Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V2 Chapter 57

Chspter 57: “It must have been set up, right?” ①

As Natsuki and the others left the Minazuki household in Ginko’s van. 

“Wow, seeing the Amaterasu-sama was surprising, but what really shocked me was the Tsukuyomi-sama showing up out of nowhere!”

“Right? The top gods of Japan are just doing whatever they want!”

“Well, Koume-san is the last person Japan wants to hear that from.”

Ginko and Koume kept teasing each other just like on the way there, from the driver and passenger seats. Natsuki and Kazuto exchanged looks and chuckled.

“How about we grab some ramen on the way to school?” 

“There’s a place that just started serving Natsuki-kun’s favorite cold Chinese noodles!”

“What, really? Ginko-san, let’s go for cold noodles for lunch!”

“Eh, why not French? We did get some money, after all!”

“Middle schoolers can’t handle table manners!”

“Then, it’s yakiniku! Not the all-you-can-eat type, but the kind where they grill it right in front of you!”

“Koume-chan, that’s more like steak than yakiniku!”

“Ahahaha, everyone’s so excited.”

Kazuto laughed happily at the exchange among Natsuki and the others.

Natsuki thought this whole adventure must have been a series of surprises for Kazuto, hoping it served as a distraction from his annoying brother.

Jack was also concerned about Kazuto, and with the reward money, it would be nice if they could all go on a trip together.

(Maybe we can pretend we won the tickets or something for the trip.) 

Natsuki pondered such ideas.

“Huh?” 

“What.”

“Whoa?” 

“Eh? What’s happening?” 

The van, surrounded by a bamboo forest, was trapped in a barrier. Ginko hit the brakes to stop.

“I never thought someone would dare to set us up so boldly right after we met the Sun Goddess.”

“Ah, Ginko might have expectations from the Sun Goddess, but gods usually don’t get involved in human conflicts, so don’t expect any backup. They probably set this up knowing that.”

“Hey, gods!”

“It never ends if they start meddling with humans.” 

It seems they can’t rely on Amaterasu. 

But that’s okay. If gods intervene in human affairs, humans would just become dependent on them, which isn’t good for either side. 

(Still, if something happens to Kazuto, who knows what Amaterasu would do? I have to protect him with my life!)

“Should we get out of the car for now? It’s riskier to be blown away while inside it, whether it’s by spiritual power or something else.” 

“Agree.”

Following Ginko’s suggestion, Natsuki and the others got out of the car. Then, the surroundings changed.

“Whooooa!?”

“It’s a forced teleportation. They knew we’d be passing here and set it up.”

It was clear they were thoroughly prepared, stopping them first before teleporting them somewhere else. 

Natsuki and his friends found themselves in a place reminiscent of the ancient Roman Colosseum.

There wasn’t a ring, but there were crumbling stone walls, stands for spectators, and the ground they stood on was covered with packed earth.

“Mammon, mammon, mammon!”

“Mammon! Mammon! Mammon! Mammon! Mammon! Mammon!” 

Two voices echoed.

“Who’s there!”

Natsuki shouted sharply. 

“Actually, they’re clearly calling themselves Mammon. It’d be surprising if anyone other than Mammon showed up with such a strong declaration.”

“I see. So that’s a possibility.” 

“It’s the only thing that makes sense! Sometimes, Natsuki, you’re really clueless!”

Natsuki, having completely forgotten about the existence of Mammon that Satan warned him about, was reminded by Koume’s knock on his head and got ready. 

In their field of view, in the stands, stood a man in his mid-thirties dressed in slacks and a shirt, looking quite casual, and a young man about twenty years old with long hair, dressed all in black. 

“Just as Koume said, I am Mammon, the demon governing greed among the seven deadly sins! Mammon mammon!”

“Uwa. That’s some strong emphasis at the end!” 

Natsuki and the others found themselves facing Mammon, a high-ranking demon targeting Koume.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Amaterasu: “–“

Unkai: “What’s the matter?

Amaterasu: “My sweet honey has been trapped in a barrier.”

Unkai: “Could it be Kazuto Miyahara-dono? He’s just a middle school student. Even for the Sun Goddess, you should at least have a pure relationship… but first, let’s start by reducing this belly fat.”

Amaterasu: “Hey, grandma, don’t grab my fat! And let me be serious! It’s hard to deal with someone who acts like my mom!”