Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V4 Chapter 22

Chapter 22: “Chatting with Nuranura?”

“Yo, Nacchan, Sen-chan, Yuu-chan. Having fun?”

“Oh, it’s Nurarihyon-oj—uh, I mean, onii-san.”

“Just call me gramps, it’s fine.”

As Natsuki and Senju enjoyed their dango, Nurarihyon casually raised a hand in greeting and walked over to them.

He was holding a glass of beer, his cheeks slightly flushed.

And, just like before, he remained in his younger form—the same one he had used in front of Madoka Abe.

“Hey, Nurarihyon, between this form and your old man look, which one is the real you?”

“Both, really. Back in the day, when I still felt young, I strutted around in this form. But once I started thinking like an old man, keeping up appearances just felt like a hassle. So I figured, why not look the part?”

“Huh… that’s how it works?”

“That’s how it works.”

Nurarihyon chuckled as he answered Senju’s question, then took another sip of his beer.

“Still, I never expected the Abe Clan to show up on the very same day I invited you guys. Sorry for dragging you into that mess.”

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’m glad I was here. No yokai got hurt, after all.”

“For that, I can’t thank you enough. The yokai in Tono… they’re not all that strong. I mean, sure, we’ve got a few powerful ones, but those guys tend to stick to the deep mountains and rarely show up here.”

“So what, does that mean the Abe guys picked the wrong fight?”

“Pretty much. The real issue was whether or not they’d believe that, though.”

Madoka Abe’s demeanor made it clear that he had no intention of trying to hold a conversation with Nurarihyon and the others.

Natsuki had wanted to ask about the oni in Kyoto, but he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to bring up.

Almost as if he had read Natsuki’s thoughts, Nurarihyon spoke up first.

“The oni in Kyoto… they haven’t adapted to the times.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are yokai in Tono who still cause trouble for humans. But in the end, that kind of mischief doesn’t amount to much these days. Now, if a yokai kills or eats a human, that’s a big problem. The police will investigate, and psychics will get involved. That’s why we chose not to go down that path. We adapted to the times, living quietly and peacefully. Every now and then, we come across interesting humans like you, Nacchan, and that’s more than enough for us.”

“But the yokai in Kyoto… or rather, the oni… they’re different?”

“Exactly. For the high-ranking oni in Kyoto, humans are nothing more than food.“

I knew it, Natsuki thought, nodding to himself.

The yokai in Tono and the ones in Kyoto were completely different.

“We yokai in Tono… well, at the end of the day, we actually like humans. But the oni in Kyoto? If humans disappeared tomorrow, they wouldn’t care one bit. In their minds, if they get wiped out by psychics, that just means they were too weak—it’s not their problem. They live purely for pleasure. Tono has oni too, but they aren’t that reckless.”

“Have you met the oni in Kyoto before?”

At Natsuki’s question, Nurarihyon made a bitter expression and nodded.

He grabbed a beer bottle from the mat, skipped the glass, and took a deep swig straight from the bottle.

“Phaaah. So yeah, we once had a discussion with the oni about keeping up with the times, and—well, it ended in an all-out brawl. We literally tried to kill each other. And in the end… we lost. If Kyuubi-dono hadn’t stepped in, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“—Kyuubi!?“

At the mention of that name, Yusuke—who had been dozing off in his drunken stupor—suddenly snapped awake, his eyes wide.

“Kyuubi… you mean a fox deity?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

“This is an important question, so please answer seriously… Is Kyuubi a loli or a mature beauty?“

“Yusuke-kun!? Why those two choices!? What if she’s a tall, elegant onee-san type!?”

“Hey, don’t rule out the possibility of a radiant, silver-furred fox form!”

“That’s clearly just Natsuki-kun’s personal taste! And Senju-san, at that point, we’re not even talking about a yokai anymore!”

Now fully awake, Yusuke unleashed his magical energy as he pressed Nurarihyon for answers.

Though slightly taken aback, Nurarihyon still managed to respond.

“I don’t know what she looks like now, but back when I met her, she was a loli.”

“—SHAOORAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!“

“Whoa… what exactly is driving Yusuke-kun this far?”

“I get it. This must be Sado’s first-ever victory pose since returning from the other world.”

Whatever the case, Natsuki and the others simply nodded in relief—at least Yusuke had regained his energy.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Yusuke got his spirit back! That’s great!

But it looks like it’s almost time to head home!

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