Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 10: “A Fluffy Soak in the Hot Spring?”

Chapter 10: “A Fluffy Soak in the Hot Spring?” ③

“Ohh… That’s a pretty deep one. A little more to the side, and it would’ve taken the bone with it.”

Koume smirked as she looked at the nasty scars on Onsa’s back.

Meanwhile, Ginko, Mio, and Miyako all winced at the sight.

As for Kirara—

She had splashed her face with water to hide it,

But she was clearly holding back tears.

“Yeah, that oni messed me up real good. I thought it was a close fight, but turns out, I wasn’t strong enough.”

“…You sure bounce back fast. I mean, considering what happened with your little brother, you’re way less gloomy than that Abeko over there.”

“Ahaha! I mean, that’s just how I roll. I love my little bro, Madoka, but I’m not the type to overthink stuff. He’s gotten stronger. He’ll find the oni that killed his friend and crush it with his own hands.”

She clearly cared for her brother,

But she also believed the weight of that loss—

That revenge—was something Madoka would carry and settle himself.

Kirara, though…

She wasn’t on the same page as Onsa.

“Don’t joke about this, Onsa! What if something happened to our sweet little Madoka!? What if he went up against an oni alone and got killed!?”

“That’s exactly why I say you’re way too overprotective, Kirara! We’re spirit-users. Sooner or later, we either die or end up seriously messed up—it’s part of the job!”

“That’s exactly why we need to keep Madoka safe! That’s what big sisters are for!”

“Madoka doesn’t want that.”

“Don’t just take the words of a kid drowning in revenge at face value! To keep him out of danger, I even joined a hardliner faction I don’t care about! I’ve been charming their top brass and pulling strings from the inside!”

At last, the real reason behind the Abe sisters’ actions came to light.

“Wow… Abeko’s seriously overprotective of Abemi.”

“You too!? Stop calling me Abeko!”

“C’mon, relax~. I mean, you’d rather be called ‘Nose Hook Girl’ instead, right?”

“Why are those my only options!? Can’t you just call me Kirara-chan like a normal person!?”

“Oof, Kirara-chan, huh…”

“…That’s rough.”

Ginko and Koume both gave her a “yikes” kind of look.

The Minazuki sisters nodded in quiet agreement.

“Sorry, sorry. Kirara’s just at that age.”

“Aaah, that explains it.”

Everyone nodded, suddenly understanding.

No one wanted to criticize her for the whole gothic-lolita fashion thing,

But the moment someone said “that age,” it all kind of clicked.

“What’s with that look!?”

“…You’re one of those, aren’t you? The kind that wraps bandages around their arms for no reason.”

“Wh-Wha-Wha—What are you talking about!?”

“No need to panic, girl. My old man used to do the same thing when he was younger. He painted his wings black and went around calling himself a fallen angel. Real cringe.”

“…Wait, what!? Satan-san painted his wings!?”

Ginko’s eyes went wide at the shocking revelation.

Sure, Satan acted like a weirdo, but he looked like a top-tier Hollywood heartthrob.

No one would’ve guessed he ever dyed his pure white angel wings.

But… now that she thought about it,

Yeah, it kind of did track.

“Forget Satan and all that! We came to Mukaijima City because my brother said Natsuki Yura—the prince—was super strong!”

“There is no prince, okay?”

“If you meant princess, that’s me!”

“That’s not what we’re talking about! The more this girl speaks, the more painful it gets!”

“Shut up! Also, seriously—what is with Mukaijima City!? There’s a weirdo youkai pretending to be Amaterasu-Omikami, and you’re clearly in the god category too! And that Ginko Aoyama over there—she’s infamous at the Institute for being a total loose cannon!”

“Are you still not acknowledging me as the real Amaterasu-Omikami!?”

“Maybe Onsa got brainwashed because she’s all brawn and no brain, but I don’t care how close you are with my Prince, Natsuki-sama—I won’t stand for someone pretending to be the Sun Goddess!”

As Amaterasu and Kirara screamed and clawed at each other in a full-on slap fight,

Ginko quietly debated what to do.

She could press for more details about Madoka,

But making moves behind Natsuki’s back felt… a little off.

“Welp, what now, I wonder…”

Koume crossed her arms, just as—

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! IT’S TOOOOO HOOOOOOT!!!”

A desperate scream echoed from the sauna nearby.

“What now…?” Koume stood up from the bath, turned around—

And a little trickle of nosebleed slid down from her nostrils.

“The guys just ran out of the sauna butt naked!?”

“WHAAAAAAT!?!?”

In a flash, the girls launched themselves out of the bath,

Each one sprinting full speed toward the steamy chaos, eager to get a peek at their favorite guy’s divine abs.

“““KYAAAH! PERVS~!”””

…the boys shouted, of course.

As if they weren’t the ones flashing everyone.

■

Back at the hot spring, only Miyako and Mio remained, both letting out a deep sigh.

“I don’t want to assume this was the real reason for the school swimsuits… but, like… it kinda was, right?”

“W-Who knows…”

Mio was curious about Natsuki’s body,

But unlike the others, she wasn’t bold enough to say so—

Her blushing cheeks said plenty, though.

Miyako, on the other hand, had absolutely zero interest in any of them.

■

Yoshimasa draped a bath towel over his shoulders as he strode calmly out of the sauna.

He glanced in the direction of the boys as they ran off—

And let out a quiet chuckle.

“Still amateurs, all of you.”

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Yes, yes—important plot stuff is coming soon! Promise!