Restaurant to Another World: Chapter 4

By: jungleboy69

Chapter 4: A Strange Door to a New World

Sunlight woke Hiro as beams of light peeked into the windows. He yawned and stretched his arms as he sat up in his bed. "What time is it?" He muttered. He looked at his cloak, which said 7:30 am. Instantly, he remembered that it was Saturday, his first day on his summer job in Nekoya.

"Urrgh..." Hiro groaned as he staggered out of bed and scratched his back. "My first day..." His eye caught the little wooden chest with his key on his desk. Ever since last night, he had thinking about the strange note and the contents of the chest.

What was his grandfather hiding? Was he an avid gamer of role-playing games or a fan of MMOPG? Was he secretly an otaku for fantasy or isekai manga? He sighed and scratched his head. For some strange reason, he decided to bring the leather pouch and the map with him to work; maybe the Master could figure out what it is.

"Hiro!" He heard his mother calling. "It's your first day on your summer job! Your breakfast is getting cold!" Chuckling, he made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up. As he did, the key that was left on his desk glowed slightly.

(10 mins later...)

After breakfast, Hiro went on his way to Nekoya. The streets were busier as usual, due to the weekend. As he walked to the restaurant, his mind wandered as he thought about his grandfather's note and wondered what he meant.

"Grandpa, what were you trying to tell me?" He wondered as he thought about a certain memory of when he was younger and when his grandfather was still alive.

(Flashback, 5 years ago...)

"Hiyah!" A 10-year-old Hiro cried as he unleashed a left hook and an uppercut at his grandfather, a man in his fifties, with grayish hair and a white goatee beard. Despite his old age, he had a muscular figure, and his brown eyes were blazing with a youthful gleam.

"You have to do better that, Hiro!" He laughed as he dodged the blows and punched him back or tried to as Hiro easily dodged and narrowly missed a roundhouse kick from his grandfather. Seeing his chance, he gave a sweeping kick and knocked his grandfather of his feet.

The old man easily flipped over and landed gracefully on his feet. "Not bad!" He replied, getting into a fighting stance. "You're improving well!" "Well, I had a great teacher!" Hiro pointed out, before he raced forward and leapt at his grandfather, preparing to give him a kick.

His grandfather smirked before he ducked down, grabbed Hiro's ankle and tossed him aside. Hiro flipped on his feet and slid on the ground. Just before he could regain himself, he saw his grandfather's fist hurtling towards him.

He barely managed to dodge out of the way and grab hold of his grandfather's wrist. Pulling it aside, he lunged forward and unleashed an uppercut on his grandfather's jaw. *POW! * His grandfather staggered back, and he looked up to see Hiro's fist before it collided into his face.

*BAM! *

His grandfather fell to the ground on his back. Hiro leapt forward and landed on his chest. "Oof!" The old man cried out. "Do you surrender?!" Hiro declared, getting up to his face. His grandfather just stared at him before a smile grew over his face. "I surrender..." He replied.

Hiro leapt off his grandfather's chest as he helped him up. "You've grown stronger!" He chuckled. "Soon, I'll have nothing left to teach you!" "I told you, Jii-chan!" Hiro replied, grinning back. "I have a really good sensei!"

His grandfather beamed with pride. "Well, it pays to have such a talented student!" He replied. "You remind me of myself when I was your age." "Now, come on." He added. "Let get washed up and ready for dinner."

"Looks like you both are having fun." They turned to see Hiro's mother, smiling in amusement. "If you two are done, dinner is almost ready." "So, get changed, you both smell like yesterday's gym socks!" She added.

(After dinner...)

The family sat together on the couch with Hiro sitting close with his grandfather. "I made us some tea." His mother said, as she entered the living room with four cups of green tea. "Thank you, dear." His father spoke as he took his cup.

"Nothing like sitting with your family with a cup of tea." His grandfather spoke, giving a sigh as he sipped his tea. "Perfect for a story." "A story?!" Hiro asked excitedly. "Tell me, tell me!" "Otou-san..." His mother chided. "Not more of your wild stories."

"Let him tell it." Her husband added. "Hiro loves them, let him tell the story." "So, Jii-Chan, what story are you going to tell me?" Hiro asked. "Is it Momo-taro, or Puss in Boots or East of the Sun and West of the Moon?"

His grandfather chuckled. "Actually, I want to tell you one of my favorite stories of all." He replied, getting Hiro to lean in curiously. "Have you ever heard of the Other World?" "The Other World?" Hiro repeated. "What is that?"

"The Other World is a world of magic and fantasy." He explained. "Home to all sorts of races and creatures you will find in your imagination." "You mean, like elves and fairies?" Hiro asked. "Elves, fairies, dwarves, mermaids, even demons." His grandfather replied.

Hiro listened in shocked silence. "The Other World is a realm of untamed wonder and majesty." He added. "Legend says that gateways from the Other World will appear in our world and anyone who finds it will be transported there."

"Really?!" Hiro asked excitedly. "Where can we find it?!" "I'm sorry, boy." His grandfather replied. "The gateways only appear once a week and it randomly appears in a different location in different times." "Oh..." Hiro sighed

"Only a rare few are able to find it and explore the Other World." His grandfather added. "If you're really lucky, you'll be able to find it and explore what's one the other side." "I hope so." Hiro replied, smiling in thought. "I always wanted to meet some elves or fairies."

His mother giggled. "Well, you'll meet plenty of elves and fairies in your dreams, cause it's time for bed." She pointed out. Hiro yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah...I guess so..." "Come on now." She told him as Hiro made his way upstairs. "Goodnight, Jii-Chan!" He called out.

"Night, boy!" His grandfather replied, watching his grandson walk upstairs. He smiled to himself. "My brave boy..." he thought. "You'll come to understand how the Other World is closer than you think..."

(Flashback end...)

By the time Hiro snapped out of his thoughts, he had arrived at Nekoya. He took a deep breath. "Okay...I got this" He muttered. "Just act natural...just focus on your job." Feeling confident, he turned the knob and opened the door and the bell rang. "Master!" He called out. "I'm-!"

He stopped when he looked inside. To his surprise, the whole restaurant was...empty. It was quiet and dark, and no one was there. "Master...?" Hiro called out. "Master, are you there?" There was silence.

Hiro entered and shut the door behind him. Where was everyone? "Is anyone there?" He asked again, but there was no reply. Looking around, there was no sign of the Master, just empty seats, tables, a deserted kitchen and a strange glowing door.

Wait...a strange glowing door?

Hiro rubbed his eyes and looked again. Sure enough, there was a strange door on one of the walls of the restaurant and something was glowing inside it. He approached it cautiously, wondering what it was.

Suddenly, he felt something glowing around his neck. He looked down and to his shock, he saw his key was glowing again. At once, he took it off his neck and held it up to him. He looked at the glowing key, then at the door.

Instantly, he remembered the note from the night before and the stories of the Other World. Could all the grandfather's stories be true? Could there really be another world? Looking back at his key, he breathed deeply. Even so, maybe the Master was behind it

Approaching the door, he noticed a keyhole under the knob. Cautiously, he inserted his key into the keyhole and turned it. *Click! * With trembling hands, he slowly opened the door and a bright light shone through.

"Urrgh..." Hiro groaned as he walked through the door and shielded his eyes from the light. "Master!" He called out. "Are you there?!" "I couldn't find you so I-I..." The words died in his throat and his jaw dropped at what he saw on the other side.

Hiro found himself in a lush forest; with tall trees that stretched up to the sky, a clear rushing stream that sparkled in the sun and wildflowers growing everywhere. The song of birds filled the air and the fragrance of wildflowers was heavy.

Hiro could only stare in awe-struck wonder. The memories of his grandfather's stories came rushing back. "Is this...the Other World?" He muttered to himself. "It... can't be..." As he closed the door behind him, he walked forward taking in his surroundings.

"How is this...possible?" He wondered. "Maybe, I should head back with some supplies." He turned back, only to find that the door which he came from...was gone! "The door!" He cried, looking around. "Where did it go!?"

He tried to find any sign of the door, but nothing. Now, he was lost and alone in a strange new world with no idea how to get back. Hiro looked around again. "Well, I'm not going to find anyone by staying here." He said to himself. "Maybe, there's a town somewhere."

With that, he placed the key back around his neck and clutching his bag, he set off through the forest, unaware of the many adventures he would have in the Other World.