Ayami grabbed my hand, and I guided her through the mirror. She stepped into the real world, looking around as if to double-check that everything had made it back.

"Alright, we're back," she said, letting go of my hand.

"Yeah," I replied, glancing at the bags on the floor. "Everything’s here."

She stretched her arms with a small yawn. "Good. Let’s eat something before we figure out our next move."

I nodded, already feeling the exhaustion from everything that had happened. "Sure. Let’s take a break."

She walked to the kitchen, carrying all the tote bags, and I followed closely behind.

When we got there, she started unloading the bags, putting most of the meat into the fridge but keeping two packs out. "Hmm, meat, meat, meat… extra beef," she muttered with a grin. As she opened one of the packs, she glanced at me. "By the way, if we steal from there... does it affect the real world?"

That question hit me. I hadn’t thought about it before.

"Uh… no, I guess?" I said, scratching my head. "I mean, if it did, wouldn’t there already be news about a freezer full of meat disappearing out of nowhere?"

She chuckled, tossing the meat onto the counter and grabbing a knife. "Good point. Guess we’re safe, then. Free meat for life!"

I leaned against the counter, watching as she started prepping the meat. "So... what’s the plan now? Are we just going to keep raiding the mirror world for supplies?"

She smirked. "For now, sure. But there’s more to that world than just free stuff. We need to figure out why you can enter it and why I can’t without you."

I nodded, her words sticking with me. "Yeah, that’s weird. Maybe it’s because I fell into it first? Like I’m somehow... connected to it?"

"Maybe," she said, her tone shifting to something more thoughtful. She paused for a moment, then looked at me. "Have you ever talked to an entity... something that looks like a god?"

I frowned, trying to remember. "Something that looks like a god? No... I don’t think so."

"Ever? Even once? Like in a dream?"

"Nope... not even one," I replied.

"Then you’re one of those worthy people, just like me," she said with a small grin.

"Yeah, sure... maybe I am," I muttered, not sounding too convinced myself.

"You don’t sound convinced," she noted, turning on the stove with a flick of her wrist.

Ayami smirked as she placed the pan on the stove, letting the heat build. "You’ll believe it soon enough," she said. "People like us don’t just stumble into powers or strange worlds by accident."

I shrugged, watching her carefully. "Maybe. Or maybe I just got really unlucky."

She raised an eyebrow, tossing a slice of meat onto the pan. The sizzle filled the room, and the smell of cooking beef quickly followed. "Unlucky? You have access to a whole other world, free supplies, and apparently a connection to something bigger. If that’s unlucky, what does lucky look like to you?"

"Alright, fair," I admitted, then hesitated before asking, "But I want to know—about the ancient stuff. Gilgamesh... is it mostly true, like in history?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Ayami paused for a moment, flipping the meat. "From what I actually know? Mostly. But the details... the real details, they’ve never been told."

I frowned. "Can you tell me, then?"

"Not a chance," she said, her tone firm.

"Why not?"

"You don’t want to know why," she replied, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is there any reason why I can't know?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Ayami’s eyes narrowed slightly as she flipped the meat. "Just keep your mythology fantasy for now. You don’t want to know the real story—what really happened between gods and humans."

The meat sizzled as Ayami finished cooking, the aroma filling the kitchen. She grabbed a plate and carefully arranged the fried meat on it, then handed it to me with a pair of chopsticks. "Here," she said, her voice softer now. "You were talking too much earlier. Eat."

I took the plate and sat down at the counter, using the chopsticks to pick up a piece of the tender meat. It was perfectly cooked, the flavors rich and satisfying. I paused, glancing up at her. "This is... really good."

She shrugged, a hint of a smirk still on her face. "I’m a good cook. Not everything about me is weird, you know."

I took another bite, still thinking about what she had said. "So, what’s the deal with gods and humans? Why can't you tell me?"

Ayami leaned against the counter, her eyes distant. "Because you wouldn’t understand. Some things are better left unsaid."

I chewed thoughtfully, letting the food settle as I processed her words. "Yeah, well, I’m starting to think there’s a lot more going on here than I realized."

Ayami glanced at me, her expression unreadable. "You’re right about that. There’s a reason we’re in this mess, but it’s not something you can figure out overnight."

"So... what do we do now? Am I coming back here tomorrow?"

"For what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don’t know... I want to learn about magic like that," I said, unsure how to word it.

She shrugged. "I don’t know much about your mirror world, but I’ll try to figure it out. Give me your phone number, and I’ll text you if I find something."

I pulled out my phone and handed it to her. She quickly typed in her number, then passed it back to me.

"Alright, I’ll keep you posted," she said, her tone a bit more relaxed now. "But for now, I suggest you get some rest. This stuff is a lot to process."

I nodded, feeling the weight of the day catching up with me. "Yeah, I could use some sleep."

***

The next day arrived, and I was at school, just like any other day.

The school day passed in a blur. As usual, I sat through classes, half-listening to the teachers, my mind preoccupied with everything that had happened the day before.

During lunch, I stood up from my seat when Sakura, who had been sitting beside me, called out.

"Hikaru-san."

"Yeah?"

"Earlier, the teacher asked me to take some papers. Are you free? I think it’s a lot."

"Yeah, sure. What papers?"

"I don’t know. She just said she needed help bringing some papers from her office."

I nodded, following her as she led me down the hallway toward the teacher’s office. The quiet hum of students chatting and the occasional sound of footsteps echoed through the halls, but my mind was still lingering on the events from the day before.

We reached the office, and Sakura knocked on the door. The teacher's voice called out from inside, granting us permission to enter.

"Come in," she said.

We stepped inside, and the teacher, Chiharu Sugiwaka, was standing by a pile of papers on her desk. "Ah, it’s you, Sakura-chan, and Hikaru-kun. Come here."

"We’re here to take the papers," Sakura replied.

"Ah, yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t go myself. I have something I need to take care of. If you don’t mind, could you bring these to Taka-sensei in the teacher’s lounge? Just leave them on his desk."

I walked closer and glanced at the papers. "What’s all this about?"

"Oh, it’s just some of his paperwork," she said with a wave of her hand.

I nodded and took the papers from her desk, careful not to spill them. "Alright, we’ll get them to him."

Sakura smiled at me before giving a quick nod to the teacher. "Thanks, Sugiwaka-sensei."

With the stack of papers in hand, we headed out of the office and back down the hallway. The school was a little quieter now, with most students either in class or at lunch.

"Not too bad, right?" Sakura said as we walked. "I thought it’d be more of a hassle."

"Yeah, easy enough," I replied, still a bit distracted by everything going on in my head. "But... why does Taka-sensei need all this stuff?"

She shrugged. "No idea. He’s always busy with paperwork, but it’s usually not this much. Maybe something important came up."

We reached the teacher’s lounge, and I pushed the door open. The room was empty, save for a few teachers sitting at the back chatting quietly. I walked over to Taka-sensei’s desk and set the pile of papers down.

"Done," I said, straightening up.

Sakura looked around the room. "Well, that’s that. You ready to head back?"

I nodded. "Yeah, let’s go."

As we were about to leave, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text from Ayami:

[Got something. Meet me later?]

"Who is it?" Sakura asked.