Vol 1 Chapter 5 – Reflecting on Your Own Situation Almost Never Happens in Real Life

“Utaki-san, it looks like you might not get to choose your own occupation.”

“What?! So I don’t even get basic rights as a person?!”

“No, that’s not what I — “

“A fixed-route otherworlder… that’s rare,” Elena murmured.

“Can someone please explain this in terms I can actually understand?!”

Up until a moment ago, the understanding was that otherworlders were free to choose their own occupation. The options were plentiful — broadly divided into a combat faction and a civilian faction. Combat roles included the usual suspects: Gunner, Archer, Lancer, and various magic-based classes. The civilian faction covered support roles like weapons merchant, innkeeper, pharmacist, and food vendor.

The problem I was currently facing: I apparently had no right to choose any of them.

“What did I even do to deserve this…”

“That’s not it, Utaki! A fixed route means — “

“In a way, it’s like being royalty,” Rito said.

“…Meaning?”

“A king’s daughter is born a princess — no choice involved, right? Same kind of thing. Every once in a while — and I mean very once in a while — an otherworlder shows up with a route already assigned the moment they arrive.”

“Very once in a while.”

“Veeery once in a while.”

By Rito’s logic, the role was predetermined at some deeper level — which meant nothing else could be selected. Did I follow that? Honestly? No.

“This world has attributes, classes, and routes,” Rito said.

“I’m genuinely sorry to ask, but could you explain all three from the beginning?”

“Sure thing. Let me draw it out so it’s easier to follow.”

So here was the breakdown.

This world had five elemental attributes: Fire (red), Water (light blue), Nature (green), Light (white), and Dark (purple). Within each attribute, there were further specializations based on combat style. Elena, for example, was a Water attribute — but her specific gift was wind manipulation. Rito was a Light attribute with a poison specialty. In-game terms: think elf and white mage or healer, respectively. The specialization was rooted in natural aptitude, but apparently, training could take it in almost any direction.

A route was something most people were simply born with — a rough, predetermined arc for how their life would unfold. It wasn’t a rigid script, more like a general trajectory: what kinds of experiences would shape their attribute, what professions suited them, that sort of thing. Still, knowing your path was more or less mapped out… must be nice like a typhoon with a forecast track. At least it knows where it’s going.

Otherworlders typically fell outside that system, which was why they got to choose. But in extraordinarily rare cases, an otherworlder would arrive with a route already locked in. So far, that had happened to exactly five people. Every single one of them had since vanished from the system logs.

“So… what’s my route? Am I going to die?”

“Why does your mind always go straight to death?”

“Looks like combat faction is locked in for you,” Rito said.

“Elena. It’s been a short but meaningful acquaintance.”

“You’re not going to die! It’s not that simple!”

Let me be clear about something: I was the type of person who enjoyed watching anime. More specifically, I had virtually zero athletic background. I’d taken swimming lessons in elementary school for no particular reason, but that wasn’t going to help anyone.

Below-average looks. Average height. Average build — the kind of person you’d describe as hard to remember. Someone like that getting assigned to combat? Yeah, that was a death flag.

“The route itself is… also pretty unusual,” Rito said carefully.

“Is it the self-destruct-to-defeat-the-Demon-Lord type?”

“Why are you like this…”

“I think most guys would actually be happy about this one — personally, wouldn’t suit me, but — “

“Why did you lead with ‘personally wouldn’t suit me?’ Why? Answer me.”

“The route is… harem.”

“Ignore that comment, why don’t you?”

“With the bonus condition that every potential partner is psychologically unstable.”

“…Excuse me?”

Mizugaki Utaki. A completely unremarkable — if anything, below-average — college student.

Walked into a utility pole. Got isekai’d.

No cheat ability. Not particularly handsome. Not even a monster.

“So let me get this straight. I got isekai’d into a harem route — but every option is a yandere?”

Vol 1 Chapter 6 – I Was Just Thinking It Was About Time to Leave the Bureau

“So your first contact in this world was Elena-san?” Rito asked.

“Yeah, she called out to me outside the North Gate.”

“Then Elena-san isn’t part of the route.”

“Oh? Is that right?”

“Looks like she’ll be a party member instead — probably filling a mentor role.”

Breaking news: my personal favorite, Elena, has been immediately eliminated from route eligibility.

The disappointment was real. But honestly — if Elena went yandere, I’d be dead. Not probably dead. Dead. I didn’t have the mental fortitude to survive this world solo.

“Well, Utaki isn’t really my type anyway, so I suppose it works out.”

“Why would you say that?! Why would you just reach in and carve out my heart like that?!”

Critical hit. Super effective.

I didn’t need that kind of ambiguity right now, but was there any reason to say that at all? My HP was already at zero.

“Ahaha, come on, it’s fine!” Rito said. “Elena-san is super dependable — she’ll be a great partner to have around.”

“Easy for you to laugh. I’m critically wounded over here.”

“There’s a legendary figure in this country called Ben-Kei who supposedly died standing upright, so critically wounded is basically fine.”

“This isn’t some hidden-camera prank, right? Tell me it isn’t.”

Ben-Kei? The world-building in this place was far too casual.

“Anyway, registration is done — let’s go see His Majesty.”

“Wait, I get to meet the King?”

I had serious doubts about whether it was wise to grant an audience to someone as suspicious as me. The security situation here felt alarmingly loose — enough to worry me on the kingdom’s behalf.

Weren’t royals supposed to be untouchable? A different class of being entirely?

“The royal family here is pretty accessible, actually,” Rito said.

“You have a fixed route, Utaki — it’s better if you meet them sooner rather than later,” Elena added.

“I really, really don’t want the Queen to end up in my route and trigger some kind of political incident.”

“…We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Please don’t look away when you say that.”

Rito looked away with maximum obviousness. And Pakira — that little creature — dared to snort at me.

“Watch out for the princess, not the queen.”

“Wait — you can talk?“

“I’m a magical beast, so yes. But that’s not the point — the princess is who you need to watch.”

“Pakira is a Vanikixos — they’re highly intelligent,” Rito explained brightly.

“Can everyone please stop dropping isekai bombshells on me one after another? I’m begging you.”

Setting that aside, I could vaguely understand why the king needed to know about my unusual route situation. Because, depending on how things played out, a yandere harem could destabilize an entire nation. And if that happened, I wasn’t going to get off with just a rebellion charge — that was straight-to-execution territory.

“I’m basically here every day, so feel free to come by even if you don’t have a reason!”

“Rito, you’re genuinely a good person.”

“Oh — I mean, you’re kind of my type, Utaki-san — “

“Let’s not do that right now, okay?”

I meant as a friend! As a friend! He shouted, exasperated. Pakira snorted at him, too, which felt like justice.