“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today.”

William sat in a chair at the head of the room, in front of a whiteboard. Going in a circle around him, a dozen other chairs sat, but only seven had someone sitting in them. He dramatically pulled a pen from his shirt pocket, tapping it against his clipboard as he swept his gaze around the room.

To his left sat three of his patients: a man with combed black hair and a red t-shirt similar to what he wore when they’d first met; a man with a short blonde ponytail and a large ‘X’ burned onto his right arm; and a teenage girl with long black hair who almost couldn’t help herself from bouncing in her seat. To his right, on the other side of an empty chair, were the other four: a large and jolly looking man, balding but with plenty of auburn facial hair; a lean teenage boy with impossible dark-green hair; a black haired man with a scowl, wearing a cast on his left foot; and a brown haired man in glasses, whose feet were causing a loud tapping on the floor as they bounced nervously.

“To better keep an eye on us after we’ve divulged one too many things that might make us international security threats?” Jackson said, giving a solemn smirk.

“Because it’s easier to get rid of all of us at once?” Richard asked sheepishly.

“Makes sense to me,” Randal muttered.

“I thought they weren’t getting rid of us!” Both of Grant’s feet stopped tapping for a moment before resuming at a faster pace.

“Did you learn nothing during your time in another world?” Jackson asked.

“I learned a bit too much, personally,” Marcus said with a chuckle.

“Oh? Like what?” 

“If it has to do with magic and monsters from your new world, what’s the point? None of that matters anymore.” Randal looked dismissively at his cast, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, magic and monsters? What kind of worlds were you guys dragged to?” Grant looked around at the other Returnees, mouth agape.

“The typical kind you see in anime and manga. Gotta say, reality was rather disappointing and much more gruesome in comparison. Not recommended!” Kyle said, shaking a finger.

“Oh come on, it couldn’t have been that bad!” Ashley said, nudging Kyle on the shoulder. “It’s not like you got turned into a monster or had to actually worry about the fate of existence, right?”

Kyle laughed nervously; Jackson gave a silent smile; Marcus burst out laughing; Richard shrunk into his seat, eyeing Ashley cautiously; Randal crossed his arms, looking out the window; Grant shook his head furiously.

“This isn’t funny! This can’t be real, right? This prank has gone on long enough– No, this nightmare! Dang it, I want to wake up already!”

William facepalmed as the room all too quickly spiraled out of his control. He rapped his pen against the clipboard loudly and raised his voice. “Okay people, let’s bring it back. Work with me here.”

“You asked for it.” Jackson chuckled.

“Hey, I’ve always wanted to use that line unironically! It sounds so cool.”

“Always?” Marcus asked, eyeing William suspiciously. “Since when?” 

“Since I came up with the idea of bringing you all together for a short group therapy session.”

“So what, a day?”

“A few days, but– Ugh, nevermind, the moment has passed. Let’s get back on topic, shall we?” He pointed his pen at Jackson and Richard. “No and no; you’re both wrong. And a bit too morbid for ten in the morning. Anyone else want to take a guess?”

 Ashley raised her hand, waving it in the air.

“Oh, oh, teach! Pick me!”

“Feel free to speak, I’m not running a class here.”

Ashley stood up, hand still raised. “Is it so we can begin finding a way to send us back?”

A moment of silence enveloped the room as all eyes turned from Ashley to William. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh.

“You know, I would like to try that at some point,” William said, nodding. “But it’s a bit too soon for that, sorry.” He paused, returning a sorrowful look to everyone. “Let’s put a pin in that for a later date, okay? After all, today should be the first time any of you have gotten to actually spend time in a room together, yeah? At first, the higher ups were reluctant to give me permission to do this, but I figure it’d be best for you all to break the ice, to get to know each other before we do anything else.”

“Seriously?” Randal scoffed. “You brought us here to try to set up a mixer or something? What are we, freshmen in college?”

“Junior, actually,” Jackson said, raising his hand.

“Oh, I was about to be a freshman,” Kyle said, raising his hand in turn.

“And I’m a senior!” Ashley said with her right arm fully raised. Then she brought it to half mast. “In highschool, I mean, but who’s keeping track?”

“That wasn’t an invitation for you to–!”

“Chill, pal,” Marcus said, raising a hand to Randal. “We’re all in the same boat here. And I agree with William; I think it’d be a good idea to get acquainted with each other.”

“I appreciate it, Marcus,” William said.

“No problem, doc.”

William winced, but made no comment on the title. “My reasoning for this group therapy slash get together is pretty simple. As you may know by now, I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to isekai and ‘new worlds’, but that will only get me so far in relating or understanding what it means to truly experience a new world. But you?” He gestured to everyone sitting around him, smiling. “You’re all Returnees, victims of being ‘isekaied.’ And I say that because, while you may feel one way or another about what happened, none of you made the conscious choice to leave everything behind. As such, the only people in the world who can truly relate or empathize with you, is each other.” He paused to smile, and return the gazes of those looking at him. “That’s why I’d like to get some minor introductions started, and for all of you to answer a few questions without feeling obligated to divulge too many details too soon. Sound good?” Everyone either nodded or grunted in approval, and William made a check on his clipboard. “Then we’ll start with what name you’d like us to call you by, how old you are, and how long you were gone on your ‘Trip’. Going clockwise.”

“Damn,” Jackson mumbled, grimacing as William looked his way. “Alright, fine. Name’s Jackson, but call me Jack. I’m twenty-six, and spent nearly six years on my Trip.”

“Thank you for starting, Jack,” William said. He looked to the man opposite Jackson and gave him an encouraging nod.

“Uh, sure. I’m Kyle, and I’ll be twenty-two in a month. As for my Trip, I think it’s been about three years?” He rubbed the mark on his arm as he turned to the girl next to him.

“Well hello, everyone. I’m Ashley, and I just turned eighteen last month! I think? I’m not sure how it works, because I was on my Trip for a solid twenty-four years. To the day, actually! Then the Return happened, and I came back as my old self, and it’s like I never left!”

Jackson and Kyle’s mouth dropped, and William had to motion for them to restrain themselves. “I know your situation is complicated, Ashley,” he said. “But that means you’ve been alive for a total of forty-two years, then?”

“Yes, I suppose,” Ashley sighed, rolling her eyes. “Way to make a woman feel her age, doc.”

William bit his tongue and looked to the other end of the circle.

“This is ridiculous. I shouldn’t be here! I’m not from some world with magic or monsters, or any kind of fantasy and stuff! I just want to go home! Please!” Grant was riled up and on his feet, pleading to William.

“I’m sorry,” William replied, resting his clipboard on his lap, “but right now, returning any of you to your own world is beyond our ability or comprehension. I get it, especially for you; this might well be your first Trip, not your Return home.” William gestured for Grant to sit down again. “But for right now, you’re all in this situation together. I ask that you please try to participate in this as much as you can. If you can get to know each other, I’m hoping you’ll be able to give each other far more support than just me or any of the other people working on Project Q-sekai can.”

Grant’s wild breathing slowed a bit, and he returned to his seat. “Grant. Thirty-three. And I don’t know. Like William just said, this might as well be my first Trip. But what do I know?”

“Hmph,” Randal shrugged, not bothering to give any pause after Grant. “My name is Randal. Not Randy or Randolf. I’m thirty-eight, but I was thirty when I died and reincarnated, so that probably makes me the oldest here at the actual age of sixty-eight.” Ashley let out a giggle at that, but Randal pretended not to notice.

“Uhm, about that…” Richard tried to hide a smile. “Please, call me Richard. I’m eighteen in this body, but I was sixty-four by the time I passed from this world. So that puts me at a grand total of eighty-two years old. Sorry, Randal, but you’re not the only senior here.”

“Haha, you’ve even got me beat!” Marcus laughed. “Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Marcus, and I was killed when I was forty-five. And now, I’m guessing that’s how old I’ve returned as after spending over twenty-five years on my Trip? Cuz as far as I can tell, this is the same body that took a few bullets all those years ago. Just, ya know, without the holes. So I'm either forty-five or seventy years young.”

“Spryest group of seniors I’ve ever seen,” Kyle said, giving the trio of elders a thumbs up. Randal crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut, while Marcus returned a thumbs up of his own.

“I’m… sorry to hear that happened, Marcus. But thank you. Everyone, thank you,” William said. “Now, I know much of what you all experienced must have been both difficult and personal. But I’d like to ask a few questions, and if it pertains to you, just raise your hand. If you want to divulge any more than that, you may, but I won’t ask that of you right now. This way, you can share some things about yourself or your trip without being too personal. Sound good?” William received a round of mostly affirmative nods. Grant simply shrugged, and Randal’s unwillingness to affirm didn’t go unnoticed as he looked straight at William without a word. 

“If anyone has any issues whatsoever, stop me immediately,” William continued. “And Grant, I understand you might not feel like you have any responses to these questions or statements, so I ask that you simply take note of the rest of the Returnees. The rest of you as well, of course; this is a learning exercise to know each other more. Now, if there’s no questions, we’ll begin.” William flipped to the next page on his clipboard, and made a tally each time he asked a question. “I was reincarnated in another world.”

Ashley, Randal, Richard, and Marcus raised their hands.

“I was summoned to another world.”

Jackson, Kyle, and Ashley all raised their hands.

“Um, Ashley? Is there a reason you raised your hand for both of those?” William asked.

“Well, it’s not like I actually remember dying or anything,” she explained nonchalantly. “But it’s not like I could have just been simply summoned either, since I was reborn as a lizard thingy. It felt so weird! I remember breaking out of my shell and immediately fighting off an asshole of a brother before leaving the nest, and a whole slew of other creatures before I could–”

“So what you’re saying,” William said, holding up a hand to interrupt her, “is that you think you were forcefully summoned and then reincarnated, without dying first? Or something along those lines?”

“I guess so, yeah. We all tried to figure out what–”

“Thank you, Ashley, but one thing at a time, please.” William held his hand up again to stop Ashley from going on any more tangents. “We can delve into specifics later. Next: the other world was full of magic.”

Kyle gave a sideways shake of his hand while everyone else but Grant raised their hands.

“The other world was full of monsters.”

Kyle gave another sideways hand shake, while Jackson, Ashley, Randal, Richard, and Marcus all raised their hands confidently.

“Do monstrous people count?” Grant asked, raising a hand.

William opened his mouth to respond, but shut it to think for a moment. “While I’m sure there are some people who fit the description of acting ‘monstrous,’ that’s not quite the kind of monster I’m talking about here, since I think those can be found in any world where people reside. But thank you for asking.” Grant lowered his hand, disappointed. William checked to see if anyone else had any questions before resuming. “I believe I was isekaied for a reason.”

Jackson shook his head, and Richard crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair. Grant and Randal gave no response, but Marcus nodded as he looked across the room at the two raised hands. 

“Oh? Just us, huh Kyle?” Ashley asked.

“I’m not totally sure, honestly. It seemed like it, at least, but I never got to actually check for sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure there was a reason. For all of us, whether we know it or not!” 

“Speaking of,” William said, flipping to his next page. “The next one is: I met with the source of my being isekaied.”

Ashley, Randal, and Richard raised their hands. Marcus stroked his beard for a moment, then raised his hand with a shrug.

“Did you want to elaborate, Marcus? No pressure, you just seemed to hesitate for a second there.”

“Nah, nothing important. Just, the whole thing wasn’t clear, you know? I’m pretty sure I met the thing that reincarnated me, whatever it was, but it’s irrelevant for now.”

William nodded and looked back at his clipboard. “The transition from this world to the other was difficult for me.” Jackson, Randal, and Marcus raised a hand. They looked around the room, eyebrows raised or furrowed. William waited a moment, looking around as well. “Nobody else? Ashley?”