The morning sunlight crept gently through the slightly open curtains of the window. The morning air felt cool and refreshing, carrying the faint aroma of flowers from the garden that might be near this luxurious inn.
Kazuki's eyelids slowly opened, revealing his pair of sharp black eyes. For several seconds, he remained still in his soft bed—a thick dark blue blanket wrapped comfortably around his body, creating warmth that made him reluctant to get up. However, his awareness soon fully returned, reminding him that he was no longer in his room in his original world, but in a strange world full of mystery.
Kazuki glanced at the clock hanging on the cream-colored wall. The clock was round with intricate carvings on its rim, its hands made of golden metal. The short hand pointed to seven, while the long hand was exactly at twelve.
"Hmm, did I wake up too early?" he muttered softly, his voice slightly hoarse as typical of someone who just woke up.
With one smooth movement, he pushed aside his blanket and rose from the bed. His feet touched the thick carpet that felt soft, providing a comfortable sensation before he fully stood up. The bed he had just left was indeed very large—a carved wooden bedframe with a mattress spacious enough to accommodate two adults comfortably, adorned with ivory white silk sheets and several plush satin-covered pillows.
Kazuki stretched his body, his muscles slightly stiff.
The room was far more luxurious than he had imagined. Its walls were covered with elegant geometric patterned wallpaper in sea blue and gold. Gleaming mahogany furniture was neatly arranged—a large wardrobe with intricate carvings, a desk with a comfortable chair, two lounge chairs flanking a small table near the window, and a small bookshelf partially filled with books that looked antique.
The tall window with thick curtains provided a view of the city coming to life below—merchants opening their stalls, children running in the streets, and several horsemen passing by gallantly. It was in stark contrast to the modern and luxurious interior of the room.
Kazuki walked toward a door on the side of the room that he believed to be the bathroom. And indeed, when opened, he was greeted by a bathroom no less luxurious than his room—white marble floors and walls with gold accents, a large bathtub that could accommodate two people, a porcelain sink with a swan-shaped faucet, and a large gold-framed mirror.
"Even the bathroom is like a five-star hotel," Kazuki murmured in amazement.
He approached the sink, turning the faucet that surprisingly flowed with clean water—another thing that surprised him considering the seemingly medieval setting of this world. Cold water washed his face, instantly making him more refreshed and chasing away the remnants of sleepiness.
After drying his face with the soft towel provided, Kazuki returned to the main room and approached his bag—an ordinary black school bag that was his only possession from his original world. The bag lay on a small table beside the bed, looking unremarkable amidst the luxury of the hotel room.
Kazuki sat on the edge of the bed and slowly opened his bag. It didn't contain much—several textbooks, stationery, a wallet with a little Japanese money that was now useless, and some other personal items. However, as he examined more carefully, his fingers found something familiar in one of the inner pockets of the bag.
"Ah," he murmured with relief as he pulled out a smartphone with a plain black case. "Here it is."
The smartphone was a gift from his mother—Hayashi Ichika—for his sixteenth birthday. It wasn't the latest model, but it was quite sophisticated and meant a lot to him because it was the first gift he received since being adopted by her.
Kazuki pressed the power button on the right side of the smartphone, but as expected, the screen remained dark. "Wow, it seems the battery is dead," he muttered while examining the rectangular object in his hand.
He paused momentarily, his black eyes narrowed in concentration. "Well then, let's try."
Kazuki closed his eyes, his fingers tightly gripping the smartphone. In his mind, he imagined a flow of energy flowing from his body, passing through his fingers, and entering the electronic device in his hand. This visualization wasn't merely imagination—he was actually using his power, manipulating reality to recharge the empty battery of the smartphone.
Several seconds passed in silence. Then, the smartphone in his hand vibrated gently, and the manufacturer's logo appeared on the now brightly lit screen.
"Success," said Kazuki with a small smile, feeling satisfied with his achievement.
But his smile quickly faded when he saw the signal icon in the upper right corner of the screen—a cross mark indicating no available network. "Huh? It seems there's no network in this world," he muttered, tapping the smartphone screen with his index finger.
He thought for a moment, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. "I guess this world also has its own network, but perhaps their network is different from my original world. That's why my phone can't connect."
Kazuki stared at the smartphone in his hand with a curious gaze. An idea emerged in his mind—a crazy idea that might be considered impossible by others, but not for him. "Well then, let's use it again..."
This time, he not only closed his eyes. His fingers moved across the smartphone screen, creating invisible patterns, as if he were drawing complex symbols in the air. His extraordinary power worked again, this time far more complex—he wasn't just manipulating physical objects, but also abstract concepts like connectivity and digital networks.
"If I can't access their network," he whispered to himself, "then I'll create my own network."
For several seconds that felt long, nothing happened. Then, one by one, the icons in the corner of the screen began to change. The cross mark on the signal icon changed to full bars, indicating a strong signal. The Wi-Fi icon also lit up with all its bars filled, even though there clearly wasn't a Wi-Fi router in this world.
Kazuki smiled with satisfaction. He had successfully manipulated reality once again, transforming his smartphone into a device that could operate without conventional networks—a device that could access the internet, applications, and all other digital features despite being in another dimension that was technologically far behind.
"Perfect," he murmured while swiping the screen to unlock.
Once the smartphone screen fully lit up, dozens of notifications appeared simultaneously in a wave of digital information demanding attention—unread text messages, missed calls, important emails, and various notifications from social media applications and games. The notifications flashed and piled up at the top of the screen.
But among the sea of notifications, there was one name that immediately caught Kazuki's attention, making his heart beat a little faster and his throat feel dry: Nira
.
His adoptive mother. She had adopted Kazuki, who at that time was just a child who knew nothing about the world—without clear memories of his past, without family, and without direction.
Nira
was the person who patiently taught Kazuki everything—from simple things like how to tie shoelaces to complex life lessons about kindness and compassion. She accepted Kazuki as he was, including his strange powers.
Kazuki's finger moved quickly across the touch screen, opening the messaging app with automatic movements. At the top of the conversation list, the name "Mom" was displayed with an icon of a woman smiling warmly beside it. A small red number in the corner of the contact showed there were dozens of unread messages.
Kazuki swallowed, a feeling of guilt sneaking into his heart.
"Well then, let's try calling," Kazuki muttered to himself, his voice sounding hesitant yet determined. "I don't know whether it will work or not, but if it doesn't..." He paused, a thin smile forming on his lips. "I'll make it work."
His thumb pressed the phone icon next to his mother's name. The sound of a dial tone was immediately heard—something that should be impossible considering he was now in a different dimension. But Kazuki's power had transcended the boundaries of normal logic, creating a connection that shouldn't have been possible.
His heart pounded as he waited, each second feeling like an hour. Cold sweat began to dampen his palm that was holding the smartphone. Would this work? Could he really talk to his mother despite being separated by different dimensions?
Then, a miracle happened. The sound of the dial tone stopped, replaced by a moment of silence before the familiar voice he had missed so much was heard.
"Kazuki? Is that you?" Nira
voice was heard.
"Hello, it's me, Kazuki," he answered with a gentle voice.
"What do you mean by 'Hello,' huh?" Nira
tone suddenly changed, a mix between relief and anger. "Where have you been for the past day?"
Kazuki could imagine his mother's expression when she was angry.
"Mom, listen to me," Kazuki said carefully, choosing his words meticulously. He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes gazing at the view of the alien world outside the window. "It seems I've been brought to another world."
"I suspected as much," Nira
replied in a calmer tone. "It seems you're not the only one in that other world, right?"
"As expected of my mother," said Kazuki, a small smile forming on his face. "Aren't you worried about me, Mom?"
"Of course I'm worried!" Nira
voice rose again. "What kind of world have you gone to this time?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly, staring out of his hotel room window. The bright morning sky with slowly drifting white clouds looked too normal for a world that should be alien. "But this world is vaster than any world I've been to before."
He paused for a moment, observing the activities of the town's inhabitants below—merchants pushing carts, passing horsemen, children playing in the streets. Everything looked like medieval life that might exist in history books, but with a subtle touch of fantasy elements.
"I don't know how long it will take for me to return to the original world," Kazuki continued.
"I see," Nira
responded briefly. "Where are you now?"
"Ah, I'm at a hotel," Kazuki answered. "With a female classmate. It seems that only one class was summoned to this world, not the entire school."
Kazuki walked toward the window while continuing to speak, his fingers touching the thick dark blue curtain hanging on both sides. "And we two are separated from the others, so we're now looking for them and searching for a way to return home."
There was a moment of silence before Ichika spoke again. When her voice was heard again, there was a different tone that made Kazuki shudder—the tone of a mother who was investigating.
"Kazuki," Ichika called with a voice too sweet to be a good sign. "Are you sharing a room with that girl, or are you now in the same hotel but different rooms?"
Kazuki swallowed. Though he couldn't see his mother's face directly, he could clearly imagine the investigative expression that must now be fixed on the woman's face—eyebrows raised high, eyes narrowed suspiciously, and lips tightly pressed holding back warning words that were at the tip of her tongue.
"Clearly separate rooms," Kazuki answered quickly. "There's no way she would want to share a room with me." He chuckled.
"Is that so?" There was doubt in Nira
voice, but then her tone changed to serious. "Remember this message from your mother: don't use your power too much for things that can cause chaos, okay? Use your power only when you really need to use it."
That warning was something familiar—the same words that Nira
had always said since first discovering Kazuki's ability.
"Yes, I know," Kazuki answered, his tone softening. "I won't use my power for things that can cause chaos."
He glanced at the wall clock in his room, realizing that it was time to meet Amira in the lobby as they had agreed. "Then I'll end this call, okay?"
"Hey, wait!" Nira
exclaimed quickly, her tone changing to enthusiastic and curious. "First tell me the name of the girl who's with you—"
Kazuki quickly pressed the end call button before his mother could finish her sentence. He could already guess where that conversation would lead.
He glanced at the time on his smartphone screen then compared it with the wall clock in the hotel room. Both clocks showed exactly the same time.
"It seems the flow of time in this world is the same as the original world, huh?" he muttered, slightly relieved. At least he didn't need to worry that one day here might be equivalent to one year in his original world, or vice versa.
The plan for today was clear—meet with Amira in the lobby, have breakfast.
"But before that," he muttered as he walked to the bathroom, "I need to shower first."