Leo stared at the glowing screen of his phone, irritation already forming on his face.
Chibi crossed his tiny arms confidently inside the display.
"Oh," Chibi said, eyes sparkling, "I found something interesting."
Leo immediately leaned closer. "What is it?"
"A food," Chibi replied dramatically, "that doesn't taste like sand."
Leo froze.
For a moment, he thought he misheard.
"…What?"
"A miracle," Chibi said proudly. "Its name is Void Roots."
Leo almost cried from relief.
"WHERE DO I FIND IT?"
Chibi raised one finger. "Before that, you must know something important. Void Roots are… intoxicated."
Leo blinked. "Intoxicated?"
"Yes. Illegal in most kingdoms."
Leo's expression slowly died. "You're joking."
"Nope."
"But then why can I eat it safely?"
Chibi grinned. "Because your biology doesn't match this world. Remember? Your taste buds are already broken here. The intoxicating effect won't work on you."
Leo sighed deeply.
"So where is it?"
A small map appeared on the phone screen, a glowing mark blinking repeatedly.
"I marked the location," Chibi said. "Just follow it."
Leo followed the mark through busy streets until he finally stopped.
In front of him stood—
A flower shop.
He slowly turned away, walked into a nearby corner, and pulled out his phone again.
"Are you serious?" Leo whispered harshly. "It's a flower shop! Stop joking — I'm starving!"
Chibi shook his head. "Nah, my bro. I'm not joking. Void Roots are illegal, so they're sold secretly. That shopkeeper deals with them."
Leo stared at the screen.
"…So what am I supposed to do?"
Chibi shrugged. "I don't know. That's your problem."
The battery icon blinked red.
"Oh, and my battery is dying. Bye—"
The screen went black.
Leo stared at his reflection.
"…This AI always dies when I need him most."
He turned toward the shop again.
"Calm down, Leo," he muttered, taking a deep breath. "In my entire life, I've never bought anything illegal…"
Another stomach growl interrupted him violently.
"…But desperate times."
He forced a strange laugh.
"Hehehe… it's just food."
A small bell rang as Leo entered the shop.
The scent of fresh flowers filled the air. Behind the counter stood an elderly shopkeeper arranging bouquets.
The man glanced at Leo once — then smiled knowingly.
"What are you looking for, young man?"
Leo swallowed.
"I… uh… heard you sell… special roots?"
The shopkeeper's hands stopped moving.
Silence.
He leaned closer slightly.
"What kind of roots?"
Leo lowered his voice.
"Void Roots."
The old man studied him carefully.
"You don't look like someone who uses them."
"I just want to eat," Leo said honestly. "Nothing else."
The shopkeeper chuckled softly.
"Honesty is rare."
He disappeared behind a curtain and returned with a small wrapped bag.
"Expensive," he warned.
Leo handed over nearly all his remaining coins with trembling hands.
The shopkeeper accepted them calmly.
"If you plan to consume them now," he added, pointing toward a wooden door, "use the basement."
Leo opened the door.
A heavy, strange smell hit him instantly.
He nearly stepped back.
Do they ever clean this place…?
Inside, two customers lay half-asleep on tables, clearly intoxicated.
Leo quietly sat at an empty table and opened the bag.
The Void Roots looked like small sand-colored stones.
"…This better be worth it."
He took a bite.
Crunch.
His eyes widened.
"…Spicy rice ball?"
The taste shocked him. Not amazing — but compared to sand, it felt like heaven.
He continued eating, confused whether he was consuming it correctly, but hunger overruled dignity.
Soon, the bag was empty.
Leo stood and returned upstairs.
The shopkeeper looked at him carefully.
"Are you sure walking outside in this condition is wise?"
Leo puffed his chest proudly.
"Don't worry. I'm strong."
He left confidently.
Two steps later—
My mouth smells horrible.
Panic struck instantly.
"I need a solution before meeting Null!"
Leo sat on a public bench and turned on his phone again.
Chibi appeared instantly.
"I hope you enjoyed your meal."
"No," Leo said flatly. "New problem. My mouth smells. Fix it."
Chibi pointed off-screen. "Look left."
Leo turned.
A small bush with tiny blue flowers grew beside the bench.
He looked back at the phone.
Only the flower image remained.
"Chew them," Chibi said.
"…You're serious?"
"Best solution."
Leo hesitated, then sighed.
"If this is a prank, I'll destroy you."
He picked a flower and chewed it.
Minty.
"…Not bad."
Suddenly, a young boy's voice came from behind.
"Brother?"
Leo jumped and turned around.
A child stared at him in confusion.
"If you're hungry," the boy said kindly, "there's bread over there. My mom says those flowers are only for decoration."
Leo froze.
Shame flooded his face.
"…Right. Thank you."
He walked away as fast as possible.
I will never speak of this again.
Later, Leo reunited with Null.
They explored the kingdom until night arrived and rented a small room.
Null slept peacefully on the floor within minutes.
Leo, however, stared at the ceiling.
Sleep refused to come.
His stomach growled again.
"…Fine."
He quietly left the room and returned to the flower shop.
Soon, he sat once more on the same public bench, eating another bag of Void Roots.
"They're not great," he muttered, "but better than sand… though way too expensive."
He sighed.
"Our money's running out. I need a plan…"
A voice suddenly came from the darkness.
"Hey. You stalker."
Leo turned.
A girl about his age stepped into the dim streetlight.
"I'm not a stalker!" Leo protested immediately.
While he rambled defensively, her eyes locked onto the bag in his hands.
"Are you really going to eat all that?" she asked. "You don't look strong enough."
Leo crossed his arms.
"Who says I'm weak? Me and my friend null are strong enough to destroy this entire kingdom!"
Her expression changed instantly.
Eyes widened.
"…Did you say Null?"
Leo blinked. "Yeah. Why?"
She rushed closer suddenly.
"Where is he?! Tell me!"
"Whoa! Personal space!"
"Take me to him!"
Confused but curious, Leo led her back to the rented room.
During the walk, he tried asking her name several times.
She ignored every question.
They reached the room.
Leo opened the door quietly and shook Null.
"Wake up. Someone wants to meet you."
Null rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"Who…?"
Then he saw her.
His body froze.
"…You?"
The girl ran forward and hugged him tightly.
Tears poured down her face.
"I missed you so much… big brother!"
Null's eyes softened instantly as he embraced her.
"I missed you too… my little sister."
Leo stood near the door, completely stunned.
"…Big brother?"
"…Little sister?"
His brain struggled to process what he was seeing.
The mysterious girl buried her face into Null's shoulder, crying like someone who had finally found home after years of searching.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
Leo realized he knew almost nothing about Null's past.
The night grew silent.
And a new mystery quietly began.