Day go by slowly. I hardly notice change in classes as my head is deeply in thoughts. Soon I'll be able to get my answers anyway but I can't help but wonder. Tournament, huh? Against a hundred kids… That's just like me. What kind of idiot came up with this stuff?

When the final bell rings I navigate school halls in search of a library. Precious will come soon to pick me up from school so I gotta hurry.

"Oy Zofis!" A feminine voice calls out for me. I keep on walking, I don't have time for this!

"Not now Baransha, I'm busy." I drop behind me, quickening my pace.

"If you're in such a hurry why won't you just… Use telekinesis and fly yourself to your destination like you usually do?"

That… Actually makes me pause for a second. Shoot, I'm acting too weird for them again, aren't I?

"My head still hurts after yesterday. I don't want to strain it by telekinesis." I lie. I just don't know how to use telekinesis… yet.

This answer, however, seems to satisfy the panther. She gives me a bit of a sympathetic look… And she still follows me behind!

"May I ask what you are busy with, exactly?" Alright, I think I understand why she's so interested in me all of a sudden - In her eyes Zofis changed personality in a span of a day… I'd be pretty shocked too if something like that happened to someone I knew. But, gosh, I really don't have time to deal with her.

"I'm getting a book from the library before my caretaker takes me home." There. Now, will you leave me, please?

"Why can't they just wait for you?" I'm pretty sure she's trying to get on my nerves…

"Because I'm grounded, Baransha. I'm not supposed to have freedom outside of school hours." Oh… Perhaps I said too much. Oh no.

"Why would they ground you? Oh, please tell me your new personality disorder turned you into a criminal!"

"No! And as I said I am busy! Don't you have anyone else to bother?" Library is so close! I see it's doors ahead of me!

"Nope. And you're the most fun to mess around with!" Well that explains it! I open the doors and then close them right after, leaving Baransha outside. Alright, finally here, now - to the librarian!

Thankfully, the book-shelled snail is easy to locate - they haven't moved even an inch since our last meeting. I greet them and take the books (Took a book about Telekinesis as well). Ah, I've been waiting all day for this!

I ask permission to take books home, promising to return them tomorrow (In this life I will return my library books… Simply because I'm low-key afraid of what this snail librarian will do if I won't. People of this dimension are powerful). They gladly let me keep them for a day.

Finally! Luck is on my side!

Book about the Mamodo King was small but also incredibly useful to me. I've learned not only about the ritual of "choosing" a new King but also about Mamodo culture in general.

This dimension I am in is called Mamodo Dimension and the main residents of this world are Mamodo (ha… finally figured out who the heck I am!). Mamodo are magical creatures that come in various shapes, forms and sizes. Some of them look human-like, some look like animals or mythical creatures similar to those of the Human World. Animal hybrids, plants, inanimate objects - All of those can be mamodo as well.

The world is big and pretty diverse. I'm still not familiar with how much this world might be advanced but so far it looks somewhat similar to modern Earth.

Anyway, this world, unlike humans, has only one ruler who watches over everything. They are not picked by their people, they are not born or made… So how is this world getting new rulers? Well, that's what "The Battle for Mamodo Crown" is here.

Every one thousand years, one hundred mamodo kids participate in a special tournament that is held in the Human World to decide the next Mamodo monarch. The last kid standing shall become the new ruler.

The kids don't participate in the tournament alone: Somehow, they get paired with a human partner. Book doesn't explain how… I guess this is all I'm gonna get, huh?

That sounds pretty messed up. This tournament doesn't have a clear age frame of participants. A 4 year old can be placed against a 17 year old and it'll be considered fine.
(I'd be mighty surprised if the new king happened to be some 6 year old! Ha, wouldn't that be funny?)
Well… I just hope the "battle" doesn't really mean fist-to-fist fighting. It's not like I'm pro-peace, I can hit someone once or twice if they deserve, but I'd rather avoid conflict.
I was so into this book I almost missed dinner time (Precious was worried I fell asleep again, she almost broke the door...).

Ha! One of the positives of being grounded! I can eat and read at the same time. Feels somehow familiar… Was I a bookworm back in the real world? (Nah, seems unlikely)

Alright, to the next book!

Telekinesis guide. At first I was skeptical about it (yes, skepticism, in a magical world, filled with magical events and animals. Why not?), but when I started practicing, I was surprised by how easy it was to move objects around.

Perhaps, it's a small gift left by the owner of this body. To think about it, a nerd like him would bury himself in magical arts to the point of muscle memory.

It does feel a little weird. Like my brain has hands on its own. Weird but not unfamiliar.

I'm not sure I could pick myself up… Maybe with a few more days of training. I'm not out of shape… I just lack confidence to not drop myself.

I play with items in the room by launching them in the air and catching them before they hit the ground. It's a bit overwhelming. Gosh.. I'm doing magic.

After a while Precious comes into my room to shush me into bed. I'm not tired - mamodos are durable creatures that can live for years without sleep… But I don't want to argue with Precious. She's a mamodo too and she knows what is good for me better than I do (Also, she's a giant spider. I might not have been a complete arachnophobe in my past life but Precious does look menacing… I don't wanna be on her black list).

Morning! Tried to brush my hair. Broke a hairbrush. Wonderful beginning of the day, isn't it?
Found a hairband in the old guy's wardrobe (Tried to hide it in the darkest corner, I see. Too bad I found it anyway!). Precious said that today is going to be sunny, so I'm not putting on my hat today. Baransha can laugh at me all she wants but I'll just ignore her… or use my telekinesis and throw her out the window (It's okay, she's a cat, she'll land on her feet).

I feel somewhat upbeat today. Perhaps it's because I've learned how to use my mind to move objects around, perhaps it's because I'm so close to finding a way home, perhaps it's just good weather - I can't help it but hold a small smile on my face.

School was rather dull (Mamodo History is still History, and History is boring. Other classes weren't better as well), but it passed quickly. Turns out our classes were cut out by one due to some kind of accident in the school laboratory… Guess I have some free time on my hands! There's no way Precious knows I have a free hour so I'm free as a wind.

I spent my time with practicality in mind - took a short trip to the library, took a new book to figure out more stuff about this world and then decided to study my new reading materials at the school courtyard. The weather is rather nice and there is not a cloud in sight. I take a seat under a tree and open 'Curiosities of magic', hoping to further expand my knowledge of this world's main gimmick.

It's pretty peaceful… Until some kids start playing nearby. At first I can ignore background noise but with each passing second it becomes more and more frustrating. Well… I guess I can find a better place to read, it'll be a pitiful of me to ruin some kid's fun.

Well, nothing can be done about the noise. I get my book and look around for a better place. Hm, the bushes near that pond look pretty nice, if I say so myself- Huh?

Children's laughter suddenly stops abruptly, providing space for crying. I really shouldn't get invested in that but, just like that time at the bridge, I turn around and follow the noise. Darn you, me! What am I even gonna do if someone needs help? Eh… At least it's not the half-rotten, partly ruined bridge this time.

I don't have to wander for long - there's a child with bright pink hair not far away. They don't cry anymore, but look with worry at the tall tree in front of them. I follow their gaze. There's another kid on the tree, climbing it, reaching for a cloth doll. Hm, perhaps I wasn't needed here after all. Looks like they are just playing a weird game… Perhaps I need to take a book about that as well.

I'm ready to turn around when I hear a snap of a twig. I react faster than think - I catch both the doll and kid in mid-air before they hit the ground. Holding two objects, especially with one of them being as heavy as this kid, is not as easy as it looks. I almost dropped them both before lowering them on the ground.

Note to self: Never use telekinesis on living beings!

"Jeez, you kids should play somewhere safer." I speak with a sigh, as kids look at me with a mix of awe and anxiety.

"We weren't playing!" Said a kid who climbed a tree before. "Bullies took Kolulu's doll and threw it at the top of the tree! I scared them off and tried to get a doll to return to her but I stepped on a old rod and almost fell."

Alright, that explains it.

"Hm, I see. It was very brave of you to climb up the tree to return it. Brave, but also very stupid and dangerous of you. Please don't do anything like that anymore, alright?" Hm.. A brave idiot who throws themselves in danger for others? Oh no, who's this kid reminds me of? "You might be tough but the ground beneath you is tougher."

I lecture kid some more. Don't grow up to be like me, kid, or you'll get thrown into another dimension against your will as well.

"Unu, I know. I just didn't wanted to see Kululu upset!" The girl, I suppose Kolulu, takes her doll with a slight nod.

"Thank you for saving Zatch, mister!" Well, if you ignore the fact that I've almost dropped him…Wait- Mister? I'm not that old! "If it weren't you… I'm afraid to even think about what could've happened to him!"

"Yeah! Thank you mister!" The kid, Zatch, exclaims happily.

"Please, just call me Zofis" Anything but 'mister', I will even finally accept this name as my true and only, just please, don't call me mister or sir! "Oh, by the way - what are you kids doing here anyway? If you finished with classes you should go home. Or are you skipping classes, hm?"

Both Kolulu and Zatch look a bit mortified by that. Perhaps I was right?

"I don't have a home, I'm living at an orphanage and nobody really cares for me there. Zatch doesn't want to go home because he always gets yelled at there." Girl explains. Oh… Now I feel bad for those kids but I can't do much about it. "We just wanted to play together before sunset."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry for accusing you of being a lazy slacker."

"Unu, It's alright! Hey mist-, I mean, Zofis, do you wanna be our friend? You look like a nice guy so you could play with us!" Pardon? He changed attitude so quickly?

"Not a lot of kids want to hang out with us, because both Zatch and I are considered to be the weakest mamodo in this school, everyone else always look down on us. We understand if you don't want to play with us." Is she giving me puppy eyes? Are they both giving me puppy eyes? I-... I can't hang out with six year olds! I'm already too out of character for my classmates, I don't need more attention to my persona by acting nice around kids.

"Well, actually-" I start but… Gosh… Those two… No! Refuse! Their baby doll eyes are just a trap for me to step into! "I-... Yeah, sounds great!" Noooo- Idiot, soft-hearted dumbass!

Kids' eyes lit up. There is no way back from that. Congratulations, Zofis, you just got two friends AND a bag of problems in one package!

Ahh… I shouldn't have saved that kid. He would be totally fine even if he fell down the tree - mamodo are hard shelled, he'd be alright even if he fell down a cliff!.. Oh well… There's no turning back now.

Precious comes shortly after I make new friends. We bid farewell and I called it a day.

Why do I feel like I made a big mistake back then?

I rapidly searched my whole room for the book I took from the library yesterday. I practically turn everything around me upside down but I can't find it! Did I forget it at school? Well, how absolutely unfortunate that today is supposed to be a day off. Darnit! I need to be more collected. I keep doing it again - dropping everything to help someone else.

Thankfully, I am no longer grounded so I can go to school and find my book. I even remember a way there but… It was raining all night long. I'm terrified of what could've happened to the book. Is it even still intact?

"Zofis! There's a young boy waiting for you. He says he came to return your book!" Precious yells from the front door. A young boy? Who could it-

I stroll to the front door. There I see him - Zatch. Standing with the book I forgot yesterday at school. How… What… Why?

"Er… How did you-" Zatch handles me the book with a toothy smile.

"It smelled like you so I thought it yours!" Smelled? Uh… rude.

"How did you find my house?" I ask, checking the book for any damage. Thankfully, it's as good as new.

"It was easy, I just followed your smell!" Is this kid laughing at me or does he really have a strong nose? There's no way to say for sure in a mamodo world. I have to take what he says as a golden truth.

"That's…" Gross. "Interesting ability you have there!" Precious goes back inside, probably thinking I got everything under control. I do not. Precious please come back I don't know what to do with this child-

"Unu! Hey, Zofis, let's go play together!" His eyes almost shine with determination. I can see it in his eyes that even if I say no he won't take it as an answer. I sigh and put the book on the nearby shelf.

"I do owe you for that book, so I guess I can play for a bit with you. But only for a bit, I am quite busy today." I sure hope I won't regret that decision…

[author note:
hi
ibrokemyspacebar... andmysleepingschedule

... haha]