"I see. So you were caught in an accident, and when you came to, you were here."
Tsutsui Shuuki—Shuuki—had finished introducing himself, and Adriana was deep in thought. He took the opportunity to pose another question.
"By the way, I really should have been severely injured. Why am I fine? Did you give me a Behandeln?"
"Ah, right. I haven't told you about when you arrived. Two days ago, you suddenly appeared here... in the basement of my research laboratory."
"What?"
Shuuki tried to interject, but Adriana cut him off.
"Wait, let me explain everything first. I'm currently researching Space and Teleportation. There is a singularity right underneath this place, which makes it perfect for my studies."
Shuuki couldn't hold back anymore. "I'm sorry, but please listen. I have never even heard of magic before, except in fairy tales."
"What...?" Adriana looked genuinely shocked. "All right, let's try to organize what we know."
"I agree."
Adriana took the lead. "I am Adriana. A magi. A magi is a human who can use advanced magic. People who can only use beginner-level spells are just called magic-users."
"I see." Shuuki had many questions, but he kept them to himself for now and simply nodded.
"Many magi spend their time researching to improve their specialized fields. Like I said, mine are Space and Teleportation. I also mentioned this land is rich in free ether, right? Free ether is closely related to the state of space, which makes this place very convenient."
Adriana paused and let out a deliberate, self-important cough.
"Ahem. Now, it seems this world floats inside an even larger world. Like a bubble in water. This world is that bubble."
"..."
The theory was beyond Shuuki's comprehension. For better or worse, he was a realist; he hadn't read much science fiction.
The only thing he knew about such concepts was the robot from the 'TV manga'—they didn't call it anime back then—that had started airing in January of that year in Japan. Even then, a student like him couldn't afford a television. He had only seen it a few times in his landlord's room, watching with the landlord's second-grade son. He had only been interested because the original creator was a manga artist who also held a doctorate in medicine.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand.
"You know how bubbles in water sometimes stick together?" Adriana continued. "It's similar to that. Rarely, separate worlds can stick together and then move apart again."
She explained that while bubbles merge and stay together, worlds have strong boundaries, so they tend to separate rather than merge.
"In your case, Shuuki... I suspect you were caught up in one of those events."
"I... I honestly have no idea. I don't know if that's right or wrong, or if the analogy is even remotely accurate."
"I see. Right, you said your world has no magic. But..."
Adriana started to say something, then seemed to have a different idea. "Um, if you don't mind, may I examine your body with magic?"
"What?"
"Well, you said you should have been injured, right? If I check you, I might find something—maybe even see if your physical makeup is different from ours."
Shuuki hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I suppose so... But you're not going to cut me open, are you?"
Adriana looked appalled. "C-cut you? What kind of person do you think I am?! I have no such hobbies! I said with magic! Magic!"
With Shuuki's consent, Adriana began her investigation.
"Analyze... Inspection..."
After repeating the spells several times, she let out a long sigh. "Thank you, Shuuki. I couldn't find any biological difference between you and us. At least, nothing I could detect."
She paused, then added something astonishing. "You said there's no magic in your world, right? But your body... it's almost entirely a mass of mana."
"What?"
"Your head, face, torso, limbs—I can feel mana coming from almost every part of you. Don't ask me why; I find it hard to believe myself."
Shuuki was lost in thought. As a medical student, he knew exactly what should have happened to a person crushed by the body of a Toden streetcar.
He suddenly noticed his left wrist. His watch was missing. "What happened to the wristwatch I was wearing? And were my bicycle or books with me?"
"I don't know what a 'wristwatch' or a 'bicycle' is," Adriana replied immediately, "but there is a bundle with books in it. And a strange metal frame with two distorted loops. Oh, and the thing that was on your wrist is on that table."
Shuuki looked and found his watch under his tattered shirt.
"It's broken." The glass was cracked, and the hands were frozen. He tried winding the mainspring, but it wouldn't move. The shock must have killed it.
"The books were a bit dirty, but they're in the other room." Adriana pointed next door.
"I see... And the bicycle?"
"That's in the deepest basement room."
"Please let me see it later."
Shuuki felt a wave of relief knowing his belongings had made the trip with him. "Still, if all that came with me, it's a miracle I'm not dead."
"What do you mean?"
Shuuki explained the moments before he lost consciousness in detail. Adriana was horrified; he had only mentioned being in an accident earlier.
"What?! You were pinned under a giant iron box?! You shouldn't have survived that!" She went silent, thinking. "...Perhaps the magi compensated for the damaged parts during the transition between worlds? But could that really happen...?"
She mumbled to herself for a moment before looking back at him. "Listen, my master's master once proposed a theory. He suggested that because worlds float in something with a higher order of power than free ether, something must occur during a crossing..."
"So that 'something' replaced my missing flesh?"
"It's the only logical conclusion, isn't it?"
"I... I honestly can't say."
"I suppose not. It's not like you were awake to see it." Adriana suddenly clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm so sorry! You must be starving! I'll get some food ready right away!"
She hurried out of the room.
Left alone, Shuuki lay back on the bed to process everything.
Why was I so sure this was another world? It could just be a very distant country.
In the Japan of that era, overseas travel was far from common. People still believed the Earth contained unknown regions and "hidden lands" where monsters lived or ancient tribes practiced sorcery.
But the language... It's not Japanese, obviously, but it's not English or German either. I don't know much French, Italian, Russian, or Spanish, but...
Intuitively, he knew the sounds and rhythms weren't from any Earthly tongue.
The biggest proof is that magic. Send Info, was it? I've never heard of anything like that being possible.
If magic existed, he felt it would be better known.
And the fact that I'm alive after being crushed by a Toden streetcar...
A chill ran down his spine. Would he ever be able to return to Japan?
Am I officially dead back home? Or just missing?
With no body and no bicycle left behind, they would likely assume he'd disappeared.
"Spirited away..." he whispered.
Since ancient times, "spirited away" was the term used for mysterious disappearances. Most were likely kidnappings, but...
"Maybe some of them really did end up in another world like this?"
"Hmm? What was that about ending up somewhere?"
Adriana had just returned and overheard him.
"Oh, well..."
It wasn't a secret, so Shuuki shared the theory he had just formed.