Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 29: “A Little Talk Between Madoka and Shinonome, Yeah?” ②

Chapter 29: “A Little Talk Between Madoka and Shinonome, Yeah?” ②

Water spilled from the bottle and began spreading across the floor.

Madoka just stood there, frozen, as it soaked into his socks.

Shinonome quietly picked up the bottle and placed it on the table.

“…You okay, Madoka?”

“Ah—yeah. I mean, no! What do you mean by ‘wiping out the Abe clan’s old fossils’!?”

“Oh? Was that unclear? I meant exactly what I said. The crusty old guys using the Abe name just to chase money—I’m planning to kick them all out of Kyoto.”

Shinonome was smiling, but his eyes?

Stone-cold serious.

And that look sent a chill running down Madoka’s spine.

This was the scary side of his brother.

When it came to people outside their inner circle, Shinonome could be absolutely ruthless.

To him, “family” meant just the five siblings.

…Well, maybe Ibaraki Doji counted too, but who knew?

Outside of that, the only people he treated like actual humans were folks like the Kumazaki family—true friends and rare exceptions.

Even when he smiled at others, it was just surface-level politeness.

Their parents had forced brutal training on them just because they were “talented.”

But Shinonome had never once seen them as real parents.

Madoka still remembered overhearing him say something like that once—

How he’d stopped recognizing them as “mom and dad” back when he was still in high school.

And honestly?

Madoka could relate.

He didn’t see them as parents either.

“Wait—why now? You’ve been ignoring those guys for ages, so what changed?”

“It was always just a matter of time. But lately, a bunch of annoying stuff’s been piling up.”

“Annoying like what?”

Shinonome casually summoned a breeze, floated a dish towel over from the kitchen, and started wiping up the spilled water on the floor.

“For years, the spiritual families in Kyoto have been fighting against oni and yokai. It’s been like a three-way war—us, the Shuten gang, and the Kyubi clan. But lately, things with the Kyubi have been… surprisingly chill. They don’t eat humans, after all.”

“…But the oni do.”

“Unfortunately, yeah. That’s the reality. Though personally? I think from the oni’s perspective, humans are just cows or pigs, y’know? So I’m not really here to judge.”

“Aniki!?”

“I know. I know. It sounds harsh, especially to someone like you who had to watch his friend get eaten. But holding onto that hate forever… it’s not gonna make your life better, is it?”

With that, Shinonome tossed the towel back into the kitchen and returned to the couch, picking up right where he left off.

“That said—As your big brother, I still believe the oni who hurt you needs to pay for what they did. That’s why I joined the moderate faction. The ones saying, ‘Hey, maybe exorcists and oni can live in peace if we just talk it out.’ But I made one condition.”

“…What condition?”

Shinonome smiled sweetly.

“—Hand over the oni that attacked Madoka.”

That soft little smile said it all.

He’d been working behind the scenes for Madoka’s sake this whole time.

“Hmm… not exactly. I gave them a choice, y’know? Either hand over the oni that attacked you and play nice with us—or get wiped out. Simple, right?”

“A-Aniki…”

“Look, I don’t really care what happens to anyone outside the family. Sure, I value friends and allies—but for me, family always comes first. As long as the oni who hurt you gets what they deserve, I couldn’t care less about the rest of them. Even Shuten Doji? Doesn’t matter to me one bit.”

Shinonome kept smiling as he stood up and walked over to the window, gazing outside.

“If I really wanted to, wiping out every oni except Shuten Doji would be no big deal. I just haven’t bothered—because it’s a pain. I even gave them time to figure out who the culprit was. But of course, just when things were finally moving along… some idiot had to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.”

“Who?”

“Our lovely, garbage-tier father.”

“…Yeah, that definitely sounds like something he’d do.”

“Right? Turns out dear old Father went and joined the moderate faction all on his own—and said they’d be fine working with the oni if those oni agreed to become our familiars.”

“Wait, working together? As in, peaceful coexistence?”

“No, not even close. According to the Crappy Father, as long as the oni use their power for us, he’s totally fine with them eating humans. No problem at all.”

“…Hah?”

“Yeah, I only found out recently. Seems like he made everyone keep it hush-hush. Even though I’m stronger, he’s still technically the head of the Abe family. Some poor folks got caught in the middle of all that. I feel bad about it now. But anyway—That’s when I decided. I’m starting by crushing the Abe clan.”

When Shinonome turned back toward Madoka, his expression wasn’t angry.

He just looked… tired.

Like he was done carrying the weight of that garbage family.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if that were all… but the problem’s the outside factor.”

“Outside factor? You mean something not from Kyoto?”

“Exactly. From Mukaijima City—Galaxy Kappa Hero, Natsuki Yura, is on his way.”

“WHO EVEN IS THAT!? Wait—no, don’t say it! That guy we met in Tono, right!? Why is he so obsessed with kappa?! And—hold up—is he seriously coming to Kyoto!?”

～～Afterword～～

Hi, it’s me!

Galaxy Kappa Hero reporting in!

Just landed at Kyoto Station!