"Hey... how long are we going to keep walking?" complained Hanah with a voice that sounded weak. The girl stopped her steps, wiping the sweat that soaked her forehead with the back of her hand. It was understandable that she felt so exhausted; they had been walking for almost an hour without rest since being thrown into this strange world.
Kazuki, who walked beside her, glanced briefly. The young man appeared calm, not even showing signs of fatigue on his handsome face. His jet-black hair was blown by the gentle wind, and his eyes looked at Hanah with a flat expression.
"Are you okay?" asked Kazuki in a monotone voice.
Hanah snorted in annoyance. With a face reddened from exhaustion and slight irritation, she stared at Kazuki sharply. "Do I look okay right now?" she replied sarcastically.
Kazuki shrugged casually, his expression remaining unreadable. "I don't know," he answered briefly with his expressionless face.
Hanah's eyes widened in disbelief. Blood seemed to boil in her veins. "What do you mean by 'I don't know'!!!" she exclaimed, her voice rising slightly due to frustration.
*Why does this guy always manage to make my blood boil? And what's with his body, what's it made of that he doesn't look even slightly tired after walking for an hour?* Hanah thought to herself while looking at Kazuki's sturdy figure who appeared fresh and energetic, in contrast to herself who was almost out of energy.
Noticing Hanah's intense gaze, Kazuki turned. "What's wrong?" he asked, still with the same flat tone.
"Nothing," Hanah answered quickly, shifting her gaze elsewhere. Somehow, admitting her annoyance to Kazuki would feel like defeat for Hanah.
Kazuki suddenly stopped his steps, his eyes narrowing as he looked into the distance. "Ah, it seems there's something like a city ahead," he said, pointing toward the horizon.
Hanah followed Kazuki's line of sight. Indeed, they had emerged from the dense forest and now stood in the middle of vast green meadows.
At the end of the meadow, the silhouettes of buildings that looked like a city from the past were faintly visible.
"Ah, then let's go there," said Hanah, momentarily forgetting her fatigue. With steps forced to be firm, she began walking toward the direction of the city.
After walking for one minute that felt long for Hanah, they finally arrived in front of the city. Before them stood a large round-shaped gate carved with intricate details, reminding Hanah of paintings about medieval cities she had seen in history books. Tall walls of sturdy gray stone surrounded the city, indicating that this place was built with defense as a priority.
However, they couldn't enter directly. Several people dressed in full armor with emblems they didn't recognize stood blocking the front of the gate. Those guards held spears and swords with alert attitudes, looking at Kazuki and Hanah with scrutinizing gazes.
"@@@@@@!" one of the guards shouted in a language Hanah couldn't understand at all. His voice sounded firm and slightly threatening.
Hanah tilted her head, trying to process the foreign sound she had just heard. "What are they talking about? I don't understand a single word," she whispered to Kazuki, trying to keep her voice from being heard by the guards.
Kazuki stepped forward calmly, not appearing intimidated by the armed guards. "Uhh, sorry, can we enter this city?" he asked in a firm yet polite voice.
Hanah was surprised when she heard Kazuki speaking in a language completely different from the one they used. More surprisingly, the guards seemed to understand what he said.
"Were you separated from the dozens of people who came earlier?" asked one of the guards, a sturdy man with a thick beard that framed his hard face.
*Separated?* Kazuki thought quickly. *As I suspected, this is indeed another world and it seems all my classmates must also be in this world. They must have reached this city first.*
"Yes, we were separated from them," Kazuki answered firmly. "Do you know where they are now?"
Hanah could only watch their conversation with a blank and confused face. To her, they were speaking in a language that sounded like a series of strange meaningless sounds. She didn't understand how Kazuki could be so fluent in speaking a foreign language he shouldn't have known.
"Umm, we don't know where they went," answered the guard, scratching his rough beard. "They're no longer in this city, they've walked away from here," he explained.
"Oh," Kazuki nodded in understanding. "Then, can we stay in this city for a few days?" he asked hopefully.
The bearded guard seemed to think for a moment before answering. "Since you were called to come to this world by Lady Sena, I think you can enter without payment," he finally said, giving a nod to his colleagues to open the gate.
*Lady Sena?* thought Kazuki, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. *Who is she? Is she the one who called us to this world? What's her purpose?*
"In that case, we'll enter," said Kazuki, holding Hanah's hand who still looked confused. The two of them then stepped into the city, accompanied by curious gazes from the guards.
After they had walked far enough from the gate, Hanah couldn't hold back anymore. "Hey, what were you talking about earlier? And how can you speak their language?" she asked with a tone full of bewilderment.
"Ah, I don't know," answered Kazuki. "But it seems we are indeed in another world, and the person who called us to come to this world seems to be someone named Sena," he explained, trying to share the information he had just obtained.
"Sena?" repeated Hanah, her eyebrows raised high. "Why would she bring us to this world?" Her voice was full of frustration and confusion.
"How would I know," Kazuki shrugged. His eyes carefully observed their surroundings, analyzing their new environment. "But this does seem like a medieval city."
Around them, stone and wooden buildings lined up neatly forming stone streets that were crowded with residents. The tall walls they saw from outside surrounded the entire city, giving an impression of sturdiness and security. "Those seem to be defensive walls," murmured Kazuki, pointing toward the tall walls surrounding the city.
"By the way, we need to find a place to stay for the night first," said Kazuki in a practical tone, returning their focus to pressing needs.
Hanah frowned, a new problem emerging in her mind. "But... we don't have money. How can we stay at a place?" she asked worriedly.
Kazuki didn't immediately answer. His eyes carefully observed their surroundings. In the busy city streets, he could see various kinds of creatures he had never encountered before – half-animal humans with furry ears and tails, burly men with green skin, and even some small figures that resembled depictions of fairies in fairy tales.
Various shops lined the streets, from weapons shops, potion shops, to food stalls. Kazuki also noticed a transaction happening at a fruit stall, where the buyer gave shiny gold coins to pay for their purchases.
"Look at this," Kazuki said suddenly.
Hanah shifted her gaze toward Kazuki. She saw the young man's hand, which was previously empty, raised in front of her. His hand was open, palm facing upward as if waiting for something to appear.
After a few moments in silence, suddenly a small flash of light appeared in Kazuki's palm. The light glowed for a moment before solidifying, and in the blink of an eye, five shiny gold coins appeared just like that in Kazuki's hand that was previously empty.
"What! What happened?" exclaimed Hanah with shock, her eyes widening witnessing the magical event before her. She covered her open mouth with her palm, trying to suppress her shock so as not to attract the attention of people passing by around them.
Hanah stared at the coins with wide eyes. A few seconds ago, Kazuki's hand was still empty. There were no hidden pockets, no suspicious movements—the coins truly appeared from nothingness.
"I created them," answered Kazuki casually, as if what he had just done was a very ordinary thing.
"What do you mean by 'created them'?" asked Hanah with a restrained voice. She glanced around, worried someone might be watching them. It turned out her worries were unfounded. People were busy with their own affairs; no one cared about two strange teenagers talking at the side of the road.
"Uhh, would you believe me if I said that I already had power before I came to this world again?" asked Kazuki finally, his sharp eyes looking directly into Hanah's eyes.
"Ah?" was all that could come out of her mouth. Her expression was like someone who had just been slapped with a reality too absurd for logic to accept.
Seeing the confusion clearly depicted on Hanah's face, Kazuki took a deep breath. He looked around, then directed Hanah to a quieter corner of the street, under the canopy of a shop that was already closed. They stood there, slightly hidden from the crowd but still able to see the city's activities.
"I'll explain," said Kazuki with a low and clear voice. Seriousness radiated from his eyes that were usually flat and expressionless. "I have the power to manipulate or control things."
He paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Or create something... or arrange something through my mind."
To prove his words, Kazuki raised his empty hand. In the blink of an eye, a red rose appeared between his fingers—beautiful, perfect, with petals slightly damp as if freshly picked and a stem still fresh with its sharp thorns.
"And something I create," he continued while twirling the flower between his fingers, "is 100% similar to the real thing. Even if there were tools to find out whether that object is real or not, the results would still show that it is a real object."
He gave the rose in his hand to Hanah, who received it with trembling hands. The girl could feel the soft texture of the flower petals, the moisture of its stem, even the fragrant aroma emanating from the flower—everything felt so real.
"What...!?" Hanah finally reacted, her voice half-choked. Her eyes widened perfectly, looking alternately between the rose in her hand and Kazuki's calm face. She stepped back until her back touched the cold stone wall.
Hanah tried to pinch the rose, squeeze it a little, and feel its sharp thorns pricking her skin—everything felt real. This wasn't an illusion or a cheap magic trick. What she saw and felt was evidence of Kazuki's supernatural ability.
"Are... are you serious?" she asked with a trembling voice. "So you can... create anything? Anytime? From nothing?"
Questions bombarded her mind. If Kazuki indeed had such ability, why were they still stranded in a foreign world? Why didn't he create a vehicle or communication device to contact their other friends? Or more extremely—why not create a portal to return to their original world?
However, before Hanah could express all those questions, a new realization emerged in her mind. "Wait a minute... you said 'before I came to this world again'? What does that mean? You... have been here before?"
"No, this is my first time coming to this world. What I meant was I already had power before coming to another world again, not that I've been to this world before, and my power for now has its limits."
"For now?"
"We need a place to stay first," said Kazuki, smoothly changing the subject. "After we get a room at an inn,"
Hanah wanted to protest. There were so many questions spinning in her head, making her dizzy and frustrated. However, the fatigue beginning to take over her body made her abandon the intention. They did need rest after the long tiring journey.
"Alright," she finally said, nodding weakly.
"Come on, I saw a decent inn near the town square earlier. We can get a room and warm food there, I guess."
The two of them walked side by side on the city streets,
Meanwhile, the red rose given by Kazuki was still clutched tightly in Hanah's hand.