The Hero

Early the next morning Haruki headed off to the nearby town of Thistleholm, hoping to find some answers there, or maybe even a way back home to Japan. The old man gave him a few scraps of dried meat and another chunk of bread to eat along the way. Haruki thanked the farmer again for everything, and was off on his way.

On the way to Thistleholm, it occurred to Haruki that they’d never even exchanged names. He wondered how he could have forgotten such a simple thing, but shrugged his shoulders.

Life is full of people you will never meet again, he thought to himself.

Thistleholm was much busier than the little village he had wandered into the day before. While still a small town by the standards of what he was used to, the people seemed much more lively and interconnected. There was a little market downtown where farmers and all kinds of shops were selling their goods. Everyone was happily talking and bartering, as if they all knew each other intimately.

Back in Japan, whenever Haruki went outside he had always felt isolated from everyone else around him, as if they were all living in their own little worlds much further apart from each other than they were in reality.

He hoped he didn’t stand out too much as an outsider in this town, the last thing he’d want is a repeat of his first encounter the other day.

As Haruki made his way through the town center, not really knowing what he was looking for, he began to notice little peculiarities among some of the people he encountered. Most of the people looked normal, but every so often he spotted a person with some unusual feature that stuck out. One woman had a tail sticking out from under her dress, another couple people had wolf ears and little horns adorning the tops of their heads, one guy even had eyes that were mostly black instead of white.

These people all still looked like they were mostly human. The little oddities in their appearances were ultimately very small and inconsequential, but they still created a feeling deep within Haruki that he was now somehow in a world different from his own.

“Over there! It’s the adventurers, they’ve returned!” A woman shouted from out of Haruki’s sight.

The crowd of people around him all quickly began to move in one direction, eager to see whatever the woman was talking about.

Haruki’s curiosity was also ignited, so he moved to the back of the crowd to try to get a glimpse of what they were looking at.

In front of the crowd a small procession of rugged-looking men strode confidently through the market, clad in metal armor and carrying all kinds of weapons and shields.

The people began cheering these men, evidently they were heroes to the citizens of this town.

In the back of the procession Haruki glimpsed something that caught his eye. Before him appeared a truly beautiful woman, like nothing he had ever seen back in Japan. She had flowing golden hair that reached down to her waist, so brilliant that merely calling it blonde wouldn’t do it justice. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost glowing like a fresh coat of snow reflecting the sunlight. Her chest…well, there wasn’t much there, but otherwise she was the very picture of beauty.

Her ears were long and pointed, and she was carrying a long wooden staff with a glowing purple gem embedded at the top. Her whole appearance looked ethereal, almost like a goddess, it was the kind of beauty that did not belong in this world.

It was at this point that everything finally clicked into place for Haruki. Waking up suddenly in an unfamiliar place, the strange beasts he had encountered the other day, the weird features of the townspeople, and the supernatural radiance of the woman before him — it all suddenly made sense.

I’ve made it, Haruki thought to himself. I’ve been reborn in another world. A fantasy world where I get to start everything over! This is my reward for being dealt such a shitty hand in my last life. I’m just like the protagonists in all those anime I’ve watched. A new, better life awaits me, the life I was always supposed to have. This is my chance!

When Haruki snapped back to reality the procession had already passed and the crowd was starting to break up. He headed over to the nearest stall.

“Hey, who were those people who passed by just now?” He asked an older woman manning the stall.

“Why, those are our town’s adventurers, they just got back from a mission to slay some ogres in a nearby swamp. They were truly some nasty creatures.” The woman responded.

“Is there anywhere around here where I could go if I want to become an adventurer like them?”

“Ho ho,” the woman chuckled. “Well, you can always go down to the adventurer’s guild where they are probably headed. You can just follow them, the guild is located right in the center of town.”

Alright, score! Going to the adventurer’s guild is always the first step in these types of stories!

“Thanks for the help, ma’am.” Haruki scurried off after the adventurers.

As he ran he envisioned the heroic debut he would soon make at the guild. His latent magical powers would be tested by some sort of special crystal or device, impressing everyone who is present through his extraordinary potential. Soon enough he would be going off on adventures, awakening his powers and easily destroying any monsters who dare step in his path.

All the girls would swoon for him, especially that angelic beauty he saw earlier. He’ll destroy the demon lord or whoever the big bad of this world is, becoming someone who the whole country loves and adores. That’s his right as the reincarnated hero, the protagonist of this isekai story!

At last he arrived in front of the guild, eager to begin his new future.