Volume 1. Chapter 25

After Lily revealed that Ken had come from another world, a heavy silence settled over the room. Anna and Rudolf, the parents of the household, exchanged glances as if trying to decide what to do with this revelation. Their eyes showed confusion and a hint of concern, but before anyone could say a word, Kiki - standing next to Ken - burst into loud laughter and clapped her hands.“Well, of course! I knew from the start he wasn’t from our world!” she declared with exaggerated confidence. “I mean, could a regular person just appear in our village out of nowhere? Obviously, he’s a mysterious visitor from another universe!”She shot a mischievous glance at Ken and winked, as if they were in on some secret together. Ken couldn’t help but smile slightly, noticing how Kiki was trying hard to appear confident.Meanwhile, Rudolf and Anna exchanged another glance before Rudolf gave a decisive nod and looked at Lily.“Lily, may I speak with you for a moment?” he said calmly but firmly, gesturing for her to follow him aside.Lily tensed slightly but responded with the same calmness.“You can speak in front of Ken. I don’t keep secrets from him,” she replied, meeting her neighbors' eyes with determination.However, Ken gently touched her shoulder and smiled softly, shaking his head a little.“It’s okay, Lily. I’m sure they have their reasons for wanting to speak with you alone,” he said quietly, looking into her eyes. “I’ll wait here.”Lily held his gaze for a moment, clearly weighing whether or not to leave him alone, but eventually she nodded and followed Rudolf and Anna into a small side room.Left alone in the main room with the two girls, Ken could feel Kiki’s curious gaze fixed on him. She immediately scooted closer, eyeing him up and down with interest.“So, tell me, mysterious stranger,” she began with a sly wink. “What world are you from? Are you, like, a prince or a spy?”Ken chuckled slightly, noting her playful attitude and obvious curiosity.“Well, I’m afraid I’m not as interesting as you’re imagining,” he replied with a light smile. “In my world, I’m just a regular high school student. Definitely not a prince, and definitely not a spy.”Kiki pursed her lips, clearly disappointed by his answer.“Just a student?” she repeated, squinting. “That must mean something important in your world, right?”“Oh, definitely,” Ken replied with a smirk. “Being a student is a big responsibility. You have to wake up early every morning, do tons of homework, and take exams.”Kiki snorted but still listened intently.“Sounds boring,” she admitted. “I thought your world would have something more exciting. But still,” she added with a cheerful look, “you’re definitely not ordinary if you managed to sneak your way here.”“Well, if you’re that curious…” Ken lowered his voice, pretending he was about to reveal a secret. “In my world, we have... magical devices.”Kiki’s eyes widened as if she’d just heard something incredible.“Magical devices? What kind? Show me!” she practically jumped with excitement.“I can’t show you most of them,” Ken replied with a grin, “but I do have something interesting.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket and showed her the screen, tilting it slightly so she could see.Kiki’s eyes went wide at the sight of the glowing screen.“Whoa, it lights up! That’s... that’s magic, right?”Ken laughed.“In a way. But we don’t call it magic - we call it technology.”Kiki shook her head in amazement, still staring at the screen in awe.