Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 20: “Did I Just Get a Visitor?” ②

Chapter 20: “Did I Just Get a Visitor?” ②

Unlike the famous oni like Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji, there wasn’t much info floating around about Kin Doji.

All Natsuki really knew was that Kin Doji served under Shuten Doji and ranked pretty high among the oni in terms of raw power.

Apparently, he was also one of Shuten Doji’s “kids,” same as Ibaraki Doji—but honestly? Natsuki couldn’t care less.

Enemy shows up, you take them down.

Simple as that. No need to overthink it.

That said—

Facing off against a real oni kinda got Natsuki hyped.

“This is Kin Doji! Son of Shuten Doji! One of the pillars leading the oni of Kyoto!”

“Welcome, welcome! I’m Natsuki Yura—let’s get this party started~!”

Kin Doji struck a pose, flexing his rippling red muscles, raising a fist and oozing intimidation as he declared himself.

But Natsuki didn’t exactly have the kind of fear response that gets triggered by “mildly obscure oni with barely any Google results.”

Honestly, even if Shuten Doji himself had shown up, Natsuki still wouldn’t be shaking in his boots.

“Your name has reached even Kyoto.”

“Neat, thanks. Also—what’s up with that ridiculous bikini cut you’re rockin’?”

“Oh, this? I ate a guy on the way into town, and he happened to be wearing these, so I claimed ’em.”

“Yikes. Hand-me-down undies. That’s… commitment.”

“Is there a problem!? The strong take from the weak! The ages may change—but whether oni or human, that law remains!”

“Sure, sure… Still wouldn’t wanna wear some rando’s underwear, though.”

Kin Doji was your classic red-skinned oni—even his hair was a deep, blood-crimson red.

He had a ridiculously buff body, but honestly, that tiny black bikini he was wearing stood out way too much.

Like, how was anyone supposed to focus on his face when that was just… right there?

“So yeah, my name reached Kyoto. And? What do you want, a signed T-shirt?”

“Oni life’s boring. When I heard there was a strong human out there, I figured I’d come kill you and eat you.”

“Please don’t eat me~!”

“When oni devour strong humans, their power grows! That’s how Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji got so strong—they ate a ton of people!”

“Ohhh, I get it. You’re weak ‘cause you haven’t eaten enough huh, so now you’re like, ‘Let’s chow down and power up, rawr~!’ Dude, try vegetables. You absolute moron.”

“Wrong! I am strong! It’s just… Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji are stronger, that’s all! Forget that! I want to be even stronger! And I can feel it—your power is insane. If I eat you, I’ll definitely surpass even Shuten Doji!”

“…Man, what am I? A protein bar?”

Natsuki let out a long sigh.

What a lame reason to show up in Mukaijima City.

The excitement from earlier was already wearing off fast.

“Well, whatever. You came to throw down, right? Fine by me. Bring it on.”

“Fuhahaha! Such a cocky little brat! But I like that! I’ll rip off your limbs and devour them right in front of you!”

With a loud, evil laugh, Kin Doji launched a punch.

The air howled and trembled.

It was like a head-on car crash—

The shockwave boomed across the skies of Mukaijima City.

“Oww!! Ah—ow ow ow! Okay, wow, that actually hurt! Way more than I thought! Sorry for calling you a weakling. You’re definitely stronger than those fake Four Heavenly Kings from the other world. Dang, Kyoto oni are no joke. Coming at me with a killer move right from the start, huh? Yeah, that would’ve totally killed anyone else. But…Is that all you’ve got?”

The oni’s fist had landed cleanly—smack on Natsuki’s face.

It was a solid punch, packed with murderous intent.

(Ripping off my limbs and eating them in front of me? Sounds like a line that shouldn’t end with “and then I let him die.” But I guess this oni’s got a few screws loose.)

“M-My punch… how!?”

“Yeah, yeah, cool story. Anyway—yoink.”

Before Kin Doji could even finish being shocked,

Natsuki casually reached out… and crushed the oni’s thick right arm like it was a soda can.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!?!?!?”

Kin Doji screamed in agony, staring in horror at his mangled arm—twisted and crumpled from the elbow down.

Natsuki blinked.

“…Bit dramatic, aren’t you?”

Like seriously—this was the same guy who just said he’d rip off limbs and chow down like a buffet.

And now he was freaking out over a busted arm?

“What are you doing? Go on, heal it. I’ll wait~”

“IT HUUUUURTS!! IT HURTS SO BAD!!”

“Huh?”

“Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT! Why—why is this happening to me!?”

“…Wait. Don’t tell me—you can’t regenerate? No healing powers either? …Seriously? That’s so weak!”

Natsuki let out a sigh as the oni kept crying like a toddler who just dropped his ice cream.

Still, there was always a chance Kin Doji was faking it—maybe hiding his real power, or biding time for some final form.

Just to be sure, Natsuki crouched down in front of the weeping oni, grabbed that mangled arm, and—

RIP.

Tore it right off at the shoulder.

“――――――――――――――――――――――――――”

What followed wasn’t even a scream.

It was a sound so raw and broken, it barely qualified as noise.

But… that was it.

No transformation.

No secret technique.

No final boss glow-up.

“…Lame.”

“P… plea—”

Kin Doji tried to beg.

Too bad Natsuki didn’t feel like hearing the rest.

He yanked the oni’s head clean off.

“Yeah, for regular humans, even a low-tier oni like this would be a huge threat. But for me? Just a trash mob.”

He casually brushed some blood off his sleeve and stood up.

“Alright. I’ve decided—I’m going to Kyoto.”

And the kicker?

He hadn’t even boosted his body yet.

His fight with the thunder god Thor had let him tap into just a fraction of his old strength.

Sure, his prime was still a ways off…

But even like this, Kin Doji hadn’t stood a chance.

Even that first punch?

All it did was give him a busted lip. That’s it.

“If word gets out tomorrow like, ‘Kin Doji was the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings!’ and then more oni start showing up one by one, it’s just gonna be a whole pain, right? So! Natsuki the Gentleman Hero is taking the fight to them!”

He pulled out his phone and hit call.

The other person picked up right away.

“Yo, susa-susa!”

“Yoyo, Susa Susa! Hey hey—We’re besties, right?”

—Thump.

“Since birth, you and I have been soul bros! Let’s grab dinner with the crew sometime!”

“N-Nacchan!?”

“Man, I’m seriously glad to have a bestie like you, Susa Susa! Listen, I’m heading to Kyoto now, so could you keep an eye on the city for me?”

“Of course!! Even the internet says this mighty Susanoo-no-Mikoto got his power for the sake of friendship!”

“Thanks, buddy! You’re the best!”

“Um, hey, is it okay if I tell my wives we’re best friends?”

“Of course! I’ll swing by to say hi sometime! Heck, let’s shout it across the whole god realm!”

“Yay~!”

Natsuki ended the call with a smug little tap—

Then burst into laughter.

“Fuhahahahahahahaha!! Checkmate, Tsukuyomi-sensei! By becoming besties with Susa Susa, the city stays safe, and I can charge off to Kyoto with nothing holding me back! The Hero from Another World… can win battles with brains tooooooooo!!”

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Tsukuyomi: “What… just happened!?”