The Hyrule Paradox: Worlds Collide | BOTW Isekai (Book 1)

Chapter 12: Gifts and Pigs

"Wait...is that a baseball?" Olivia asked with great confusion as she stood by the door frame. They all stepped into the room to take a closer look.

"I think it is? I don't know what it's doing here. It looks perfectly new! I couldn't have brought it here. Look! There is stuff on your beds too!" Jordan pointed out in surprise as the others rushed over to their allotted beds.

"I got a...notebook?" Olivia said, befuddled "There's even a pencil inside of it! I don't think they even have pencils here..."

It seemed like everyone had gotten a kind of gift. From whom, no one knew, but they were gifts nonetheless. Leenie had gotten a swim cap. Amber got a longyi, a piece of traditional burmese clothing and Will got a small wooden minifigure of his parents. Jordan looked up at the ceiling.

"Hylia? Did you send us these gifts?"

But the heavens stayed silent. So either Hylia had not given them these trinkets, or she had but refused to speak to him. It was sort of scary to think that there might be someone else who knew of their existence here, but Jordan decided to shove those thoughts aside and not worry about it. Besides, he was very happy that he was able to get a baseball, and a brand new one, at that. He didn't have a glove or anybody to play catch with, but it didn't matter too much to him right then. He was content. It appeared that everybody was happy with their gift.

"This is so weird." Olivia remarked, "Having human stuff in a video game land."

Luckily, the room's door was closed or Jordan would have reminded her not to speak too freely.

"I agree. But these gifts are pretty cool, too. Do you think that there is a secret meaning to them?" Will posed as he turned his gift in his fingers. Jordan looked at his baseball again and decided that he didn't think so.

"Meh, I just got a baseball, so I don't think there's something deeper in it. But you guys could search your gifts for clues if you want. I'm gonna go have dinner if anyone wants to come with me." He dropped the baseball on his bed, opened the door and left. Everybody seemed to be looking at him strangely. He exited the Inn, and went to the communal cooking pot. He took out some of the rice he had bought that day and started cooking it. After a few minutes Olivia came out and sat with him.

"Why were they all looking at me like that?" he asked her with genuine curiosity.

"We just think it's so weird that we all get stuff that we shouldn't have, and you just...walk out like it's no big deal? Why?" she asked in response, showing him their perspective.

"Oh...yeah. I just have more important things on my plate. Literally, I mean, I'm hungry." he joked. Olivia's head tilted curiously.

"But you don't really care that you got a baseball?"

"I'm very content with that. But I'm just not going to spend my time going crazy over it trying to find some clues for something. I can do that later."

"But what if there was a clue there that would help us get back to Earth?" she inquired further.

"That would be ba- I mean, it would be good, I guess."

"What were you going to say? You said "That would be ba-" and then changed it. Were you going to say it's bad if you find clues to get back?! Why?!" she suddenly looked afraid.

Jordan knew his cover was blown. He was going to say it was bad, as he had forgotten that it was only him that wanted to stay here. If he was being honest, he didn't really think it would be a bad thing if the gifts led to a clue. He didn't want to stay here forever, but he wanted to stay here for longer than just a few days or weeks. But instead of admitting it, he denied it, hanging onto the hope that Olivia would believe him.