The other man ran toward him, screaming:
"I'm deaaad!"
Haruka couldn't stay still. She started running, thinking anxiously:
The distance is too far… I won't make it in time… He'll die if this keeps up!
On the other side, Yu stood there without moving a muscle. He yawned, then calmly moved his lips and said:
"Black hole."
Suddenly, a black portal appeared in front of the man who was running.
"W-What?!"
Before he could finish his words, the portal swallowed him whole and closed in an instant.
Haruka froze in shock and didn't notice what was beneath her feet. She tripped over a rock and fell into a puddle of mud.
She stood up groaning in pain:
"Ouch… my butt!"
Yu looked at her coldly and said:
"What are you doing there? Are you a pig?"
She glared at him angrily and said:
"I will never help this person again, ever in my life!"
Night fell, and the old woman led Haruka to the bathhouse. The bath was old, with tiled walls and round bathtubs covered with wooden lids. In one corner, there was a small wooden stool and a washing bowl. Moonlight slipped through a wooden-framed window, giving the place a strange calm despite its age.
Haruka looked around, then asked seriously:
"Where's the shampoo? The soap? Body wash? Conditioner? Body scrub? Exfoliant?"
The old woman blinked for a moment, then said awkwardly:
"Unfortunately, we don't have those things… and what do they even mean?"
Haruka sighed and said:
"Oh… it's fine. Is there soap at least?"
Mai replied:
"Yes."
Haruka walked toward the basin and dipped her finger into the water, but Mai said apologetically:
"I'm really sorry. We ran out of firewood today and forgot to bring more, so you'll have to bathe with cold water."
Yu, who was standing by the door, laughed and said:
"Do you think you're in a luxury inn? This is just a simple bath!"
Haruka frowned, grabbed the first thing she could reach—a wooden washing bowl—and threw it straight at Yu's head. He barely dodged it, still laughing.
"Oh? Are you attacking me now?" he said with a provocative smile.
The old woman sat watching the scene with a warm laugh, like a mother watching her children quarrel gently.
After things calmed down, Haruka stepped into the tub and washed her body with water alone. She muttered:
"I need to find an alternative to shampoo… Maybe there are herbs that have the same effect… but I don't know which ones. I wish I had watched a video or read a book about how to make shampoo."
She finished bathing quickly and went to sleep, lost in thought.
Did I really get transported to another dimension? Who would have thought that something that only happens in movies would come true? I don't want to stay here any longer… This world is crazy. Everyone can use magic except me. There are no cleaning products, and the bed is uncomfortable—and it's not even cotton…
She calmed down a little and thought:
But if this is real… isn't it better for me? Grandma and Grandpa are really kind, and Yu… is extremely annoying. Damn it, I want to punch him! But he's strong, and his magic is strange…
Suddenly, tension returned to her.
Wait… what if I never go back home? Will I really stay here? Will I never see my family again? What are they doing now? Did they notice my disappearance?
She frowned even more and added bitterly:
I don't think that man would worry… He's probably enjoying himself right now with that woman, drinking together.
After a moment of silence, she slapped her cheeks hard and smiled:
"What am I saying? I must be dreaming. After falling from that height, everything will end. I'll wake up in the hospital, and everything will be fine."
Then she fell into a deep sleep.
Morning came, and she woke up to the sunlight. She said sleepily:
"Am I in the hospital now?"
She got out of bed and went downstairs, where she found Mai had already prepared breakfast.
"Please, have some breakfast."
Haruka froze in shock.
"Is th-this the hospital?"
Mai laughed.
"No, no. Did you hit your head?"
Haruka began thinking frantically:
No… no… something's wrong… I haven't woken up yet… I'll wake up tomorrow for sure.
The morning of the second day came.
Haruka stood there smiling and said:
"It must be tomorrow."
Then the third day… then the fourth.
After a week had passed, Haruka sat under the shade of a tree, muttering softly:
"This is real… this is real… everything is real… these people are real."
She touched the grass and said:
"And this grass too."
Then she looked up at the sky and added:
"And this as well."
Yu passed by her and said:
"Hey, aren't you ever leaving? You've stayed a whole week, and as you know, you haven't paid anything."
She replied in a lifeless tone while lying down:
"If I knew the way to leave, I would've gone gladly from the first day. And I promised you I'd find a job and pay back all the money for my stay."
He looked at her and said:
"If you really wanted to work, you would've gone."
She replied:
"I tried to go, but there's nothing here except trees and mountains. There's nowhere to work."
He looked at her and said:
"Get up. We're going."
She looked at him, puzzled:
"Where to?"
He answered without stopping:
"To the capital. Didn't you say you wanted to work?"
She said:
"Can I go with you?"
He replied:
"Of course. So you can give me my money back, and maybe your memory will be stimulated and you'll return home and leave."
She thought to herself:
Unfortunately, that won't happen, because I have no place there.
Before she moved, he threw a cloak at her and said in a commanding tone:
"Wear this."
"Ah… okay."
She put it on reluctantly, then set off on foot with him toward the capital.
To be continued…