Chapter 9

My eyelids were trembling.

"Hmm—"

I slowly lifted my eyelids.

"Morning, huh."

I sat up.

I looked around with a dazed head.

A room with a calm, purple tone.

"Where... am I?"

The room was completely silent.

Soft light was streaming in from a large, double-leaf window.

My eyelids felt heavy, still dragging sleep.

A yawn escaped me.

And then,

"Oh, right—"

The events that had happened to me came back to me one by one, vividly.

That's right.

I had come to another world...

I gazed at the window.

"Another world, huh."

It was a strange feeling.

A different world from the one I knew.

I was in it now.

"Huh?"

I noticed a blanket covering my body.

"Could this be... from Makina?"

...

When someone shows such delicate consideration, I can't help but be deeply moved.

I almost fall in love.

"By the way, where did Makina go?"

She wasn't in the canopy bed.

Had she woken up and gone somewhere?

It's hard to move when left alone...

"I guess I have no choice but to wait."

And then,

"Hmm"

I shivered.

Well... in other words, it was the urge to urinate.

Fortunately, I hadn't needed to use the toilet since coming to this world... but how is the excretory process handled here?

Is there even a sewage system?

Damn.

Still, I made a mistake.

I should have confirmed such things last night.

It's a subtle matter, but a very important one.

"..."

Anyway, I had to find the toilet.

I threw off the blanket and rushed out of the room.

The entrance led to the principal's office.

Makina wasn't there either.

I looked at the entrance.

I had heard this was a school.

There should be at least one or two toilets.

Leaving the room without a word felt a bit awkward, but this was a matter of urgency.

And... the remaining time wasn't as much as I thought.

There was no choice—

"Huh?"

Just as I was about to head for the entrance door, my eyes caught the door on the other side of the principal's desk.

Come to think of it, there was another room connected to the principal's office besides the one I had just rushed out of.

The possibility that it was the toilet... wasn't zero.

"Alright!"

I opened the door of hope and stepped inside.

"..."

To cut to the chase, there was a toilet.

And it was quite similar to the Western-style toilet from my previous world.

It was a great relief to find a familiar toilet.

But that wasn't important right now.

We—me and the toilet—stared at each other, frozen.

"...You"

The one who broke the silence first was Makina, sitting on the toilet seat with her lower body exposed (don't worry, the important parts were not visible due to the angle).

...

Incidentally, she was still in her negligee.

"S-S-Sorry!"

Bang.

I hastily rushed out of the room and closed the door behind me.

I slid down the door and sat, drenched in cold sweat.

My heart was pounding uncontrollably.

"O-Oh..."

What have I done.

What was I doing?

Even if I didn't know she was there, entering a toilet where a girl was...

"It's over."

Even though I was in a hurry, why didn't I knock?

But it's too late to regret now.

For this, I might as well be executed without complaint.

The sound of water flowing could be heard.

Thinking it was finally happening, my heart beat even faster.

Ah, I can't face her.

I moved away from the door and prepared to do a dogeza.

I aligned my knees on the ground.

At least, I would apologize sincerely.

Even if she doesn't forgive me, I should apologize first.

The door creaked open.

"...What are you doing?"

"This is called a dogeza. In my country, it's a way to show the highest respect—though nowadays it's more about the highest apology."

"So?"

"I know it might not be enough just to apologize... but I'm very sorry for causing you discomfort this time."

"Oh... I'm not really bothered by what just happened, so it's fine."

Makina said this casually, without any hint of sarcasm.

"Huh?"

I looked up, surprised by her unexpected attitude and words.

Makina sighed softly while wiping her hands with a white cloth—probably a handkerchief.

"I was in the habit of not locking the door, so I'm partly to blame too."

"But—"

"Also, I forgot to tell you that that room was the toilet, which is my mistake too."

"Ah..."

"Besides... seeing doesn't take anything away."

"Your case might be different."

"Oh, really?"

Makina smiled calmly, folded the handkerchief neatly, and put it in her pocket.

Then she pointed to the toilet door with her thumb.

"Go ahead, then?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong? Didn't you need to use it too?"

"Oh, right."

That's right.

Gulp.

Just remembering made my bladder start to—

"Excuse me!"

I rushed into the room.

* * *

"So, about your future plans—"

Somehow avoiding the worst-case scenario (though I might have caused another kind of worst-case scenario), I was sitting across from Makina in what seemed to be a reception area of the principal's office.

She had changed into a slightly different Gothic Lolita outfit from what she wore yesterday.

Is this her everyday wear?

Well, it's cute, so it's a feast for the eyes.

"Starting school today?"

"No, I think you'll start tomorrow. We haven't done any procedures yet, and we need to arrange your uniform."

"Oh, right."

Thinking about it, it wouldn't make sense to start school today.

There wouldn't have been time to do the procedures between last night and today.

"Anyway, I'll tell you about the current plan."

"Okay."

"You will be attending an educational institution that trains Holy Tree Knights."

"Can I ask about that?"

I raised my hand slightly.

"Yes?"

"What exactly are these 'Holy Tree Knights'?"

"Well... think of them as knights who serve the king and the Holy Tree. Does the word 'knight' make sense to you?"

"Rather, thanks to that word, I have a vague idea."

She added that the details would be taught in class soon, so this level of understanding was fine for now.

"So, I'll be attending this school and studying hard to become a Holy Tree Knight?"

"That's right. However—"

"However?"

"You are an outsider from another world. But saying 'I'm from another world' won't make anyone believe you."

"...Right."

It's easy to understand if you think about it in terms of the previous world.

If a new student suddenly introduced themselves as 'I'm an alien,' no one would believe them.

Even though she believed me because of the forbidden spell, Makina was the exception.

"Still, an 'origin' will be necessary."

"Origin?"

"Yes. You'll be asked about your hometown during school life. A fake origin is necessary."

Hmm.

A fake origin.

Makina cleared her throat.

"I have a good idea for this."

As expected of the principal.

She already had a plan.

But... what kind of origin, even if it's fake?

Would it be something like 'a boy with the blood of an ancient hero, who was specially recruited by the principal due to his hidden power'?

I couldn't help but smile.

Oh well...

It feels like I'm the protagonist.

"Something like this—"

She straightened her posture and began to speak.

"You came from a remote mountain in the eastern country to this country."

"Hmm, hmm."

I leaned forward, my chest swelling with expectation.

"You grew up in the mountains, so you can speak, but you know almost nothing about the world."

"Hmm."

"One day, a Holy Tree Knight was on a special mission in a mountain in the eastern country. However, he was badly injured in the mountains. As he was about to give up, you happened to save him."

"Hmm."

"Impressed by your wild talents, the knight invited you to become a Holy Tree Knight and wrote a recommendation letter for you."

"Wild talents..."

"I accepted it. The reason your name wasn't on the list of candidates... well, let's say I forgot to process the recommendation letter. The exam was taken on-site as a special case."

"I see."

"Rest assured. I'll have a trustworthy person play the role of the knight and coordinate the story. I'll also explain the situation to the three who witnessed the forbidden spell and have them coordinate."

"...I see."

"About you fainting near the school on the first day... how about saying you fainted due to hunger because you have a body that gets hungry easily?"

"Hunger attribute..."

"How does that sound? I think it's a flawless, perfect setting."

...

What is this?

A hungry, natural wild child from a foreign country, Kurohiko Sagara.

The sense of being the protagonist I was expecting seems to have drifted far away.

And... is this okay?

The eastern country sounds like a different country.

Is it okay for a Holy Tree Knight to recruit someone from another country with a sense of obligation?

But seeing Makina's confident expression, I couldn't help but feel bad about questioning her.

However, I must have had a skeptical look on my face, as a piercing gaze came from Makina.

"Is there something you're not satisfied with in my idea?"

"...N-No, I'm impressed. As expected of the principal."

"Good."

Honestly, I wanted a bit more of a chosen one feel.

Well, in a way, I am a chosen one...

But there's no point in complaining here.

After all, she knows more about this world and the school than I do.

So, I should leave it to her.

"About your origin, that's about it. Now, about today—"

At that moment,

My stomach growled, unable to bear the hunger.

"Sorry..."

"Oh, you're hungry?"

"Yeah... I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

I haven't eaten anything since coming here.

The last meal I remember was a tuna onigiri and a yakisoba bun I bought at a convenience store after leaving home.

"Then, let's have breakfast first."

Makina looked at the clock on the wall.

"The timing is just right."

It seems this world also has clocks.

Short hand, long hand.

Twelve symbols in a circle.

The way of calculating time seems to be almost the same.

Well,

It's easier to think in terms of the units from my previous world.

At that moment, the clock's hands pointed to '7:00'.

So, it's 7:00 in the morning.

Just as if waiting for 7:00, there was a knock on the entrance door.

"Breakfast is ready, Makina-sama."

A woman's voice.

"Come in."

The door opened, and the girl bowed respectfully.

"Excuse me."

A deep blue dress with an apron, and a frilly headband.

"...A, a maid?"

Real?

A real... maid?

"Hmm?"

I suddenly realized something.

Wait,

That thing on her head—

The maid smiled at me.

Nicely.

"A—E-Excuse me..."

I returned the bow, stammering.

I could feel the heat rising to my face.

To be greeted with such a wonderful smile, any normal man would fall in love instantly.

And, being below average, I naturally fell in love instantly.

The maid giggled and pushed a wheeled cart into the room.

It looked like a service cart used for room service in hotels.

The plates on it were covered with silver lids.

The maid skillfully arranged breakfast on the table.

Salad, sandwiches, a warm-looking soup...

Milk poured from a silver pot into a glass.

Makina looked composed, as if this was a regular scene.

She must be a powerful figure, I guess.

"A-Ah... Makina-sama"

The maid, who had been glancing at me, timidly spoke to Makina.

"What?"

"Is this a guest? If needed, I can prepare breakfast for this person too."

"No, that's fine. I usually leave half of my meal... so I'll have him take care of the leftovers."

"Understood."

The maid bowed and took a step back.

"Before we eat, let me introduce her."

Makina pointed to the maid.

The maid aligned her hands and straightened her posture.

"She is my personal maid, Mia."

"My name is Mia Posta. Nice to meet you."

Mia bowed politely.

"Ah, um, I'm Kurohiko Sagara. That, Makina... Mia—"

"Your reaction suggests this is the first time you've seen a sub-human species."

Makina, having read my question from my gaze, took a sip of milk and said.

"She is a Felir, a sub-human species."

"Felir?"

I looked at Mia again.

Right.

Mia, wearing a headband, had ears that were clearly not human.

Violet, long hair and ears that resembled an animal.

The ears gave off a wolf-like vibe.

Looking closely, a thin, violet tail was peeking out from under her skirt.

I noticed Mia was shrinking her shoulders, looking ticklish.

"Ah... S-Sorry. I, I was just staring..."

Yeah.

It's rude to stare too much.

"I-It's fine, please don't worry... Since you didn't know about sub-human species, it's only natural to be curious..."

Her smile was filled with consideration.

...

A maid with animal ears.

Somehow, she seemed like a really good person.