――This has seriously turned into a bad situation.

His mind was filled with that one thought, while he was at a loss with no money.
Saying he has no money is not entirely accurate. He has his wallet in his pocket, and except for having more coins than bills, it still has all his financial assets.
He has enough to go out to the nearest shopping mall from his hometown, shop at a bookstore, and have lunch. Despite that, it can only be described as having no money.
After all,

"The value of money is completely different, isn't it..."

Flicking a ten-yen coin—a rare 'Giza Ju'—with his fingers, the boy let out a long sigh.
He's a boy without any particular distinctive features. Short black hair, average height that’s neither tall nor short. His build is slightly muscular, suggesting he works out, and combined with his cheap gray tracksuit, he looks like an athlete.
Only his sharp three-white eyes are impressive, but now even the corners of his eyes are drooping, showing no spirit.

His appearance is so mundane that you'd lose sight of him instantly in a crowd.
Yet, the way people looked at him held an inexplicable air as if they were seeing something exotic.

It’s only natural—as among those who gazed at him, there wasn't a single person with 'black hair' or in 'tracksuit'.
Their hair ranged from blond, white, brown to even green and blue, and their outfits were diverse including armor, dancer-like dresses, and entirely black robes, all fitting 'that' too well.

Caught in the wave of unreserved stares, the boy could only stand there with his arms crossed, accepting the situation.

"In other words, this is it, huh?"

Snapping his fingers and pointing them at the people looking his way,

"――It's one of those otherworld summoning things, it seems."

A wagon-like vehicle pulled by a giant lizard-like creature passed in front of his eyes.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Natsuki Subaru was born in Heisei-era Japan and is a product of the relaxed education generation.

His life spans seventeen years, and to recount every bit of it would indeed require seventeen years.

To summarize briefly and mention his current status, he is "a high school senior and a shut-in."

In more detail, one could describe him as "a hopeless loser who, despite being on the brink of exams, has shut himself off from everything, including his parents' expectations."

He doesn't have a particular reason for becoming a shut-in.

On an ordinary weekday, he happened to feel "it's a bother to get up today," leading him to skip school.

From there, he gradually increased his self-imposed absences, and before he knew it, he was making his parents cry as a fully-fledged shut-in.

He spent his days indulging in laziness, sinking into communication-less activities on the internet—

"And the result is getting summoned to another world...? I don't understand it even as I say it."

Reflecting on his situation, Subaru sighed for who knows how many times now.

He had moved from a street where he had been the object of curious glances and was now sitting in a slightly dim alley.

The ground was paved, and although the work was rough compared to modern Japan, it wasn't bad.

"Assuming the current situation is a fantasy world, the civilization here looks typically medieval. No machines in sight, and the building materials are mostly stone or wood..."

Recalling the scenes he had witnessed up to this point, he organized the information in his mind.

Thanks to having ample time for daydreaming, he was quite prepared for being 'summoned to another world.'

First, he needed to calmly assess the civilization of this era, the differences in food, clothing, and shelter compared to modern Japan, the variations in physical phenomena, and whether it was possible to interact with the 'humanoid beings' living here.

"Alright, I'm doing good. My imagination hasn't been in vain. Assessing the level of civilization is okay for now. For the time being, money isn't usable. Also, I managed to converse with a shopkeeper, so communication is not a problem."

Realizing that he had been summoned, Subaru's first action was negotiating with a 'greengrocer?' He tried to buy 'apples?' lined up at the storefront, but his Japanese yen was rejected.

From what he could see at that time, the currency in this world seemed to be gold coins, silver coins, and copper coins. The ease of understanding that currency itself holds value is quite typical of a fantasy world.

"Well, there's bound to be counterfeit or inferior goods. It's going to decline like with the five-hundred won coins."

Murmuring inwardly that it was too heavy to carry around, a lizard-drawn carriage passed through the street again. Even though the dust rose vigorously, the passing people were either used to it or indifferent.

"Still, there are fewer of them compared to cars. ...Come to think of it, I haven't seen any dogs or cats so far."

The enormous lizard pulling the "carriage?" might have been slightly larger than a horse. Though it was slender, its overall mass didn't seem too different; however, for a reptile to be that large was extremely unsettling.

"It's probably... common. Both the lizards and the appearances of the people."

And the last thing he confirmed was the peculiar appearance of humans in this world.

He accepted that their hair was colorful. Dyeing hair any color is fundamentally possible, and given the otherworldly fantasy setting, he had already come to terms with that.
The issue lay elsewhere, such as with "animal ears."

As far as he could see, he had discovered "dog ears" and "cat ears." There was even a "bunny," and he felt he glimpsed something similar to a "lizardman" among the more unusual ones.
Yet there were also humans who looked just like Subaru, leading to the conclusion—

"The genre is otherworldly fantasy. The civilization is typical medieval style. There are non-human races, and probably also wars and adventures. While there are slight differences in the animals, their roles remain unchanged—that's about it."

After organizing his thoughts to that extent, Subaru let out a long breath, different from a sigh.

He spoke of the situation he found himself in, frowning at the convenience-oriented developments.
If things unfolded as per his imaginings, he was supposed to utilize modern knowledge to execute an "I'm Awesome" scenario, but the world was slightly different from the one he had prepared knowledge for.

"My simulation for being transported to the Sengoku period was perfect... If I had been transported to the Sengoku period, I would have helped Nobunaga unify the country."

In an otherworldly fantasy, the extent of useful knowledge might be limited to the mixing ratios for black powder.
Depending on the civilization level of this world, even that might be meaningless. If there existed "magic," which typically accompanies otherworldly fantasies, gunpowder might only be as effective as fireworks.

"Well, it's kind of a given that magic isn't all-powerful. If there's ever a chance to contribute to the development of science, I'll do my best... but the pressing issue now is..."

The issue is that they have no clue about the cause or purpose of being summoned to a different world.

They remember clearly what happened before the summoning. They had left the house for the first time in ages, bought instant ramen for a late-night snack at a convenience store, and were on their way back. Since they weren't in the mood to ride a bicycle, they were walking.
They even remember looking up at the night sky and thinking, "It's just a day before the full moon tonight."
And then, after lowering their gaze and blinking, it was suddenly daytime.

It turned from night to day in an instant.
They immediately understood that something abnormal had happened, but that was all they knew.
Though they are calm now, the panic they felt right after would be remembered as an embarrassing moment to be passed down through generations.

"Well, considering I'm the eldest son and now missing, there's no one to pass it down to," Subaru muttered, once again checking his belongings.
In the current situation, in this another-world fantasy, the initial equipment is crucially important. Right now, any fact, no matter how thin the thread connecting it, is significant.

First, the cell phone (battery almost dead), the wallet (containing many membership cards for video rental stores), the instant ramen bought at the convenience store (pork bone soy sauce flavor), a snack (corn potage flavor), the beloved gray tracksuit (unwashed), and the well-worn sneakers (two years old). That's all.

"It's over... why didn't I at least have a gun? What am I supposed to do?"

The only useful items seem to be the snacks, which might serve as temporary belly fillers, but that's it.

"The situation is hopeless. And still the cause is unknown. I don't remember passing through a mirror or falling into a pool, and most importantly, where's the beautiful girl who summoned me if this is a summoning story?"

In other words, the main heroine is absent. In the world of two-dimensional stories, this is an unbelievable level of negligence of duty.
Being summoned without a purpose and then abandoned feels like being used and discarded.
In fact, Subaru, who has even finished checking his current situation, can do nothing but hang his head without even the luxury of escaping from reality.

"Please, seriously, give me a break. What am I supposed to do?"

Doubt and complaints spilled out, and he was about to break early. He earnestly thought, “I want to go home.”

It would have been better if the fantasies remained as fantasies. Being summoned to another world is fun when you're dominating invincibly in your head, but if it really happened, what could one do besides shrink back?

"For now, the goal is to survive, but... can I manage with my communication level at 1?"

Aside from family, the only people he had decent conversations with were convenience store clerks. He had lived like that for nearly a year. He had long forgotten how to gauge distances properly.

"Even though I can type as fast as I talk in chat..."

Subaru worried about the future as he wiggled his fingers.

And then, his expression changed. The reason was a sound.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the alleyway—looking towards the entrance of the alley, three men stood blocking the way.