. "And besides, it makes zero sense for a guy who just dropped into another world and knows absolutely nothing to suddenly go toppling governments! That's basically walking straight into my own grave!"

"Calm down, calm down, calm down! Thou shan't die!" Ame-chan waved her hands rapidly.

"Then WHY do I have to do something this insane?!"

"That is because..." Ame-chan's expression turned solemn. "The people of this world have lost their way..."

Shff.

A gentle breeze swept through Toma's hair.

"Oru no Kuni, the land in which we stand, enforces laws based upon mine teachings—yet those very laws have strayed terribly far from what I actually taught."

"Your teachings?" Toma stared at Ame-chan, searching.

"The details can wait for later." Ame-chan closed her eyes briefly. Then met his gaze again.

"For now, allow me to address the magic system thou asked about—which also happens to be the root of this world's troubles."

Ame-chan pointed at the shirt Toma was wearing.

"Magic in this world is called Suppafuku—garments imbued with specific supernatural abilities."

Toma looked down at his own tee. "So this shirt is...?"

"Indeed! That shirt is also a Suppafuku, and its name is The Will of Ame!" Ame-chan beamed proudly, hands on her hips.

"That Suppafuku grants thee access to several of mine Heavenly powers, including the ability to summon me in physical form upon first wearing it."

"H-Heavenly powers?!" Toma's eyes lit up. "So I've basically got a holy armor set like in an RPG?!"

"RPG?" Ame-chan looked puzzled by the analogy, but nodded. "Yes, something of that sort!"

"That's seriously awesome!" Toma grinned wide.

"Shishishi, it seems thou art beginning to grasp the picture, Toma-kun! And now—" Ame-chan pointed toward the far edge of Hiho-mura.

"Dost thou see that?" Toma followed her gesture. A colossal stone wall towered in the distance, stretching so high it nearly scraped the clouds. Massive and imposing, with steam pipes billowing vapor across its entire surface.

"Yeah, what about it?" Toma asked.

"Beyond that wall lies Itokyo, the capital of Oru no Kuni."

"Itokyo..." Toma murmured. "Sounds a lot like Tokyo at first listen, but literally it means Thread Capital."

"Let us take a brief tour toward that wall," Ame-chan gazed at Toma with gravity in her eyes. "So thou may witness the details I speak of firsthand, and understand the root of thy task."

"Hang on, Ame-chan. Gimme a sec." Toma put some distance between them, turned around, and crouched down holding his chin.

Overthrow a ruler? In my old world I couldn't even land a job at a convenience store! She might be a Goddess, but this is still way too dangerous! His thoughts churned with confusion and worry.

Toma glanced back at Ame-chan, who floated there waiting with an innocent look on her face.

But... I'm the one who applied for her job and got launched into this world. Everything happened so fast, and none of it made any sense.

"Dammit~ I don't have any other options." Toma stood back up with a long, heavy sigh.

"Alright, let's go."

They began walking toward the colossal wall. Along the way, Toma started noticing a side of Hiho-mura that had escaped him before. Beneath the vibrant noise of hip-hop culture fused with feudal Japanese flair, the district actually sat in the middle of hills—garbage hills, to be exact.

"Th-there are so many homeless people here," Toma murmured grimly.

In the corners of streets and at the base of trash mounds, countless vagrants slept on threadbare rags. Their clothes were in tatters—ripped hakama paired with faded hip-hop jackets, topped with shapeless traditional Japanese hats.

"And no matter what world you're in, violence is always there." Toma clenched both fists as he walked on.

Down a narrow alley, Toma saw a group of large men shaking down a small vendor selling steamed buns. The vendor trembled in fear, handing over the last coins from his pouch.

"Wouldst thou care to see something even more disheartening? Look near that rubbish heap." Ame-chan pointed toward one of the trash mounds.

A handful of small children were digging through scraps for leftover food. The worn-out yukata they wore had long since lost their original color, decorated with fake bling-bling accessories rusted beyond recognition.

"I... feel guilty for eating eight bowls of ramen." Toma watched them with a pained expression. "My childhood... wasn't nearly as bad as theirs."

"This is the truth of it, Toma-kun," Ame-chan nodded. "Behind the glittering surface that appears so merry, there is a dark side deliberately forgotten."

As they neared the gate in the wall, the contrast hit like a slap across the face. The road leading to the capital was pristine and immaculate, paved smooth with gleaming metallic ornaments lining its edges.

Steam-powered lamps shaped like traditional lanterns cast a golden radiance. Tall buildings crowned with pagoda roofs were laced with artfully arranged copper pipes, their windows fitted with stained glass in intricate metal frames.

Even the pedestrian walkways were tiled with traditional ceramic patterns, complete with small rails where miniature steam trolleys glided past.

"That great wall does not exist to protect against danger. It exists to hide the divide between people."

A chill ran down Toma's spine at Ame-chan's words.

"Y-yeah, you're right. That wall basically turns Hiho-mura into one giant dumpster." Toma added quietly.

"And this... is merely one of the many wrongs wrought by the people of Hexa." Ame-chan smiled, though sadness lingered in her eyes.

"The power of Suppafuku was meant to bring prosperity to all, not merely the privileged few as it does now."

Toma nodded slowly, still staring at the stark contrast before him. "So your goal is to change the system."

"More precisely—to restore mankind's understanding of what clothing truly means."

***

Hey! Wherever you are and whoever you are, thanks for reading this far ^^

If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to drop some support! It really keeps me motivated to keep writing this story.

Love you guys!