ch1-ch20 · 002-ch2

Chapter 2

The place the ruins' teleportation trap had flung him turned out to be Japan—of all places.

Once he realized he was in Japan, Sai's mind went into overdrive.

Same as in the other world, judging by the moon's position, the time was probably around the dead of night.

He didn't know his exact location, but where there was a road, it would surely lead to some city.

Traffic was sparse—cars passed by now and then, but no one noticed Sai.

Still, Sai stared at the cars as they drove by.

A male driver in a jacket was leisurely gripping the steering wheel.

Seeing a man in a jacket—the sort you'd find anywhere in Japan—Sai felt once more certain that this was indeed Japan, and abruptly became aware of his own attire.

Light armor of demon-beast leather and magisteel.

He'd worn this light armor for several years now. It was a prized piece—he'd hunted a powerful demon beast specifically to have it crafted by a first-rate artisan.

But if this was Japan, that equipment was a problem.

He'd just be a middle-aged cosplay dude decked out in otherworldly armor.

Sai hurriedly slipped back into the forest.

Deeply steeped in the common sense of another world as he was, Sai resolved to change clothes, recalling his days in Japan.

He removed his armor, storing the equipment away into another dimension via Item Box magic.

Japan was a peaceful land. No monsters, no such job as "adventurer." He thought about such things as he considered what to change into.

Japan, after thirty years… Racking his memories from long ago, he mulled over what clothes would pass in Japan.

Rummaging through his Item Box, what he found was a white shirt and black trousers purchased in a central city of Tuare. Simple in design—these shouldn't be a problem.

The silhouette was similar to when he wore a stand-collar school uniform, so it'd work.

That said, he felt a slight chill, so he decided to throw on a dark leather coat.

A coat tanned from the hide of a monster called the Bloodhorn Buffalo.

Highly durable, it was a coat that had seen him through many a journey.

For shoes, he only had the boots befitting an adventurer, but few people would scrutinize him all the way down to his footwear.

The spirit of "eh, it'll work out somehow."

"If only I had a mirror to check… well, borderline, I guess…?"

So Sai judged, but he was a tall, forty-something man in a black coat in the dead of night. Moreover, his body, forged through adventuring, was fairly burly. His dark-brown hair, too much of a hassle to visit a barber for, hung down to his shoulders. The only saving grace was the lack of a scruffy beard.

But a man like that, alone on a mountain in the middle of the night—

If anyone spotted him, he'd be confirmed a suspicious character. He'd end up in the newspaper as a "suspicious person" report. Game over.

"So, what now."

Once again. It was his first time in Japan in thirty years, but first of all, he had no idea where he was.

An asphalt road existed, so walking it would definitely lead to a city—that much was certain—but he didn't know his current location.

Sai walked as he pondered.

If he made it somewhere with enough people, he could take a train or taxi to his hometown… No, impossible.

He didn't have any Japanese money.

None of the belongings he'd had when transported to the other world remained.

He couldn't ride a train or a taxi.

In the other world, he'd been an adventurer for many years and had made a decent living—but those earnings weren't currency usable in Japan.

"You think gold coins or something could be exchanged…?"

He gazed at the gold coins inside a leather pouch.

Gold was supposed to be traded by the gram, or something like that.

If so, there was a chance they could be converted. He might even make it back to his hometown.

…If he could return to his hometown.

After thirty years, he might be able to see his parents and little sister again…

Joy and anxiety crossed within him.

What expression would be the right one?

Sai recalled thirty years ago.

Sai had been transported to another world at the start of his first year of high school.

Many long years had passed since then, and now he was an old guy in his forties.

Would showing up now and saying "long time no see" even be acceptable?

Plodding along the midnight road, he thought to himself.

A man who never sent so much as a letter comes back—and then what?

The reunion itself should be a happy one. That was certain.

But the problem was what came after.

Could Sai adapt to Japan? There wouldn't be a job called "adventurer."

In the other world, his work had centered on being an adventurer.

He'd helped with administrative tasks at the Adventurer's Guild, and he'd worked as an instructor to train the next generation—but at the root of it all, he was an adventurer.

Yet none of the know-how he'd cultivated in the other world would be of any use in Japan.

Sai had thought he would live and die in that other world.

And now, at this timing, to return to Japan.

…Could he manage?

Half joy, half anxiety. His emotions refused to settle, leaving him in a haze.

His parents and his little sister.

His partner and friends back in the other world.

The work he'd have to find going forward.

His thoughts just wouldn't come together.

…In any case, he had to assess the situation.

No point in agonizing over it in his current state.

He'd think about the problems when he ran into them.

Sai was an adventurer. Having returned to Japan, his career as an adventurer was retired.

But that spirit remained. He wasn't some fool who'd fret inside a dungeon and end up in even deeper trouble. He wasn't some idiot who'd hesitate mid-combat and fail to make the best move.

Grasp the situation, keep the optimal course of action in mind.

The adventurer's spirit within Sai arrived at that conclusion.

Even if the know-how was useless, the soul of an adventurer would not waver.

Having settled his mind, Sai strode down the midnight road with a lighter step than before.

Expecting that following the road would lead to something eventually, he decided to walk eastward.

As he walked, Sai was surprised.

It was so normal in the other world that he'd completely forgotten—but he felt mana in the atmosphere.

In other words, magical power existed in this world, too.

The magical techniques he'd cultivated in the other world could be used here as well.

Sai's specialty was Body Enhancement Magic.

The magical power circulating through his body functioned even in Japan, and with this much mana in the atmosphere, Sai could operate at full capacity.

Come to think of it—he'd used it in a panic earlier, but the Item Box magic worked, too.

Item Box magic was a spell that used one's own magical power to store and retrieve items in another dimension. The amount that could be stored varied based on magical capacity and other factors, but judging by the earlier deposit and withdrawal, its contents were fine.

In locations with thin mana, the Item Box's behavior could sometimes go wonky.

The effects of teleportation could also cause issues, or so he'd heard—and in that respect, too, Sai could be considered fortunate.

He continued walking briskly for several hours in what seemed to be the direction of an urban area.

He entered the urban area and began to see train stations, but there were still few people around.

More than anything, the occasional person he spotted would either flee or steer clear the moment they noticed him.

Guess this outfit really was no good after all…

He realized he was a suspicious person.

A tall stranger with long hair, a black coat, and a solid build—if someone like that approached, anyone would run.

Thinking such thoughts, he continued walking further east.

It was then that Sai noticed something.

He hadn't realized until just now, but addresses seemed to be written on utility poles and the like.

Tachikawa City, Tokyo.

Finally realizing his current location was Tokyo, he kept walking toward the city center.

Here, a point of clarification.

Sai himself was completely unaware of it, but although he thought he was just walking, he was doing so with Body Enhancement active—so he was moving at quite a speed. Something between speed walking and a marathon—he was walking at a considerable clip. He failed to notice how the boys and girls alive in the dead of night were panicking at the sight of a tall figure in a black coat scuttling along.

And so Sai passed Tachikawa, advancing through Kokubunji, then Mitaka.

The trains weren't running yet, and his plan was simply to walk as far as he could.

He continued walking, and around the time he passed Nakano, perhaps—Sai saw something strange.

"What the hell is that…?"

He couldn't make out its full height due to the cloaking fog, but a colossal tower stood there.

He could only perceive it as a large, brown tower, but even from this distance he could feel intense magical power radiating from it.

At the very least, there had been no such tower in Japan thirty years ago.

There shouldn't have been.

"Haha. Japan's no different from the other world, huh…"

He didn't know what that tower was, but it was steeped in that much magical power.

Whatever lay inside was unknown, but the notion that magical power caused changes in flora and fauna was common sense in the other world. In other words, the likelihood of monsters was high.

The eastern sky was gradually brightening.

The sun had begun to rise.

"Might be able to put my adventurer know-how to use after all."

Gazing at the enormous tower, Sai murmured those words.

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Thank you for reading.

Update Note:

2/2 — Slightly adjusted the moon's position.