- Anyway, don't forget that you still have to clean, right!

Nyara walked next to Sahar, and the two of them headed for the kitchen, a room the boy still hadn't seen. He sighed as he thought about it: the deal was that if Nyara housed Sahar in her house, he would have to clean up when necessary. If he remembered correctly, he would also have to talk about the other continent with the girl when they became closer. However, he knew absolutely nothing about this place: he was from the planet Earth, not from a continent on the other side of the ocean! He had just said that he wanted to be Nyara's friend, he was surely not going to lie to her about something that was so important to her.

- I'll have to explain where I'm really from, then... but when she finds out, won't she think I'm lying?

Presenting himself as a traveler from another World seemed unimaginable. Nyara probably wasn't going to believe it, and their friendship would suffer. He didn't want that... Maybe lying was the best solution after all? Sahar decided not to bother with it for the moment.

Nyara pushed the door in front of her with force and entered the room without waiting for Sahar. The boy followed her and was impressed by the size of the kitchen. The atmosphere was very medieval while the walls were modern. The oven was the same as the ones seen in medieval movies and was probably coal-fired, but that didn't fit with the object next to it: a microwave. It looked rather old, but that didn't change the weirdness of the thing. A small rectangular table stood in the middle of the room on which a jug half-filled with water rested. Surprisingly, white plates were already laid out on the table, as if they would be eating in the next few seconds. The cutlery was made of a metal close to silver, but strangely warm to the touch. It was strange, but considering he was in another World, it probably made total sense. He was going to have a hard time getting used to his new life, though he was pretty happy to be here. Sure, he had trouble with Duzmog, but he had to fight the bad things and only see the good. Already, he had found Nyara, and rather easily. That was good news, great news, even!

- Anyway, yesterday we had... quite a bit to eat, I guess, so you'll have to do the dishes. I guess you can clean plates and cutlery and stuff with ease? asked Nyara.

- I think I'll be fine, replied the boy.

- Great! Then I'll explain the rest of the job when you're done with it! I'll leave you to it, little servant!

- Hey.......

Sahar sighed when he heard the end of Nyara's sentence. As if he was just a slave... Which he obviously wasn't. Sahar took the gloves the girl was handing him and turned to the sink. He would have liked to study it more closely, but the things that accumulated there hid everything else from him. In the end, he didn't even know if there was a faucet behind it!

- Did you... "kind of" eat?!!! How many of you were there? Sahar blurted out, amazed by the pile of at least sixty plates and cutlery in front of him.

- Oh, you know, we didn't eat much, just didn't wash anything since... go figure.

- Hey! I—

- Hey, you're not going to bitch about it, are you? I mean, it's your job, I'm still giving you a place to stay.

Sahar sighed, his mouth shut. It was the truth, he had no right to complain. He accepted his fate and nodded. The girl smiled with a "Good”. She was about to walk away but finally turned around.

- Oh, and you have less than an hour to do this, we have to eat! she said.

- I'll never make it! he exclaimed. And we already have plates at the table, from what I see!

- Yes, but actually, it's also dirty dishes, hehe... Only the cutlery is clean... I guess?

Sahar was about to get angry when she ran out of the room laughing. He was stunned by the dishes waiting for him. He was never going to finish in an hour, knowing himself. If only there was music, he'd at least have a beat to work with, but right now... It was an annoying silence that Sahar didn't appreciate. He would have liked to at least talk with Nyara. He had no choice but to accept his "fate". He took out the plates and put them on the counter next to him, regretting his decision to accept Nyara's condition. He had so much, but so little desire to do the dishes... Even on Earth he hated it. It wasn't complicated; just long and slow.

When the boy removed all the plates and cutlery, he finally discovered the sink that was in front of him:it was beautifully marbled. The faucet was an insultingly clean, gleaming silver. Sahar took the black plug that was waiting on the side and put it on the drain. The boy turned the hot water plug and waited until the sink pan was full to begin his task. He looked left and right for a soap, but didn't see it anywhere. He crouched down and opened the drawers below to find tons of products. The names on them were all unknown to the boy. So "things" on this World were not the same as on Earth... It seemed logical. He took what he thought was the soap and poured some into the hot water. Fortunately for Sahar, it was indeed foaming soap. The gloves he was wearing bothered him, but he had to keep them on... He continued to wait, taking care not to forget to turn off the water when needed.

- I wonder how I'm going to continue my life here, now... the boy thought with a sigh.

He who dreamed of action, adventure and fights, of revelations and emotions… He was surely not going to find all that while cleaning. He had to fight against dust and dirt, of course, but it was nothing compared to what we saw in the worlds of Fantasy and everything that touched the genre! He wanted to live this kind of story, not to be a cleaning lady...! He had no right to grumble any further, but his disappointment was understandable. However, Sahar knew that it was too early to judge whether or not he was going to live such a "boring" life. He was really hoping to go on an adventure, and soon! It was true that he had no powers and would probably be killed in a matter of seconds, but with Nyara by his side, he was already less afraid. It was mostly her that he was afraid of!

Seeing that the water was getting dangerously close to the edge of the tub, he turned off the faucet. He dipped a first plate and firmly grasped the strange sponge that Nyara had probably left him. He began to scrub and got lost in his thoughts, not wanting to concentrate only on his task. He preferred to think about the future now.

- There are still chances that we'll go on an adventure, after all!

Sahar set the plate to the side. He was going to have to repeat this movement again and again…

- What a bore… he sighed.

The boy continued to dream of his adventures.

Since he had no Power, he would have to find another way to be powerful. He could try to build some muscle, but... Never! He would never be seen doing 500 push-ups a day just for that! It wasn't that he COULDN'T do it, it was that he didn't WANT to do it. Sure, in his quest to become strong and powerful, he was going to have to improve his physical condition, but he certainly wasn't going to rely on that alone. Since Nyara seemed to be wielding a katana, this would be a good opportunity to ask her for advice... If she agreed, Sahar would be willing to bathe in sweat in an effort to become stronger. He was motivated to train again and again. He would do more or less anything for the chance to have an extraordinary adventure with Nyara. He laughed when he thought of his friends who would be jealous when they would learn that Sahar had been Isekai, ahah!!!

- Ahah... ah... My friends... huh......

Sahar's amused look turned into a saddened chuckle. His friends on Earth... He wondered how they were all doing. He had wondered about them before, but would he ever get to see them again? It was not certain. He was probably stuck in this new World forever. He was going to have to deal with it. In any case, he was quite happy to be here. Sure, it was a bit of a crazy World at first glance, but he hadn't seen anything yet! He was sure he still had plenty to discover. Sahar still hadn't spent a full day here. He didn't know much about Duzmog after all. He knew that humans with animal attributes existed — Nyara being a fox girl. He had also observed that the magical blue star in the sky was not like the sun. People had Powers and there were materials that were not found on Earth. He really didn't know much.

As time went on, he would learn a lot about this World and Duzmog would become his new Earth. He was convinced of that. All he had to do was avoid dying too quickly and make his life an adventure filled with action and luck! It was naive, but he preferred to think like that. Being too negative is bad for the mind.

- If Nyara teaches me how to use the katana and I apply myself as much as possible, I think I'll be strong in a few months...!

This too was probably naive; and Sahar knew it very well. But he wanted to believe it. Who could blame him for thinking positively?

He loved puzzles, and he was pretty good at logic. He usually played strategy games like chess or go. In general, strategizing had always been his forte, and he was often the one to come up with the battle plans. Contrary to appearances, Sahar was very good at using his head. When he wasn't overwhelmed by his emotions. In short, he just had to be calm. When it came to solving puzzles, he was the first to be chosen. He was so good at chess that no one in his class wanted to play him because of the beating he gave them.

Sahar set the last plate aside and sighed with relief. He still had all the cutlery left. He'd been fighting for almost an hour over the plates, so he probably didn't have much time left. He had spent three quarters of the time bored and the other quarter of the time thinking. His stomach screamed at his human that he was hungry.

- I hope they have good food... the boy wished.

He started to wash the cutlery when—

- Ah, still not finished?

... Az walked into the room.

Sahar turned around to answer him, but of course, he saw no one.

Az was still invisible to the boy.

- All that's missing is the cutlery, it should take a few minutes at most... Sahar replied.

- I see, I'll put the plates on the table already. Thanks for the work.

- It's my job, hehe...

Sahar smiled at the end of the sentence and hoped Az had done the same. The boy was startled when he saw the plates fly away; he had forgotten for two seconds that Az was invisible... even though he had thought about it three seconds ago. Despite his facility with logic, Sahar thought to himself that sometimes he was a total idiot.

Azgoria laughed as the boy put his hand on his chest.

- One day you will be able to see my eternal beauty, I promise!

The invisible man placed five plates on the table.One for Nyara, one for Sahar, one for Creel, one for him... and the other one ? Who was the fifth? Sahar was about to ask him when he saw the last plate fly into the air to join his own on the counter. The boy fell silent and waited for an explanation.

- I put an extra plate because I thought we had another guest today, but he won't be coming for a while, silly me, ahah! said Az, probably looking at Sahar.

- Who is he?

- A friend of Creel's who comes sometimes, he's a bit strange since we never see his face and never talk, but he's still a guest. We treat people well !

- I was tackled to the ground and almost killed, but I guess so... smiled the boy.

- Details, details, nothing serious.

- I don't know if it's "nothing serious" either!!

The man laughed out loud and moved away from the counter a bit to sit in a chair. He stopped and let out a small "Hehe".

- By the way, is it better with Nyara? he asked after his laughter.

The boy nodded as he placed the knives on the right side of the plates. He knew his manners, at least. It was because of his parents that he knew how to eat properly. Thanks to them!

- I made up with her. But…

- But?

- Well, we can't consider ourselves "friends" yet, but I'm confident that we'll become so. I... I want to see how our relationship can improve.

- You like our Nyara, don't you?

- It's hard to say, because, well, we don't know each other at all. I know nothing about her, she knows nothing about me. However, I feel a "connection" between us, I have a good feeling. I think she will soon become my best friend!

- Nyara, despite appearances, is a very sweet and charming girl, after all. Sometimes she looks like she's only eight years old, which is cute... but confusing, when you know her... more violent side, as you probably found out a few hours ago... Sorry for you.

Sahar shook his hand from left to right, nodding his head. He had earned it, after all. He might not have deserved to be on death's door, but a good beating would put things right.

- I deserved it anyway, I can't deny it... he said.

Az made no noise and silence fell. Sahar had just finished washing the last cutlery. He ran his hand over his forehead and sighed.

- Finally finished... he said.

- You still have the cleaning to do after dinner, you know? said Az.

- You don't have to remind me... Otherwise, what's your relationship with Nyara?

No answer from the man. Sahar decided to change the subject, seeing that Az didn't seem to want to answer, which he found strange.

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- ......Otherwise, is this house yours? he asked.

This time, the invisible one accepted to answer the question.

- Exactly, we've been living here for a long time.

- I see, and you stay here all the time?

Sahar wanted to know in advance if they were going to go on adventures or not. If they were going to stay in this house all the time, the boy would at least know what to expect: not much excitement. Az seemed to blow his nose, but perhaps that was an impression of Sahar.

- Sometimes we are given certain missions, like finding this or killing that... Nyara had offered to do that so we could earn a living, and well, it works out pretty well.

Sahar didn't think they were doing that kind of thing. It was very interesting and he was happy about it: it was possible that he would also go on a mission! All hope was not lost! After that, it would depend on the nature of the mission, since he was currently weak... Very weak.

- That said, we won't be leaving for a good two weeks from now, said Azgoria.

Sahar lowered his head in disappointment. Two weeks wasn't nothing. He decided to look on the bright side: he had time to train a little and learn more about this World. However, he would have liked to visit Duzmog more quickly. Sahar would just have to take the opportunity to bond more deeply with Nyara. He could try to make friends with Creel too, maybe?

- I think we already get along well, Az and I... Sahar thought with a smile.

Azgoria was the one who seemed to make sure he could stay here. At first, Az had protected Sahar from Creel. Then he found him friendly. He seemed to like the gray-haired boy and showed no hostility despite the incident. Az was someone Sahar already liked a lot. He wanted to be a close friend of his too.

- Anyway, when we finish our missions, we always come back, Az finished. When we leave.......

- Heya!!!

Without warning, a girl with a beautiful smile entered the room, cheerful as anything. Her fox tail flapping frantically behind her. She stared at the gray-haired boy with a look filled with happiness.

- So Sahar, are you done?! she said.

He nodded and pointed to the table. It was ready, just the food and drinks were missing. Nyara put a hand on her chin and nodded.

- This is good work, good work! she said, excited for some reason.

- You seem to be in an incredible mood, Nyara. I guess…

- We're eating SALSAAAAAAAA !!!!!

Raising her arms in the air, the girl did not hide her good mood. Behind her came Creel, who was carrying three bags on his rather muscular arms. Sahar assumed that inside was a lot of food, the way they were filled. The man set them down on the table and stared blankly toward the kitchen counter.

- I know it's not your favorite thing, Az, but…

- If we don't have it just because I don't like it, I won't even be able to see myself in a mirror.

Sahar thought that was a cute comment from the man.

- It’s nice that she likes Salsa so much, as long as she's happy, I don't mind having the urge to vomit... he finished.

Without physically seeing the man, Sahar seemed to see and even feel Az's smile. It was a real smile, a smile full of kindness and love. Perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration, considering it was only food, but Sahar found it adorably sweet. The boy smiled back and took off his gloves. From the sound of it, Az seemed to be saying that this "Salsa" was not at all appetizing. On Earth, at least, that term was just given to the sauce; often more attributed to hot sauces. If that was the case here too, Sahar would have some, but was that all they ate...? I mean, it wasn't ONLY sauce? Creel opened the bags and revealed their contents to everyone. The girl, excited to eat Salsa, took a box all to herself and put it on her plate. With stars in her eyes, she looked mischievously at the boy.

- You're going to eat it, aren't you?! she said to him. The two of them never want to eat more than one package, it's so little! Two, even three, that's what you have to eat!

She looked aggressively at the two men who raised their hands, as if guilty.

- Az doesn't like it, and I don't like it very much, that's all... Creel replied, taking a box in his turn.

He put it on his plate and removed the plastic film over what could have been taken for a tray. It looked like it was made of aluminum, but when Sahar took one in turn, he instantly sensed that it was not. It was more like cardboard, but with something indescribable about it.

- Like frigolite... I guess, he thought.

He imitated the other three and removed the plastic film. A familiar smell came to tickle his nostrils and he took a deep breath. He looked down at his food. Curry. Although he didn't like vegetables, the cauliflower looked delicious. They were an appetizing orange color that made the boy's stomach rumble with happiness. He didn't want to wait any longer to swallow the dish. He took the fork in his hand and poked into the box impatiently. He put a big bite of curry in the oven. The taste of the potatoes overpowered the cauliflower and the spices, but the mixture was exquisite. The dish was very well presented, as he had known it on Earth: the curry leaves were placed everywhere and enhanced the rest of the ingredients with a nice yellow color. Sahar hesitated as to the color of all this, but he preferred to enjoy the taste rather than to rack his brains with such silly questions. Back home on Earth, this dish was called "Aloo Gobi", a typical Indian dish that was referred to as "dry curry". His parents sometimes made it for him, but that was when they wanted to eat something special. He had always loved curry, whether it was this particular dish or with chicken. Enjoying every bite, he couldn't help but smile as he ate the Aloo Gobi. What made this dish different from the one his parents made was the lack of onions. It seemed to Sahar that there was an aftertaste of garlic in his mouth, but he wasn't sure if that was it. In any case…

- I like this Aloo very much... Well, this Salsa!!! he said, looking at Nyara.

The girl, with her mouth full, looked at him with hope and a touch of admiration.

- You have 'u!!! she said, mouth full. Is too 'ood Sa''aaa!!!

- Don't talk with your mouth full, Nyara, sighed Az, still not having touched his dish.

Sahar thought it was a pity that the invisible man didn't like such a delicacy, but to each his own, after all. As for Creel, he ate his "Salsa" slowly, but he didn't seem to dislike it; quite the contrary.

- Otherwise, Sahar.

- Mmmh?

- Won't your parents be worried about you? You just told us you were on this continent because the situation was "complicated," but we don't know anything about you. We don't want people to think we kidnapped you, though.

- …

The boy did not know what to say. It was true that he had never really explained why he was on this continent. Of course, he wasn't going to tell them he was from another world, especially since he had already lied and said he was from the other continent. What should he say? Sahar didn't want to lie too much, especially since he wanted to gain their trust.If one day they found out that Sahar had lied... He didn't even want to imagine what would happen, the disappointment in their eyes......

- My... parents......

In Sahar's head images passed that he knew well: those of his real parents. They had stayed on Earth, probably worrying about their missing son, Sahar. That was the real problem with being teleported to another world. The boy didn't like the fact that his parents and friends still didn't know he was safe...

- I mean, am I really safe here...? he asked himself with an amused smile.

The boy lowered his head, making the fox-eared girl a little puzzled. However, she continued to eat like a pig while waiting for her "guest" to answer. After some thought, Sahar decided to continue with his lie, even though he didn't like it.

- We... had a fight and... let's say I ran away. It's cowardly, but... I don't want to talk about it.

If Sahar made it seem like it was a sensitive subject for him, it was possible that he would not be asked any more questions about his parents and the reason he came to this continent. That was what he hoped, anyway.

- I see... Az said. If that's your choice. However, how did you get here in the first place?

It was a question Sahar dreaded, but he was prepared for it. While he was washing the dishes, he had already thought about it in advance. Clever lynx!

- I asked a friend to teleport me somewhere where my parents wouldn't find me, Sahar explained. I didn't expect to be teleported to the other continent, well, this one, though....... He impresses me and scares me at the same time...

Sahar tried to be as credible as possible, but he himself knew that if he was asked any more questions, he would give himself away. It was even more likely that there was already an inconsistency. He just hoped that it wouldn't be noticed, if it was.

The other three remained silent for a long minute. It was Nyara who broke the silence.

- This is... impressive. Just to be able to teleport someone is amazing, but this far... How powerful is your friend?

The girl was impressed by the invented ability of Sahar's invented friend. Naturally, Nyara didn't know that the boy was lying. Creel didn't seem to question what he was saying and Az hadn't said anything. Sahar was afraid the man would start to doubt. The boy turned to his future friend.

- I guess really strong... he replied briefly.

- I see, you have a complicated relationship with your family, so... Azgoria finally said.

- It's nothing serious, it's a bit of a teenage crisis!

No one understood her joke. The term "teenage crisis" did not exist here? He was going to have to be careful what he said... even more so than expected.

After a few minutes of eating and talking, the four people got up from the table and put their dishes and cutlery down by the sink. Sahar, who had not yet been asked, took care of the dishes and was thanked by the others. Nyara was waiting to assign him his next task.

When he was done with the dishes, Sahar followed the girl down the long hallway of the house. They passed the girl's room and came to a door that was identical to the others, but it led to a room Sahar knew nothing about yet. She opened the door and let the boy see a huge room with lots of clothes inside. Nyara explained to him that she would later pass him some typical clothes from that country, because the ones they had now... were not famous. He smiled stupidly at the girl's remark.

Nyara opened a new door and showed Sahar the gigantic room that was the bathroom. He looked at it with his twilight eyes. A shockingly clean bathtub was to his left, in the same place as the shower. Jetting systems on the wall and in the tub proved that this was not a poor man's room. Strangely, this bathroom was very modern and very "earthy". It was as if this world was stealing the style of planet Earth! It was silly to think that, but the thought made Sahar smile. Nyara looked at him, wondering about the boy's sudden smile, but she quickly followed suit.

Sahar noticed that at the end of the bathroom was a very beautiful and luxurious toilet. He approached it and saw that it was the same as in his world. On a mini counter near the closed window were toilet papers. He touched one of them without worrying about the girl's gaze and noticed that it was so pleasant to touch...! He turned his head to the girl next to him and asked her if he should do something here. She nodded.

- Even though it looks like it's very clean, the water needs to be changed every week, she explained. You just have to open the big tub you see there and empty it into another tub that I'll give you, and then you put it all out and go into the basement to get "new" water, well, cleaner water.

So Nyara showed him the first bin and pointed to the basement. He finally nodded and got to work. The other tub Nyara had given him was rather small, which meant a lot of back and forth. He sighed, but got to work. He had no other choice anyway.

After almost three hours of work, Sahar finally finished. He knew that wasn't all he had to do, but he was proud of himself. It had taken longer than he expected, but at least it was done. The trips back and forth with a tub full of water in his arms were exhausting. He wiped his forehead and smiled, happy with the finished job. He walked quietly to Nyara's room, where she was: she had told him to knock on the door when he was done. Sahar arrived at the door and was about to knock when...

- ...already?

It was Az's voice.

- It's like this. The first one was in two weeks, but this... came another voice Sahar knew. We can't wait that long. Otherwise, they'll ask other people, I guess.

- Why bother?

The one who had asked this question happened to be Creel. The last voice was obviously Nyara's. Sahar, not wanting to disturb them, preferred not to knock on the door. The boy could wait outside without listening to their conversation,but curiosity got the better of him and he put an ear to the wooden door.

- It's pretty important, Nyara continued. We could leave this to someone else, but that would allow us to go visit the capital and do the other work already.

- I wanted to take a break... Last week was already too busy!

- This is not just any old thing, what they asked us to do......

Sahar wasn't sure what they were talking about, but he was so curious. A job? The capital...?

- I know... I know.

- No excuse for you Az, then?

- I have nothing to say. I just hate having to go back to work now. Don't you, Creel?

- Don't care.

- Great!

...

Nyara seemed happy that the two agreed. Sahar was still listening at the door.

- But what about Sahar? What do we do?

No one answered Azgoria's question. The boy behind the door held his breath. What.......

- If you want us to go, I don't mind, but don't forget Sahar. What do we do with him?

- ......

- He doesn't have any power, does he?

- Just talk to him about it, Nyara cut him off. We'll... see later.

- .......

- He's barely started his job and we're already going to set him free, ahahah? joked Az. That was quick.

- We don't have much choice... Creel sighed. Again, if it's a thorn in our side, he......

- We'll talk to him about it. That's all.

The boy, speechless, pulled his ear away from the door. He walked away and headed for the bathroom, where he should be if he was still working. He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath of air. He didn't have time to think about it when the minty-haired girl entered the room. She seemed to be in a hurry and didn't want to have any fun: you could see it in her face.

- Sahar.

- Y-Yes......?

- We need to talk to you.