I didn’t remember falling asleep.
But I didn’t remember waking up either.
Just one moment in between.
An instant without a body.
I wasn’t floating, but I wasn’t falling.
There was no outline, no weight—nothing.
Just movement.
Not heat, not sound—something closer to pure energy.
…When that ended, the first thing I saw was a ceiling.
Wooden.
Rough beams, badly sanded, uneven. Just… a ceiling.
I frowned.
Because this kind of thing didn’t exist.
Not where I was supposed to be.
No carved ornaments. No spellwork layered into the grain.
Just the smell of dry wood and… smoke.
The next thing I felt was pain.
I tried to sit up. My side pulled tight and screamed in protest.
I drew in a breath, held it, then let it out slowly.
My head was working.
My body… not so much.
Bruises. Bandages. Clothes that weren’t mine.
That was bad.
My shoulders tensed on reflex.
Where am I. Who’s here.
I focused, ready to trigger a basic formula—
…Nothing.
No. It moved.
But then it disappeared.
Didn’t spread, didn’t react.
The wave of energy just sank into the space around me.
I tried again. More carefully this time.
Same result.
It wasn’t sealed.
But it wasn’t being accepted either.
A shiver ran through me.
I wasn’t sure if it was my fingers or my mind that trembled.
Mana doesn’t behave like this.
Not without a restraining device.
—The black claw.
—That hand.
The memory brushed the edge of my thoughts and my stomach turned cold.
…Did they catch me?
In that case, is this—
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
No. Calm down.
Observe. Analyze. Confirm.
I closed my eyes.
The bedding. Not mine.
The room. Unfamiliar.
No artifacts. No grimoires.
Nothing magical.
This wasn’t the castle.
And I—
couldn’t use magic.
Footsteps.
Slow, steady. No hesitation, but no real hurry either.
Someone was coming this way.
I let my eyes fall mostly closed.
Pretended to be asleep.
Not because I had a plan—just reflex.
The door opened with a small sound.
Then breathing. Quiet steps. No wasted movement, no obvious openings.
The footsteps stopped in the middle of the room.
…A long silence.
They’d noticed I was awake. Probably.
But they were hesitating to speak.
「You’re awake, aren’t you?」
A man’s voice.
Young. But low.
I opened my eyes.
He was there.
Dark hair, a little messy.
Simple clothes. No robe, no crest.
And in his hand—
a bucket of water.
「Who are you?」 I asked.
「The one who carried you.」
The answer came immediately.
It wasn’t a lie.
But it wasn’t enough.
「Where am I?」
「At my place. Well, my grandpa’s house.
You’re safe. Probably.」
…Probably?
My brow knit on its own.
「Does that mean you’ve abducted me?」
I meant to glare.
He didn’t look away.
His eyes weren’t mocking.
There was no malice.
He just… looked at me.
Like I was a person.
「If you want to leave, the door’s over there,」 he said.
「If you can stand up, that is.」
…What?
I tried to fire back something sharp.
My mouth didn’t move.
The words didn’t stick anywhere.
I dropped my gaze.
Blanket. Clean sheets.
Bandaged wounds.
My clothes—changed. Properly arranged.
No traces of anyone’s hands where they shouldn’t have been.
I’d been treated carefully.
Which somehow made it worse.
Having reasons not to be angry…
is more annoying than having reasons to be.
「You have a very strange tone for someone who just saved a life,」 I said.
He didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
「And you sound pretty relaxed for someone who just fell out of the sky.」
…What?
What did he just—
Out of the sky?
I…?
Our eyes met.
For a few seconds, neither of us looked away.
Nothing moved.
Even the air felt like it had stopped.
…Is he serious right now?
Is that supposed to be sarcasm?
Which is it?
What is with this person.
Why do I look 「relaxed」 to him.
…Well. I am acting like it.
…No. That’s not the point.
Who is this guy?
And how can he stand there,
and just… be normal?
I felt the faintest warmth rise in my cheeks.
Without thinking, I looked away.
