"Uhm…E-Elliot~san, wha…wha…what are you doing all of a sudden?" Akari stammered out in Japanese embarrassingly, her eyes darting around as she looked at the crowd whose gaze was fixed on them.
Naturally, Elliot didn't understand her words so he replied with a tilt of his head to the side. Truthfully speaking, the language barrier between them is getting awkward as both sides can't establish proper communication with one another. There is a translator device that helps them understand one another, but the nature of it is distracting for him, it's not natural.
Elliot straightened his back and offered a hand to Suzune. It looked as though he was offering a similar act of gesture to the one he did to Akari.
She won't be able to bear the embarrassment that she is going to get should she accept it.
Fortunately, she has an idea. Once she gives her hand to him, she will shake it before Elliot can even bow and make a princely act in front of her.
As she stretched her hands towards him, Elliot caught it and enveloped her fingers with his hand, and turned it horizontally, exposing the back of her hand vulnerable.
It was swift, faster than she could blink. And before she knew it, Elliot's lips were already pressing on her hand.
A wave of startled gasps echoed in the library once more. The sound of the camera shutter can be heard indistinctively.
It only took a second for Elliot to release his grasp on Suzune's hand before offering them to take a seat on his desk.
The two obliged and sat in front of him.
They noticed before that Elliot's desk is full of hardcover books ranging from world history, science and engineering, and geography. Aside from books, there are also bottled juices and onigiri. The bottled juices have sticky notes glued to them with notes written on them. All of which are just greetings and wanting to know more about him. But all were written in Japanese text, so Elliot won't probably understand what they meant.
After looking at the things on his table, their eyes shifted to Elliot. Whose eyes gaze back onto them with a smile spread across his lips.
This is a perfect chance to strike up a conversation, Akari began.
"Are you not eating this?" Akari asked slowly in English, pointing at the food on the table.
Elliot shook his head. "No. I haven't eaten food given by a stranger and second, the smell doesn't appeal to me."
"You don't like it then."
"Not at all. You guys can eat it. If it pleases you then it's yours."
Akari stared at him blankly. She knows that the food on his table is delicious and she would gladly eat it as it would just go to waste if not eaten.
Just as she was about to take one, Suzune stopped her by the hand.
"That's improper, Akari-chan. Those foods are brought by the girls in the library, who are watching us right now. If you eat one of them, they'll curse you on the internet."
Akari gulped nervously. What she said was true. He glanced around her and saw the glaring eyes looking back at her.
She will not take the risk so she removed her hand from the onigiri.
Suzune opened the translator app and began speaking with Elliot.
"You said you are the third prince of the Kingdom of Swabia, right? Where is it particularly?"
Elliot cleared his throat. "I know this might sound crazy but I'm not from here."
"Not from here?" Suzune's eyes furrowed.
"I'm from another world," Elliot revealed.
Suzune briefly stopped speaking with Elliot as she turned to Akari.
Suzune whispered. "Did you hear that?"
"He's saying that he's from another world. Did his head bump into the gutter when he saved you earlier?" Akari whispered back. "And what's more, those things only happen in fiction, right?"
"Right, but I can't help but feel that he is telling the truth. When he answered my question, his voice sounded genuine, devoid of lies."
"Maybe he's a chuunibyou," Akari guessed and continued. "Who is stuck in his own fantasy? A lot of Japanese students suffer from that syndrome."
"But he is certainly don't look like a Japanese person to me. How about we browse the internet about the name of his country."
"Kingdom of Swabia," Akari muttered under her breath as her fingers tapped the screen of her phone. The moment she tapped the search icon, the results appeared. "The Duchy of Swabia was one of the five stem duchies of the medieval German Kingdom. It arose in the 10th century in the southwestern area that had been settled by Alemanni tribes in Late Antiquity," Akari read the result.
"Let's show it to him," Suzune suggested.
Akari nodded and held the phone up in front of Elliot.
Elliot leaned closer to the monitor and saw a bright glass with text and pictures in it.
"What is this…?" Elliot asked in awe.
"It's a smartphone," Suzune answered with her phone translator. "It's a device that we used to communicate, entertain, and browse the internet," she continued. "We looked up the name of your country in google and it gave us this. Is this your country? Are you from Germany?"
"I can't understand the written text but the image displayed in the…smartphone…is not the same as my country. I'm telling you I'm not from this world."
Suzune placed a hand on Akari's arm, lowering it. Elliot kept reiterating that he was not from this world and that he was from another world in the country of Swabia. How does he expect her to believe that?
Wait. Suzune scanned his appearance once more. His whole ensemble is not fitting this era and would be considered a cosplay. The way he speaks is verbosely elegant. Not someone you would often hear from anyone at this age. Someone getting transported from the other world is unheard of, it's fictitious. There's only one way for her to verify his stories.
"What year is it in your world?" Suzune asked, her words being translated by a translator app.
Elliot sighed. "Is this how people from the modern age communicate with someone from a different country?"
"Uhm…no…I don't speak English very well," Suzune replied in English.
"Eh?" Akari exclaimed softly as she stared at her dumbfoundedly. "What do you mean you can't? You aced all our English exams and read very well."
"It's because it's different from studying it and using it in real-life," Suzune explained. "Also, just because I aced the exam doesn't mean that I can hold a conversation with a native speaker. I still have much to learn."
After answering Akari, Suzune's eyes returned to Elliot. "I'm sorry, sir Elliot. I am not skilled yet in English."
"I see, I was just asking because we don't have a translator device in my world. For us to converse with another country that speaks a different language, we would hire an interpreter. Well setting that aside, to answer your question, the year is 1077 in the imperial calendar."
"1077?" Akari and Suzune repeated in surprise.
"Also, you said earlier about the modern age? Do you mean to say that your world is not the same age as ours?" Akari asked.
"Yes, your world is technologically advanced compared to ours. For example, your transportation doesn't rely on horses pulling it. Instead of gas lamps to light up this library, it's another. Lastly, the thing I am most fascinated by is the temperature. It's chilly compared to outside, which is sultry. Do you know what's causing your carriage to move? The energy source of the lighting? And the mechanism of the machine that is spewing cold air?"
"The carriage you call is called a vehicle," Suzune began. "They are powered by an internal combustion engine that moves the drive shaft. As for the lighting, the energy you are referring to is called electricity. Lastly, the mechanism of the air conditioner is drawing hot air from outside and is cooled down using a refrigerant…and I don't know what's next."
Hearing her explaining the very thing he is curious about made his eyes light up with excitement. He bent over the table and reached for her hand.
"You are amazing! You may not know it completely but I'm still impressed! Please teach me everything you know!"
"Eh?" Suzune flinched as Elliot took her hand in his, shaking it gently while staring straight at her.
Surprised by this sudden action, Suzune inadvertently replied. "Okay."
***
Five minutes later, the three left the library. Akari was carrying a bag filled with drinks and food the girls gave to Elliot. Suzune was gazing down at the floor, regretting her decision of helping Elliot as he began to ask university-level questions. Elliot, on the other hand, was fascinated by the scenery of the city sparkling at night.
"Beautiful..." he uttered, a tear escaping his eyes. The night was so bright as day. The lights on the buildings, vehicles, and stores were dazzling. Everything seemed magical to him but he found out earlier that everything before him is not a work of magic, but science. If it's science, then it can be introduced to his world.
Suzune noticed the tear that flowed down his cheek. She was touched at how open he was showing his emotions.
"Eh...Elliot is crying?" Akari pointed out.
Elliot chuckled as he wiped the tears with the back of his arm. "I am just happy. This feels like a dream for an aspiring scientist like me."
"Elliot-san, you are a scientist?" Akari curiously asked.
"Believe it or not, I'm a scientist who is working on research that will disprove the etheric theory. I was about to do that until a mysterious book sucked me into this world."
"Book?" Suzune repeated. "You mean to say that you got here from a book?"
"Again, you may not believe it but that's the truth. Frankly speaking, I don't even know how to get back to my own world."
"So you don't have a place to stay?" Akari asked.
"Yes."
"That's bad," Akari frowned and crossed her arms. She thought of something. "Then why don't you sleep at my house for the night?"
"Akari!" Suzune pushed Akari to the wall where they can speak privately. "What are you thinking? Letting a boy whom we don't even know of sleep with you? Also, aren't you living alone in your house?"
"Suzune-san, it's okay. Elliot seemed to be a guy that wouldn't do something bad to a lady. And yes, I do live alone in my house as my parents went abroad. He can use my bedroom if he likes."
"No, I won't agree to that. Let me handle this," Suzune said, returning to Elliot.
"Forget what you just heard from Akari-chan, she likes to blurt out things without thinking them through. You saved my life earlier and you shall be rewarded for that," she said through the phone.
"Lady Suzune...I don't want to impose—"
"No matter what, I insist on taking you somewhere safe. I just know a place, why don't you come with us. My chauffeur is going to arrive anytime soon—"
Elliot's stomach growled, interrupting Suzune.
"Sir Elliot, are you hungry?" Akari asked, smiling at him as she held an onigiri in front of him. "Please eat these if you like. It's yours anyway."
Elliot stared at the onigiri. "I haven't eaten food like that in my life."
"Then let me take you to a restaurant that serves western food first," Suzune offered.
Elliot rubbed his head in embarrassment and let out a forced chuckle. "I hope that I'm not bothering you with these problems of mine."
Suzune sighed. "What do you mean? You saved my life. Taking care of you for the day isn't any trouble at all. Besides, I have some free time today anyways."
"Oh, there he is." Suzune hailed the black limousine on the road.
The driver of the limousine saw Suzune and pulled over beside them.
Elliot's eyes traveled along the contours of the vehicle. It's long.
The chauffeur stepped out of the limousine, went around, and opened the door for them.
"Come in," Suzune and Akari hopped into the vehicle. Elliot stood behind, still inspecting the vehicle.
Seconds later, he entered the car and the chauffeur closed the door shut.
Elliot looked around the interior of the vehicle. The seat was comfy, the air inside was chilly and smelled fresh with a hint of lavender, and there were two girls sitting on each side of him.
Moments after, the car began to move. Elliot felt a churning sensation. What is this feeling? Why do I feel dizzy? Aside from that, the carriage doesn't seem to rock to the other side.
As impressive as it may be, Elliot held the urge to puke. It would be abashed, and unprincely. He hoped that they'll arrive at their destination quickly.