In this otherworldly land, Mika encountered an orc—none other than Kanou, a regular customer at the supermarket.

In his right hand was a butterfly net, and in his left, a birdcage. His impressive, rotund figure likely weighed over 100 kilograms.

Though startled by his unmistakably massive frame, Mika approached without fear.

“What are you doing here, Kanou-kun? Aren’t you usually with your mom?”

“W-w-well, I’m not a kid forever! I’m already in high school!”

“Then what’s a high schooler doing here on a Tuesday?”

“…Crap.”

Kanou hunched his large frame, avoiding her gaze.

Kanou was the son of one of Mika’s friends, whom she had met through elementary school PTA meetings. He lived in an apartment complex a bit far from her home, but she had heard he’d been struggling with high school lately, skipping classes often.

On his days off, he was a kind boy who went shopping with his mom and helped carry the bags. Mika had run into him at his house a few times, though they’d never really talked beyond greetings.

“Kanou-kun, I heard your mom got called in because you caused trouble here. Is that true?”

“Called in…? Caused trouble? Wh-what are you talking about? I was just here for the angels— AAAAAH! Auntie, watch out!”

Suddenly, Kanou moved behind Mika, threw aside the birdcage, and gripped the butterfly net with both hands, ready to strike.

His gaze was fixed on Zurah and Gatt.

“H-here they come, the giant lizards! Auntie, stay behind me!”

“Huh? Oh my— Kanou-kun, wait a second!”

“I’ll hold them off here! You run through that door to the other world!”

Kanou tightened his grip on the net.

Panicked, Mika used the rake in her hand to pin down the net and shouted:

“Just hold on a minute!”

Kanou froze, stunned as Mika restrained him. She quickly called out to Zurah and Gatt, who had been rushing over, and asked them to wait at a distance.

Then, Mika took the butterfly net from Kanou.

“Alright, let’s set this aside. We need to talk.”

First, they needed to understand each other’s situations.

Kanou had first arrived in this world two days ago, on Sunday morning. On his way back from buying snacks at a convenience store, his eyes caught a dilapidated shrine he usually ignored.

Lately, his grades at school hadn’t improved as much as he’d hoped, and even after nearly a year since starting high school, he had no friends to hang out with on weekends. On days when he felt too overwhelmed to go, he’d learned to fake headaches or slight fevers to skip.

But deep down, he knew running away wasn’t the answer. I have to find a way to go to school… That thought only added to the pressure.

Passing through the shrine’s torii gate, he pulled out a few one-yen coins from his wallet and tossed them into the offering box. Closing his eyes, he clasped his hands together.

“Uh, well… Please let my grades improve.”

When he opened his eyes, he noticed a small key with a red ribbon lying beside the offering box.

Picking it up, he wondered what to do—then his gaze fell on a small shrine behind the box, its lattice door fitted with a keyhole.

“Is this the key for it?”

Curious about what was inside, he inserted the key and turned it. With a click, the door opened—revealing not an enshrined object, but an impossible space beyond. Light streamed through the trees, illuminating Kanou’s face.

“…Another world.”

The kind of unreal scenery he had only read about in novels now lay before him.

An opportunity beyond his wildest dreams.

There was no choice but to step through that door.