The early morning mist clung to the forest floor as the sun peeked over the edge of Lively Valley, golden light spilling across the makeshift camp we had built. The embers of last night's fire were still glowing, and for the first time in what felt like forever, things were quiet.
I sat on a stump near the fire pit, watching the others go about their routines. The Kingdom of Aeravelle still loomed in the distance behind us, a fortress of politics and mystery. But out here, in the space between worlds and chaos, we had a moment to breathe.
Even if Jerry's shadow still lingered in all our minds.
"Rose," Nari called softly as she approached, carrying a kettle of hot tea. "You barely slept."
"Yeah," I muttered. "Too much on my mind."
Nari sat beside me, offering a cup. "You're not alone in that."
The camp was lively this morning. Boyfriend hummed some catchy tune while practicing his rhythm with Sofia. Uzi was helping Hana sharpen her throwing knives—though she kept poking fun at the size. N stood nearby, awkwardly practicing how to "make small talk" with Daniel. V sat leaning against a rock, arms crossed and eyes half-lidded, looking unimpressed with everything except the distant treetops.
And then it happened.
A sudden distortion rippled through the air, like a signal cutting through the fabric of reality.
"Portal again?" Ethan asked, rising to his feet with Pulse Core crackling faintly around him.
Before anyone could answer, the rift tore open above the camp—and five figures came tumbling out of it, followed by a sixth moments later. They landed in a heap of tangled limbs and startled shouts.
"What the—?!"
"Ahhh! Nino, you elbowed me in the stomach again!"
"Ichika, your heel was on my neck—ow!"
"Yotsuba, get off—!"
The tangle of voices gradually gave way to groans and untangling. The five girls sat up first, followed by a tall boy with slightly messy hair and a constant look of exasperation.
"…This again?" he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I swear this multiverse thing is getting out of hand."
My eyes widened. I recognized them from the cultural videos we studied back on Earth. These weren't just anyone.
Ichika. Nino. Miku. Yotsuba. Itsuki. The Nakano quintuplets. And with them—Futaro Uesugi, their endlessly patient tutor.
"Are they from… the same Earth as us?" Rose asked.
"Japan," Riku confirmed, blinking. "A very different Japan."
Ichika was the first to rise fully, brushing herself off and giving a dramatic little bow. "Well! That was an entrance, wasn't it? Someone owes me a latte after that landing."
Nino stood next to her, arms crossed and fuming. "Can we talk about how completely uncalled for that portal was? We were literally in the middle of cooking dinner!"
Miku, her ever-soft expression unchanged, quietly adjusted her headphones and looked around. "Is this… another world? I recognize some of this from fantasy RPGs…"
Yotsuba grinned, bounding to her feet like she'd just won the lottery. "This is amazing! A forest, weird magic energy, totally otherworldly! What a perfect chance to go on an adventure!"
"Wait, slow down," Itsuki said, brushing twigs from her hair and giving a worried look to everyone. "Did we just get isekai'd…?"
"Yes," Futaro muttered again, dragging a hand down his face. "Yes, we did. Again."
We took a few minutes to help them up and explain what little we knew. They were, like us, torn from their world without warning. None of them had powers—at least not yet—but they had been given the same strange window system we had when we arrived.
Ichika was fascinated by hers. "So it tracks stats? Mood levels? Outfit inventory? That's adorable."
Miku, though shy, was curious about the music files it stored—especially when she realized it could sample sounds from other universes.
"Wait…" she said, scrolling. "Did someone install a Hatsune Miku vocal pack into mine…?"
Meanwhile, Nino had already argued with Uzi over the definition of sarcasm, while Yotsuba was trying to rope Olivia into a race through the woods. Itsuki was asking Sofia about magic theory, pointing out discrepancies in elemental affinities between our world and what she remembered from folklore.
Eventually, the six of them joined us around the fire. Their energy was chaotic, yes, but undeniably… human. Familiar.
Even Jerry's name made Futaro pause. "You're saying someone like that is trying to destroy this place? Why?"
"We still don't know," I said honestly. "But we know he's dangerous."
Ichika leaned back, looking thoughtful. "Then I guess we're part of this story now."
Nino scoffed, flicking her hair. "Ugh. Just our luck. Can't even have a day without some megalomaniac showing up."
Miku looked up from her notes. "I think… maybe we can help. If we're here, there's a reason, right?"
Uzi crossed her arms. "If you wanna stick around, better learn fast. People die in this world. There's no reset button."
"We understand," Itsuki said quietly.
Futaro looked around the camp and then at us. "You're all kids… fighting something this big. It's not fair, but I can see you're serious. We'll learn what we can. And we'll pull our weight."
Jack grinned. "Then welcome to the insanity."
By sunset, we had expanded the camp to make room. Ayaka and Daniel set up small magic wards for protection. Rose helped Mia draw terrain maps of the nearby area. The Nakano sisters helped gather food (with Nino mostly complaining), and Futaro took on organizing our information, instantly becoming a strategist the way he always had for his sisters.
That night, the fire burned brighter. And for once, I saw smiles all around.
Even in the face of cosmic threats and twisted villains, we had something more powerful—connection.
And maybe… just maybe, that would be enough.