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This chapter has been replaced with a newer translation on [2024-06-21]. Comments may refer to the old translation.

I had just come back from a school trip, that had lasted four days. I was on my way to school, in high spirits, since the video game “Dragonar Story 4” that went on sale today, would be delivered to my home. Dragonar Story was something like a tried-and-true RPG. It had been popular all over the world for the last eight years.

I was the type who leveled up single-mindedly before fighting the final boss. I didn’t know about other people, but leveling up was the thing I enjoyed most.

While on my way, I tried looking at my smartphone, since there was the sound of an incoming message from the phone app. Apparently, it was from my childhood friend, Mika.

«Hey! Why did you leave without me?!»

…Oops.
I was so excited about Dragonar Story, I ended up leaving Mika behind. Now she’ll be in a bad mood for the whole day…

Incidentally, people sometimes rashly assumed that we were a couple, when they heard we were childhood friends, but unfortunately, it wasn’t that way.

Well, I wish we were, but reality doesn’t work that way. We may be more than friends, but we’re not in a relationship.

We usually walked to school together, though since none of our other colleagues lived nearby, there was no other way… That was the reason… apparently. At least according to her.

…It does make me happy, you know?

So, today I honestly forgot about it. This usually doesn’t happen to me. Moreover, if I don’t send her a reply, I’ll be stuck with having to treat her to some juice, won’t I? At a previous time, when I’d been busy and couldn’t reply, she made me get her some, you know. Additionally, that was a 200-yen energy drink.

So, I need to send her a reply.

«Oh, sorry. My bad m(_ _)m¹,» I typed into my smartphone.

However, it was a bad time to do so. I did the thing commonly referred to as “looking at one’s phone while walking”.

So, I didn’t notice…
…That something was falling from a building. At the same time I pressed the “send” button, that something broke with a loud noise and I felt the most intense pain, I had ever experienced, on my head…

My vision turned pure white…

_____________________
__________
____

“…mh… huh?”

Where am I?

When I woke up, I was lying in an unfamiliar place.

1. I’m not sure what that emoji is supposed to mean. My best guess is someone with his face and hands on the floor in apology.