The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 20

Chapter 20: Back to the Modern World After a Long Time

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It was unclear whether Haruka was actually Rinka’s biological child. If she was, then it would be a shock for Ryuuto in more ways than once. Because of that, neither Shougen nor Kazuki had ever spoken about Haruka’s background to anyone else except their close friend, Yoriaki. For them, Haruka’s background had become a thing of the past and besides, Shougen had never truly believed that Ryuuto was still alive. 

In fact, the search for Ryuuto Sakazaki had effectively been called off 15 years ago. His name was only ever mentioned on the day they had designed as the anniversary of his death. The last day that Shougen and Kazuki had seen him. However, the world didn’t share the same opinion as them. Even among the members of the Savior Party, Ryuuto had been the one who fought to the bitter end, staking his life on the final battle that put an end to the Demon Lord’s regime. To the general public, he was their hero. Even now, he remained as an object to be worshiped. He was a powerful symbol for the Modern People’s Holy Party(Minsei Party), a major opposition force in the political world. The Hero Cult, an organization dedicated to honoring the hero Ryuuto, had over five million followers nationwide and was a crucial voting bloc for the Minsei Party, to which both Shougen and Kazuki belonged.

But this time, I’m here as Ryuuto’s friend. I’m not here to do some filthy political power play. 

Twenty years ago, Shougen and Ryuuto were close friends since they were close in age.The reason Shogen had lied about Rinka was simple. His beloved wife, Kazuki, was terrified to lose Ryuuto again. If Ryuuto had learned the truth, he would definitely cast everything aside and throw himself into the dungeon again even though he had finally returned to the modern world. And this time… He might never return for good. Shougen only wanted to relieve Kazuki of that fear, if only a little. 

“Time is needed to heal the wound…”

Shougen knew that Ryuuto and Rinka had truly loved each other. If Rinka were here now, she would have abandoned everything just to see him.

But what can I do about that?

He thought to himself when suddenly, a piercing scream rang out from inside the room. A chill ran down his spine. Had Ryuuto done something reckless in his despair? He hurriedly unlocked the door, fumbling with the keylock in his haste, and rushed inside.

“Hey, Shougen! Something’s wrong with this TV! I can’t watch the adult channels!”

“…Seriously?”

Seeing Shougen hanging his head in exasperation, Ryuuto began to panic.

“Wait, don’t tell me… Is it a money thing?! Do I need to pay extra?!”

“It’s not that. Look, Ryuuto, just sit down for a sec.”

“Ri-Right. Now that I think about it, you were the most knowledgeable when it came to adult DVDs! Teach me some modern tricks!”

“First off, listen. I’m already married. I’m way past the age where I get excited over this kind of thing. No! Stop making that face. Don’t back away. And quit hugging yourself with both arms. I’m not interested in that kind of thing, alright? Now… I’m not sure if you ever noticed, but there aren’t many men in this world. The female population is way higher.”

“Why?”

“To put it simply, the gender ratio is seriously skewed. Because of that, adult videos basically disappeared from the world a long time ago. There are a lot of reasons, but in the end, the industry just died out. What? You can’t accept it? Well, whatever. Anyway… Ah, darn it. Time’s up. Ryuuto, I’m sorry but I need to go. We can talk more at dinner. Yoriaki will be arriving from Kyushu soon, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up then.”

“Wait, you’re busy? What kind of job do you have?”

“If I had to put it simply, I’m handling the world’s affairs.”

“You’re working part-time at a convenience store?”

“Like hell I am. I’m a Diet member, same like Kazuki.”

“HAHAHA!”

“I see, so you don’t believe me at all, huh?”

“Of course! There’s no way you can become a Diet member!”

“Geez, you haven’t changed one bit.”

“Man, working a part-time job at your age? That’s rough, especially since you already have kids.”

“Like I said, I’m not working part-time at a convenience store.”

Before Shougen left, he turned his head around at Ryuuto again. 

“Just take it easy for now. Relax in your room until we can talk again, okay?”

Then Shougen disappeared into the hall. Ryuuto smirked and quietly stretched his stiff body.

“That bastard Shougen… He’s basically telling me not to leave the hotel. You think I’m gonna just sit around after finally getting back to the outside world? No way. I need some fresh air.”

Shougen had insisted over and over that Ryouto should stay put for the day, promising to have anything he needed delivered right to his doorstep. But there was no way someone as rebellious as Ryuuto would just follow his orders without question.

“Alright. What should I do now…”

Shougen had mentioned that the world had far fewer men than women now. Thinking back, Ryuuto realized he hadn’t seen a single man among the rescue party in the dungeon or among the guild staff. Back then, he had just assumed they all happened to be women. He didn’t think there was any other reason behind it. 

“First things first, I need to get out and eat something greasy.”

Ryuuto was starving for junk food. The luxurious dinner he’d been served at the hotel last night had been delicious, but fancy fare didn’t quite suit his palate. Twenty years ago, he would devour junk food using whatever little money he had whenever he had free time between dungeon expeditions.

“Ah, the nostalgia…”

During his time trapped in the abyss, he had longed for greasy food like ramen, burgers and other fast food commodities. Now that he was free, he wanted to stuff himself with junk food until he burst. Though he had already eaten enough breakfast for ten people, his body had already begun digesting all of the food. Ryuuto’s physique had adapted for the most extreme conditions. His body was tougher than a wild beast and he was capable of converting food into energy almost instantly. 

“Now then… Time to escape.”

He had confirmed there were over 10 guards stationed outside his door. Of course, they were all stationed here by Kazuki. Based on Ryuuto’s keen senses, they were all young women in their 20s. He and his old comrades had once been blessed with magic and skills by the Great Sage Sirius, but those abilities couldn’t be used outside of the dungeon. Not that it mattered though. Even without his special techniques, Ryuuto had spent years scaling sheer dungeon cliffs of meters tall in the middle of battle. Climbing down from a high-rise hotel window was nothing.

Stepping out onto the balcony, he looked down at the bustling morning streets below.

“Piece of cake.”

With a hum, he latched onto the steep vertical wall. The wind occasionally brushed against his cheeks as he descended rather effortlessly. Years of gruesome training had made his grip strength to surpass that of a chimpanzee. Landing in a back alley behind the hotel, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the city’s filthy air.

“Yeap. This is the city alright.”

That said, he still couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling off. Had he been trying to ignore this fact on purpose? Maybe? But now… He couldn’t deny it anymore. Every single person walking down the street was a woman. There were only women, women and women. The delivery workers sporting the familiar black cat logo, the construction workers, the traffic controllers, even the plumbers—every last one of them was female.

….And… Is it just me or are they staring at me…?

The sheer amount of women in the city wasn’t the only unnatural thing. No matter where he looked, all he saw were young women. And not just that—they were all, without exception, downright gorgeous. They weren’t just your typical beauty. All of them looked really beautiful. They could easily work as a model or an idol. 

What the…? Did Earth get taken over by an alien race of supermodels while I was gone or something?

The difference in the standard of beauty was so jarring, it was as if Japan’s entire female population had been swapped out while he was missing. Normally, there should be some variation. Some mediocre girl in the crowd or some ugly ones at least. There should be some old folks whose gender was hard to tell at a glance or some weirdos or some ambiguous masculine woman at least. But no. No matter where he turned his head, he was greeted with nothing but the sight of stunning women. 

Ryuuto felt dizzy. 

This is awkward as hell. I need to retreat, for now.

Spying a pachinko parlor near the station, he quickly ducked inside for cover. However, this proved to be a bad idea. Rows upon rows of pachinko machines stretched before him, each occupied by a flashy, dolled-up girl. The instant he stepped in, all their eyes snapped to him in unison. 

Ryuuto froze right here and there. Then, he did an immediate 180 and bolted. He had no idea what was happening. It was as if every single woman in that pachinko parlor seemed to catch a whiff of his strong male scent the moment he entered. They all shot to their feet and let out high-pitched squeals. 

“R-Ramen. I just need some ramen.”

And so, he pinned his last hopes on a steaming bowl of noodles.

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