Unleash the Chuunibyou!

Chapter 3: A Terrible First Day

Feeling behind her hair, sure enough, Fumiko felt how her ears were slightly pointed at the ends. And while she knew for a fact that she'd been human until she was transmigrated, apparently she'd somehow become an imp after having come to Hail. However, this wasn't her biggest worry at the moment as, when she checked the map again to see how far she'd gotten down the road, she was left in shock. Because while she'd already long since left the plains where she'd first found herself, Fumiko had already been walking for most of the day and still hadn't come across Algus. And after looking at her map again she now understood why as, even though the small arrow indicating where she was on the map told her that she was going in the right direction, she's only travelled about ten percent of the distance that it would take for her to eventually get to the city.

"Just how far away did you put me from the nearest settlement?!" Fumiko asked towards the sky, unsure if the goddess could even hear her or not before she shook her head to stop the complaints that she was thinking of. "No, this little distance is nothing to an abyss-touched witch like myself. I will overcome this!"

Thinking back to the Arcane Codex's instructions on magic... Fumiko couldn't help but to forget most of it immediately seeing as it was just a lengthy explanation when only three points were really necessary. The first is that you must strongly imagine what you want to do in your mind when performing magic, the second is that chanting will improve the magic's strength with the third being that whatever you are chanting has to coincide with what spell that you're attempting to cast. So attempting to create something like a fireball would be worthless if you were talking about the ocean, but luckily Fumiko had been training for years so that she could cast magic and she was already skilled at it even if she couldn't do it that often thanks to her low level. Or, at least, she hoped that it was her low level that was making her tired after using magic seeing as her future didn't bode very well if that wasn't the problem. Though with what she was planning now, she first needed to find something suitable to stand on.

Already planning for how she would travel from now on, she unfortunately didn't have time to put the forming plan into action as the sun was already setting in the sky and multiple planets were beginning to become visible overhead. And seeing as she couldn't stand the dark, at all, she decided that she needed to get her priorities in order as she would most likely have to spend the night on the road. However, seeing as there were apparently monsters in this world, she wasn't about to try to make a simple tent with magic. No, she wanted something a little more... sturdy. And after travelling a bit more down the road while headed towards some giant boulders which were at the road's side, she eventually reached one of sufficient size for what she was planning.

"Alright!" Fumiko yelled before pointing Arashi towards the boulder. "Turn, warp and bend to my command! Release your worthless traits and take traits anew! Become that which I command! Transform!"

While finishing her chant, Fumiko tapped Arashi's head against the bouder before she had to take a step back and smile as... something was happening. And while she wasn't sure if it was what she was hoping for at first as the rock started cracking with a dark-purple haze falling over the entire bolder, she couldn't help but smile broadly as the outside of the stone fell away to eventually reveal a square but sturdy-looking house that was made completely out of iron. Even the front door was made out of iron, and there were absolutely no entrances other other than the front door and a small chimney directly in the middle of it. And this was just the way that she wanted it seeing as she didn't want trolls or anything similar to sneak up on her while she was sleeping. Though while the chimney could possibly be entered by slimes or something, she had a plan for that as well seeing as the end of the chimney was grated so nothing of solid mass could get through. But even if something did, they would drop directly into the fireplace on the inside, which was also completely made out of metal and was just as heavy as the front door. However, now that she created it, she immediately found a problem as she ran up to the door and attempted to push it open only to find that it was far too heavy for her to move by herself.

"Wind Blast!" Fumiko yelled, shortening the chant so that she didn't damage her temporary home before the already unlatched door creaked open and she was able to help it open the rest of the way. However, before she could enter fully, she had to create a light-source as the inside was completely dark and that was unacceptable. And seeing as she was beginning to feel insecure from being all alone in a strange place, even though she had her new powers, she wanted a companion.

"Breathe, live, fly and follow me. Light my path, guide me way and lead me away from the darkness." Fumiko chanted as she now tapped Arashi's head against a small stone just outside of the building's door. "Transform!"

Watching with another smile as the rock transformed, Fumiko couldn't help but giggle as the rock transformed into exactly what she'd wanted it to which was a small bird that was made from small brass wires before it flew up and landed silently on her shoulder. However, seeing that it could move wasn't what she was happiest the most about seeing as the small creature's chest and back didn't have almost any wires at all connecting them which allowed the bright floating light which resided inside of the creature to shine like a lantern.

"I will call you Haru." Fumiko smiled as she gently touched the top off the metal bird's head, causing it to flap its wings a few times before she finally walked inside of metal structure where she was glad to see that the bed that she'd also imagined while creating it was there as well. And after struggling to get the door closed and being forced to blast it with wind a few more times, she finally sealed the entrance and latched the door shut just as the sun had finally fallen outside before she walked over and laid down on the bed without even getting into the covers. Though, with everything that had happened to her that day, with how much she'd learned and how much magic she'd been able to cast, she didn't think that anyone would blame her as she nearly fell asleep as soon as she hit the mattress. However, apparently fate wasn't going to be so kind as to allow her to sleep seeing as the door that she'd just finished shutting suddenly rang as something beat on the other side of it. And while she jumped up in alarm as she thought that it might be a monster, what happened next was unexpected.

"Please, let me inside!" A woman's desperate voice practically begged from the other side. "Please! My friend won't last the night without shelter!"