WTAW 05

Chapter 5

 The Beginning

(5) When the Cushion’s Bad, Even Pretending to Sleep Is Tough

I was the only one left riding in the wagon.
Or rather, Urisa told me to stay put and pretend to be asleep—just in case.

But being in the cart bed, every bump and jolt from the ground hit my body hard, and keeping up the act was torture.
I had to press my hands over my mouth to stifle the groans of “Ow, ow…” that almost slipped out.

The other three walked as they passed through the gate. Their party name was Uriago—just the first letters of their names strung together, I guess?

“If we picked some fancy spelling or a name that’s way too cool for our rank, we’d just embarrass ourselves, right? You get that?”

That’s what Urisa said. Makes sense, honestly.
Like, if some newbie party called themselves Dragon Slayers, that’d be cringey as hell. Yeah, I totally get it.

Nod, nod.

While they were handling things at the gate, I kept pretending to sleep, heart pounding the whole time. But the three of them chatted casually with the gate guards and got through in no time.

I even put in my colored contacts for courage, though.

The first town I saw in this new world was called Polygon.
The streets were lined with single or two-story buildings made of packed earth, with a few brick ones scattered here and there. The road was the same kind of dirt as the main street.

From my perspective, it was clearly another world—nothing like Tokyo. The scenery screamed foreign and fantasy, and it really sank in that I’d come far, far away.

“First thing’s first, we’re heading to the guild.”

A guild! They really have those here too!

Amidst the low buildings, one four-story stone structure stood out.
There was a shield and sword emblem—guess guilds use the same symbol across worlds, huh? Just like in anime and games.

Next to it was another crest.

“That’s the emblem of this country—the Gasmania Empire. The town’s small, so the guild shares the building with the local administration.”

Ah, I see.

“Behind it, there’s a church that also serves as a clinic. And an orphanage too.”

Convenient, having everything close together like that.

At the gate, they returned the wagon and horse.
I walked hand-in-hand with Alisa. Honestly, getting to hold hands with a girl so openly—being small has its perks!

The other two each carried two large sacks, probably filled with their hunting spoils. Earlier, they’d shown me the Forest Boar magic stone—they’d roughly butchered the beast and divided the parts among them. The Gyon I took down was in there too.

And finally, we stepped through the guild’s door—thick and scarred all over.
Man, this really feels like another world.

Right in front was the reception counter.
To the right was a bulletin board and a few doors (apparently the toilet and changing rooms).
At one end of the counter, there was a section for storing baggage or selling monster parts, and I could see the warehouse entrance.

To the left, several sets of tables and chairs were arranged, and at the far end, another counter—this one wafting the delicious smell of food. About 80% of the tables were full, noisy with adventurers’ chatter.

“I’ll handle the paperwork. You guys go ahead and grab something to eat,” Urisa said, heading for the counter.

Goda took Urisa’s luggage along with his own somewhere, then came back holding what looked like a wooden tag.

“Got it. Shunsuke, this way,” Alisa called.

“Um, Alisa-san, may I go to the restroom first?”

“Then I’ll take you. This way,” said Goda, grabbing my hand again.

Well, can’t blame him. I am a little kid now.

“Okay.”

The restroom looked like one you’d find in a large Japanese park—and smelled bad enough to kill my appetite.
Still, I did my business and washed my hands. Really washed them. Thank goodness there was running water, even if there wasn’t any soap. I scrubbed hard, then pulled a small towel from my waist pouch to dry off.

“Shunsuke, did you get pee on your hands or something?”

“No, it’s just… I have a weak stomach. My mom always told me washing my hands well helps prevent stomachaches. Especially before eating.”

So yeah, Goda, maybe you should wash yours too. Pretty sure you didn’t.

“Huh. Guess I’ll wash properly too, then.”

Good man, Goda. I’ll hold your hand again on the way back.
Mentally speaking, I’m totally the adult here.

“Here, use my handkerchief,” I offered—he didn’t seem to have one.

When we got back, Alisa was waving at us from a table.
Urisa was already seated.

Still holding Goda’s hand, I walked over—then suddenly he grabbed me under both arms and plopped me onto the chair.

That startled me!
But yeah, makes sense—my feet don’t reach the ground. If he hadn’t lifted me, I’d have had to grab and climb all over the chair with my freshly washed hands.

“Thanks, Goda-san.”

“Heh, I don’t usually deal with kids, you know.”

“That’s true, you’re always the youngest in the group. Not cute though,” Alisa teased.

“I don’t need to be cute,” he shot back.

““True,”” Urisa and Alisa said in unison.

We all laughed.
This party was so kind, so easygoing.
I’m really glad the first people I met in this world were them.

As soon as I sat, food arrived—apparently Alisa had already ordered.
A young man with dog—or maybe wolf—ears brought it over, wearing a crisp white shirt and a waiter’s apron.

My first beastman encounter—and wow, he was cool.
I could tell from behind that he was a wolf-type.

The meal was a stew of chunky meat and vegetables, served with what looked like hard bread and a scoop of mashed-potato-like stuff.
In the cup was something like cold tea—though when I sipped it, it tasted more like apple juice.

“Itadakimasu,” I said, putting my hands together.

“A prayer? You were raised properly,” Urisa commented.

“Not a prayer—just a habit,” I explained.

“Huh, we don’t have anything like that here. There’s something people shout before drinking booze, though.”

“Then let’s shout for meeting Shunsuke!” Alisa said cheerfully, raising her glass.

The other two followed suit.
Urisa’s mug was filled with ale, while the other two had the same juice as me.
In this country, people are considered adults at fifteen and can drink, but apparently both of them have low alcohol tolerance.

“So, Shunsuke, can you come with us for a bit after we eat?” Urisa asked between bites.

“Sure,” I nodded.

Apparently, adventurers are required to take in any lost or wandering child they find, and then report to the proper authorities afterward.

In this world—especially this country—children are extremely vulnerable.
Even when living with parents, they often die young from illness.
And alone, they’re easy targets for kidnappers, who sell them as slaves or worse.

“I’ll go with you too,” Alisa said.

Thank you, Alisa.

“Then let’s go,” Urisa said, standing up.

Goda was still eating—he’d gotten seconds earlier.
So the three of us left him behind and started moving.

At least I could get down from the chair by myself this time!