Chapter – 1
Summoned to Another World
This is really going to be a problem.
With no money and no idea what to do, he repeated the thought over and over again in his mind.
Well, it wasn’t completely accurate to say that he had no money. The wallet in his pocket was filled
with all the cash he owned, which was enough to go on a little shopping spree if he had to - - - under
normal circumstances. But in this case, no money is really the only way to describe his situation.
{???} : “Looks like the currency around here is completely different after all …”
Flipping the rare ridged 10 yen coin in the air, the young man sighed deeply.
He didn’t really had any features about him that stood out. He had short black hair, and was of
average height; being neither short nor tall (174 cm. About 5.7 foot). He was a bit muscular
though, as if he had been working out; and his cheap black tracksuit (orange from the inside and
white in the front) that he was wearing really suited him quite well. It gave off the air of an athlete to
him.
He had small irises, so the whites of his eyes stood out; but right now, the way his eyes were
downcast – he didn’t really have a very aggressive or championing look to him.
He looked average enough to be quickly lost in a crowd … but right now, most of those passing by
looked at him out of the corners of their eyes as if they were seeing something strange they had never
seen before.
That was to be expected, after all. Among all of those onlookers, not even one of them had black
hair, nor were any of them wearing tracksuits.
They had Blonde hair, Red hair, Grey hair, Brown hair … some even had Blue, Orange and Green
hair among others; and they were wearing Armours, Black Jackets, or the kind of costume a dancer
might wear … … .. that sort of things.
As he stood before the waves of open stares directed at him; the young man crossed his arms; and had
no other option but to accept the truth.
{Unknown Boy} : “This has to be one of those …”
The young man said, snapping his fingers and pointing them towards the crowd of onlookers looking at
him in awe and fascination.
{Unknown Boy} : “One of those I’ve been Summoned to Another World deals, right?”
––––––––– ––––––––– ––––––––– ––––––––– ––––––––– ––––––––– ––––––––– *******
Natsuki Subaru was an extremely ordinary boy, born on Earth – the 3rd planet of the solar system, to a
middle class family in the nation of Japan.
If you were to sum up his nearly 17 years of life, the previous sentence would be enough to describe
him; but if you felt the need to add anything else, the extra sentence – He was a 3rd year Public High
School student with a tendency to not show up in the class – would be sufficient.
When placed at a fork in the road of life, such as whether to pursue a College Degree or to jump
straight into the Workforce, people are generally forced to make a decision one way or the other.
That sort of decision - making is something everyone has to deal with, and is part of what we call life.
But in Subaru’s case – you might also call it his specialty, – he was a bit better than your average
Joe at running away from things he did not like.
In avoiding such decision - making things, the number of his unexcused absences had piled up; and
before he knew it, he was a bona fide truant – the kind parents weep over.
{Subaru} : “And to top it all off, now I’ve been summoned to a completely different world. Well, I guess
that seals the deal then – I am a High School dropout now. But seriously, what the hell is going on?”
He felt as if he was having a not so well thought out dream; but even after pinching his own cheeks
and smacking his head against a wall, he would not wake up.
Subaru sighed. He had moved from the street he was on, getting all sorts of curious looks; and was now
sitting against a wall in an alley just off the main road.
{Subaru} : “Assuming I really have been summoned to a fantasy world … the state of civilization
appears to be the usual medieval - like setting. So far, I haven’t seen anything mechanical, but the
roads are pretty well paved; and of course I can’t use any of my cash.”
As for whether he could communicate with the people here, and regarding the value of goods; those
were the things that Subaru checked immediately upon realizing that he had been summoned to a
different world.
2
Fortunately, he had no problem communicating; and he was able to confirm that the commerce of this
world was handled in the most typical fashion – common in many fantasy works – in Gold, Silver, and
Copper coins. His first contact – a Merchant at a fruit stall, wasn’t all that welcoming to him though.
As for why Subaru was so quick to accept and understand his current situation, was because the fact
that he was a Modern Japanese Hikikomori poisoned by fantasy games and media entertainment
had something to do with it; and for that he was very grateful.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that – as an adolescent boy, this sort of otherworldly summoning
was the kind of thing you’d dream would happen to you; but on that note – –
{Subaru} : “Without a little bit more of a welfare safety net thing going on, a laid - back guy like
myself isn’t going to be able to deal, you know?” – – Subaru complained.
Given his current situation, and pitiful starting equipment; he couldn’t help it.
His belongings consisted of :-
1 – His Cell Phone (which looked like it would run out of batteries soon)
2 – A Wallet (filled with membership cards from various video game stores)
83 – A cup of Instant Ramen he’d bought from a convenience store (pork bone and soy sauce flavor)
4 – A bag of Crispy Snacks he bought from the same store (corn soup flavor)
5 – His favorite Black Tracksuit (unwashed) and well - worn sneakers (2 years old).
That was it. Nothing else.
{Subaru} : “I don’t even get a single starting gear? I’m done. What am I supposed to do in this getup?”
Well, there’s only so much you can hope for when you’re summoned to a different world on your way
back from a convenience store. It had happened in the blink of an eye.
He clearly remembered what he was doing prior to the summoning. He had just gone out for the first
time in a long while to buy some cup ramen at the convenience store and was about to return home.
Midway, he looked up at the night sky and thought – “it’s almost a full moon tonight, huh”. And
then as he looked down and blinked, it was noon. Night to noon in an instant.
He immediately realized something was off, but that was it. He’d calmed down now, but his panic
immediately after the summoning was such that it could be told off for generations to come.
3
Subaru had already gotten hungry and eaten half of the 1 thing he had that might have been of any use
– his pack of crispy snacks – before realizing that he had just gone through his only source of food. But
of course; worrying about it wasn’t going to help him now.
Even if he’d wanted to put his hopes on the possibility that this was being staged as a part of an
Elaborate Reality T.V. Show, the large Lizard Carts and the Looks of all the People passing by on
the road completely nipped that possibility in the bud.
{Subaru} : “The fact that no one seems to be paying attention to them … means that they are
probably normal – both those giant lizards and the demi humans.”
Subaru grumbled and looked on; as people with strange outfits and colorful hair passed by. But out of
all of them, the ones who really drove home the fact that he had been summoned to another world,
were the Demi Humans and the Beastmen.
Without even trying to look for too long, Subaru could see people with dog ears and cat ears; there
were even some who looked like lizard - human hybrid (lizardmen). Of course, there were also
ordinary humans – the same race as him.
{Subaru} : “So this is a world with demi humans … and probably wars and adventures too. As for
whether there are any animals (dogs and cats etc.) I’m used to around … I’m not too sure … but given
that lizard - cart thing, it looks like they use animals the same way we do.”
After putting all of that together, Subaru let out a long breath; but not a sigh. If things unfolded the way
he had fantasized before about otherworldly summoning, he ought to be able to use his Knowledge of
Modern Civilization to hold sway over everyone else … but there were a lot of things that still didn’t
make any sense.
{Subaru} : “The truth is, I have no idea what to do next; and I still have no clue about how or why I was
summoned. I don’t remember stepping into a mirror or falling into a pond; and if I’m to believe this is
the otherworldly summoning format I’m used to, where is the Pretty Girl who summoned me?”
The lack of a Main Heroine or a Summoning Princess in this otherworldly summoning setup was
really a big hole in the plot. If this were taking place in a 2-D world, someone in the creative
department must be seriously slacking off.
If Subaru was really summoned in this world for no reason and then abandoned just like that, it put him
on the same level as single - use disposable goods.
Now that he had finished establishing the state of his surroundings, Subaru couldn’t really think of
anything better to do; than to return to his default state of escaping from reality …
{Subaru} : “But if I keep this up, I guess it’s no different from locking myself up in my room back
home …”
4
The thought of his parents crossed his mind; but right now, he wasn’t in a position where he could just
sit around feeling homesick. Thinking he had to do something about his current situation, he stood
back up and turned towards the entrance of the alley which opened towards the main road.
Just as Subaru reached the entrance of the alley and was about to enter the main street – –
{???} : “Hold up!!”
He was grabbed from behind firmly by the shoulder and pulled back into the alley.
Nearly falling over himself as he turned around to look towards the main street again, Subaru saw that
the person who had thrown him back into the alley was a man with a large build.
Behind him were 2 of his buddies. The 3 men stood in such a way that they effectively blocked
Subaru’s exit way from the alley onto the main road. The way they moved; it didn’t appear that this
was the first time these men had done something like this; and Subaru had a bad feeling about what
was going to come next.
{Subaru} : “Umm … .. May I ask what you three fine fellows plan on doing with me?”
{???} : “Ohh! It looks like this one here’s a smart one! Well, you have nothing to worry about. Just give
us everything you’ve got on you; so there’s no need for anyone to get hurt.”
{Subaru} : “So that’s the deal, huh? Yeah .. I guess it would be. Ha-ha-ha …. This really sucks”
The men’s gazes were filled with scorn and ridicule. They looked like they were in their mid twenties,
with the meanness of their personalities reflected on their faces and dirty appearance. They didn’t
looked like they were demi humans, but they certainly weren’t saints either.
You couldn’t call it an unusual plot development though. Encountering thugs was a way to show the
dangers of everyday life. In other words – –
{Subaru} : “Damn! I’ve triggered a compulsory event!”