Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 21: “Okay Yeah, Let’s Go to Kyoto After All!”

Chapter 21: “Okay Yeah, Let’s Go to Kyoto After All!”

Still riding the high from his genius plan, Natsuki whipped out his phone and called Tsukuyomi.

“N-Natsuki-kun! Susanoo is doing some creepy ‘Best Friends Anniversary Dance’ in the divine realm right now!? What did you do!?”

“Ahahaha! Me and Susanoo-kun are besties now!”

“…No… no way.”

“Which means you’ve got no reason left to stop me! I’m off to Kyoto! I’ll bring back some yatsuhashi and maybe a bit of shichimi spice~!”

“…Were kids always this proactive? Youth these days… terrifying.”

Tsukuyomi let out a long, weary sigh.

“…As your teacher, we will be having a talk about this later.”

“I’m sorry!”

“But as a god, I’m supposed to stay hands-off, so I won’t interfere. Just one request.”

“Yes, sensei?”

“Please don’t destroy Kyoto.”

“…Sensei, what do you take me for!? You really think I’d go and wreck a cultural treasure or something!?”

“You won’t… right?”

“Tsukuyomi-sensei. Even if cultural landmarks are destroyed… they live on… in our hearts.”

“Wait—THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE TOTALLY GONNA DESTROY SOMETHING!!”

“Relax! I’ll pick the battleground carefully! The main Abe estate seems like it’s just begging to be flattened—So I’ll go wild there!”

“…Well, if it’s just that, I suppose it’s fine.”

If any of the Abe clan had overheard that… they probably would’ve screamed.

But Tsukuyomi, surprisingly, gave his okay without much fuss.

“Also, like—can we not let weak sauce oni like that stroll into Mukaijima City? People got hurt, you know?”

“For complaints like that, please take it up with Amaterasu. And… well, I’ll be blunt. That’s just how the gods are. Honestly, Susanoo is way more down-to-earth and way more helpful. As a teacher, or as a person, I might feel differently—But as a god? We’re not supposed to intervene unless it’s absolutely necessary. Sorry, but that’s just the rule.”

“Eh, it’s fine. Can’t really depend on the gods for everything anyway, right? Doesn’t bother me.”

Gods and humans simply had different ways of thinking.

Even among humans, changing countries meant changing cultures, beliefs, and values.

So Natsuki didn’t plan to start judging gods for being gods.

Sure, he knew gods were real—

But most people didn’t.

If the truth ever got out, it’d just cause panic.

And worse, someone might try to exploit that knowledge for their own gain.

A little distance between humans and gods?

Yeah… that was probably for the best.

“I do hope we can have a real talk someday about what it means to be a god.”

“Cool cool.”

“But since I quite like you, I’ll give you some advice.”

“Advice, huh?”

“Yes. Friendly advice. You took down Kin Doji earlier, right? Well—just so you know, Shuten Doji and Ibaraki Doji are on a whole different level. Kin Doji’s basically a tutorial boss compared to them. Those two? They’ve got one foot already planted in the divine realm. With your current strength… it’s gonna be a tough fight.”

“Ohhh?”

“…No, no, no! That’s not supposed to get you excited! This is the part where you nod seriously and go, ‘Yeah, I should be careful!’ Wait… wait! Did I just accidentally hype you up!?”

Just as Tsukuyomi feared, Natsuki’s lips curled into a wicked grin.

He owed those Kyoto oni something.

Even if he didn’t fully remember why—

They’d nearly killed him once.

And now?

He had a proper “thank you” to deliver.

“Thanks for the tip! I’ll bring back some yatsuhashi souvenirs—with the heads of Kyoto’s oni gift-wrapped on top!”

“…Please don’t. That’s way too violent for a souvenir. Ah—just bring me some oil blotting paper instead.”

“That’s so… normal!”

“Normal’s good! I like it!”

With Tsukuyomi’s blessing secured, Natsuki thanked him and ended the call.

Then, he turned to Kin Doji’s corpse, blasted it with a bolt of lightning, and let it burn to ashes.

As the smoke cleared, he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

Because a far greater challenge still awaited.

And that was—

“—How the heck am I gonna convince my mom!?”

Yeah.
That was the real final boss.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

The Hero Who Returned from Another World: “Demons and gods? Whatever. The scariest thing in this world… is an angry mom.”