First Meeting

Today was an exhausting day, being your first day of school at Gohanyama High.

You vaguely recall countless classmates approaching you with casual greetings, hoping to strike up conversation and form closer bonds with you. You never were one for large groups of friends, making only one or two at best.

The rest of the day was a blur, your mind preoccupied with mental preparation for a busy school year full of projects, homework and more homework, and to an empty home devoid of a mother's company.

You sighed heavily; Yutsuko was always a busy office worker and rarely came home in the early evenings, often being saddled with overwork. You always recall her returning home a lifeless zombie, cheeks sunken and hollow and eyes devoid of life.

"Goddamn, I really shouldn't think of it so negatively..." You muttered to yourself.

With the sun close to setting in the distance, you returned home to an empty and dull house, devoid of warmth. Switching on the lights revealed a clean and neatly furnished interior, adequately fitted with the necessary amenities. A warm kotatsu, air-conditioning, clean futons and a spacious backyard, you could only guess how much back-breaking labour your mother had to endure for this slice of lifeless heaven.

You sighed and went to preparing dinner, but not before checking your phone for messages.

Mom: Could you please prepare dinner for me, Taroemon? Thankfully I'm able to clock off work early and will be home soon.

You smiled slightly and type your reply.

Me: Sure thing. Will instant ramen be okay?

Mom: Oh, I'm dying for that stuff! I'll be leaving it up to you, Taroemon!

With that, you went to work, heating up the pot and preparing the dried noodles. Soon the smell of pork bone broth filled the air, whetting your appetite as you smacked your lips.

And yet, just as you finished with the broth and noodles, you heard a loud crash from outside, making you jump in fright.

"What was that!?" You shouted, "Was that from the backyard or something?"

Taking off your apron you quickly rushed towards the backyard, a spacious plot of grass just slightly overgrown. The nearby tree had a branch that snapped off, cushioning the fall of a badly injured man lying on his back. Dark-skinned with white hair and pointy ears and dressed in strange clothes, you instantly thought he was an overly dramatic cosplayer who played a prank gone wrong.

But that was also the last thing on your mind.

"Come on, get a grip on yourself!" You said, "Are you okay?"

When you touched for a pulse, you recoiled at the sticky wet sensation on your fingers and the sight of crimson. Upon closer inspection, you instantly realised the blood was real, and that he was in great pain. Many cuts and lacerations marred his body like pockmarks, some deep enough to allow for profuse bleeding.

"W-W-Wait here a moment! I'll call an ambulance!" You said.

You instead found a strong grip on your hand, and you could see the man shaking his head.

"Come on, man! This isn't the time!" You shouted in exasperation, "You're badly hurt, and you need immediate treatment!"

The man stubbornly refused to let go, and you saw him get up into a seating position with great difficulty. Before you could say anymore, you felt him place a firm hand on your mouth, followed by him showing you the familiar gesture for silence.

If it were any other man you would have squirmed your way out of his grip, but the sheer menacing glare he gave you was enough to freeze you still. Cold sweat dripped down your cheeks, and your hand could not stop shaking.

Seemingly satisfied, the injured man (cosplayer?) reached into a leather satchel, fishing out a glass phial filled with a red liquid. Uncorking it, he downed the entire phial in one go, before tossing it to the side.

Shockingly, his wounds closed and eventually vanished, as if they never existed. Then the man stood up, cracking his neck and arms with casual nonchalance, before looking at you. He said something, but you could not understand what he spoke.

"Sorry, what did you say? I can't understand you," You said to him, hoping you could convey your meaning.

"Bathing room," He said, in shockingly perfect Japanese.

"What?"

"Bathing room," He said.

"O-Oh! A bathroom!" You said, "Come on, follow me!"

He silently followed you, his footsteps completely devoid of sound, creeping you out.

"Okay, here's the shampoo and soap," You said, "This is the shower, and here is the toilet bowl. And over there is the facial wash. And before I forget, here's your towel. I have to prepare dinner right now, so call me if you need anything. Your clothes will be in this basket here, alright?"

He silently nodded, severe-looking and inexpressive.

"...I'll take that as a yes, then," You said.

With that, you left and went to prepare dinner.

You are Elwür. You are and have always been an assassin - monstrously talented and dangerous for your generation.

As one of the Dark Elves of the Empire of Edioha, you are citizen of a world-class power controlling over three continents' worth of land and resources, struggling to uphold a position of dominance against other world powers that sought to cut you down to size.

You remember the stench of blood and cooked flesh, of screams and cries for help and fire all around. Your body weighed heavily like stone, and you were so badly wounded you moved as sluggishly as a snail, before an explosion knocked you ****.

And now you were here in an unknown location, cast so far from home into a stranger's home and using a squeaky-clean bathroom.

"Soap, shampoo, he said...?" You muttered, "Back at home, they never put it in such cheap-looking packaging."

Lathering yourself generously, you were shocked to see it clean your body so immaculately; not a single speck of dirt or dried blood remained on your body.

"And to think this hot water is not created using magic..." You muttered, "The technology of this place must be highly advanced."

Wiping yourself clean with the towel that Human provided, you looked at yourself in the mirror.

The horizontal scar across your nose was there, as was the other scars on your upper torso. Masculine yet slender, you were the very model of a fit and healthy Dark Elf warrior, toned from years of combat. Your amber eyes glanced back at you, haunted by a lexicon's worth of memories.

*growl*

You simply put on your clothes and went downstairs, wondering what that Taihonese-looking Human was making for dinner.

"Good grief, what the hell am I going to say to mom?"

Your mind was in complete turmoil even as you settled into the routine of cooking dinner, the bamboo shoots parboiled and the soft-boiled eggs ready, and the only things left were the char siu and the garnishes.

Rarely did you have the time to cook, and so most things you ate at home were ready-made, instant or freshly cooked from outside, not to mention eating outside also gets boring fast.

Seeing the Elf(?) dressed in your clothes made you cringe in jealousy for some reason; the way the T-shirt clung to his muscles, the elegance with which he walked, he could easily pass off as a fashion model.

"What's for dinner?" He asked.

"Ramen," You said, "Only the instant kind, though."

He simply nodded as he sat down, always severe, always expressionless.

Come on, Taroemon, don't be intimidated by this guy! You thought to yourself, He's just a cosplayer, nothing more!

"So, who are you? And how did you end up in my backyard?" You asked.

"Elwür, from the Empire of Edioha," The man answered, "I don't know how I ended up here."

"Tokunaga Toraemon," You answered back, "So, what do you plan to do?"

"I don't know," Elwür answered.

Of course he says that, You thought.

"Just so you know, I'm not that charitable," You said, "I don't mean to sound cruel, but we're barely scraping by with just enough every month, and we don't have the money to hire anyone."

Elwür nodded contemplatively.

"I'll think about my options," He said.

You sighed at this.

He's not bothered in the slightest... most people would be quite fazed at their job prospects, especially if they don't have the skills or the company doesn't want them, You thought, I don't quite know how to feel about this...

And then you heard the door opening.

"I'm home!" You heard your mother call, "Thank god I made it just in time! Dinner smells good!"

And then she saw Elwür at the dinner table.

"Oh, sorry. This guys just appeared in our backyard and..."

You trailed off at the look in your mother Yutsuko's eyes - a look you saw in countless schoolgirls you captivated.

Her face flushed, her eyes brightened, and she swallowed slightly as she approached him.

"K-Konbanwa..." She said.

"Konbanwa," Elwür replied.

You sighed once again.

This has just gotten so much more troublesome... and why the hell's my mom acting like a damsel!?