Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V4 Chapter 60.5:  Interlude – "Madoka-kun is at a Loss for Words?"

Chapter 60.5:  Interlude – “Madoka-kun is at a Loss for Words?”

—Somewhere in Kyoto.

The main estate of the Abe clan quietly stood in the outskirts of Kyoto.

It was what you’d call the “main family house.”

However, the only ones actually living there were the Abe family head and a few elderly folks.

Shinonome Abe and Madoka Abe, on the other hand, lived within Kyoto City.

Strictly speaking, Shinonome—as the next in line to inherit the clan—and Madoka were supposed to train at the main estate.

But both of them—especially Shinonome—were far stronger and far more experienced in real combat than the current head.

So they were pretty much left alone.

No—more accurately, the elders kept their mouths shut on purpose.

It was better not to get involved.

“…Where the hell is Shinonome-nii?”

Madoka Abe muttered, visibly irritated, as he searched for his eldest brother within the apartment building the five Abe siblings lived in.

The building itself had originally been a cursed apartment complex—until Shinonome bought it for dirt cheap.

Now, the Abe brothers each had a room on the top floor of the ten-story building.

The remaining floors were rented out to people with spiritual sensitivity—mostly fellow spirit mediums or those who understood “this side of the world.”

“Young Master Shinonome left a little while ago.”

“Oh, really now? Well, it ain’t like I had anything important to say, so that’s fine, I guess.”

In the kitchen of Madoka’s apartment, a middle-aged woman was cooking when she casually informed him that Shinonome wasn’t home.

She was Goro Kumazaki’s mother, hired to help manage the daily lives of Madoka and his siblings.

The Kumazaki family belonged to a branch of spirit mediums under the Abe clan, though they weren’t a particularly prominent household.

And as for her, she didn’t have much talent as a spirit medium herself—so she worked as a housekeeper instead.

“Kumazaki’s mom—where’s your bear cub?”

“If you mean Goro, he’s up on the rooftop working out.”

“…Why the hell is he training on the roof? There’s a gym on the first floor.”

“He says muscles grow better under the sun.”

“Still clinging to that nonsense, huh. Whatever. Don’t wanna bother him if he’s in the zone. I’ll just head out and wander around town for a bit. If my brothers come back, can you tell them to call me?”

“Understood. Be careful out there.”

“Thanks.”

The truth was, just a few days ago in Tono, Goro Kumazaki had been kicked in the crotch by Natsuki Yura.

He made some dumb joke about turning into a girl because of it, but it wasn’t actually that serious and he recovered right away.

Still, getting manhandled by a smaller boy really got under his skin—

So ever since then, he’d thrown himself into physical training with intense focus.

“Well then, I’m off.”

Madoka slipped on a cardigan that was a size too big and stepped out of the apartment, heading into town.

After walking just a short while, he passed by several tourists—

And before he knew it, he had quietly melted into the bustling flow of the city.

Madoka had one job.

To kill yokai.

Unlike the ones in Tono, the yokai in Kyoto were far nastier.

Especially the oni.

With their twisted logic, they thought,

“With this many people around, no one’ll notice if one or two go missing,”

And would attack without hesitation.

Madoka’s goal was to wipe out those oni.

To do that—he used himself as bait.

By pretending to be a normal civilian with just a touch of spiritual power,

He made himself look like easy prey.

And sure enough—any dumb oni nearby would usually take the bait right away.

However, within yokai circles, the Abe family name was well known and feared.

So it wasn’t like he could instantly lure one out just by walking around.

It was more like fishing—

Waiting patiently for something to bite.

“…I’m sensing an oni nearby… but what the hell is this?”

While walking through a tourist area, Madoka suddenly picked up a clear trace of oni energy.

And it wasn’t weak either.

This one was strong.

It had even disguised itself as a human—

And was doing such a good job of it, that the people around hadn’t noticed a thing.

—But the real problem?

Shinonome’s spiritual energy was with it.

“…No way they’re fighting. If anyone fought my brother, there wouldn’t be anything left of them. So then… what the hell is going on?”

At that moment, a rumor crossed his mind.

He’d heard it once—something troubling.

That Shinonome Abe was in contact with the oni.

Specifically, he was said to be working with the more moderate faction of oni—trying to create some kind of peaceful coexistence in Kyoto.

The moderates within the Abe clan supported that idea.

But the extremists believed all oni should be wiped out.

Still, regardless of which side people fell on, everyone agreed on one thing.

Shuten Doji—the oni leader—had to die.

“No matter how strong my brother is, If he tries to buddy up with an oni right in front of me, I’ll kill him.”

Following the trail of his brother and the oni, Madoka arrived at a small single-story house.

Whoever was inside had done a good job masking their spiritual energy—

But for someone as naturally sensitive as Madoka, it was obvious.

Shinonome and the oni were in there.

Suppressing his own presence, he quietly stepped onto the property and peered inside the house.

And there—

He saw it.

“—It’s Shinonon, comin’ at ya~!”

“—And I’m Iba-chan, aka Ibaraki Doji~!”

His brother and the oni, sitting together cheerfully in front of a camera.

“…What the?”

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Not even Madoka-kun could’ve imagined that his brother was planning to launch a couple-style video channel… with a yokai.

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