Bizarre tales

Hello everyone!

"Well... how did I even get here...?"

Currently standing in front of a giant tower in an unknown forest, your favorite protagonist, Mireya, makes his appearance!

<"Why exactly are you posing?">

Okay, fine... I'm calm now... As if I could be!

"...Sorry... It was a reflex..."

Trying to recall, I think it all started after I realized I could actually make friends (pretty late, I must admit) thanks to Echidna finally mentioning those protection amulets.

You see, at first I thought they would be complicated to craft or hard to obtain...

But it turns out they were selling them at shrine stalls just around the corner at any temple!

<"May I know why you're falling to your knees now...?">

And to top it off, they were on sale!

"Sorry... This time it was the sheer stupidity of remembering..."

Anyway, leaving that aside, let's do a quick recap!

Let's see... After learning way too late such vital information as the fact that possession could be repelled using talismans created and sold by temples—infused with a certain amount of spiritual energy to protect the bearer—I obviously punished Echidna by depriving her of ice cream for an entire week. Then, after giving Susie an amulet to protect her from her recurring possession issues, I decided to make friends in class for the very first time, days after all those events... Although, in the process, part of my memory about what happened is a bit blurry...

"...Hey, Echidna... For some reason I can't remember what happened after possessed Mom asked to have a conversation alone in her room... Do you know what happened...?"

So, trying to remember, I decided to ask Echidna, who should have witnessed what went down.

<"Basically, you fell unconscious after drinking some warm milk.">

.....

"Is that it...?"

...This is a joke, right?

<"Yes. I must add that I never imagined you would have such low tolerance for something so simple as to fall into such a deep sleep for so long.">

...I definitely cannot leave things like this... I lost consciousness just from milk...? Warm milk...?

"...."

No matter what happens, I must overcome that weakness!!

"You know, Echidna, the sky here is so clear and cool, it's actually quite pleasant!"

Picking up the conversation and changing the subject in the process, after deciding to make friends in class for the first time, I went in armed with the positive thought of: "How hard can it really be?"

...Only to have to eat my own words shortly after.

You see, it turns out guys keep confessing their love to me (despite the fact that I am a guy!), and because of that, girls developed a strange and unjustified rivalry toward me (why?!). So, as a result, I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Why not try making friends with the guys where there's a chance?

Ahahahaha... Dear reader... Let me ask you one thing... Does making friends with the very guys responsible for interfering with my attempts to build a friendly relationship with the opposite sex sound like a viable option to you?

And just so you know, whenever I approach them with purely friendly intentions, they somehow manage to misunderstand everything and assume I've shown a romantic interest in their lives...!

Can you understand my pain?

...I repeat this once again to everyone reading this:

I AM A MAN!!!

(Slap!!)

"Ahem... Sorry, got a bit carried away there..."

Anyway, back to the topic.

<"No problem. Slapping you has already become something I've taken quite an interest in.">

In an attempt to get along normally, I thought about inviting someone to read a storybook together.

What? You think that's too childish?

I wish that were the case, I truly wish it were...

But it turns out that while I almost made a fortune taking the same path as every reanimated or transmigrated person by plagiarizing popular stories from my previous world, my success was largely due to the kind of literature that dominates this world!

And I know you're wondering what those stories are like. So let me summarize it for you: think of the most peaceful, gentle, and relaxing children's story you can imagine... now embellish it with steroids, sex, extreme violence, and massive destruction!

And there you go... That's exactly the kind of stories that circulate around here.

Want a more graphic example?

Alright, let's talk about one of the popular reads in this world. That's right, I'm talking about the story of three heavily armed mutant pigs trying to survive in the "Beast Wasteland," building three types of fortresses with whatever materials they find around them while repelling a horde of bloodthirsty wolves day and night.

So with that context given...

Do you understand what I mean now?

Anyway, we got derailed again. To make a long story short: once at school, while trying to pick a (less extreme) story from the extensive library to start a conversation and make friends, I found a book that had fallen off the shelf.

"...Ah, now I remember."

...And upon opening it, a light enveloped me, and before I knew it, I ended up transported to this dense forest, right in front of a giant tower.

"Why does this always happen to me?!!!"

Honestly, after remembering everything, I feel like the normal reaction here would be to drop to my knees and yell at the sky... right?