The road leading from the Crimsonwood Jungle to the town was long and uneven.
Renji leaned heavily on the stick the tiger had given him. Each step felt like dragging his body through fire.
Crunch.
Dry leaves cracked beneath his feet.
His legs trembled violently.
"Just… a little further…" he muttered under his breath.
The tiger's magic had healed his outer wounds, but the deeper damage remained. Every movement sent sharp pain shooting through his bones.
Still, he kept walking.
The trees gradually became thinner as he left the jungle behind. Soon the dirt path widened, and the town walls came into view.
Or rather—
The place where walls should have been.
Renji squinted.
"…Wait."
He stopped for a moment, confused.
"There's no wall?"
In his world, towns were always surrounded by gates and barriers. But here, the settlement simply blended into the surrounding land.
Houses stood openly along the road. Market stalls were already being set up.
"…That's strange," Renji murmured.
He continued forward slowly.
As he entered the town, people began to notice him.
A wounded boy.
Covered in dried blood.
Walking with a stick.
Some townsfolk whispered quietly.
"Hey… look at that kid."
"Did he come out of the jungle?"
"Impossible… no one survives a night in there."
Renji heard them, but he was too tired to respond.
Something else caught his attention instead.
At one of the stalls, a merchant lifted several fruits into the air using faint magic. The fruits floated briefly before disappearing into a small glowing pouch.
Renji blinked.
"…What?"
He stared.
Another person placed tools into a tiny cloth bag. The bag glowed faintly, then shrank slightly as if absorbing the items.
"…Pocket storage magic…?" Renji whispered.
He had never seen anything like it before.
For a moment, he almost forgot the pain in his body.
"This world really is different…"
But suddenly—
The warmth inside his body vanished.
The tiger's magic had completely faded.
"Agh—!"
A sharp pain exploded through his legs.
His body lost balance instantly.
Renji collapsed to the ground.
Thud.
His reopened wounds tore apart again, blood slowly seeping through his clothes.
He clenched his teeth.
"Damn it…"
He tried pushing himself up, but his arms shook violently.
"How am I supposed to reach the guild like this…?"
He looked ahead.
At the end of the street stood a large stone building.
A wooden sign hung above its entrance.
Adventurers Guild
"…There…"
Renji forced himself to stand.
One step.
Then another.
Each movement felt worse than the last.
But he refused to stop.
By midday, the sun burned high above the town.
Outside the guild building, a young woman knelt beside a small garden.
She gently watered the flowers planted along the stone path.
Rika Aihara hummed quietly to herself.
Her silver watering can sparkled under the sunlight.
She tilted it carefully, letting droplets fall onto the soil.
Then—
She noticed something.
A figure stumbling down the street.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Huh?"
The closer the figure came, the more familiar it looked.
"…Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"RENJI?!"
She immediately dropped the watering can and ran toward him.
"What happened to you?!"
Renji barely managed to look up.
His vision blurred.
"Rika…?"
She grabbed his shoulders quickly.
"Why are you covered in blood?! And where's that girl from the forest?! What happened yesterday?!"
Her voice was filled with panic.
Renji tried to answer.
But his strength was fading.
"It's… it's a long story…"
His legs finally gave out.
His body collapsed forward.
But before he hit the ground—
Rika caught him.
"Renji!"
She held him tightly, lowering him gently onto her lap.
Her expression was filled with shock.
His breathing was weak.
His body felt dangerously cold.
"How long has he been like this…?" she whispered.
She quickly examined his injuries.
Her face turned pale.
"Both legs… broken…?"
His muscles were torn apart.
His body was severely damaged.
"This is catastrophic…"
She clenched her teeth.
Without hesitation, she stood up and lifted Renji into her arms.
Despite his height, she carried him with surprising ease.
"I can't treat this here…"
She rushed inside the guild building.
Several adventurers turned their heads.
"Whoa—what happened?"
"Is that the kid from yesterday?"
Rika ignored them.
"Move!"
Her voice was sharp and commanding.
The adventurers stepped aside immediately.
She ran straight through the hall and out the back entrance toward her home.
A short time later, she gently laid Renji on her bed.
Her house was small.
Simple.
Just enough space for one person.
The living room sat at the center. The entrance faced east, while the bedroom lay directly opposite.
To the north was a small kitchen.
To the south, a storage room.
Rika knelt beside the bed and carefully examined Renji's injuries again.
"…How could this happen?"
Her fingers moved carefully along his legs.
Both were broken.
The damage was severe.
Even worse—
His muscles had been ripped apart.
She took a slow breath.
"I'll have to try…"
Rika placed one hand near his head and the other near his feet.
Her expression grew serious.
She closed her eyes.
Then she began chanting.
"Let the divine angel of health and humanity come to know these circumstances…"
Her voice echoed softly through the quiet room.
"…and grant me the power to recover unhealed wounds."
A faint glow began forming around her hands.
"HEAL!"
A bright green light spread across Renji's body.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
His external wounds began to close.
Blood dried.
Cuts disappeared.
Bruises faded.
But Rika frowned.
"…The bones…"
They were too badly damaged.
Her magic couldn't fully repair them.
Still—
She continued.
For hours.
By the time the sun began to descend in the sky, Renji finally stirred.
"Mm…"
His eyes slowly opened.
He looked around weakly.
"…Miss Rika…?"
Rika immediately leaned closer.
"You're awake."
Her voice softened.
"You're at my home."
Renji blinked slowly.
"…Your home…?"
He tried to sit up.
Pain immediately shot through his body.
"Agh—!"
Rika quickly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't move."
Her tone was firm.
"Your injuries are serious."
Renji slowly relaxed again.
Then he sighed.
"…Man…"
"What is happening to my life…?"
He stared at the ceiling.
"I just wanted to go home from school…"
Rika tilted her head slightly.
"…School?"
Renji covered his face with his arm.
"This world is insane."
Rika studied him quietly for a moment.
Then she spoke.
"…Renji."
Her voice was calm.
"But there's something I need to tell you."
Renji slowly turned his head.
"…What?"
Rika smiled faintly.
"I knew your father."
Renji's eyes widened.
"…What?"
"I'm talking about Yamamoto-sensei."
Her voice carried a hint of nostalgia.
"He told me about you a long time ago."
Renji stared at her in disbelief.
"You… knew my dad?"
Rika nodded gently.
"I was only five years old back then."
"…So I don't remember everything clearly."
She looked down slightly.
"But I do remember one thing."
Her expression became serious.
"Your father said… one day you would come here."
Renji's mind froze.
"…Wait."
"What?"