I Got Isekai'd to Another Planet

The group approached the starting kiosks, glowing, boxy machines standing under a row of artificial trees. Screens listed available items with prices and stock limits. The smell of synthetic protein and warm chocolate filled the air, oddly comforting despite the high stakes.

Miguel stepped up first, scanning the display.

WATER: 10 Tokens

TRAVEL MEAL (High-Calorie, Balanced): 20 Tokens

ENERGY CHOCOLATE (Adrenal Boost): 20 Tokens

He tapped all three. His piggy bracelet blinked cheerfully, dropping from 100 to 50 tokens. The machine dispensed a sealed canteen, a vacuum-packed meal bar, and a small foil-wrapped chocolate.

He stuffed them into the outer pockets of his purple cargo overalls.

Behind him, June did the same, no hesitation. Her total dropped to 100 tokens, but she mirrored Miguel's choices exactly.

Hideo followed next with silent precision. Tobi and Maeve pooled tokens together and bought items as a pair, joking as they divided them between their packs.

Then came Alyssa.

She stepped up, flicked her fingers through the air… and stopped.

Her smile faltered.

"I, uh… used all my tokens yesterday," she said, cheeks pink. "Didn't think we'd need more this fast."

Miguel turned, without missing a beat.

"I got you."

He tapped the kiosk again and ordered a second set of water, meal, and chocolate.

His balance dropped to 0.

Alyssa's face lit up. "Seriously? You didn't have to..."

"Nah, it's fine," he said, brushing it off. "We're a team, right?"

June watched him from the side.

Watched the way Alyssa grinned and touched his shoulder.

Watched the way he didn't flinch.

Didn't even blink.

Her jaw tightened again.

But she didn't say a word.

Everyone packed their items into their pockets, adjusted their boots, and turned toward the trail.

At 10:00 sharp, a chime rang.

"MARATHON GAME COMMENCED."

The path lit up beneath their feet, a guiding line through the forest. The sun didn't move, staying fixed overhead like a spotlight in a stage play.

They began walking.

Pace was slow at first.

Chatting started naturally.

Hideo spoke about running marathons in Tokyo when he was young. Maeve teased Tobi for not knowing what a scone was. Alyssa laughed as Miguel recounted a story about breaking a vending machine to rescue a trapped soda can.

"He literally climbed inside it," Miguel said, grinning.

"You're making this up," Alyssa replied, eyes gleaming.

"Ask the mall security," Miguel said. "They banned me for a month. Totally worth it."

Even Hideo chuckled.

Maeve smirked. "I like this guy. You're wasted in hell, mate."

Miguel was in his element.

Every joke landed. Every word invited a smile. He walked in the center of the group like a campfire in motion, bright, warm, impossible to ignore.

Everyone was smiling.

Except June.

She trailed behind.

Each step shot pain through her ribs. Her breathing was short. Her limp was worsening. She wasn't sweating, she was bleeding again, just a little. A slow bloom through the wrap under her prison shirt.

And nobody noticed.

No one even looked back.

She kept her head down, jaw tight.

What did I think? That Miguel cared for me? That I mattered? He just… felt sorry for me. That's all it ever was.

Her pace slowed further.

She clenched her fists.

Behind the others now.

Invisible.

Until...

Footsteps.

Then Miguel was beside her again, walking backward as he looked her up and down.

"June…"

He frowned.

"You're limping. You're… wait, shit, you're bleeding again?"

She looked away. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

He dropped to one knee, offering his back without hesitation.

"C'mon. I'm healed. I've got the legs. Just get on."

She stared at him, uncertain.

He didn't move.

Didn't blush… yet.

Until she finally gave in, sighing, and climbed onto his back.

Then he turned beet-red.

June's arms wrapped loosely around his neck. She tried to keep her weight light, but every jostle sent a spike of pain down her spine.

Miguel adjusted her with surprising gentleness. "You okay?"

"Better than before," she murmured.

They walked, just a few meters behind the rest of the group now.

He carried her like she weighed nothing.

The forest around them buzzed softly with artificial wind and the hum of overhead drones.

After a moment, Miguel asked, "You've been quiet."

June hesitated. "I don't do well in groups."

Miguel smiled over his shoulder.

"Okay, then we'll stay a little behind. Just the two of us."

She blinked.

Something in her chest loosened.

She didn't smile.

Not outwardly.

But something inside her… warmed.

The rest of the group walked ahead, unaware.

Alyssa glanced back briefly, then looked forward again.

Maeve nudged Tobi. "Looks like lover boy's playing medic now."

"Or he's just decent," Tobi replied with a shrug.

But June didn't hear any of that.

She just rested her chin on Miguel's shoulder, letting the pain fade, and listened to his heartbeat thump in rhythm with the slow march forward.

And for once…

She didn't feel behind.

She felt carried.

Miguel's pace remained steady, each footfall a quiet thump against the forest floor. June clung lightly to his back, her arms looped around his shoulders, chin brushing against his shoulder blade. The silence between them was no longer awkward, it was easy.

Peaceful, even.

But Miguel's voice broke it gently.

"So… how did you die?"

June blinked, surprised by the question. "You really want to know?"

Miguel chuckled. "Kinda feels like we all should. Like it's the weirdest icebreaker ever. You know… 'Hi, I'm dead. You too? Cool. How'd it happen?'"

June smirked, dry. "Truck."

Miguel laughed. "No way. That's some isekai shit."

She didn't laugh but her smirk lingered a second longer.

Then her voice dropped low.

"I actually planned to kill myself."

The air shifted.

Miguel's laugh vanished. His head tilted slightly, but he didn't stop walking.

"I was going to do it in this old warehouse," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "No one would've found me for days. But before I could even get there, some random truck hit me. Just like that."

Miguel was silent for a few seconds.

Then, carefully... "Why?"

June closed her eyes.

"I had no one. No friends. No family. No lovers. Nothing. I hated myself. Every time I looked in the mirror, I wanted to smash it. There was just… nothing left."

Miguel didn't say anything at first.

Then he stopped walking.

Turned his head just enough that she could see the corner of his face.

"You're not alone anymore," he said. "You've got me now. And I'll always have your back."

Something hit June harder than a gunshot.

Not in her ribs.

In her heart.

That strange warmth again.

Strong. Unfamiliar.

She swallowed it.

Tried to.

"What about you?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "How did you die?"

Miguel exhaled.

"…Now that's a long one."

"I'm listening."

He walked forward again, but slower now, as if he needed the pace to carry the weight of his words.

"I was born in South Africa. Delft. Rough place. My parents… both junkies. I grew up hungry most days. Learned how to beg, steal. Lie. Sell fake lotto tickets. Pickpocketed rich tourists in town."

June remained still.

No judgment.

Just listening.

Miguel continued. "When I turned twelve, I joined a gang. Mostly 'cause they fed me. I started carrying knives, guns, started doing things I still can't say out loud. I wasn't hungry anymore. But I'd become something worse."

He paused.

Then... "A monster."

The trees blurred past them. The forest's gentle hum seemed to fade into the background.

"I was sixteen when everything changed. Tried robbing some old guy, just thought he was easy prey. He beat the absolute crap out of me." Miguel chuckled faintly. "Didn't even break a sweat."

June blinked. "He let you live?"

"More than that. He took me in. Said I reminded him of his son. He had a tiny gym, just a few bags, a ring, some weights. Started training me. Not just to fight. To be a person."

June listened, quietly awed.

"I owe that man everything," Miguel said. "He saved me. Gave me my first birthday cake. Taught me how to throw a clean punch and how to stop throwing away my life."

"And the end?"

Miguel's smile faded.

"Walking home from the gym one night. Saw two guys mugging an old man. I stepped in. Handled them easy. Turned my back…"

He trailed off.

June didn't need the rest.

She knew.

That hit her differently.

He wasn't soft.

He was strong.

Strong enough to feel. Strong enough to hurt. Strong enough to climb out of hell with scars and still smile like the sun.

She'd misjudged him.

Miguel wasn't just decent.

He was iron with a heart.

And in this place?

That was rarer than gold.

Up ahead, the rest of the group had slowed.

A wall of five survivors blocked the path, men from different countries, all hard-faced and armed with makeshift clubs and sharpened poles. Their numbers were higher. Late arrivals.

Their stances were aggressive.

Until they saw Miguel.

Their eyes widened.

One of them, a stocky guy with a broken nose, actually took a step back.

Then bowed his head slightly. "We don't want trouble."

The others followed, stepping aside, silent.

Miguel said nothing.

Just stared.

That was enough.

They parted like curtains, and the group ahead passed through.

Still carrying June on his back, Miguel followed after.

As they walked past, one of the thugs whispered under his breath, "That's the guy from the vid..."

They vanished into the trees.

There was a pause.

Then Hideo, watching over his shoulder, murmured, "He's a very dependable young man."

"Badass," Maeve agreed, grinning.

Tobi smirked. "Yeah, any woman would be lucky to have him."

Alyssa glanced back, eyes lingering on Miguel's back as he carried June.

But she didn't say a word.

Not yet.

Behind them, June rested her head lightly against Miguel's shoulder.

And let herself be carried just a little longer.