Returnee from Another World - Chapter 5: The Existence Called a Girlfriend

Chapter 5: The Existence Called a Girlfriend

A piercing cold wind brushed past my side.

Perhaps because of last night’s autumn rain, mid-October felt unusually chilly.

It’s possible it had been cold before yesterday, but I couldn’t recall. Was it a cold summer that turned chilly early, or not? I had no idea.

No matter how hard I tried to dredge up the past, my vague memories just circled endlessly. The disconnect between past and present filled me with unease and impatience.

I couldn’t remember much of what happened before yesterday.

Who I was with, what we talked about, what I did.

How many of my classmates’ faces and names did I even remember? What was my homeroom teacher’s name? My class and seat?

Honestly, it was shocking how little I could recall. It felt excessive, almost unnatural.

The faint memory of the town’s scenery lingered in my mind. I vaguely remembered the route to school.

But even Ayano’s name, someone I had such a deep connection with, didn’t come to me right away. Just how much had I forgotten?

“Good morning, Shuu-kun!”

A voice called out to me on the way to school.

It startled me. It was a voice I recognized.

Or rather, that distinctive husky voice was all too familiar. At the very least, I hadn’t forgotten this person.

No, it’s more accurate to say I couldn’t forget her.

In that moment, my heart stirred.

A tightness gripped my chest, the remnants of memories that lingered like a scar.

These were memories I couldn’t forget, no matter how much I wanted to.

At this point in time, this person undoubtedly occupied most of my heart. Even compared to Ayano.

The owner of the voice—Kyouka Amasawa—was my girlfriend for a mere three months.

Though we weren’t dating at this moment, she was someone I had actually been with in my reality.

The bittersweet fragments of memory I could never forget were taking shape once more.

“Hm, oh… Kyouka, huh?”

“What’s wrong? You seem kinda down.”

“Do I? Nah, I’m the same as always. Just not bursting with energy first thing in the morning like you.”

Kyouka immediately sidled up and started walking beside me.

At 167 cm, she was tall for a girl, with a model-like figure and a very short haircut. Her features were sharp but cute.

And on her cheeks were two dimples.

Yes, I loved her smile.

Her long, slender legs, her tanned wheat-colored skin, her toned backside, her perky, elongated breasts—not quite large but noticeable through her clothes—there wasn’t a single thing about her appearance I disliked.

But above all, her smile was what I loved most.

“Eh, are you making fun of me?”

“I’m complimenting you. You’re always so carefree.”

“Oh, I see… Wait, you are making fun of me!”

“You caught me. But I’m also genuinely complimenting you.”

“There are way better ways to compliment someone! You’ll never get girls like that, Shuu-kun.”

The white of 【Acceptance】【Trust】, the pink of 【Love】【Desire】, and a touch of the green of 【Happiness】【Joy】.

Even though I expected some level of affection, her overwhelming fondness caught me off guard.

“That’s fine. I only need to be popular with you, Kyouka.”

I’d just done something awful to Ayano last night, and yet here I was, saying things like this. I didn’t even understand why I blurted it out.

Sure, I remember having these kinds of silly exchanges with her before. And I’d decided to act like a normal high schooler on the surface.

But did that mean I had to play the part of a flirty playboy?

Oh, I get it.

Deep down, I must not want Kyouka to see the dark parts of myself.

“W-W-What are you saying?!”

“Don’t get all shy now.”

“I’m not shy!!”

My insincere words turned Kyouka’s ears bright red.

I didn’t need to see her aura to know. Her embarrassed yet delighted expression told me everything—how she felt about me at this time. It wasn’t just my imagination.

So why?

“Shuu-kun, you’re definitely acting weird today.”

“Am I? Well, maybe that’s how it looks to you.”

“Yeah. Did something happen?”

“Nah, just had some things to think about. I’m considering living a bit more true to myself from now on.”

“Huh, really? So that’s why you’re spouting cheesy lines. But that’s not bad. You’ve always been the type to hold back too much, Shuu-kun.”

Kyouka’s nostalgic husky voice rang pleasantly in my ears.

She was saying something similar to Ayano, but for some reason, when it came from Kyouka, I could accept it more easily. Maybe there was some truth to it back then.

“It’s not like I’m planning anything big. So don’t take it too seriously. Come on, we’ll be late. Let’s hurry.”

At this point, Kyouka and I were very close—on the verge of something more.

One step forward from either of us could change our relationship dramatically. But that future only held a breakup.

So what?

In the end, don’t I just want to make her mine too?

I don’t necessarily need a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

If I want something, I take it by force. That’s how I survived. And she betrayed me in the end, didn’t she? So why should I hold back?

But is that really okay?

Why did Kyouka dump me? If I could at least understand the reason…

*

“Is she gone?”

I managed to get through my first day back as a student and returned home.

There were a few close calls, but I handled them. Honestly, no one paid that much attention to me anyway.

Standing in the moment, I recalled more than I expected, realizing I’d been overthinking it.

When someone’s name didn’t match their face, I just pretended to be sleepy and nodded along until someone called them by name. Problem solved.

But the long-forgotten student life felt painfully boring, and that was a bigger issue for me.

After enduring that tedious day and returning home, Ayano was already gone.

The sweats and blanket, carelessly tossed on the sofa, were the only traces of her presence. I didn’t expect gratitude or consideration from her, but you’d think she’d at least have the decency to put her clothes in the laundry basket.

Whatever. I had more important things to do.

I changed in the first-floor bedroom, grabbed a travel suitcase from the closet, and rushed out of the house.

*

At a certain luxury apartment, there was no nameplate on the door.

When I rang the doorbell, the heavy door creaked open slowly. But, likely due to a chain, it stopped after opening just a crack.

A man peered through the gap, addressing me.

“Who’re you?”

“I’m James Masuda. I came to discuss some business, if you will.”

“Huh, Masuda, eh? And which Masuda are you?”

“Which? Oh, I see what you mean. I suppose I’m unaffiliated, then.”

The man’s face twisted into a frown.

The black of 【Hostility】【Disgust】 surged. No, in this case, it’s probably 【Suspicion】.

My response must have made him wary. He likely expected the name of an organization, and my unprepared answer raised his suspicions.

“Unaffiliated, huh? You weren’t expelled or something, were you? You’re not some guy with a bounty on his head, right?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Completely unaffiliated. To put it simply, I’d like to do business with you.”

“Business? You got a referral from someone in our group? I can call them if you want.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have such connections yet.”

I don’t have any acquaintances in this world.

In that world, I had some pull with thugs and crime syndicates, though.

“What, protection money? I can handle that talk.”

“No, not protection money. I mean I want to do business directly with your side, plain and simple.”

“Huh? You think you can just waltz into our office and say you want to do business? You know that’s not how it works. You need someone to vouch for you, proper channels.”

“You’re absolutely right, but sadly, I don’t have such contacts. I was hoping you could make an exception.”

“Masuda, quit screwing around. You know where you are, don’t you?”

Of course I do. I went out of my way to find this place.

Not that it was hard, thanks to my abilities.

This is the office of the Hayashi-do faction, part of the Sanriku-kai, a designated yakuza syndicate.

“I’m well aware. I think this could be a good deal for you too.”

“Cut the crap, you punk! Get lost while we’re still being nice!!”

The man’s demeanor suddenly turned thuggish, his voice rising.

The red of 【Excitement】 wasn’t too intense; he was probably raising his voice to intimidate. Well, he looks like a thug, so it suits him.

“Hey, Yasu, what’s the commotion?”

Another presence approached from beyond the door, accompanied by a new voice.

“Nah, Aniki. Some weird old guy showed up out of nowhere, talking nonsense about wanting to do business. Says he just wandered in, no introduction.”

“Huh, business, eh? What kind of business?”

“Well, he hasn’t said yet…”

“Alright, sounds interesting enough. I’ve got a good feeling about this—my instincts are usually spot-on. I’ll hear him out myself.”

“What, you’re gonna deal with him, Aniki? He doesn’t seem like a loose cannon, at least.”

The thuggish man stepped back.

In his place, a man with a certain air of authority peeked out.

“Sorry about our young blood. So, you want to talk business, huh? And you are…?”

“James Masuda.”

“Masuda-san, nice to meet you. I’m Yasunaga. So, what kind of business are we talking about?”

This guy seems sharp. And his instincts are good.

I was getting stuck in a back-and-forth with the thug and wasn’t sure what to do.

In that world, I’d have used more direct methods, but I couldn’t exactly barge in and force my way through in this world.

Admittedly, my approach was a bit haphazard.

I pulled something out of the suitcase.

“This.”

Yasunaga’s aura instantly shifted to the yellow of 【Expectation】【Interest】.

“Gold, huh?”