Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V2 Chapter 38

Chapter 38: “Public baths are the best, aren’t they?”

“We’re home—”

As Natsuki and Jack walked in, Haruko, Natsuki’s mother, came to greet them. 

“Natsuki, you’ve been out late dragging Jack-kun around! I couldn’t reach you on your phone, where have you been!”

“Sorry, we got into a bit of a fight with some pirates.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least make it a believable one! Now, go wash your hands with Jack, I’ll warm up the dinner.”

“Okay!”

“I apologize for keeping Natsuki out so late. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“It’s alright, Jack-kun. I wish Natsuki would be as calm and collected as you.”

After washing their hands and gargling, they sat down at the kitchen table.

In the living room, Ginko, Koume, and Nancy were having a drink, likely joined by Natsuki’s mother earlier.

“Oh, you’re late.”

“Got caught up in some event, didn’t you?” 

“Hahaha! Must be fighting with some aliens this time, right?”

“Uwaa, that’s crazy!”

The two drunkards didn’t realize that Natsuki had really fought aliens. They just laughed, thinking it was a joke.

Watching Nancy give Jack a welcome-back kiss made him think he was on the winning side.

“Shall we give you a kiss too?”

“Special service, just for now!” 

“No, thank you, you smell like alcohol!”

“What did you say!?”

“What was that!?”

Ignoring Koume and Ginko, who were happily drunk, he had dinner with Jack. 

The meal included meat and potato stew, rolled omelet with dashi, and miso soup, all cooked by his mother.

The reheated meat and potato stew was delicious, with the potatoes soaked in the sauce, melting in the mouth.

The Yura family adds onion, pork belly, and konnyaku noodles to it, giving it a richer flavor, quickly prepared using a pressure cooker.

The rolled omelet, sweetened with a bit of sugar, is a specialty of the Yura family’s taste.

Indeed, the omelets made by his mother were the best. 

And then, the rice. The glossy, sticky rice was very easy to eat, with a slight sweetness to it. His mother, particular about rice, always chose after tasting various options from the local rice shop. To Natsuki, it was simply a matter of delicious or not, but it seemed his mother could discern much more subtle flavors. 

And of course, the classic taste of home was the miso soup with seaweed, tofu, and fried tofu. The saltiness was a welcome treat for their tired bodies. 

“Ah, I’m so glad to have been born Japanese.”

“You exaggerate.”

“Though I’m not Japanese, I’m grateful for this wonderful meal.”

“Now you too, Jack-kun?” 

Natsuki, feeling hungry, eagerly devoured the food but also took the time to enjoy each bite.

After not having proper meals or drinks for years in the other world, every meal felt special, especially since they didn’t have miso soup there.

“Hey Natsuki, do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

Jack asked, and Natsuki pondered for a moment.

While it wasn’t out of the question for Kazuto to visit, there weren’t any specific plans.

He chose not to think about the possibility of angels or demons paying a surprise visit.

“Got no plans. What’s on your mind?”

“I spotted a public bath near the edge of the shopping district. I thought it’d be nice to check it out.”

“Oh yeah, the public bath! I used to hit that spot frequently. Wonder how the folks there are doing.”

Lately, there are more big public baths popping up, with a bunch in Mukaijima city.

But Natsuki likes the small local one best. He knows folks there, and sometimes they’d even treat him to a coffee milk. He and Kazuto used to go together.

During the summer holidays, they would help clean in exchange for being the first to take a bath.

“What are you saying, Natsuki? We hit the public bath not too long ago.”

“Did we? I don’t remember.”

“You were all about relaxing in the bath. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, maybe I do.”

It felt like years had passed, so Natsuki couldn’t remember the last time they went to the public bath. 

In the other world, saunas were the norm, and though there were baths, the water was hardly clean by any compliment. 

The demons lived much cleaner lives. 

Natsuki learned purification magic early on, so he didn’t need to bathe to cleanse himself.

“Sure, let’s head to the public bath!”

“Thank you! I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

Natsuki couldn’t resist smiling back at Jack’s beaming face. 

After six busy days since coming back from the other world, Natsuki really wanted to take it easy on Sunday.

He genuinely felt that way.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Did you think they’d just go to the bath and that’d be it?

Well, I’ve never been to a public bath before. I enjoy hot springs, but only when I went on trips in the past.