The first thing he saw was a small, delicate figure crouched beside him. Through his hazy vision, he made out a pretty girl holding a stick, poking him like some stray animal.
"Ughhh…" Hiroshi groaned, rubbing his face. His head throbbed like a drum, the alcohol from the night before still leaving him sluggish.
*A kid?* he thought vaguely, his mind too foggy to process clearly.
*No... not that snotty damn brat who always makes a mess in front of my apartment.*
Groaning, he forced himself to sit up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Ne~ne… you alright, Big Hyuman?" a soft, curious voice chimed.
Hiroshi blinked, squinting as his vision sharpened. "Oh… hello, little girl," he mumbled groggily, managing a weak smile.
Wait… what's a kid doing poking me at this hour?
Then something snapped him out of his haze. He noticed the girl's head, sharp, twitching ears perched on top, and below, a long tail swishing behind her.
Hiroshi froze. "Huh?" His voice cracked. "You… you doing cosplay or something?"
"Coz~ply?" she repeated, tilting her head in confusion. Her wide, innocent eyes blinked at him.
Her tail flicked once, and that's when it hit him: those ears and tail weren't fake. They moved too naturally, too fluidly.
"Oi, hold up," he muttered, panic creeping in. He scrambled back, hands digging into the soft, cool grass beneath him.
Grass?
His apartment didn't have a lawn. He touched it again to confirm.
His pulse quickened. "What… the hell?"
The girl watched him curiously, head tilted further, ears twitching, tail swaying as she tried to figure him out.
"Big Hyuman?" she repeated, stepping closer.
Hiroshi whipped his head around.
No busy streets, no buildings, no familiar landmarks. Just endless green fields under a bright, cloudless sky, and distant figures in odd, medieval-style clothing.
This… isn't Japan.
He opened his mouth to speak but found no words. The realization sank in.
This definitely isn't Japan anymore.
"Uhh… girl… where am I?" Hiroshi asked, voice thick with sleep.
The catfolk laughed softly, the sound light and teasing. "Hyuman~ I'm not a girl. I'm a boy."
Hiroshi blinked. Once. Twice. His brain stalled for three full seconds.
"Uhh… really?"
"Yes~" the catboy replied cheerfully, his warm smile making it even harder to process.
"...Oh." Hiroshi rubbed the back of his neck, at a loss for words.
Shaking off his confusion, he focused on what mattered.
"So… where am I? How did I even get here?"
The catboy tilted his head, ears twitching thoughtfully.
"Hmm~? I don't know. I was walking here and saw you lying on the ground. Thought you'd been attacked by a monster and died."
Hiroshi raised an eyebrow. "Oh... well, thanks, I guess?"
The catboy grinned, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Ne~ne, Big Hyuman."
"What now?" Hiroshi groaned, pushing to his feet. His head still throbbed, but standing might clear it.
"Wow~ you're really big, Hyuman!" the catboy exclaimed, craning his neck to look up.
Hiroshi towered over him, the catboy's head barely reached his chest, closer to his stomach.
The catboy stepped closer, gaze traveling up and down Hiroshi's frame. "So tall~ So wide~ I've never seen a Hyuman this big!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear that a lot," Hiroshi muttered, brushing grass from his clothes. His size was nothing new, but chatting with someone straight out of a fantasy manga, in a strange field, was definitely throwing him.
The catboy's tail swayed as he tilted his head, curious. "Ne~ Hyuman, are you from the Empire? You don't look like a villager."
"Empire? What Empire?" Hiroshi frowned, confusion deepening. "Look, uh... cat... boy... whatever, you still haven't told me where I am."
"You don't know?" The catboy's ears drooped slightly. "This is the Outer Wilds! The frontier! The Empire is waaay over there." He pointed to the horizon.
Hiroshi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Outer Wilds? Frontier? What kind of messed-up dream is this?
"Alright," he muttered. "First things first... what's your name, uh... cat... boy?"
"Oh~! My name's Riku!" the catboy said with a cheerful grin, tail wagging. "What's yours, Big Hyuman?"
"...Hiroshi. Hiroshi Takeda."
"Hir... Hii-ro... Hirororo..." Riku tilted his head, struggling with the syllables. "Hi-roh... Hiren.. hen.. ri...?"
After a moment, he threw up his hands with a bright smile. "Henry!?"
Hiroshi blinked, jaw dropping slightly. "Wait, no... that's not—"
"Henry!" Riku beamed, eyes glistening.
"...Fine. Whatever." Hiroshi groaned, too drained to argue with a tailed boy.
Riku's tail flicked, curiosity still burning. "Hmm~ well, Henry, looks like you're stuck here for now. What are you going to do?"
Hiroshi's shoulders slumped as he stared at the unfamiliar horizon. "Hell if I know..."
(End of Chapter)