“Let me tell you about the time I went to another world” – They might be targeting our world…

[1] Last April, after graduating from university, I moved into an apartment complex. The building is shaped like this: 回＝回＝回＝. There’s a courtyard in the middle, and I live in the far left section. The ‘＝’ parts are also rooms, and the building is six stories high. The only entrance/exit is on the right side. Although it’s called a courtyard, the ground and walls are all concrete, making it completely useless. My room has a door that opens into this courtyard. No other rooms have access. But there’s something strange about that courtyard. I can’t quite explain how, but if you stay in the courtyard for a while, you get dizzy and feel sick.

• [2] Huh. Interesting.
• [3] Please continue, quickly.
• [4] You should post this on an occult forum.

[5] When I first moved in, I never went into the courtyard, so I didn’t notice anything. But in May, I decided to clean my room. There were quite a few small bugs, so I went into the courtyard to spray insecticide. While spraying, I started feeling dizzy. At first, I thought I might have inhaled too much of the insecticide and didn’t worry about it. Then, later in June, I went into the courtyard again to clean. Just carrying a broom and dustpan into the courtyard made me feel dizzy.

[7] It was hot, and the air felt stagnant in there, so I thought maybe that was affecting me. I cleaned the courtyard, taking breaks. As soon as I entered the courtyard, my vision would start spinning, but it would immediately clear up when I went back into my room. Because I felt sick so quickly and recovered instantly upon returning to my room, I wondered if some dangerous gas was leaking out. I called the management company and asked about the courtyard. They said, “We haven’t received any particular complaints from previous tenants, but just in case,” and sent someone over to investigate.

• [9] I see.

[10] The person from the management company came and checked the drains and such, but found nothing unusual. I was there too, but it seemed like I was the only one getting dizzy. There was no smell, and the management person didn’t feel sick, so they left. After that, I still got dizzy whenever I entered the courtyard – specifically, when I entered the courtyard and closed the door connecting to my room. Then, one day in October, when I went into the courtyard to clean… It wasn’t particularly hot, and I felt perfectly fine physically. But as soon as I entered the courtyard, I got intensely dizzy. Much stronger than before.

[12] The moment I closed the door, I completely lost my sense of up and down and collapsed. I felt incredibly nauseous, on the verge of vomiting, and just rolled around side to side on the ground. My vision turned reddish-black, and then I lost consciousness for just a moment. It was like, in the instant I blinked, the reddish-blackness disappeared. The nausea was completely gone too. I just finished cleaning and went back into my room.

• [13] Interesting.

[15] After returning to my room, I felt thirsty and went to the kitchen for water. I can see the sky from the kitchen, and it was incredibly blue. An unusually deep blue. Thinking “What nice weather today,” and having finished cleaning, I headed to the convenience store to read some manga. When I stepped out of the entrance and looked up at the sky again, I was shocked. It was an intensely deep blue, and hard to describe, but the sky felt… high. And the air had a smell. Not unpleasant, but a smell I had never encountered before.

[16] Walking down the apartment hallway towards the convenience store, there’s a neighborhood association bulletin board. My eyes caught something strange about it. Looking closer, the documents posted were just nonsensical jumbles. Things like “A活めるゆフィ柿のさと” (A-katsu-meru-yu-fi-kaki-no-sato) – just jumbled Japanese characters. All the papers on the board were like that. Even political posters had a politician’s photo, but the text read something like “へつ下のイ目はタイ燻ら當兎” (Hetsu-shita-no-i-me-wa-tai-kun-ra-tou-to) (The character after ‘タイ’ looked like this. The politician’s face looked normal, though I didn’t recognize them).

[17] Feeling puzzled again, I continued towards the convenience store and left the apartment building. There’s a convenience store right across the street. Waiting at the crosswalk in front of the apartment, things still felt wrong. The convenience store sign and the sign for the flower shop next to the apartment were also strange. The flower shop said something like “ヤ母イ” (Ya-bo-i), and the convenience store said “イイ目だ” (Ii-me-da). There were pedestrians and cars, but they seemed normal. Nothing unusual about them.

[18] When I entered the convenience store, the clerk uttered something like “Ayodanamārissā.” I headed to the bookshelf, and the titles on the book covers were also strange. Just like the bulletin board, they were random jumbles of Japanese characters. I started getting scared and instinctively pulled out my phone. No signal. My emails and texts were still in normal Japanese. Looking at products other than the books, they all had incomprehensible Japanese text on them. Getting even more scared, I left the convenience store.

[21] “This is weird. This is weird,” I thought as I returned to my room and turned on the TV. I couldn’t understand the language on TV either. All the shows were unfamiliar, and I didn’t recognize any celebrities. I drank another glass of water to calm myself down. Wondering if I had hit my head and gone crazy, I decided to go to my regular neighborhood clinic. On the way to the clinic, all the text I saw was still meaningless. I headed to the clinic, desperately wanting to meet and talk to someone I knew.

• [19] And then?
• [20] Just to be sure, you weren’t using any strange drugs, were you?

[22] >>20 No, I wasn’t. When I arrived at the clinic, the sign was also incomprehensible. Feeling very anxious about whether I could communicate, I went to the reception desk. As expected, we couldn’t understand each other. I said, “I hit my head and I’m not feeling well,” but the receptionist replied with gibberish. I showed my health insurance card, but she just tilted her head. “Can’t you understand my words?” I asked, but it was useless. She mumbled something and then started talking on the phone. Then, a man in a white coat came out and spoke to me, but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

[24] The man pointed to the sofa in the reception area and guided me there with gestures. The man in the white coat and I sat down together. He tried talking to me about various things, but I couldn’t understand, so I just showed him my insurance card and driver’s license. After a while, three people who looked like police officers arrived. The police-like people and the man in the white coat talked while glancing at me occasionally. Then, the police approached me. After bowing slightly, they took my hand and gently pulled me up. I had no idea what was happening, but I thought the police would sort things out, so I let them lead me away.

[26] In the police car? A man who seemed like a high-ranking officer spoke to me, but again, I couldn’t understand. I felt like crying, overwhelmed with anxiety. Embarrassingly, I found myself wishing I could see my mother, trembling uncontrollably. The high-ranking officer gently patted my shoulder and back repeatedly and said something in a kind tone. Thanks to that, I managed to stay calm without crying or panicking. We arrived at a place that looked like a police station and were led into what seemed like a reception room? It was spacious with sofas, and they immediately served me a greenish tea-like liquid and some snacks.

• [28] Hurry up.
• [25] Pick up the pace, please.

[29] >>25 Sorry, I’m writing this partly from memory. If short posts are okay, I’ll speed up. Seeing the tea and snacks, I felt an urge to eat. They gestured that it was okay to eat, so I put my hands together and drank the tea first. It was a bit hot, with a taste somewhere between sweet and salty. Having something warm helped me calm down a little. I reached for the snacks. There were senbei-like crackers and small manju-like buns. Neither the crackers nor the buns tasted strange; they were quite edible. People from the police station were in the reception room, constantly observing me.

In Japan, people often put their hands together before eating to show gratitude.

• [30] And then? And then?

[31] As I kept munching on the snacks, two men in suits entered. They stood in front of me, held out their hands with palms facing me. After showing me the front and back of their hands, they took out a penlight from their bag. One of the suits sat next to me and gently held my hands down. The other pointed the penlight and shone the light into my eyes. As I looked at the light, the man with the penlight held my eyelids open and observed my reaction? They did this to both eyes, then shone the light into my mouth, nose, and ears.

[32] After the examination-like procedure finished, the suit next to me let go of my hands. Then, they started talking to me again. The suit would say something, then pause. They were clearly asking me questions. But I couldn’t understand the language, so I remained silent. They checked boxes on a piece of paper after each question. Not knowing what to do, I tilted my head. Then, thinking maybe written words would work, I took out my phone. I opened a new email draft, typed “言葉がわかりません” (Kotoba ga wakarimasen – I don’t understand the language), and showed it to the suit sitting across from me.

• [33] Ho ho.

[34] The suit looked extremely surprised. But they still spoke in that incomprehensible language with the police officers, showing them my phone screen. Then, the suit wrote “言葉がわかりません” on a piece of paper and pointed to the characters with a pen. I nodded, “Uh-huh, uh-huh.” Silence. After a moment, the suit slowly traced the characters “言葉がわかりません” with their finger and said, “U-yo-me, ga, wakarimasen.” I replied, “Ko-to-ba, ga, wakarimasen.”

[35] I borrowed the pen, wrote 「あ」 (a) on the paper, and said “a.” The suit said “a” and nodded. Next, I wrote 「こんにちは」 (Konnichiwa – Hello) and said “Konnichiwa.” The suit pointed to each character one by one and said, “Ko, n, ni, chi, wa.” Then I wrote the kanji 「京都」 (Kyoto) and said “Kyoto.” The suit shook their head and said something like “Unta.” Then, the other suit started talking on their phone.

• [36] I’m curious how you got back…
• [37] >>36 Me too. Also, does it seem Japanese-like?

[38] >>36 This might get long, so should I just write about how I got back? When the suit started talking on the phone, the one who had been talking to me also focused on the call, ending our “conversation.” After the phone call ended, that suit started talking again, but I couldn’t understand. Then, the two suits left the room. I was even more confused. ??? After that, a police officer brought several photo-like pictures and laid them on the table. They were all pictures of food. There was udon, donburi (rice bowls), and sushi, but also things I’d never seen before, like rice with vegetables stuck into it. The officer lightly swept their hand over all the photos. Thinking they meant for me to choose one, I pointed to the donburi.

• [40] Interesting.

[41] They said something like “Unji?” but I had no idea what it meant. I pointed at the donburi picture again and made an eating gesture with chopsticks. They nodded emphatically and left the room. After that, I was left alone for a while. There were several police officers in the room, but they were silent. I wondered what to do, but couldn’t think of anything, so I just drank tea and observed the things around me. The tea was good, and they refilled it immediately. The sofa, table, door – everything looked exactly the same as before, but the writing was incomprehensible. There was English alphabet lettering on the snack wrappers, but it was also meaningless. It didn’t seem to be English.

[42] Then, as I tried to stand up to look around more, the officers in the room surrounded me. They seemed quite serious, clearly in a ready stance. I got scared and sat back down quietly, just looking around. After a while, the officer who showed me the photos earlier returned with a donburi. It came with chopsticks, and they gestured “Go ahead,” so I put my hands together, bowed my head, and started eating.

[43] It tasted like a normal tamago-don (egg and chicken rice bowl). Probably due to anxiety, I was starving and ate it very quickly. With a full stomach, I felt a bit calmer. I had been tense the whole time, but my mind felt slightly clearer. After I finished eating, they brought out various other photos. People, landscapes, paintings. All were unfamiliar, and I didn’t know how to react. They held up each picture for me, made sure I could see it well, and pointed to different parts, but I didn’t know how to respond.

[46] This back-and-forth continued for a while, but they seemed to realize it was pointless and stopped. Then, just like when I was moved from the clinic, they gently took my hand and pulled. Thinking I was being moved, I stood up. This time, I wasn’t surrounded, and they led me out of the room by the hand. Leaving the room, the air felt somewhat heavy. As we walked further inside the station, people who looked like SPs? (Security Police) or just generally imposing figures started surrounding me. I was led to the parking lot and put into a car. It was a big, black car. There were other black cars in front and behind us, and we all started moving together.

• [47] Huh.
• [48] High expectations.

[49] I was in the middle of the back seat, flanked by police officers. I felt tense again during the whole ride. After about an hour in the car, I got sleepy and fell asleep. When I woke up, I was lying in a bed. Not in the car, but in a place like a hospital. There were many doctor and nurse-like people around. When I tried to sit up, my head throbbed intensely, and I felt incredibly sick.

[50] A doctor peered into my face and again used a penlight-like device to examine my eyes, ears, and mouth. Even the slightest movement made my head feel like it would split open, so I didn’t want them to do anything, but I couldn’t move my body well either, so I just endured it quietly. After the doctor finished the examination, they started discussing something with the other doctors. Then, another doctor, not using a penlight this time, started touching my face and head, and inserted a machine-like rod into my ears and nose. The doctors were mostly expressionless, but looked puzzled when they spoke. I was getting really irritated and yelled, “It hurts!” The moment I spoke, the doctors seemed quite startled. Right after that, they injected something into my shoulder area, and my consciousness faded.

[51] When I came to, I was in a room that seemed made of metal, with only walls, a bed, and a toilet. No windows, no books or TV, nothing. Just four surveillance cameras on the ceiling. I tried to get up, but the headache was so severe I couldn’t manage it. Slowly, I raised my body. A part of the wall, like a hidden door without a knob, opened, and a nurse came in. The nurse brought food on a cart, inserted a metal rod into my ear and quickly removed it, then left without a word. It was bread, a boiled egg, salad, and orange juice. I only drank the orange juice.

• [52] Rooting for you.

[54] The headache was so bad I couldn’t move. But I couldn’t sleep anymore either; I wasn’t tired at all. Enduring the pain, I slowly tried to get out of bed. I was wearing a hospital gown-like dress? And no underwear. I got out of bed and tried to stand, but I couldn’t. My legs had no strength, and I stumbled and fell onto the floor. Intense pain shot through me, and I fainted. When I came to, I was back on the bed.

[55] After this happened several times, I started to freak out? Or rather, I just felt an overwhelming urge to scream. The headache somehow turned into a kind of pleasure, and I just screamed my head off on the bed. I rolled around on the bed laughing, and desperately tried talking to the surveillance cameras. The laughter just wouldn’t stop. Then, suddenly, I’d start missing this world and begin crying. Periodically, though I don’t know how regularly, I’d find myself strapped down inside something like an MRI machine.

[60] Honestly, my senses were getting all messed up. The headache turned into pleasure, then into sensations of heat or cold, then ticklishness – the sensations in my head kept changing. Each time a new sensation hit my head, I’d shriek.

• [62] This is great! Keep going.

[63] This went on for a while, and then I was put into the MRI machine again. As the low humming sound ‘buuuuun’ resonated, an excruciating pain shot through my head, like it was about to explode. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out from the pressure in my head. I thrashed around, but the restraints held me, and I let out genuine screams, yelling “Gyaaah! Gyaaah!” I fainted right after and woke up back in bed. Then, my mood, or rather, my senses returned to normal. The pain and strange sensations were gone. I felt normal.

[65] Now that I could walk around the room normally, I started exploring. I didn’t find anything particular, but the walls were soft. Then, suddenly, voices started speaking that incomprehensible language in the room again. It didn’t sound like insults, more like explanations. Then, the hidden door-like thing opened, and an old man and an old woman dressed in normal clothes came in. They looked completely ordinary.

[68] The old man and woman who entered immediately knelt down and started crying, speaking that incomprehensible language again. I was totally confused ???, but the two of them kept crying, putting their hands together, and doing dogeza (bowing deeply). Not knowing what to do, I just stood there blankly. Then the old woman clung to my right hand. Surprised, I saw the old woman crying even harder, bowing her head lower, then looking up at me. When I knelt down to lower my posture, the two of them pressed their foreheads even harder against the floor in a deeper dogeza. I couldn’t understand the situation or the language, but it seemed like they were apologizing.

Dogeza is a Japanese posture of kneeling directly on the ground, placing hands on the ground, and lowering one’s head close to the ground, signifying the deepest apology or supplication.

• [69] Scary.
• [70] Mysterious.
• [71] Is this what they call a good thread?!

[72] Though I didn’t understand the situation, I felt somewhat sorry for them and took the old man’s hands in mine. He started sobbing again. Still completely confused ???, the hidden door suddenly opened, and security guard-like people gently pulled the two out. Curious about what was behind the hidden door, I peeked, but it was pitch black and I couldn’t see well. Next, a child was brought in by the guards. A white child with a shaved head, wearing a suit and tie.

• [75] This is so interesting I can’t sleep. Please finish the story quickly.

[76] Guarded by the security personnel, the child slowly approached me. When they were about 50cm away from me, there was a ‘Bon!’ sound. Along with the sound, a metal plate around the child’s neck spread out like a frilled lizard’s collar. I flinched back in surprise, but the child continued to approach slowly. Then, they slowly extended their right hand. At that moment, the guards pinned me down and forced my head down.

• [77] What?! (Shocked)
• [78] This story is getting harder to follow. Come back!

[80] Held down from behind by the guards, my head was pushed down forcefully from above. The child placed their hand on my ear. Then, a tremor, ‘buruburu,’ went through me. The child emitted a mechanical voice, something like “Kiii-ii-haa-kii.” With my head forced down, I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could feel something entering my ear canal – a ticklish sensation accompanied by a rustling sound. The rustling continued for a while, then there was a ‘buchit!’ sound followed by intense pain.

• [79] >>1 Can you see our words properly?

[85] >>79 It’s okay. I can understand them perfectly. It seems they ruptured my eardrum, and I felt like a part of my inner head, somewhere untouchable, was being touched. From my other (right) ear, I heard a rustling ‘gosogoso’ sound. It hurt so, so much, and more than anything, the terror of something invading my ear made me tense my entire body. But more guards came and held me down even more securely. I screamed, but the procedure continued. Honestly, I thought I was going to die right there.

• [81] I stumbled upon an amazing thread.
• [82] I’m reading properly, please continue.
• [87] I thought it was occult, but it turned out to be sci-fi.

[89] I endured the pain and terror somehow. I repeatedly felt “I’m going to die this instant,” but I did nothing. After a while, suddenly a sound like ‘Kikikikikikikikiki Kakakakakakakakaka’ started ringing inside my head. The sound gradually got higher pitched. After a while, the sound became so high-pitched that my head started hurting. Still, the sound continued, and then I felt a finger-like sensation touching the inside of my head. Like being poked or pinched. Then came a sensation like my head was being split right down the middle.

[91] I thought, “I’m dead!” but my body was still there. The sound and the finger sensation inside my head faded away. The child’s feet stepped back, and the guards holding me down let go. I collapsed onto the spot. The child’s hand was covered in blood? up to the shoulder. I touched my left ear, and sure enough, my hand came away bloody too. The hidden door opened, and the child and the guards left.

• [93] Rooting for you.
• [94] Supporting.
• [96] Everyone, please help keep this thread alive.
• [98] Scary. The OP’s writing style being slightly off makes it even scarier.

[100] Sorry, I was eating a late-night snack, so I’m late. After that, a nurse and a guard came in and wiped the blood from my ear. There was only blood on the ear; it wasn’t bleeding anymore. Once the nurse finished, a doctor came again. They were holding something like an iPad? or a laptop.

• [103] Weren’t there threads about people who could somehow read manuscripts also going to another world?

[105] They showed me the screen of the iPad-like device, but it was just the same kind of images as the police showed me. I was hungry and wanted to rest, but I couldn’t communicate that, so I just responded listlessly, dealing with the doctor. After several images changed, a picture of the exterior of my apartment building appeared. Until then, it had only been photos of people, landscapes, or some events, so seeing a familiar image suddenly appear surprised me, and I reacted unintentionally. The doctor seemed to have confirmed my reaction, because the next image was of the entrance to my apartment room.

[110] The images moved inside my room. Living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom were shown. Judging from the view outside the kitchen window, this image seemed to be from our world. After showing all the images, the screen went black. Seeing the black screen, some of the doctors looked disappointed, while others started talking heatedly.

• [111] Maybe they’re visualizing >>1’s memories and showing them?
• [112] Ohh, things are getting exciting.
• [114] I can’t sleep…!

[115] Amidst the heated discussion, one doctor took out an iPad?. The surrounding doctors tried to stop him, saying things like “Hey, stop it!”, and it almost turned into a fight. A guard intervened, and then a shouting match began. They kept pointing at me while yelling something. The one being yelled at also shook their head and made gestures with both hands, desperately trying to convey something to each other.

[120] The debate-like situation continued for a while, and eventually, the person who had taken out the iPad from their pocket seemed to lose the argument and quieted down. In the end, another doctor took out an iPad and showed me more incomprehensible pictures of people and landscapes. I think there were five doctors. They took turns showing images, but apart from the first doctor, the images were meaningless. Finally, the person who had lost the debate and taken the iPad out of their pocket earlier took out their iPad with a smirk. It felt creepy, but when I looked at the iPad, it displayed a screen with “イ 画ら 桜” (I ga-ra Sakura) written on it. I was ??? and didn’t react at all.

[121] Next, that person, still smirking, changed the screen. This time it said something like “そ あやややメンかな離” (So ayayaya-men kana ri). I might not remember this part accurately. I still showed no reaction, but the person kept changing the screen with a smirk. Occasionally, they couldn’t hold it back and would burst out laughing with a ‘Pfft’.

• [122] That made me laugh somehow.
• [123] This smirking doctor seems to have realized something.
• [116] Hey. Did you manage to get back in the end?

[124] >>116 Yes, I’m back. As they smirked and chuckled, the other doctors tapped their shoulder or tried to force them to turn away, saying “Hey, stop it!”. Then, suddenly, they burst into loud laughter, and the image on the iPad changed to the courtyard. Recognizing the courtyard, I reacted again. Somehow, it felt incredibly nostalgic. The apartment exterior, kitchen, bedroom, living room should have felt nostalgic too, but for some reason, the courtyard image moved me. The doctor, laughing hysterically, brought the iPad close to my face.

[131] The iPad hit my face, and this time, the doctor was restrained by the guards. The doctor who had initially shown me the images pointed towards the hidden door and yelled something angrily. The doctor who showed the courtyard image was laughing hysterically and shouting something at me while being dragged away by the guards. The remaining doctors bowed their heads to me. I bowed my head back. Just because. Then the doctors and guards left the room.

• [132] That doctor has a bad personality.
• [133] Please tell me how much longer until the end.

[135] Thinking it was finally quiet, I decided to sleep. But I couldn’t fall asleep easily; I was hungry and thirsty. I got out of bed and gestured towards the surveillance camera, mimicking eating rice with chopsticks and drinking water, but I was ignored. Getting angry, I kicked the wall, but it was useless. In the end, sleeping was the only option, so I returned to bed. But then, I noticed something in the gap between the bed frame and the mattress support.

[143] >>133 Actually, I’m at work right now. If work doesn’t get busy, maybe about another hour? It was a bed with a white mattress on a black base, and something white, clearly not the mattress, was sticking out from the gap. Finding it, I pulled it out from the gap. It was paper. On the paper was written 「ずっとそこに」 (Zutto soko ni – Always be there / Stay there forever). ??? But I could understand the words. As I pondered, “Always be there…?”, the hidden door burst open violently.

[146] Guards rushed into the room with incredible force and restrained me. I had reflexively clutched the paper, but the guards’ target was clearly that paper, and they forced my right hand open. After retrieving the paper, the guards immediately left. Being pinned down hurt, and having my discovery taken away was really frustrating, but I did nothing. I decided to think about the meaning of “Always be there.”

[153] As I sulked and thought, a nurse brought food. With guards, of course. One of them was the guy who pinned me down, which irritated me, but I just wolfed down the food anyway. After eating, I could feel the blood rushing to my head, but after a while, I felt sick and fell asleep. When I came to, I was being scanned in the MRI-like machine again. I heard the ‘buuuun’ sound, but this time it didn’t hurt. However, this time, I experienced flashbacks inside my head – even with my eyes open, my vision would momentarily switch to a completely different place. Just for an instant.

[160] The flashback images ranged from old ones like my family home or elementary school to recent ones from university, and also included completely unknown images. Pictures of a blonde white woman standing in a wasteland, or standing on the edge of a pitch-black crater-like thing looking down. The images changed one after another. Gradually, the images started changing faster, from glimpses when I blinked to the point where I could barely see properly. Meaningless images and my memories flashed randomly.

[164] Eventually, the images flashed continuously without pause, to the point where I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed. As my eyes started to hurt, I must have lost consciousness, because I found myself back in bed. I was in bed, but my eyes had something like gears attached to them, and I couldn’t see anything. I tried to blink, but my eyes wouldn’t move at all. I knew I was back from the feel of the bed, but I worried I had gone blind.

[166] From then on, it was a cycle of darkness and MRI flashbacks. The content of the flashbacks remained the same: meaningless images were meaningless, but the familiar images included ones I had almost forgotten myself. This continued for some time. Then one day, as usual, my eyes started hurting during the MRI, and I woke up in bed. But this time, I heard that boisterous laughter.

[169] The GeraGera laughter, punctuated by gasps of “Hee hee,” went on endlessly, accompanied by incomprehensible words. Judging by the sound quality, the person was in the same room, moving around while laughing. Sometimes my head was touched, but mostly, it was just terrifying. Not understanding what was being said, and being in darkness with only that laughter and incomprehensible words was scary. After laughing for a while, it stopped with an “Ahhh.” Then, right by my ear, someone whispered, “Zutto soko ni.” (Always be there / Stay there forever).

• [170] What is this? What is this?
• [172] “Always be there” is too scary!

[175] After whispering “Always be there,” they seemed to leave the room, chuckling. Immediately after, the building shook, and there was an explosion. An alarm-like sound blared, but no one seemed to be coming to this room. The alarm continued to ring, and after a while, I started smelling smoke. I knew this was bad, but I couldn’t see and didn’t know what to do, so I just got out of bed.

• [178] So you mean they understand some of our language? They could say “Zutto soko ni” properly, right?

[179] I reached out my hands and felt my way towards where the hidden door was. I searched the wall, but the hidden door wouldn’t open. I tried waving my hands towards where the surveillance cameras were, but no response. The smell of smoke gradually grew stronger, and just as I thought things were getting really bad, I heard a sound like the hidden door opening. Then I sensed someone entering. I was then lifted and carried out of the room by that someone.

• [181] What is this, scary… Keep going.
• [173] The lack of toilet description makes it unrealistic.

[184] >>173 There was a toilet in the room. Sorry if I forgot to mention it. I seemed to be carried on someone’s shoulder, like a portable shrine (mikoshi). The hidden doorway was narrow, and it seemed difficult to pass through while carrying me, as my head and feet bumped against the frame. Then, I remembered “Zutto soko ni.” Besides, I kind of wanted to just inhale the smoke and die. So, I deliberately spread my arms and legs and struggled to prevent them from passing through the hidden door. I heard angry shouts, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.

[186] I tried my best to resist being taken out through the hidden door, but two or three people held my limbs down, and we seemed to pass through it. Outside the hidden door, I could hear angry voices and screams from various directions. More importantly, it was hot, and the smoke was thick. A towel was pressed against my mouth and nose to prevent me from inhaling smoke. We ran for a while and went down something like stairs. Around there, the building shook again, and there was another explosion.

• [192] I just remembered. This is reminiscent of Natsume Soseki’s “Ten Nights of Dreams.”
• [193] This is taking an unexpected turn.

[194] After the explosion, I seemed to have fallen onto the floor, and it hurt. The floor was hard. I tried to escape, but ended up being caught and carried again. Then, I could tell from the air that we had definitely gone outside. We were outside, but still running nonstop. After running for a while, we came to a sudden stop.

[201] Just as we stopped, I was gently lowered to the ground. I was lowered, but my shoulders and legs were held down. “Huh? Huh?” I thought, looking around frantically, then my face was held. Then, while speaking incomprehensible words, they started touching the area around my eyes where the gear-like things were. They repeatedly said “Tamukara! Tamukara!” but I didn’t understand. From the surroundings, I could hear shouts and the ‘bishaa’ sound of water being sprayed.

[206] Then, the gears were removed, but my eyelids wouldn’t open. I felt something cold touch the side of my eye, followed by a sharp pain, and my eyes opened. It was dazzlingly bright and painful, so I immediately closed them again, but in the brief moment I saw, I glimpsed a hand holding a knife. They kept saying “Tamukara! Tamukara!” but I still didn’t understand. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see three unfamiliar middle-aged men looking down at me with concern.

[211] When I opened my eyes, the three men became incredibly excited. Three middle-aged guys in work clothes-like attire were overjoyed. Looking around, the ground was like an asphalt parking lot, surrounded by buildings. And sure enough, smoke was billowing from one of the buildings. One of the men pulled me up forcefully. His strength was overwhelming, and I couldn’t resist, ending up being carried again as they started running.

[220] While being carried, I entered a nearby building. The building was like the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, and it seemed I was in the central part. We entered the building and immediately got on an elevator. We ascended rapidly. Since the smoke was coming from the building directly opposite, the smell of smoke returned as we went higher. When we reached near the top, we switched to another elevator heading down.

[225] The elevator went down to the basement and opened into a parking garage. A large car arrived. It had a shape unlike anything in this world, with a particularly large rear section. Just like when I was transported by the police, I was placed in the middle seat again. The car took off immediately. We drove outside, moving away from the smoking building. From the passenger seat, the face of the GeraGera laughing doctor appeared.

• [228] What a development.
• [229] The GeraGera doctor seems to know something, gives off that vibe. Who are they?

[231] The GeraGera doctor turned to me and smiled gently this time. “You’re safe now.” He definitely said this. In fluent Japanese. For a moment, I didn’t understand, but the instant I registered “You’re safe now,” I screamed, “Ueeeeaah!?” Then I looked at the guys on my left and right, like, “Huh? Huh?” but they just looked back at me without saying anything.

[236] “Uh, ah, words, understand, you?” I think I replied something like that. Honestly, my own Japanese was messed up. GeraGera: “Can you understand my words?” Me: “Yes.” I couldn’t pronounce it perfectly, but I managed to speak Japanese somehow. GeraGera: “We will now return you to your original world. Is that okay?” Me: “Hui.” I meant ‘hai’ (yes), but I had forgotten how to pronounce it.

• [237] What the heck is this?
• [238] I don’t really get it.
• [239] My excitement for the GeraGera doctor, who I was annoyed with, won’t stop.
• [241] You can return? Amazing.
• [244] The time has finally come to return.

[249] GeraGera: “Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, XX Ward, XX Street, X-ban, XX Apartment Complex, correct?” GeraGera spoke slowly and clearly for me. I replied using slightly incorrect Japanese like, “Tha, thas ight!” GeraGera then started explaining something in that incomprehensible language to the driver. GeraGera: “Anyway, here, have this.” He handed me some water.

[256] I gulped down the water. Forgot to mention, GeraGera is a scruffy, curly, long-haired, greasy-looking old guy. The car was speeding. We seemed to be in the middle of a city, mostly identical to modern Japan, but with very little greenery. The city seemed quite lively, like an idealized version of Osaka City. Inside the car, something like a radio was playing, but I couldn’t understand a word.

[261] We passed through the main streets and entered a highway-like road. GeraGera said, “I, assume, you’ve, figured, it, out, but, you, are, currently, being, pursued. However, you, should, be, safe, now.” With the water and the time spent in the moving car, I had recovered much of my Japanese. Me: “I’m being pursued?” GeraGera: “Yes, you, are, now,” Me: “Ah, you can speak normally now, it’s okay.”

[263] GeraGera: “You seem to have recovered.” GeraGera looked relieved. Me: “So, why am I being pursued?” GeraGera: “As you probably understand, you came from another world, not this one, correct?” Me: “Eh?” GeraGera: “You suddenly appeared in this world from somewhere near that address in Kyoto. Am I wrong?” Me: “Well, I don’t really understand.”

• 264
• [265] Exciting.
• [267] Exciting.
• [268] Caught up. I need to sleep but this is too interesting.

[270] GeraGera: “Listen carefully. This world is not the one you were in.” GeraGera: “There are humans who look the same, but the language is different, and it’s a subtly different world.” GeraGera started explaining various things. That I had somehow entered another world, though the exact cause was unknown. That I was thoroughly investigated because I was from another world. That my brain had been tampered with, but he had managed to restore it. He told me that he was going to help me escape back to my original world now, and that I should never again go near the place that likely triggered my arrival in this world.

• [271] What an incredible story.
• [272] Caught up. GeraGera seems like a genius, but probably treated as an eccentric by others because of it.
• [274] Hearing about being sent back from another world reminds me of the “Spacetime Old Man,” but this is clearly different.

[278] I told him I entered this world when I went into the apartment courtyard. GeraGera said, “In that case, you should stay away from that apartment building.” I also mentioned the old man and woman who cried and apologized. GeraGera said it was likely they had something to do with triggering my arrival in this world. When I told him about the child sticking their hand into my ear, GeraGera said, “I don’t know about that myself.” He also told me various other things about the other world.

• [279] Who is this GeraGera? How does he know our language?
• [281] It doesn’t seem like a completely separate world, does it? The fact that GeraGera can speak Japanese means the language exists there. And I bet he’ll properly explain the meaning of “Zutto soko ni.”
• [286] The part about the child being a mystery is super scary.

[287] Firstly, that the other world’s civilization is slightly more advanced than this one. That people in the other world know about this world. That in the other world, there have long been beings called “Ajin” (demi-humans), humans born slightly different. The child in the suit was probably one of them. However, they are isolated immediately after birth, so details are unknown. That right now, the people of the other world are trying to come to this world, much like people in this world aim for space travel.

• [292] They’re trying to come here?
• [293] So the 2012 doomsday theory means we’ll be destroyed by them.
• [294] Seems different from just deformities, maybe some kind of psychic? >Child
• [295] This is getting scary. If beings like that come, we’ll definitely be destroyed…

[300] He explained many things, but some were hard to grasp. I asked GeraGera who he was and why he understood my language. He said he couldn’t tell me that, but would if I chose not to return to my original world. Without hesitation, I declined, “No, I’d rather not.” GeraGera only told me, “I’m also originally from your world.” The car continued on the highway and entered the other world’s Kyoto.

• [301] Whoa. So there are like Newtypes in that world?
• [304] So that’s it. Now we know why GeraGera understands Japanese and is kind to >>1, but questions remain. Why did GeraGera stay in the other world?
• [306] >>304 And the condition that hearing the reason means you can’t go back is also puzzling.
• [315] >>306 Thinking about it gets scary. > Explained why Earth itself came to be, etc. Does this mean the birth of the planet Earth has some meaning? And the people of the other world understand that meaning!?

[305] We entered Kyoto (Other) from the other world’s Kyoto Minami Interchange. The writing on signs was completely different, but the basic buildings and geography were the same. When I asked why, he explained something about why Earth itself was formed, which I didn’t quite understand. GeraGera was told to guide them to the apartment, so I gave directions along the way. We passed the familiar convenience store and flower shop and finally arrived back.

• [309] The dots are connecting.

[314] GeraGera said something like, “We’re going to distract the ‘you’ from the other world and get them out of the room. While we do that, you go into the courtyard and do the same thing you did when you first came to this world.” GeraGera and the others rang my apartment doorbell, and ‘I’ came out. They put their foot in the door gap and rather forcefully shut me out. GeraGera entrusted me to the other guys and said, “Quickly!” before going inside with them.

• [316] There’s another >>1 over there? Would have panicked if I ran into them first.
• [319] There’s another >>1 in the other world too?

[320] I went inside and headed for the courtyard. The moment I closed the door connecting the courtyard and the room, that spinning sensation returned. I endured the dizziness and nausea, waiting to return to the original world. When I came to, I was collapsed in the courtyard of my own apartment in (presumably) the original world, this world. To confirm, I looked up at the sky – it wasn’t overly deep blue. And it felt cold. That was this February.

• [323] Even if this is fiction, the thrilling developments are wonderful.
• [324] If I were in this situation, I’d definitely go insane.

[330] I was wearing the hospital gown-like dress, so I felt cold and tried to go inside, but the door was locked. Eventually, I yelled “Help!” and the resident upstairs noticed and helped me. After that, I was taken into police custody → hospitalized. I was asked to explain where I had been and what I had been doing, but I had no ID, and it was a difficult process. I only recently got my phone back, which is why I’m posting now.

• [331] Also, the fact that only they know about us, and want to come to our technologically inferior world, feels like they’re looking down on us, which is unpleasant.
• [335] >>331 A plan to put us under their control because they have power.
• [336] Anyway, OP, thanks for sharing! >>331 Maybe they’re seeking greenery? It seemed like there was hardly any nature there.
• [341] >>331 Since they’re slightly more advanced, I thought maybe control or resources were their goal.
• [333] When >>1 left their other-world home, why wasn’t the other-world >>1 there?
• [334] >>333 Maybe they just happened to be out?

[340] Honestly, GeraGera strongly advised me not to tell anyone, so I can’t write everything. That experience is still genuinely terrifying even now. Also, regarding the old man and woman, I have no proof, but I think they might be the apartment owners. That should be everything.

• [342] That was interesting.
• [351] Thank you for sharing. If it’s not made up, I kind of want to visit the other world too.

[355] By the way, this isn’t made up, it’s real. I’m grateful to GeraGera.

• [364] >>355 Is it really, really true?
• [357] >>1 Do you have any physical abnormalities? Any after-effects from the incident with the child?

[376] >>357 I was examined at the hospital, but besides malnutrition, there were no particular abnormalities. When I looked in the mirror, I was incredibly thin.

• [359] So you were treated as a missing person for four months?

[383] >>359 Yes, that’s what happened. >>360 Probably, according to GeraGera’s story.

• [360] Can you go back to that world again if you wanted to?
• [369] Is this what they call “kamikakushi” (spirited away)?
• [375] Thank you for sharing. First elevators, now courtyards are scary too.
• [386] Just thought of something. The people from the other world intend to come here, right? Yet they can’t understand our language. Could GeraGera be the mastermind behind that plan, intentionally sending >>1 back? Maybe tampering with the brain was to implant some device in >>1 to learn our language?
• [388] >>386 Seems plausible and scary.
• [392] >>386 Since GeraGera can speak it, he could just teach them the language.
• [387] Do people from this side frequently end up in the other world? You were treated like it’s a known occurrence.
• [389] It’s been a while since I found such an exciting thread. I thought it might be the Spacetime Old Man thread, but it was different. Even if it’s made up, it’s a good thread.
• [400] If this is true, maybe there are other people who can go to the other world too.
• [403] Well, anyway, it was interesting. Stories about other worlds are always exciting.
• [441] If I went to another world, I’d go mad and couldn’t come back.
• [458] In the fall of 2001, I had a cold and felt chills, so I was heading to a hospital in Okubo, holding onto a strap on the Seibu Shinjuku Line. My head was pounding, throbbing, and I closed my eyes, furrowing my brow to endure it. My memory cuts off there. When I came to, it was evening, and the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. I was wearing clothes I’d never bought, and my hair, which I’d never dyed, was brown. Panicking, I went into a nearby ramen shop and asked, “Where am I?” It was near Fukushima Station in Osaka City, and nearly a year had passed. My cell phone was a different model. The address book had about 10 numbers listed under single characters like “Ma” or “Hi,” but none of my acquaintances’ or family’s numbers were there. For some reason, those unknown numbers terrified me, and I threw the phone into a river. I contacted my family through the police. They were panicking too. A missing person report had been filed for me. Anyway, I went home, and I still go to a psychiatric hospital once a month. I couldn’t return to my old job, so now I’m doing temp work. Reading this somehow reminded me of it.
• [461] Missing for four months in Kyoto. Can anyone verify this?
• [416] I was glued to this, fascinating. Thanks for sharing! I’m scared to sleep alone now.