CH 97

Message

***---***

Before I showed up to the Investigation HQ, I thought I'd pray at the site of the school building, and when I moved to a place where I could see the flower offering stand, I heard the sound of a helicipter from above.

[ Ke, Kent-sama, what is that? There should be no monsters in this world, right? ]

[ Yeah, that's called a helicopter, it's a tool that flies in the sky with people on board. ]

[ Do people fly in the sky? ]

Reinhardt looked up in amazement, and the helicopter seemed to be hovering and photographing the ground.

When I looked over the fence, I saw a TV station crew with a camera there as well.

[ Kent-sama, who are they? ]

[ Yeah, the media are people whose job it is to report incidents and accidents. ]

[ Hohou, it seems that they weren't here the other day ... ]

[ Yeah, maybe the information that I came back here was leaked from somewhere. ]

When I moved to the front of the police station, there were even more media people rushing there.

Let's listen to the announcer who is reporting in front of the police station.

"Although no official announcement has been made yet, we have received information from multiple people that they have been able to contact the missing Junior High School students, and it is believed that the Investigation Headquarters will make an announcement soon ..."

A letter would have been delivered to everyone's families, and since that happened, it would be natural for the story to flow to the media.

But if you think about it, in the case of abduction or kidnapping cases, the released or rescued people hold press conferences.

Maybe I'll have to do it too ... I guess I can't go home.

Looking at the Investigation Headquarters, there are many people involved in the investigation moving around here, unlike yesterday.

There are also officials from other ministries who came to hear about the situation yesterday.

Somehow, if I go out now, I'll be secured again -- It's an atmosphere that looks like it's going to be such.

For the time being, I've been asked to show my face, so I'll put out a shield of darkness large enough to show my face and call out to them.

"Hello, Sudou-san, somehow there's a big fuss."

"Oh ... Kokubu-kun. Please stop that."

"Eh ... was it crude?"

When I poked my head out from the shield of darkness and called out to him, the Investigation Headquarters, which had been so lively, fell silent, and everyone's gaze was focused on me.

"It looks like there's a severed head floating in the air. Try it once in front of a mirror and you'll know how disgusting it is."

"Uuh ... Is that right, I'm sorry."

I spread the shield of darkness and stepped into the Investigation Headquarters.

"He really came out of the air."

"Is that something like teleportation?"

"It must be some kind of trick ..."

"Trick, how can a human come out of empty space?"

The investigators who saw it for the first time sent a suspicious look.

Well, this is what happens when they see shadow movement for the first time.

"Sudou-san, the media seems to be invading you, but do I have to attend a press conference as well?"

"Regarding that matter, I'm not thinking about it at the moment, and for the time being I will not reveal that you are returning to this world."

According to the policy of the Investigative Headquarters and the Japanese government, the cause was the unexpected event of being summoned to another world, so they decided to temporarily hide the truth on the grounds that it would interfere with the investigation and the access of negotiations.

At this point, the only way to prove that we've been summoned to another world is by using magic to prove it to them, and if that happens, I'll definitely become a spectacle for the mass media.

"I can't say that everything is the media's responsibility, but I would like to avoid you and your family being exposed to the media any further, and as a result, having a negative impact on the return of the others. So, if you need anything, we'll prepare it, so I'd like Kokubu-kun to stay out of the open for a while. If it's inside the police station, basically the media can't enter."

"Understood, thank you for your consideration."

After that, I moved to another room and had a meeting with people from other ministries and agencies about future policies.

I was asked to film the situation in the other world with a video camera.

He wants me to film the wreckage of the summoned school building and the scenery of the other world, to prove that it is indeed a place that does not exist on earth.

"There is a tall tower in Ardaros, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Resenburg, the country that summoned us. How about the scenery from there?"

"How much of a view can you see from there?"

"There are no other tall buildings, so I can see 360 degrees. The size of the whole city is roughly inside the Yamanote Line."

"That's nice, I really want to ask for that. If it's a city of that size, I can't think of a city that hasn't been captured in images on Earth, so it will be a good proof that it's a different world."

In addition, I decided to take pictures of the ramparts of Volzard, the view of the city from the top of the walls, and above all, the appearance of everyone who could not return due to the summoning.

"As for the fliming, it doesn't matter if Kokubu-kun isn't in charge of everything. However, I wonder if you can continue shooting without deleting the failed parts. That way you don't have to be suspected of editing."

"I understand, umm ... Some people have their smartphones, so if you prepare a device that can be charged with solar power and a memory card, they can make video mails for their families ..."

"I see ... smartphones are the norm for kids these days ... but cell phones didn't exist in our time."

Teramoto-san of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had prepared the equipment, took the lead in the meetings regarding the shooting, but from time to time, I received detailed orders from Tozaki-san of Public Security and Sudou-san of the Investigation Headquarters.

"The wreckage of the school building that was summoned, I wonder if you could take a picture of the inside as well as the outside."

"Also, if there are traces of summoning around, please take a picture of that as well."

"Understood, we plan to obtain the materials related to the summoning soon, but since it should be written in the language of the other side, would it be okay if we translate it into Japanese first before giving it to you?"

"Aah, that's fine, Kokubu-kun, are you okay with that much work?"

"No, I'm thinking of asking the teachers to do the translation work, and I'm the only one who can go to the place where the wreckage of the school building is and the royal capital, but I'm going to ask someone else to take pictures of the other places."

After everyone nodded at my story, Kajikawa-san from the Cabinet Secretariat raised his hand and began to speak.

"The Prime Minister will also be able to see the footage that we will be filming this time, and depending on the results, Kokubu-kun may be asked to visit the Prime Minister's Office once, but is that okay?"

"Yes, as long as we don't end up being followed around by the media ..."

"I will give due consideration to that point."

"Thank you very much."

After that, when I told them that I was thinking of taking the reparations from the Resenburg royal family without permission and having Camilla confirm it, everyone looked surprised, but there was no major objection.

Even the Japanese government has almost no clues and has not been able to find even a clue to a solution, they have come under increasing public criticism, so if it can be resolved quickly ... it seems like a conditional acceptance.

"What does the Princess, Camilla Resenburg, look like?"

"This is just my personal opinion, but she is quite beautful, has good style, and gives off the aura of royalty."

"I see. If that's the case, I'm sure you'll be asked to take a picture of something like an apology message."

"But, Camilla can't speak Japanese."

"Aah, that's fine. When your classmates come back, it'll be seen as poor-quality, so I'll ask for a proper apology to be written for her lines, rather than that, facial expressions and tone of voice are more important."

According to Teramoto, Camilla's video is intended to convey her apology and to convince the bereaved families, even if it is impossible.

"The bereaved families may be satisfied with that, but what will the summoned classmates say ..."

"Speaking of which, it seems that they were treated quite harshly."

"Yes, they were deceived and even got a bracelet to make them into slaves, other than a few people with high magical power, their living environment was also a terrible state."

"If that's the case, then I have to come up with a line of apology that will convince the summoned people when they see the video."

"Right. I'll let Camilla think about that herself. How about showing it to the people over there, convincing them, and then shooting?"

"Well, let's leave it at something like that for now. Well, there has not been a formal protest from the Japanese government yet, so the filming will be a bit further down the road."

Anyway, the first priority is to have government officials confirm the current situation in Resenburg and Volzard, so I was handed equipment such as a video camera.

"Sudou-san, we can't charge the batteries over there, so could you let us put a charger somewhere here? I'll come to charge them."

"Right. Let's set up a place to put the charger in the corner of the Investigation Headquarters. So, should we make it possible to charge the smartphones of the people on site in turn?"

"It would be helpful if you could do that, but it looks like I'll be forced to run errands for charging."

"Let's arrange a solar panel charger so that doesn't happen."

"Thank you very much. Well then, I will hand over the memory card after the shooting is over."

"I'm counting you."

I receive the case containing the video camera, etc. and return to Volzard.

If I go back now, I should be able to make it in time for dinner, so it might be a good idea to take pictures of everyone eating in the cafeteria.

But before that, I decided to go back and check where we were summoned.

It's been a long time since I've been there, but it feels strange to see a reinforced concrete building standing alone in a wasteland.

The sun is setting, but I'll try to take some pictures.

[ Kent-sama, what is that video tool for? ]

[ This is a tool for recording the scenery you see as a video. ]

[ Ooh ... the scenery is sealed inside the board. ]

[ It's not like it's sealed, it's like automatically recording ultra-precise pictures continuously ... ]

[ Nuuu ... in the world Kent-sama lives in, civilizaion certainly seems to be more advanced than in Resenburg. ]

As soon as I started shooting, I noticed that the area around the school building had been leveled by removing large stones, but it had been roughed up.

[ Reinhardt, they ruined the ground ... ]

[ Probably to erase the traces of the summoning magic circle. Look at what looks like black crushed stones mixed in. Those are the magic stones that formed the formation, but lost their mana after it was activated. ]

[ I see ... let's take a look from a distance ... ]

If I look away from the remains of the school building, I can see evidence that a huge circle was drawn.

[ It would take a huge amount of magic stones to build such a huge formation. ]

[ Did they draw the magic circle using magic stones? ]

[ Indeed, the magic circles activated in such places are drawn on the ground with crushed magic stone powder, hardened with earth-attribute magic, and then activated by pouring in magical power. ]

[ I see, then they need funds to prepare a large amount of magic stones. ]

As one way to bring my classmates back, I have an idea of activating a summoning ceremony in Japan.

I don't know if I can do it yet, but I should think about preparing the necessary magic stones according to the information I get from Camilla.

[ Kent-sama, if it's magic stones, we will prepare them. You can request them at any time. ]

[ Yeah, I don't know when that will be, but I'll ask for your cooperation at that time. ]

The school building was left as it was the day we were summoned.

Textbooks and notebooks are scattered on the floor from the fallen desks.

If I pick up the textbooks and bring them home, I might get praise from the teachers, but I'll get a lot of boos from my classmates.

As the sun began to set and the area began to turn red, I moved to the tower of the royal castle and photographed the cityscape of Ardaros illuminated by the setting sun.

I went up to the roof of the tower and swung the camera around to record a 360-degree panorama.

For some reason, it's like filming a travel program about world heritage sites.

I want to show this scene to the chairman.

Let's prepare a tablet and a mobile battery for playback.

[ I see, so you can carry the scenery you see like this and show it to people in other places. No, it's an unbelievable technique. ]

[ Yeah, to be honest, even I can't explain the whole structure of this machine. It's a technology that was created by the gathering of many people with extremely specialized knowledge. ]

[ Previously, Kent-sama said that your country was a country that was stupidly peaceful, but I guess this kind of technology is developed because it is peaceful. ]

[ I agree. If we were at war, we wouldn't be able to research or produce products. If you think about it, Japan is a good country after all. ]

As I watched the setting sun, a cold wind blew.

[ It's a west wind ... ]

[ Oh, it's true, has the seasonal wind changed already? ]

[ Kent-sama, the wind does not suddenly change from east to west one day. Until now there were many days when the wind blew from the east, but from now on, the number of days when the wind blows from the west will increase. ]

[ That's right, the wind doesn't always blow in the same direction. ]

[ Sure, but the strength of this wind makes me feel the change of season. ]

[ Then, what if the next maximum outbreak occurs ... ]

[ The destination of the monsters will be Lastock. ]

When I finished shooting in the royal capital and moved to the garrison cafeteria, my classmates had gathered for dinner.

There was still some room left in the battery and memory card, but it would be a problem if the shooting contents were mixed up, so I replaced the memory card and the battery.

I put out the shield of darkness and came out while starting to film.

"Yes, yes, everyone pay attention! Smile, smile, please give me your best smile!"

As soon as they saw the video camera everyone went crazy.

"Oh, seriously, are you filming this?"

"Father, mother, sister, Pochi, Tama, everyone, I'm fine!"

"Yeeeeeeee! I'm fine!"

"It hurts ... don't push, don't push!"

"This way! Kokubu, take a video of this way too!"

"Mama, Papa, how are you?"

I pan the camera slowly to capture the facial expressions of each person so that no one is missing.

"Later, each person will be filmed one by one. I brought spare batteries and memory cards, so I'll take videos in order of attendance number, so please prepare a message for about one minute for each person."

"Isn't one minute too short?"

"We can shoot as many times as we want from now on, this time it's just to confirm each person's appearance. Then I'll stop for now."

"Hey, didn't you take a video? Take a video of this way, too!"

"Yagi's direction will have to be mosaiced ..."

"Hey!"

Since they found out that there was no repatriation ceremony, there was a somewhat bleak atmosphere, but after a long time, smiles have returned to everyone's faces.

I pause the video, procure a bright spot in the cafeteria, prepare a tripod, etc. and begin preparations for shooting.

In the meantime, everyone hurriedly finished their dinner and began making their one-minute messages.

"Oda-sensei, can I ask you to take a picture?"

"No ... I'm not good at mechanical things ..."

"Then, shall I do it?"

Furudate-sensei gleefully volunteered to take on the role of videographer.

He seems to have a hobby of shooting with cameras and videos, so if that's the case, we can leave it to him.

"They had extra memory cards prepared, so they wanted me to shoot without deleting it even if I made a mistake."

"I see, it's to avoid suspicion of processing or editing. Understood, understood!"

Sit in a chair with your back to the wall and take a bust shot and give the message one by one.

People who have too many things to say and run out of time, people who run out of ideas and can't put their thoughts into words, people who burst into tears midway through, people who burst out of the flames.

The shooting progressed with high tension, but someone leaked a word, and the atmosphere in the cafeteria changed completely.

"Hey, if I can't go home, I wonder if this will be my last message ..."

"Stop! Don't say things that aren't good luck."

"But if Kokubu suddenly can't use magic ..."

"Don't be silly, don't raise a bad omen flag, you idiot."

By being conscious of their family in Japan, I guess their feelings of uneasiness were welling up.

The more people want to go home, the more anxious they are.

"Yeah, that's about it. I've got a solar generator to charge your smartphones, and a spare memory card, so you'll be able to shoot longer messages yourselves."

"Are you serious?"

"Ah, it looks like Yagi's footage can't be brought into Japan because it's against the law."

"Hey! Am I an obscenity!"

Even when Yagi raised his voice in protest, everyone around him nodded.

"Hey, isn't it terrible? I'm definitely going to demand better treatment."

"Hey, have you thought about your message properly?"

"Fuhahahaha, my very existence is a message, do you understand? Kokubu."

"Yes, yes, I think the Prime Minister will probably see this video, so please do your best to convey the message with your presence."

"Hey, the Prime Minister ... are you kidding me?"

"The camera was prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but someone from the Cabinet Office was also in charge, so I think they'll make a copy of the footage and bring it with them."

"You idiot, you should say that sooner!"

"That's right, I was fumbling my words."

"Don't be silly, I made a gag and messed up in a big way, what am I going to do?"

"It's okay, it's okay, they know you're alive and well, so it's okay."

"You're going to do something like that, you idiot!"

"Retake, retake again!"

"Don't be noisy, it's my turn, so please be quiet!"

In spite of these accidents, the chairman's turn eventually came.

As expected of the chairman, she looked tense, but after taking a few deep breaths, she went to shoot.

"Papa, Mama, Mio, how are you? I'm doing fine. When I was summoned to this world, I was given light attribute magic. Using this magic, I now treat illnesses and injuries. In this world, medical technology is not as advanced as in Japan, and it seems that there are people who lose their lives even from diseases that can easily be cured in Japan. I want to be able to save even one person like that. I will return to Japan once, but I would like to be involved in medical care in this world in the future. Also ... I'll introduce you when I get back to Japan, but I found someone I like. He is a very nice person who works hard for everyone. I want to live with that person in Volzard."

The chairman finished speaking while blushing a little, and when she turned her gaze to me who was watching over her, she smiled.

Yeah, I'll hug you later, Gyu, Gyu, I'm going to hug you.

But before that, I have to take a video of my message as well.

As my turn approached, my heart was beating fast and an indescribable feeling of tension came over me.

"Next, Kokubu ..."

"Yes, thank you very much."

When I sat down in the chair for shooting, everyone's eyes in the cafeteria gathered.

I have told Oda-sensei and Katou-sensei about my mother, but I haven't told my classmates, even the chairman.

I don't want to be questioned, so I tried not to talk about her suicide.

Furudate-sensei opened his hand, folded his fingers one by one, and began the countdown.

"Father, I'm healthy. Umm ... I heard about Mother. I've heard it, but to be honest, it doesn't make sense to me at all. So, um, when I return to Japan, please tell me more about it. Also, even if I ever go back to Japan, I want to go back to Volzard and live here. When I was in Japan, I was a useless child no matter what I did, but when I was summoned here, I received powers different from normal people. Now I want to use this power for the people who helped me in this world. Also, when we meet in Japan, I will say it properly, but thank you for raising me until now. From now on, I want to walk on my own."

When I bowed to the video camera and finished my message, there was a thunderous applause.

At first the applause was sparse, but eventually it spread to everyone, and I don't know what it was for, but I felt very embarrassed and handed over the chair to the next person.

"Good job, Kokubu."

"Yes, thank you very much."

Oda-sensei, who was watching the shooting, patted me on the shoulder.

Was I able to convey my thoughts well to my father.