The Brave Hero's Struggle to Find "Normalcy" in Another World
Kudo Hayato is an ordinary high schooler. Average height, average looks, average grades—the kind of guy you'd forget five minutes after meeting him. So when he's suddenly summoned to the otherworld of Eristia as a "chosen hero," he figures there's been some kind of mistake.
He's right.
His magical aptitude? Zero. His swordsmanship? Zero. His divine lineage? *None.* In a world where heroes are a dime a dozen and saving the realm is just another Tuesday, Hayato has been given the most impossible
The Brave Hero's Struggle to Find "Normalcy" in Another World - The Case Where I Was Summoned and My Mission Was to "Become Normal"
The morning light seemed brighter than usual.
Kudo Hayato narrowed his eyes as he walked his familiar route to school. His short black hair swayed in the spring breeze. White shirt, black slacks, a light black jacket. Just another seventeen-year-old high schooler in uniform, the kind you'd see anywhere.
The bandage wrapped around his left pinky scraped faintly against his fingers. He'd cut himself with a kitchen knife while cooking yesterday.
(Looks like today's going to be another peaceful day.)
He gazed ahead with warm, deep brown eyes. Slim, slender build. A hundred and seventy-two centimeters tall. Nothing about him stood out. Ordinary, normal, not a single special thing about him.
That was who Kudo Hayato was.
"—Chosen one."
A voice echoed out of nowhere.
Hayato stopped in his tracks. He looked around, but there was no one there. On the morning school route, not a single other person was in sight.
"I summon thee to the other world of Eristia."
(Huh?)
The ground beneath him glowed.
A complex pattern, like a magic circle, rose to the surface of the asphalt. Pale blue, blinding light. Hayato instinctively shut his eyes.
"Wait a second, what is this—"
His words cut off.
His body floated. No—more precisely, the world warped. His vision went white, sound grew distant, and his senses stretched thin—
When he came to, Hayato was standing in a great hall of stone.
"...Huh?"
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
He looked around. The ceiling was high—ten meters, maybe more. The walls were covered in vivid murals. A hero swinging a sword, a mage casting spells, warriors battling dragons.
And directly ahead, twelve figures sat in a row.
All of them wore lavish garments, radiating authority. Their ages and genders varied, but one thing was common to all of them—every single one was looking down at Hayato.
"...Um."
Hayato spoke up hesitantly.
"I left my wallet at home. Can I go back and get it?"
Silence.
All twelve of them froze mid-motion.
Not a single twitch. They were rigid as statues.
(...Oh no, did I misread the room?)
Hayato panicked internally. But it was true. He'd left the house without putting his wallet in his bag. He'd been planning to buy bread at the convenience store during lunch break.
After about thirty seconds of silence, the white-bearded old man seated in the center spoke.
"...The wallet will be arranged for later."
His voice was low and heavy. But it carried a note of bewilderment.
"Uh, can I even use otherworld currency?"
Hayato voiced his question without hesitation.
The old man—apparently Lord Elvin—closed his eyes. A pause, like a deep breath.
"...First, the ritual."
"Okay."
Hayato nodded readily.
(But seriously, my wallet... I left it at home...)
Worrying internally, Hayato looked up at the murals. Heroes were depicted there. A hero slaying a dragon, a mage protecting a city with magic, a warrior mowing down enemies with a sword.
All of them valiant, all of them powerful.
"These are amazing people."
Hayato was genuinely impressed.
Only one of the twelve councilors reacted. A silver-haired woman—Councilor Sonia—let the faintest hint of a smile touch her lips.
Just for an instant. She returned to her stern expression immediately after.
Lord Elvin rose to his feet. The other councilors all stood as well.
A weighty atmosphere filled the hall.
"We are the Hero Council—Valorict."
Lord Elvin declared solemnly.
"Thou, summoned from another world. We shall now disclose thy status."
A magic circle appeared at his feet. This time red, with intricate patterns. It encircled Hayato completely.
The light intensified. Blinding.
A massive panel of light materialized in the air ahead. Characters surfaced on it one after another.
"Summoned: Kudo Hayato"
"Age: 17"
"Magical Aptitude—"
A number appeared.
"—Zero."
Silence.
The councilors stared at the light panel without a word.
"Swordsmanship—"
The next number.
"—Zero."
More silence.
"Divine Lineage—"
The final entry.
"—None."
All twelve councilors sighed in unison.
Like a harmony. With perfect timing.
"...Um."
Hayato couldn't help but speak.
"Your sighs were really well-synchronized."
Somewhere, someone stifled a snort.
Lord Elvin cleared his throat.
"...This is according to plan."
"Wait, zero is according to plan??"
Hayato's voice rose in surprise.
The councilors affirmed one after another.
"Indeed."
"Just so."
"No problem."
Their breathing was perfectly in sync.
"...Did you guys rehearse this?"
The words slipped out before Hayato could stop them.
Lord Elvin's white beard twitched faintly.
Lord Elvin took a deep breath. He seemed to be trying to regain his composure.
Then he declared solemnly.
"Thy mission is—to aim to become an ordinary human."
Ten seconds of silence.
Hayato spun his thoughts, trying to process the meaning of those words.
"...Ordinary?"
"Indeed."
"Ordinary, like... isn't there usually more of a save-the-world, defeat-the-demon-lord kind of thing...?"
"That is precisely what an ordinary person cannot do."
Lord Elvin cut him off.
"To be truly ordinary in this world is the most difficult challenge of all."
"I mean, but... ordinary is... just ordinary, isn't it??"
Hayato was confused.
The twelve councilors sighed in harmony once again.
Another councilor tried to elaborate.
"In this world, it is heroes who are ordinary—"
"That's already not ordinary!!"
Hayato couldn't help but retort.
The hall froze.
(...Oh no, I said too much.)
Hayato shrank back. His shoulders drew in slightly.
But Councilor Sonia murmured quietly.
"...He has a point."
She directed a sharp look at Lord Elvin.
Lord Elvin raised a hand, cutting the discussion short.
"We will explain later. For now, let us finish the ritual."
For that one moment, the wave of comedy stilled. A sense that some conflict existed within the council—that atmosphere drifted through the air, just barely.
The ritual ended, and Hayato was guided to a separate room.
A small room. Nothing but a desk and a chair.
A young man was waiting there. Twenty-three, perhaps. He had a meticulous-looking face.
"Thank you for your patience. My name is Johan. I will be handling your citizenship procedures."
Johan bowed politely.
"Nice to meet you."
Hayato bowed as well.
Johan placed a massive stack of documents on the desk. They landed with a heavy thud.
"Now then, please write your name here in Verna script."
"Verna script...?"
Hayato tilted his head.
"Ah, forgive me. As a summoned individual, you have been granted the blessing of auto-translation, so listening and speaking pose no issue. However, reading and writing..."
"I'll have to learn, won't I."
"Yes."
Johan held out a quill pen.
Hayato took it hesitantly.
A quill pen. His first time holding one.
He dipped the tip into the inkwell and tried to write on the document.
"Um, the ink won't stop coming out."
"Hold it at that angle."
"Like this?"
Drip.
The ink spilled spectacularly.
The document turned pitch black.
Johan stared in silence.
Ten seconds later.
"...I'll prepare a new one."
"Sorry..."
Hayato bowed apologetically.
After several rewrites, the procedures were finally complete.
Johan handed Hayato a passage card—a green metal card.
"This is your passage card. It serves as both your membership card and identification for the Passage League—an organization that mediates adventurer requests."
"Thank you."
Hayato accepted it and gazed at it thoughtfully.
"Moss Rank" was engraved on it.
"...Moss Rank is the lowest, isn't it?"
"Y-yes."
Johan answered apologetically.
"That tracks."
Hayato nodded as if convinced.
Johan reacted with genuine surprise.
"Huh...? You're okay with that?"
"Well, all my stats were zero."
"That's true, but... normally, one would be a little more..."
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm relieved."
Hayato smiled.
He meant it. Not being expected of meant no pressure.
Johan looked at Hayato with a complicated expression.
Dusk.
Hayato was walking through the streets of Crevas.
Still in his school uniform. In the otherworldly cityscape, he stood out painfully.
The people around him kept glancing his way.
On the main avenue, heroes strode proudly.
A third-rank hero—a man with a hero's emblem on his chest—walked with an aura of intimidation. Citizens passing by naturally stepped aside.
(So that's a hero.)
Hayato watched from a distance.
Far off, the majestic silhouette of the White Phosphor Palace—the royal castle—was visible. Bathed in the setting sun, it shone gold.
Magical lamps began to light throughout the city. Magical light. Pale blue, beautiful.
Everything was overwhelming.
This world was completely different from the one he knew.
"Dull Turtle Inn, Dull Turtle Inn..."
Hayato muttered as he looked at the map he'd been given.
The inn was called "Dull Turtle Inn." A cheap lodging the council had arranged.
He finally found it.
A small two-story building. A sign read "Dull Turtle Inn."
When he opened the door, a woman poked her head out from behind the counter.
Forty-eight, perhaps. She had a motherly, caring air about her. Slightly plump.
"Oh my, a new face."
Paula—the innkeeper—looked Hayato up and down.
"Don't tell me... those clothes, are they from another world?"
"Yes, I was summoned today."
Hayato answered honestly.
Paula froze for five seconds.
And then.
"...Have you eaten?"
"No, I haven't."
"Honestly, that council! Talk later, food first!"
Paula grabbed Hayato's hand and pulled him along.
She led him to the dining room and sat him at a table.
Food arrived immediately.
Thick-cut barley bread and a soup packed with root vegetables.
Hayato scooped the soup with a spoon and took a sip.
"...Oh, it's good."
An honest impression slipped out.
Warm, gentle flavor. The sweetness of the vegetables seeped through.
"Of course it is."
Paula laughed gruffly.
But her smile was warm.
Hayato felt relieved.
The ritual at the council had been one tense moment after another. But this was different.
(...Maybe I can make a life here.)
That sense of security spread through his chest.
After finishing his meal, Hayato was shown to his room.
A small room, about four and a half tatami mats. Just a bed and a small desk.
From the window, he could see the nightscape of Crevas.
Hayato lined up the initial support funds provided by the Passage League on the desk—fifty copper coins.
From his uniform pocket, he pulled out a Japanese notebook that had miraculously been there.
(I should convert the currency.)
Recalling the information he'd heard from Johan, he wrote in the notebook.
"1 copper coin ≒ 100 yen"
"Lodging = 8 copper coins/night = 800 yen"
"Support funds = 50 copper coins = 5,000 yen"
"5,000 yen ÷ 800 yen = about 6 nights' worth"
He calculated meticulously.
"...If I don't find income within six days, I'm done for."
He grasped the reality calmly.
This was the essence of who Hayato was. He didn't get emotional—he analyzed situations coolly.
"Aim to be ordinary, huh..."
Hayato murmured.
"If it's maintaining an ordinary life, then... I might actually be good at that."
A strange sense of optimism took root.
Keeping a household budget. Cooking for himself. Living frugally.
That was what Hayato had been doing all along in Japan.
He happened to glance at the back of his hand.
There, a summoning crest—a pattern like a magic circle—glowed faintly.
Hayato tried to wipe it away with his sleeve.
It wouldn't disappear.
"...This is one of those not-ordinary things."
His murmur dissolved into the night room, reaching no one.
Just for this moment, the comedic tone came to a halt.
A philosophical afterglow lingered in the air.
The next morning.
Dawn light streamed through the window.
Hayato woke up and opened the window.
Beyond the outer wall, the spires of the White Phosphor Palace glittered in the morning sun.
On the street, a hero was walking.
A w
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