I gasped awake, my lungs dragging in a sharp breath like I'd just clawed my way out of drowning. For a moment, I didn't know where I was—until my eyes adjusted to a warm, amber hue spilling across the ceiling. A ceiling.
"That's an unfamiliar ceiling." I said before frowning…..where have I heard that before?
A surprisingly good couch cradled my back, springy and just a little too posh for a stranger like me. A thin blanket had been draped over my body—tucked, even. Not tightly, but with care. I turned my head toward the window. No balcony door in sight, so I couldn't step outside to meet the sunrise directly, but I saw enough.
And damn, it was beautiful.
The light poured through in gold sheets, and if I didn't know better, I'd have sworn this was Earth. Same sky, same sun, same haunting silence that comes with morning after a storm of chaos. But this wasn't Earth.
I knew this wasn't Earth.
Because my Aura had already returned—and not slowly, no gradual reboot. The moment I woke, it was just there, responsive, waiting, humming beneath my skin before melting back into passivity like a loyal hound sitting at command.
Who knew that your soul's manifestation was this obedient?
But really, it made sense. Who in the world would care more about you than… well, you? That self-preserving little bastard we all carry in our bones, the one who clings to survival like a tick on a warhound.
That's why Aura even evolved into a passive defense after practice—like in RWBY, not that I'd know about that world too besides some fanfiction. And if last night counted, then I just had one hell of a practice session.
Too bad it nearly got me killed when she broke through my Aura.
"Good morning, guest. It seems at least one of you had the decency to be up early."
The voice hit me mid-thought like a thrown dagger made of cold etiquette. I turned—gracefully, of course—and saw a girl standing in the doorway.
Pink hair. Crimson eyes. Poker face level: immaculate.
She moved with the precision of someone who knew how to break bones and set tables. A shallow bow, half-politeness and half you're-on-thin-ice. This wasn't "welcome to our home," it was "don't embarrass yourself."
"Ah—sorry we unexpectedly barged in," I said, pushing myself upright. No more lounging. "You must be Emilia's maid."
She didn't flinch. Just stepped further into the room with a calm that made my skin itch.
"I serve her sponsor. Lord Roswaal L. Mathers," she corrected. "He is the Kingdom's Court Mage and the Margrave of the western territories. He is supporting Lady Emilia for… reasons. Please keep that in mind."
Her tone was flat as a board, but under the surface? Yeah, there was zeal. Loyalty. Maybe even admiration. That kind of subtle warmth that didn't match the rest of her icy exterior.
What a lovely little lore bomb to be handed before breakfast.
And judging by that glimmer in her eye when she said his name, girl had it bad.
"My name is Winter," I offered, already knowing where this conversation was going. "And you are?"
Even if I hadn't known squat about this world, I'd still have recognized her. Rem and Ram—poster girls for twin and maid archetype in anime community back in the home world.
Uh, homeworld, home planet, not the words I think I would use in this life for remembering the earth.
"I'm Ram." She gave a curt nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have much to prepare. Lady Emilia will be out once she's ready. I suggest you do the same. The bathroom is this way."
And with that, she turned and vanished like she'd never been there—because maids in this world were trained in ninja stealth, apparently.
I exhaled the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. That… was something.
Turning back to the window, I took one last look at the rising sun.
Still beautiful.
Then I stood, stretching the sleep out of my limbs, and followed Ram's direction to the bathroom.
And paused.
Because why the actual fuck was it so modern-ish?
I blinked.
There was a tap. With water. A porcelain basin. A mirror with decent reflective clarity. Hell, the lighting was practically soft-glow candlelight but clearly had something magical going on. Not to mention the faintly humming crystal embedded near the corner of the ceiling—hidden tech or convenient mana gadget?
I thought this world was supposed to be medieval. Dirt roads, wooden washbasins, and buckets of shame. But now I was starting to suspect that either magic evolved in place of technology...or someone else—some poor bastard from Earth—got here first and left behind their idea of creature comforts.
A lost isekai victim with a bathroom fetish. Bless them.
The lamps outside last night were another giveaway—glass domes with floating fire orbs flickering inside like polite little fireflies. Too elegant for this world's aesthetic. Not exactly sci-fi, not steampunk. Just… clean.
I glanced down at my clothes. Not a tear. Not a scratch. Aura protected them too, apparently. Either that or I had the equivalent of plot armor in silk form.
Also where is Capey? It is still with Subaru?
And surprisingly, Elsa hadn't gone full blender mode on me after she cracked my Aura. I mean, aside from the weird vampire mating ritual she did—which, by the way, totally stole my first kiss in this world.
Damn you, Elsa.
I hope you bite your own tongue.
I stepped in front of the mirror and stared at myself. Seventeen. Still me. Still black hair, tousled like I'd been fighting wind spirits in my sleep. Still black eyes—only now they were sharp, direct, not hiding behind lenses anymore. No glasses.
Thanks, Aura.
Or maybe thanks to the Celestial Grimoire stitched into my soul like some divine parasite with good taste.
I stared a little longer.
"Okay, handsome," I murmured to my reflection, giving it my best smirk, looks like I still need a bit of practice, but it will do. "Let's get ready. There's a lot to do.
And with that, I splashed cold water over my face.
"Oh hey, Subaru, welcome back to the land of the living," I called out lazily, swirling the porcelain teacup in my hand like I was in some refined noble estate and not… wherever this technically was. The tea, courtesy of Ram, was surprisingly good—earthy, just bitter enough, probably plucked from a high-altitude field by suffering peasants.
Very considerate of her, really.
And here I'd thought she was the lazy one between the twins. Turns out, maybe she just needed her sister around to activate her full sarcasm-powered sloth mode she showed in the anime clips.
Still, she treated me with the kind of formal, clipped courtesy that said, "I don't like you, but etiquette compels me to be civil." Which, to be fair, was kind of the warmest reception I'd gotten since arriving in this world. So, gold star for Ram.
I watched as Subaru stumbled into the room, bleary-eyed and slightly wobbly, wrapped in a sky-blue robe that looked suspiciously like a hospital kimono—or a budget cosplay from a feudal Japanese spa resort. The image would've been funny enough on its own, but then—
SMACK.
My face was suddenly full of fluttering red fabric. Capey, the sentient cloak, had yeeted itself off of Subaru's back and launched into my face like a dog who just realized Daddy's home. A soft whump and then it neatly looped itself around my neck like we'd rehearsed it.
"You little traitor," I muttered, biting at the hem as it wriggled against my cheek like a cat demanding affection. "I know I told you to watch over her but did not mean abandon me the moment I passed out like a broken NPC. Emilia had to carry all of us back, you know. Even you. What's the point of a levitation cloak when you need a lift too?"
"Emilia did what now?" Subaru blinked, voice groggy but rising in alarm the moment her simping sensors activated.
Ah, there it is. The Half-Elf Effect™. Turns the brain to soup in three seconds or less.
"You were out cold," I explained, peeling Capey off my face with a sigh. "She carried both of us all the way back here like some sack of potatoes. I lasted a bit longer than you, but let's just say… blood loss makes a hell of a pillow. I've never been that close to death before. Or seen so much blood. Not even in horror movies."
I shuddered, and for a second, my brain flickered with crimson—broken steel, Elsa's eyes, pain dancing like fire across my chest.
Nope. Not unpacking that yet.
"Trust me, I know what you mean," Subaru muttered, her tone flattening. Heavier. Wiser. Just for a heartbeat.
Then she blinked the shadows away and bounced back like a spring toy. "Ahh, what a beautiful morning this is! The only way it could get better is if a certain silver-haired heroine were to grace us with her divine presence~."
Subtle, she was not.
"Aw, I'm not enough to make your morning beautiful?" I gasped dramatically, flopping backward into the couch like a Victorian widow denied her inheritance. "And here I thought we were friends."
"We are friends," she retorted, hard not to be with someone who nearly died together and had each other's back, Subaru thought, flicking her fingers at me like shooing a cat off the table. "Friends enough to know you're a damn drama queen."
She's been spending time with him for four days, loops in one day, of course she would know about it.
(AN: slightly Subaru POV up there)
Guilty as charged. I thought with snicker.
She sank onto the couch beside me, her expression softening as her gaze drifted to the view outside. The light filtered through the gauzy curtains, painting everything in a golden haze. The air was still warm, expectant. Like the world was holding its breath for what came next.
"Where are we, anyway?" she asked, brows furrowed slightly. "Is this her home? I ran into a pink-haired maid with a death glare. I get the feeling she doesn't like me much. Though she did give me this fit before taking away my tracksuit."
"It's probably just the whole 'we're strangers invading her space' thing," I said with a shrug. "Give her time. She's probably just filtering us through seventeen protocols of Roswaal's nonsense."
I tilted my head toward her, studying her half-lidded, still-slightly-puffy eyes. "We're in the guesthouse of Roswaal L. Mathers—the Kingdom's Court Mage. Also the Margrave of the Western Territories, and apparently, he's backing Emilia in the whole 'insignia' situation from yesterday. We're tagging along with Emilia to go meet him officially since she offered me while you were out."
"You're coming too, right?" I asked.
"Of course," Subaru groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face. "Where else would I go? I've got no job, I can't read or write the language of this world, and unlike you I can't pull magical weapons or random junk out of nowhere like a busted Gacha from a fantasy garage sale."
She let her head fall into her hands with a pitiful groan. "This is the worst isekai ever."
Oof. That hit me harder than I expected.
Seeing her slumped like that, shoulders curled inward, that usual fire dimmed—it did something weird to my stomach. Not guilt, just… awareness. Like I was watching a story edge into its tragedy act.
So I did the smart thing: I deflected.
"By the way, nice dress," I said with a grin, eyeing the fabric again. "Where the hell did Ram find a Japanese kimono in a European fairy tale world to give you?"
"Oh!" Her tone shot back up into a more otaku-appropriate pitch. "It's from a region called Kararagi! It's like this world's knockoff Japan. They've got feudal-era stuff—kimonos, chopsticks, miso soup, the works. Super trendy all over the kingdom."
"Well, at least one of us has a cultural touchstone to lean on," I muttered.
Because as far as I'd seen? Everything else around here screamed Europe-core. Castles. Armor. Only saving grace was Streets that probably had seen a plumbing system after the Dragon Calendar was invented.
The only reason for this I could think is someone already been here from our Earth and teaching them stuff few centuries earlier as I said in my privious theory.
More evidence only prove my theory as I already mentioned there were more conveniences like magic-fueled lamps and steampunk-adjacent tea kettles, but the dominant aesthetic was pure medieval Euro-fantasy.
Except Kararagi. Apparently the Isekai Gods couldn't resist adding one Japan.
Of course they did.
"Oh, good morning," I said casually, not turning away from the golden-tinged skyline of Lugunica stretching out before me. The capital was just starting to wake—rooftops gleaming, vendors shouting in the distance, birds circling overhead like they had somewhere important to be.
I heard the soft pat of footsteps and the fwish of wind-charged breeze as Emilia arrived on the balcony with her ever-present floof spirit companion who might or not destroy the world, riding on her head like he owned her skull real estate.
"Morning," Puck said, floating lazily into my personal space like I owed him rent.
He hovered inches from my face, blinking slowly. "Lia told me you and your friend helped her out while I was… temporarily out of commission. I don't say this often but—thank you for helping my daughter. I actually like you. For humans."
I blinked.
"Uh… thanks?"
That sounded oddly racist, but we were apparently measuring politeness on ancient elemental being standards, so I let it slide.
"You're welcome," I said, snatching him out of the air like a plush toy mid-dangle and immediately petting him like he was a rescue tabby from a fire.
"Hey!" he squawked—before the purring kicked in. Fast. Like motorboat-in-a-hurricane fast.
Oh, don't be so surprised, you fluffball. I've lived with cats for years, buddy. I know exactly where to push the buttons.
I looked over at Emilia, who was suppressing a smile. "It was Subaru who insisted on helping you two. I just tagged along because letting her face Elsa alone would've been suicide—and we both got to see just how suicidal that was."
Emilia's smile dimmed slightly, worry flickering across her face. "Do you feel alright since yesterday? Is anything still aching?" Her voice dropped into that soft, mothering cadence. "You didn't even let me heal you last night. You just collapsed onto the couch and refused to go to a proper bed in guestroom."
I gave a sheepish laugh. "Thanks for the concern. But I bounce back quick."
To prove it, I opened my palm and let a slow pulse of Aura bleed out from my skin—soft light rippling like oil on water.
Puck's eyes lit up. "Oh? What's that?" He poked at my hand with the enthusiasm of a toddler discovering glow sticks. "It feels… really good…"
He let out a content mewl and practically melted mid-air, floating limply like a helium balloon on valium.
Then I cut off the Aura stream and he snapped back upright like someone had hit him with a spiritual taser.
"Urgh—what was that?!" he cried, fur fluffing up as the temperature around us dropped a few degrees. The balcony frost-kissed over so fast I half-expected snow to fall.
I blinked. "That? Oh. That's my Aura. A kind of… soul manifestation, I think? Heals me, boosts my strength. Helps me not die."
"The soul?" Puck said, ears twitching. "You're leaking soul energy?"
"Leaking is a strong word. I prefer radiating and defending my squishy fleshy bits with style."
He didn't look amused.
"I don't know all the details yet besides how it works and how to improve it. That's how I tanked Elsa's blender-mode without being pureed like applesauce." I explained.
Emilia nodded, visibly relieved. "It really is impressive. I remember watching you stand up after getting thrown around like a ragdoll. I thought anyone else would've been out cold—or worse. Even I wouldn't have gotten up that fast. I can't believe how fast you recovered."
Fair point. Emilia was a half-elf, probably tougher and more magic-attuned than a standard human, and she still would've been one Elsa-kick away from getting liquified. Without Aura, I'd have been shredded a thousand times over.
And honestly? The only reason I wasn't paste right now was because Elsa found my stubbornness amusing. She liked to play with her food. I only survived on her whim after she broke my Aura.
And she probably didn't want to kill father of her vampire child.
"Still," Puck said, more serious now, "don't flaunt that kind of energy around spirits."
"Why?" I frowned. "Did I hurt you?"
"Not exactly," he said, tail twitching with mild irritation. "But your Aura feels like spiritual energy, not exactly the world's mana—same type we spirits are born from but it's very similar. We're not made of flesh and blood like you. And humans… well…"
He trailed off, staring into the middle distance like a war veteran remembering something horrible.
"Human's souls are always too much…" he said quietly.
"Too much what, Puck?" Emilia asked, arching a brow. "Don't keep us in suspense."
"Intensely sugary."
"…What."
"It's true," Puck nodded sagely. "Why do you think spirits used to hunt humans in the old days or evil spirits do it even these days? That kind of soul radiance is like catnip. You just dumped concentrated spirit-honey into the air. It's overwhelming. Mindless Great spirit and most quasi-spirits would gorge themselves on you if they could."
I stared at him. "So basically… I'm walking bait for mystical spirit creatures?"
"Pretty much," he chirped. "Only when using that though, so be grateful for small mercy."
Fuck!
"Puck!" Emilia scolded, snatching him out of the air and tugging his ear. "Don't scare Winter first thing in the morning!"
First thing?! So after breakfast it's fair game? What kind of messed up logic is that?!
"Anyway~," she said, trying to shift the mood, "are you both ready to leave? Ram's prepared the earth-dragon and the carriage already. We'll be heading to Roswaal Manor together."
Her smile went a little wobbly, and she coughed into her fist.
"For your reward, I mean. That's the only reason! Obviously. The reward. That's all."
Uh-huh.
Tsundere elf confirmed. This girl just wants friends and doesn't know how to admit it without buffering herself with socially acceptable excuses.
I'm a genius at reading people. (No I'm horrible at it)
"Right, for the reward," I nodded solemnly, hiding my smirk. Aight I can respect that and pretend I didn't see through her excuse.
Right then, I heard the telltale footsteps of a certain gremlin approaching. Subaru strode in like she'd just spawned in from the wall—tracksuit on, hair slightly tousled, and beaming with that contagious energy that made her impossible to ignore.
Gone were the Japanese…..eh Kararagi pajamas. In their place: her previous good old-fashioned gamer girl attire, cleaned and pressed like someone ironed them with laser precision.
…Huh. Ram has some hands if she washed that overnight for Subaru.
She actually looked kind of good.
That tracksuit really did suit her…
No. Brain. Stop it. We are not ogling our freshly-met emotionally fragile squishy companion. That is not our dynamic.
And especially not Emilia either. Just because she's hiding twin melons in that snow-white dress doesn't mean we get to mentally thirst over it. Get over it! Beat it!
"Oh hey guys!" Subaru called, throwing a dramatic finger to the sky like she was trying to summon a Blue eyes White Dragon. "Are we ready for this brand-new day? Adventure awaits, huzzah!"
Emilia giggled behind her hand.
I stared into the middle distance.
All previous charm points she earned in my head?
Evaporated.
I groaned.
"That was cringe. Ah this is my life now."
Today felt more energetic than yesterday as I walked through the city. The familiar market square buzzed with life—the same place I'd run around looking for Plum, daughter of Kadomon, the gruff but kind merchant who'd personally given me my first job and paid me fair and square.
Yeah, I helped him a lot—I know my worth—but the man didn't betray me once the job was done. That counts.
"Appa guy's not here," Subaru said loudly, stopping short. That made Emilia and Puck pause and look at her.
"His name's Kadomon," I replied, running my hand across the empty wooden stall. "I worked here yesterday for hours, you know."
He did say he always opened up at noon. Looks like he was telling the truth.
"Yes, I remember him giving you money," Subaru added.
"Yup, my first ever job in this worl—"
I caught myself before I said "world" like an idiot. Who would believe me if I just dropped, 'Hey, I'm from another world!'
"—Job in this land," I finished smoothly.
"Oh? Where are you from, then?" Emilia asked, looking at both of us. "Actually, both of you—you both look like foreigners, even if you speak the language perfectly."
Yeah, that's something I'd noticed since yesterday. Despite what Subaru and I thought at first, Subaru don't have the Isekai translation package installed like me. And reason we didn't know that without investigation is everyone here is literally speaking Japanese.
Even the writing around us is Japanese—or, well, a variation of it. And how do I know this? Because unlike me, Subaru's lips actually sync with the words she's speaking—just like the locals.
Me? Nah. When I repeat words exactly like I heard them, my lips don't match.
I checked this in the mirror this morning, even ran a few tests. I understood what I was saying, but it didn't line up with my mouth. So either I'm a dub character, or there's some kind of world-logic dubbing me from the inside out.
It could be Celestial Grimoire, my best theory yet.
So yeah. Somehow, this Euro-medieval fantasy world is speaking anime Japanese. Sure, why not.
"I'm from the land of the mountains—Himalayan. But you wouldn't know it; it's a small nation," I said, tossing in a sprinkle of truth. Let people make their own assumptions. Nepal is a small nation in Himalayan region after all.
"And I'm from an island nation to the east!" Subaru said with way too much enthusiasm. Emilia tilted her head, visibly confused.
"You believe that to be true," Puck chimed in, his tone shifting slightly, "but there is no nation east of here. We're already at the easternmost edge of the continent."
Subaru visibly paled and started sweating bullets. "I–uh, well, maybe I haven't seen a full map…?"
"She probably hasn't," I cut in casually, covering for her. "She's from the eastern part of my country. It's kind of like Kararagi, honestly—eerily similar, actually."
"That sounds… fascinating," Puck said with narrowed eyes. "But I still haven't the faintest idea where either of you are from. In fact, it's almost… suspicious."
I met his eyes, unblinking. This entitled little furball!
"Why? You nervous, oh Great Spirit of Fire, just because you don't know our every little secret? Is goodwill worth nothing if we don't lay our whole life story bare to someone we met yesterday?"
He blinked, visibly stunned for a second as tension spiked even more. Shit should have closed my mouth as antagonizing someone who can end me in breath isn't a good idea.
But Subaru is a friend and I don't abandon them, like ever.
"That's enough, Puck," Emilia said, stepping in with a puffed-out pout. "Don't be rude to people who helped us. Instead of… well…"
She trailed off, clearly biting back something. Then she crossed her arms. "You dunderhead."
"Who even says 'dunderhead' anymore?" Subaru muttered.
Puck sighed, eyes softening. He glanced at Emilia apologetically. "Sorry for ruining your morning, Lia. Guess my curiosity got the best of me."
His body started to dissolve into floating particles of mana as it streamed toward the jewel in Emilia's gem like armament, pendant near her chest.
"I'm a cat, after all," he said with a dramatic purr before vanishing completely.
Not gonna lie, I still don't get how she's out here flaunting what looks like a magical artifact on her hair like that. Did we learn nothing from Felt's very loud "don't show off shiny things" PSA?
Now awkward silence hovered over us like a storm cloud.
"Ohh, that smells good," Subaru said suddenly, shattering the tension like someone tossing a dumbbell through a mirror. She pointed at a nearby food stall, where something sizzled on open flame.
"What's that?" I asked, sniffing the air. The food looked oddly familiar, though I couldn't name it.
"That's dango! I didn't know they made it here," Subaru beamed. Oh, they are from Naruto. Of course I didn't recognize it at glance since it looked different in real life.
And right on cue, our stomachs growled like they'd been waiting for that exact moment to announce themselves.
"I can buy some, it's not a problem," Emilia offered.
"Nah, can't let you keep footing the bill after you took care of us post-assassination attempt."
I shook my head and tossed my coin pouch to Subaru, who caught it like it was a golden treasure chest. "You're more familiar with the food, so you handle it."
Subaru gave us a thumbs-up. "Yup, just leave it to me!" she said and strutted toward the stand like a gamer queen on a mission. Wait am I a side quests NPC for her in this context?
That left me and Emilia sitting quietly on a bench nearby.
"Emilia?" I asked softly, glancing at her. I'd been ignoring the stares all morning, but now they were getting worse—colder, meaner.
"Yes?" she tilted her head.
"The people around us…" I said in a low voice, barely above a whisper. "They look angry. At you."
I reached out and gently took her hand. "Do they always look at you like this?"
"Of course they do…" she said, her voice quiet. "The reason should be obvious. Not everyone I meet has been as kind as you two."
"But why?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Are they racist or something? I mean, I'm seeing catgirls, lizardfolk, other elves walking around, and nobody's giving them this kind of look."
"This isn't a good joke to make," she muttered, voice trembling. "I know you know the reason." She said, her eyes closed and hidden by her silver hair, hiding her eyes. And her hands begin to squeeze me back, very hard.
"I really don't. We're foreigners, remember?"
Now it was starting to make sense why she'd been so shocked by our basic courtesy, well my courtesy and Subaru's simping but you know the idea. "I don't know why people are looking at you like you're some kind of monster."
"You really don't know?" she asked, looking into my eyes like she was searching for something in my soul. "Do you know about the Witch of Envy?"
"I've heard stories, yeah," I answered truthfully. From a TikToker named LN Historian, but yeah—details. "What does she have to do with you?"
I know they look similar but what does it have do with that? People really can't be dumb enough to give her Naruto treatment because she looked like some woman from 400 years ago right?Emilia sighed and gently pulled her hand back, massaging it with a small wince. "I'll explain on the way, okay? That way Subaru can hear too and I won't have to repeat myself."
She glanced at me, embarrassed. "Sorry for assuming things again."
"Don't mention it," I replied as Subaru returned with a handful of skewered dumplings—dango, she called them.
We stood up, ready to move on. Because honestly? The way people were staring now—it was like they wanted Emilia to drop dead.
And for the first time since coming here… they were looking at me the same way too.
Faced off with Beast of the End + 100CP
Perk rolled: None.
TOTAL: 1000CP
For those who've been wondering what's the reasoning and mechanism for Gacha, It's actions. While Accomplishment raises CP, MC needs to be Active to roll, not Passive to go with the flow.
But if it's too long, I'll roll eventually.
I simply don't want to make him OP for just breathing there. If I did that I will be stuck and this fic will reach the same stagnation my other fics met.
I'm trying for a good story too here, not just Gacha roll and Power ups. Hope you understand that.
Also I'm greedy goblin who's motivated by your thoughts and words so don't be shy in comment section.