"What does it mean to live?"

A young man could be seen walking alone through the night as he had an apathetic expression on his face. While he was roaming around, he saw various people talking to each other. While some seemed to be old pals, others were just random people that found camaraderie with each other. As the boy saw this scene unfold, he simply kept walking as he began to read the manga he just bought.

"Does it mean to become an adult? To truely live, do I need to go to college? Find a successful job? Find someone to settle down with? If I lack the motivation for that, how can I find said motivation to begin with?"

Whenever he was told college isn't for everyone, the same people who said that kept pestering him to enroll by force. The same people who told him finding a job and supporting the family would be great were the same people who called him lazy and labeled him as a procrastinator. The same people who say they wouldn't force him to do something would constantly volunteer him to do something against his will whenever it was convenient for them. The same people who say thank you for working and helping pay bills, groceries, and doing laundry said it wasn't fair for him to live with them until he got a degree. Day by day, the boy didn't feel like he was living at all.

"I'm not living.....i'm merely existing. My best is never good enough. The people I thought would love me will always be the first to ridicule me. They give me the false illusion of free will just to constantly make me do things I would never sign up for. Over and over, without fail, they don't love me as a human. They merely view me as a puppet to project their own feelings on."

Soon the boy found himself at the train station. It was a quiet night as it looked like no one else was around. As he stood there and waited for his train, he kept thinking to himself. The amount of verbal abuse he received, the constant nagging at him for being lazy and procrastinating despite him trying his best. The accusation that he never does enough when all he does is give to his so-called family.

"If someone were in my shoes, lived my experiences, I wonder which of these two options sound better."

The sound of the train approaching could be heard. As the boy was simply looking down on the ground, slowly but surely, he was taking small steps forward. The sound of the train's approach grew louder and louder. Yet the boy didn't show any signs of stopping his stride.

"Existing as a mere puppet until you're used up and thrown away or dying and finally feeling like you're human even if it was only for a few seconds? For me, that choice is easy."

Just as the boy stepped forward off of the platform, the train just inches away from hitting his body, he noticed something completely off. He was no longer in the train station and it was no longer nighttime. Instead, it was the middle of the day as he found himself in the center of a capital. Not only that, various citizens could be seen. While some of them were human, others were human with animalistic traits, some of them were even bipedal creatures such as lizards, cats, and other such things.

"What the hell?"

That was the only sentence that could escape this boy's mind. He was just at the train station, ready to end it all. Now he found himself in a world completely new to him. Firstly, he pinched his right cheek and winced a bit when he felt the pain.

"This confirms that this isn't a dream considering the pain registered. Not only that, even before I got teleported, I didn't feel the impact of the train. So just seconds before I could die, I was probably transported here. There are various shops here, but I can't read what they say.  Judging by the guys in armor, this is probably the equivalent of the medieval age from my world."

Panicking would do him no good. He already stood out like a sore thumb with his appearance and clothes considering they aren't native to this land. The last thing he wants to do is arouse suspicion and risk being arrested for something stupid or something worse.

"Right now, learning about where I am and the language should be my top priority. Since I'm in another world, I doubt I have cell service. Maybe if I pawn my phone, I might be able to at least afford food or something."

The boy scratched his white hair as he began to walk around. However, there was something going on in his mind. The moment he was brought to this world, he was made aware of certain information. Two specific types of information. Though he doesn't completely understand it at the moment, he instantly felt like he recognized these two traits.

"Divine Protection of Thought Acceleration and Divine Protection of Parallel Calculation? I guess these things must originate from this world. Considering I know what it is despite me just arriving here, I guess this might be a common thing for people with these so called Divine Protections to recognize what they are the moment they have them."

As the boy was walking around, he heard the sound of footsteps following the exact same path as him. A sigh escaped from his lips as he already figured out the reason why. A foreigner in a land completely unknown to him as well as not knowing how the city works and possibly having foreign items on him. He might as well be a walking gold mine for some thieves.

However, it was much safer to stay in the crowd than it would be to go to an alleyway. For one, they can't get violent with him with so many witnesses. The second reason, it can help keep the thief and any people cooperating with them on their toes trying to find him in the crowd. Third, if he pays close attention and tries to locate someone of authority, he could very easily lead the culprit to them and get them arrested the moment they steal something right in front of them. However, there was also a much simpler idea.

"You know, if you keep following me, people might consider it stalking."

As soon as he turned around, the boy saw a young girl that stood about 149 centimeters with medium-length golden hair with a black bow. She wore a black top, red scarf, and black pants that are incomplete on the left side, where she also wears a red ribbon. As her red eyes met the gaze of his own, the girl looked at him with a small frown as she tried to diffuse the situation.

"Ehehe. I think we got off on the wrong foot. You seem new around here. Do you need any help while you're here?"

"So she can understand me despite the fact I'm speaking Japanese. So talking won't be an issue, just reading and writing. That's one mystery solved."

"Playing the good girl card to try and look less suspicious, huh. Smart, but you can cut the act. Instead of robbing me, how about a trade? One you can't refuse."

As the boy said this, he began to reach into his pocket. When he came here, he noticed that some items that he had with him before he was transported was still in his possession. The boy took out his cell phone as he showed it to the thief.

"This is a limited edition item. Something that you'll never find under normal means all over the country. Take me to a place where we can discuss the deal in peace. If things go well, it's all yours. I'll even tell you all of its functions."

"What makes you think I won't try to tak-"

"I'll destroy this thing right now and you'll lose the chance to make serious money. All in all, this has more benefits for you than it does for me right now. You get a one of a kind item like this, and all I want is a little information. So what will it be, little miss?"

A smirk was present on the boy's face as he puts the phone back in his pocket. The girl was contemplating it, but she really only had two options. The first would be to steal it, but with so many people around them and the fact anyone could see her should she take off now, they'd easily identify her and make it harder for her to continue her work here. On the other hand, if she accepts this deal, she can go back to the slums quietly and she can make a quick buck without so much as a chase. Soon the girl turned around and motioned for the boy to follow her.

"Come on, i'll take ya to a place that's private and well known for pawning things off. Since we'll be doing business together, introductions are in order. Name's Felt, who are you?"

".....Suzushima. My name is Suzushima Akira."