[1] NEW FAMILY MEMBER
BLARE. BLARE. BLARE.
Ah. I woke up to the wonderful sound of the alarm.
Not a gentle beep nor the ring of music. It was the obnoxious army-siren kind of alarm you would hear tearing through the air during disaster evacuations.
I’m curious as to why I even settled with that as the ringtone in the first place.
To the annoyance I felt, I almost slammed my fist into my phone, realizing that I should probably gently tap on the stop button instead— for my phone to shut the hell up.
With the alarm now gone, I rose up from bed and noticed how my vision was blurry, it’s like there’s water..
I raised my hands to touch my cheeks.
Tears.
Oh, that's right, I remember now. I’m an existence so rare, it is said to happen in 1 out of a million people— you know, I don’t want to talk about it.
“Aw crap, I hit the snooze button,”
And I made a mistake.
Welp, not that I’ll sleep anymore. Whatever, I’ll spend some time reading manga while waiting for it to ring again— so I can shut it up. Yup, that’ll act as a good substitute for an extra 5 minutes of z’s.
I picked up my phone.
On it, I saw a suspicious, pink, cutesy icon. It even had a picture of a diva I don’t recognize. Top-notch stuff— if I were a pervert, that is— not that I am.
“What‘s this?” It was right there, slap-dab in the middle of my phone. I’m sure that spot was where my manga reader app was before. WAIT, where did my manga reader disappear to!?
I swear if this was the doing of my little sister, I’ll kill her— like I would do that. She’s like the cutest little devil that ever existed..
Killing her isn’t enough.. she has to suffer..
I’ll ask her about it when I get back from school.
===
“I’ll be going!” I tapped the front of my shoes and made sure it fit snugly.
“Stay safe!” My mom yelled. It sorta reminded me of those scary days when I made her mad in the past.
“Alright..” I pumped myself up in preparation.
With that, I opened the door and set off towards my new journey to school. Well, I mean, I’m 16, so I’ve technically been in school for almost a decade now? Keyword: new journey.
My new journey as a TALENTLESS.
School was 20 minutes away by foot. Though so, the journey itself is a harsh one. I have to carry this heavy schoolbag behind my aching back every time.
Your typical two-story houses lined the streets, a road where cars would infrequently pass by, trees interspersed at intervals together with streetlight poles.
Oh look, it’s Prune.
Prune? Yeah, Prune. I know her name sounds weird, it’s a fruit, but don’t ask me, ask her parents.
Her bluish white hair shimmered under the lights of dawn, two fluffy ears peeking from her silver hair, matching exceptionally well with her white uniform. Not to mention that pristine bushy tail underneath her skirt.
The cute blue school bag she carried for some odd reason was smaller than my own. I don’t get how some people bring fewer books to school when practically every textbook is required in class. On one day the teacher would use this book, another day, that book. I always get caught up in that mess, forgetting to bring the aforementioned textbook, and had to borrow her’s, since she sat right next to me.
Fluffy ears you say? Well, her birthday was a week ago, and since then, her real ears disappeared, replaced by those two up top. Her hair that was supposed to be white turned a beautiful snow colour. Basically, she has become a demi-human of sorts. That’s her TALENT.
Enviable.
She looked this way and when her eyes met mine, she quickened her pace down the road. It’s been like this for some time now, she’s avoiding me for some reason.
===
Have I told you about that person Gruan? That dick head? His TALENT is super strength and super endurance, like the typical superhero kind— antihero kind.
Peaking into the classroom, I was fortunate to see that he wasn’t around. Good. I proceeded to my seat, the middle-back of the class right to the side of the window. I could look at the school field if I ever become bored at any point in time. Which I usually did. Not that teacher gave two cents since I topped the class anyways.
I passed by Prune’s table to see her with her head lowered— it’s the same today too.
In any case, I took out my planner and started jotting down ideas for the coming months, the summer holidays. Since I’m a TALENTLESS, I better get to work figuring out what I should do. My future is bright, so bright in fact, the light bulb blew up.
“Hey Shellfish!”
“It’s Noel, N-O-E-L you need me to spell it out for you?”— I almost retorted but I kept my mouth shut.
“Shellfish, whatcha’ doing there?” Gruan wrapped his arms around my neck, like a truck pushing down on me— a ridicule, by the way, which basically means that he’s fat.
“Gruan. Please,” I squeaked. Though I say a bunch of crap stuff about him inside my thoughts, in truth, I’m your everyday introvert. Someone who— hates these kinds of people. I don’t even get why I’m his ‘one-and-only’ target in the first place.
“Then pay up. Give me your maths homework.”
Oh damn. Not this again, I can already imagine being found out by the teachers. No matter how many times I tell him not to copy word for word, in this case, number for number, he just wouldn’t listen. Whatever. That’s his problem. I’ve already notified the teachers about it, they can’t do anything since he’s from a pretty well-known family. Of course, school authorities ‘will’ take action when things fall out of hand but as it is currently, I’m the school’s salvation. Gruan’s punching bag. It would’ve been worse if he targeted the teachers.
Moreover, it’s already the end of the school year. A better question to ask would be why Mr. Smith is still giving us homework?
I poured open my school bag and gingerly passed him my math’s exercise book.
“Thanks,” he gave me one of the most disgusting smiles I’ve ever seen.
Though I beat up Gruan in my mind using profane words often due to his detestable personality, he’s in fact a super good looking dude. I mean, literally. He keeps his hair neat and suave looking using hair gel. I’ve never seen a day where he’s suffering from a bad hair day, whatever he calls it.
He returned to his seat, and started copying my work into his book— and also in mine.
===
Assembly. Or for our class, Year 10, it’s our special graduation day. Not like it’s the end of school, just that it’s the end of junior high school, the preliminary celebration before senior high school.
Ah, yes. My name was called out during the assembly. I topped the class again.
I went up on stage and recovered the trophy, applauses ran through the crowd. I’m sure it was mingled in with a few jeers.
I shook hands with the school Principal, receiving the certificate that came with the award. The report card would be distributed later.
The follow up was Prune, taking second place. Yeah, she’s a genius. Whatever, I’m sure many people would fawn all over her next year.
No. The applause given to her was even louder than mine when she shook hands with the Principal.
One more week to go before school ends this summer. The rest of the week would be devoted to partying. I need to remember to bring my novels to school tomorrow, cause I have no relevance to all that.
===
For those 16 years old onwards, there will be an afternoon session held in tandem with normal classes. Those who have passed their 16th birthday that had acquired their TALENT would go off into a separate class where the teachers will guide them to properly utilize their powers.
Some powers were incredibly useful, like Gruan’s inhuman strength or Ms. Yeo’s healing magic. Others like Prune were just random add-on’s. Though, that’s judging the book by the cover. I’m sure she has enhanced smelling or hearing or something like that.
Ms. Yeo, by the way, is the school nurse that heals up every now and then when I break a bone because of Gruan. Pain resistance is a necessary thing if you’re living my life.
My birthday was two day ago. I hadn’t gotten a special ability of any sorts. If one’s TALENT doesn’t appear within 24 hours after the birthday date, you can safely assume that the person in question is: TALENTLESS.
Of course, there is a chance I’ve just missed it, not realizing the talent had already manifested within me. Like Dylan, a classmate of mine, who had gotten something along the lines of enhanced memory..
Looks like I need to study more if I don’t want to lose out..
I look around class, at the few students who have yet to obtain their TALENTS, peacefully chatting. They probably decided to stay back to discuss tomorrow's party. Nobody noticed my existence or remembered my birthday— Oh, next will be Freya’s turn. The girl with the shoulder-length ponytail wearing a green jacket in the sweltering weather for fashionable purposes.. I think.
Heh, she noticed me? Did she read my thoughts?
Tearing away from her friends, she came over to my table, “Noel, isn’t your birthday supposed to be like, um, yesterday?”
“Yes?”Well, it was 2 days ago to be more accurate.
“Then how come..”
“Uh, well,” I faked a cough, upholding a smile, “I don’t know myself.”
“Could you be that you’re TA..”
“Maybe,” Cut, cut. Don’t say anymore, I’m on the verge of tearing up.
Freya showed me a sympathetic smile. What a nice fellow. Why did she come over all of a sudden? Was it because she was interested in my TALENT? I don’t really talk to her all that much in class unless there’s a group project or something. Could be that she’s just curious, yup.
“Sorry,” she lowered her head respectfully.
“It’s alright. I’ll figure out something.”
Hopefully.
My future is bleak. I heard those who are TALENTLESS were cast out of society— treated like a disabled person. What a pity...
Just kidding.
[2]
Late afternoon came, I set off back home.
An AMAZING adventure awaits: The journey of Noel the TALENTLESS!
Yeah, sarcasm, I know, I know...
I wanna cry.
Cherry trees line the avenue pointing right to the school gate just up in front. Pink petals falling like rain.
Just then someone grabbed my shoulders and I spun like a top. The next thing I saw was Gruan before he pushed me over a yard in a fraction of a split second. My back slammed against the wall. I was sure my school bag blew up from the impact— likewise, my spine.
Hey, isn’t he supposed to be in the afternoon class?
“Ughh..” I fell to the floor writhing. My back seriously hurts. Seriously, seriously. Oh god. It burns.
“Hahahahahahaha!” Gruan heartily laughed. His gang— I mean the imbeciles laughed with him.
“W..what do you w-want,” somehow I managed to speak. Ha... how I wish I’ve gotten a TALENT to shred that face of his.
“Protection fee,” his smile widened to a grin.
I’ve been yearning for my birthday for months on end. Being bullied by this big shot dumb ass for a little more than two year now was an absolute pain. And when the fateful day came two days ago, low and behold— my TALENT was nil. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
“I heard you’re a TALENTLESS. How pitiful,” he jeered then laughed.
I frowned.
“Pay up,” he stretched his hands forward.
There’s nothing I can do about it. The only choice I have is to be obedient and listen to his orders. I’m weak— too weak to retaliate. I know that, so I would make dumb decisions and get myself killed.
I crawled up on my knees and looked at the pile, my trashed bag, broken trophy, with books spilled everywhere and took out my wallet, passing him the money I have.
I could’ve thrown it on the floor in front of him but— I prioritize my safety.
“Good boy.”
He doesn’t question the amount. He just takes them knowing that he could do it again. And again, and again.
When he left, I noticed the gazes directed at me.
Yeah. All that time while I was being beaten up, not a single person cared to help. Rather, they knew they shouldn’t help, couldn’t help. It would only worsen the situation.
And I saw Prune peeking at me from a distance. I didn’t think she would oversee the situation. Whatever. She’s the same as everyone else, merely spectators.
I tidied my bag— looks like I’ll have to replace it— carried it under my arms. With my spine stinging in a prickling, slow burning, pain, I walked forth, pressed on.
This is my journey. My journey as a TALENTLESS.
===
“Noel, are you alright?”
“Sorry. I was just thinking..” I spaced out.
My mom looked at me with concern. I know, she didn’t expect me to be a TALENTLESS either. I can imagine the sorrow she must be feeling, knowing that her son was a defect. Not really. That’s just me.
My mom’s TALENT is the ability to literally perceive heat. Like a thermal camera or something? Her explanation was rather vague. My father, who is currently on a business trip to Colorado, is an architect. His TALENT is the ability to recreate a three-dimensional object on paper with pin point accuracy.
The television was playing in the background, a cartoon. My 12-year-old sister, while her gaze never left the show until the intermissions, was chewing rice in her mouth. Cute. The area around her mouth was an absolute mess, not to mention her sailor uniform.
Normally my mom would do something about her behavior but she’s just too depressed to do so.
Now what?
I quietly ate my rice.
===
Now back to my room, I gently laid myself back onto the bed.
OUCH.
Darn, it still hurts.
I bent over to grab my phone.
Though students are allowed to bring phones to the school where I study, I don’t intend to do so on the off-chance Gruan assaults me. Losing my phone is like losing my life-line.
Speaking of which..
“Where’s my manga reader?” Don’t tell me that pink frilly app is the manga reader? Did it get an update? I forgot to ask my sister about it just now. And I’m too lazy to walk to her room.
Whatever. I’ll just tap and see.
Boop.
Wait... what was that sound effect. My fingers sank into the screen for a moment.
The app opened up and I was greeted with a screen. A pink screen and..
Oh gosh. First my spine now this— I’m blind, I’m blind. I saw nothing. Yup. I’ll go with that.
The screen showed various female characters that I have not the slightest recognition of, are these supposed to be celebrities? Ah, no. I saw a furry.
There were two options in the centres, the female ‘models’ shuffled every now and then at both sides.
This... can’t be a game.. right..
The big PINK button on the top writes: GACHA.
The sub-header just below it states: first summon guaranteed 4 stars or higher.
The one at the bottom: SHOP.
But it’s locked so I suppose I’ll roll for gacha...
S-SSSTTTTTOOOOPPPPP!!
What the heck even is this? A gacha game for girls? What the heck? I want my manga! Where’s my manga reader!?
Out of curiosity, I mustered the courage to wiggle my finger over the GACHA button and...
The screen flashed pink in a way that made me want to vomit. Random black silhouettes of girls, some in odd uncomfortable positions shuffled past the screen like a roulette. Then it stopped. A petit silhouette of a girl wearing a dress, tardy, well ordered, hands placed in front of her.
Most peculiar was that she had horns.
A five star summon.
Then the wooden floor of my room began to glow white in what seemed to be a summoning circle.
“GGAHH?! WHAT?”
No heck. Like I’m going to jump into that thing and get transported into another world— Wait... I think that’s an incredibly good idea! Off to another world! Goodbye shitty world hello fantasy realm!
Ignoring the pain in my back, I jumped off the bed. And hit something, soft. The floor isn’t soft.
The magic subsided.
I heard a wince.
I looked below to see a small girl, crushed underneath me. Her long curly velvet lustre spread out across the floor. Skin pale to the point of white. Her crimson-purple eyes opened and looked at me.
‘Emaciated’ was the word to describe her. She wasn’t in a dress nor any normal clothing. A mere rough cloth entwined around her figure. Her skin was not only pale, it was also dirty. Her arms were thin, frail, cheeks cave in, and a collar was seen chained to her neck. She smiled then fainted on the spot.
Befuddled, I slowly pulled myself away from her.
She was, undoubtedly, a beauty worthy of a five star summon. That said— was she a slave? From the rag she wore, not to mention the collar— it’s just like a scene from some manga. Not to mention.. she was missing the two horns on her head— or could it be that it’s just plain decoration?
I noticed blood— many wounds riddled all over her limbs.
Huh...
Am I a derp?
...
WHHHATT IN THE WORLD?! I SUMMONED A GIRL WITH MY SMARTPHONE?!!!
Alright.. clam down, clam down. What next?
Her breathing is shallow, she looks like she’s in a bad condition. Is she thirsty? Maybe hungry? This is a cliche slave plot, right? Before that..
Should I call for my mom? And then call for a doctor? No, I shouldn’t let people know about this.
Then I should wait until she wakes up? I don’t know what I should do? What if she’s in some severe condition that needs immediate attention?
I carried her in my arms.
Wow, she’s light. And freezing cold.
I placed her on my bed and covered her with a blanket. Gosh, that innocent baby face of her’s.. makes me wanna take care of her for life. Looks like I’ll sleep on the floor today.
Ah.
I’m falling for her already huh? Not that I can deny.. it’s the truth, and a fact. Anyways.
I instinctively picked up my phone and looked at the screen again. The shop tab is finally unlocked. I’m itching to know what’s in store.
Taping the button, I was presented with a list of item options, including quests to earn special currency, or points. I wish the point icon wasn’t a heart shape though..
The items are— incredibly expensive. The cheapest one is around 100 points, a potion of temporary boost. There’s also a potion of forced levelling, citing that it could increase the level of the summoned ‘girl’ by 1. A vague description. So this is saying that the girl sleeping soundly there has a level? So gamey..
Other items include a basic gacha ticket at 1000 points, wow these sure are expensive. Next up is an instant affection potion at 1000 points... nevermind. In summary, it’s a shop filled with a bunch of buffs to upgrade the summons, including exp pots and more specific rate-up gacha tickets.
And it looks like there’s another shop specifically for the girl. Though it’s locked.
I turned to her, sleeping soundly on the bed.
I‘ll ask her about this tomorrow. Perhaps I should skip class? I need time to digest this.. and perhaps it’s the same for her too.
Looks like I wasn’t TALENTLESS after all? But what would happen if I lost my phone? —Eh, wait, then where’s my manga reader?
[3]
What a troublesome situation. I mean, my alarm. It was blaring through the roof. Gosh, when I adjusted the time, don’t tell me I accidentally adjusted the volume as well?
I raised my head from the side of the bed. Man.. I can’t believe I slept. Oh shit. My back, my BACK! I totally forgot I got hit by that fatso truck yesterday. UGGGHHH!
I reached over to knock the alarm off. Then look towards my bed to check on her condition.
I saw her silhouette under the night sky. Each individual strand of her hair sparkling in the moonlight. Her pretty red eyes looked right at me— pretty creepy.
Gulp.
“H-Hero-sama,” her voice was hoarse, sounding severely dehydrated.
“Wait, wait. I’ll go get some water. Stay here.”
“Hero-sam.. thank you,” she lowered her head.
“I think you’re misunderstanding,” for some reason when talking to her, the pain in my back magically disappeared. Hah, placebo is amazing. In any case, I opened the door and left my room in search of water.
Coming downstairs, the first person I found was my mom. She had a bewildered look on her face. I know, I don’t usually wake up so early. She was just about to prepare breakfast as usual.
“Mom, good morning,” before giving her any chance to speak, “I’m sorry but I think I’ll skip school today. I just found out what my TALENT is.”
“Morning Noel. Your TALENT?”
While ignoring my mom’s suspicious gaze, I went to the kitchen, got myself a glass cup and filled it up with drinking water.
“What’s the TALENT?”
“Summoning,” Yeah... I’ll skip the details for now. “And I’m sorry to trouble you but please cook a little more. My summon is probably hungry.”
Summon. Yup. Can’t be vaguer than that.
My mom nodded, “I suppose I’ll see.”
Yeah. She knows I’m hiding something, she’s just being considerate.
“Then I'll skip school today. I’ll introduce you to.. my summon later on,” I went back up to my room.
I turned on the lights and she squinted her eyes.
“I-it is true... Hero-sama..” her voice was quivering in self-delusion.
“Here,” I passed her the water, “Stop calling me that. I’m not a hero. I’m just a normal everyday person— to me at least..”
I suddenly didn’t know what I should say. The girl drank the glass of water in one go. The liquid spilt over and some flowed down her nape then to her—
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Do you need more?”
“It’s enough,” her gaze cast downwards.
“Can you tell me about yourself? You see... um, you’re probably no longer in your own world.”
When I said that her eyes suddenly opened wide.
“Ah. It’s alright if you don’t tell me now but..”
“This is.. where?”
“Earth. The country— Gilgamesh.”
“Gilga..” she leaked out a sigh that sounded satisfied. She fell back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry?”
“L-Liliath Toren, the fourth Princess of Toren Kingdom.”
“I-I’m sorry?”
Fourth Princess?
Sitting up, she gave me a look.
“No, I mean, why are you in those.. clothes.”
She observed herself for a moment. a frightened expression flashed across her face.
“Ah, normal cliché.”
“C-Cliché?”
“Nevermind.”
She probably doesn’t know that word.
“Can the collar be removed?” I’m surprised I could even converse with her so calmly. I mean, she’s a slave, a Princess, a summon, a girl I LITERALLY summoned right out of my phone.
She tried tugging at it. It didn’t work. She shook her head.
“Can I try?”
“T-The task of removing it is said to be impossible unless the owner of the collar either dies or allows removal of it,” she said in a panic, scampering a distance.
“Look. You aren’t even trying to pull that off. How long exactly have you been a slave? Have you heard of the goldfish in a goldfish bowl problem? Or a grasshopper problem,” I’m sorry, I’m randomly naming experiments here. By that I mean, the situation where the goldfish which had become used to the small goldfish bowl when placed into a larger tank filled with water would not try to escape even though all it needed to do was swim up. Same goes with the grasshopper. It has been hitting the ceiling so many times, when the lid is removed, it doesn’t jump any higher.
That’s the situation I’m seeing. Plus, I’m sure earth doesn’t have anything like ‘mana’. So the collar should’ve ceased to function.
Liliath gripped the bed sheets, “a year,” she whispered.
Tears dripped from her eyes.
I reached my hand over, gingerly and grabbed hold onto the collar. She wasn’t resisting so I guess she’s alright with this? I lifted the metal tab, and slid the open end out. There, removed, gone. The skin around the neck was red.
“Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Noel. Noel Bougainvillea.”
“Noel.. sama.”
That’s wrong.. very wrong. She called out to me while shedding tears.
“I think you should get yourself cleaned up first.”
She kept crying, crystal teardrops falling from her eyes.
===
“N-N-N-Noel??!”
“Yes. I know, it’s a weird TALENT.”
There’s no way I can explain this to my mom in like, two seconds. Leaving that aside, I was now in the bathroom together with Liliath. Not literally together, but I need to teach her how the tap, bath and shower work. Also, the notorious toilet bowl that I saw her quizzically stare at.
For the clothes, I think my mom should have a few spares she could borrow.
Liliath turned the tap of the faucet, water came pouring out.
“After that, pull the centre tab.”
With her timid hand, she tugged.
“Hiih?” She released the tab, the water kept pouring from above. The rag around her slid down due to the weight caused by absorbing too much water.
“I think I’ll leave now,” I turned around; I saw nothing.
I saw nothing.
No. I did see something. Those scars all over her body.
I closed the bathroom door.
“That girl—”
“That’s my TALENT. I summoned her. I’ll explain it in detail later, do you have any extra clothes you could lend her?”
“I do. But it may be a bit big.”
“Should be alright..” we have to buy clothes her size soon. Welp, looks like we have an additional member in our family.
In regards to her wish to return to her world since I forcefully summoned her by accident— or purposely, whatever. She didn’t seem keen on going back. Which was a good thing. Usually, most summoned people would try to figure out a way to return. And it wasn’t like I knew of any way to help Liliath do so anyways so...
My mom went to the bathroom to help her. Wait, how old is Liliath? Though she’s a little taller than my sister, it’s impossible to determine her age by looks alone.
My sister, Novelle, who just woke up, climbed down the stairs. She, in her pastel green pyjamas, stretched her arms with a yawn.
“Morning big brother,” she rubbed her eyes.
Cute. Unbelievably cute. What a devil.
“Morning.”
“What’s that sound?” She turned her head left and right, still in a daze.
“Um. I’ll explain later alright? All you need to know is that we have a new— a guest,” Is it too quick to assume Liliath as part of our family? I practically just met her.
Liliath, whose hair was wrapped in a white towel, was ushered out by my mom who was pushing her from behind.
My sister’s eyes shot wide open.
When Liliath saw her, she bowed. Then my mom who was all smiles pushed her upstairs.
“W-who is that? Your girlfriend?” My sister asked.
“My summon. It’s my TALENT.. I think.”
“What?!” She looked like she was shorting lasers out of her eyes. That glare. Stop it already.
“I’ll explain, I’ll explain during breakfast. Ladies first, go take a bath,” I pointed in the direction of the shower.
She growled.
[4]
Breakfast.
First of all, I would like to point out the fact that the television isn’t on. That’s a first. It’s so impossibly rare for my sister to take interest in something more than her favourite cartoon, which plays on loop. I don’t get why she would rewatch the same episode over and over again over the course of a week.
Novelle was staring at Liliath.
Mother was doing the same.
Liliath was staring at me— it looked more like pleading though.
I faked a cough.
“Um, introductions. I guess mom will start? Then Novelle then Liliath then last is me,” I don’t get why I need Liliath to hear me introduce myself twice. Oh well, for formality sake.
“I’m Diana, Noel and Novelle’s mom. Pleased to meet you Liliath,” my mom said.
“I’m Novelle… this person’s little sister.. Are you really, really a Princess?”
Novelle’s introduction gets a failing mark— I guess.
Liliath nodded deeply, then stood up, “Princess Liliath the fourth of Toren Kingdom. Pleased to make an acquaintance,” she curtsied. Ah.. beautiful. The one-piece fitted her alright, though it was a little loose. Her cleavage was kinda visible. Oh, did I mention she wasn’t flat-chested? I was thinking, ‘that’ was what cushioned my fall last night.. did I actually just think of that?
“Big brother actually summoned you?”
“Yes, that is true Novelle-sama.”
Wait. Hold up. She just assented reality with a straight face— isn’t she any way surprised that she just got isekaied? Moreover, Liliath is a Princess, a freaking royalty. Sama is an honorific for those ranking above them right? It’s not like we’re THAT high right?
My sister cracked a laugh.
Confused, Liliath sat back down, I then proceeded with my simple, crude introduction as the person who summoned Liliath.
Liliath, who didn’t know how to chopstick— obviously, was provided with a metal spoon. The moment she brought the food to her mouth, she started crying.
“Liliath? What’s wrong dear?”
Wow, that’s a crazy affectionate line coming from my mom there.
“No.. It’s just,” her words were drowned by her sniffle, “It’s been so long..”
“There. there.” My mom got up from her seat and proceeded to soothe her by rubbing her back.
Novelle looked on with a worried face.
Which reminds me. I don’t think anyone knows about her past. I’m sure it’s not the right time to talk about it.. though I wonder how she became a slave in the first place?
Breakfast was finished in a flash— I found out that Liliath is a freaking glutton. About time I should explain my TALENT to everyone.
I brought out my phone, Liliath stared at it. I showed my mom and Novelle the cutesy app. The little devil bawled out laughing.
Please.. I know the icon sucks. I wish it wasn’t a picture of some girl. Can’t the developers at least make it anime or cartoonish or something? Why not a simple logo?
I tapped into it and showed them the two options. GACHA and SHOP.
“The gacha was how I summoned Liliath.”
“Unable to read this language.”
“Unable to?”
Ah, typical language cliché— Liliath can converse without any problems though?
My sister’s hand snuck over and tapped in the gacha button. My phone blacked out.
“Huh?”
My phone returned to the home screen.
When my sister tried to access the app, the same thing happened. It was the same for my mom. Looks like only I’m able to use the app?
Then this might possibly be my TALENT after all.
My sister puffed her checks. Looks like she really wanted to roll it once. Too bad I don’t have any gacha tickets, so even if she could use the app, she wouldn’t be able to do so.
Besides that, I found that Liliath could use the app without crashing the phone. I guess that much is explainable, she’s my summon after all.
Then I showed everyone the shop function. To my surprise, I found the tab for Liliath’s section now unlocked.
She seemed to have recognized her own name and tapped on it. A list of items appeared, different from the main shop. There were skill books like language comprehension, magic skills, and the likes. I also saw various magic tools like a wand and beautiful accessories that I believe are catalysts.
“Do you recognize these?” I held the phone up to Liliath.
She nodded, scrolling the list.
The items were also a lot cheaper than the main shop. The language comprehension skill book costs 50 points. I think I should prioritize that. I think.
“Mom. I asked if I could skip school just now so..”
“The school year has ended, hasn’t it?” My mom gave me consent with a serious nod.
Alright! I don’t need to see the face of that fatso. I don’t mind missing the year-end party hosted by the class. I’m not involved in it anyways.
“No fair! I don’t want to go to school too!”
Ha. Sorry, Little Miss Devil, there’s no way that's going to happen.
My mom smiled softly and caressed Novelle’s hair.
“Hm?!”
Hearing Liliath murmur an exclaim, I bent over to look at my phone. Apparently, it was an item that cost over a thousand points. A Philosopher's Stone. There’s also Adamantite, Mythril and Orichalcum. Talk about fantasy— I wonder how much these would sell for in real life. These metals shouldn’t even exist!?
The conclusion I came to is that Liliath’s item shop consists of items from her world. That’s convenient in many ways.
“Noel.. sama, these items.. are obtainable.. through this?” Liliath’s gaze was affixed to the screen of my phone.
“Should be,” Most probably. I mean, I could summon a girl, so..
“These hearts?” Liliath’s pointed at the top corner. She does make a good point. How exactly do I get these points (hearts)?
“Completing tasks?” I took a detour and accessed the quest board located just below the point section.
There I saw some Liliath specific quests.
“...”
Yeah..
This app. These quests. Hah.. just why.
Sensing my silence, my sister raised her body to peek at my phone. I pulled it away from her sight.
“What is that!? Lemme see!”
“Uh. No,” no way.
My mom gave me an odd look.
I’m sooo lucky Liliath can’t read this world’s language. Else I think I would’ve died— figuratively.
So what Liliath specific quests did I see?
The list went something like this.
===
Current Points: 50
Quests: Gaining affection:
===Catch Liliath naked. 50P
Kiss Liliath. 200P
...
Quests: Introduction:
Spend two hours together with Liliath. 10P
Do an activity that requires teamwork with Liliath. 20P
...
Quests: Gaining trust:
Hold Liliath’s hands. 50P
Have Liliath follow an order given. 10P
...
Quests: Utilization:
Have Liliath use magic. 10P
Have Liliath attack an enemy. 20P
...
Quests will be refreshed daily. Quests that have been completed will be prioritized, else the user can select up to 1 quest per category to remove. (removed quests will be refreshed the next day)
Max quest for each category: 1 (Upgradable)
===
Um.. so that’s where my 50 points come from...
Liliath was peeking at the phone over my shoulder. Heck. I shouldn’t let her see this. But.. but— Ugh.. I’ll think of a way to talk to her about this later. I can’t possibly complete these quests without her cooperation.
I shut off my phone, shoved it in my pocket, took my plates and retreated to the sink.
The three of them looked at me in wonder.
[5]
Well, I’m sure the explanation of my TALENT isn’t all that satisfactory. I told them to ask if they have any more questions. Not that I’ll give an explanation to every single one of my sister’s.
My mom was kind enough to let me off the hook, even though she didn’t get the full explanation over every detail. Fact was, even I didn’t understand much of my TALENT. I learnt about it just yesterday.
I also warned them to keep my TALENT a secret. If people found out that I could create items out of thin air— items that don’t even exist in this world that is— I can’t imagine what would happen to me.
This was something my mother was in agreement with— but she did say that I should be placed under government protection. I didn’t get much of what she meant.
My imagination ran amok— the scene of people asking me to open a shop that sells them a pet girlfriend watered my brain.
Since I’m skipping school. I guess I’ll help out with the laundry.
I carried the dirty clothing bucket outside the bathroom, to the alcove where the washing machine was at. Fanning the clothes one by one, I dropped them into the rolling tub.
Oh, did I mention my back? It still hurts. I totally forgot about it. I need to tell my mom about it.. I hope my spine is alright.
My dirtied bed sheets were tossed in as well.
The rag Liliath wore was tossed away. I don’t see it together with our clothes— obviously.
Speaking of clothes, Liliath does need clothes that she can call her own.
As I was busy with the clothes when I noticed a presence. I turned to the corridor to see Liliath standing there.
“Diana-sama and Novelle-sama had left.”
“Got it.”
My sister’s school was located a distance away, so it was inevitable that my mom would have to drive her over. The last thing I saw was a sulking devil— made my day.
“Ah, Liliath. Please stop adding -sama to our names. First of all, we don’t use honorifics like those in our country. Moreover, I’m not some big shot.”
Liliath stiffened. I dropped the last piece of clothing in. Should I have spoken less harshly? I didn’t know.
“Is it because of a cultural difference in your world?” I’ve read a good number of light novels where calling people directly without the use of honorifics was a sign that two individuals have an extremely close relationship to one another: A couple, or something like that.
Liliath nodded.
“Then again.. don’t you find it weird that I just call you Liliath?”
“Noel-sama is who summoned me.”
“Hm...” Stiff. The way she spoke was weirding me out a little. She’s a Princess, right? Or could it be that she’s a sudden existence with an illusionary backstory? I know there are stories that revolve around summoned creatures that don’t have a past but for some reason understand the world clearly, “Liliath, how old are you?”
“I don’t know.”
Don’t know huh..
“Are you not.. scared? Shocked? I mean, if it were me, If I were suddenly summoned, I’d probably still be shocked. It’s not normal for people to suddenly appear in another world, you know?”
“Is that so?” she tilted her head, causing velvet strands of hair to tangle on her shoulder.
“Wait. You said something about a hero right? Are summoning rituals normal in your world?”
“Yes. It is commonplace.. for heroes to be summoned. To resolve conflict in the world.”
Ah. So that’s why she’s so calm. I mean, if I lived in a world where summoning was the norm then— being summoned would fall in line with a similar expectation.
“Just so you know, summoning isn’t a normal thing here. I think you're the first person to ever cross into our world,” I think I’m correct about this point. I’ve heard of people possessing TALENTS that allow them to summon spirits, spectres, intelligent creatures, but summoning a person from another world is unprecedented.
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“It’s a duty for those who have been summoned to serve the summoner,” when she said that, it made me wonder if anyone from our world disappeared to their side. I don’t pay attention to the news.
I popped open the soap container and fed the washing machine two scoops of detergent. “Has there been instances of people from your world suddenly summoned to a different place?”
“No. The act of crossing between worlds has happened on numerous occasions before. Such is possible when the hero acquires a skill that allows him to return to his world after defeating the d-demon lord.”
I closed the lid of the washing machine, turned on the switch and let it do its magic. Liliath was looking at the process as if a kid who saw a flower for the first time.
And I noticed a fact about her, though it’s just speculation since I barely know her—Liliath doesn’t really talk that much does she? She answers questions I throw at her but that’s about it. She doesn’t randomly shoot questions about the many gizmos in the house she has probably never seen before. Well.. besides things that interest her of course.
“Liliath. Do you not want to return home?”
She stood there silently.
“It’s alright if you don..”
“No. I am not a welcomed existence in my world.”
“Oh.. I see..”
I honestly don’t think this is a mere summon. Liliath is a person, a living, breathing person. She’s like everyone else, a human being upholding personal rights. I don’t think treating her like some utility pet is appropriate.
She bowed gracefully, and then stared right at me.
“I’ll be in your care— Master.”
And she dropped a bomb.
===
“This world is peaceful,” Lilith murmured.
“It is. Our world is most probably the same as yours. The difference is that the era of kingdoms has already passed… and minus the magic.”
“Era of kingdoms?”
“Yeah...”
I doubt she’d understand.
I sat down— and a pain shot through my spine.
FUCK.
“W-What’s wrong?”
“It’s just my back,” yup. I totally forgot about that. Darn, why did it have to hurt now of all times? Ugh.. it’s killing me. Looks like the adrenaline wore off.
Liliath stretched her hands out.
“What are you doing?”
She started chanting an aria.
“..Heal.”
A warm fuzzy feeling wrapped around my being. The warmth spread to my back, and the pain went away in a snap.
Wait. Did she just cast Heal?! She can use magic?! Oh fuck of course she can use magic— but in this world too?!
I honestly have no idea how I should react. I mean.. I’ve been healed by the nurse at school quite often, though the feeling was different..
“Does your back still hurt?”
I stretched my body side to side, totally good. No pain whatsoever.
If my hypothesis is correct, concurring the fact that she was able to utilize healing magic, on top of the fact that she came from a typical fantasy setting-like world— the chances of her being able to utilize magic of other elements are pretty high. That’s unless she’s from the kind where each person only possesses one class of magic. Then that would suck.
Then again, my instincts are telling me she’s capable of using all kinds of magic. She’s a five star summon after all.
“No. Thank you, really, thank you Liliath.”
She smiled meekly at my reply. A beautiful smile.
Gosh, now that I’ve had a proper look at her, she’s cuuuute beyond measure. A different cute when compared to my sister but cute nevertheless.
Her velvet coloured hair is the most attractive feature about her. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone with that colour of hair— except in games. That said, everyone normally grows up having black hair, or blonde, or auburn— if you rule out Prune, that is.
“How should I repay you..”
I was debating between getting the language comprehension skill book and not. There’s only one of its kind— moreover, I have the adequate points to afford it. Moreover, moreover, it would assist her in many ways if she could bypass the language barrier. Moreover, moreover, moreover, she had just patched me up.
However— that would mean she would become able to read the quest details.
Ah, whatever. If I get an affirmation for her cooperation, it would be a ton easier to complete the daily quests. It would be plenty troublesome if I try to hide my intentions each time, knowing that I’m ‘using’ her for my own benefit. My conscience is screaming at me.
I opened up the cutesy app again and went to the store. I scrolled the list to find the language comprehension skill book. On the way, I noticed a number of other similar books like ‘Common Sense I’ and ‘Common Sense II’ all the way to ‘Common Sense V’. The price doubles for each tier, the first one costing 200. I assume everything she needs to know about this world can be acquired through these skill books?
“Here. Tap this here,” I pointed at the buy button..
She did as told and a book appeared mid-air. Like— poof. There wasn’t any dramatic smoke effect or special sound effect but it felt that way. Could it be because I had my phone on mute?
The book landed on her thighs.
“This is for me?” She held the book in her hands, sounding incredulous.
“It’s for you. A language comprehension skill book.”
I was about to ask how exactly skill books work when— she tore the book and ate the pages. The cover included.
“My apologies for the rude behaviour and utmost gratitude for the snack,” she blushed. She freaking blushed because she was eating a book like a sandwich?! That’s wrong on so many levels..
“Uh.. nevermind..”
She nibbled away at the book, glancing at me ever so often. I wonder if it tastes like sweets. She looked like she was really enjoying the taste.
[6]
Downing the book that was pretty much the size of a typical dictionary, I gave her an excerpt to read. As expected, she was able to understand the text without any issues. Just that, it was limited to the knowledge she knew. Things like atoms and photons— that only made her flash a puzzled expression.
The task for today would be to assign her a few books she should start reading— namely those in regards to Year 8 material. Or should I start with primary school level subjects?
Also, after eating the book, she became able to write in our language. Huh, such an OP item for the cost of 50 points? Totally worth my money.
Liliath was from an educational background, so she had knowledge in aspects of the geography and history of her kingdom, economics, literature, etiquette, magic and basic maths.
Science didn’t exist for her until now.
Which was a bummer because a lot of what she had learnt wouldn’t be all that useful here.
That said, she was serious about learning everything she needed to know about this world.
“This is.. necessary curriculum for all citizens?” Liliath raised a question.
“I suppose it’s different from your world but yeah. Everyone has the opportunity to study. It’s mandatory.”
She fell deep in thought.
I assigned her a basic mathematics exercise book and a basic science reference book. I’ll teach her when I have free time, the point for today would be explaining the gist and purposes of each subject, though I’m sure everyone agrees that this education is basically useless except for the purpose of passing the exams—
But I have to at least make it sound presentable right? Science so that we understand our surroundings— maths so that we can calculate our money so that we don’t fall into debt..
She soaked everything I said in like a sponge, which was quite a surprise— or not. She’s a princess after all.
“Excuse me N-Noel. I have a request,” she raised her right hand. I suppose that’s how she treats her tutor back in her world?
“What is it?”
“May I see the quest section of the fone?”
“Fone..” she meant phone.
Um. What did she just say? She wanted to see the quest board?
“W-why would you want that?”
“The heart points are acquired through completing quests, am I not wrong?”
Hahaha. Haha. Ha.
She’s sharp.
Really sharp.
“Alright. But prepare your eyes,” I gulped. It’s now or never. I’ll have to show it to her someday so I better just get along with it.
“Prepare my eyes?”
I tapped into the app and placed it on the table, my hands are literally shaking.
Curse this.
Liliath crawled over, her gorgeous velvet hair spilling over the table. Moving her delicate fingers she accessed the shop— she didn’t go right up to the quest board but scrolled down the item list in the store. Her eyes widened, narrowing to a slit for a brief moment as she continued on. She saw something.
Her lips were tilted a little. It’s the first time I’ve seen her like this since yesterday.
She finished scrolling the short item list and reached over to the quest board.
Tap.
...
..
.
She stared at the screen with hallowed eyes.
“Um.. Liliath?”
Biting her lips, her cheeks progressively reddened.
She turned to me, face all red, eyes watery.
“I-I’m sorry?” I said.
I’m sorry I say?! Heck! I don’t even know what I should say— I mean I yeah. It’s not nice to bring up the fact that I saw her naked this morning. And that action of mine was what allowed me to buy her that language comprehension skill book but.. but... SHE ASKED FOR THIS HERSELF!!
I thought she would explode but instead— she crawled over to the base of the couch and rolled up into a ball. Her knees cushioning her face.
...
Great.
The sound of the shuttering gate broke the awkward silence.
I left Liliath as was, hopefully she’ll be alright— not my fault— and walked to the garage where my mom parked the car. She brought groceries with her.
I helped her carry those into the house, noticing Liliath who had apparently calmed down. She wanted to help but was declined by my mom since there wasn’t all that much to carry.
After that was arranging the grocery items into the cabinets and refrigerator— all the while with Liliath curiously observing our actions. Yeah, don’t think she has anything like a fridge in her world.
Wait..
“Liliath, what do you usually do in your free time?” I asked. I just realized that Liliath had been following me or my mom around as if she were there to assist if there were any issues that would crop up. She hadn’t really rested since she arrived here, hadn’t she?
“I.. don’t remember..”
“Oh..”
I shouldn’t have asked that, shouldn’t I?
“T-Tea?” she said, “I remember enjoying tea?”
“Alright. Though our house doesn’t have anything like a parlour, we have tea at least.”
More accurately, instant tea, tea bags. I popped two from a fresh box that my mom got and boiled water using an electric kettle. All Liliath does is stare, It's kinda unnerving. Maybe it’s because she was an ex-slave? That would explain her behaviour. She’s treating me like her master or something— not good. Darn, I’m so insensitive.
I got two cups and placed a tea bag in each. Afterwards, I poured the hot water on it and let it steep.
“Could this perhaps be tea?” Liliath asked, looking into the cup while I beckoned her to take a seat at the dining table. My mom was peeking at us from the living room— GO DO SOMETHING ELSE!!
“It’s tea, conveniently packaged. All we need to do is add water. I’m not sure what kind of tea you prefer but I hope Earl Grey is alright with you?”
“Any tea is fine.. thank you.”
She stared into the cup, the brownish tea extract diffusing throughout the water like wisps of heavy smoke.
I sat there, waiting. I peeked over to the living room to find my mom no longer stalking us.
Then I looked to Liliath.
“When will the tea be ready?” she asked.
“Just a little longer.”
She nodded.
“Liliath. If you don’t mind asking, you said you were a slave before this right?”
“Un,” her crestfallen look pained my heart. If she had fluffy wolf ears like Prune, I could imagine seeing it droop.
“What happened? You were a Princess weren’t you?” logically, a Princess falling into slavery sounds cliché— an impossible development, unless she came from a story-like world.
Her eyes swam about.
Looks like she doesn’t want to talk about it?
“Do you want to um.. talk about it? It’s alright if you don’t feel comfortable telling me about it. There’s always next time.”
She nodded, her head hung low.
“The tea should be ready,” I bobbed the tea bag up and down, pulling on the string.
Liliath grabbed both ends of the cup, feeling the warmth of the ceramic. Doesn’t it burn her hand? She bent over and gave it a gentle blow. After which she took a sip similar to how one would drink a mug of cocoa during winter.
She placed the tea back on the table. I noticed her body sway. She was trying to keep herself awake.
“Are you tired?” Heck, of course she is, do I even need to ask?
“A little,” her droopy voice replied.
“I’ll go get the pillow.”
She didn’t say anything so I got up.
The conclusion was a Liliath laying there on the couch, under a blanket, fast asleep.
This whole following the master’s order kinda thing has to stop. I think she doesn’t notice that she’s doing it instinctively or— no. If I were to suddenly be dropped in a situation where I’m in the care of another, abiding by their rules is an appropriate response.
I guess she feels insecure? Whatever it is, I’m in no position to order her around. Then again.. she is my summon.
