3: Stepping into the 1st Otherworld

Stepping into the 1st Otherworld

After gruelling hours of practicing inside the Pocket Dimension, I was able to increase my capacity to at least double its previous size.

Right. Hours of practice and it only amounted to that. This ability was somewhat mediocre. One needed thorough hard work to even achieve something. In any case, it's just a few hours, there's no point hurrying. I'm not a game character who can level up after acquiring few experience points.

After filling up the invisible container with psyche energy, I left the dimension and went up the flight of stairs. This time, alone.

With how long I was in there, being engrossed by this Pocket Dimension and control of Psyche Energy existing in it, it's already afternoon and I hadn't even eaten yet.

I should at least grab some lunch, right? Even if it's already this late. One could not fight with an empty stomach, so they say. Surely, that's also applicable for a support like me.

Can I really be a support with that meager amount of energy? At best, it can only refresh one's mind four times if it's not someone like the Principal who has high clarity.

For now, I better adapt quickly to Sugawara's Otherworld to increase the things I can do. I wonder, what type of energy is inherent in it?

When I arrived back in the Principal's Office, Sugawara was back from class and there was a lunchbox in her hands.

Upon seeing me, she lifted the lunchbox in front of her before opening her mouth, there's that blush on her face again.

"Kuramoto-kun, here's your lunch."

What's with this development? That looked like a handmade lunchbox. Isn't that supposed to be hers? Why is she giving it to me? Is she already so into the role of being my fiancee?

"You don't have to worry, I didn't touch any."

That's not what I was worried about though. Just earlier we were strangers and now she was acting like this. When I first met her before she led me to this room, didn't she act like it was her first time seeing me?

So is that really an act? Why? What's the true history between us?

"Thank you, Sugawara-san."

Since I'm already hungry, there's no point in rejecting something being given to me. After thanking her and politely adding honorific in her name, I took the lunch box from her. The Principal just watched our exchange with smiles. This father and daughter...

Haa.. There's no point to keep mulling over it when there's no one who will tell me what's what. I can ask, true. I can act angry, it's plausible. But what will that get me? Not everything can be done normally here when these two are not normal in the first place.

If I'm not thinking deeply, I might just have settled on the thought that I was brought here because she took a fancy on me and the real purpose was for me to be her fiancee.

Even if I become a narcissist, I don't think I will be able to think highly of myself. Thinking as if I have an edge on things is a truly dangerous thought.

I'm quite mediocre. My ability was somewhat mediocre even with its great potential. I think I already used up all my luck if this engagement thing is real.

Moreover, from the way they acted, there's some sort of history between us. But why can't I remember ever meeting them?

"How was it Kuramoto-kun? Have you adapted and improved?"

The Principal asked after the air around us started turning weird. I don't know what to say to this beautiful fiance of mine except for my gratitude for this food.

Even if I am quite handsome, I hadn't tried entering a relationship before.

Now, I jumped ahead and got myself a fiancee even before getting a girlfriend. No one will believe me if I boast about it to my middle school classmates.

"I improved it to double its capacity."

I answered honestly, there's no point lying about something that can decide my safety.

"Hoh. That's quite a great progress considering it has just been a few hours since you accepted everything." the Principal praised. He then looked at Sugawara-san.

"Yuko-chan, have you received their call?"

Huh? Call? Those from Otherworld can call her?

"Yes, Principal, we have 3 hours left before they open the Portal for me."

She nodded and mentioned the remaining time before our trip to the Otherworld.

"Have you prepared?"

"No, I still need to talk to Kuramoto-kun"

Sugawara shook her head and looked at me, her expression was saying she has something she wants to say only to me. She's hinting for the Principal to give us privacy.

"Alright. Go ahead. I'll leave the room for you two."

After saying that, the Principal left his office. Well, he went down to the place where the Pocket Dimension was and closed that passage. As to what he will do in there, I have no idea.

"Let's sit down, Kuramoto-kun. A-and you can start eating."

And just like earlier, Sugawara became flustered again. Is this really her real self? Is her somewhat aloof personality from earlier just a facade?

"Uh. Right. Thank you for the meal."

I followed her and sat. There's a table in front of the sofa so I put the lunch box there and opened it. It was really untouched. And just looking at its arrangement, it was carefully made.

"You can call me Yuko when we're alone. W-we, we are now engaged with my father's consent."

She's really acting that part already. She's truly serious about our engagement, while I am here doubting everything about our relationship.

"Is it fine? Then you can call me Daisuke, too, Yuko. Honestly, I'm still a bit confused about the reason."

The reason why she's like this to me. Whatever it is, she's the only one who could answer it. Now that the threat. namely the Principal wasn't here, I could now use this chance to have some of my questions answered.

Upon seeing her expecting gaze as she looked at the lunchbox and me, I started eating the food from her lunch box. Surprisingly, it's delicious. Homemade cooking's still the best! Did she possibly make this?

"T-then Dai-kun. I see, do you want to know?"

"Dai-kun?!," I was taken aback for a while because of the way she addressed me but I was quick in trying to compose myself and answered her, "If possible, yes."

If that was how she wanted to call me then I guess, it was fine. Being called like that by a beautiful girl was a bliss in itself after all. They willingly presented this chance, it's a waste to pass up this chance. I'm not some indecisive harem protagonist who will blush every time he will be involved with a girl.

And by cutting my name to that... It's a form of endearment, right? This girl... Will she tell me? Am I forgetting something that concerned her or the two of us?

"It's something that happened way before I became a Hero. Let's just say, we met each other and you never left my mind ever since then."

We've met even before this whole Hero fiasco? Then why can't I remember her?

"Have we met? Huh? Wait. What is this? I can't recall a part of my memory concerning my past. There's some sort of blank page in my memory."

This blank in my memory. Like how I lost consciousness, it felt like if she hadn't mentioned the past where we supposedly met each other, I wouldn't even recall it at all.

Going by this information, there's something that happened way before this meeting with her and that was something I could neither recall nor even remember happening. If she didn't tell me about meeting her, I would probably live my life not knowing that there's something missing in my past.

"I see. So it's true that you have forgotten everything about me. Uhm... then Dai-kun, let me brief you about my ability first."

Seeing my confused face, there's a hint of sadness that flashed past her face and she instantly dropped our topic about that past.

I tried following up a question to coax her in telling me what she remembered but she only answered that even if she told me about it, I would not be entirely convinced about it so it's better for me not to now. Perhaps, in the future, she will.

"Your ability determined you to become a Hero, right?"

Since she already expressed that there's no point telling me about it, although it just added to my curiosity, I let us move on to the new topic.

"Sort of, yes, but it's not as amazing as you think. I even find your Adaptability amazing."2

Yuko exclaimed that she even reflexively reached for my hand.

"Uh. Thanks, Yuko. I'll do my best to support you using it."

Hearing that, Yuko smiled at me.

Huh? What is this? Why can a simple smile make my heart throb like this? It shouldn't be normally like this, right? No. I still feel nothing for her for now except the confusion and the things I wanted to know but upon seeing that... it feels like something was being tugged inside me.

What the hell? Wait, let me control my expression.

Ah. But there's no change in my expression. It feels as if I can take even the greatest secret without being surprised.

As her smile faded from her face, Yuko continued. "My ability is called Foresight. It's a bit different from my father's Clairvoyance. My Foresight lets me foresee things that will happen. Like earlier. I foresaw that you will leave the dimension hungry. So I set aside my lunch for you."

I see. That's the reason why she brought this lunch box here.

"What about you? Have you eaten?"

Knowing that this is supposedly hers, I feel somewhat guilty eating it all by myself.

Upon hearing my question, a smile once again appeared on her face. "Yes. You don't have to worry about it. What I mentioned was just a small part of my ability. There's a lot of uses to it, like when in battle. Right now, I can predict up to 5 moves ahead of my opponent."

5 moves ahead. That's pretty amazing already.

"Wait. You mentioned Abilities cannot be used here. How can you..."

The Principal bound me and she predicted I will come out hungry. So it's not that one couldn't use their ability. There's something limiting them to use it.

"Right. Barely, by using the bit of Psyche Energy stored in my own body. My father's and every Hero's Unique Ability is all being triggered by Psyche Energy. You and Father are different though and mine is a bit higher than normal."

But unlike them, my Adaptability is something like a Passive Skill, right?

"I see. So the other Heroes can't freely use their ability here? But when in their world, your own ability gets a boost. Is that it?"

That's the only plausible explanation. Otherwise, there's no point having their ability if they still can't use it there.

"Correct. It's easier to trigger my ability in the Otherworld, same with the other Heroes. But, the inherent energy of that world, we can bring it back here."

Ah. Right. There's a different kind of energy in every Otherworld. Then is it possible for me to also bring them back once I adapted to all of them?

"You guys really are a cheat."

That meant she was carrying with her the inherent energy of that Otherworld. I wonder what that was.

As time continued to pass, Yuko continued explaining to me the things that I should remember before the time for the Dimensional Portal arrived. She also told me about the inherent energy of that Otherworld she was summoned into.

She called it something like World Energy and told me I would definitely understand it better with my Adaptability once we arrive there.

At least, things were a bit clearer now and I was just excited to finally go on an Otherworld journey and add to that, with this beautiful girl who was now my fiancee. Let's make use of this status and see where it will get me. In any case, she's not against it anyway.

When the appointed time came, the Principal showed up again. He just wanted to see us off.

From the middle of the room, the space seemingly cracked before a spiral of energy drew a circle and slowly enlarged it, enough for a person to pass through and it stopped at that. It's truly surreal that I got stuck looking at it for at least two seconds.

My Adaptability probably allowed me take this as something normal and not let me be stump on things for too long. My overthinking was an exception though.

When I drew near it along with Yuko, the portal mysteriously widened to allow both of us to enter it.

As it turns out that was also because of my ability. Only Yuko was being summoned to that world and normally, any other individual will be rejected by the Portal, Principal included. However, because of my Adaptability, I was recognized by that Otherworld hence letting me pass through as well.

Ah. With this information... there's probably no other Support candidates. I'm the only one who has this ability. This was probably also why they settled on me. Only my ability could allow another individual native to this world to travel to another world that is rejecting other outsiders.

Even the other Heroes were only allowed to their designated Otherworld. I am really doomed to become their only Support, huh?

With this, I officially became a Support of this whole class full of Isekai Heroes.

They were all destined to die but with my appearance, I got a chance to prevent that and that was supposedly my goal. Employing me like this. I guess, let's see this first and determine whether I want to run away from this.

But yeah, having this supposed higher clarity and learning about my ability, I couldn't be satisfied with just that. I have to do more than just saving them. As long as I utilize this ability of mine to its utmost potential then I might have a chance to be as strong as these Cheat-like Heroes.

Yuko reached out for my hand and I took it. I would not turn my head away to chances like this. She even took the initiative to reach for my hand, I wouldn't be a man if I refuse it.

After watching the portal and saying goodbye to her Father, the Principal, we stepped inside the Dimensional Portal, leading to her Otherworld named World of System.

[Detected an unknown being]

[The World recognized it as one of its own]

[Scanning…]

[Determined to be of Human Race]

[Scanning…]

"Designated system will be transferred in…"

[Three]

[Two]

[One]

[Installing…]

[Completed]

[Initializing...]

[Welcome]

[You have been granted a System by 'The World'.]

[Support Character System initiated.]

When my vision turned white and the transfer to the Otherworld started, a series of messages rang out inside my mind. Due to my high clarity and my Adaptability, I immediately understood the inherent energy of this world.

Really? Support Character System? Even this Otherworld determined my worth just like that. Support my ass! I wouldn't let it end like this. I would work hard to break that destiny of being the Ultimate Support Character!

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