Chapter 1

"Thank you for the meal!"

From the counter connecting the hallway and here, a high-pitched, hesitant voice echoed,

"Y-Yes!"

I responded with a modulated tone.

Perhaps it's because they become more self-conscious as they get older, the voices calling out become a bit quieter, so I try to keep my response subdued. But when they say "thank you for the meal" with such enthusiasm, it makes me want to respond with all my heart.

These days, school lunches are often outsourced to catering centers, but our city seems to put a lot of effort into them, and there are still the old-fashioned lunch ladies in elementary schools. I was one of them.

I'm not particularly fond of cooking. I just found the working conditions convenient. I'm not especially fond of children either. However, occasionally, when a child smiles and tells me the food was delicious, it's really quite adorable. While I don't find any deep meaning or fulfillment in my job, which I do for a living, the faces of those children are a small reward that makes me like this job.

That is, in the past tense.

Now, the floor beneath my feet is not linoleum. It's something like a poorly drained, unsanitary environment, with a half-laid stone pavement. Even weeds are peeking out from the gaps between the broken stones. Despite being indoors, I wonder why. I'm peeling what looks like a large amount of potatoes in a huge wooden bucket, about as big as a hug. The lunch rush is over, and now I'm preparing for the evening.

"Chef!"

A slow, hoarse voice reaches me. It's the voice of a boy who has probably forgotten what it's like to be in the voice-changing period. It's not cute at all, but in a place full of rough men, it's better than those who throw their used dishes like they're throwing them away. So, I lift my head and respond to the dish return window.

"Yes, 'Why are you here again?!"

The knight's rough cry drowns out my response.

◇

You know, being summoned to another world is a common trope, right? Well, not really, but in novels and such.

I used to read a lot of them online, for free. I enjoyed them, even at my age. I thought it was such a great era where I could read as many of my favorite novels as I wanted, for free. I hadn't been able to buy my favorite novels for a long time, and I didn't have the space to store them. Reading books always made me feel like I needed to set aside a lot of time, but reading on my smartphone during my free time was so convenient.

But, I never thought it would happen to me... being summoned, I mean. Isn't there supposed to be an age limit or something? That's what I thought.

I went to bed as usual the night before. When I woke up, I was in another world.

The floor was cream-colored, softer than marble, with a gentle light. Red stones were embedded in circular patterns, forming what looked like a magic circle.

Looking up, I saw a hemispherical ceiling with colorful stained glass in blue, red, yellow, and green.

Later, I learned that the glass was actually thin slices of a special stone.

Dust particles swam quietly in the sunlight that streamed in.

The walls, where the light didn't reach, were dim, but intricate vine patterns were carved into them.

In the center of the magic circle stood five of us, including me.

Eight people in robes, who looked like typical wizards, stood around the circle.

A woman in her fifties, who seemed to be of a higher rank, and a man in his fifties, who looked like a king in a velvet mantle, stood side by side. Behind them was a knight in full plate armor, his helmet off.

That knight, Zaza, was now dragging me out of the kitchen and lamenting across the dining table.

"Of course, I understand. Being summoned without your consent and then asked to fight... that's not right. We've sworn to protect our country, but your world was peaceful, right?"

Zaza, who had a surprisingly gentle tone for someone with such a brave title, spoke hesitantly.

"Ah, our country just happens to be at peace, but on a global scale, it's not. We don't have monsters or a demon king, though."

"Without monsters, the enemy is only humans, then?"

"I guess so... and why did you only summon people from our country? Other countries probably have more combat-ready people."

"Unfortunately, we don't have a good grasp of the international situation in other worlds..."

"Ah, right..."

"But, our king did promise to provide a secure life even if you don't fight. You are our guests. We wouldn't abandon you after summoning you and then not getting what we wanted. Even if you don't fight, you can be treated like honored guests. So why... why are you cooking our meals in the cafeteria...!"

◇

Four others were summoned along with me.

A man in a suit with neatly combed hair, looking like he was about to go to work.

A confident college student in a high-necked sleeveless top and a flared skirt.

A young man in baggy jeans with several bulky rings, looking very much like a modern youth.

A slightly plump high school freshman in a slightly oversized uniform, unaltered and neatly pressed.

And me, Kozue Koshimizu. Forty-five years old. Wearing a tracksuit. My daughter's middle school tracksuit, to be precise. That's it!

Everyone else had gone to bed normally and woke up here, but why was I the only one in a tracksuit? I only wore it to sleep. Everyone else, despite sleeping in pajamas or something, was summoned in their going-out clothes. My appearance was so out of place.

Of course, I felt embarrassed. After the high-ranking wizard and high priest, Elness, explained the reason for the summoning, I said, "Um, I haven't informed my workplace that I'm on leave..."

Of course, there was no way to return home, let alone contact anyone.

This other world has a medieval European culture. It's a world of swords and magic, where beastmen, elves, and dwarves walk around freely, even in the castle.

The language wasn't a problem, but I couldn't read the writing. However, the literacy rate wasn't very high, so most commoners couldn't read either.

The continent was divided by three major countries in the center, many small countries in the south, and a mountain range teeming with monsters to the north, beyond which lay the demon race's country. The country that summoned us was one of the three major countries, the Kingdom of Kazarna, located to the east.

Our enemy was the demon race and their demon king. We were called to counter them.

Why were we summoned? When traveling between worlds, the body is temporarily disassembled and reassembled to cross the gap between worlds. During this reassembly, some kind of blessing or boon is attached, supposedly granting us far greater combat power than the inhabitants of this world, making us worthy of the title "hero." Disassembly... what is this?

After High Priest Elness told us there was no way to return, King Kazarna bowed his head in apology. Despite his velvet mantle, he didn't look very kingly. In fact, without the mantle, he looked more like a salesperson for the school cafeteria. He was small in stature.

Still, when the king bowed, Elness pursed his lips, the other wizards murmured and flailed their hands, and Zaza, the knight, bowed even deeper. The king must have been very beloved.

"I believe each world should be self-contained. We want to protect our world because it's where we live. Asking heroes from another world to fight for a world they have no connection to is arrogant."

I nodded in agreement, though I didn't say it out loud.

"The demon race may be fewer in number, but they are physically and magically superior. We have been fighting a grueling war for centuries, barely maintaining our borders. We cannot force you to fight. We will, of course, guarantee your life even if you don't fight. But I humbly ask, could you lend us the power you gained from crossing worlds?"

I glanced at the others, hoping someone would say, "No way," but the office worker nodded vigorously, the college student's eyes sparkled under her curled lashes, the young man nudged the high school student excitedly, and the high school student showed a straightforward determination.

What? They're all for it? Even the office worker, who looked so dedicated to his job? I was counting on the college student to say, "No way"!

But I can't do it. No way. Everyone else is so young. The office worker is a bit older, but still young compared to me. They're all full of energy.

Feeling betrayed, I tried to calmly decline and stepped forward to speak to the king, but...

Hmm?

I had bowed my head to gather my courage and check my footing, but something felt off.

What was it? My body.

It felt lighter.

I took a step back and looked down at myself.

I wasn't fat, but gravity had taken its toll over the years, especially around my waist.

The tracksuit didn't show my body lines, but my lower half definitely felt different from the familiar one that made me sigh every night.

I examined my palms, then the back of my hands. ...This, and I looked around.

On the opposite side of where the king stood, the wall by the door, which led out of this large room, was a full-length mirror. And in the mirror...

There was a middle school-aged me, looking great in the azuki-colored school tracksuit.