Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V4 Chapter 30

Chapter 30: “A Dream, Huh?”

—Natsuki knew this was a dream.

It should have felt nostalgic, yet it was a memory he didn’t recall.

And yet, everything felt too real.

It was as if he were reliving something he had forgotten.

Like he was remembering it for the first time.

A ten-year-old Natsuki sat next to another child about the same age—

No, not a girl, even though his delicate features could have fooled anyone.

It was a boy with a smile as bright as the sun.

“So your name’s Natsuki-chan? I’m Madoka.”

“Madoka-chan?”

“Mmm, being called ‘-chan’ feels a little weird, but it’s fine. You’re my first friend, after all.”

“Thanks!”

A lively-looking boy with long black hair—Natsuki.

A cheerful boy with bobbed ash-blond hair, held in place by a hairpin—Madoka.

The two of them sat in the shaded area of a shrine, happily eating ice cream.

The loud cries of cicadas echoed in the background as they wiped away their sweat, savoring the sweetness of the ice cream.

“So Natsuki-chan, you came to Kyoto because of your mom’s work?”

“Yeah.”

“…Are you lonely?”

“Huh?”

“You just kinda looked like you were.”

“Hmm…”

Natsuki tilted his head, ice cream still in his mouth.

“I guess I do feel a little lonely. The people around here are nice, though. But…”

“Did something happen?”

“There’s this annoying kid at school. And even though he didn’t come with me, there’s someone annoying at home too.”

“…Sounds like a complicated school and home life.”

“Tell me about it…”

Natsuki and Madoka spent their days running around the shrine grounds, playing at the park, and using their allowance to buy sweets from the local shops.

This wasn’t just a single day’s memory.

Natsuki had spent many days with Madoka.

Calling them best friends wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.

The scene shifted again.

Natsuki, dressed in a gray jinbei, and Madoka, wearing a navy yukata, walked side by side at a summer festival.

Both had festival masks resting on their heads, their hands naturally clasped together as they wandered through the lively streets.

Their conversation was muffled, but the images were clear.

They stopped by food stalls, played goldfish scooping, and even shared a single stick of cotton candy.

It was a heartwarming sight.

Natsuki clearly enjoyed being with Madoka.

And Madoka, just as much, had eyes shining with happiness.

The scene shifted once more.

Now, the two of them sat together on a flight of stone steps.

Above them, grand fireworks bloomed across the night sky.

Holding cups of shaved ice, they stuck out their tongues, laughing as they compared their tongues stained by the syrup.

“Hey, Natsuki-chan.”

“Hm?”

“Stay with me forever, okay?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks! I love you, Natsuki-chan! We’ll always, always be together, okay?”

“I love you too, Madoka-chan! Yeah, it’s a promise!”

Natsuki and Madoka linked their pinkies together, sealing their promise.

―The scene shifted once more.

A sharp blade had torn through flesh.

Blood gushed everywhere.

Natsuki lay there, his lifeless eyes dull and empty, his body unmoving.

And clinging to him, sobbing uncontrollably—was Madoka.

And then, the dream ended.

■

“इस पर विश्वास नहीं हो रहा!”

(TLN: I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!)

Natsuki jolted awake, shouting loudly.

“Uwahh—what?! What happened?!”

Beside him, Satan—who had been peacefully asleep—screamed in shock and jumped up as well.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Ginko-chan here with some commentary!

Sooo, there’s this rumor that Shota Natsuki-chan and Shota Madoka-chan both saw each other as the opposite gender.

Like, isn’t that insane?!

I mean—isn’t that kinda crazy?!

Shota Natsuki-chan is totally the type of kid that this Ginko-chan would drool over.

You know that boyish girl you’d always find hanging out with the boys during summer vacation?

Yeah, that’s exactly the vibe!

And Shota Madoka-chan?

He’s so cute that even random neighborhood aunties would go, “Oh my, young lady, how old are you?”—like, they’d actually mistake him for a girl.

Uhehehe… this is too good.

We gotta watch over these two, Teruko-chan! Hyaaa-haaa!

・　・　・　・　・

Well, um… I’m not going to confirm whether this was really a memory from the past or just a dream.

So please don’t let Ginko’s nonsense get to you—just keep watching over things as they unfold.

By the way, at the very end, Natsuki-kun shouted, “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!”

If you enjoyed this chapter, a follow, review, or comment would really encourage me!

Thank you for your support!