[Host, on the bright side, it's officially 12 a.m. You get your daily item now!]
"Sweet."
I peeled off my jacket and wiped my face with it, not caring about the mess. Once I stepped out of the alley, I tossed the ruined thing into a nearby trash can and headed back toward the mall, slipping in through the same exit behind the theater.
Only now did I appreciate how convenient that layout was. I wasn't an architect, and I sure wasn't the mall owner, but whoever designed this direct exit and entryway… they deserved a thank you. They unknowingly made my night a lot easier!
[Do you want to see the item?]
'Oh yeah. My bad, got distracted.'
Walking through the crowds to get back to the food court, another bluish-gold screen appeared next to the main one.
[You received a C-grade Water Barrier Art.]
'Not bad. Sucks that I can't use it though.'
I wasn't ungrateful at all. This Barrier Art I was going to give to Meiomi since her elements were aligned with the technique. None of my own elements were aligned with water, so I couldn't use it.
Creation handled shaping base mana into solid constructs but not element-infused ones. At least, that's what I currently understood after digesting the pill. As for my other elements... I don't think I have to say much.
'Now where is Elena...' My eyes scanned through the food court, moving past clusters of young people out at this late time. All of them hanging out with their friends and without a care in the world. The civilian life here didn't seem so bad, but I couldn't be so content with such things. This world was vast, and I couldn't wait to see more of it.
I didn't see Elena or her friends even after a full minute of peering through the crowd. Opting to take my phone out to text her, I didn't even have to waste time doing that. She had already sent me a text of her own at some point.
[Elena: Hey, we are going to the dorms! I don't know where those idiots went but I'm sure they tried making trouble with you before leaving... hopefully you didn't rough them up too bad.😊]
[Me: I don't know where they went either. They just left in a fit last time I saw them.🤷♂️]
Since I didn't need to stay out any longer, I decided to head home. My clothes in my inventory needed to be put up anyway before I forgot about them.
'I'll donate the other clothes later today.'
I walked through the crowd of people back out to the clear night sky and vibrant city. The cold air from the fall season hit my face a little aggressively, but it wasn't really all that bad. A minor sting and nothing more. I just felt it a tiny bit more because I no longer had my jacket.
The air of this world was many times cleaner than that of Earth's, making me appreciate each breath. Mana really did wonders for the development of life on this plane. Free from pollution and giving opportunities that were far more exciting than the mundane ones on Earth.
My only complaint was that...
"Hah~, I can just do it here but I would've loved for them to meet Mom and Dad." I mumbled to myself and continued on back to the apartment.
...
..
.
"Yawn~"
The morning light blasting through the windows gave the room a vibrant glow, bright enough to make the whole place feel alive even though everything was still quiet and cold around me. It also served to wake me up for my second day in this world like a natural alarm.
Stretching my arms to get them loose, my brain followed suit. I felt like a completely new person compared to the me from when I arrived randomly yesterday. Which made sense because not only could I use mana but I also went through a lot. If I hadn't changed a bit then I wasn't a normal human being.
tap~
My feet touched the cold ground as I got out of bed to go shower. A small shiver ran up my legs as the chill of the floor contrasted with the lingering warmth of my sheets. My mind needed a hot shower to relax and stop worrying about such useless things so early.
Changes in life were common and happening all the time, so it was to be expected that things turned out the way they had. I got thrown into a fantasy world for god's sake. I experienced the inheritance of four supreme elements. I experienced my body being reformed extremely painfully. All of this wasn't even in a full 24 hours as well!
'Oh!'
Thankfully, I checked my phone before going. Meiomi had texted me good morning an hour ago, the little one even got up early to be responsible. Something that I kind of figured, but to think she woke up as early as 5 a.m.
I replied to her text with a good morning of my own and told her to come up to my room whenever she could. The Barrier Art would be for keeping her safe, and I was curious to see what return I could get from it.
Throwing my phone on my bed after that, I went to the shower. Last night, I just got home and slept, so a shower really was in order. The feeling of being dirty truly wasn't for me.
'If only Dad could have learned that, then Mom probably wouldn't have put him on the couch so much.'
A faint chuckle left me as I reminisced. Not being able to see them anymore was the one thing I found unfortunate about my situation. They were... they didn't deserve to lose their only child so early.