Two weeks have passed since Rentaro appeared at the cafe, although he didn't remember who he was, he tried to find stability in what little he had. Of course, it took him some time to adjust and learn how to live normally, but with the help of Marlene and me, he got the hang of it.
His change wasn't sudden, but it became more noticeable day by day. Rentaro would volunteer more often than not to help around rather than sit around doing nothing. He became… decent at some chores, he didn't accidentally cut himself as often when peeling vegetables, nor did he stutter when talking to strangers as much, although he still is shy when he comes into the orphanage.
Taking all that into consideration, I believe the kid has a good heart, he might not show it often, but I've seen enough to know he's not bad… not bad at all.
Bernard let out a quiet hum as he set his cup down onto the wooden counter, the faint clink echoing softly through the café.
"What do you think?"
Behind him, the sound of cloth brushing against ceramic could be heard as Marlene wiped down a freshly washed cup.
"I think he's improving!" she replied calmly. "In such a short time, too!"
Marlene placed the cup down, aligning it carefully with the others before reaching for another.
"Honestly, I'm glad. He might struggle, but he works hard."
Bernard nodded, his gaze drifting toward the staircase leading upstairs.
"…That's what matters."
For a moment, the café settled into silence. The kind that felt earned, not empty.
"…You've seen the way he looks at things?" Marlene continued. "Like he's trying to understand everything all at once."
Bernard smirked faintly.
"Kid's got too much going on in that head of his…"
Bernard paused
"I just wonder. Why him…"
"…What do you mean?"
Bernard didn't answer right away.
He leaned back slightly, eyes drifting toward the staircase, as if the answer might come walking down at any moment.
"…You know how things work in this world," he said quietly. "A person's memories… their experiences… that's their soul."
Marlene remained silent, listening.
"If something like that were to happen…" Bernard continued, his voice lowering just a little, "they wouldn't be able to stand, talk or even think like normal."
A brief silence followed.
"Yet, he can function normally." Said Marlene.
"…Exactly."
Another pause.
"There might be someone who can make sense of it," stated Marlene.
"…You mean that man?"
Marlene nodded once.
"Adler Hoffmann."
The name settled between them.
"Alright." Said Bernard. "If it comes down to this… I will contact his faction."
Bernard rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a quiet sigh.
"…Though it won't be difficult to reach him."
Marlene tilted her head slightly.
"Because of the summit, right?"
"Yeah," Bernard replied. "All of the Sizzelia Defender factions are stationed here, and knowing him, he's not far."
Marlene gave a small nod.
"Then it's settled!"
Bernard's gaze drifted, just for a moment, toward the staircase.
"…Let's hope that Adler is willing to cooperate."
Bernard's eyes lingered on the staircase, his thoughts slowly beginning to drift.
before they could wander any further.
"Oi, Bernard!"
Just around the room from inside the storage room, Rentaro's voice could be heard. Only this time, a bit different.
Rentaro stood by the entrance between the storage room and the main cafe, slightly out of breath, while Lilou clung stubbornly to his sleeve.
"Tell Lilou to back off, she's being a big nuisance, and I can't get my work done."
"I'm not!" Lilou protested immediately, tugging on his arm again. "You're just being a jerk!"
"You little liar. You're the one following me around everywhere, interrupting my work," Rentaro shot back, trying (and failing) to pull his sleeve free.
Marlene let out a small sigh, though there was a faint smile on her lips as she continued wiping the counter.
Bernard rested his elbow against the counter, watching the exchange unfold in front of him.
…Louder.
That was the first thing he noticed.
Not just his voice, but his presence.
Before, the kid barely spoke unless spoken to. Even then, he'd hesitate, stumble over his words like he wasn't sure he was allowed to exist in the same space as others.
Now?
He argues.
Complains.
Pushes back.
…And somehow, I believe that's better.
Bernard exhaled quietly.
Two weeks ago, the boy looked like he'd disappear if you took your eyes off him for too long.
Now he was being dragged around the café by a child… and complaining about it like it was the most normal thing in the world. Heck he even mimics the way Lilou talks sometimes.
"Oi, Bernard," Rentaro called out, finally managing to pry Lilou off his sleeve, only for her to grab onto his apron instead. "You said I'd be free to do whatever after I finish up, right?"
Bernard raised a brow.
"I did."
"Good." Said Rentaro. With a satisfied look on his face. "Then tell her to stop bothering me until I'm done."
Bernard crossed his arms.
"…Finish your work first," he said. "Then you can do whatever you want."
"Yeah, yeah, fine, I know…"
Rentaro left the room while waving behind him to Bernard.
Bernard let out a quiet breath, the faintest hint of a smile returning.
…Yeah.
He's doing just fine.
***
I want to experience it all… somehow.
Starting from the smallest things.
It's been two weeks since I arrived in this world, and I've already done more than I expected. Most of it has been helping Bernard and Marlene around the café. Cleaning, cutting vegetables, and doing whatever they ask me to do. It's boring… yeah, it is. But not in a bad way.
Sometimes I get to go out into Palem's main city. Marlene doesn't trust me enough to go alone yet, so I usually end up going with Lilou… or Shizuka. We just pick up ingredients and head back, nothing special.
Still…
I guess I'm getting used to living like this.
Rentaro exhaled quietly as he slowed his steps.
But ever since that day I talked to Shizuka… something's been stuck in my head.
Is there more to this world?
I've seen it before. That magic Marlene used.
Magic…
It doesn't feel strange to me. I know what it is. I understand it to some degree, probably because there are hundreds of fantasy stories with magic, but what would I know, right?
Still… I don't have a clue how I actually know what magic is…
Rentaro frowned slightly.
Uhhh my brain hurtsss…
But now is not the time to panic, none of this makes any sense, and Shizuka knows that as well.
She said she's like me… she's not from here either.
Which means–
His steps came to a halt.
There's something reallyyy weird going on here…
I've put up a goal for myself, and I'm not going to stand here doing nothing.
Rentaro stood in front of a closed door, his hand hovering near the handle.
I'm going to get some answers.
Rentaro thought as he reached for the door.
"Right… Marlene said knocking is more polite." Rentaro muttered to himself, raising his hand toward the door.
He hesitated for a brief moment.
Knock. Knock.
Rentaro waited for a moment.
Nothing.
He frowned slightly, staring at the door.
He knew Shizuka was inside. He could hear faint movement from the other side—but she wasn't answering.
"Ehh?"
Knock. Knock.
He tried again, this time a little louder.
Still nothing.
"Oi, Shizuka. I know you're in there."
Something shifted inside the room. A quiet sound, definitely movement.
But no response.
Rentaro's brow twitched.
"…Okay, this is getting irritating."
Just as he muttered that, Lilou suddenly popped up behind him.
"Let me try!"
Before he could stop her…
Knock. Knock.
Silence.
Again.
Rentaro stared at the door, his patience thinning. For a brief moment, he considered just leaving.
…but the questions in his head wouldn't let him.
Not this time.
"Ahh, that's it. I'm going in."
Rentaro reached for the handle and pushed the door open.
But before he could take a step inside, the door suddenly swung open from the other side.
Shizuka stood there.
Close.
Too close.
Rentaro paused mid-motion, his hand still half-raised.
"…You're being too loud," she said flatly.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Behind him, Lilou peeked around his side.
"Shizuuuu!!" shouted Lilou while rushing towards Shizuka, trying to hug her.
Shizuka's eyes shifted slightly toward the girl.
"…Go play somewhere else."
Lilou blinked.
"Eh?"
"Now."
The tone wasn't raised, but it didn't leave room for argument.
Lilou hesitated, then glanced up at Rentaro as if asking for approval.
Rentaro sighed.
"It's fine, Lilou, she probably just woke up so she's a bit moody, go ahead and I'll meet you later, okay?"
"Okay!" she said immediately, already bouncing away down the hall.
Her footsteps faded quickly, leaving the hallway quieter than before.
Shizuka's gaze returned to Rentaro.
A pause.
"…Come in," she said, stepping aside.
Rentaro hesitated for only a moment before walking past her into the room.
The door clicked shut behind them.
***
Rentaro sat on the floor, leaning slightly against the wall, while Shizuka rested on the edge of her bed across from him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"…were you asleep or something?" Rentaro said, breaking the silence. "At this time too. That's unnatural."
Shizuka didn't respond immediately.
Her obviously tired eyes remained on him.
"…I wasn't asleep," she said flatly. "You're just loud."
Rentaro clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that, but you look like a zombie who just became an undead."
Silence settled agai,n but this time, it felt different.
He noticed it.
Shizuka's gaze hadn't changed.
She wasn't annoyed.
She was… watching him.
Carefully.
"…Rentaro…"
Her voice was quieter now.
A wave of nervousness rushed over Rentaro.
"...Do you know what the concept of a dragon is?"
Rentaro blinked.
"ehhh…huh? I guess I do…"
Shizuka sighed
"...Could you describe it to me?
Rentaro took a moment and tried to envision a dragon.
"Well, if I had to describe one…" Rentaro paused. "A big lizard with wings that breathes fire, or something like
that."
Shizuka didn't react.
Not even a nod.
"…What about a steam engine?"
"…That's… uh…"
He scratched the side of his head.
"A machine that uses steam pressure to move stuff. Like trains… I think."
Still no reaction.
Then—
"…how about a computer?"
Rentaro paused.
This time, longer.
"That's easy," he said. "It's like… a machine that stores and processes information. You use it for… a lot of things like… playing games or… internet stuff…"
His voice slowed near the end.
Something about that answer felt strange.
He didn't know why.
Shizuka finally moved.
Just slightly.
"…I see."
Rentaro's eyes narrowed.
"Oi what's with the questions?"
"…Simply put," she said, her voice calm, almost indifferent, "now I'm certain."
Her gaze locked onto his.
"You're from my world."
Rentaro froze.
For a moment, the room felt smaller.
"…Your world?" he repeated slowly, as if testing the words. "What are you talking about?"
Shizuka didn't immediately answer. She leaned back slightly on the bed, still watching him with that same steady, unreadable expression.
"All these things I just listed do not exist in this world, at least to my knowledge." She continued, "A dragon is a mythical beast used in old legends and fantasy stories. The steam engine was the primary catalyst and driving force of the industrial revolution, and the computer, a transformative tool that revolutionized productivity, communications, and education."
Her voice stayed flat, precise, almost detached.
"…Yet all of these things," she said, "you recognized instantly."
Silence.
The air between them tightened.
"This leads me to believe," Shizuka continued, her gaze sharpening slightly, "that you… are the same as me."
Rentaro genuinely understood his situation, that's the only thing he could do at that moment.
"I get it, I get it. But I have a question. How did we end up here?"
The question hung between them.
For once, Shizuka didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes lowered slightly, as if recalling something that refused to take shape.
"…I don't know," she said at last.
Rentaro blinked. "Ehh? You don't?"
She shook her head once.
"I don't remember arriving here," she continued. "I only remember waking up in this world. Unlike you, however, I still remember my life prior to coming to this world."
Rentaro frowned.
"So we both just… appeared here?"
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
Rentaro thought to himself, what kind of cosmic joke is this? he could have been living the good life in some other world. But instead…
But Shizuka wasn't finished.
"…That's why I started researching everything I could about this world. Most things are still unknown to me, but one thing is certain." She paused, "Our situations, and especially yours, are an anomaly to this world."
She glanced toward the books again.
"Because in this world, memory and magic are connected."
Rentaro tilted his head slightly, a faint grin creeping onto his face.
"And why is that, Shizuuu?" he said, dragging out her name just a little.
Shizuka's expression didn't change.
"…D-Don't call me that."
"Ehhh? Why not? Lilou calls you that. Plus it fits you more."
"...It doesn't."
"It also sounds more friendly." He added
Shizuka paused for a little while.
"...we are not friends."
She mentioned this before, didn't she? Maybe I shouldn't act so friendly with her. Truth be told, I don't really care about being her friend, as long as she can keep her part of the deal, I'll benefit from it.
And that was how Rentaro truly felt, Shizuka's words didn't faze him, he already knew that.
"...Marlene… told me," Rentaro continued, scratching the side of his head.
Shizuka didn't respond.
"…She said you've been keeping to yourself too much," he added. "That you don't really talk to anyone."
A brief pause.
"…And that I should try to be more friendly towards you."
Shizuka's eyes shifted slightly, though her expression remained mostly unchanged.
"…That is unnecessary."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that, but she looked kinda serious," Rentaro replied casually.
He leaned back again, resting his weight on his hands.
"Said something about you being alone all the time."
Silence.
For a moment, Shizuka didn't say anything.
Then—
"…I prefer it that way."
Her tone was calm.
Flat.
Rentaro glanced at her.
"…Sure you do."
He didn't push it further.
But he didn't fully understand it either, sure, he himself wasn't too keen on getting along with anyone else, but he could somewhat understand her point.
Whatever, that's none of my concern either way.
"So?" he said. "You were saying something about memory and magic."
Shizuka's gaze steadied.
"…In this world, memory isn't just stored in the mind," she said. "It's embedded within the soul itself." She paused." The core."
Rentaro tilted his head.
"Ehh? So it's like… part of how people exist here?"
"Yes."
A brief pause.
"A person's experiences shape their core. In turn, that core determines how they process mana… and how their magic manifests."
"ehhh…So magic changes depending on who you are."
"Exactly."
She folded her hands in her lap.
"You've probably seen Marlene use water or healing magic before."
Rentaro remembers when he first came into this world, Marlene healed his wound with some sort of magic.
"That's all I know about magic."
Rentaro frowned slightly, thinking it through.
"…So then my case is weird because—"
"You have no memories," Shizuka cut in.
"Yet your core still functions normally."
A beat.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Rentaro exhaled.
"…Yeah, you keep saying that but..."
Shizuka didn't react.
"…Normally," she continued, "if the core is damaged, the person becomes unstable. Memory loss, in this world, would imply a failure of the soul itself."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"But you're unnaturally stable. You think, speak, and adapt without issue."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Rentaro glanced toward the books again, then back at her.
"…And you figured all this out just by… reading?"
"Yes."
A short pause.
Then Rentaro leaned forward slightly, more serious now.
"…So what does that mean for us?"
Shizuka held his gaze.
"…If we can determine the cause of your memory loss," she said, choosing her words carefully, "then we may be able to trace it back to its origin."
A brief pause. And then silence…
"...ehhh…"
"... In other words, if we find out why you lost your memories, maybe that 'why' can get us back to where we came from."
"I understood it just fine the first time, I'm not a complete idiot!"
Shizuka continued.
"That is why I approached you in the first place," she said. "Your condition is not just unusual. It is inconsistent with how this world functions."
"I guess I understand it, but you make it sound like I'm some kind of tool…"
"…You are," she replied bluntly.
A short silence followed.
"Oi come on, what exactly am I supposed to do?"
Shizuka paused.
Then—
"For now, if there is any way you can learn about this world, that could be very useful, maybe through Bernard, Marlene, or even Lilou."
Rentaro frowned.
"…What?"
"You lack direction," she continued. "You lack understanding of this world. If you attempt to act now, you will only make mistakes."
A beat.
"…So first, you learn."
She looked at him directly.
"You adapt. You experience. You build a foundation."
Rentaro blinked.
"Like we said, I'll help you experience a normal life, and in exchange you'll help me go back to my world."
"…Experience…"
Rentaro continued, his gaze drifting for a moment before settling back on her.
"…Yeah. I get that."
He leaned back slightly, resting his hands behind him.
"But I'm not doing that just because you told me to."
Shizuka didn't react.
"I want to do it anyway," he added. "With or without your help."
A small pause.
"I don't know who I was before," Rentaro said, more quietly now. "But right now… I can still do things. See things. Figure stuff out."
He exhaled lightly.
"So I'm gonna experience all of it. This place, these people… everything."
Silence followed.
Shizuka watched him carefully.
"…Then our goals align," she said at last. "But don't misunderstand."
Her tone sharpened slightly.
"This is not friendship."
Rentaro glanced at her.
"We are working together for mutual benefit," she continued. "Nothing more."
A brief pause.
"If you lose sight of that, it will only complicate things."
Rentaro stared at her for a second.
"…Yeah, yeah, I got it, miss no friends allowed."
He pushed himself up from the floor, stretching slightly.
"Mutual benefit, not friends. You've said that like three times already. I get it."
Shizuka didn't respond.
Rentaro turned toward the door, reaching for the handle.
Then—
"…Shizuka Nagatsuki."
He paused.
Slowly turning his head back toward her.
"…ehhh?"
Shizuka didn't meet his eyes this time.
"That's my name," she said. "My full name."
A short silence.
Rentaro blinked.
Then a grin spread across his face.
"…Nagatsuki, ehh?"
He thought about it for a second.
"…Suki sounds better."
Shizuka's head snapped toward him.
"…Don't."
Too late.
"Alright then, Suki—"
"Stop calling me that!"
For the first time, her composure cracked.
Even if just a little.
Rentaro laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, I'm going."
He waved lazily as he opened the door.
"See you later, Suki."
"Get out!"
The door shut behind him.
And for a moment—
Shizuka just stood there.
Silent.
…Annoyed.
And slightly flustered.
***
It's still morning, and I have a lot of stuff to get done, although maybe focusing on keeping my end of the deal might be more important.
Rentaro thought to himself.
Either way, I've decided I'm going to take advantage of this situation I've been put through.
I want to experience everything. I really do… I just don't know how yet
"Ren!"
A small voice cut through the quiet morning.
Before he could fully react, something tugged at the lower part of his clothing.
Rentaro paused.
"…Lilou?"
She was there again, clinging onto his suit, slightly out of breath as if she had been running.
Rentaro blinked.
"What are you doing? I thought Bernard told you not to bother me when I'm working."
"I'm not bothering you!" Lilou replied immediately, tightening her grip as if to prove her point.
"…Sure you're not."
She puffed her cheeks slightly, then shook her head.
"Some people are searching for you."
That made him stop.
"ehh…Searching for me?"
Lilou nodded quickly.
"Big, serious people. They came to the café earlier. They talked to Bernard!"
Before Lilou could respond, the sound of footsteps came from inside the café.
Not like customers.
Bernard appeared at the doorway.
His eyes immediately landed on Rentaro.
Bernard let out a small breath.
"…There you are."
Rentaro tilted his head.
"Mmm…What's going on?"
Bernard crossed his arms, his expression more serious than usual.
"The guards who came earlier weren't just passing through."
A pause.
"They're here under official order."
Lilou tightened her grip slightly.
"…Official?" Rentaro repeated.
Bernard nodded once.
"And they've requested your presence."
Silence.
"Wha-…Μ-Me?"
"Yes," Bernard said. "And not just for questioning."
His gaze shifted slightly.
"They want you taken to the city."
He paused.
"…To Adler."