CH 109

Chapter 109 : Things That Came from The Other World

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I had a dream again. A dream so fleeting, as if the dream was melting into the world. The afterimage of that world was so fleeting, like it was about to disappear almost immediately. 

“Why… Why is our Maou-sama not waking up… We… Don’t know the reason why…”

A young man, with his rainbow-coloured eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, turned his head away as he said that. He looked like he was in deep pain. 

“We are immortal and have the power to cure any illness in this world and yet, we still can’t wake our Maou even though we have such a great power in our hands. This hollow body lacks a soul. The body is still intact but without a soul, it’s nothing but an empty puppet.”

A young man with beautiful and fluttering red-orange gradient hair declared. His words were laced with sadness. 

“If this egg is the cause then how about we destroy it?”

A deeply chilling voice asked. It was hard to believe such cold words would come out of this blonde, icy blue eyed young man. 

“!!!”

The demonkind around this young man turned pale at his statement. 

“If you guys as a demon can’t do it then I will do it.”

With each step, his body sent out an incomparable amount of magic power, swallowing the surrounding area. 

“If we can bring that kid back then….”

His voice was filled with sorrow, as if he wished for nothing but that kid to return. 

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It seemed I had another dream again. A young and handsome man said something disturbing. His eyes were somehow glazed and his face was void of any emotions….. Ah, I couldn’t. The dream I just saw before  had already disappeared from my memories. I couldn’t remember anything. 

Well, compared to my dream, the problem I had now was….

『Have you awoken?』

VELKEEEEEE!!! I knew it! I knew you’d drag me to sleep together with you in bed!! You even made me use your arm as a pillow!! Of course you also kept on staring at me while I was sleeping, right?! I knew it already but I still keep getting surprised everytime I see your face up close!!!!

Waking up to see a very beautiful face first thing in the morning was not good for my heart. My heart was thumping so fast, as if I had just ran a marathon. It was our third day living together but I still couldn’t get used to this at all. 

I picked up my phone from the top of my desk and checked the time. It was still 6:00 in the morning. I woke up much earlier than usual on Monday morning. Since I had more time to prepare than usual, I decided to take shower first.

While I was showering… Or to be precise, while I was having my morning shower, Velke started to prepare breakfast for us. On top of a freshly made toast, there were scrambled eggs adorned with plenty of ketchup. I clasped my hand together, said my gratitude before I sunk my teeth into the toast. 

I used to eat breakfast out of routine like a machine so being able to enjoy a warm meal together like this, this moment felt so precious to me. 

“Sorry, Velke. Today, until the rest of the weekdays, I need to go to work.”

『I’m fully aware.』

“If I can finish my work on time, I will go home immediately but I think I’ll only be able to come home at 19:00 at the earliest…”

『Mahiro, I’ve heard in this country there’s a disease called ‘pretending to be sick’. 』

Ah, this guy… He’s not “fully aware” at all. He’s trying to prevent me from going to work instead. 

“Velke, I really wish I can help you find that something you’re looking for. I’m sorry. I will have to leave you alone.”

『I’m fully aware but… I can feel my heartbeat weakening because of this feeling of forlorn in my heart. I’m afraid if my situation is not tended properly, this might become a serious problem.』

This guy, he’s far from “fully aware”. Rather than wanting me to nurse him, it feels like he wants to keep me all for himself instead. Oi! You said your condition can turn into a serious problem but your expression doesn’t change at all!!!

『I’m just kidding. Earning money is important after all. I read it in a book last night that pulling out the “work and me, which one is more important?” card is in poor taste and shouldn’t be done. You will only end up making the other party feels troubled.』

No, I mean, what kind of book did you read in the first place….?

『There’s still a lot I don’t know about this world so I will study more about this world and wait for Mahiro to come home patiently.』

“Y-Yeah. That’s right. I will also recommend some fiction stuff like anime, books and games… So you can learn not only about this world but also find other things you might be interested in.”

While getting ready for work, I took some time to briefly explain how to use my tablet and my gaming console to Velke. I also had registered for some subscription services (those with flat-rate price) so I also taught Velke how to use them too. I was up earlier than usual so even though I spent some time briefly explaining things to Velke, I still had a lot of time to spare. 

I was putting on my shoes in the foyer when Velke handed me a lunch box. 

『This is just a simple meal. I made sandwiches for you so you can eat them with one hand. Feel free to eat them for lunch.』

No way… Not only did he make me breakfast, he also prepared a boxed lunch for me… He’s way too high spec…

Just when I was about to leave, Velke squeezed my hands. 

“I’ll be going.”

『Have a safe trip.』

I left the house with Velke seeing me off from the foyer. 

『Please do not strain yourself too much at work… I’ll be waiting for you to return home as soon as possible.』

This… I definitely have to go home right on time. 

I slapped my cheeks to psych myself up. The fact that there was someone waiting for me at home, just that fact alone somehow made me feel so energized to go to work today. 

I took the train faster than usual, leaving me with extra time to take a look at my surroundings. Last friday, the snow had fallen but today, the sky was bright blue without any hint of cloud although the air still felt cold. 

I went to the convenience store I always frequent to buy chocolate and coffee like usual. I almost reached out toward the energy drink but then, I stopped myself. Somehow, my brain felt extra sharp today even without those energy drinks. 

Now then, time for me to do my best today as well. 

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The effect of Velke’s beauty was truly amazing, huh?

I started my work today with a clear set of goals in mind, which was to come home on time but still, I didn’t know that having a whole new determination at work could really change the progress of your work tremendously. Of course, the fact that I had prepared some materials beforehand when I was at home on Saturday and the fact that I had already finished a big project last weekend had both helped in my progress today but still, the heck? If there was nothing drastic happening at work today, I could really go home on time today.

“Otonashi-kun, the materials for the presentation on Wednesday….”

“Oh, Chief. Here’s the material. I’m thinking of explaining the product with this flow.”

“You’ve already put them all together? That’s fast. Well, the data is still a bit weak. Did you find any data from last year that we can use as comparison?”

“Okay then I will also add the data from last year into the presentation.”

“Ah, yeah. After you add that part, I think your presentation will work out just fine.”

I added the comparison in the morning and then went to have a lunch break. Today Velke had made me a sandwich for me to eat at work. I felt so happy I couldn’t stop myself from grinning from ear to ear. 

The sandwiches ranged from simple ham and cucumber sandwich to more complex one like teriyaki chicken sandwich, scrambled egg sandwich along with several other varieties of sandwiches. Velke said he made this while he was preparing breakfast but I didn’t shower for long. If he was able to prepare all of these in that short amount of time…. His skill must be nothing to scoff at, right?

As soon as I sank my teeth into my sandwich, the flavor of teriyaki chicken bursted in my mouth. It was so delicious…..  I continued on eating with great vigor, munching sandwiches after sandwiches and before I realized it, I had completely finished all of the sandwiches. I had eaten more than I usually did on a daily basis. 

“Thank you for the food.”

It was so delicious… With this, I think I can do my best for the rest of my afternoon shift….. 

The food satiated me so much that I seriously thought so. Suddenly, I realized I still had a lot of time left for my lunch break. I then decided to go to the vending machine located on a different floor than my desk. 

I’m sure he’ll be there again today. 

“Hey, Aoki.”

“Oh, Mao-chan. I finally see you again after last Friday.”

“Don’t call me Mao-chan. I told you to call me Mahiro, didn’t I?”

As usual, he teased me about my name and as per usual, Aoki, the rising star of the sales department, was drinking a strawberry tart milk pudding juice. I mean, the drink incorporated so many different elements that I couldn’t even imagine what it tasted like. 

“Thanks for allowing me to borrow your clothes last Sunday. I already washed them and aired them to dry today so I can return them to you tomorrow.”

“Man, I completely forgot I had left them at your place.”

“They really helped me a bunch last Sunday though.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Which reminded me, there was something I wanted to ask him as soon as I got to meet him today. 

“Did you get the ring?”

“….. Do you want to hear about it?”

“I’ll hear you about it.”

“Hehehe~ On Sunday morning, at 6:00. I had given her rings before as a present so I already knew about her size for sure but I still checked the size of her ring finger for one final confirmation.”

“I see, I see.”

“When I was checking her size, suddenly she opened her eyes and screamed, WHO’S TOUCHING ME?!”

“Eh…”

“I was so scared… I ended up telling her about the ring.”

“O-Oh?”

“She then asked if I was planning on buying it on my own.”

“Ugh….”

“I was so scared I ended up spilling everything. I told her I planned on buying the ring after I sent her home.”

“Uhh….”

“Then she said she also wanted to buy one as a gift for me so let’s go together.”

“Wow, isn’t she too manly….?”

“To make it worse, she said all that while lifting my head by my chin!! I thought to myself, seriously, just hold me already!!”

As expected from Shizuka-san, she’s way too cool. 

“Congratulations… Congratulations….”

“Thank you. I was this close to surprising her with a proposal but we ended up picking a ring together but…. As my last final resort, I planned to surprise her by renting a studio on Christmas Day.”

“I think it’s very Aoki and Shizuka-san’s thing to have a cosplay photoshoot on Christmas Day…. Not bad….”

“Hehehe~”

Today as well, Aoki was brimming with a fluffy and happy aura. A handsome man being ‘deredere’ ….

“Ah, right. Sorry for changing the subject but, this is about the things we talked about last Friday night… Can we bring that topic back? What do you think?”

“Oh, sure sure. As long as I can use it as my material, I will embrace it with open arms.”

“If… This is just an ‘if’…. If… If….. Someone who got isekai-ed finished what they meant to do and returned to their original world, do you think it’s possible for someone from the isekai to come chasing that person to their original world?”

“Oooh. What an interesting story.”

“Aoki-sensei, someone who has deep knowledge regarding myth and legend, have you heard anything similar to what I had just told you about?”

“There is, there is. Rather than a myth, it was the story of a shoujo manga. There’s an example where the protagonist who got isekai-ed returned to her world and thus began the second arc of the story.”

“Oh. I think I’ve heard about it before. It had anime adaptations too, right? The one with four divine beasts god?”

“Right, right. That manga was one of those ‘save the world and live happily ever after’ tropes. Also, well these are based on the novel I borrowed from Shizuka but there are some stories where the beings that were originally born in another world drifted into our world. Well those novels are horror novels though.The existence of those beings that came from another world that came to our world to meddle with us is called paranormal activity here.”

“Oh? Is it the same thing as that old anime that used to be broadcasted in national television? The one where everyone is jealous of how handsome the guy that used to be a rat is?”

I had only seen the anime version but I believed that guy was actually a beautiful, long haired blonde with a sour look on his face. 

“There are also novels where the demon king from another world came to our world to work.”

“Sorry, I actually came from a rather different world too….Heh.”

“Anyway, I think all of those stories are actually based on a Japanese mythology where a young god or hero comes to our world to overcome trials and adversities and then they will be recognized for their valiant conquest. The Kishu Hyoryutan type.” 

“So the reverse pattern of isekai.”

“Yes, yes. The tale of Susanoo no Mikoto, tale of Princess Kaguya, Hercules from Greek mythology too. Hercules was a demigod that got kicked out of the God’s Realm and ended up achieving great deeds in the human’s world.”

“Huh? Can we really say Hercule has the same reverse isekai pattern?”

“Well I guess it’s not Kishu Hyoryutan type. Then what about the Valkyrie from Norse mythology? Valkyrie came down from God’s Realm to bring back the fallen heroes. Although it’s just temporary, I think it also counts.”

“Ah, Valkyrie. I used to play that game excessively when I was young.”

“Speaking of games, Silent Hill and that other game with alarm are very scary too… Your everyday life has turned inside out all of a sudden like that… Ah, I went off topic. Anyway, putting the theme of reincarnated into another world aside, it was said that every time a ‘divine being’ came down to our world, they needed to pay a certain price.”

“…. Like what kind of price do they have to pay?”

“If the time in our world and that world flows differently, they need to pay in ‘time’. There are also cases where the price came in the form of a ‘disaster’ because they came to this world.”

“Time… Disaster…”

That was the price Velke had to pay. His lifespan and magic power. 

“Well, there’s this one particular case.”

“….. I wonder just what kind of thing those people looking for them to be willing to pay such a hefty price.”

“The kind of things you aim for to be willing to pay that price, huh. If I’m trying to think based on the value and merit of the price and the things then maybe some medical technology that can save someone’s life or an ‘existence that doesn’t exist in the other world’, hence why they needed to come to our world to look for that thing.”

“Medical… Technology…?”

“In the novel I read a long time ago, the cure for measles was not readily available for the masses in that parallel world. That parallel world had a completely different history than our because of that sole fact. You really can’t downplay the importance of knowledge..”

“You mean the immunization against measles that we were required to get when we were kids?”

“Yeah. Measles is not a laughing matter. It was a really life threatening disease even for adults. According to history, it was not until the 1840s that doctors in Europe knew they could drastically reduce the risk of mother dying during childbirth if all the attending physicians would thoroughly wash their hands clean before treatment. The knowledge at that time was really ridiculous.”

“Huh?!”

“Look up for Semmelweis. You will find all sorts of stuff related to him.”

“Ah, you’re right. Uwah…. I see, so that was why the number of deaths between midwives and doctors were really distinct too… So this is one of those cases where the things we deemed as ‘natural’, like washing hands, was still an unknown knowledge in the past?”

“If there’s one thing I could take from this world to the past world, it would be knowledge.”

“Aoki…. You’re just the typical handsome normies but you can actually say some really smart stuff sometimes, huh…”

“Mao-chan, just what kind of people do you think I am???? Anyway, it’s about time we go back now.”

“Ah, my bad, my bad. Thank you. You’ve been a great help too today.”

“Don’t mind it.”

Aoki gulped down the last remaining part of his overly sweet canned drink. 

Ah, right. I was about to quickly get back to work after I bought this drink but I got distracted by Aoki here. 

“I told you if I can bring anything from this world then I’ll choose knowledge but what if it was an ‘object’?”

“Huh? Object?”

“What if you can bring something solid to the other world?”

Aoki stared at me over his shoulder. 

“Even if the character can come back and forth between the other world and this world as they please, how do they bring another object along with them?”

Aoki threw his empty can into the trash bin, making a series of loud clunk noises. 

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T/N: From here is a short AU if the one coming to the modern world is the Hero, not Velke. 

【Reunion】

“Ma-Mao-tan?”

“Hii-”

A pervert was standing naked in front of my apartment in the snowing midwinter night. 

Mahiro, at times like this, you should’ve called the police as soon as possible. 

(Velke’s clothes were woven with threads infused by magic in accordance with the demon’s technique so Velke’s clothes could be transported along with his body into this world but the Hero’s equipment… They were all just ordinary equipment so the Hero ended up in this world buck naked.)

“Ummm…. Are you a pervert-… No, I mean, don’t you feel cold… Standing in the middle of winter night like that…? What if you catch a cold….?”

“Hahaha! Somehow after I came to this world, I didn’t see any of those insects (the spirits) but in exchange, some deity who called himself as a God in this world came and warmed me up~ I believe his name was Amaterasu?”

“Amaterasu?! Ah! Your nether region! They’re glowing in a mosaic pattern! I-Is this also due to the grace of the Gods in this world?!”

“There’s also an old man with a fishing rod and a big fish with him and another old man with very big ears nearby”

“Ebisu-sama and Hotei-sama too?!”

【Monday morning, when Mahiro needs to go to work.】

“NO! NO! NO! MAO-TAN DON’T LEAVE ME!!! Which one is more important, me or work?! IF YOU STILL CHOOSE TO GO TO WORK THEN YOU NEED TO DEFEAT ME FIRST!!!!”

“Against the (self-proclaimed) Strongest Hero in the world?! Physical battle??!”

“Or sex.”

“SEX?!?!?!”

Mahiro then tried to persuade the Hero to let him go out to work.

“Ugh… A handsome man is literally rolling on the floor……..”

“Huhuhu… It can’t be helped. I’ll put up with it today but in exchange I want you to let me suck on your pee pee or flat chest.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WHEN I ONLY HAVE 5 MINUTES LEFT TO GO?!?!”

“NOW! WHICH ONE SHALL IT BE?? YOUR PEE PEE?? YOUR FLAT CHEST???”

“UUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…….Both options are way too disgusting…..”

The handsome pervert was staring at Mahiro with a serious expression. Being on the losing side, Mahiro finally relented. He pulled his shirt up to reveal his bare chest. In an ordinary Monday morning, an earnest salaryman had his nipples sucked on. His expression was akin to that of a dead fish.