The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Kannazuki Sora, a high school student, was on his way home. While walking, he noticed a strange particle floating nearby. "What is that thing?" he wondered. Driven by curiosity, he followed it until it disappeared into an alley.
"It disappeared? What was that? Well, I guess it's time to go home," Sora muttered, turning to leave.
As Sora stepped out of the alley, he immediately sensed that something was off. Surrounding him were people - some of whom were clearly demi-humans - alongside old-fashioned houses and horse-drawn carriages. "What is this place? Am I hallucinating?" He rubbed his eyes but quickly realized he wasn't imagining things.
Determined to understand his situation, Sora began to explore the area. While walking, an unfamiliar voice spoke directly into his mind, as if through telepathy. "Come and follow..."
"Eh?!" Sora exclaimed, looking around frantically, but seeing no one nearby. "There's no one here..."
The voice spoke again: "Come and follow..." Sora spotted the strange particle once more. "It's that particle again. Is it telling me to follow?" he murmured to himself.
The particle led him to a distant grassland, far from the village. As it glowed intensely, a flash of light revealed a goddess before him. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elyria, a goddess," she said in a calm and otherworldly voice.
"I'm Kannazuki Sora. Did you bring me to this strange world?" he asked, still trying to process the situation.
"Accidentally, yes. You followed the particle, and it brought you to this world," she explained.
"So, my actions caused this... But what should I do now? I don't know anything about this place," Sora muttered, uncertainty clouding his thoughts.
"Don't worry, Sora. I've already bestowed my blessing upon you. What happens next is up to you," the goddess replied as her body began to glow. Slowly, she transformed back into the glowing particle and vanished.
"It's up to me now, huh..." Sora said to himself. He then noticed something in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out gold coins. "Gold coins? Did the goddess give me these?" After a brief pause, he decided to head back to the village.
Sora spotted a food stall nearby and made his way towards it. "Excuse me. I'd like three of these and one of that too," Sora said, purchasing some food.
"Excuse me again... is there anywhere around here I could stay for the night?" he asked the stall owner.
"There's an inn just over there. You'll recognize it by the sign out front," the stall owner replied, gesturing toward the direction.
"Thanks," Sora said gratefully as he headed toward the inn.
Upon entering the cozy wooden inn, the aroma of baked bread and warm stew enveloped him. At the front counter stood a middle-aged woman, wiping a mug with a clean cloth. "Excuse me," Sora called as he approached. "I'd like to stay here, but I'm not really sure how things work."
The woman looked up and smiled warmly. "First time in an inn, huh? Don't worry, dear. A standard room is five silver coins per night, which includes dinner and breakfast."
"Five silver..." Sora said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the gold coins he had found earlier. "I only have gold coins. Will that work?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Gold? That will do just fine! One gold coin equals ten silver, so I'll give you five silver coins back."
She took one of the gold coins, placed it in a small wooden box behind the counter, and handed Sora five silver coins. "Here's your key. Room two, up the stairs and to the left. Dinner is served in the common room at sundown. If you need a bath, just let me know."
"Thank you," Sora said, bowing slightly in gratitude.
"Rest well, young man," she replied kindly as he headed towards the stairs, still trying to wrap his mind around this strange new world. "I'm exhausted... First, I end up in a strange world, and then I met a goddess who says she accidentally brought me here. There's no use thinking about it now. Time to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll figure out where to go from here." With that, Sora closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.