"Wake up, Issei."
I could hear a voice.
"Come on, it's about that time, isn't it?"
Just a little longer. I wanted to stay like this. I was…
"WAKE UUUUUUUUP! ISSEIIIIIIIIII!!"
"Guboh?!"
A staggering impact! Something heavy slammed into my stomach! Wrapped in my blankets, I was jolted awake by a dull, throbbing pain.
When I forced my eyes open, I saw—
"WAKE UUUUUUUUP! It's morning! It's time for training! WAKE UP!"
There was someone literally rolling around on top of my stomach.
"Gyaaaaaah! What the hell are you doing?!"
Morning? It wasn't even 4:00 AM! I glanced at the window; the sun was barely beginning to crawl over the horizon. Even the damn birds were still asleep!
Hearing my scream, the intruder leaped off the bed and stuck a perfect, graceful landing.
He had the same chestnut-colored hair as me and a refreshingly handsome face. With his usual breezy expression, he looked down at me.
"Finally, you're awake."
"Anyone would wake up after that! Are you trying to kill me?!"
"A little drop like that won't kill you. What's with the attitude? I went through all the trouble of coming to get you."
"I didn't ask you to!"
I tried to protest, but he didn't care. He grabbed the collar of my pajamas and hauled me off the bed with effortless strength. He began walking, dragging me behind him like a sack of potatoes.
"Alright! Let's get a head start on morning drills!"
"Now?! Hey… come on… let me sleep a little longer. I'm seriously exhausted…"
"No problem, Issei! Ten laps around the castle town and you'll be wide awake!"
"I'll be dead before I'm awake! I'll be meeting my maker before I see the finish line!"
"We have to hit the market first thing this morning. I heard they've got a great catch coming in. We've got prep work to do, and I want to test some new menu items…"
"Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"
"Let's give it our all today! Ready? One, two, Heave-ho!"
"LISTEN TO ME! And let me change! I'm still in my pajamas, goddammit!"
The man dragging me through the pre-dawn streets was Wright Orville. He was the Hero of this world—the world of Ast-Arde.
And as you can probably tell, he was a man of… exhausting levels of enthusiasm.
"Somebody! H-E-L-P M-E-E-E-E!!"
My name is Issei Hyoudou. Not too long ago, I was just a normal third-year middle schooler.
And I mean completely normal. I hadn't awakened to some hidden power, nor did I possess any legendary weapons. I was just an average guy.
What changed wasn't me—it was my environment.
I was no longer in the world I knew. I was in a "different world." An Isekai.
One minute I was lounging in my room, the next I was sucked into a void, and when I came to, I was here. It had been two weeks since then, and I still struggled to believe it.
Part of me kept hoping this was all a dream—that I'd wake up and my boring daily routine would be waiting for me. I'd wake up to see my mom and dad, eat breakfast, and head to school. I'd hang out with Matsuda and Motohama, suffer through classes, and buy snacks on the way home. My mom would say, "Welcome home, Issei," while she made dinner. I'd take a bath, do my homework, and go to bed.
I thought that life would go on forever.
But that wish wouldn't be granted. This situation was my undeniable reality.
When I first understood the truth, I was terrified to my core.
Loneliness.
I was the only one like me in this world. No family, no friends—no one who even knew I existed. I didn't know what to do or where to go. I was scared.
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