CH 2

Perhaps because of the distortion in space-time, after being sucked into the gate…..

Old memories came back to me.

I was called a prodigy as a child.

There was a kid’s chess tournament in my early years of primary school….. well, it was only a small neighborhood event but I won three years in a row. I was the champion of sport’s days and marathons and my grades weren’t bad either.

I was the pride of even my strict father and at that time my mother was kind to me. I cherished my only younger brother who would follow me everywhere.

Things began to change when middle school started.

Somewhere somehow, as if possessed by an evil spirit…..

My grades slowly fell and my father’s attitude became stricter towards me. My mother gradually began to focus on my brother, whose grades were rising and was a regular member of the soccer team, in his first year of middle school.

―― I’ll improve just my grades at least.

With that in mind, I quit as a substitute of the track and field club to focus on my studies but no results were showing.

As things begin to crumble, the impetus will increase.

It is something that one cannot stop alone.

When my grades showed no signs of improving my parents began to lose patience with me, only ever talking about my brother. When I quit the track and field club I began to be alienated in class and a target of bullying…..

The high school I somehow managed to slide into could not be called high level, and I was treated as a plaything by my boorish classmates.

When I tried to bring their escalating bullying to the teachers attention.

“You also have bad points don’t you?”

I was unable to gain assistance.

Since I couldn’t even study there, I shut myself in my room to battle with textbooks and reference books. The distance between me and my family grew to the point that my father began to act as if I didn’t exist.

“I don’t want to deal with that child anymore”

Said my mother.

“You’re disgusting, brother”

I felt like I could hear my brothers words but…..

I continued to study like a madman.

―― No, In reality I was already mad.

“You have lost your physical body in this world but certain requirements have been fulfilled. Would you like to be born into another world and redo your life”

She said while smiling kindly.

“Are there any conditions”

“Please save that world, for that cause I will provide you with the necessary power”

I tried to return a smile but the woman, who looked like a goddess from games or manga, gave a bitter smile and took some distance so I don’t think it went very well.

“Would something other than power be impossible”

That’s right, at that time there something that I longed for, even if it was only in my dreams.

“What is it”

“People that would not abandon even someone like me, and accompany me to the very end”

With that murmur my consciousness faded…..

When I awoke I found myself in a dense forest where even the sun did not shine fully.

In the distance I could hear what sounded like the war cries of a beast.

As I felt at a lost.

“Are you okay? Collapsing in a place like this”

With monkey ears and tail, a beautiful girl who looked around 12 to 13 years old spoke out to me.

“You don’t feel uneasy looking at me?”

“Hmm, you may have the famished expression of a withered child but those are good eyes. Quite to my liking”

She sniffed with her well featured nose.

“I thought I smelt the goddess of jealousy Lilianess in my forest so I came here in a panic but I see how it is. I don’t know what those mischievous gods are thinking but….. I suppose this is some kind of fate”

She hid her monkey ears were inside her curly reddish brown hair and her tail also disappeared.

×　×　×　×　×

To be honest, I’m not really sure how long I was in the other world. After being accepted as my master’s disciple, my sense of time grew vague as I spent all my time training.

I was trapped inside a subspace known as the Infinite Book Corridor and only let out after I had studied thousands of books…..

Once I was tasked to suppress the Ancient Dragon King. I was put to the verge of death many times and would bathe in its blood to restore myself. Eventually I was able to make that Dragon King my subordinate but I cannot recall how long it took.

My master didn’t give much advice but she would always help and guide me at the right times.

Were it not for that, I would have given up or reached the end of my life first but I can’t say that there weren’t also fun days.

“Getting too absorbed is a bad habit of yours”

However now that I’m here I regret losing my sense of time

My appearance is around my twenties, you would think that about five years have passed but I’m not sure anymore.

The members of the hero party looked to be all around the same age but,

“Saitou thinks like an adult, as expected of a great sage”

I heard those words often.

I make my way to the exit while pushing past discarded mattresses, desks, and chairs.

“For now lets think forward”

I brush the dust off my body and walk out with confidence.

Looking around my surroundings, there aren’t any cars flying in the sky like in the sci-fi movies I watched as a kid nor are there skateboards hovering midair.

The design may be fairly different but the cars were moving on four wheels and the kids were running around playing normally.