QualiA – Chapter 1: I have been dragged in ①

What does a happy end entail?

At first, I felt anger at the unreasonableness; at the next one, tears flowed cause of a betrayal…

Then, after that…

And the one after…

And then…

It repeats. The repeating unreasonable, tyrannical, and illogical days.

Even with that, I steeled myself to do my best this time for sure —but the result wasn’t a happy end.

I was getting ends that I didn’t wish for.

That’s why…I understood now that the boring and peaceful everyday life that I thought was meaningless was actually such a blessing, which made this unfairness I was subjected to the more angering.

Don’t mess around with me, seriously. Every time, every single time without thinking about my how much of a pain it is for me; this is just way too one-sided.

I coincidentally had run out of drinks and snacks so I went to the convenience store to do some shopping but, who would have believed something like this would happen? Moreover, wearing a baggy jersey and sandals…I am completely sticking out like a sore thumb.

I wish they would understand the TPO. <Time, Place, Occasion>

All the insults that I could think of were swirling inside of me, and for now, I ignore the girl that is lowering her head in front of me, and look at my surroundings.

A dim room, stone walls, the strange writings drawn on the ground along with many circles which is most likely a summoning circle.

I see…it activates the strength that one possesses huh.

In order to confirm this, I activate [Analyze].

When I did that, the invisible window appears at a side of my vision.

Oi oi… a magic circle that’s only for summonings?

Looks like my [Unknown Magic] is still activating normally. This is my seventh time coming to a parallel world, so in terms of mental and physical state, there’s no problems.

But because it is right after being summoned, I am not used to this world yet, so I can only use around a fourth to a fifth of my power, which would be the only incommodity, I suppose.

Even so, this is a problem.

This is a magic circle that doesn’t have the return magic, meaning, this is a one-way trip magic circle. There’s no useless part in the magic composition, and there’s no signs of being changed.

This one circle is…a completed…magic circle.

That’s why there’s something strange.

In the worlds I have been summoned to, there was the thing called summoning magic, but normally, the summoning and returning magic were both within the same spell.

Trying to use only one without the other would bring the possibility of the spell going haywire.

I don’t think the people here understand that.

“Did the summoning…succeed?”

“Y-Yeah…looks like that’s the case.”

“To think that this incompetent one would be slipped in it…”

“The problem is that, at this rate…”

The old man and young woman wearing extravagant clothes standing at the back of the girl were looking here and were dumbfounded by something.

They are whispering to each other, but these two…it looks like I will have to keep an eye on them.

It is certain that they are involved in this time’s summoning, but they most likely are the ‘dark’ type that has some sort of ulterior motive.

Anyways, saying things like ‘it succeeded?’ and ‘incompetent one’…there’s clearly the smell of problems.

Next is, there’s seven knights clad on sweltering armor. They seem to be surprised as well and were looking over here while whispering. Since they seem to be doing it purely because of surprise, the bald guy and young woman must have a variety of other circumstances going on.

While I was deep in my thoughts…


“U-Uhm…”

With a tone of voice as a bell chiming, the girl raised her head and tries to speak with fists clenched.

“H-Hero-sama.”

“You got the wrong person.”

I reflexively gave out an immediate answer. The speed of my answer made the girl go ‘eh?’, and the old man and woman were also directing a questioning look here.

The unexpected refusal had created confusion in the girl’s face, and this time, she spoke in a stronger fashion.

“U-Uhm…Hero-sama! This world, please—”

“I refuse.”

The cliche words. Is this some sort of greeting the parallel worlds share?

I cut it off and slice it in half.

Who would accept that? I don’t care even if you raise your voice.

“E-Eh…Uhm…”

The girl raised her face with an expression filled with shock at the unexpected words.

Did she seriously think I would obediently accept a situation like this?

If that’s the case, I would recommend you to go to a hospital first. Or would it be better to have a yellow ambulance come get you? <Yellow ambulances are for mental health.>

But the girl hasn’t lost yet.

“U-Uhm, please save the world, Hero-sama.”

“As I said, I—”

“Please, Hero-sama.”

“As I said—”

“Please save the world—”

“Listen to what people say.”

I was beginning to feel bad for the girl that was trying to cling on to the point of being pesky.

I am a Japanese person that can say no, got a problem?

After making clear my complete desire to refuse, I once again confirm the current situation.

Looks like…I was dragged in this time around.

For the sake of confirmation, I once again check the invisible window and look at my personal data. Looks like I really am an outsider this time.

A ‘dragged in’ type, is this some sort of web novel?

I have been summoned several times already, you know? You could say a summoning is synonym of dragging me in against my will, you know? Is this some form of sarcasm?

Is what I complain by myself as I look at the four people that were absent-minded.

While the four were completely left behind in the questionable conversation, I let out a small sigh and scratch my head as I think about how this has turned into something troublesome.

☆☆ ☆☆ ☆☆ ☆☆ ☆☆

At a certain room of the royal castle…

The four people had regained their senses, and when they began to get noisy, they were moved from the summoning room into the reception room.

From the summoning room to here, the Priestess and a number of female knights that were on standby outside had guided us. With the proposition of the old man, we began self-introductions, and the first one to introduce himself was the old man, the prime minister, Erac Milhaphne.

“Hero-donos, please save the world.” (Erac)

Erac lowers his head down meekly.

His bald head and oily face looked like that of an evil magistrate that loves bad deeds.

While I was thinking that, I looked at the young woman -magic division leader, Makirus Jogesh- make an elegant bow.

“An apprentice priestess…ah, name’s A-Almina. 15 years old.”

After that, the Priestess-chan finished her introduction while stuttering and half crying, and this time, it was the turn for the summoned group to give their introductions.

At that moment, the question of why they could communicate had surfaced, but since this was my seventh time already, it was such a natural thing that I didn’t even think of questioning it.

But well, it looks like the other side couldn’t explain it properly either, and in the legends, what was written down was [the people that are summoned by the hero summoning are able to understand the world’s language], which is how the Prime Minister forcefully finished the topic with. I feel like making them accept it like that is a bit of a push, but since there’s no inconvenience in having their words get through, the heroes decided on leaving that aside for now.

After that, they introduced themselves in order, and I was the last one.

I was clearly dressed differently and my age was different as well. Since I am an ‘outside element’, it can’t be helped that I stand out.

While ignoring the suspicious gazes, the thing that came after was Erac explaining that everyone in this world has their individual personal data which is called Personal Status.

But being suddenly told that, it would be obvious that they would get confused.

Just as expected, the four had a flustered expression, and for now, I also joined the group and acted as if I was flustered as well.

The Priestess-chan explained the flustered us, and then, the normie harem brat spoke out saying ‘then, I will try it’.

I don’t know if it is a self-sacrificial attitude or because of his curiosity, but for now, I wanted to tell him to explode for gathering the worried gazes of the girls.

And so, the results of confirming the status…

Aside from me, everyone had the ‘Hero’ class.

In this world, the Status window portrays the name, age, class, class level, and it looks like there’s no numbers for HP, MP, strength, and intelligence.

Name: Makoto Kamiuchi

Age: —

Class: Unknown, can’t identify

Lvl: —

It is nice that it is simple.

There’s no way that I would have the title of ‘Hero’ since I was dragged in, and with the age bugged out, and the class saying ‘Unknown’, my suspicious meter had exploded, so it was natural that the mood would get weird.

What’s with that added ‘can’t identify’ beside the Unknown.

The ‘incompetent one’ might have been referring to me after they confirmed my status. Peeking, huh; that’s a bad hobby you got there.

With all that said, the four had been confirmed as heroes.

Erac and Makirus left along with seven knights to report the success of the summoning to the queen, apparently.

I have a lot of things I am interested about, but disappearing on my own would create trouble later on, so I decided on being docile for now.

But…I didn’t say I wouldn’t do anything. Fufufufufu.

“This world…please save this world, Hero-samas.” (Almina)

And then, right after Erac and the others left, we were currently experiencing the new event of the Priestess kowtowing to us.

“Ah, uhm…first of all, please raise your head—”

“I can’t do that.”

This Priestess-chan is unexpectedly stubborn. No, rather than calling her stubborn, it feels more as if she can’t bid her time, as if she were desperate.

Three female knights were trying to have the Priestess-chan stand up, and there’s also one male student who is all black doing the same.

Takahashi Yuichi.

A junior of the high school I graduated from, but I’m not really acquainted to him.

If I had to describe him in one word, it would be ‘handsome’. I don’t think he is exceedingly cool, but he is indeed good looking and was popular with the girls no matter the grade.

It is exactly because of his popularity that I remembered him.

‘There’s a harem bastard in the first years.’

One of my friends said something like that to me, and while listening to his cursing at the side, I was savoring the peace after recently returning from my fourth parallel world summon.

I honestly didn’t care about it, but to think it was actually foreshadowing for an event two years after… Curse you, old friend.

“Yuichi, you should also calm down…”

“B-But…” (Yuichi)

“Okay okay, for now, Almina, we won’t be able to progress like this, so how about taking a seat first?”

At the side of that harem normie, there was a black ponytail girl giving him a tiresome face -his childhood friend, Kusuhara Miki.

If I remember correctly, she is the softball club’s vice-captain and the pitcher, but because she had injured her wrist, my information friend told me she moved to being a manager.

I see. Her healthily tanned skin is just like a sportsgirl, and it made me think, this girl is most likely the one who puts the order in this group of four.

Harem normies are normally the dense type, so they are no good to put order.

And so, Almina was wondering what was going on, but once she was urged to stand up, she finally did.

She sat on the sofa, and the female knights that saw this showed a relieved expression.

…I wonder…

There’s five female knights in the room.

Within those, there’s some who have a different looking armor from the rest. One standing at slightly further back from the Priestess -a purple haired girl knight; and there’s also the silver haired female knight at my right.

The dark purple haired female knight has slanted eyes and her personality is oozing out, but the silver haired one has an aloof presence and is hard to read.

They have the same armor look to that of the seven knights that left just a moment ago, so they are probably royal knights.

The other three seem to be connected with the Priestess-chan in some way, and since she said that she is an apprentice priestess, they are most likely Templars.

Anyways, the purple haired girl has quite the mean look. She has been glaring at me all this time, did I do something?

And the silver haired one is sending me probing gazes every now and then, but I brush them all off and feigned as if I haven’t noticed…and continue to do so even now.

If I were to react to every single thing, I would only be dragged into more trouble anyways.

Well, I have already been dragged into the mother of all dragged ins though.

“And so, uhm…about saving the world…” (Miki)

“Y-Yes, please save the world!” (Almina)

This Priestess-chan is no good. She has completely lost her calm.

“W-Wait a bit! Let’s calm down first, okay?” (Miki)

“Ah, s-sorry.” (Almina)

While calming down the visibly dejected Priestess-chan, the Ponytail Childhood friend looked at Harem Normie, and while at it, she also looked at the brown haired girl, the bowl cut girl, and in the end, also directed her eyes at me, but her eyes were showing a slight apologetic light in them.

“First of all, I understand that we four are heroes.” (Miki)

‘Doesn’t mean I agree with it though’, is the mutter my ears pick.

“Y-Yes. Yuishi-sama and the others are without doubt Hero-samas. We confirmed that just now, so there’s no doubt.” (Almina)

Almina announces proudly, but the Ponytail girl fell into thought.

A number of female knights turned my way when the word ‘hero’ was mentioned, but I continue ignoring.

Yeah, I am not a hero, what about it?

“And so, I will be blunt about this. What does this ‘save the world’ specifically require us to do?” (Miki)

“That’s…we want you to defeat the Demon Lord.” (Almina)

“Demon Lord…” (Miki)

The moment that word came out, the mood inside the room changed slightly.

“Is the Demon Lord…the king of the demons?” (Miki)

“Yes. It rules over the demon race and treats humans as livestock; the personification of evil. That’s the Demon Lord.” (Almina)

The words of Almina were filled with animosity, and this also showed in the faces of the female knights.

Demon Lord, huh.

If there’s a hero, there’s a Demon Lord.

In a sense, these two are basically two sides of the same coin.

“That’s my fate as someone that was born as the Demon Lord. That’s why, please kill me…for the sake of the world.”

She by no means treated humans as livestock. She spoke with a smile about how she wanted to create a world where humans and demons could hold hands and live together in peace; a really dazzling and dear existence.

But the moment people learn that she is the Demon Lord, everyone turned their backs to her.

They ran and poured insults.

‘I want to get along with others’, it was such a small wish, yet, she couldn’t even make that come true. A pitiful girl who no one reached out to hold her stretched out hand.

Argh, damn it. I ended up remembering something bitter.

The problem is that we shouldn’t swallow those words. Only learning about one side and backing them will end up leaving grudges.

Just like me at that time.

You only manage to notice the moment that you can’t turn back anymore; the dirty side of a human’s face.

“T-There’s…no way…something terrible like that…can be forgiven.”

But one of our hero-samas is quite indignated by this and was clenching his fists.

“I will defeat the Demon Lord.” (Yuichi)

“Wait, Yuichi. What are you saying? We are talking about the Demon Lord, you know? Are you going to fight something we know nothing of?” (Miki)

Oh? Looks like the Ponytail girl is unexpectedly able to calmly decide on things.

The Harem Normie can’t see his surroundings though. I will probably have to look out for that.

“I know. It may not be possible to do so right this instant, but since we have been summoned as heroes, we can definitely defeat the Demon Lord.” (Yuichi)

Just where is he getting that confidence from?

While thinking he is truly a special cookie, I was wondering what we should do, but at that moment…

“It has turned quite problematic, huh, Kamiuchi-senpai.”

The brown haired girl suddenly spoke to me.

If I remember correctly, she is Katsuragi Shiori.

Brown hair with droopy eyes and big breasts, but it doesn’t look like she is the air-headed type. A bit regretful.

“Right.” (Makoto)

Because of how sudden it was, I was only able to give a short answer.

Senpai? Could it be she knows me?

“Kamiuchi Makoto-senpai. We know the people we know.”

“But that’s not all there is to it though…” (Shiori)

While I was thinking, the bowl cut girl said that and the brown haired girl continues it with meaningful words.

The bowl cut girl’s name is Asagi Kaede.

She looks like a japanese doll, but she sometimes speaks poisonous words. She is the smallest within the group, and in terms of size, it would be Yuichi, Miki, Shiori, and then her.

If they were to line up, they would look like the reception bars from the cellphone. Not a bad comparison if I say so myself.

Anyways, we introduced ourselves not that long ago, so it is obvious that they would know my name.

Kamiuchi Makoto, my real name.

But I thought I had ended my high school life peacefully.

I didn’t do anything that stood out, and I don’t remember grabbing the attention of anyone…I think.

Even if my life had been problematic to the top with parallel world summonings, those were stories from other worlds. In the first place, even if I said I have been summoned to parallel worlds, no one would believe me. And my sister told me ‘graduate from your eighth-grade syndrome already’.

Since then, I tried to not talk about parallel worlds, but every now and then, there would be otakus coming to me going ‘what should I do’, and that was annoying.

‘It is true that I was a bit of an otaku, but I am not a hardcore otaku like you guys! Don’t lump me together with you!’, is what I wanted to shout out.

Ah, but that might have gathered attention.

If that’s how I was known for, then that would make my image that of a really pitiful person.

“As I said, why are you deciding on your own—.” (Miki)

“But we have to do it or—” (Yuichi)

I glanced at the Harem Normie and the Ponytail girl arguing while Almina tried to stop them, and then, feeling that this seventh parallel world summon is different from the other ones in some way, I sigh lamenting that I have been dragged into something weird.

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