Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V4 Chapter 21

Chapter 21: “Isn’t This a Banquet?”

“Yaaay! Cheers to the yokai of Tono! Cheers to the Kappa King! Cheers to the Kappa Hero!”

After the Abe Clan’s psychics from Kyoto had left, the tension that had gripped Tono’s yokai village finally began to ease.

Under Nurarihyon’s guidance, the village proceeded with their original plan—a grand welcome party for Natsuki and his group.

In the village’s central area, mats were laid out, and the atmosphere turned into something resembling a cherry blossom festival.

With food and sake in hand, the yokai gathered, kicking off a lively celebration.

As the entire village joined in, the Kappa King himself appeared before Natsuki’s group.

He expressed his gratitude for rescuing his fellow kappa the other day and for taking down the fake Kappa King.

Being personally thanked by the Kappa King, Natsuki was so overjoyed that he started dancing.

Seeing this, the more easygoing yokai joined in, dancing along with him.

“Hey, hey, isn’t that Azuki-Arai guy’s footwork just amazing?”

“Shut up! Why are you acting like a drunk when you’re completely sober!?”

Natsuki, caught up in the excitement, threw an arm around Senju’s shoulder as he puffed on his e-cigarette.

Senju, completely unamused and in no mood to party, made a deeply annoyed face.

The reason?

Yusuke, who had been downing drink after drink, was now quietly sobbing into his cup.

“…Look, I get that he’s down and drowning his sorrows in alcohol, but does he really have to surround himself with a Rokurokubi and a Futakuchi-Onna like some kind of playboy? If you’re gonna be depressed, do it in a less annoying way!”

“Wait, Yusuke-kun, did you start drinking? Oh, but he’s twenty, so I guess it’s fine?”

“That’s not the issue! He’s been clinging onto people and getting all clingy and annoying! And Yura, let me relax, man! I’ve had enough today—yokai villages, the Abe Clan, all of it!”

“Yusuke-kun probably got shocked after realizing Kyoto’s yokai aren’t like the ones in Tono.”

“To me, yokai have always been terrifying. Before foreign demons started showing up, yokai were the scariest thing in Japan. Well… actually, maybe humans are even worse.”

“Senju-san, you do have a thing against humans, after all.” 

Natsuki figured that Yusuke had likely placed some kind of hope in yokai after suffering at the hands of humans in the other world.

Of course, there was also the simple fact that he always had a thing for non-human girls.

As for Natsuki himself, he just accepted that yokai are yokai.

Whether the ones in Kyoto ate humans or the ones in Tono didn’t—it wasn’t something worth overthinking.

Just like how humans eat animals, oni eat humans.

The weak are eaten. That’s just how it is.

Telling a carnivore to be satisfied with a plate of salad is unrealistic to begin with.

Likewise, telling an oni that eats humans to stop eating humans is just as unreasonable.

However, if an oni chooses to eat humans, then they should also be prepared to be fought back against and killed in return.

Even the weak can fight back when they’re desperate enough.

“Yusuke-kun, you should slow down on the drinking. We’re riding on Ittan Momen-san again on the way back—if you drink too much, you’re gonna puke.”

“He already looks like he’s about to throw up. Hey, Sado. That’s enough. Stop drinking. Here, drink some water. And you two, stop pouring him more booze!”

At Senju’s warning, the Rokurokubi woman and the Futakuchi-Onna both laughed, saying, “Oh, what a shame.”

“Seriously. Sado, if you keep letting your guard down like this, you’re gonna get eaten in a different way.”

“I’m completely useless… I was all fired up about dominating this world, but when it came time to actually fight humans, I hesitated to kill them. The truth is, I was just putting on an act back then!”

“…Well, it’s better not to kill people. Also, having hesitation means you’ve got a brake. That’s important, you know?”

“It’s fine, Yusuke-kun! Once you get to my level, you’ll be able to cut down your enemies—old, young, human, or non-human—without a second thought!”

“…I’ve thought this for a while now, but Yura, you seriously need therapy. Go see a counselor.”

Yusuke, still sniffling and crying, didn’t seem to be paying much attention to Natsuki and Senju’s conversation.

Meanwhile, Natsuki reached for a row of kusa dango and popped one into his mouth.

Back in the other world, he had once sworn he’d never eat or drink anything from this world again—not even if he died.

But for some reason, the dango made by the yokai were fine.

The subtle aroma of mugwort, combined with the mild sweetness of the red bean paste and a faint touch of saltiness, made for an incredibly delicious bite.

“Don’t overeat. We have to get back to Mukaijima City by dinnertime. If possible, I’d rather not race through the sky again and just have a peaceful trip back, so don’t overdo it.”

“Don’t you have teleportation magic or something?”

“No, I don’t! More importantly, why can’t you use it!?”

“I just can’t.”

“…Hearing that you actually have a limitation is kinda reassuring, honestly. Anyway—this might be a weird question, but… I’m surprised you didn’t kill Madoka Abe and the others. If you wanted to, you totally could’ve, right?”

“Yeah, I could’ve. Grandpa did tell me not to use too much power, but more than that… At some point, I just felt like I’d regret it later if I killed that Madoka guy.”

“Huh? So you did know him?”

“Nah, no memory of him at all.”

“The hell kind of answer is that?”

Even Natsuki couldn’t hide his surprise upon hearing that Madoka Abe’s deceased friend was named Natsuki Yura.

His instincts had told him that killing Madoka would be a bad idea, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t recall anything about it.

In the first place, he had no memory of ever going to Kyoto.

“The world’s a big place. There’s bound to be someone with the same name.”

“Yeah… guess that makes sense.”

Forcing themselves to accept that reasoning, Natsuki and Senju reached for the mitarashi dango.

The perfect balance of soy sauce and sugar was absolutely delicious.

“I’m just… a burden… to Hero Natsuki Yura and his merry band of misfits…!”

“THAT PARTY DOESN’T EVEN EXIST!”

“What are you suddenly going on about!? Yusuke-kun, you okay?”

Tears and snot dripping down his face, Yusuke had apparently formed some unknown Hero’s Party in his drunken state.

The two of them immediately called him out on it.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

There are probably a lot of things to question, but for now, let’s leave it at that.

Next time, we’ll have Nuranura and Nacchan’s group.

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