Journey to Planar World

”Now then, what should I do now?”

Charlie stood in the middle of the living room, his voice bouncing softly off the walls of the silent apartment.

Being alone in the residence of a single girl he had only met a day ago was an entirely absurd situation. As a man now carrying the status of ”unemployed” in this world, he was suddenly at a loss as to how to fill his free time.

Of course, he wasn’t a workaholic who felt an itch if he wasn’t active, but idling away without a purpose wasn’t a lifestyle he enjoyed either.

”Since I’m staying at Mahiru’s place, the least I can do is help with the cleaning.”

Charlie began searching for cleaning supplies. After finding a duster, a broom, and other equipment in the storage closet, he prepared to take action.

However, he immediately faced a problem that was completely unexpected.

”Good grief... This place is spotless. Not even a single speck of dust!”

Charlie swiped the surface of the living room table with his finger, then examined it under the light.

”Just how often does that girl clean? Her domestic skills are a bit much, aren’t they? Normally, girls her age in this era wouldn’t be this proficient in cooking or other domestic affairs because they’ve been too pampered by the convenience of modern technology.”

Charlie exhaled; he was starting to understand a little better why the original protagonist of this world could so easily turn into a useless man living like a parasite.

”What a terrifying woman...” he whispered in awe.

He worried that if he were to take Amane’s place, his fighting spirit might dissolve, and he would end up just wanting to be pampered by Mahiru for the rest of his life.

Returning the cleaning equipment to its original place with a sense of defeat, Charlie stepped out onto the balcony.

Resting his arms on the railing, he looked down toward the streets of Tokyo, which were beginning to be crowded by the stream of pedestrians heading out for the day.

”Look at them.” His eyes followed the movement of the masses below. ”The life cycle of modern society truly feels so monotonous.”

”Born, forced into school for over a decade, then spending the rest of one’s productive years working until old age, only to get a brief retirement before death claims them. It feels like this system was indeed meticulously designed by capitalists who reap the greatest profits from the exploitation of human time.”

”...”

He fell silent for a moment, his thoughts drifting to the figure of the King of Heroes.

”No wonder Gilgamesh felt disappointed when he saw the world in the 21st century. If we set aside his youthful chuunibyou tendencies or the fact that his mind was briefly corroded by the mud of the Holy Grail, he actually has a valid point.”

”Compared to the era when he ruled Uruk—where every individual had a clear role and meaning in life despite the harshness of nature—people in modern times feel hollow. They move, but their souls seem to have been left behind.”

Charlie possessed a unique perspective because he had lived two lives at opposite poles.

His first life was spent on 21st-century Earth with all its comforts, while his second life forged him in the World of Danmachi, a place where civilization was still at a medieval stage but full of the passion to survive and reach the pinnacle of glory.

Because of that, he could fully understand why manifesting as a Servant in this era could make Gilgamesh feel disgusted.

To be honest, Charlie agreed with the viewpoint that saw modern humans as having lost the meaning of life.

Of course, not everyone was like that, but the vast majority of them simply lived day by day without a meaningful goal, trapped in a current they themselves didn’t know the direction of.

”Let’s check on Mahiru’s situation.”

Charlie closed his eyes and activated his eye technique—Senrigan.

Instantly, the apartment walls seemed to become transparent, and his consciousness streaked through space, projecting an image of Mahiru, who had just safely stepped through the school gates.

The girl had returned to her ”Angel” mode, smiling politely at her friends even though her eyes still held traces of fatigue from the night before.

”The Parasite-Type Abyssal Devourer hasn’t moved again since yesterday’s failed attack, huh... It seems I’ll be spending a fair amount of time in this world.”

Recalling the bloody confrontation with the group orchestrated by Dionysus that had recently claimed one of his lives, Charlie decided to act more cautiously. He chose not to summon his Contracted Spirits, Aishia and Est, to assist him in this Quest.

He was well aware that time in the World of Danmachi was not static while he carried out missions in other worlds.

Even though the ratio was very favorable—only about an hour passed there regardless of how long he spent in this world—Charlie remained vigilant.

Even in such a short span of time, dangerous variables in Orario could trigger a tragedy.

Better safe than sorry.

”By the way, where is Elena? We haven’t even met since first setting foot in this world.”

Curious about the situation of his ’colleague,’ Charlie shifted the focus of his Senrigan to search for another target.

A second later, his gaze was anchored on an unfamiliar room.

There, he saw the figure of Elena, who covered her curvaceous body with only a single white towel wrapped minimally around her.

The girl appeared to be focused on applying her makeup in front of the mirror, brushing it on with movements that were supple and full of charm.

”Hiss...” Charlie reflexively took a sharp breath and immediately cut off the vision. ”Even though I know that isn’t the real Maria Mikhailovna Kujou—since her body has been taken over by the soul of a Savior chosen by Alaya—still, the charm of a heroine simply cannot be compared to an ordinary woman.”

He didn’t have the bad habit of peeping, especially at a colleague. After confirming Elena’s location, which turned out to be in the same apartment building but in a different unit on a higher floor, he deactivated his eye technique.

”According to Gaia, our body templates are taken from those who have died in an alternate timeline. Then... what actually caused Masha’s death in her world?”

Charlie fell silent for a moment. A dark thought crossed his mind, but he immediately shook his head vigorously.

”No. Better not to think about it. The less you know, the better.”

The memories from his own template had already provided enough trauma to leave a mark on his soul. He didn’t want to be burdened by the tragic backgrounds of other Savior templates.

For him, focusing on the current mission was the top priority to maintain his sanity.

”Let’s go meet Elena. It’s time we discussed our next plan face-to-face.”

Having made his decision, Charlie returned inside for a moment to tidy his appearance. He then left Mahiru’s apartment unit quietly, stepping toward the elevator to head to the upper floor to meet Elena.

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