Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 47: “Shinonome Abe’s Reason, Right?” ①

Chapter 47: “Shinonome Abe’s Reason, Right?” ①

“Wait—you knew this whole time?!”

Koume snapped at him.

Even Natsuki was left speechless.

The guy who’d almost started a couples channel with Ibaraki Doji… actually knew she was the root cause of everything? Yeah, nobody saw that coming.

“…Uh, Shinonon, aren’t you, like, close with Ibaraki Doji?”

“That’s just an act. Y’know—keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer.”

“Ugh, so roundabout!”

Natsuki glanced over at Shuten Doji and Tamamo-no-Mae, as if to say, Did you know about this?

Both of them gave awkward little nods.

“I never heard it from him directly.”

“But I had my suspicions.”

“You guys knew too?!”

Koume fired off another jab.

“Young man, calm yourself. For Shinonome-kun, these past few years have been filled with bitter decisions.”

“—Badump.”

“Don’t swoon out of nowhere!”

Senju smacked Natsuki on the head before he could get carried away over that smooth voice.

“Oi, Shinonome. Quit dragging it out and just spill it already. You came here to tell us the truth, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. That’s right. I’ll explain.”

Shinonome Abe dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.

Tiny Old Man Masaya followed suit, bowing just as respectfully.

“First… let me apologize. I’m sorry for deceiving you all.”

“Alright, but at least lift your head while you talk.”

“Much obliged.”

Prompted by Natsuki, both Shinonome and Masaya raised their heads.

Then, Shinonome began explaining everything to the group.

“I found out from Masaya-han that Ibaraki Doji was the one who attacked Madoka and Natsuki-kun, so I set out to kill her. But… I couldn’t do it.”

“Yeah, figured.”

“Aye, it’s only natural. You wouldn’t be able to.”

“…Really?”

Natsuki tilted his head, doubtful.

Shinonome was strong—so strong his limits were impossible to see.

If even he said he couldn’t win against Ibaraki Doji… then Natsuki’s curiosity was definitely piqued.

“To be honest, even against Shuten Doji-dono or Tamamo-no-Mae-dono over there, I’m confident I could win one-on-one.”

“Mm.”

No one argued.

Shuten Doji’s strength was also unfathomable, but Natsuki himself didn’t think he’d lose either.

“Even weakened from their prime, a great youkai is still a great youkai—but I could still take them down. Sure, it’d cost me my life, but that’s a small price to pay. …But Ibaraki Doji? No. I can’t win.”

“She’s that strong?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why she approached me, but I saw it as the perfect chance. I agreed to meet her, intending to kill her. But before I could even make a move… it hit me—That thing isn’t just an oni. She’s a monster.”

Shinonome shuddered, clearly recalling the memory of Ibaraki Doji.

Shuten Doji stepped in to continue for him.

“A few years back, Ibaraki got insanely strong. No idea what kind of cheat code she pulled, but honestly? She’s stronger than I ever was in my prime.”

“Right now, the one ruling over all the oni in Kyoto is definitely Ibaraki Doji. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that she seems to have her own agenda and doesn’t look interested in messing with us youkai foxes… yet. But it’s probably only a matter of time.”

“Yeah, and since I’m enjoying a nice peaceful life as a human, I didn’t feel like picking a fight. So even though I knew Shinonome was plotting something, I let it slide. At first, he came to kill me, but after we talked, we came to an understanding.”

(Okay, so… bottom line—this is all Ibaraki Doji’s fault for attacking me. So she dies. Shuten-ossan and Tamamo-chan already knew about her, and Shinonon’s had some contact with her too. Mm-hm. Still feels kinda roundabout, though.)

“…I mean, if you can’t beat her, why not just stay out of it?”

“True. But I’m the big brother. If I know my adorable little brother’s being tormented, there’s no way I can just ignore it. Ibaraki Doji will die. Absolutely.”

“…Why go that far? I get that Madoka-chan—Madoka Abe—is suffering from the trauma and caught up in revenge, but…”

“That’s the thing—you’re starting from the wrong place.”

“Huh?”

Shinonome spoke with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

“—Madoka’s been cursed by Ibaraki Doji… to kill Shuten Doji.”

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Looks like Nacchan’s starting to get that itch for a fight.

Also… my legs are completely asleep.