Returned from Another World, Earth Turned Out to Be Quite the Fantasy Too. Also, Losing Heroines, Stop Looking This Way. - V5 Chapter 52: “Underground Kyoto Sounds Kinda Hype, Doesn’t It?” ①

Chapter 52: “Underground Kyoto Sounds Kinda Hype, Doesn’t It?” ①

After all the chaos over Perfect Bloodlines and beautiful legs, the group finally took a fifteen-minute break.

By the time they reconvened in the tatami room, everyone had more or less returned to their senses.

“First order of business,”

The one to speak up was none other than Tamamo-no-Mae, still in her sultry adult form.

“We, the fox spirits and the youkai under my command, will not be getting involved in this matter.”

“—Much appreciated.”

Shinonome Abe bowed deeply, gratitude clear in his voice.

“Think nothing of it. We’ve had our share of clashes with the oni. If they disappear, it’ll just make life easier for us.”

“…You really have the nerve to say that right in front of me, you old hag.”

“And you’ve only yourself to blame for failing to keep your oni in line, you old coot.”

Tamamo-no-Mae sniffed haughtily at Shuten Doji’s jab, returning fire without missing a beat.

“Oni are a bunch of wild brats. The ones who won’t listen were never going to listen in the first place.”

Shuten Doji turned his attention to Shinonome.

“Anyway, whether it’s Ibaraki Doji or any other punk, I won’t get involved. Kill whoever you want—but don’t come crying if they kill you first. Fair warning—they’re strong.”

“Thank you.”

Shinonome bowed once more, quietly.

With the troublesome oni and fox spirits staying out of it, things would be much easier to handle.

The biggest concern had been whether they’d have to fight Shuten Doji—but if they could avoid that battle entirely, all the better.

“Nacchan, what about you? What will you do?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Shinonome Abe’s plan went up in smoke because you came to Kyoto, did it not? Shuten Doji has regained his prime thanks to some… unexpected chaos, but he has no intention of interfering. So—what will you do?”

Natsuki’s answer was already decided.

“—I’m gonna kill Ibaraki Doji, crush the Abe clan, make up with Madoka-kun properly, buy some yatsuhashi, shichimi, and oil blotting papers, then head back to Mukaijima!”

He’d taken Shuten Doji off his hit list, sure—but the rest? Completely unchanged.

Ibaraki Doji had been on his kill list from the start, but now, with all this chaos and their shared history, there was no way he’d let her live. He would kill her. Absolutely. No matter what it took.

As for the Abe clan? Honestly, he didn’t really care anymore—but he figured he might as well wipe them out while he was at it. The world would probably get along just fine without them anyway.

(…If Shinonon’s around, he’ll probably take charge of Kyoto’s psychics once the Abe clan’s gone. Whether he wants to or not, he’s definitely got the power for it.)

“You sure about this, Nacchan?”

“Ossan?”

“Just so you know—Ibaraki Doji’s stronger than I am right now.”

“Ah, hmm… yeah, I’ll probably be fine.”

“…Are you serious?”

“If I had to capture her alive or reform her or something, that’d be impossible. But just killing her? I can do that—if I push myself hard enough!”

“For the record, she’s at a level where a normal human dies even trying to push themselves… but fine. Do what you want. Just be careful—she’s no fool. She might still have powers she hasn’t shown anyone. Want me to tell you what she can do?”

Shuten Doji’s tone carried a hint of challenge, but Natsuki dismissed it with a single, firm reply:

“Don’t need to know. No matter what kind of power my enemies have, I’ve always fought and crushed them. That won’t change here. If something needs killing—I’ll kill it. Because I’m a Hero.”

With that, Natsuki delivered his cool, sharp declaration.

Koume, sitting next to him, silently went tokuun.

But by now, they’d all lost track of how many times that had happened, so nobody bothered pointing it out.

Naturally, Natsuki’s dramatic cool-guy face was ignored too.

“The real problem is… where we’ll fight.”

“Yeah, what a pain. Fighting out in the open would just cause a mess, so why not just take the fight straight to the oni’s stronghold? There are plenty of strong people here besides Nacchan—let them deal with the small fry.”

“Fair point. Very well then—I shall grant you special entry… to Underground Kyoto!”

“Underground Kyoto?! That sounds so cool!?”

The name alone, dripping with Kyoto-fantasy vibes, made not just Natsuki, but also Senju and Yusuke’s eyes sparkle with excitement.

〜〜Afterword〜〜

Yusuke: “Wait, can’t you let me handle Ibaraki Doji-sama? I’m sure I can ‘fix’ her properly!”

Senju: “No, you’re the one who’s gonna get ‘fixed,’ and quit calling her ‘sama’!”