The Records of an Overpowered Herb Hunter

1.1 Who, what, where, when, why, how?!

- After -

A small blue flower swayed in the wind peacefully and contently, nestled in the lush green grass.

Until a hand ruthlessly and violently yanked it out.

The girl carelessly tossed the little flower into her pouch and dusted her hands for a job well done.

"One Zingiber found. Next up should be a Nigrum." The girl mumbled to herself as she got up from her crude squatting position to admire the scenery.

"Piya!"

A palmed-sized pink fluff tumbled across the green field, chasing after dragonfly looking monsters that were 5 times larger with two horns growing on their heads. The pink fluff cutely bounced across the field, chasing after them while screaming in joy, as the flies desperately scattered away.

And beyond the small clearing is a dense towering forest. The gigantic ancient trees covered the skies that only allowed the faintest light through and floating around were bubbles that occasionally drifted out from the ground. As the faint light hits the bubbles, small rainbows can be seen, projecting a breathtakingly magical scene.

One fly while running away from the fluff collided with the bubble and with a burst, blood spluttered out. The pink fluff tilted his head, confused as his prey had disappeared.

"Piya?"

Yet, the girl was transfixed at the ordinary grass patch at her feet.

"... It was a clearing like this that day too..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Before -

... Who, what, where, when, why, how?!

Nishimura Aki had never felt the profoundness of these questions until this moment.

Lying with all fours spread out and staring at the green canopy above, Aki felt her heart thumped- thumped- thumped-

She stared blankly at the shimmering beams of light passing through the gaps of the leaves and thought that maybe she just needed to lie here for a while and everything would return to how it was supposed to be.

A very long while.

A cliche first day of high school, when Aki tripped on a flat walkway. There was no truck, no summoning circles and no warning whatsoever. The next thing she knew, she fell and was lying here. Here which seemed like a forest that was eerily quiet.

After calming down and taking a deep breath, Aki thought, "Ah, how relaxing".

Air that was free of pollution and grass so soft that's fit for a nap.

Following how novels normally go, at least there was no welcoming party like a princess or a priest or being given a mission to defeat the demon king. Aki thought if anyone else had fallen through the same place as she did and wondered what they did after.

A rustle of the grass caught Aki's attention. Too lazy to move, Aki turned her head towards the sound and saw a... rabbit? No, it looks like one, but it had small wings on its back. Plus it's pink.

Black eyes met the red eyes.

Determining that it was not a threat, Aki lost interest and turned back to stare at nothing above, debating what she should do now.

Her family has all passed, leaving her as an orphan so there wasn't much left back at home. She closed her eyes and wondered if they might have been brought here instead.

No, Aki crushed that budding hope. That's impossible.

A familiar ache resurfaced in her gaping heart as those warm smiles flashed across her mind.

The ache was turning suffocating which made Aki open her eyes, and met the red eyes again. The small but heavy pink fluff had made itself comfortable on top of her. Bastard. It tilts its head as if in questioning.

Aki finally got up and it rolled off her and fell belly up. The red eyes stared at her accusingly.

"Okay, Okay" Aki rustled through her skirt pockets and managed to find a bar of KitKat. Breaking it into half, she tossed it to the fluff and ate the other. She needed a break damn it.

"You probably won't die from chocolate right?..." Aki looked at the pink fluff sniffing at the morsel and gulping it down whole in one bite.

Looking around, Aki was ready to at least move on with her life, as ridiculous as it had been so far.

"Now then, which direction..."

Before she could move, her shoulder sank with a heavy weight. Turning to look at her right shoulder, the pink fluff has used its wings and found its place on his new perch.

Black eyes met red eyes.

Puffing out his chest, the fluff stubbornly refused to move.

"Sighs...Your name will be Kit Kat." Aki poked the fluff with her index finger as she took a step in a random direction towards the unknown.