It’s just dawn. Who would open a banana shop this early?

Anyway, I’ll have a nice morning walk. I begin jogging.

After going for a while, I see a tree that is releasing bright golden light.

Weird tree, huh!

Not going to give another opinion on it.

I take the left road.

After the crossing, I don’t see any humans… Rukarians. Did she make a mistake while explaining the turn? Perhaps I need to take the right road? I can’t bet a single rupee on her intelligence.

I keep jogging. Slowly, I start noticing some houses.

Finally, I enter the market.

The market is crowded with people. Everyone seems busy.

People are staring at me like I’m a kangaroo at the North Pole.

After circling the whole market, I find the banana shop.

I walk to the counter. The middle-aged man at the counter stares into my soul.

I hesitantly say, “Excuse me, can I have some bananas?”

He scans me from head to toe and asks, “Which type of bananas do you want?”

Good question!

There are types?! And why did Her Highness never mention such an important part?

Agh! Should I turn around?

No! If I want a place to sleep in this unknown world, I can’t afford to abort the Banana Mission. But how do I...

Wait. I have an idea.

I give him the gold coin.

The shopkeeper carefully checks the coin and says, “An Electeriyan coin! Did Princess Iki send you?”

I nod. “Yes.”

- “Are you her knight? But you don’t seem like one.”

- “No. I’m her familiar.”

- “Oh! So the rumor is true.”

He smiles and says, “You’re really lucky to be her familiar. She’s a very good person. She usually buys bananas from this shop. Wait here, I’ll arrange them for her.”

He goes inside the shop.

How can someone certify her as a good person just because she buys bananas?

Anyway, hence proved that, solutions and ideas always come to you if you look for them. 

After a moment, he returns with a wooden four-wheeled carriage. Four unknown animals are tied in front of it. They’re like wolves, only bigger and stronger. The carriage contains almost a mountain of bananas.

I’m getting a bad vibe from this.

The shopkeeper says, “What? You’ve never seen Shera before, right?”

I ask with confusion, “Shera?”

He points at the wolf like animals. “They’re called Shera. They’re very fast and have unbelievable strength.”

Those wolf like animals are called Shera?

I’m a bit scared of dogs, and these things are on another level.

The shopkeeper calls out, “Eka! Come here.”

What! Did I hear that right? Eka? A Bengali word?

From inside the shop, a girl around my age comes out and walks toward us. To be honest, she’s very pretty.

The shopkeeper smiles. “This is my daughter, Eka. She’s very skilled at driving carriages. No one in this kingdom can handle four Shera like her. She has a natural talent for communicating with animals.”

Eka says shyly, “Father, stop!”

The shopkeeper laughs. “Alright, alright. Listen, this boy is Princess Iki’s familiar. He came to buy bananas for her. You need to deliver them to the academy hostel.”

She nods. “Alright, Father.”

Eka jumps onto the driver’s seat of the carriage. She turns to me, pats the seat, and says softly, “Come, sit here.”

My throat dries up. I have to sit beside her? but… ah!

The moment I try to jump onto the carriage, the four Shera turn toward me with ferocious eyes. I mess up my jump, get onto the carriage, lose my balance, and....

Eka grabs my hand at lightning speed and saves me from falling.

She smiles softly. “Please be careful.”

This moment is the opposite of what happens in dramas. Usually, the hero grabs the heroine. Though I’m not a hero, and she isn’t a heroine.

She pulls me up and helps me stand.

I say politely, “Thank you for your help.”

She replies shyly, “You don’t need to thank me. Please sit.”

I sit beside her.

She makes a sound with her mouth, and the Shera begin running.

Yes, they’re fast and they don’t seem to have any trouble pulling the carriage.

Sometimes, Eka cups her hands around her mouth and makes strange sounds. I guess the Shera are following those sounds as instructions.

Eka is sitting very close to me. The seat is too small for two people.

I can’t look at her. She’s too pretty.

Eka says, “So you really came from a familiar summoning spell?”

- “Yes.”

- “Why are you looking that way? Look at me.”

I turn to her. She observes me with wide eyes, then says, “You’re very different from us.”

- “Yes, I noticed.”

- “Your eyes are so beautiful.”

My mind overloads. This is the first time anyone has complimented me like that.

I hesitantly say, “Thanks…um…your eyes are beautiful too.”

Eka laughs. “You don’t need to compliment me just because I complimented you.”

I quickly say, “No, it’s not like that....”

She laughs again. “What’s your name?”

- “Dhruv.”

The Shera suddenly startle, their running pattern breaks, and the carriage almost flips.

Eka makes a strange sound, and they return to normal.

Is my name that shocking?

A few minutes later, we arrive at the academy hostel.

Iki has been waiting for the bananas. Her eyes sparkle at the sight of them.

Can I call her the Banana Princess?

Riki uses her gravity magic to lift the bananas up to the fifth floor, onto Iki’s balcony. That's very convenient.

Eka comes to me. “So, um…”

- “Dhruv.”

She smiles. “Yes, Dhruv. I’m leaving now. See you later.”

- “Get home safely.”

Eka leaves with her carriage. The Shera glance at me with ferocious eyes before leaving.

Riki comes near me. “Dhruv.”

- “Yes, Princess?”

- “Did something happen between you and Eka?”

- “No. Why?”

- “I’ve never seen anyone other than her family ride her carriage.”

- “Maybe she felt bad letting me walk alone.”

- “But she never lets anyone sit on the driver’s seat. And you noticed how small that seat is. She genuinely seemed interested in you.”

- “No, you’re wrong. Whether Human or Rukarian, people are attracted to new things, unusual things. In my world, when we meet someone from a different country, we get curious. The same thing happened here. She heard rumors about a boy summoned from another world, and when she met him, she was just curious. Nothing else.”

Riki thinks for a moment. “If you say so. Anyway, take a bath and come with us to the main academy building.”

- “The main academy building? Why?”

- “Ruka sir told us to bring you too.”

- “Alright then.”

College in another world. Let’s see how that feels.