Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 05: “Isn’t Big Bro Gonna Show Up Soon?”

Chapter 05: “Isn’t Big Bro Gonna Show Up Soon?”

Meanwhile, in Kyoto.

Shinonome Abe—aka Shinonon, the guy who almost became a couples channel streamer—was rubbing his temples as he realized something troubling:

His little sisters, Onsa and Kirara, were nowhere to be found.

“…No way, right? They didn’t actually go to Mukaijima, did they? I mean, if they’re up against Natsuki Yura-kun, there’s no chance they win. Honestly, they’d probably just die.”

Lately, it had become pretty normal for the Abe siblings to not all sit down together for meals.

Even so, they usually sent a quick message before dinner saying whether they’d be eating or not.

But now, both Onsa and Kirara had gone completely radio silent.

That was enough to make even Shinonome worry a bit.

In Kyoto, unless you got attacked by an oni or something, there really weren’t many situations where the Abe siblings would ever fall behind.

Among psychics, the five Abe siblings easily ranked in the top five—including each other.

Sure, there were psychics outside of Kyoto, and yeah, some folks probably kept their powers hidden.

But even then, it’d take a lot for someone to get the drop on them so quickly.

“…I figured those two were gonna cause trouble eventually, but man… this is faster than I expected. Even Onii-chan’s surprised.”

He already knew his sisters were tied up with the so-called hardliners—the group bent on wiping out all the oni and youkai in Kyoto.

And he even understood why they were doing it.

Sure, Onsa and Kirara were making moves that didn’t quite align with his own approach,

But Shinonome didn’t see it as a problem.

He had already decided—he’d do whatever it took to achieve his own goal, no matter what.

“…That said, Natsuki Yura-kun’s kind of a hothead. I’d really prefer if they didn’t poke the bear too much.”

Shinonome had already collected some info on Natsuki Yura.

He had his own network—informants from among the lower-tier gods and demons.

They weren’t anything big or flashy, but for gathering intel, they were more than enough.

In fact, using someone you could beat up if they betrayed you made information gathering a whole lot easier.

“Starting fights with gods? That kid’s nuts. Even I’ve heard of Mammon, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And he apparently threw down with Susanoo-no-Mikoto! What kind of normal middle schooler does that!?”

He was half exasperated, half impressed.

Shinonome couldn’t imagine himself picking fights with gods or demons.

He’d call that way too much of a hassle.

People sometimes said he had a few screws loose, but compared to Natsuki?

Not even close.

It wasn’t that Shinonome feared divine or demonic powers—

He just didn’t see the point in fighting them to begin with.

“The info I got from the Institute folks says that Amaterasu-sama is now working as the land god of Mukaijima City… and yeah, no. That makes even less sense when I say it out loud. Like, how does that even happen? A sun goddess taking a land god gig? Isn’t that, like, a major demotion?”

Mukaijima City, apparently, was even more packed with monsters and spirits than Kyoto.

“I get where the hardliners are coming from, though. A bunch of them lost family. Onsa and Kirara say they’re just using them, but they’re definitely helping out because they sympathize. And because they care about Madoka, too… So yeah, can’t really stay mad at them. Onii-chan’s got a soft spot, y’know?”

Still, now that his sisters had already made their move,

There was no way Shinonome could just sit back and do nothing.

“…It’s a bit earlier than I planned to act—just a tiny bit early—but oh well. I’ll make it work.”

He got dressed and ready, then stopped by a local shop he knew well to pick up some souvenirs.

“Natsuki Yura-kun liked Kyoto sweets, right? Might as well grab a few extra for him.”

Being the considerate onii-chan he was, he bought some extra treats with Natsuki in mind.

After placing them neatly into a gift bag, he gave a satisfied nod and snapped his fingers with a light flick.

“—Let’s go, Suzaku.”

“KOKEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“…Every single time, I wonder—is it really okay for Suzaku to make that weird chicken noise?”

“KOKEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“W-Well, if you’re cool with it, then I guess it’s fine. Alright, let’s fly to Mukaijima City.”

Responding to Shinonome’s call, Suzaku spread its blazing wings wide.

Flames wrapped around him as they took off into the sky.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Shinonome-san is on his way from Kyoto!

…But the real showdown’s still a ways off!