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Where is this place? Jasper rubbed his head, which felt like mush.
He stumbled forward a few steps—and bumped into a girl. A girl with bandages wrapped around her chest.
The girl didn't get mad. Instead, when she noticed Jasper looked a bit off, she held him up and asked, "Are you okay? You don't look too good."
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine!" Jasper brushed past her and kept walking, but after a few steps, he suddenly froze.
Wait a minute—he'd crossed into another world, hadn't he?!So how the hell could that girl see him?
Jasper tilted his head, confused. Raiden Shogun could see him because she was a god—she had powers and senses far beyond any human. That made sense. But this girl? She looked like a totally normal person.
…Hold on. She did seem to have a Vision.
Jasper stepped up to another girl and said, "Hello~! Can you hear me?"
But the girl didn't respond at all—she just straight-up ignored him.
Jasper tilted his head again. So… only people with Visions can see him now?
Meanwhile, Yoimiya from Naganohara had been watching the whole thing with surprise. She saw Jasper talking to a girl who then walked away without responding.Was it possible this black-haired boy was… a ghost?!
Well, this was getting interesting.
Yoimiya silently kept watching Jasper's every move.
A while later, she saw Jasper heading toward the Raiden Shogun's residence.
That made her even more confused—and even more curious.
She watched as Jasper easily leapt over the wall and went inside the Shogun's place.
Moments later, Jasper pushed open a door and stepped into a room.
Inside, a purple-haired woman was flipping through a book.
She heard the noise and quietly put the book away. It wasn't some famous novel or anything—just a light novel she read to kill time. Fun, but not exactly deep reading.
But clearly, she didn't want Jasper to find out she liked this kind of brainless fluff. After all, she was supposed to be acting like his teacher or mentor.
This was Ei—not the Raiden Shogun herself, but her creator. The Shogun was just a puppet Ei had made. They were about equal in strength, though.
"You're here," Ei said, placing the book down. "Mm~ no training today."
Jasper nodded, then looked at her and asked, "Do you know how to cook?"
Ei: "..."
Please don't make me cook. I can do everything—except that.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" she asked stiffly.
"Just making conversation. Don't mind it. Oh yeah—seems like people with Visions can see me now," Jasper added casually.
He had just tested it: one girl with a Vision could see him, another without one couldn't. So he'd drawn his conclusion.
Ei rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "You're getting more and more connected to this world. Maybe next time you come here, everyone will be able to see you."
"Mm." Jasper's gaze shifted to the book she had just set aside.
"Reincarnated as a Hilichurl, I'll Transform by Eating Sunsettias…!"
"AAAH!!!" Ei screamed, slapping the book into ash with one powerful strike.
Jasper: "..."
"Uh… how about we go for a walk? I'm guessing you haven't really explored Inazuma yet?" Ei asked in a hurry.
Jasper tilted his head and said, "Nah, better not. I'll probably have to leave soon anyway."
He already knew Ei was a homebody—this was just her clumsy way of changing the subject.
"Oh? That's too bad," Ei said, though she let out a sigh of relief on the inside. She didn't want to go out either.
Jasper turned and picked up a wooden practice sword, running through what Raiden Shogun had previously taught him.
He started swinging.
Ei silently watched as Jasper practiced. His strikes were sharper, more focused—it was clear he hadn't been slacking off. He'd been working hard to improve his swordsmanship.
Time passed slowly.
Eventually, Jasper wiped the sweat from his face and plopped down on the floor.
Ei looked at him and said, "You've got real talent. I'm sure it won't be long before you're strong enough to stand on your own."
She really had high hopes for Jasper. He was not only hardworking and gifted—he was also good-looking.
Guys like that were hard to dislike.
Ei stood up, ready to say something—but didn't. Because Jasper had already vanished.
"Ughhh~! I don't wanna move!" Jasper groaned, his muscles aching all over.
While he was complaining, Kumo leaned back and quietly touched her lips. Whew—she'd almost been caught.
Kumo quickly buried her face in her book, trying to show she'd been a good girl the whole time and totally not doing anything suspicious.
Jasper stared at the ceiling and said, "Kumo~!"
"Yes, Master?" Kumo put down her book and looked at him.
"I feel like cuddling you~" Jasper said.
Kumo silently walked over and wrapped her arms around him.
"Ahh~ that feels so much better," Jasper moaned with relief.
After a while, he sat up and said, "Time to eat. What should we have today?"
But before he could decide, someone knocked on the door.
Jasper got up and opened it.
"Jasper! Come eat at our place—I've made lots of tasty food," said Mrs. Kobayashi, Mari's mom.
"Ah, sorry, I already started cooking. Maybe next time," Jasper said, turning her down politely.
He wasn't in the mood to eat with Mari—she was way too unpredictable.
"I see~! Then come over this afternoon! It's settled!" Mari's mom said cheerfully, walking off without giving Jasper a chance to argue. She knew if she did, he'd definitely say no.
Jasper: "..."
He quietly closed the door and sat down to have a simple meal with Kumo.
It looked plain, but the taste was amazing.
After cleaning up the dishes, Kumo said she wanted to go to the library.
Jasper nodded, and the two of them headed out.
At the library, they found a quiet corner with fewer people and sat down to read.
Kumo peeked at what Jasper was reading—it was a manga.Yep, her master really liked manga.
Suddenly, Jasper heard some weird noises and stood up to check it out.What he saw made him freeze.
An average-looking woman was making out with a hot guy.
The woman even made a "shh" gesture at Jasper.
Jasper: "..."
He quietly turned around, grabbed Kumo (who was still reading), and left.He needed to find a normal spot to read. These people were seriously out of control—even in the library.
After that, he and Kumo picked a place with more people around to sit.
"....."