Zalroth (From After Azure Chronicles with the appearance of a nine-year-old) opened his greyed-out eyes and stared up at the breathtaking night sky through the large glass dome made of curved windowpanes. Zalroth squinted his eyes at the night sky whilst he pushed up his bottom lip with his hand.

"The stars seem off.". Zalroth tapped his chin while wondering why the stars seemed off. Zalroth lowered his head and looked around at the rainforest-themed indoor park encased by a cathedral-styled room. Zalroth raised a hand to a nearby plant, lifted one of its leaves and stared at it while rubbing his thumb against it.

"Excuse me, mister, I wouldn't recommend touching them," the voice of a young soft-spoken monotone girl voice requested. Zalroth turned his head towards the voice to see a fair-skinned young girl with mannequin doll-like limb joints. (The girl had the appearance of a six-year-old human girl; she had scruffy violet-purple hair and knee-low ribbon-like hair strips on the side of her head with ring-shaped hair ends made of black metal ends, and violet-purple eyes)(She's wearing a sleek frilly dress made of black metal/wool fibres, violet-purple leggings, fuzzy black headband with large fake rabbit ears, and fuzzy black slippers)

"As long as you do it anti-clockwise, then they won't be agitated," Zalroth replied as he let go of the leaf.

"Oh...," the child uttered as she looked at the football-size red plant bulb the leaf Zalroth held was attached to. Zalroth slightly crouched down to match the child's eye level.

"So, who might you be, little one?" Zalroth asked. The child tapped her hands together while quietly mulling over her answer.

"Meina... Mochi," the child replied as she stared at Zalroth's nine kitsune tails. Zalroth nodded, and Meina Mochi grabbed one of Zalroth's kitsune tails and fluffed it with a neutral expression on her face.

"Fluffy.". Zalroth sat down on the rest of his kitsune tails while Meina Mochi continued to fluff Zalroth's other kitsune tail.

"So, Meina-".

"Mochi's my first name," Mochi muttered as she rubbed the tip of Zalroth's kitsune tail against the bottom of her chin.

"Right, Mochi. So, do you know why I suddenly appeared in this indoor garden from the non-realm I was previously dying in?" Zalroth asked.

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"Isekai," Mochi retorted nonchalantly.

"Of course," Zalroth said with an unsurprised tone. Mochi raised her head and looked at Zalroth's hand.

"Hand... please," Mochi pleaded. Zalroth offered her one of his hands. Mochi grabbed the hand, turned it upside down, and placed the bottom of her chin on the raised fingers of Zalroth's hand. Zalroth raised an eyebrow at Mochi, causing Mochi to roll her eyes before she raised a hand and did a chin-scratching motion with it.

"Oh.". Zalroth flexed his fingers before he gently scratched slightly behind Mochi's chin. Mochi's face metaphorically melted onto Zalroth's hand as he continued to itch her chin. Mochi contently grinned as the ring indents on the black of her hands filled with glowing cyan mana [mana's an energy with a wavey effect].

"Soul Bond complete with user: Zalroth Sakamoto," Mochi uttered as her words were slightly mumbled by Zalroth continuing to itch her chin.

"Soul Bond?" Zalroth asked. Mochi begrudgingly removed her head from Zalroth's hand, and she nodded.

"Yeah, all beings summoned from another world are presented with an automaton to allow them to access the Ne-Lon Matrix Network once bonded with a unit," Mochi stated as she pointed to the back of her hand.

"Oh, no wonder it's the same colour as my spiritual energies," Zalroth remarked, "But about my question.". Mochi nodded.

"You were supposed to be summoned into the summoning room, but some sort of interference messed up where you were meant to show up, leading to you being here instead," Mochi stated as she climbed onto and sat on Zalroth's right shoulder.

"That doesn't... never mind, I get the general situation," Zalroth uttered under his breath before he hopped onto his feet.

"Shall we head to the summoning room?" Mochi asked as she held onto one of Zalroth's kitsune tails.

"Might as well not like I had anything better to do," Zalroth remarked rhetorically as he lowered his head to see his ragged battle-worn clothes.

"You can check the Network's store to buy new clothes if you'd like," Mochi mentioned, causing Zalroth to snicker.

"I'll consider it, but don't be surprised if I decide not to. I am quite attached to my current clothes," Zalroth cheerfully said before he began to walk.

"Really?" Mochi asked with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, not by choice," Zalroth replied. Zalroth continued on his way as Mochi kept her disappointment glued to her face.

"Zalroth?".

"Yeah?".

"You're walking the wrong way," Mochi whispered into Zalroth's ear. Zalroth stopped in his tracks.

"Oh...," Zalroth uttered. Zalroth swiftly spun around and began to walk in the other direction while he followed Mochi's generous directions.