IEULBERW 02

Chapter 2

The Elf Who Came to Another World

I was sitting in my living room, talking with her.

“So, I get it now—you’re one of those foreigners who came to Japan because you admire it, right?”

Foreigners fascinated by Japan…
I’d seen them on TV before—people who come here because of anime or manga.
That must be the case here too.

“Wait a moment… I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“Oh, don’t be shy. You even went as far as putting on those ears… pretty realistic, huh?”

I reached out and tugged lightly at her ear.

“Ow!”

Huh? That felt real.

“Wait—you mean… these are actually real ears? Like, you’re a real elf?”

She glared at me, tears forming in her eyes.

“Do people in this world touch others’ ears without permission? And don’t even apologize afterward?”

“S-sorry!”

What the hell?
Could she actually be a real elf?
I thought it was just a joke.

“Um…”

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment.

“My name is Chamomile Lumfé. As you can see, I’m of the elf race.”

“I’m Hiroya Matsunaga… just a regular high school student.”

“High… school student?”

“Yeah. It’s a place where we study.”

“A school… ah, like a magic academy?”

Well, not quite, but she seemed satisfied with that answer.

“It seems I’ve ended up in another world,” she said calmly. “I’ll be in your care for a while.”

“Whaaat? How did you come to that conclusion?”

“You’re the one who brought me here, aren’t you? Since I can’t return anyway, I might as well stay here. I can use magic, so I’ll be quite useful.”

What a shameless elf.

“I only helped you because you were in trouble. My parents would’ve done the same—they were kind people.”

“…I see. So your parents are…”

“They’re gone. Anyway, do whatever you want. You can stay here if you like—assuming you’re fine being attacked by a random guy.”

“You think you could attack me? I’d turn you into a toad with magic before you laid a finger on me.”

At some point, a staff appeared in her right hand.

Wait—where did that come from?

“I can use storage magic,” she said. “The potions I had with me are stored there too. No problem at all.”

Since there was no point arguing, I showed her to the room that used to be my mom’s.
One more mouth to feed wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

“I haven’t cleaned it up, so… feel free to use it however you want.”

Well, I could probably have her work part-time later.
She’d have to learn how things work in Japan first, though.

That night, curiosity got the better of me.
When I reached for her doorknob—zap!

Something invisible repelled my hand.
Looked like she had set up a magical barrier.

Not that I actually planned to go in or anything.
When school starts again, Chamomile will have to stay home alone.
I should probably teach her some basic common sense about this world before then.

Ding-dong!

What now, this early in the morning?
I must’ve fallen asleep in the living room last night after getting home from my trip.
Did I forget something important…?

Too tired to even make it to my own bed, apparently.
I sighed and went to the front door.

When I opened it, a short-haired girl stood there.

“Oh, it’s you, Amika.”

“‘Oh, it’s you’? Really? I’ve been messaging you since yesterday on LINE and you didn’t reply! I was worried something happened.”

I glanced at the table. My phone was still sitting there, notifications unread.

“I thought maybe we could have dinner together,” she continued. “You must’ve been tired after going to Tokyo.”

Amika—Nakajima Amika—was my childhood friend who lived next door.
Her family often worried about me after my parents passed away.
I guess last night was no different.

“I’m fine now. Really. Tell your parents I’m managing on my own.”

She gave me a somewhat complicated look.

“Okay… but don’t push yourself, alright? If anything happens, call me.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

Amika turned and went back to her house.

Do I still look that unreliable to her?
It’s already been three years.
She doesn’t have to fuss over me anymore.