"What the hell is that…"
Sweat burst from every pore at once. My heart slammed into gear. Pure instinct. *Danger. Run.* My body was screaming it.
"I'm — I'm going to get killed…"
I was running before I knew it. Away from the creature, in whatever direction was opposite.
Whether it would catch me — I didn't have the space in my head to think about that. All I had was the single-minded need to get away.
But panic and fear tangled my feet, and I went down hard.
I hit the ground palms-first and twisted around to look back. It was still coming. The distance was closing.
— Thrown into a place I don't understand, and now I'm going to die here?
That was the moment my eyes jumped to the club in my hand.
…Right. I have this.
Whether it would work, I had no idea. Whether it would help, I had no idea.
But if I couldn't run, I could at least take it down with me. That was all I needed to think. I got to my feet.
"AAAGH! STAY BACK!"
Ten meters away and closing — I swung the club wildly at the creature bearing down on me.
"—! ——!!"
It let out a sound. I didn't care. I kept screaming, kept swinging.
*Maybe I can drive it off. Please let me drive it off.*
That was all I was praying for.
And then.
"Would you cut it out already?! You're going to hit me!"
A voice.
…Japanese?
I stopped swinging and looked at what was in front of me.
The creature — the *thing* — waited until I'd stopped moving, then held a cautious pause before it spoke.
"Finally. You mind not going berserk the second you see someone? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
I understood the words.
I just couldn't make any come out.
"You all right? Put that thing down, would you?"
I did what I was told. Set the club on the ground.
"You're a human, aren't you? Never seen one up close before. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"I — I don't know, I just woke up here, I don't even know where *here* is —"
I stared at it properly for the first time.
The head was pure animal. A jutting muzzle, damp nostrils.…No, not quite a wolf. Something more familiar — closer to a dog.Ears pricked straight up, and behind them, wide amber eyes shifting with something that looked like unease.
From the neck down, brown fur over a frame that was startlingly human in its proportions. Strong arms, feet planted solidly on the ground — something between the rawness of a beast and the composure of a person, mixed together in a way that shouldn't work but did.
An unknown creature. Something I had no word for.
And yet — the way it was watching me, the creature that had been bearing down on me moments ago, almost looked *nervous*. There wasn't a trace of bloodlust in it.
"What are you, exactly? Your appearance — you're not human."
At that, it made a small sound in its throat — something between a huff and a chuckle — and tilted its head.
With a dog's face, fine expressions were hard to read. But the ears that had been standing straight flattened slightly backward, and something like bewilderment settled into the air between us.
"Wait — you don't know what a Kobold is? I mean, there are all kinds of demikind, but… from the looks of it, you don't even know what demikind *are*, do you."
A fluent human voice, coming out of that muzzle.
Kobold. Demikind. And people like me — humankind.
The word *another world* finally landed in my chest with full weight.Including the surreal fact that I was now having a conversation with something I'd been trying to beat to death thirty seconds ago.
"I don't know where I am, I've never seen a Kobold before, and honestly I have no idea about anything right now."
The Kobold studied me for a moment, then:
"You don't seem like you're lying. Strange clothes too — you're definitely a traveler from somewhere far off. Memory loss, maybe…?"
Memory loss.
Explaining that I came from another world would only confuse things. Memory loss was probably easier.
"Yeah. I can't remember."
"…I see. Well, it'll probably come back."
An easy, unconcerned answer. No pushing further. I was grateful for that.
"Anyway — if you've got nowhere to go, you could come back to the village I live in. I can at least sort you out with food and a place to sleep tonight."
Something pressed up hard against the back of my throat at that.
"I'm Teok Ruono. What's your name?"
"Asai Yohei. Yohei."
"Yohei, then. Nice to meet you. Come on."
I'd thought my luck had bottomed out completely. And then I met someone like this.
*When one god abandons you, another picks you up.* They really knew what they were talking about when they said that. Sorry for thinking you were a monster, Teok.
"Thank you, Teok. You're genuinely a good person…!"
"Stop, you're going to make me blush."
---
Teok led the way along a narrow path through the forest. Unfamiliar trees crowded in on both sides, and the grass underfoot was an almost unnatural shade of blue. The landscape kept reminding me, quietly but insistently, that I was somewhere else entirely.
"How long until we reach the village?"
"Hmm… probably around when the sun starts going down, I'd say."
The sun was still high. Not exactly a short walk.
I was dressed for a casual outing — a sweatshirt from a chain clothing store, chinos, sneakers. Not exactly forest-trekking gear. But it was holding up well enough, for now.
"Is there anything you do remember, Yohei? Anything at all about where you came from?"
Teok still thought I had amnesia.
"No. Nothing."
"…I see. Well, it'll probably come back."
The same answer as before, word for word. He didn't push. I was glad.
We walked through loose conversation for two or three hours. Gradually the path widened, the trees thinned. Shapes that might be buildings began to appear in the distance.
"Almost there. That's my village — Asteno."
I gripped the club and looked ahead at the village.
This, apparently, was my first step in another world.
One ability: summoning a club. No cheat powers. No divine blessing. Just a pathetic skill and one Kobold who, for some reason, had decided to be my friend.
…Well. It'll work out somehow. Probably.