Sorry for the late update, guys!
Between my job, which has started piling over time as we go into the holiday season and a few other things in my personal life. It has been a little hard to find time to write, but I'll still make it work! My new PC is up and running, and I couldn't be happier! (No more lag, even my word processor! I can finally write with a computer that can keep up with me!)
So, with all of that out of the way. Please, enjoy the new chapter.
In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero
Chapter Five: A Chance Encounter
"If there is no fate and our interactions depend on such a complex system of chance encounters, what potentially important connections do we fail to make? What life changing relationships or passionate and lasting love affairs are lost to chance?"
–Simon Pegg
'So, at the rate, we're going. We should be in Amanesque Town around noon tomorrow if we leave early enough,' Alex estimated as he looked over the details on his smartphone. The twins had finished their shifts and were sleeping inside the comfort of the cart, having refused Alex's offer to use Gate to send them back to the Silver Moon inn out of a sense of solidarity. At the very least, it still allowed Alex the privacy needed to continue tinkering around with some of the new features of his divinely empowered phone. For example, the young American discovered that just like in his old world, if he was aware of an active location such as a store. He could actually locate it on the map and get its coordinates.
Hell, he could even do it to people, which was something that could have only been done with tracking apps back home.
'So I could easily find the girls if we ever got separated. Or maybe even find people who are lost or wanted,' Alex figured as he exited the map and began looking over recent news from back in his old world. Just as he had summarized, life continued without him. While his body had arrived back home and was currently lying in state at his hometown's city hall for one week before finally being interred at the local cemetery. Alex didn't want to continue reliving his death or have his heart broken at seeing his parents.
So he decided to focus on local news in Japan instead, as some things still interested him.
'The Prime Minister has officially dissolved the Lower House of the Diet. Again,' Alex read with a smirk as the article continued to subtly shit-talk the same political alliance that had tried to screw him and Izuku Midoriya over, albeit for difference political reasons. This was despite the fact that they had been well within their rights to protect themselves and their classmates. While Alex had never really cared for politics, save for anything that could actively affect him or general human rights. He would be lying if he wasn't interested in seeing this Neocon Alliance get taken down a peg after all of the crap they had pulled recently. 'Gotta love karma...Oh hey, The Sports Festival is coming up! That might still be fun to watch...but I also might just stick to watching the highlight reels if I end up not having time to watch the whole thing.'
Alex put away his phone and pulled out Linze's book to continue studying new spells. Only to pause to look up at the night sky that was on the cusp of dawn. While he had been living in this new world for almost a month, he had actually hadn't taken the time to appreciate the view that the darkness could bring. The sky was riddled with foreign heavenly bodies beyond the planet's solitary moon. If it was anything like his old universe, the heavens should be filled with countless stars, planets, and galaxies. He couldn't help but be reminded of the works of the renowned physicist, Doctor Jed Walker, who had once speculated that if Quirks had never appeared in his old world. Then human society and development could have been at the point of having interstellar colonies in outer space.
'Ain't that a bitch? Our world gained superpowers, only for them to help escalate some of the conflicts that would spark World War III,' Alex couldn't help but think with a smirk of irony. History in the Quirk Era was like any other era of humanity's continued existence. It often started as a total shit show that only cooled down after everyone took a heavy hit. 'Superpowers should have led the new era of scientific discoveries and advancements. And it did...after almost two centuries of fucking insanity.'
'I wonder how long it will take for this world to achieve space flight?' Alex began to wonder as he opened the book and produced a small ball of light to help him read. 'Magic should be able to advance society much quicker than mine.'
Alex had already seen examples of advanced technology than what should have been available from his old world's equivalent era. And that was just from his time in Reflet alone. Considering that Reflet was just a little town, Alex couldn't help but wonder what the capital could have in store by comparison. Depending on what he discovers, there could shed some further insight into this strange world's past.
"Are you awake, Alex?"
The young man turned to see Linze had woken up and made her way to him from the cart.
" Yeah, did you have trouble sleeping?" Alex questioned as he made room for Linze. The young woman shook her head as she sat next to her companion, eyes focused on the orange glow in front of them.
"No, I've always been an early riser," Linze answered as she began to warm up her hands. "Ever since we lived on our uncle's farm, it was expected that we would get up early to get a head start on chores. Then again, Elze broke the habit the first chance she got after we left so she's still deep asleep. So you were about to start studying again?"
"Yep," Alex responded with a chuckle as he moved the light and book between them. "You actually have pretty good timing. Mind helping review the spell list? I can read it, but it still takes me a moment."
"Sure thing," Linze said, happy to help and excited to see more of these Null Magic spells come back to life. "We have plenty of time before we leave."
Elze awoke with a stir as the sun's rays began to shine through the thick canvas while hearing the faint sound of muffled laughter a few hours later.
'What in the world?' Elze thought as she shook her head to wake herself up. She reached for her younger sister, who had been sleeping beside her, only to find nothing.
"Linze?" Elze called out as she rubbed the grime from her eyes but found herself alone. "Linze?"
Elze managed to straighten herself out just enough to be presentable and slowly opened up the back of the cart to allow her eyes to adjust to the sunlight. The sounds of laughter, however, grew as Elze found her sister and Alex with a bright pink horse. The latter was giggling to the point of tears as she made sure to keep the horse reigned in. While the former was leaning against a tree, apparently laughing at his handiwork.
"Kolore, Yellow!" Alex managed to call out between the laughter as he gently placed his hands on the horse's side. Without warning, the horse went from bright pink to a sunflower yellow. The two began laughing even harder as the poor thing looked so silly when compared to its original chestnut-colored hide. Even Elze couldn't help a slight chuckle at the sight.
'Must be a new Null magic spell...' Elze guessed with an amused smile while leaning against their rented cart. It was good to see Linze looking so happy. 'I don't think she's laughed this hard since that one time she saw cousin Fredi slip in cow drug back home.'
While initially happy at the sight, Elze couldn't help but feel a slightly sinking feeling in her heart as she watched the two speak with their hair down. An entirely at ease and unguarded conversation about the Null magic spells they had found, but they both looked so...happy. Elze didn't know why this innocent conversation was putting her on edge.
'This a good thing, right? Linze seems so happy while with him...' Elze thought with a sad frown as she didn't understand why her heart seemed to hurt. 'So...why do I feel so...unhappy about it?'
"Hey, Elze!" The elder Silhoueska twin was snapped out of her thoughts as the two finally noticed her. The horse had been restored to its typical color and was being tied up by Linze. While Alex was coming over to her with a giant grin on his face. "We were just about to wake you for breakfast...are you okay?"
"Huh?" Elze managed to respond as she quickly wiped the solemn expression from her face and instantly became defensive. "We are you talking about?!"
"Hey, hey! I didn't mean anything bad by it," Alex responded as he reflexively took a step back. "You just looked kind of down."
"It's just from me barely waking up," Elze answered calmly as she mentally chided herself for her abrasive response. "So...umm...what's the plan for breakfast?"
"I was thinking about taking turns and going back to the Sliver Moon Inn for breakfast and getting a quick change of clothes," Alex responded, relaxing at Elze's lowered aggression. "Plus, I promised Fleur that I would be checking over her progress with my French Onion Soup recipe. She's been dying to take a crack at it since we ate it."
"Well, it's better than digging into our travel rations for breakfast," Elze answered with a nod. While she would've typically disagreed with such shortcuts as she had done last night. Between the chance of a freshly made hot meal and not wanting to appear uncooperative, she decided to relent and go with his idea. "Plus, it's nice to travel with less stuff weighing us down."
"Great," said Alex as that grin he was sporting earlier had returned. "And! Linze gave me a good idea to try out with your Boost spell when we get back on the road!"
"Oh really now?" Elze followed up with a raised eyebrow. "And what's that?"
"Working out!"
"Maybe you should take a break, Elze!" Linze heard Alex call out to her elder twin as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Yet, he could continue jogging at the same pace without much visible strain on her right-hand side. Linze quickly looked to her left-hand side to see Elze struggling to keep pace.
"Not...a...chance," Elze managed to say between heavy pants. She was doing her best to continue pushing herself forward but was clearly reaching the limits of her stamina.
"Maybe it's best if you both stop to rest up?" Linze suggested with a worried expression from the driver's seat of the cart.
The two had been at this since they broke camp shortly after breakfast. While it had been her idea for Alex to practice his magical focus and control while learning the limits of his mana pool by using the Boost spell while he jogged. However, so as not to be outdone by her own magic. Her ever-prideful sister had decided to follow suit and push the limits of her own strength. That said, Linze knew she had to use a method that wouldn't hurt her sister's pride; she just hoped Alex would pick up on her plan.
"While it's a good idea to practice, maybe you should ease off for the time being? You never know when bandits could be lying in wait to ambush us."
"Is that really a common occurrence?" Alex questioned as he motioned to the vast green plains with only the occasional groups of trees and road signs dotting the landscape nearby. "There's nowhere to really hide."
"While it's far more common nearby the borders," Linze answered as she kept the reigns steady while keeping an eye on her wheezing elder sister. "Clever bandits can make themselves invisible with magic and take advantage of the more lucrative roads that are close to towns. We should be arriving at Amanesque town soon. It might be a good time to test that other new spell to check for bandits and have a snack before we stop."
"Yeah, I think you're right," said Alex as he heeded Linze's advice while respecting that she had partly suggested this move to spare her sister's pride. The twins did have more experience traveling in this world. Plus, he was getting kind of hungry. "Alright, you've made your point. Hey, Elze! I'm calling it quits! You win!"
"DAMN...RIGHT!" Elze roared out with a pained but relieved smile. She hadn't been very privy to their conversation as she had needed to keep all of her focus on not collapsing. Alex began to lean, hopped onto the driver's seat next to Linze, and released the spell while wiping the sweat from his brow. While the younger twin had to pull on the reigns slightly to slow down the horses and let Elze hop in from the back.
"Phew, that was a good workout."
"That...was...torture..."
"No pain, no gain," Alex said as he dived into the back of cart to pull out a couple of canteens from their snack bag. Thankful that Linze had preemptively frozen them before they left town. The ice had melted, but the water was still ice-cold. "Here, drink up slowly."
"Thanks," Elze mumbled as she accepted the cool drink, as she realized that Alex barely seemed phased by that long run. Linze suppressed a sigh of relief but kept the smile on her face. She was beyond grateful that while seemingly equally as prideful as her stubborn elder sister. Alex was level-headed and humble enough to know how to keep Elze from overdoing it like she used to. The trip continued with little incident as Elze broke out some of their travel rations.
Alex began double-checking Linze's book again to look for a particular spell; while also seeing how far they were from Amanesque town on his phone.
'Looks like we'll be there within the hour...'
"You know...I never thought about using my Boost spell like that before," said Elze as she handed Alex a small, rigid slab of dried, salted meat.
"Really?" Alex questioned after setting aside the book and accepting the snack. "So, you've only practiced using it during combat training?"
"Yeah," Elze retorted as she began to nibble into a hardtack biscuit.
"Elze thought it was overkill to practice against those who don't have reinforcement magic or weren't massive opponents," Linze interjected from the driver's seat.
"It's the biggest ace up my sleeve," Elze followed as she took a swig of water. "I shouldn't rely on it all of the time. Especially against those who aren't worth the effort. Either way, if it was overkill, I must have thought the same when it came to normal training."
"And here I thought there was no such thing as a fair fight," Alex chuckled as he took another steady sip of water.
"I thought we were passed that already!" Elze puffed up her cheeks with a mixed expression of frustration and guilt.
"Oh, we are," Alex replied as he put down the canteen and tore a strip from his slab of jerky to begin nibbling on it. Once upon a time, Alex had enjoyed modern processed beef jerky that was both flavorful and soft. This, however, was nothing like it. It was extremely rough and coarse, with numerous salt fakes still embedded into the meat. It would take quite a bit of chewing to swallow it. Still, it did the job of curbing his hunger and replacing the salt he had lost from that hard workout. At least until they could stop for a proper meal. "But that won't stop me from teasing you about it."
"Yeah yeah," Elze retorted, rolling her eyes. "At least you're much stronger than the guys I used to practice with. Plus, there was something satisfying about being able to beat those guys without magic."
"I'm going to go on a limb and say that they underestimated you, huh?" Alex asked as he saw that prideful smile on Elze's face. He could relate, considering how often he had been underestimated for wanting to go to UA. This made it all sweeter when he finally succeeded and gave him the right to tell every doubter to go fuck themselves.
"Yup, all because I was a girl," Elze said with a suddenly flat voice and a darkened expression as she remembered some of the sexist comments against her. It was frustrating that she constantly needed to prove herself to others, both here and back home. Despite that, history had its fair share of female heroes throughout the ages. Sometimes Elze wished that she and her sister had continued traveling to the Lestia Knight Kingdom. One could move up purely on merit regardless of religion, creed, or sex.
"Morons."
"Huh?" Elze was snapped out of her thoughts as she turned to look at Alex. The young man simply shook his head as he leaned back and continued chewing on the jerky strip. "What did you say?"
"Those guys were morons for underestimating you just because you're a girl," Alex answered without hesitation. "I knew plenty of women could've kicked my ass easily back home."
"What?!" Elze couldn't help but yell, making Alex, Linze, and the horses react. The former nearly jumped out of his seat, while the latter neighed out of freight and made the cart shake violently. Linze quickly managed to compose herself and regained control of the horses.
"Whoa! Crap! Phew...sorry. I was just surprised when you said that...I mean, you're so strong!"
"Yeah, now," Alex managed to say after securing that his canteen hadn't been knocked down. "But I only recently discovered that I have these powers remember?"
"Oh...yeah...right," Elze breathed out as she was reminded of that fact. "So, do you think you could be stronger than them now?"
"Maybe?" Alex questioned as he paused to readjust his beef jerky strip and take another swig of water. Pondering about some of the more influential female American Pro-Heroes that even inspired him, regardless of sex. They were all dedicated Pros who had either inspired him or had helped train him at some point in his life.
'Even now, I doubt I beat Stars and Stripe or Lady Liberty. But I might stand a chance against Pros like Iron Arms, Miruko, Ryukyu, and Pixiebob. Heh, a rematch with Pixiebob would be interesting now since she schooled my ass last year with her Earthflow quirk. Hell, I'm pretty sure I could beat Nejire now...'
As the young American's thoughts turned to his former crush. The ever-beautiful and powerful Nejire Hadou, who had rejected his advances the day before the USJ. While disappointing, he hadn't held it against her for saying no; he couldn't force her to like him that way. Nor would he have continued trying if he had survived. He thought he had been over it, but he could still feel a little down about it.
"Are you okay, Alex?" Linze asked cautiously as she had turned around when Alex became quiet and saw his expression almost turn somber.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah," Alex quickly answered as he shook his head and sat straight with a sad yet nostalgic smile. "Just went down memory lane for a brief spell."
Linze and Elze began looking at each other; the former subconsciously gripped the horse's reigns tighter as their intuitions kicked in.
"Were you thinking about a girl?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine," Alex answered automatically with a chuckle as he finally tore off the piece of the jerky that was now soft enough to swallow. "She's pretty damn strong and beat me more than a couple of times during our practice matches."
"Did you...like her?" Elze followed up, not realizing that she and her twin's heart had begun to feel like it was sinking.
"I used to...but her heart belonged to someone else," Alex followed up as he replaced the remaining jerky in his mouth to snack on. Judging from his conversation with God. Alex was ninety percent sure that Nejire liked Mirio Togata. While the remaining ten percent was divided between Yuyu Haya or Tamaki Amajiki. Either way, he was not on that short list; not that it mattered anymore. And on the off chance that she had ever liked him, his death would ensure that it was never meant to be.
"Oh," Linze managed to let out, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright," Alex chuckled as he took another swig of water to help chew the jerky.
"I'm surprised that you liked her," said Elze, trying to sound natural as she felt relief across her body. "I feel like most guys wouldn't like a girl who could kick their butts."
"We were part of a team," Alex replied as he relaxed back into his seat. "And her strength simply proved her reliability. Don't get me wrong, I actually do have a lot of pride. But, my pride is reserved for my personal achievements, the things I worked hard for. The fact I could even hold my own against her was an achievement in itself. There is no shame in being defeated in a fair competition. All I could do was accept the results and work harder to improve."
"That's actually...quite admirable," said Elze, surprised by Alex's maturity. Of course, she had seen hints of it in the short time they had known each other. It was hidden well underneath his typically casual and jovial nature. It almost made her want to reflect on herself, but instead continued asking more questions. "So...you were part of a team before us?"
"Yeah," Alex answered as he swallowed the remaining jerky and chased it down with water.
"Were they part of your old guild?" Linze followed up, curious to finally learn a little bit more about their mysterious new friend.
"Yeah, you could say that," Alex replied with a nod. While they had all worked for different Pro-Heroes agencies during their work studies, Alex reasoned that he could swing UA as their collective guild. "They were all very talented individuals at the top in their specialties."
"What were they like?"
"My old team?"
"Yeah...if you don't mind talking about them," Elze quickly added, hoping to avoid any potential awkwardness if the topic proved insensitive. Thankfully, it seemed that Alex either didn't mind or that the subject wasn't as sensitive as his family.
"They...they were good people. Friendly, thoughtful, and incredibly skilled would be my top descriptors for all of them," Alex answered with a fond smile. "Despite being so strong, they never let it go to their heads and were more than willing to help those who asked."
"They sound...nice," Linze responded, slightly envious of how Alex described his old team.
"Yeah..." Elze breathed out.
While most people in town considered her to be quite strong for a girl, and her sister was pretty smart despite not having a more formal education. Alex's description of these people painted them as elites, the best of the best, the Silver or Gold-ranked adventurers of their guild. While Alex said he wasn't of noble birth, he might have at least had some upper-crust connections and given Alex's magical talents. It almost seemed they were just wasting his time like Alex could do much better than just her and Linze.
"There are countless more words I could use to describe how amazing each of them was," Alex continued with that same smile. Only to slowly turn to face his new friends as he could see their insecurities clear on their faces. "However, in the end. Things went wrong...and I was forced to leave my home. But thankfully, despite this setback. I found two equally amazing individuals to form a new team with."
The twins suddenly perked up.
"Wait," Elze started up as she looked at Alex's sapphire eyes. "Equally amazing?"
"Yep," Alex answered with an honest closed-eye nod. "Both of you actually remind me of my two strongest teammates."
"Really?!" Linze questioned, if not a little too excitedly, that couldn't be hidden subtly.
"I swear on my life that I'm not lying," Alex proclaimed as he finished the jerky and returned to the Null magic book. Having marked the page where the spell that he was interested in was listed. While there were some key differences, the twins did remind Alex of the Big Five's First and Second seats respectly. Elze reminded him of Mirio, with their strength and determination to make the most of their rather one-note abilities. While Linze reminded him of Tamaki, with their intelligence and shy natures, despite both being power-houses in their own rights, thanks to their flexible powers.
"I can safely say I've been blessed to have such reliable new friends, and I'm grateful for all of your help."
"Well, then," Elze spoke with renewed confidence as she finished her food. She moved towards the driver's side to switch out with her sister. "We better make sure to live up to such high expectations, right, sis?"
"Y-yeah!" Linze agreed as she hopped into the cart and settled into the shade of their covered wagon. Helping herself to her share of their travel rations and deciding to sit next to Alex. Ready to help him with any other possible questions he could have about the new null magic spell. One called Long Sense that could help with long-range scouting and reconnaissance.
Perfect for such a trip and even better for Alex to continue practicing his magical focus.
Yae Kokonoe had been traveling for a little over two years.
The young Eashen swordswoman had left her homeland seeking knowledge in western martial arts. Hoping to expand her skills and bring further honor to her family name. From the Lestia Knight Kingdom to the Regulus Empire. Yae had the good fortune to have learned much, be they new skills with the blade or knowledge that could open new opportunities for her family back home. Now, her journey had taken her to travel towards the Capital of Belfast to meet with Viscount Carlossa Galune Swordrick. A knight and noble lord who had once trained under her father, Jubei Kokonoe, many years ago. She had hoped that Lord Swordrick would serve as a measuring stick to see how far her skills had come since her departure from Eashen and, if gods willing, could even train her to further hone her skills.
"Hey, hold it!"
Unfortunately, her stop in Amanesque to acquire additional travel funds had already proven to have been more trouble than it had been worth. Now, Yae found herself surrounded by several miscreants and ne'er-do-wells that formed a circle in the middle of the road. In contrast, the crowd had quickly formed around the perimeter. Refusing to be intimidated, Yae calmly stood her ground as she faced the man who had called out to her. However, while her stance seemed relaxed; she was more than ready to defend herself.
"May I help you?" Yae questioned with a slightly curious expression, hoping this possible issue could be resolved without violence.
"Yeah, I hear you're the girl that did a real number on some of my buddies last night!" The narrowed faced man called her out was wielding a wooden practice sword, while the rest of the group was armed with various practice weapons. So at the very least, they weren't aiming to kill her outright.
"Oh," Yae started as she realized what he had meant. "So you are friends with the drunkards who attempted to spar with me at the inn. I took them to the guards before they could hurt themselves. I meant no offense to their honor. But I could not bring myself to even humor the request due to their state of inebriation."
"They were hit with heavy fines, girl!" the man said with a nasty spat. "Now we're here to collect what you owe!"
"Tis naught my fault for your compatriots being such boorish buffoons," Yae answered, now actively getting into a defensive stance. She knew now these men would only respond in one way. "Irregardless, even if I had coin to spare. I still not surrender it to the likes of you."
"I can think of other ways to square your debts to us!" The man answered with a violent gleam in his eye and a wild grin on his face. "Let's get her, boys!"
The men that surrounded Yae all collectively charged, hoping to overwhelm her. Thankfully, the foreign lass remained calm and quickly began to counter, flip and strike hard against her poorly trained opponents without having to draw her blades. Unfortunately, low funds meant skimping on meals, and Yae, who was well-known for her voracious appetite, began to suffer from hunger pains.
'Curse my oldest nemesis since leaving home...hunger...' Yae thought after knocking back one of her foes into another. The young woman's stomach growled painfully enough to break her focus. Leaving her in a far more vulnerable position as she could feel her reflexes detecting a foe taking a swing behind her, but her body refused to cooperate. All she could do was pray that someone from the crowd would stop mindlessly dawdling around and help her against such an injustice.
"Hey! Who the hell are yo—Ack!"
Yae's prayers were answered in the form of three individuals who had finally leaped into action.
The first was a rather plain but fierce-looking young man with piercing blue eyes, who seemed to tank the hit meant for her without flinching as the weapon impacted and snapped on his body. Only for him to strike the scoundrel right in the stomach with a heavy punch, grab him, and fling him toward another one of her attackers. The second person was a young woman, maybe a year younger than herself. The girl sported an annoyed expression that was barely hidden by her long, soft lavender hair, armed with a set of sea-green gauntlets that struck against her other opponents with a blur of speed and precision that Yae quickly concluded as some form of sorcery. The third and final person must have been the second one's sibling, as they looked similar enough. Albeit, this one appeared timider and sported shorter haircut. Nevertheless, Yae could see from her the wand she carried that this one was, without question, a sorceress who attacked by blasting the remaining criminals away with massive blasts of blistering cold water.
"The Guards are coming!" Yae heard someone yell out as the crowd quickly dissipated to avoid gaining the town watch's ire. It seemed like her saviors of the same mindset. Especially when taking all of the spread-out bodies of the unconscious ruffians left on the street into consideration. It was going to look bad, regardless of their good intentions.
"Alex, we need to get out of here!" Yae saw the sorceress call out as they found their path cleared.
"Right!" The young man answered as he quickly moved to take Yae's hand with surprising gentleness. "Sorry to keep you waiting! Come on, let's go before the guards come!"
Yae couldn't really find it in herself to refuse, especially since she now owed the kind trio a debt of gratitude. It helped that she felt no ill-intention from the young man who had gone from looking like a battle-hardened warrior to having the most gentle look of concern on his face. It almost seemed like a paradox to Yae, who had come from a long line of distinguished warriors. So, she allowed the young man to spirit her away to a nearby alleyway, away from prying eyes.
"You could have given us a heads up, Alex," said Elze. Who was quick to share her displeasure with Alex's rather sudden intervention as the four found themselves in an alleyway to catch their breaths.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but we didn't actually have the time to make a plan," Alex answered with an understanding nod. The young American had to remind himself that, one: He wasn't a Pro-Hero student anymore; two: while they shared traits. Elze and Linze were not Mirio and Tamaki, as those two would have reacted similarly and without hesitation. One month with the Silhoueska twins wasn't enough to be at the same level of coordination he once had with his previous team.
"My body just moved on its own. Once I saw her get attacked, that was it. Besides, considering how we first met, I wouldn't call my reaction a bad thing."
"Fair enough," Elze answered with a tired huff. "Just a little warning would be nice."
"I promise to work on it," Alex replied with a wince as he leaned against the wall, his stomach growling painfully. He was pretty damn close to running on empty in the mana and stamina department. 'Good thing I only used Power Rise and didn't double down by using Boost. I think I'd be out of commission by now if I had done that.'
"How are you doing?" Linze spoke up as she turned her attention to their new companion.
"Oh, I'm quite alright," Yae answered with a polite smile. Only to double over as her tummy growled again, pleading for food. "Please forgive my rude stomach. I am quite famished at the moment."
"That makes two of us," Alex laughed as he patted his empty stomach. "Nothing like a good lunch can't fix. We heard there was a decent restaurant nearby. That's where we were going before stopping to help you out...umm, miss?"
"Oh! How rude of me!" Yae quickly exclaimed before bowing rapidly to the trio. "My name is Kokonoe Yae!"
Yae paused as, in her rush to thank her saviors, she had forgotten a critical detail that was common outside her homeland.
"Oh, I'm sorry; Yae is my given name! While Kokonoe is my family name! So please, feel free to call me, Yae!"
"Ah, so you introduce yourself backwards," Elze observed with a curious nod before making her introductions. "I'm Elze Silhoueska, and this is my younger twin sister, Linze."
"Hello, there," Linze followed up with a polite smile. "If you don't mind me asking, but are you from Eashen, Yae?"
"I am!" Yae answered with renewed excitement; while her clothing and accent screamed foreigner. It wasn't often that people even knew about Eashen. "I hail from the city of Oedo, the capital of the Holy Eastern Kingdom of Eashen."
'Oedo? Like Edo, the ancient name for Tokyo? God...a little more originality... please!' Alex thought, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose out of frustration. "Well then, Ms. Kokonoe. My name is Alexander Springfield, but you can just call me Alex. And, if you want, you can join us for lunch. We can talk more after we're done eating."
"That would be wonderful...if only I had the money," Yae answered with a shameful expression. "I spent the remainder of my coin on the cheapest inn I could afford. I was actually looking for work when I was accosted by those scoundrels."
"I know what's like," Elze interjected with a closed-eyed nod as she remembered the first few months after she had left home with her sister. Working on an empty stomach was easily one of the worst feelings she had ever experienced. It was a feeling that she wouldn't want to wish on anyone.
"It's alright, we'll cover it," said Alex with a smile as he patted his pocket. Between the money that Zanac gave them to cover their travel expenses and his personal funds. He was pretty sure that they would still be in the black. Plus, Zanac already said that he would have his next actual payment for the next set of designs when they return to Reflet. Far from the pocket he would get the from the actual job with the Guild.
"You mean it?!" Yae exclaimed in disbelief but held on to hope in her voice.
"Of course," Alex followed up as he turned to his teammates. "Right, guys?"
"I'm good with that plan," Elze answered with a smile. "All I ask is that you please show us to the inn you're staying at since we'll need a place to spend the night before we head out tomorrow."
"Ah, yes! I would be happy to assist you here," Yae retorted with a bright smile. "I'm in your debt after all!"
"Please don't frame like that," Linze pleaded with a guilty look. "We were just trying to do the right thing!"
"It seems like fortune has smiled on me," Yae sighed with relief and gave the trio another bow. While she wouldn't mind paying a debt within reason to preserve her good name and her family's honor. It was also good to see such genuine kindness from people. Especially after seeing all of the gawkers who had stood by and had done nothing to help her. "Yes, let's enjoy our fill and get to know each other better."
Once the group saw that the coast was clear, they continued on their way to one of the more popular local eateries.
However, it was here that the twins were mortified to discover a terrifying fact about their new foreign friend. Yae seemed to be on par with Alex regarding having a massive appetite. The Silhoueska twins, along with the remaining patrons and restaurant staff, could only watch with a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity as the two managed to put away plate after plate of various foods. The two had even butted heads when trying the new dishes on their table. However, they ultimately seemed to compromise silently on who would take what and what they would split with each other.
Another fact they learned was that Alex actually had one very stringent rule if he was treating anyone to a meal.
There was to be no talking with your mouth full. They discovered this when Alex had snapped at Yae when she had attempted to speak with a mouthful of food to answer one of Linze's questions. Speaking between bites was perfectly fine, but speaking to the point that you're spitting up crumbs on everyone, or in Alex's case, his food, seemed to be the breaking point for the young man.
"Sorry for snapping, Ms. Kokonoe," Alex said calmly while slightly bowing his head after draining his glass of water. "But that is one of the few hard rules I was raised and will stand by until my dying day."
"No, no," Yae sighed as she followed suit with her glass. "You were correct to scold me. Between my rescue and paying for my meal, it was quite uncouth for someone of my station to have forgotten my manners. If either of my parents or elder brother were here to see me acting so shameless. I have no doubt they would have also done the same. Now to try and answer your previous query, Linze. I am currently planning to make my way to the Royal Capital to meet with a nobleman who was one of my father's former students. Once I have the money, of course."
"No way," Elze interjected in disbelief as the rest of the group went silent.
"I did say something wrong?" Yae questioned, worried she might have said something incorrect in Common.
"No, not at all; it's just that we're on our way to the Royal Capital as well," Linze replied, surprised by the coincidence.
"Truly? You are not just pulling my leg, as the expression goes?"
"No, we're not," Alex answered with a bemused chuckle as his attention returned to the menu. Mentally noting foods and details that could help him in his future culinary endeavors. "We came from Reflet town, but we're on our way to the capital for a delivery job with the Adventurer's Guild."
"You should join us!" Linze was quick to offer with a bright smile. "Since we're going the same way!"
"Could I really?!"
"Wait, hold on, Linze," Elze was quick to intervene as the de facto party leader. "It's not that I'm against the idea. But we have to consider that the capital is a big place. We might be going to the same destination, but getting into other places in the noble district outside of our delivery route could prove difficult. Then we have to consider that are we just going to leave her there with no money once we arrive? The capital is going to be very expensive, and even the travel funds we currently have won't go far. We pretty much have to return to Reflet once the job is done."
"I can see your point," Yae said sadly; she understood that their paths would diverge, and they didn't just want to leave her there without any means to survive there. However, between her sudden turn of good fortune and maybe a silent plea to the gods for mercy, Yae hoped beyond hope that coincidence could strike twice. "Your delivery would not, by chance, happen to be for Viscount Swordrick?"
"Alright, that's it, she's coming with us," Alex declared as he pulled out two gold coins from his own coinpurse and slid them to Yae. If there was ever a sign from the big man upstairs telling him to take her with them, it was this. Besides, like Linze, Alex had his own questions for the young Eashen woman, so keeping her as a friend should help in the long run. Linze seemed delighted by Alex's intervention, while Yae was floored by his generosity.
"Well, I suppose that would settle things," Elze said with a tired sigh but actually had a wide smile. She didn't enjoy playing the role of devil's advocate and was more than happy to have Yae along for the ride. "Welcome to the team, Yae."
"Oh, thank you, thank you," Yae repeated, bowing her head repeatedly while mentally praising the heavens for her good fortune. "I swear, on my honor, you will not regret having me in your party."
"Well, I think this calls for a toast," said Alex as he lifted his glass to the center of the table. "To new friends."
"Oh yeah!" Elze exclaimed as she followed suit. "To new friends!"
"To new friends!" Linze proclaimed with a giggle.
"To new friends!" Yae managed to say as she resisted the urge to cry, finding herself beyond blessed to have found such good people. Little did they all know just how far their shared relationship would go from here, of the tales that would be told to their children and grandchildren many years in the future.
"CHEERS!"
Author's Commentary
As you can see, I am continuing my tradition of splitting the episodes into multiple chapters. Again, one of the most significant issues in the canon storyline between Touya being a plank and the shit world-building was its pacing. Here, I not only want to take my time and really have a chance for Alex to build on every relationship he has with the girls.
But to have Alex continue seeing reflections of how the old world bleeds into this new one. (Which should start to getting really spicy in the next chapter.) It's also why I decided to use the MHA background of this OC (instead of a blank OC from our non-super world.) As it helps make those reflections that much more apparent.
You may have also noticed changes in how the girls behave compared to canon. Linze is slowly becoming more assertive; Elze, while still a spitfire, can show a little more restraint and think of the bigger picture. But for Yae especially, I wanted that character to feel like a foreigner who still has a few linguistic ticks.
I remember in canon when Elze complained that Touya was being "Classic Touya" when it came to his invention of saving Yae. Which is kind of fucked up when you consider that Touya had done the same for her. Plus, because of the poor pacing of the two episodes, we don't know how much time has passed since they all met. It almost feels like only two or four days have passed, at the most, since Touya arrived in the new world.
Here, I made sure to note that the trio had basically been working together for roughly a month, and while a little more in sync, the teamwork department still has some growing pains.
Another thing I wanted to note was Yae's being more...responsible? I actually looked at the canon map, Eashen is FAR from Belfast, and Yae somehow misplaced her travel funds before the fight? Yeah, I'm going to call bullshit on that. It makes more sense that Yae is more or less living day by day with odd jobs as she traveled across the land.
(Which better explains the risk of constant hunger since her family is far from poor.)
Also, yes, for non-manga/light novel/web novel readers. The letter delivery quest is actually to Viscount Carlossa Galune Swordrick, who Yae is seeking. That wasn't something I made up, but I still managed to at least make it a little more...believable? At the least, with the logic that Alex sees that this evident hand of the author's intervention is a sign from God, who he knows is real.
I have no idea why they cut that out of the anime, but it only builds on the story's shit pacing.
Finally, for AO3 users, again, you may have noticed some new tags have joined Dark Souls. While brainstorming other ideas for this story, I came across an idea partly inspired by this canceled manga series that basically shat on several isekai series.
While not my immediate goal to shit on the other isekai series tagged. (Except for you, The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar. I'm roasting the shit of you until I'm happy.) I felt using some of the elements from these other series should keep things interesting when we look at the antagonistic forces at work here.
Anyways, that should cover things for now!
Until next time!
-ZX
