Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 27: “Alright—Off to Kyoto, Yeah?”

Chapter 27: “Alright—Off to Kyoto, Yeah?”

At the Mukaijima City train station platform, Natsuki and his crew were just about to board the train.

“Let’s do this! Natsuki Yura and his Totally Wacky Friends, charge!!”

“…The only wacky one here is you, idiot. I’m too busy enjoying my station bento to deal with this nonsense.”

“Mmm~ This coffee’s so good… Yep, nothing beats a fresh cup in the morning.”

“Koume-chan! Senju-san! You’re both so mean!”

Natsuki sniffled dramatically.

He was wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt layered under a long-sleeve, and a pair of basketball sneakers.

His only “luggage” was a waist bag slung over one shoulder—traveling light.

Everything else? Neatly packed away in his item box.

“We’re not even in Kyoto yet. Why would I get hyped for nothing?”

“Liar! You were totally hyped five minutes ago while stuffing your face with bento!”

Koume—who had already downed five bento boxes—was now halfway through her sixth.

She wore skinny pants, sandals, and a big, comfy white knit sweater.

Also light and breezy.

Her luggage?

All jammed into Natsuki’s item box.

When she handed him a plastic bag and said, “Put this in there too, would you?” he hadn’t expected it to contain her underwear and spare clothes.

And since it was a see-through bag…

Yeah.

Let’s just say his heart skipped a beat.

Ginko, watching the whole thing, had sighed and muttered, “C’mon, Koume-san. I’m not saying go full designer, but… a plastic bag? Really?”

“Mm! The shumai bento’s great, but this katsu sandwich is fire too! Gotta stop at eighty percent full though—saving room to eat everything in Kyoto!”

“Um, just so you know, we’re not going to Kyoto for a gourmet food tour or anything…”

“We’ll beat Shuten Doji in a flash and then party it up using Abe-san’s wallet!”

In Koume’s mind, “defeating Shuten Doji” was already a done deal.

She was straight-up daydreaming about the afterparty.

Having fought Natsuki before, she had zero doubts he’d win.

“I feel the same. No way Yura’s gonna lose to Shuten Doji at this point.”

“Seriously, Senju-san? You’re totally in vacation mode too! You brought a suitcase! Just how many nights are you planning to stay!?”

Senju, dressed in brown slacks, a jacket, and a light gray sweater underneath, didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned about the upcoming fight.

Just like Koume.

“I’ve heard Shuten Doji’s supposed to be strong… But I doubt he’s stronger than Susanoo-no-Mikoto or the Thunder God Thor. Sure, going in overconfident’s dumb—but heading into battle with fear in your heart? That’s just asking to lose. And Yura… you’re not planning to lose, right?”

“Obviously not. I’m gonna win.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Still… it’s not like gods are always stronger than yokai, or yokai are always weaker than gods. It’s not that simple.”

Natsuki had no intention of losing—

But that didn’t mean he’d let his guard down.

Tsukuyomi had warned him: Shuten Doji was no joke.

So he’d go all-in from the very start.

No mercy.

No holding back.

Just one plan: Kill him.

“Well, we’ve got Yura, who’s basically a human cheat code. Still, I don’t think we can treat beating Shuten Doji and his gang like it’s just a game. That’s why I asked the Institute to unseal my Mystic Eye. They agreed to it way too fast, honestly. It creeped me out a little.”

Senju didn’t know this part, but—

Thanks to Natsuki’s bestie status, Susanoo had already sent a divine message to the Institute higher-ups: “Nacchan’s friends are my friends! LET’S GOOOO!!”

The higher-ups were all mentally like, “What the heck is this guy even saying…”

But nobody had the guts to call him out.

And just like that—divine VIP treatment unlocked.

Senju’s Mystic Eye was restored.

“Heeeey!”

Just as the train doors were about to close, someone unexpected came running up.

It was Yusuke—who absolutely wasn’t supposed to be here.

He didn’t cut it so close that the doors slammed in his face, but judging from how winded he was, the guy had clearly sprinted the whole way.

“What’s up, Yusuke-kun?”

“I’m coming too.”

“I mean, I appreciate it, but… weren’t you supposed to be chatting with Lilith-san and the succubi today?”

As Natsuki asked, the train doors slid shut and the train began to move.

Yusuke dropped into a seat and wiped the sweat from his face with the towel around his neck.

“I apologized to Lilith-san and came here instead. Succubi are important, sure… but my friends matter even more to me.”

“—badump.”

“—badump.”

“—badump.”

Natsuki, Koume, and Senju all felt their hearts flutter at Yusuke’s pure, unwavering devotion to his friends.

No surprise there.

Filled with a bubbly kind of excitement, the group continued on their journey to Kyoto.
Before long, the mood shifted from “serious mission” to full-on “school trip vibes,” and they spent the train ride laughing and goofing off the whole way.

～～Afterword～～

Koume: “I got a message from my mom…”

Mama Lilith: “Yusuke-kun is such a cutie. I’m very, very interested now.”

Koume: “Hawawawawawawawa—!!”

By the way, Koume gets most of her outfits from that one budget store with the red logo.
Natsuki shops mostly online.
Senju and Yusuke?
They both go for that clean, casual everyday fashion vibe.