Chapter 1 “an end and a beginning”

a story by Raya

Nakajima Ken. A high school student, 2nd year. It's the 17th of October, Ken was getting ready to go to school and was greeted by his friend. "You're up late" A voice with a timid sound. They both walked to school and stopped at a red light, the sun was shining brightly on a morning horizon. But then, Ken saw an old man trying to cross the road, not knowing that there was a speeding car going down the road.

"Hey! Look out!"

Ken pushed the old man out of the car's way, but it was too late for Ken. The car hit Ken, sending him like a doll. Everyone rushed in to help Ken, While his panicked friends called an ambulance. But it was too late…

ーAll I could see was darkness. I still can't see anything else. I don't even know if I am blinking or not. I don't feel anything, am I breathing? Am I moving around? I don't know.

["Hey! Hey! Kid!"] I heard a man's voice, calling me but I didn't recognize the man's voice. The thing that I could only see is still darkness, nothing else. yet, I could hear this man calling me. A sudden flash blinded me, and the only thing that I could see is white. But now I realized that I was blinking the whole time, and I can still hear the man's voice. I blinked and saw the man's face, ["hey kid! Are you just going to stand there?"] the man asked me. I was startled so I walked back, but little did I know I was in the middle of a crowd. I decided to ask the old man, [Ken: "mister, where am I?" ]I looked at the old man and he said, ["what are you talking about? You're in the sky kingdom of Sora"]. I was confused, I didn't recognize that name… Am I alive?

["Are you lost kiddo?"] he asked me with a friendly demeanor. I don't know what to say, the last time I remember is that I died trying to save an old man. I can't even answer a simple question, I am scared. [Ken: "Y-yea, I am lost. Do you have any idea where I am?"] I asked him, even though he already said that this was the kingdom of Sora. But I need more specific details. ["You're in the capital city of the kingdom, why? Do you need help?"] that information is really useful, I am in the capital city of this kingdom. There should be a police organization that could help me to get around this place, maybe I should ask where the police station is. But this place… It looks like this place is in the medieval period. So there isn't a police force or organization anywhere, Maybe I could ask that old man where the guards are stationed. but that would sound suspicious like I don't belong here. But I do really need help

[Ken: "Mister, are there any guards nearby? I really need their help"]

I asked the old man calmly

["Yes there are, maybe you could find some patrolling around the capitol building"]

Said the old man

I thanked the old man and went to the capitol building. I was on my way to the capitol building, but then someone shouted ["Hey you! Where are you going?"] it's a voice from a man. I looked back and was surprised that it was a knight, but his armor looked different from what I've seen on the internet. Is he a higher rank knight? Are there high-rank knights? He approached me with a friendly face, he asked me ["Hey there buddy, some people around here have told me that you looked suspicious. Now tell me, what are you doing here?"] I could feel a friendly aura around him, but this feels weird too… I openly said, [Ken: "I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by it, it's just... *sigh I'm lost and I really need help"] before I came to this world, and before I died. I never needed help before. I knew almost about everything, from maths to science. I always get straight A's (well, not in every subject), but now I really don't understand what is going on. But I am trying to understand everything at once, from getting woken up by that old man and now getting stopped by a knight.

["Follow me"]

The knight command me to follow him

I know that knights have higher authority than me, so I followed him to not make any chaos or suspicion. He brought me to a mansion-like building and told me to enter, I couldn't feel anything strange or anything wrong with this knight. Entering the mansion, we were greeted by two maids. I didn't know that this world has maids, but their faces look cold like there are no emotions at all.

The knight told me to enter the mansion and make my way to the dining room, one of the maids greeted us before, escorted me to the dining room. To make the situation not suspicious, I decided to not ask any questions to the maid. I sat down on one of the chairs in the dining room, and stayed quite… The other maid that greeted me at the mansion, brought me some food even though I didn't request any food, so I said to her [Ken: "I didn't request any food…"] I thought the cold demeanor would make me look suspicious, but fortunately, she just left me without bringing the food with her.

The knight sat down next to me and started asking with a nice and calming voice, ["hey, I know when someone is lying and when someone is scared ok… You don't need to be scared of me, I don't bite haha"] he laughed at something that isn't funny. I told him the truth but… no-no he said that he can notice if someone is lying, I need to tell him the truth. ["So who are you? I've never seen such attire before"] I told him that [Ken: "my name is Nakajima Ken, you can call me Ken. I'm from a country called Japan, I don't know who'd I got here. The last thing I know is that I died because I tried to save an old man"] I told him everything about me before I came to this world, he nodded his head and sat up from his seat ["so, you don't have a home? Do you want to live here? In this mansion?"] an offering from a knight is something good and probably a blessing, and because I have nowhere to go and nowhere to live. I decided to live with this knight and those two maids.

Before the knight leaves the room, I asked him [Ken: "can you give me your name?"] in a cold and emotionless demeanor. He laughed [Kouta: "haha, I am Kouta Masanori. You can call me Kouta, you don't need to have cold behavior to me"] I've never been opened or not being cold to someone that I don't recognize or I don't know, but because Kouta is giving a positive vibe around him… it makes me happy that there is someone out there that are nice and kind. Kouta said that I could get more food in the kitchen and get it by myself or call one of his maids… [Kouta: "oh yea, their names are Mizuki and Hinata. You probably can tell who is which, if not you can ask one of them or me. Well, I wish I could take care of you, but I have duties to take care of"] I noticed the sudden change with his aura from a kind and friendly vibe, to a worried and caring vibe…

I watched him leaving the mansion and exiting the gate of the manor, and I went back inside. Mizuki was waiting for me at the other side of the door, she was holding a suit and said [Mizuki: "Master said that you need to change into this suit. It'll make you look less suspicious"] she hands over the suit to me and tells me to go change in the changing room. I told her that I don't know where the changing room is and told her to escort me to the changing room. As expected from a maid she escorted me to the changing room. I told her [Ken: "Thank you for escorting me to the changing room, Mizuki"] she nodded and said [Mizuki: "no need to thank me, sir, this is what I do daily if there are guests"] those words, I feel that she has a cold and emotionless personality like me… I can't really tell her anything after that other than entering the changing room and changing my clothes. I couldn't believe that the fabric of this suit felt so comfortable, not like the suits that I know from Japan, and it looked good on me. I left the changing room with my old uniform. Mizuki said that I need to hand over my uniform to be cleaned, so I gave her my uniform so this situation doesn't feel suspicious.

After Mizuki left me to clean my old uniform. Hinata asked me to follow her, she said that [Hinata: "Master wants you to know about this mansion, to make you feel at home"] Kouta really wants me to feel comfortable living in another world. She showed me every corner of the mansion, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, the library, the garden, the kitchen, the dining room (again), and lastly my room. [Hinata: "Master said that you need a comfortable bed and a comfy pillow, so I changed the old bed and the old pillow for our best bed and pillow. Please feel at home"] she closed the door of my room, leaving me in my new room alone. There was a table and a chair that I could sit on to study, and I also remember Hinata showed me a library in this mansion. But it was getting late, so I decided to jump into bed and try to fall asleep.

"This is where my new life in this world begins"

End of chapter 1