Shiranui Flare IF Route: An Endless Song for You, Covered in Ashes
I'm Shiranui Flare. I was a top virtual elf streamer, having a blast with my fans, when my screen went white—and I woke up in a strange city.
This is the Lazberil Kingdom, a place where elves are discriminated against by humans. Seriously?! The idea of me being the one discriminated against isn't even funny enough to be a streaming gag. But I got caught up in the commotion and thrown in jail. That's when I was saved by Lucas, a totally weird human merchant.
Lucas doesn't care about the elf t
Shiranui Flare IF Route: An Endless Song for You, Covered in Ashes - Wait, seriously!? I actually turned into an elf after getting transported to another world!
*Thud!*
I landed hard on the cobblestones, right on my backside. It hurt like hell.
[surprised] "Oww... What the heck just happened?!"
I looked up and saw a crumbling stone archway. But I didn't recognize it at all. Where was my room, the one I'd been streaming from just moments ago? My monitor, my mic, the chat window—all of it was gone.
I was in a city at night. The air smelled musty, and somewhere in the distance, a dog was howling. At the edge of my vision, a lamp's flame flickered unsteadily.
I rubbed my eyes and looked around again. Stone buildings were packed tightly together, one after another.
[scared] "Wait, seriously, where am I...?"
I tried to stand up, and that's when I noticed something was off.
My ears felt heavy.
And my legs felt strangely long.
I cautiously touched my ears.
My fingertips didn't find my usual headset. Instead, they found long, pointed elf ears.
[surprised] "No way!? Wait, whaaaaat!?"
I gave a little hop. I floated up lightly, jumping higher than I ever could before.
I grabbed a lock of my hair and pulled it forward. It was platinum blonde, long enough to reach my waist. Only the right side had a bit of purple inner color.
This was exactly how my streaming avatar looked.
[excited] "I've actually become her! This is insane, totally insane!"
I touched my ears again. I pinched one between my fingers and pulled a little.
It hurt. Definitely hurt.
I stayed crouched down and pinched my own cheek.
It hurt. It really did hurt.
[laughing] "So it's not a dream, right? If it were a dream, it wouldn't hurt... I mean, could this be..."
I knew this scenario.
We'd talked about it tons of times on stream. It was the kind of thing my viewers would go wild over in chat.
[excited] "It's an isekai, isn't it! No way, is this actually happening?!"
I couldn't help but shout, spinning around on the spot.
The hem of my linen tunic flared out softly. The brown culottes looked easy to move in. Around my chest, a flame mark I'd embroidered myself—modeled after my stream logo—stood out clearly.
My heart was pounding. I was scared, but also incredibly excited.
[excited] "Calm down, me. First, assess the situation! As a streamer, emergencies are just more content!"
Muttering to myself, I kicked at the ground with my toe.
The feeling was solid. The cobblestones were cold, cracked in places, and covered in damp moss.
I'd never seen an alley this narrow in my entire life.
A grimy wooden sign hung on the wall. I couldn't quite read the letters, but it was definitely old.
I looked up at the sky. The stars were incredibly beautiful. A sight you'd absolutely never see in Tokyo.
(*Well, it'll work out somehow!*)
I murmured my usual catchphrase in my mind and took a step out into the night city.
—*—*—
A lantern swayed in the wind. Shadows danced on the cobblestones.
I turned a corner and emerged onto a main street.
[surprised] "Oh, wow..."
The words just slipped out.
The street suddenly widened. On the other side, half-timbered houses crowded together, and a woman was pulling laundry in from a bay window on the second floor.
Even though it was night, quite a few people were walking around.
An older man pulling a handcart, a woman clutching a bottle of liquor, people who looked like soldiers on patrol, carrying lanterns on poles.
But—everyone was looking at me. Every time I passed someone, I felt their glance stab into me.
[excited] "Good evening! I'm a little lost!"
I smiled and waved, just like I did when I was streaming.
But there was no reply. Instead, they quickly averted their eyes. A woman pulled her child close and hurriedly disappeared into an alley.
"...Huh?"
A sense of wrongness slowly crawled up the back of my neck.
I touched my ears again.
Everyone here had round ears. Not pointed.
(*Right. I've become a real elf.*)
Maybe that meant something strange in this world—the thought hit me in that instant.
[cold] "Halt, elf."
My shoulders jumped in fright.
I turned around to see two guards standing there. Gray uniforms, swords at their hips. One was tall and expressionless. The other was a bit round-shouldered, but his glare was terrifying.
[scared] "Y-yes?"
[angry] "An elf out alone at night is a violation of the Servitude Management Law. Show me your identification."
The taller guard stated it flatly.
[surprised] "Huh? Servitude... what's that? No, I mean, even if you ask for ID, I just got here—"
[cold] "She doesn't have it."
I could have sworn the round-shouldered guard smirked.
[scared] "Wait a second! I'm really just lost, I don't mean any harm! I mean, I was just streaming until a minute ago—"
Before I could finish, my shoulder was grabbed roughly.
"Ow—!"
My arm was twisted behind my back. The cobblestones rushed up to meet my face, and I was forced down onto my knees with a thud.
The impact resonated deep in my bones. My knees throbbed with pain.
[crying] "Stop it! That hurts!"
[cold] "Shut up, elf."
His voice was so cold it sent a chill down my spine.
My face was pressed against the ground. The cold stone dug into my cheek. The smell of dirt and mold filled my nose, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I tried to stay positive.
I tried to tell myself it would work out, that I had to smile.
But my voice wouldn't come out.
My breathing grew shallow. I was scared. It hurt.
When I was streaming, everyone was kind. "Flare-chan is so cute," "That was fun today"—I was always protected by those words, like a light from the other side of the screen.
That light wasn't here.
No one was smiling for me.
(*...What am I doing here?*)
I gritted my back teeth. A metallic taste spread in my mouth.
[crying] "...Someone, help me..."
The voice escaped me on its own. It was a tearful voice. A strained whisper, barely audible.
That's when it happened.
*Clack, clack*—From a distance, the sound of calm footsteps approached.
[serious] "Hey, what's going on here?"
A man's voice. Low, but not cold.
Through my tear-blurred vision, I caught sight of the source of the footsteps.
He had messy, dull blond hair tied back carelessly. Gentle, slightly droopy brown eyes. But right now, they looked a bit stern.
He was tall. A lanky figure in traveling clothes that looked easy to move in. He had a heavy leather bag slung over his shoulder, which immediately marked him as a merchant.
[angry] "This is the law, itinerant trader. An elf without a guarantor is in violation and goes straight to the forced labor camp."
[serious] "Hold on, hold on. Tying someone up before you even hear them out—is that really what a guard's job is?"
He put a hand to his chin and tilted his head. His brown eyes glanced briefly at me.
Our eyes met.
(*This guy... he doesn't look disgusted seeing an elf.*)
It was a strange realization. The guards had looked at me like I was a bug, but this man was different.
He just had an expression that said, "Hmm, this is a problem."
[sarcastic] "It's an elf wandering around without ID. She's obviously up to something."
[serious] "She could just be lost. This is the mid-level district of the royal capital, Clevista. Someone fresh from the countryside could easily get turned around."
My heart leaped.
(*This world is the Razberil Kingdom, and this place is a city called Clevista.*)
Thanks to the man's words, I finally understood one piece of where I was.
But at the same time—that word, "guarantor," kept echoing in my head.
[cold] "Regardless, it's the law. She has no ID. We're taking her in."
[serious] "...Yeah, rules are rules, I guess."
I heard the man sigh.
(*Ah, he's giving up on me—*)
Reality hit me hard, and my fingertips went cold.
But then.
[serious] "However, there's also the guarantor system. If it comes to that, I'll be her guarantor right now."
[surprised] "...What?"
[laughing] "Are you serious? You'd vouch for an elf you've never met?"
[serious] "Yeah. I smell an interesting story here. And besides—it might lead to some business."
His tone was light. But his back was straight, his hands were on his hips, and it was clear he had no intention of backing down.
Stunned, I looked up at his face from where I was pinned on the ground.
Lucas waved a hand at me casually.
As if to say, "Just wait a bit."
(*In this world, an elf can't survive without someone called a guarantor.*)
My chest tightened sharply.
So this was the kind of world I'd ended up in.
But still—there was a human here, trying to argue with the guards for the sake of a strange, unknown elf.
(*W-what is with this guy? Is he an oddball, or just a good-natured softie...?*)
A new kind of fear, and yet a tiny glimmer of light, settled in my heart together.
Lucas showed some kind of paper to the guards. Grumbling complaints, they finally let me go.
My shoulders were numb and tingling. When I lifted my tear-streaked face, Lucas was holding out his hand.
[gentle] "You alright, missy?"
His eyes were kind. But there was also a glint of curiosity in them, like a merchant just before a negotiation.
With a trembling hand, I took his.
—That was the beginning of everything.
Though I'd learn later that this world was far less forgiving than I'd ever imagined.
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