Shirosaki Reito, a high school student like any other, recently changed schools, since his parentsâ job forced his family to move to a new town.
He was waiting for the bus on the first day at the new school when something bizarre happened before his eyes.
âHnâŠ? Whatâs this?â
It was like the very air cracked and shattered: a black rift formed in midair. Reito backed away, surprised and a bit scared, but the rift expanded more and more, as to draw him in.
âW-whatâs going onâŠ!? I-itâs sucking me in!!â
The black rift started pulling Reito, stronger every second. It had become large enough for Reitoâs whole body to fit in: the boy was relentlessly dragged towards by the darkness.
âT-this is badâŠ!!â
Reito resisted with all his might, but the rift pulled him in more and more.
Reito looked around, hoping to find someone to help, but there was no one in the surroundings. Eventually, one of his arms was sucked into the darkness.
âShitâŠ!!â
Reito flailed his arms and legs, desperately resisting, but to no avail: his body completely disappeared into the black rift.
âWAAAHHHHH!?!â
Reitoâs scream echoed in the deserted bus stop. After swallowing him, the black rift quickly vanished, leaving no trace behind.
The bus stop looked perfectly normal as if nothing happened. The only trace left of the student Shirasaki Reito was his school bag, abandoned on the asphalt.
CHAPTER 1
ââŠwhere am IâŠ?â
When Reito came to, he found himself surrounded by a white space.
He looked around, but could not see anything resembling a floor. His body was floating in the air as if there was no gravity in the room.
âW-whereâs the groundâŠ? NoâŠcalm downâŠtake a deep breathâŠâ
Reito felt he was close to panicking, so he shook his head to calm himself down.
He first tried to recall how he went from the bus stop to this place: no matter how much he tried, however, nothing came to mind. When he was absorbed in the mysterious crack he also lost consciousness, apparently.
Then, all of a sudden, a woman appeared before him.
She was a beautiful young lady, her facial features still showing some childish softness, a warm smile on her lips. She looked human at first glance, but also possessed several bizarre features.
Her hair was a bright silver color and she had wings on her back. Not only her hair, but also her whole body glowed.
(A girlâŠno, an angel?)
The girlâs smile deepened, then she finally spoke.
ăHonestly, I was so surprised! How many hundreds of years have passed since I last saw a human being? Not to mention, someone so young! Itâs amazing.ă
In contrast with Reitoâs confusion, the girlâs tone was rather laid-back.
After a brief pause of speechlessness, Reito hurriedly spoke up.
âEhâŠw-who are you!?â
ăOh, hello there. I should say ânice to meet youâ, I guess.ă
The girl then produced a very polite bow. Reito was still overwhelmed but managed to regain some composure and timidly asked another question.
ââŠehmâŠwhat is this place?â
ăThis is the space in between, a place that exists between worlds.ă
Reito tilted his head to the side: he couldnât follow the young ladyâs words at all. She probably realized he didnât understand, so she explained more.
ăTo be more precise, this is the place that connects the world you were in with another world. Itâs just like the space between two planets. You were thrown out of your world and ended up here. Oh, by the way, you canât go back to your world anymore.ă
âWhy!?â
Reito didnât fully understand yet but reacted loudly by reflex. The young woman answered his question, in a very matter-of-fact tone.
ăThe reason why you canât go back is that all worlds are lined up vertically.ă
âV-verticalâŠwhat? Isnât Earth surrounded by spaceâŠ?â
As far as Reito was aware, Earth was one of the many planets floating in space. The young lady, however, continued explaining about rules of nature he had never even heard of as if they were the most natural thing in the world.
ăWhat I mean by vertical is their phase. To use an example from your world, think of a skyscraper. Your world was like one of the floors in the building. You slipped inside a crack and fell to a lower floor, basically. There is a difference with those buildings, though: there are no stairs or ladders between worlds. In other words, there is no way to go back to the upper floor you fell from. By the way, right now you are falling through the space between floors, the space between your world and another world.ă
âW-what!?â
Reito was deeply shocked. He couldnât comprehend what the young lady said, after all.
The young lady, however, continued with no regard for his confusion.
ăI am tasked with the management of this space in between. My role is to assist those like you, who fell into this space, and send them to another world.ă
The young lady stared intently at Reito, who swallowed his breath and finally managed to speak.
ââŠyour role? Could it be that youâre a godâ â
The young lady interrupted Reito before he could finish his sentence.
ăOh, I am just a manager. Certainly not a goddess or something as grand as that. To be honest, I donât have much to do most of the time, so I usually just peek at the worlds above or below this space, andâŠahem. Thatâs enough about me. Itâs time for you to go to another world, after all.ă
âP-please wait a moment!! Is it really impossible to go back to my world?â
Reito couldnât give up just yet, but the young ladyâs reply was as simple as it was cruel.
ăYes, impossible. Well, it must be quite a tragedy for you, but just consider it as an unfortunate accident. And do your best in the next world.ă
âEehâŠ?â
Dismayed, Reito pictured his family and friends in his mind.
(Iâm going to some new world I know nothing about, without even saying goodbye to anyoneâŠ)
A new world I know nothing aboutâŠReito was suddenly attacked by intense anxiety and hurriedly asked a question to the young woman.
âH-hey! What kind of place is this other world?â
ăOh, you have finally accepted it, yes? Hmm, I suppose there is no harm in telling youâŠă
The young lady smiled happily, reflected for a moment, then continued.
ăTo put it in super simple terms, itâs a fantasy world. Do you like RPGs? In this world, there are real-life monsters, and even species like Elves and Dwarves, you know.ă
âFantasyâŠâ
ăMoreover, this world is evolving in a way very different from your former world. Magic is developing instead of science, it seems.ă
âMagicâŠyou meanâŠ?â
The young lady smiled and nodded.
ăYou can use magic, just like this. Ta-dah!ă
The young lady had a wand in her hands, out of nowhere. From the tip of the wand, globes of fire and ice appeared one after the other.
Reito was staring, dumbfounded, then the young lady snapped her fingers and the magic globes vanished.
âW-was that magic?â
ăCorrect. Oh, there is something I forgot to tell you. When you go to the other world, you will keep your memories but your body has to be rebuilt. Itâs to avoid various inconveniences, you see.ă
âRebuiltâŠ? What do you mean?â
ăItâs a whole different world, you know. The gravity is different, and for someone who lived in a world of science, using magic could be very difficult. So the only way is to rebuild your body. Thereâs no way a normal person can just warp in a new world and learn magic, just like that⊠as you see in novels.ă
ââŠwait!! Whatâs going to happen to me, then!?â
Alarmed, Reito pressed the young lady to answer. She seemed to be put a bit on the spot but replied.
ăWell, you will keep your memories and your conscience too. The process is a bit random, so you could become something other than a human being, butâŠit all depends on your luck.ă
âAfter falling in a place like this, I donât know whether I can trust my luck!!â
Reito fervently protested, but the young lady simply smiled again.
ăOh no, please think about it for a moment. It has been centuries since a human being arrived in this space, really. It seems to me like a stroke of very good luckâŠthe devilâs own luck, as they say in your world.ă
âYou canât be seriousâŠâ
Reito sighed in disbelief, so the young lady tried to console him.
ăWell, you are the first guest I had in a very long time, so I think I can give you some advice. Oh, right! When you want to know something, just call my name in your mind. Weâll be able to talk like that. I am in possession of all information about the new world, so ask me anything, all rightâŠă
Suddenly, Reitoâs consciousness grew dimmer..
âIf I can ask anything, then okayâŠwhatâs your name?â
Reito managed to ask a question in his fading consciousness, and the young lady smiled kindly.
ăAirisâŠthe manager of the space in between. If you are ever in trouble, do not hesitate to call me. Iâm usually free, so I can answer anytime.ă
ââŠitâs a promise.â
Those were the last words uttered by Reito to the young lady before everything turned into darkness again.