プロローグ だが断る
Prologue: But I Refuse
But I Refuse.
Light overflowed from a typical apartment room. The intensity of the light burst from the house's window, pushing aside even sunlight and casting shadows around. However, no one reacted to it...
“Alright, I’ll go after him too,” said the beautiful woman who had emitted the light, disappearing from the room.
And in that room, only the sound of the game he was playing remained...
“Well then, shall I continue?” The man from earlier, gripping the controller, was playing the game again.
Huh? Why isn't this going as expected? What nonsense are you talking about?
If there's anyone who would willingly follow someone who just holds out their palm and says, 'I'm about to do something,' I'd like to know them.
The trick is simple: when I play games, I always make sure there's a table between me and the TV. Wireless controllers nowadays are so convenient, aren't they? Back then, you couldn't get much distance because of the cords.
Oh, right, the continuation. When that beautiful woman (the trespasser) arrived, our positions were initially: she was on the TV side of the table, and I was on the sofa side of the table.
Then, when I called 110, the woman came over to stop me, and I put even more distance between us.
At this point, our initial positions were reversed.
Then, I ducked under the table to avoid the flash of light from the beautiful woman's hand. It was the moment the 'under-the-table' universal theory was established.
It was proven here that it's effective for more than just earthquakes.
I calmly continued to enjoy my day off.
Some of you might wonder why I didn't run away. But think about it carefully. This is someone who suddenly appeared in a locked house. Even if I assume I wouldn't be immediately caught if I ran, if they're fixated on me personally, there's no way to completely escape.
In other words, if they come again, I'll listen to what they have to say. If they give up after this, I can just go back to my normal life.
Call the police? Come on, try saying, 'A woman suddenly appeared in my room!!' You'd definitely be sent to a hospital or labeled a prankster.
I continued playing the game for a while. The clock pointed to 12, and the wall clock began to chime. I'm particular about my wall clock.
“Food... cook... or eat out...”
It was a very vexing problem. If I were at work, eating out (including convenience stores) would be the only option.
But currently, I'm at home on a day off. I think there are few adult men in Japan today who can't cook. Actually, I think most can cook even during their student days.
I absolutely refuse to call 'just add hot water and wait three minutes' cooking.
When living alone, considering ingredient costs and efficiency, cooking at home and eating out are pretty much even.
But then I remembered the decisive factor.
“Big brother, please eat this.”
I had received *oshinko* (pickles) from the Grandma next door, who lived in the same apartment building.
The *oshinko* made by this Grandma was a clean hit for my taste buds. The exquisite saltiness made it perfect to eat as is, as a side dish for rice, with *ochazuke*, or as a snack with drinks!!
But *oshinko* alone isn't enough. No, if I have *oshinko*, the side dishes I'll make are practically decided.
“Miso soup, salted grilled salmon, *tamagoyaki*, and nori.”
Yes, a traditional Japanese meal. Natto is my preference for either breakfast or dinner.
The rice just needs the switch to be flipped. I already have miso soup, and eggs and nori are fine.
“I guess I’ll go buy some salmon.”
It's incredibly helpful that single-serving slices are sold these days.
And so, I left the apartment with my wallet, smartphone, and keys.
“Tch, it hurt that two slices were completely cheaper than buying one. I ended up buying them.”
After buying green onions and other condiments in front of the apartment, I glared resentfully at the bag.
Yes, two slices of salmon were overwhelmingly more economical than one.
It's common for buying two to give you 10% off the original price. This time, it was 80% off.
As I entered my home, debating whether to eat both slices myself or invite the Grandma next door...
“To think you avoided it...”
The beautiful trespasser from the beginning was standing there, arms akimbo.
In other words, it's safe to say I can't escape after all.
The woman extended her hand towards me, just as she had before.
“I won’t miss this time.”
Indeed, this time I probably wouldn't be able to avoid the flash of light from her palm.
So...
“I’m going to eat, so move aside. Have you had lunch yet?”
“Eh, no, I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“Perfect, I bought a lot because it was cheap. I’ll listen to what you have to say, so eat.”
Saying that, I headed to the kitchen.
“Here, just sit on the sofa over there.”
“Ah, yes.”
She obediently went to the sofa.
When faced with unexpected actions, humans tend to react slowly or become unable to make sound judgments.
Whether she was human or not could be set aside for now.
And after the meal...
“Thank you for the meal. Did you make those *oshinko*?”
“No, the Grandma next door shared them with me. They’re delicious, aren’t they?”
“They were delicious, but I understand now. That taste is the result of years of experience.”
“Right. Here’s some tea.”
“Ah, thank you.”
We both sipped our tea (hot tea, mind you)... Well, time to get to the main topic.
“So, we had a deal for me to listen to you, didn’t we?”
My apologies, but I'm not polite enough to use honorifics, whether the trespasser is a beautiful woman, a monster, or even a god.
“Ah, yes, that’s right!! I forgot!!”
This one's hopeless.
“There’s no need to move just to talk, so I’ll listen here.”
I made sure to preempt her before she could use another flash of light for teleportation or something.
“Hmph, so you’ve finally given up. Very well, I’ll tell you.”
Completely condescending. As expected, these types of beautiful women are never any good.
Unaware of my thoughts, she stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and pointed at me.
“You are to go to another world, operate a dungeon, and maintain the balance of that world!!”
I wasn't flustered by those words; it was pretty much as I expected. When these kinds of non-humans talk without causing harm, it's usually something like this.
And she continued.
“You can no longer return to this world, but you will bring order to another world with just your body!!”
Yeah, I can't just let that slide.
“But I refuse!!”
Who would abandon their current life?
“EHHHHHHHHHHH!?”
A surprised voice echoed. But there was nothing surprising about it at all.