7 A Tale From Another World

The man in the room in the sky? Why does she want me to read it? And how is a child's storybook connected to me?

Looking back, I did fall from my pare-... my apartment room, and I did see the curvature of the earth.

My room may be the room in the sky in this storybook, and I may be the man in that room...

Fear is throwing daggers at my heart again! It may be a coincidence but, the accuracy is too spot-on.

"Miles... are you the man in that book?"

I... don't know how to answer that. This coincidence is too disturbing. Yet again, That bastard fate is playing tricks.

"I-I can't say I am..."

"If I read this book, maybe you can,"

That's right! The content might prove the title is just a coincidence.

"Can I start?"

"S-Sure..."

I'm anxious yet again, and I don't know why. If I am the man in that story, so what? It's like trying to weigh air. But I'm still afraid...

"Miles... y-your hand,"

She sat next to me... and my hand? I don't know what she'll do with it, but she isn't going to bite it off, so screw it.

"O-Okay."

"It's cold..."

She held it?! I'm not mentally prepared for this! And why the hell is she doing this?! First, she let me lay on her lap, and now this?! Is she that much of an idiot?! If any other guy is in my shoes, they'll take advantage of her!

"Miles... you're sweating,"

"C-Can you start reading?"

Who wouldn't sweat in this situation? My ice-cold, ocean-wet, stone-solid hand compared to her silky smooth, tender hands, which gives you a divine sensation. It's like comparing a new-released Tesla to an old Toyota.

"Actually, never mind."

"Eh?"

Eh?! What does she mean by never mind? Is she disturbed by my presence? Well, I don't blame her! Ahh! this sucks! I want to be a sea urchin in the next life.

"M-May I ask why?"

She stood and pulled me towards her and said, "Follow me!"

"..."

If she keeps smiling like that, I won't be able to turn her down.

"We're going!"

"Going where?"

"Mothe-... my place."

What was she about to say? The way she looked after speaking seems like she remembered something traumatic. I want to know, but I haven't gained her complete trust yet, and more importantly, she's going out in that state?

"Riaru... y-your dress, it's stained."

"Oh, wait."

Ahh... She let go. I want to keep holding it. I guess this was due long ago! A loner couldn't possibly take a female's hand. It's shocking enough that I cou-

"OI! Riaru! What are you doing!"

"Changing."

"In front of a boy?! Are you sane?!"

I almost saw her br-... Ahh! What the hell?! She's beyond stupid! It's saddening how innocent she is! The fact that she made it through life with how she's acting is startling!

Now I know how to repay my debt. If this world's society is no different from mine, Riaru won't survive, so I must teach her how to defend herself!

She'll be devoured, so It'll be my obligation to protect her until she can protect herself! I don't know what this girl has been through, but everything I know about her, everything I've seen so far, everything she has done, and everything in this conversation led me to one conclusion. She's a rare one, genuinely kind human, a once-in-a-blue-moon incident.

I've said it before, people like this are recherche, and finding one is like finding water in a desert. She's the type of human you should be close to for as long as you live. Whoever befriended or will befriend her must be lucky.

"Is it not allowed?"

"Of course not! You should know! If any other guy is in my shoes right now, they would've done some nasty things,"

"Nasty... things? why?"

"Arrgh! Don't show your body to anyone except people you're comfortable with!"

"But I'm comfortable around you, so..."

"Eh?"

Eh?! Did I hear that right? No way! I must have misheard that! A female comfortable around me? That's preposterous!

"Can you say that again?"

"You're my first, so it's natural to be-"

"You're first what?!"

I'm her first?! What the hell does she mean by that?! What did she do to me when I was asleep?!

"You're the first person I've talked to"

The first person? I'm dumbfounded. She should've said that first, or else I would've jumped to conclusions. I don't know what she has been through but, it must have been bruises and cuts.

"Riaru... how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Seventeen huh? Judging from everything I've seen, that isn't the snake's deception. She's been in this world for seventeen years, but I'm the first person to talk with her. I said it to myself. I can't harbor any more weight. My core is already in maximum capacity, but hearing that revived an excruciating pain in my chest.

Both of us aren't bleeding, but it seems like we're both hurting. I loathe the world and everybody in it, but if I were to die like Jesus, I'd be more than happy to oblige.

The devil is created through experience. I'll gladly experience everything that conceives a demon, so nobody else could entertain it. That shall be my happiness, one from beyond the river of Styx.

Alright! I've decided! I will pay my debt tenfold! I shall recover the past seventeen lonely years for her, and I'll protect her until she's capable of fending for herself! That's how I'll repay my debt.

"Why'd you ask?"

"Don't mind that... let's go."

"Wait! Miles... y-your hand."

Ahh yes! I'm more than delighted to receive your grace!

"S-Sure."

"Are you ready, Miles?"

"Ready for what?"

"To see the world!"

That smile... I still can't get over it. And to see the world? It's about time!

I don't know what to feel, but that conversation with her felt so relieving. A dagger that was once pointing at my heart disappeared. Even if it's constantly lingering, she holds my hands as mother did, and that's the most comforting thing I've experienced.

"Miles, I'm going to run."

"Wai-"

She ran straight to the door like a bull after seeing a red flag! I might meet Tupac if she's this much of a madcap! I've been dying to go outside anyway, so I'll close my eyes, hope for the best, and fuck it!

|...|

A few minutes passed, and we're running... and running, and still running... and a few quick stops... and more running, and yet again, running.

|...|

A few more minutes passed, and now we're jogging... and jogging, and it turned to more walking... and walking... and still walking.

"Miles... open your eyes,"

"S-Sure,"

So close! Her face is too near! A few more millimeters, and we'll be touching each other's skin!

"Miles... why is your face red?"

"Y-Your f-face!"

"Is something wrong?"

Ahhh! Please read the room! You're too close!

"Miles... look."

"Look whe-"

Wha-? It's beautiful, it's alluring, it's splendid, it's gorgeous, it's exquisite, it's resplendent, it's ravishing, and honestly, I can list all the synonyms for incredible right now.

Who would've thought my emotions from when I saw the curvature of the earth came back knocking on my door. No, that's an insult! This is that, but hundredfold!

You ever gaze at something that caught every drop of your attention? Like your soul left the world for a few seconds? It feels like my consciousness resigned from my body. Things are going suspiciously smooth...

"What do you think?"

"I don't know, but I'd say it's neat.

"Eh? That's it? I took all the trouble to bring you here!"

Ahh! That pout face is strewing guilt at my existence!

It's not that "neat" is all I have to say; it's just that I have no words to utter.

"N-No... It was sarcasm. I don't know what to say."

"Haha, it's fine."

I've said this a fuck ton already, but that smile! And this view... I really am in another world! This view makes you believe that dragons exist. It's incomprehensible, but floating islands in the sky! A sea of white with islands filled with trees. The islands float as if Newton never discovered gravity! And it feels like I could swim in the clouds. Time and time again, this world never fails to astound me.

Pigs do fly... I'm going through unthinkable situations that I never would've imagined in the previous world, like holding hands with a girl while looking at a splendid view. This is a U-turn compared to my former life. I could do this all day.

"Miles... about the book."

My life is going too smoothly in this world. Is it compensation? Perhaps... since my previous life was horrible. Or are these moments with her are the calm before the storm? Hopefully not, but if I'm going to repay my debt, I have to be on guard all the ti-

"Miles? You're spacing out again!"

"Ah! Sorry... it's just the view."

"Hmm, it's okay... about the book."

"Sorry... can you read it to me,"

"Sure, but why?"

"I-It's n-nothing... I j-just w-want to-..."

"Want to?"

"I want to k-keep holding,"

Ahh! That took all my remaining confidence in the tank! Screw me! Why did I say that?! She's going to be creeped out! I should be stabbed to death and reincarnate as a slime.

"S-Sure."

She agreed?! And that look on her face, could it be?! No, no, no! I've only spent a short amount of time with her! And she's too much of an idiot to be thinking of that! You should calm down, Miles! You're a loser.

"I'll s-start."

She's shying away her face! Adorable!

"Shouldn't you be facing me?"

"Once upon a time..."

Eh? She dodged that smoothly. Sometimes I wonder, is she really an idiot?

"Once upon a time, in the prosperous city of Midway... there was a man who could read minds,"

So even this world has the classic "once upon a time" cliché and a man who could read minds? I can easily read people like telepathy. That's alarmingly accurate.

"There was a successful merchant named was Raiki, the bear,"

The bear is known to be one of the most solitary animals in the wild, and if he got his nickname from that, that further proves this book is no mere coincidence, but at least his real name and background are different.

"Raiki was a lonely man since childhood, with nothing but his riches around him."

That line confirmed my theory. It looks like I'm heading on a one-way trip to disaster's mansion. So far, the only difference is the name, and he's rich while I'm dirt-poor.

"He tends to avoid people, and due to that, everybody outcast him,"

An ocean of fear is starting to seep into my heart. I've said this before, but why am I so afraid? Why should I be afraid? If I'm the man this book is referring to, so what?

"He stays away from them because he can hear all of their thoughts... Raiki hears all the sinful things in everyone's mind, and he couldn't bear it,"

Wow... That's deep, too deep for a child's book, and way too tragic.

"Even though he dislikes people, he still helps them whenever he can. Every time Raiki helps people, they are kind and friendly, but Raiki hears all their thoughts. They are only kind because they are using him."

The main character would help people and get manipulated. Somehow, after reaching that conclusion, I felt all the built-up fear from hearing this story suddenly disappeared. What Raiki did isn't something I would.

"Raiki heard all the envy, greed, lust, rage, and hate all the time. He couldn't bear with it anymore, so he used all his wealth, and bought every single piece of wood and stone in the city, gave away his remaining riches to the poor, and set out to build a tower tall enough to reach space."

That was extreme, but it surprised me it took him that long to lose himself. And a tower tall enough to isolate yourself from humanity? If Riaru didn't exist, I wouldn't mind living there for the rest of my life.

"After ten agonizing years, he finally built the tower. He went up to his newly built home, but it collapsed, and he fell,"

My ears are bleeding from pain after hearing that. Ten years and it collapsed just like that? That's hard to stomach. I want to know what happens next, but she stopped reading...

"Miles..."

"Is something wrong? Why'd you stop?"

"Look."

It's ripped. The last three pages are missing! Now I won't find out, and it's usually the ending that matters. I'm curious...

"What happened here?"