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“Ukyuu.”
The moment Konoha reached her room, she flopped onto the bed with a thud. It was ridiculously fluffy. It was soft enough to make her wonder whether she had somehow wandered into “Chiba Destinian Land.” Why that comparison? Because Konoha had hardly ever stayed at expensive hotels before. In fact, the only times she had ever stayed at hotels were on family trips.
And even those family trips had stopped entirely six years ago, after Konoha’s older sister died in a drowning accident.
“Ugh… I wonder what’s going to happen to us now.”
Muttering to herself naturally did nothing to change the situation.
Each person had been given their own room, and judging from how luxurious the furnishings were, it was obvious that the transferred students were being treated favorably. Even so, under the current circumstances, having a room all to herself only made Konoha feel lonely.
Knock, knock.
A dry knocking sound echoed through the solitary room. Only then did Konoha realize that she had fallen asleep. Before she knew it, the sun had risen outside the window, brilliant morning light streaming into the room. It was the morning of their first day in another world.
They had been transferred around noon yesterday, yet for some reason it had already been nighttime here. Konoha simply assumed that time must work differently between their world and this one.
“Konoha-chan, are you in there?”
“Hey! Konoha~?”
“Are you awake, Konoha-chan?”
“Mmm~~ I’m awake~~ zzz.”
“Wait, I heard a ‘zzz.’ Hey, we’re coming in, okay?”
Click.
The people who entered the room were Konoha’s friends, Obana Karen, Sakegawa Kisaki, and Tsuruoka Chidori.
“Konoha, they said it’s time to eat, so everyone’s gathering downstairs. It’s royal palace food. I’m starving already~”
“Kisaki-chan, you never gain weight no matter how much you eat~ I’m jealous!”
“You don’t gain weight either, Konoha! …Hm? Still sleepy?”
“Yeah, I was asleep until just now. Kisaki-chan, carry me on your back~”
“Wha!?”
“Hanya!?”
“Th-that’s unfair! I’ll carry you!”
For some reason, Karen immediately presented her back. Seeing her pose as if to say bring it on, Konoha giggled.
“Karen-chan, can you really carry me?”
“Of course! I’ll deliver you safely to the dining hall! Without fail!”
“Nah, I’ll carry her. Karen’s got no strength.”
“I agree with that. I’m not particularly strong either.”
“Chidori-chan, you are strong! You always carry the upperclassmen’s equipment properly!”
Tsuruoka Chidori was a hard worker. She always behaved in a somewhat affected, gallant manner, but behind the scenes, she worked just as hard as Konoha. The two people who always remained in the dojo until the very end of practice were Konoha and Chidori.
“That’s right, Chidori, you’ve been doing kendo since middle school.”
The girls chatted as usual on the way to the dining hall. Being transported to another world did not change that routine. Incidentally, Konoha was sound asleep on Kisaki’s back. Kisaki’s face was bright red as she savored the happiness of the moment, although Karen’s glare was terrifying.
“Yeah. I was shocked when I first saw Konoha-chan at a tournament. I remember thinking, ‘How can such an adorable girl strike with that much power?’ It really moved me. I practice every day too, but somehow it feels like Konoha puts in twice as much effort as I do. I wonder why…”
Konoha’s efforts did, without question, include all the sword fighting she did in her dreams. She would desperately swing her sword over and over, trying to find some way to defeat that girl, and before she knew it, she had become capable of reproducing those sensations in the real world as well. Perhaps it could be called learning in one’s sleep. Quite literally, she was putting in twice the effort.
“We’re here.”
“Oh, is Konoha-chan asleep?”
Tendo Reiji raised his voice loudly, dragging Konoha’s consciousness back into reality. As a result, Karen planted a body blow into Reiji’s stomach.
“Ugh… Kisaki-chan, thanks! I can walk now.”
“Got it! …Hey, Tendo. You bastard, how dare you wake Konoha up.”
“Gobeh! Wait, wait! We’re here to eat, so she had to wake up! Hey, stop it, Karen, no joint locks, stop—owowowowowowow!”
Karen and Reiji were childhood friends. Because of that, their sense of personal distance was unusually close. Being able to put each other into joint locks like that was merely proof of how close they were.
“Don’t call it proof of friendship! It hurts, it hurts—ah, wait… this actually feels kinda good.”
“Oh no, stop Karen-chan before Reiji awakens to something weird!”
For a while, an utterly pointless battle between classmates unfolded in the dining hall.
“After breakfast, you will have an audience with His Majesty the King. Following that, we will confirm your Classes…”
The priest began speaking, but—
“Crab! It’s crab, Karen-chan! Crab! Whoa, there’s shrimp too! Ehehe, nice to meet you, Mr. Shrimp. Where are you from? ‘I come from Planet Shrimpy Shrimp~’ (falsetto). I seeee, so that’s why you’re so sweet and tasty! ‘Aah, don’t eat meee!’ (falsetto). Heh heh heh~ I’ll peel away both your body and soul~”
“Konoha-chan, are you doing a one-person skit?”
“Ehehe, yep! I haven’t had crab in forever either~ Ah, Kanto-kun, pass me that sashimi!”
“Got it, got it! Here, eat plenty!”
“Waaah! They served the whole fish head too! Amazing!”
“Hey, don’t stuff your mouth too much or you’ll choke.”
“I’m fine, Gatari-kun! More importantly, you need to eat properly too! Here, here.”
“W-wait, wait. Those chopsticks were in your mouth…”
“Hweh?”
“Ah, no, never mind…”
“It’s not nothing! Gatari-kun, your face is bright red!”
“Hey, hey, Gatariii! Don’t start a romantic comedy over there! Woo-hoo!”
“I-it’s not like that!”
“?”
They were completely ignoring the priest. At this point, it was almost refreshing. Still, the priest seemed to have figured out who stood at the center of the class.
(…Is this delicate young lady their leader? She certainly has a beautiful face, but surely this young girl cannot be the Hero. Very well, perhaps I shall begin with a letter later.)
He fell instantly. Far too easy. Far too easy, priest. Apparently beauty worked the same way even in another world. More importantly, was that really acceptable behavior for a clergyman?
Well, enough of that stupidity.
After the meal, they were guided to the throne room, an imposing chamber that looked exactly like the sort of place where a king would sit pompously upon his throne. Several important-looking people were seated there, all acting suitably important. There were also a few children, and they too wore glittering outfits and sat near the adults.
The impressive bearded man seated at the very back was the current king of the Sacred Kingdom of Parsia: Elkdreil VIII. Apparently, he protected the state religion, the Church of the Full Moon, and enthusiastically promoted the spread of its faith. Even foreign voyages in search of spices were apparently conducted alongside missionary activities for the Full Moon faith.
The even more imposing old man sitting beside him was the Pope of the Church of the Full Moon. He was the Pope of the Fortuna Sect, the largest denomination of the Church of the Full Moon on the continent. Apparently, his rank was technically higher than the king’s, though nobody had explained the details.
Standing nearby was a beautiful blond girl who looked around fifteen years old. Her name was Mariage, and she was a princess. Beside her stood her younger sister, Leila, another blond girl. A handsome blond boy of about twelve sat near the queen, but he was not introduced.
They were also introduced to the knight commander, the chancellor, the supreme commander, and several others, but none of their names entered Konoha’s head at all. Konoha was terrible at remembering foreign-sounding names.
Her classmates, however, reacted very differently. Faced with genuine blond beauties and a beautiful blond young boy straight out of fiction, almost everyone was wildly excited. Even Karen, Kisaki, and Chidori, whose attention was usually focused entirely on Konoha, found themselves captivated by their beauty. Konoha might have seen such entranced expressions on their faces for the first time. Well, in reality, they had worn the same expressions when Konoha first entered school.
The knight commander was also extremely handsome, enough that several of the girls looked ready to start squealing. Yet for some reason, none of them interested Konoha at all. The strange sensation in her body since yesterday and the peculiar atmosphere hanging over the room remained far more strongly in her mind.
(I feel so unsettled.)
Suddenly, her eyes met those of a girl standing a short distance ahead. She had dyed blond hair tied into a side ponytail with a scrunchie and looked like a fashionable delinquent.
Her name was Mamuro Hiiragi. She was feared as a delinquent girl and remained a solitary figure within the class. She was one of the rare girls who had yet to fall victim to Konoha’s charms. Yet in truth, she had known Konoha longer than almost anyone else. They had attended the same elementary school. They had never been especially close, though, and even Konoha had difficulty judging the distance between them. Well, that was not particularly important right now…
(Hiiragi-chan isn’t mesmerized either. Maybe I’m just imagining this weird atmosphere?)
Before she knew it, Princess Mariage appeared to wink at her. Konoha tilted her head slightly and smiled back.
Princess Mariage immediately wrapped her arms around herself as though writhing in some kind of agony.
What in the world was that about?
(She seems interesting.)
Kushibiki Konoha truly was hopelessly oblivious.
The princesses would apparently also attend the evening banquet, so the students reluctantly left for the time being under the knight commander’s guidance.
“Man, that was insane. They’re way too cute.”
“She was so beautiful I nearly switched sides from Konoha-chan.”
“Nah, I’m Team Mariage-sama.”
“I’m Team Leila-sama.”
“I think the knight commander might be my type!”
“That handsome knight standing next to him was great too~”
Still unable to calm down from their excitement, they continued chatting.
“I-I can’t believe I actually stared for that long.”
“Same here, Kisaki. You don’t often get to see a man that handsome. Karen, you were staring pretty intensely at the princess too.”
“I-I’m devoted only to Konoha-chan! Yeah, but… Mariage-sama might actually be surprisingly viable…”
“Wha!? Karen is cheating!?”
(…What are they talking about?)
Konoha alone could not follow the conversation.
The students arrived at what looked like a large training ground within the palace. After confirming that everyone was present, the knight commander handed each person something resembling a white tag.
“I introduced myself earlier, but allow me to do so again. I am Legato, commander of the Royal Knights. I will be responsible for your training and combat instruction. I look forward to working with you.”
His red hair was neatly arranged, his face was remarkably handsome, and on top of that, he was extremely muscular. He looked like the sort of man who would be very popular. Several girls squealed excitedly.
“Now, regarding these tags. They serve as identification for anyone registered with a guild. Your ability values, Class, secondary Class, Skills, and so forth are recorded on them.”
“Um, mine only has my name engraved on it.”
“You do this.”
Commander Legato held up his tag. Immediately, something resembling a hologram appeared from it, displaying what looked like a game status screen. The students let out impressed cries of “Oooh!”
“Sorry, but I cannot show you my Standard Skills or Unique Skills. For reference, ordinary knights are usually around level forty. You should be able to level up even faster.”
“So levels don’t just shoot up constantly like in a game, huh.”
“I was kinda hoping they would.”
Several of the boys sounded slightly disappointed.
“There is also something called a Tag Color. When you accept requests from a ‘Guild’ and defeat demons or demihumans, your color rises according to your achievements. There are ten ranks, from highest to lowest: 【Gold Moon, Silver Moon, Bronze Moon, Purple Moon, Blue Moon, Green Moon, Yellow Moon, Orange Moon, Crimson Moon, White Moon】. Be careful around those with the black-colored Black Moon rank. Those are criminals affiliated with dark guilds and similar organizations. That said, you will not be applying for adventurer Tag Colors through the Guild, so it will not matter much to you.”
Apparently, the cooler colors of the rainbow were ranked higher.
“Now then, go ahead and open your status plates.”
“Open them? Do we hold them up?”
“No, you do not need to raise them. First, your information must be engraved onto the tag. Kiss the tag.”
“K-kiss it!?”
“Yes. That will register all of your information except your name. Afterward, write your name by hand on the displayed screen, and it will be complete. In fifteen minutes, I will record everyone’s Classes in the register, so once you have finished checking everything, report to me.”
The explanation ended.
The classmates immediately erupted with excitement.
“Ooooh, this is getting serious! This is crazy, this is crazy! I can’t wait to see my Class! Actually, what kinds of Classes are there?”
“Many. Knight, Swordsman, Mage, Assassin, Bard, Necromancer, Martial Artist, Archer, Summoner, Dual Swordsman, Sorcerer, Healer, Shrine Maiden, Spearman, Alchemist, and so on. Those are Classes.”
“Ooh! So what’s a Secondary Class?”
“Those are truly varied. Cook, Craftsman, Architect, Merchant, Engineer, Observer, Cave Explorer, and many more. They tend to represent what suits a person—or perhaps what they possess talent for. Occupations that normally appear as Classes may also appear as Secondary Classes.”
“This is insaneee! I’m getting hyped!”
Reiji shouted excitedly. Everyone else also began getting fired up. They were completely in the mood for an RPG.
“Ah, there is one more thing I must mention.”
Legato spoke again.
“There should be one person among you with the Class of ‘Hero.’ That person will serve as everyone’s leader from now on. The rest of you will support that Hero. Eventually, you will be expected to fight the ‘Demon King.’ Whoever becomes the Hero must prepare themselves for that responsibility.
Also, until you report to me, I would prefer that you not discuss your Classes too openly among friends. It could cause unnecessary conflict in your relationships. In fifteen minutes, after you have written them down, I will personally announce the results.“
Hearing that, everyone swelled with anticipation. The identity of the “Hero” had not been predetermined. In other words, any one of them might have a chance. As modern kids who loved games, many of them began imagining themselves as the Hero. Even one of the gloomy boys who normally stayed at the bottom of the class hierarchy had a chance.
“Hey, who do you think will be the Hero?”
“Well, normally you’d think Konoha-chan or Gatari, right? Though maybe it’ll be me!”
“Don’t get full of yourself, idiot. Hey, I bet you’re imagining yourself becoming the Hero too, aren’t you?”
“I-I’m not… really.”
Along with Tozawa Kanto, a black-haired delinquent-looking boy named Funagata Koya loudly teased one of the less noticeable boys in the class. Depending on their Classes, the entire class hierarchy could potentially be overturned. The students of Class 1-5 were filled with both excitement and anxiety.
“All right, spread out a little and check your tags.”
(Hmm, I hope I get a Class that lets me help everyone~. I don’t really understand what being a Hero means, but it sounds cool, so being the Hero would be nice too. Yeah, maybe I want to be the Hero!)
“Hehe, Konoha-chan, you’re really fired up.”
“Yeah! I want something that’ll let me help everyone.”
“You’ll definitely get one, Konoha-chan!”
“I hope so…”
(I wonder what Classes are like.)
“Maybe Konoha will be a Swordsman?”
“Ah, that sounds likely. Though Hero would suit her too. Then Kisaki might be a Martial Artist? I’d probably be a Mage.”
“Chidori, you’d be an Illusionist or something.”
“What was that!?”
“Then what about me?”
“Karen… maybe a Shrine Maiden?”
“Ooh, I like that!”
“Everyone, stop chatting and check your tags! Sensei is nervous too!”
“Okaaay.”
After being scolded by Sasa-chan-sensei, everyone slowly began moving apart. Konoha stepped a little distance away from Karen and the others, preparing to check her tag.
(All right, this should be far enough.
Huh…………!?)
Suddenly, a chill ran through Konoha’s body.
By this point, Konoha had become extremely sensitive to the abnormalities occurring within her body. If she was really feeling this unwell, perhaps she would not be able to help everyone at all.
(My chest feels so restless. My heart is pounding. Am I nervous? No, that’s not it. This is……………………………..fear?)
She did not know why. But once again, she felt the same sensation she had experienced when they were transferred from the classroom. If she looked at this tag, she would never be able to turn back.
That was what it felt like.
(Why? I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m only going to look at it, right? Even if I’m not the Hero, Karen-chan, Chidori-chan, Kisaki-chan, and everyone else in class will accept me. I’m sure they will. So then…why am I this scared?)
This surely was not a matter of her physical condition. It was the kind of tension one felt when facing a box that should never be opened, yet had to be opened anyway.
Konoha took a deep breath. Around her, she heard reactions to everyone else’s Classes.
“Oooh!”
“Yes!”
“Ahh…”
She was terrified of what kind of reaction she herself would be making a few seconds from now.
The moment of decision had arrived.
(I have to look…)
And so, Konoha kissed the tag.
A data screen appeared in the air.
Konoha timidly looked at it, and then—
“…Huh?”
“H-huh? Why…?”
It felt as though the world before her eyes had gone completely dark. She could no longer bring herself to look directly at the tag.
“…What is this? It says I’m the Demon King… But the Demon King is the enemy. This is… a lie, right?”
Yet the words were undeniably engraved on Konoha’s tag.
No matter how many times she looked at it, they never changed.
“…Ah… aaah… aaaaaaaaaah…”
Konoha’s hardships began here.
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