Labyrinth Renovation – 001 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 01 – The entire Hardware Store is transferred to another world!

"Why is no one here? Did they say that it will be closed today? "

That day, I was visiting my local Hardware Store, Dharma, for the first time in a week.
The Hardware Store is my sanctuary, my toy box of endless possibilities. My weekend mornings begin at the Hardware Store ...... might be an exaggeration, but it's something I can't do without. ……Well, there's a theory that if you live in the countryside, there's just not much to do, so much so that a Hardware Store becomes a playground……

"Huh……? The door opened, so is it open? Maybe it's just before the opening time."

I came here first thing in the morning, a little too early.
Usually, there are always old men with light trucks waiting for the store to open, but today, strangely enough, there was not a single customer.
When I walked in, there were no clerks.
Inventory day off, perhaps?
……Then isn't it strange that the shutters are open?
Hmm?
"I remember seeing it in some anime before. The world inside the mirror is the same as the one outside, but there are no people in there. Just kidding. ――Oh, you guys are all here."

This Hardware Store has a pet section that sells small animals ――many of which are not "small"―― whether it is a hobby of the person in charge or not I don't know.
Anyway, there are no people, but there are pets.
Seriously, what is this?
Did they accidentally forget to close the shutters even though it's a regular day off? No, the lights are on. It can't be――

"Ehh."

Suddenly, my vision blurred.
The next moment I heard a loud thump from far away, I felt as if my weight had doubled, and I slumped to the ground.
I am a reasonably good athlete, but I still can't stand up.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what! ? An earthquake? Ahh, could it be that there was an alert and everyone was evacuated……!? "

If so, then this is really stupid. What is this mirrored world?
There must have been signs of a very large earthquake coming.
Or maybe they were evacuated to a shelter because a nuclear bomb was falling from some country or something.
In any case, there is nothing more I can do about it.

It felt like a particularly large shaking.
Was it the ground shaking or my brain? Without even making that assessment, I lost consciousness.

◇◆◆◆◇

"――――――! "

"――――Hey! "

"――Hey, answer! "

I opened my eyes, feeling that someone was calling me.
A girl was peeking at me right before my eyes.
Apparently, she was calling out to me.
I don't quite understand the situation.
My head is fuzzy.

"――Hey, you! Are you alright!? What's your name? Where did you come from? "

My back was cold. Apparently, I've been lying on the floor.
Why was I knocked down……?
I came to Hardware Store, nobody was there, the ground was shaking――
I moved my head and looked to the left and right.
The Hardware Store items did not fall on the floor, so was it not an earthquake?
The lights are still on. There is nothing abnormal.

With a lightheaded mind, I looked at the girl in front of me.
She's a pretty girl with silky blonde hair.
……Was there a girl like this in this store? It's a big store, so there's no way I could possibly keep track of all the staff, but if there was such a young, pretty girl, I'm sure I'd remember her, even if only vaguely.
Maybe a newly hired part-timer.

"Ahh…… Seriously! Suddenly this thing appears, people are falling down, what do I do……!? "

The girl squatted and held her head in her hands.
She seems to be in some kind of trouble.
Yeah. That's because I'm lying here.

"……Oh, I'm sorry. I'm okay. I'm alright."

I replied and stood up.
I must leave before an ambulance is called.

As I stood up, I was still a little dizzy, but I hadn't injured myself anywhere and everything seemed to be fine.
I brushed my hair with a hand comb and dusted the dirt from my clothes.
Other than the girl, there is no one in the Hardware Store.
The lights are on and ...... was it inventory day after all?
Well, I don't care either way. What time is it now?

"Well, if you'll excuse me..."

I bowed to the girl and quickly made my way to the exit.
I don't know why I would pass out after walking into a store when I'm on vacation.
I don't know what caused that tremor, but I can only assume it was my own issue. I guess I better go to the hospital.
Oh, my parents are going to be worried.

……Perhaps because I was thinking about that, it took me a little while to notice the anomaly.
The automatic door opened and I went outside―― but...

"――――Eh? Hmm……? "

As you can imagine, I had to look twice.
Rubbing my eyes didn't change the scenery in front of me.
When I left the store, I thought it was already evening because it was strangely dark outside, but I was wrong.

"……A wall? "

Right in front of me ――After leaving the store, beyond the parking lot, bordering the fence separating the store from the outside, a stone wall loomed over the area.

"Wh……What…………is that……"
A vertically steep wall that continued all the way to the ceiling.
Looking up, it curved back at a height of about 30 meters and continued to the ceiling.
The sky was not visible.
Being a large Hardware Store, the parking lot is quite large, and yet it is all walled off, both to the left, right, and rear. 360 degrees, everything.
The entire site is covered in stone. It's a huge locked room.
Shimmering light insect-like things danced in the air.

"Wh…………What the heck…………"

Am I still dreaming?
Or was I already dead at that time and this is the afterlife?

"――Do you understand the reality now? "

When I turned around at the voice, there she was, the blonde girl clerk who had called out to me earlier.
"Ah, clerk……san……? Clerk……? "

It was then that I saw her whole body properly for the first time.
Blonde hair that glistened in the light.
A princess knight in silvery white armor.
She even wore a sword on her waist.

"（Eh? ）"
"I'll ask again. Who are you? Your name――"
"Uhmm! ……Are you a cosplayer? "
"Cos……? I am not one of those. Fiona. ……Just Fiona."
"Fiona……? "

It seemed that she was not Japanese based on her name. Her cosplayer name…… I guess that's not it. And she said she is not a cosplayer.
Her facial features are very distinct, so she must be a foreigner.
But still, her Japanese is very good.

"M-my name is Maho. Maho Saeki."
"Saeki? Are you a noble, Maho? "
"Noble? I don't know, I guess not."
"A mage, then? "

I shook my head when she asked me that. What's a mage? A candy maker?
This girl says the strangest of things.
I mean, what the heck is this situation?

"Excuse me……Is there anybody else? "
"Nope……I think. I don't know, though, because I haven't been able to go through everything."
"What about this wall? There was nothing like this, right? "
"The wall was there from the beginning. You and that thing showed up later. ……To be precise, this room was much smaller, but that's what happened when that thing showed up."

That thing is probably the Hardware Store.
Showed up……?
What does that mean――

"Anyway, Maho. About the future――"

And just as she was about to say that, Fiona's stomach rumbled with a hefty grumble, and she blushed.

"Are you hungry? "
"……Yeah, I'm ashamed to admit it…… I haven't eaten or drank anything for three days."
"Three days!? Isn't it serious?! Wait a minute, please! "