Prologue (2)

Ding-dong.

“…Huh? What is it?”

I woke up to the intercom chime.

It felt like I had been yanked awake, and it was the worst.

I was sleepy, so I ignored it, but it rang a second time, then a third.

“Ugh, enough already! Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!”

Annoyed, I opened the front door.

Waiting there was a delivery guy whose uniform had a distinctive black cat logo.

“Good morning. You’re Mr. Miyamoto, right? I have a delivery for you.”

“For me?”

What he was holding was a long, narrow cardboard box.

I didn’t remember ordering anything.

I asked to see the shipping label.

It said Soji Miyamoto, and the address was correct too.

The item name was “replica sword”……

“Oh.”

Right. I bought it.

I remembered that, fired up by the manga, I had impulsively bought a cursed-blade-looking replica sword.

“Please sign or stamp here.”

“Okay.”

Not wanting to keep him waiting, I signed and took the box.

It was surprisingly heavy.

“Isn’t this way too fast? Huh? No, wait.”

I leaned the box against the entryway and hurriedly checked my phone.

The date had changed.

Outside was bright.

“So I slept an entire day.”

This was the worst.

I had wasted my precious day off completely.

I was supposed to have no shift and relax……

“Haah……”

It was 8:30.

I would’ve been late on a normal day, but today’s classes started in the afternoon, so it was no problem.

So that was why my alarm hadn’t gone off.

Good grief—what a messed-up day off.

And the final nail in the coffin was this.

I went back to the entryway and carried the box into my room.

“…What am I supposed to do with this?”

In my cramped room sat a single long, narrow box.

Even if I bought a replica sword, I had nowhere to display it.

And it had cost ten thousand yen.

Thinking calmly now, I wanted to punch my past self for what I’d done.

I was already broke, and I was even cutting corners on meals.

“For now, I’ll at least unpack it.”

Leaving it in the box took up even more space.

I would take the contents out and throw the box away.

“Why is it weirdly heavy? Are replica swords this heavy?”

Wondering, I opened the box.

The moment I saw what came out, my eyes locked onto it.

“…Huh?”

What was this?

It looked nothing like the design in the product photo.

The contents were completely different.

It still had a black-based design, but a blood-like red stood out vividly.

The scabbard had an unusual color scheme too, with lightning-like patterns painted across it.

“Hey, don’t mess with me. This cost ten thousand yen, you know?”

If they sent the wrong item, that was basically a scam.

Anger surged up inside me.

But when I looked closer, it wasn’t a bad design.

“…This isn’t terrible.”

It might even work.

Staring at it, I caught myself thinking that.

As if drawn in, I reached out and lifted it.

“Heavy!”

Was this really a replica?

The weight hit both hands with a solid, convincing heft.

I gripped the handle and slowly drew it.

“Oooh……”

A jet-black blade caught the morning light and gleamed dully.

In that instant, the edgy teenager still sleeping inside me flared back to life.

“This is bad. It’s so cool! Yeah—this is exactly what I wanted!”

It matched my image of a cursed blade perfectly.

My excitement rose, and I completely forgot it wasn’t what I had ordered.

I drew it until even the tip was visible, captivated by the black blade.

“Did I actually make a great purchase? Maybe I’ll just test it a little……”

Swing it?

This was a cramped one-room apartment.

Of course there was no space to swing a sword.

If I swung it for real, I’d probably damage the walls or ceiling.

I knew that.

I knew it was something I shouldn’t do… but I wanted to swing it.

A conflict I’d never felt before started eating away at me.

“Just once…”

If I was careful, it would be fine.

Considering the ceiling, I wouldn’t do a downward chop—I’d do a quick draw slash instead.

I shoved the bed to the side and moved everything else out of the way.

I cleared space in the center of the room and positioned the sheathed blade at my left hip.

I loosened the blade at the scabbard’s mouth with my thumb (a quick push to free it for drawing).

Here I go!

“Hah!”

I yanked the blade free and slashed—

—through the air itself.

“Huh? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

A crack split the air, and a black hole opened.

The hole had a pull to it, lifting my body into the air and sucking me in.

Not understanding what was happening, I was swallowed by the hole.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

What—what—WHAT!?

What is happening!?

My mind spun in panic, and my body tumbled and rotated wildly.

Everything was pitch-black; I couldn’t see a thing.

All I could feel was my own body, the scabbard in my left hand, and the blade in my right.

“Ow!”

I landed hard on my butt.

The impact traveled from my backside through my whole body.

It seemed I had been falling.

“Gh… what… was that…!?”

What suddenly filled my vision was a room like a Western palace.

Could I even call it a room?

The ceiling was higher than a gymnasium, and the width was so vast it felt like some kind of dome.

More than anything, what stood out were the multiple gazes fixed on me.

W-who were these people…?

Men in outfits that didn’t look anything like modern fashion stood neatly lined up, staring at me.

They looked like European knights…?

Was this some kind of cosplay venue?

As I stood there confused, voices rose around me.

“Oh! He’s finally appeared!”

“It’s the Hero!”

“…Huh?”

What were these guys even saying…?

Hero?

Come on—give me a break.

Don’t drag me into your cosplay setting too.

“Your Majesty! It seems the summoning ritual has succeeded.”

“Hmm. Still, succeeding before we even recited the summoning scripture is rather surprising.”

“Yes. But there is no mistake. He carries an unfamiliar sword at his waist. This one is unquestionably the Hero!”

“Indeed… so that is the rumored holy sword.”

Holy sword?

What were they talking about?

What I had was just a replica sword.

And more than that, it was a blade, not a sword.

Sighing in disbelief, my confusion settled into a cold, calm clarity.

I raised my right hand and asked the man dressed as the most king-like figure.

“Um… where is this?”

“This is my country—the Kingdom of Etoile.”

“No, I’m not asking about the setting. I mean what venue is this?”

“Venue? This is my castle.”

This guy was hopeless. He wasn’t listening.

How long was he going to keep this cosplay act going?

Wasn’t there anyone I could actually talk to?

Someone not in costume… staff, maybe.

Just as I thought that, a crystal-clear woman’s voice reached my ears.

“Father.”

“Erika.”

A beautiful woman in a dress appeared.

She had striking golden hair, and eyes so clear they looked like pure blue glass.

It was probably cosplay, but she was so beautiful I couldn’t help staring.

She stepped beside the man dressed as the king.

“The Hero is surely confused. He was suddenly summoned into this world, after all.”

“Mm. That is true. Then we must explain.”

“If you allow it, may I handle it?”

“Will you do so, Erika? Yes… considering what comes next, you are well suited. Then I leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

With graceful politeness, she greeted them and walked toward me.

Each step looked poised and elegant, like a real princess.

If cosplay was this convincing, it was easy to mistake it for the real thing.

“Nice to meet you, Hero. My name is Erika Etoile. May I ask your name?”

“Uh… Soji.”

“Soji-sama, I’m sorry for bringing you to a place like this so suddenly.”

She bowed deeply.

I felt oddly guilty and shook my head.

“Ah, no, please don’t worry about it.”

Up close, I could tell she was even more beautiful.

Embarrassed, I looked away.

Her manner of speaking was polite, and she seemed reasonable.

“Um… where is this? I should’ve been at home…”

“Please listen calmly. This is not the world you were in.”

“No, I mean, not the setting—”

“You’re right. It will be faster if you see it.”

The princess took my hand.

Her hand was soft and warm, and my heart jolted.

“Come. This way.”

“Ah… okay.”

Without really understanding, I let her lead me out of the hall.

Beyond the huge doors was a long, spacious corridor.

This venue was incredible……

Not just the room—even the hallway was decorated.

I was admiring it when—

“Hm?”

There was a window.

The glimpse I caught outside looked so unreal it didn’t feel possible.

It had to be my imagination.

Maybe they had even staged the outside view with some fantasy-style backdrop.

That’s what I thought.

“If you see this, you should be able to believe.”

“Wha—”

She led me to a balcony.

I could see outside.

Yes—I could see it.

A blue sky where clouds drifted lazily, and a cityscape I had never seen before.

Would anyone build an entire city just for a cosplay venue?

No way.

And if I looked closely, even the birds flying around were ones I’d never seen.

“N-no way… seriously…”

Was this really…

Another world!?