Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V3 Chapter 41

Chapter 41: "It's Finally Over, Right?"

Susanoo-no-Mikoto had been struck down twice by the holy sword and had fallen to the ground, yet he was still alive, lying spread-eagle. 

His incredible vitality was impressive, as expected of a god of his stature. At the same time, despite the holy sword lending its power, Natsuki’s own strength was still lacking, and he only managed to surpass Susanoo for a brief moment.

Natsuki’s current limit was fifty percent. With the holy sword’s help, he gained an extra ten percent. 

If only he could have reached seventy percent of his own strength, he might have defeated Susanoo-no-Mikoto. And with his full power from his prime, Natsuki was confident he could have killed him.

“Hey… that was… a good fight.”

“Yeah… it was.”

“I lost… To be beaten this badly by a kid… well, a loss is a loss. I’m… as good as dead. I have… no regrets. Finish it…”

“Of course…”

Natsuki gripped the holy sword and prepared to strike. But then, blood started flowing from his nose and eyes. 

His body was screaming that it had reached its limit. Still, Natsuki pressed on.

“Any last words…?”

“Susa-Susa… is way cooler than mammon-mammon…!”

“You really are Susanoo-no-Mikoto!”

With respect for the god who remained true to himself until the end, Natsuki swung the holy sword with all his might.

The blade was about to sever Susanoo-no-Mikoto’s neck—when suddenly, a third party grabbed Natsuki’s arm, causing the holy sword to vanish.

“Sorry to interrupt when you’re on a roll, but I can’t let you commit deicide.”

“…Tsukuyomi-sensei?”

“Ugh, it’s Tsukuyomi.”

The one who stopped Natsuki was his middle school teacher, and one of the three noble deities, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.

“Though I’d appreciate you taking care of my foolish younger brother, he’s still a god. There’s no need for you to carry such a heavy burden.”

“…Ah.”

Natsuki, caught up in the heat of the battle, hadn’t thought about the consequences.

“Besides, even a fool like him has gods who admire him. Killing him would only create unnecessary enemies. You don’t need to deal with all that trouble, Natsuki-kun.”

“…Right.”

“True. If I die, Mom will—”

“No, she just said you should go die already.”

“Moooooommmmmmmmm!?”

Susanoo let out a scream of shock. 

Tsukuyomi gave his brother a look of utter annoyance.

“Not that it needs saying, but a god like this isn’t worth killing. Even if you did, it would just saddle you with a bad debt. He’ll pop back to life eventually, so it’s pointless.”

“Oh, so he’ll come back to life?”

“When it comes to gods like Susanoo or Amaterasu, as long as people continue to believe in them, they’ll revive eventually, even if it takes time. As for our parents, I’m not sure they can even be killed. As for me, being, well… less popular, it’s uncertain whether I’d revive at all.”

“That’s not true! Tsukuyomi-sensei, you’re a great teacher!”

“Thank you. You’re a good kid, Natsuki-kun.”

Natsuki tilted his head, wondering why Tsukuyomi was being so self-deprecating.

Maybe it was because Natsuki hadn’t realized who Tsukuyomi was when he first appeared as a god. That might still be bothering him.

“Gahahaha! Compared to me and our big sister, you’re not exactly well-known, right?”

“I’m still better than you with your embarrassing stories!”

With a clap of Tsukuyomi’s hands, the world shifted, returning them to the nighttime riverbank.

“Natsuki! Are you alright!?”

“Natsuki-kun!”

Koume and Ginko appeared beside him and leapt onto Natsuki, smothering him with affection. 

Tsukuyomi-sensei smiled at the sight and then turned toward Senju and the others, who were still tense from the presence of another god.

“Seishiro Kanna.”

“—Yes.”

Tsukuyomi quietly called out the name of the young man who had triggered the recent chaos.

“You’ve already been punished. You were targeted by Susanoo-no-Mikoto and had to be saved by a boy you didn’t even know. That’s more than enough punishment.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ve looked into your situation. I sympathize with you. I also understand that Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, feeling neglected for so long, lured you into this.”

“…Even so, my sins remain.”

“Indeed. That’s why I offer you this.”

Tsukuyomi retrieved a sword from the void and handed it to Seishiro.

“What is this?”

“It’s a nameless divine sword. I used it during the Age of Gods. It’s yours now.”

“—Why are you giving this to me?”

“Consider it an apology on behalf of my foolish brother and Totsuka-no-Tsurugi for the trouble they caused. Use this sword to atone for your actions.”

“—Thank you.”

“And take this as well.”

“A business card?”

“Yes, it has my private contact information. I’ll keep an eye on you for a while. If anything happens, reach out to me.”

“I am deeply grateful!”

Gently patting the kneeling Seishiro on the shoulder, Tsukuyomi then turned toward the other three.

“Ren Kobayashi, Senju Nanamori, Yusuke Sado… thank you all for your efforts. I truly appreciate that you were able to handle my foolish brother’s sword without causing any casualties. I will make sure to thank you properly in some way in the near future.”

Ren, Senju, and Yusuke, though they did not bow deeply, lowered their heads in respect. Tsukuyomi smiled warmly.

“Now, cleaning up this mess will be quite a task… but I’ll take care of it. I can borrow the strength of the bridge deity to restore the bridge, and as for the river, the yokai will help make sure everything looks as if nothing happened by tomorrow.”

Tsukuyomi then shot a brief glare at the still-collapsed Susanoo.

“The problem is my bored, foolish brother. He allowed Totsuka-no-Tsurugi to be stolen and even led it to Mukaijima City on purpose. And despite all my warnings to leave Natsuki-kun alone, he went and picked a fight. I’ve let him have his way to some extent, but this time, he’s getting punished. Our mother and Kushinada-hime are waiting for him in the divine realm.”

“―Ugh. H-Hey, Tsukuyomi… I was thinking of bonding with Natsuki and the others over some drinks…”

“No.”

“A dinner party, maybe?”

“No.”

“A get-together?”

“No.”

“An offline meetup?”

“No.”

Desperate to escape his punishment, Susanoo tried to make excuses, but having used up all his strength, he was easily grabbed by the back of the neck by Tsukuyomi.

“Well then, everyone, sorry for the trouble. Until we meet again.”

“Hey, wait! Seishiro Kanna! You can keep Totsuka-no-Tsurugi! It’ll come back together eventually, so make good use of it! Take those two divine swords home, and you’ll be reinstated as the next head of your family. Your ex-fiancée will be throwing herself at you!”

“Stop saying such crude things!”

With those words, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi disappeared.

—And so, the long, long ninth day since Natsuki’s return from the other world was finally coming to an end.

But Natsuki was unaware. 

He didn’t know that other gods, demons, and yokai had been watching his battle with Susanoo-no-Mikoto. 

And it wasn’t just those from Japan—foreign gods and demons were also showing great interest in him. 

After defeating Mammon and now Susanoo, it was inevitable that many would be drawn to Natsuki.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Did you know? Since the start of Volume 3, this one day hasn’t ended yet!

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