On our way to the train station, I couldn't stop staring at everything around me.
This world…
Was beautiful.
No—too beautiful.
The town looked even better than when I first arrived. I honestly wondered how I didn't notice it before.
Then again… it was getting dark back then.
Yeah.
Let's go with that.
Now, under the full light of day, everything felt alive.
Magical creatures roamed freely—some flying, others walking calmly through the streets. And the weirdest part?
They weren't scary.
Not at all.
Unlike how creatures like this are shown on TV, these ones looked… peaceful.
Friendly, even.
Some of them were chatting.
Some were shopping.
Some were just minding their own business like normal people.
Honestly?
They felt more human than humans.
Even the food, machines, and animals looked completely different from anything I had ever seen before.
Everything was new.
Everything was exciting.
Everything was—
FWOOOOOSH!
Something flew right past my face.
"AHHH—!"
I dropped to the ground instantly, my heart nearly escaping my chest.
A goat.
With wings.
And big, buggy eyes.
"…I almost died," I whispered, gasping for breath as my life flashed before my eyes.
Behind me, Jayka burst out laughing.
Not just laughing—
DYING of laughter.
And of course, because my life is a comedy, everyone around us stopped and stared.
At him.
It felt like we had become the main event.
Like the finals of some world championship.
I quickly stood up, brushed the pinkish sand off my clothes, and bowed slightly.
"Sorry! Sorry, everyone!"
Then I grabbed Jayka's mouth and covered it.
"Mmgh—!"
He struggled, trying to shake me off, but I held on until the crowd finally lost interest and went back to their business.
Only then did I let go.
He glared at me.
"Don't ever do that again," he grumbled. "You almost killed me, you idiot."
"…Me?" I said, offended.
"And you know what?" he continued. "You should've been bulldozed by that goat-fly. Maybe you would've regained your memory and stopped wandering around like a lost Red Riding Hood. You look suspicious."
Wow.
Supportive as always.
"Come on," he said, walking ahead angrily like a wrestler who just lost a match.
I followed behind him, still thinking about that flying goat thing.
So that was a goat-fly.
The same thing that apparently hit me and caused my "memory loss."
…Yeah.
I get why the other Yuji hated them.
Eventually, we arrived at the train station.
We bought tickets and boarded the train without any issues.
Everything seemed normal.
Until it started moving.
Or rather…
lifting.
"…Wait."
The train…
Was flying.
"WAIT—WHY IS IT FLYING?!"
My soul almost left my body again as the train rose into the sky.
I shut my eyes tightly and clung to my seat like my life depended on it.
Which, at this point, it probably did.
After a while, the train suddenly stopped.
Mid-air.
"…We're dead," I whispered.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
And looked out the window.
"…Oh."
The view…
Was unreal.
It looked like something straight out of an anime.
Clouds stretched endlessly beneath us, glowing under the sunlight. The world below looked even more magical from above.
I forgot my fear instantly.
Beside me, Jayka calmly opened a newspaper like this was completely normal.
"I won't blame you for your reaction," he said flatly. "Even when you had your memory, you never left Cavania."
I blinked.
"You grew up there with Dashina," he continued. "She took care of you, even though you're human and she's a fairy. She treated you like her own son."
I stayed quiet.
"She decided you needed to go to the human city," he added. "So she went ahead to find you a job. You'll move there when you turn 20."
…That hit a little deeper than I expected.
The Yuji of this world…
Had a pretty sad life.
But that's fine.
Because I'm here now.
And I'll fix everything.
Starting with—
A girlfriend.
The most beautiful girlfriend.
We eventually arrived at our destination.
Panaj.
As soon as we stepped off the train, I looked around in amazement.
Panaj looked like a magical mix of India and Saudi Arabia.
Golden structures.
Colorful markets.
Flowing fabrics.
And for the first time since I arrived in this world…
I saw humans.
"Finally…" I whispered.
The place was incredible.
Even more lively than Cavania.
And then—
A thought crossed my mind.
Genies.
Of course.
I slowly turned to Jayka with a mischievous smile.
"…Are there genies in this world?"
He froze.
His eyes widened.
His body stiffened.
"…Jayka?"
No response.
He started trembling.
"…What's wrong?" I asked, looking around nervously.
Did he see something?
A villain?
A monster?
I shook him.
"HEY! What's going on?!"
He suddenly snapped.
"NOTHING!" he shouted. "It's not like you're going to stop searching for Sharon and pick a random girl here—which would ruin my chances of becoming famous!"
…
The entire crowd turned and stared at us.
Again.
I sighed.
"It's fine," I said calmly. "I'm not giving up on the most beautiful girl in the world just for someone here."
I paused.
"…Besides, I'm terrible at talking to girls."
He looked at me.
Carefully.
"…You mean that?"
"Yes."
Instant relief washed over his face.
He jumped up and started walking again.
I decided not to ask about genies anymore.
Clearly, that topic was dangerous.
After leaving the station, Jayka suddenly stopped again.
"…Don't tell me," I said.
He stood there.
Frozen.
Slowly, he turned to me with that same "I just saw a monster" expression.
"…I'm sorry, Yuji," he said quietly.
Here it comes.
"I don't actually know Panaj that well."
…Of course.
"So," he continued, "we're lost."
I stared at him.
In silence.
Then we both slowly turned…
And walked back to the train station.
We stood there.
Doing absolutely nothing.
…Great start.
Just then, a girl dressed in Arabian-style clothing approached us.
"Are you guys lost?" she asked kindly. "I saw you earlier when you got off the train… and now you're back here looking completely drained."
Before I could respond—
"AHHH!" Jayka screamed. "Oh my God! A girl trying to stop my rise to fame!"