Nostalgic Future Japan
"Welcome! Please pick your order from the menu!"
"Hm, I'll have a lucky set and a cola M for drink."
"Oh I'll have those too."
"Yes sirs! Please wait over there with your tickets."
Kira-san and I decided to drop by Japan once geezer left.
The door on the other side of that room really was connected to Japan, surprisingly.
It was dark out I thought it was another weird place for a moment there but it really was Japan.
...It's Japan a year and a half after I got thrown into another world.
Kira-san even got all, 'Oh Japan, I'm finally baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!', shouting while running around, drawing attentions from passerby. He's acting like an idiot.
But who could've thought Heisei is over already. Like, 'The era, the era has changed!'
It took a lot out of us fighting that fox BBA so we visited a burger shop to replenish our energy... Oh good, I don't see any headless clerk.
I feared for the possibility of me unable to go back to Parallecia, but apparently I can just use Fast Travel. Though there's gonna be some work that need to be done first.
We got our numbers called, took our sets and went to our seats.
"Bon appetite."
"Bon appetite."
"I always chowed down junk food without thinking before I started my escapades in other worlds. Only now I realize how luxurious all these things I took for granted... Kuh...!"
"...Please don't cry."
Kira-san relished on his hamburger while tearing up. The sight of an old man crying over a hamburger is kinda weirdly sorrowful...
But, I get him. I was sure I had no regret left, but now that I'm having a meal in Japan like this, I realize I can still feel homesick.
"But man, 'Reiwa'... It's been five years since I left huh. Nothing seems to have changed though."
"How long were you in other worlds, Kira-san?"
"About a month I think. It was 2015 when I got thrown out of Japan. Got dumped in another world before I knew what was going on. Every day was hellish."
He reminisced on his past trouble while chewing on french fries.
...This man must be like me. Finding himself in another world carrying nothing on him, struggling to death just to survive.
"Heck, what's with that polite tone? Where'd your frankness gone?"
"Oh, that was because I couldn't afford to mind my manners in that situation. I believe it's only right to pay proper respect to my seniors."
"Ah, drop that. I don't like how distant you sound now. Just keep your tone like before, I don't mind."
"I see, got it... But, really one month turned into five years huh. I bet it must feel a bit like Urashima Tarou."
"Well yeah... Haa, how do I even explain to my job. I'm probably on the missing person list. Can I even go back to work now..."
What a harsh world. Getting back to Japan means peace of mind from getting jumped by monsters, but in exchange you'll have to face the reality of living in it.
All the administrative stuff sounds like it's gonna be a real pain. Kira-san, fight on.
"I plan to take a stab on getting my life back bit by bit. How about you Kajikawa-kun?"
"I'd like to shop around before going back to that world."
"Eh, you're not staying in Japan?"
"Parallecia is my home now. People dear to me are waiting for me there, I've gotta get back and tell them I'm OK once I've done everything here."
"Don't you have people waiting for you here?"
"There's my grandparents, but they're aware of my situation. It's OK."
"I see. But be sure to go see them when you got time."
"...Yea."
...I'd love to go see them right away, but they're living a tad too far from here.
Flying with Mana Flight is going to draw too many eyes. Can't make light of the population density here.
Right now might be impossible but I should be able to afford the time once Demon King is dead. I've mapped the area so I can always go back here with Fast Travel.
But our reunion is gonna be postponed for now... I'm sorry, gramps, granny.
Once we got our fills, I bought plenty of takeouts for souvenirs and left the shop.
Thank goodness, my credit card is still active.
...Come to think of it, I've only been gone for a year and a half, but it's been five years for Kira-san, what's up with that...
Afterwards, I bought all sort of stuff like snacks, cup noodles, and all kind of electric apparatus that don't exist in Parallecia.
That geezer probably had been shopping around in this world too. Heck, maybe Demon King also inherited some stuff from here.
I'm gonna buy everything I can, no holding back... It's mostly been foodstuff though.
Afterwards, we found a deserted back alley and traded items.
At most, I can offer Kira-san stuff like magic beast meat, soda fruits and equipment made from adamantite, mithril, hihiirokane and orichalcum equipment, but apparently that's good enough for him.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"I mean, y'know, who knows how much all this otherworld metal are gonna fetch. They don't exist here after all."
"Might go for hundreds of million if you go to the right place. Their rarity is gonna be more important than their property."
"And this magic beast, meats?, are all stupidly good too. Would be cool if we could keep trading this stuff in the future."
"Fufufu, that's gonna depend on what you can offer me, my good sir."
...This makes me feel like we're making some questionable backhand dealings.
I traded many supremely useful items from Kira-san.
Such as a mysterious material that gets heavier the more mana you put into it, which should work nicely as a hammer head. Or a cloak that turns you invisible if you wear it by consuming your mana.
Heck, most of the things I had been wanting to get, I got from Kira-san. Dependable. Kira-san is so dependable.
Kira-san is going to exchange the items he got from me for cash.
I'm going to use the items I got from Kira-san to beat Demon King. It's a win-win transaction.
"Well, I coulda just trade my own stuff for cold hard cash, but if those things can help you clean up the real mess you're in, take 'em."
"Thank you. I'll trade you for more rare stuff if I find some later."
"Yeah, I've still got an item that lets me go back to worlds I've been to. Going on a trip to another world doesn't sound too bad, hahaha."
I can't imagine it'll be anything but another life-or-death struggle though.
...It's time to get going.
"Well then, I'll see you around."
"Ou. Get in touch with me whenever you're in Japan... Ah, our smartphone plans been canceled... Uh, you fine with home number?"
"...Let's get a new plan."
...Both Kira-san and I went to renew our smartphone plans and exchanged contacts before we parted ways.
That farewell sure went on and on.
Back to Floor 21 and all the doors.
...What do I need to do here again?
<<It is necessary to head to the corridor of many clocks from earlier before returning to Parallecia.>>
Eh, why?
<<The room Spada, correction, Soma Ryota Fast Travel-ed to was a 'Room from 624 year in the past'. Due to directly traveling to Floor 21 from that room, Kajikawa Hikaru's recorded time has been overwritten. As such it is necessary to bridge the 624 years of gap by way of the said corridor.>>
Eh, but we didn't need to do all that stuff with Japan.
<<That door is especially made to be spacetime affixed to 2020 Japan. In addition, if Kajikawa Hikaru were to go back to Japan now, the time there will be virtually the same as the time you go to Japan from Floor 21 earlier.>>
...I dunno what's what, but okay I got it. I mean, I don't really get it.
But this is just that kinda place after all, I'll just treat it as a time bug or two.
<<Reminder, have the equipment to conceal your body acquired from Kira Kazuya equipped as you stand by at the corridor in order to avoid a time paradox.>>
Eh? ...Ah, I didn't see anybody back then, would be weird if the past me saw the current me.
Wait, you mean there was another me in the passage ahead back then. I didn't notice at all.
Now then, it's time to get back to Parallecia... I've got real bad feelings, I should really head back asap.
<<Additionally, it is required to go through a door that leads to Parallecia on Floor 21 instead of perusing Fast Travel.>>
But why. Why can't I just go there directly?
<<Floor 21 may be connected to bugs and many worlds but as it is completely isolated from Parallecia, Fast Travel as well as Map Screen cannot be used to go directly. However, it is possible to Fast Travel to other worlds from Parallecia.>>
What a confusing specification. I mean bugs from Floor 21 leaked up to Floor 18, you're saying that's not connected to the world?
Looks like I better find the door to Parallecia first before I start holing up in that corridor... More door picking.
<<With Kajikawa Hikaru's Luck value, it should only take a few days to find the door to Parallecia.>>
Still hafta leave it all to luck though.
...Guess there's no point fussing over this stuff. It's door opening time.
Pardon. Slide.
I opened a sliding door and saw some people chasing someone in a field.
"Melon thief!!"
"Tokichiro don, catch 'em!"
"Ya betcha, I'mma on it!"
Slide slide, clack.
...This is gonna be real pain, isn't it.
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