Fanfiction by: Final_Order
Delusional Multiversal Travels
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 4
- - -
I sat on top of a branch, swaying my body along with the rhythm of a tune I hummed offhand.
Meanwhile—
"Haah, haah—!"
Nakatani was sprinting like his life depended on it—because it did. A five-foot bear was barreling after him through the underbrush, and he was absolutely not having fun.
"Aya-san! Please—help!"
He screamed, leaping across thick, twisted roots strewn across the forest floor. Good reflexes. He would've tripped otherwise and been lunch.
"It's meaningless to call for my help."
I didn't even look at him. Just paused the humming and tilted my head slightly.
Then, my lips slowly curled. "See, there's an interesting principle concerning humanity."
By nature, we are adaptive people. We demonstrate a capacity for rapid learning and adjustment.
A simple example.
Consider, for instance, a child's initial experience with riding a bicycle, which often involves instances of falling.
Through repeated practice, the apprehension associated with falling gradually subsides.
Consequently, they eventually cycle without any fear.
"So. What am I trying to say?" I glanced toward the tree line, still hearing Nakatani's panicked cries echo through the forest.
"Simple. If you can face down a five-foot bear now—then what are your bullies compared to that?"
Of course, easier said than done.
His bullies aren't normal. They're superpowered brats. Each of them could take down a bear like this without even trying.
That's not the point.
I don't want to train his body. But rather that head, rather, that mentality of his.
Originally high school students, but this world is a dog-eat-dog world; such a person wouldn't survive.
Getting stronger without a mind to carry it just makes someone second-guess everything.
Doubt creeps in and they hesitate. They overestimate their enemies and forget their own worth.
Now, sure—on the outside, it might look like I'm being cruel, maybe even reckless.
But does that apply to someone like me who has been seen as crazy by my peers for the past three years?
Anyways…
That sealed skill of his… it was the best bet.
Additionally, this would also increase his stamina.
If he keeps this up—running like a hunted animal for a few more days—his endurance is bound to spike.
Yes.
This was how I was trained.
I wasn't trained to do some dusty workouts but to run for my life. It wasn't until later I learnt how to use weapons.
Even then, I didn't do many workouts. I was taught techniques that allowed me to leverage other's weight against themselves.
Being in a near-death experience… it blurs the line between life and death.
Everything starts to look different. You stop thinking and start reacting.
At some point, your human instincts become hyper aware of everything around you.
"A savage way of training."
But well… you have it better than me. At least, I won't actually let you experience the near-"near-death" experience.
Still,
I leaned forward from the branch.
"Yuto, this is going to continue all the way till evening!"
"EH!?!"
He practically screamed back, just barely ducking in time to evade a wild swipe from the bear's claws. The wind from it whistled past his hair.
Impressive timing.
Upon crossing, not only did we get skills, we also got physically stronger, having bathed in this world system.
Or so are my speculations. But well oh well.
Eventually, Evening.
The skies had already draped orange, and the sun was beginning to set above the horizon.
At the forest surrounding the Empire, several kilometers to the west of it.
"Haah... Haah… this… haah… crazy…!"
Yuto's hands braced against a tree trunk, sweat dripping from his body like rain, with breaths shallow and ragged.
Not to mention his legs trembling like jelly, and his eyes spinning in different directions.
In fact, he'd already puked several times already.
"Are you okay?"
I asked, voice laced with feigned concern as I strolled over, dusting off my coat.
The bear was long gone, sent packing by a single kick from me.
"How are you feeling?"
"Ugh… bad… haah…"
He muttered between clenched teeth, trying to stay upright. His knuckles were white from gripping the bark.
Not bad.
"Haah."
He exhaled again, then wiped the grime from his mouth with the back of his hand. When he looked up, I paused.
His eyes. There was something new in them. Clearer, focused and resolved. It caught me off guard for just a moment.
'Would you look at that.'
"I take it we continue this another time?"
"...Yes."
"Alright."
Saying that with a smirk, I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the [Ocean of Shadows].
In an instant, the forest melted away, swallowed whole—and like that, we reappeared in my room.
"Ugh. How inconvenient."
I muttered slightly irritated, releasing him.
It was a good thing they didn't run this place like a prison or boarding school.
Well, at the same time, we're heroes. Or so they call us.
At least, we need enough privacy if they want us to listen to them, no?
"W–wait. Aya-san, can I give you a suggestion…?"
Hearing Nakatani's voice, I turned over to look at him who had a slight…
"What's that look?"
"Uhm… next time, can you take us to a place that… uhm… will not make it appear weird. If I go out now, and they see me… "
Huh? What's he talking abou—
Crap.
I immediately snarled. Completely slipped my mind, and now, for some inexplicable reason, I feel…
"You just had to say it."
"Hahaha…"
That awkward little laugh grated on my spine.
A long pause. My eyes twitched.
"…Okay, time's up. Out."
With a tap, I activated [Shadow Step] and sent him to the corners of the training grounds.
Of course, the exhaustion doubled over me again.
For my level, I guess moving two or three times was the limit, huh? Thinking that, I lapsed onto my bed, closing my eyes.
I hadn't gotten much of a wink since yesterday, and with the fatigue of spamming my skills all day…
Yeah, it was only natural.
*With Happy Snoring Sounds comes the change of perspective*
Ayakafurushi Retsu.
I had always known he was… different.
Yes, he had odd behavior. Eccentric, even. But to me, it felt like it was more than just that.
No—it wasn't just me. Everyone saw it.
Ever since he transferred in, he kept to himself. Always muttering under his breath, making gestures to no one in particular.
Weird.
That was the word we all used.
And naturally, you'd think someone that weird wouldn't be all that sharp academically.
But no.
Surprisingly—in fact, uncannily—he was top of the class. Always scoring well. Always answering questions the moment they appeared on the board.
Like he knew what was coming before it came.
Because of things like that, nobody really talked to him. He didn't fit in.
And neither did I. So maybe that's why I noticed more than most.
Not until…
"Hey, Nakatani-kun. I'd suggest you get ready. We're about to be transported to another world."
With a deadpanned serious expression, he said that in class.
"Huh?"
Naturally, as his desk mate, I thought it was one of the random things he usually uttered, and had decided to ignore it.
Soon, I came to realize…
"Huh?"
When we got transported to another world, yet, throughout it all, he remained calm as though expecting it.
He didn't seem fazed in the slightest.
"H–how did…"
"—Hush now, Nakatani. I've always been the odd one, haven't I? Let's just leave it at that, okay?"
Crap, he was definitely pissed, and I don't blame him.
I'd always looked at him like that, with a mix of fear and distance, like he was something unstable.
But … maybe this is shameless of me to think.
However, if Ayakafurushi Retsu knows something about what's happening, then the safest bet is to be with him.
Or so I thought, but then he looked at me again and said it without blinking, without even changing his tone.
"Listen, your special ability is currently sealed. Get ready to be the outcast of the class."
Again, like always, he turned to me with that dead expression of his saying that.
Outcast of …the class, I managed to understand that much, and if he was the one saying it, if it came from his mouth…
Then it would surely come to pass like everything else he'd said before.
"W-wait, what do you mean by—"
But before I could ask anything meaningful before I could get a word in he cut me off again that same tone of his.
"—Hush, again. Do you want to bet?"
He probably thought I didn't believe him, at the same time, with everything going on, I didn't have the time to clarify.
Hearing him say that with confidence made my heart sink.
Yes. It happened as he said. My skill was called [Absorption], which did nothing more than draw an object close to me.
Originally, I would have called it useless, if it weren't for him telling me the secrets of my powers.
He only kept surprising the class.
From when Akane diverted their attention from me to him, to when he almost slit Akane's throat from behind.
"Your Majesty. If it's not too much to ask, may I be shown to my quarters?"
Even in front of the king and his ministers along with their knights, he didn't waver, boldly declaring that.
"A-ah... yes. Yes! Knights, take him to his quarters."
"Please, this way."
Unlike Miyamoto who immediately threw us under the bus without understanding anything…
I'd rather pick the weird yet mysterious Ayaka over him.
Of course I'm also worried. He might know so much that it could either benefit me or endanger me.
Yet, he was the only one.
I couldn't quite count on Miyamoto. Not to mention, Onizuka and his gang have had it going for me.
Even now, it feels suffocating.
However, currently, with his training. If I can conquer my fears… then…