Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - Chapter 09

Chapter 09: “Psychics are like something out of a fantasy, aren’t they?” ②

Natsuki learned about psychics from the explanation given by Police Chief Hisashi Aoyama. 

Psychics, also known as spirit wielders, possess “psychic powers” or “spiritual strength” and use them to secretly battle against beings like evil spirits, yokai, and demons that pose a threat to humans.

It appears that most people claiming to be psychics on TV and seeking publicity are usually frauds. However, sometimes real psychics might pretend to be fake.

Psychics typically belong to an organization called “the Institute,” which categorizes and ranks them.

The ranking system starts from fifth class and goes up to first class, based on their strength or the uniqueness of their abilities.

The existence of psychic powers dates back to ancient times, but they haven’t been scientifically explained yet. Some believe these powers stem from the soul, others think they’re a mental force, and there are those who attribute the powers to emotions, as they can fluctuate with emotional states. Essentially, it’s not well understood.

There are machines that can supposedly measure these powers, but they’re not very reliable.

Despite the lack of understanding around “psychic powers,” their effectiveness against harmful spirits, yokai, and demons has been proven over time. While only a limited number of people can use these powers, the efforts of psychics allow others to live their lives unchanged.

Recently, a department within the police force called “Special Disaster Division” has been established, staffed with psychics. Of course, regular police officers are also part of this division.

The officers who pointed guns at Natsuki were regular police officers. Although it was certainly excessive to aim guns at a minor without warning, and they did apologize, it is a fact that firing is permitted in confrontations with psychics possessing abilities that can affect others.

Natsuki, not being familiar with guns, hadn’t realized that the officers were actually armed with tranquilizer and Taser guns. The officers had reacted with fear to Natsuki’s unknown powers, pointing their guns without first confirming the situation.

The situation was peacefully resolved, partly due to Natsuki’s cooperation and the presence of Chief Aoyama. However, dealing with minors, especially those with uncontrolled or overwhelming powers, can be dangerous. They might resist or be consumed by their power, posing a threat.

If someone doesn’t fully understand how to use their powers, it can lead to significant strain on the user and potentially severe aftereffects, so neutralizing them isn’t necessarily wrong. Of course, being at the receiving end of a gun is no small matter.

The existence of “psychics” and the “Special Disaster Division” within the police force is not publicly known, hence kept hidden. In the case of the Mukaijima City Police Station, Chief Aoyama seems to be the person responsible.

“Hmm. So psychics are people who use psychic powers, and there’s even a division in the police force recently.”

“That’s right.”

(I thought my power was magical in nature, but maybe it’s not much different from psychic powers here?)

In the other world, Natsuki was a hero who could use magic. His powers remained the same on Earth, but the term ‘psychic powers’ didn’t quite resonate with him. He had read about psychics in manga and novels and could vaguely imagine their existence, but recently, manga and novels focused more on sorcery and magic, which were easier for him to relate to.

“Sorry, I don’t really get it.”

“That’s okay. I don’t fully understand it either.”

“Eh?”

Natsuki let his shoulders drop in response to Aoyama’s casual reply.

“I got involved in various things when I was younger… but, well, that’s not important. You might know this, but the reason I became a police officer was to keep your mother, Haruko-san, safe from danger. And that includes dangers related to psychic phenomena!”

“Ah…”

(It just hit me, Uncle has always been in love with my mom. Despite being married.)

Although Aoyama treated Natsuki almost like his own son, he had been making advances towards Natsuki’s mother ever since Natsuki could remember. It was terrifying that his wife actually approved of it. Natsuki had even heard that his wife was a fanatical fan of his mother.

Haruko had many admirers besides Aoyama and was constantly being courted, but she either naturally didn’t notice or deliberately ignored their advances.

To Natsuki, his mother seemed a bit young for her age, but he had heard from Aoyama and others that they saw her like a goddess.

“You might not know this, Natsuki, but when she was younger, Haruko-san often got entangled in psychic-related incidents… She never realized it, but we went to great lengths to protect her.”

“That’s one of the good things about you, Uncle. You don’t make it sound like you’re doing us a favor.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m not the type to hold saving a life over someone’s head.”

“Well, I think it’s okay to hold a favor if you saved a life. Wait, it was that dangerous?”

“Yeah, almost every month.”

“What!?”

“Thanks to that, we all got quite the training.”

Natsuki genuinely admired Aoyama for being able to simply refer to saving a person’s life as a ‘training experience’. 

In the other world, Natsuki had saved lives, even countries and the world itself, and he definitely wanted to be acknowledged and thanked eternally for it.

“Let’s not dwell on my story! Anyway, whether you have powers or not isn’t something you can decide for yourself, but please, just stay out of trouble. You might not realize it, but the powers and experiences you have are something other psychics would go to great lengths to obtain. Especially owning a demonic sword and having gone through a transfer to another world, something that’s only in legends. If the ‘Institute’ learns about your existence, it’s definitely going to cause complications!”

“You mentioned it before, but what exactly is the ‘Institute’?”

“Listen carefully! The ‘Institute’ is an organization that manages psychics. It was established long ago by the old and distinguished families known for their psychic abilities, but in recent years it has started to manage psychics more strictly. If you’re not registered with the ‘Institute’ in Japan, you might be caught as an unaffiliated, rogue psychic.”

“Caught!?”

“If there’s no issue with your abilities or character, you just register with the ‘Institute’ and that’s it. But those who use their powers for personal gain can be punished. This is something the police can’t really get involved in. We might capture them sometimes, but the ‘Institute’ prefers to handle matters internally and rarely lets us intervene.”

“Is that okay with the police?”

“It’s not ideal. But if they resolve things without our knowledge, there’s nothing we can do.”

Aoyama himself seemed to have a complex relationship with the ‘Institute’. For Natsuki, who had only just learned about the organization’s existence, there was little he could do.

Still, as just a middle school student, Natsuki felt there was little he could do about such matters. He mostly just hoped he wouldn’t get discovered.

“Let’s leave the organization aside, Uncle… about me, have you told my mom?”

“I won’t say anything. Actually, I can’t. I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.”

“…Right.”

“But make a promise. If you get noticed by the ‘Institute’, or if you misuse your powers, then I’ll have to tell everything to Haruko-san. I may not fully understand everything you’ve experienced, but I can at least explain about the existence of your powers.”

“I know. I won’t do anything stupid.”

“Good. That’s the way. You’re a middle schooler, after all. You should be focusing on your studies and enjoying your youth. No need to get involved in any bloody business.”

“Right.”

Natsuki, having fought for six years in another world, had no desire to continue battling now that he was back in Japan.

He wanted to spend his days relaxing, playing games, watching movies, and just lazing around. Even if he had powers, he had no intention of getting involved in anything.

“Alright then. That’s enough talking for today.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“By the way, Uncle, are you a psychic?”

“Hell no. I’m just an ordinary guy.”