The Two Meet
'This is really bad.'
The boy sat silently on the flat, stone-paved ground, thinking, with his still-dripping gym clothes hanging beside him.
The boy's name was Natsuki Subaru, a very ordinary boy born into an equally ordinary family in Japan on Earth.
If one had to describe the first seventeen years of his life before being transported, it would be: "a third-year student at a public high school refusing to go to school."
As soon as Subaru realized he had been summoned to another world, he immediately checked whether he could communicate with the locals and understand the value of objects.
Fortunately, they spoke the same language, and currency consisted of gold, silver, and copper coins.
This even caused some displeasure with the first person he met—an aggressive fruit vendor.
The reason Subaru was able to quickly understand the situation was because modern Japanese youth were deeply influenced by anime and games.
In fact, given the circumstances, he was rather glad.
When it comes to "summoned to another world" scenarios, it's practically every adolescent boy's dream.
That said...
"If they don't offer better welfare benefits, ignorant young guys like me won't be able to survive."
Though he had come from Japan as a high schooler "capable of anything," Subaru currently had no special powers.
Upon checking his gear, which he had on him when he was suddenly summoned while stepping out of a convenience store, it turned out to be rather shabby—causing him to utter such a weak complaint.
A cell phone (almost out of battery), a wallet (no money), instant cup noodles bought at the store (pork bone oil flavor), snacks bought at the same place (corn soup flavor), his favorite gray tracksuit (not washed), and worn-out sneakers (two years old)—that was all.
Though he still entertained the unrealistic fantasy that a beautiful girl might have summoned him, more than anything, Subaru hoped this was just some exaggerated prank show.
However, the distance he had walked so far, filled with people wearing eccentric outfits and sporting an array of hair colors, as well as the presence of demi-humans, shattered that illusion and affirmed that this really was another world.
When Subaru first looked around in this world, he saw people with dog ears, cat ears, and even mutant-like individuals resembling lizardmen.
Just as he thought that, he also noticed humans who looked relatively normal, although none of them had black hair like his.
Most had gold, red, or brown hair, and some even had green or blue.
Their outfits varied widely: some wore armor, some dressed like dancers, and others were completely cloaked in black robes—ridiculously exaggerated styles.
"Well~~ whatever, if things go according to typical storylines, I should be able to use modern knowledge to thrive in this world."
After organizing all this information, Subaru let out a sigh longer than a breath and tried to pull himself together again.
"Ow, sorry."
Just as he was about to leave the alley, Subaru brushed shoulders with someone walking in. He quickly apologized and sidestepped to get by.
"—Ugh, that hurts!"
But suddenly, someone grabbed Subaru's shoulder from behind and dragged him into the alley.
He cried out in pain and looked back to see a massive man capable of easily tossing him into the alley, flanked by two others.
The three men shifted their positions and blocked the only exit.
Seeing their practiced movements, Subaru had a bad feeling.
"Excuse me… can I ask what exactly you guys want?"
"You really don't understand your situation, do you? Whatever. Hand over anything valuable and save yourself some pain."
"Ah—so that's what this is... Ha, haha, I'm in big trouble."
The men stared down at him with scorn and mocking smiles.
They looked about twenty years old, with their vile personalities plainly written on their faces.
These were definitely not good people.
Facing these leering thugs, Subaru laughed along nervously while thinking quickly.
'Even though I'm in danger, historically, people summoned to another world usually awaken some incredible power. Since the conditions of my summoning are the same…'
"Maybe the gravity here is one-tenth that of my world..."
Just the thought that he might possess some kind of special ability made Subaru's body feel lighter.
Looking at the three "starter enemies" threatening him, Subaru suddenly shouted:
"You'll regret this. Hah!"
Right after speaking, he threw a right straight punch with all his might at the big guy leading the group.
His fist landed squarely on the man's nose, but the contact with the man's teeth caused Subaru's knuckles to bleed.
'It hurts more than I imagined!'
This was Subaru's first real fight, so he couldn't simulate it in his head.
The man he hit fell, and Subaru leapt at the next surprised attacker, delivering a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, knocking him unconscious against the wall.
The first battle went unbelievably well.
Subaru started to believe in the idea of "Otherworldly Invincibility."
'As expected, I must be really strong in this world! Must be the adrenaline!'
Turning back confidently, Subaru crouched and prepared to strike the final opponent.
But then he saw the man draw a shining knife from behind his back.
Subaru instantly dropped to his knees and folded his upper body flat to the ground, his forehead scraping the stone.
"I'm sorry! It's all my fault! Please, kind sir, spare my humble life—!"
Subaru knelt and begged for his life, his sincerity laid bare, demonstrating the most basic of Japanese humility.
The arrogance from moments ago was gone, and he felt as if his blood was draining away.
Curling up, he desperately apologized, because after all, he was just a high schooler—and that was a real knife!
Getting stabbed meant game over, even for a strong body.
Snapping back to reality, Subaru realized the two men he had knocked down were already back on their feet.
One was holding his bleeding nose, the other shaking his head.
But surprisingly, they both still looked full of energy.
"Huh!? That was supposed to be a one-hit KO? Where's the truth behind my summoning!?"
"You've been talking nonsense from the start. You've got guts, I'll give you that!"
It turned out Subaru hadn't gotten stronger at all.
One of the thugs stomped on his bowed head, causing it to bleed.
Then a kick landed on his face, and a flurry of violent blows followed as he curled up in pain.
Since Subaru threw the first punch, the thugs showed no mercy.
'This is bad. It really hurts. I might die. No—I will die!'
Subaru realized that this world was different.
Delinquents here had no reason to let him live.
He had to decide: fight back with everything before they killed him.
"It hurts! Owwww! I said it hurts—it hurts!"
Subaru tried to get up, but one of them stepped on his hand and reversed his grip on the knife.
The threats continued as the blade began to descend toward Subaru's head.
He saw no flashbacks or time-slowing effects.
But the glint of the knife approaching him brought the reality of "death" crashing into Subaru's heart.
'No, no, this has to be a lie! What the hell? This is too easy a death!'
A strained smile formed on his face, but inside, he was panicking.
Someone—anyone—please stop this! But fate wasn't so kind, and the knife kept descending.
Despair closed in, and tears were on the verge of spilling from Subaru's eyes.
Not out of fear—but from the unbearable emptiness of dying like this.
Just as he surrendered to total despair—
"That's enough."
The voice cut sharply into the oppressive atmosphere of the alley.
It was calm, firm, and without hesitation. Those few words radiated overwhelming authority, awakening instinctual obedience.
If there were such a thing as "time stopping," this was it.
At the entrance to the alley stood a girl—a beautiful girl.
Most eye-catching was her vividly burning red hair and clear, sky-blue eyes.
Her features were so refined they radiated both majesty and innocence—just one look was enough to tell she was someone extraordinary.
She was a little shorter than Subaru, around 165 cm.
She wore a tailored black outfit with a pure white coat draping down to her feet.
At her waist, a simple belt held a knight's sword that radiated unusual pressure.
"Whatever's going on, I will not allow you to treat him any more violently. That's enough."
As she spoke, she casually walked between Subaru and the thugs. Despite stepping into the tense space, their reaction wasn't rage—it was to recoil in fear, their faces turning pale as they pointed at her, shouting:
"Fl-Flaming red hair and blue eyes... and a knight's sword engraved with a dragon's claw. Could it be...?"
Staring at the girl with disbelief, they cried in unison:
"Reinhild... That's the 'Sword Saint' Reinhild!?"
"Looks like I don't need to introduce myself. Still... that title feels a bit too heavy for me."
The girl, called Reinhild, muttered self-deprecatingly, but there wasn't the slightest crack in her protective stance toward Subaru.
Lying on the ground, Subaru saw the thugs' legs trembling.
Under the girl's intense presence, they backed away again and regrouped against the wall.
"I'm sorry, but since someone's been hurt so badly, I can't let you go.
Will you quietly spend a few days behind bars, or do you want to escalate things further? If it's the latter, then I'll face you myself."
As she spoke, the girl placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"It's three against one, so the numbers are in your favor. I don't know if my meager strength can serve justice on his behalf, but as a knight, I will fight you."
"I'm fine. Let them go."
Hearing her words and realizing she was willing to take on all three thugs for his sake, Subaru felt a wave of shame.
He tried to stand and told her he wouldn't press charges.
But Reinhild clearly had no intention of backing down.
"Y-you've got to be kidding! That's not worth it! We give up!"
As Subaru struggled to stand, he heard a surprising response.
The thugs were terrified.
The sound of the knife dropping echoed as they sat quietly against the wall—no trace left of their earlier arrogance.
That alone showed how extraordinary the girl was.
"You shouldn't get up so quickly—oh, too late?"
From the ground, Subaru looked up at the girl's slightly anxious face.
As she picked up his fallen shopping bag, his vision grew darker.
"Looks like he's…"
Those were the last words he heard her whisper before Subaru lost consciousness.