| Author: SS Samurai | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: rm31439 | English Source: Re:Library |
Mika and I had gone into the magic room.
“Let’s think of something good, then…” Mika started. “Since even a single drop is enough to revive someone, maybe we could use something like a bulb syringe…”
“Wait, I’m already set on that, I’m thinking of using a vaporizer.”
“Eh, you’ve already decided that? Why did we go in here, then?”
Mika inclined her head, looking like the embodiment of doubt. So cute. That was what I thought… But this wasn’t the occasion for such thoughts.
I reflected about this war for a bit. Though it had felt so long, it was over in a short time. Completely. Only… there was still something we had to do. We needed to bring everyone back to life. But… before that, there was another thing… I wanted to try.
“Mika, shouldn’t we try, at least once, whether we can go home or not?”
“Huh… ah… I would say that we should resurrect everyone first, but… you’re thinking of something, aren’t you? I get it.”
“Thank you.”
Mika looked serious, likely because she didn’t know what I was going to tell her. Still… I wanted to consider, whether we’d be able to leave this world or not. So to speak, a mere verification. And the reason this verification had to happen now, was to ask Mika, if she wanted to go home in advance.
There was a reason for her to go home. If she were to leave now, I’d be in a better position to explain, why she’d suddenly disappeared. If she went home at an unexpected time… it’d inconvenience everyone, that was why. Well, that wasn’t the only reason, but…
“Hey~? Alim?”
“Mh… oh, sorry, sorry. I was thinking for a bit. I’ll bring out Lord Jizou.”
I placed the Jizou statue on the ground.
“Then… would you like to give it a try first?”
“Ah… hmm… Since you’re probably better at using devices, it should be you, Ayumu.”
“Gotcha.”
I placed my hand onto Lord Jizou’s head. A message appeared in my head. It wasn’t a very agreeable one.
…What does that mean? Why, just why? Why can’t I use it?
I don’t get it.
“What happened?” Mika asked me.
“Hm~… I’m not quite sure, could you give it a try, too, Mika?”
“Sure?”
For the time being, let’s have Mika try it. Maybe that only happened the first time, or perhaps it’d change only after Mr. Mitsuo went home.1
While inclining her head, Mika placed her hand on the statue. Then, she immediately took her hand off it.
“What happened? Mika… did it tell you that ‘you can’t use this’?”
“No, that didn’t happen, you see. When it asked me ‘Go to another world?’, I replied with a no. Then it told me… ‘I look forward to serving you again’.”
Huh? Now I understand it even less. I can’t use it, but Mika can…
“B-But it told me, that I can’t use it, you know?”
“Really…? Could you give it another try?”
“Yep.”
I followed her suggestion and put my hand onto the head of the Jizou statue, or rather the otherworld transporter, once again. However, the message appearing my head was the same as before.
“As I thought, it’s impossible.”
“Eh~… W-what should we do? You can’t go home, Ayumu?”
“…It seems so, but you can go there, Mika…”
I shot her a glance. Mika could return, but I couldn’t.
In the end… I wonder, should Mika go home by herself now? She should be able to do so.
Why would Mika need to return to Earth quickly? It was because Mika’s little sister, Sakura, had bad eyesight.
It happened when she was around three years old, if I remember correctly… A rectangular clock fell onto her face, hit both her eyes, and, as a result, the vision in her right eye deteriorated considerably.
Her left eye was also quite bad, compared to a normal person. Without glasses made specifically for her, she couldn’t read letters properly, even less people’s faces, she couldn’t even see well what was right in front of her, it was a major obstacle in her daily life.2 Moreover, she loved her big sister, same as her mother and father, who also held Mika quite dear. Because of that… All of them were surely awfully sad.
My younger brother, Kanata, on the other hand, had a bad case of 8th graders syndrome, but was fundamentally a hard worker. Even if I wasn’t there, my folks should manage to handle it somehow.
For that reason… Mika probably should go back to Japan, after all, shouldn’t she? Without delay.
“Mika… do you…”
“No way!” she replied, before I managed to finish speaking.
“…Did you know, what I was about to say?”
“You were going to tell me, to go back by myself, weren’t you? I’m reasonably sure, that you’d say that at a time like this, Ayumu.”
I see, did she perfectly predict my thoughts? We’ve known each other for long, haven’t we…?
…Still, for her to remain with me in this world… I wonder if that’d be fine?
“But… Mika, aren’t you worried about Sakura? Your mother and father, too, wouldn’t they be concerned about you?”
“That’s… that’s right… b-but…” she brooded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“In that case…”
“No, I still don’t want to! I don’t want to be separated from you again, Ayumu! Absolutely not… Additionally, there’s not even necessarily a way for me to return to this world…”
That’s certainly true. There’s neither magic power nor magic items on earth. For that reason, there might not be a way to return to this world.
I don’t want to separate from Mika, either. But… but is that really alright?
“Are you absolutely fine with not going home? Mika…”
“…Do you hate me, Ayumu?”
Mika turned to me with a downcast look and intently fixed my gaze with her reddened eyes. She was desperately appealing to something with those eyes.
In that case, I should show her my true feelings.
“I could never hate you… I love you… I truly do. I also, I also don’t won’t to be separated from you, Mika… but… are you really happy that way? Wouldn’t it be better to go home and live a normal life?”
“No… I’m super happy… you know? Besides, not being with you… Though I feel bad for Sakura and I’m probably terribly egoistic, but… I don’t want a normal life like that,” she voiced her true feelings.
If that’s the case, there’s no other way. Since Mika said so, all I can do is act accordingly to it. She chose to stay with me…
“…Understood. Let’s put away Lord Jizou, then.”
I stored the otherworld transporter that looked like a Jizou statue into my magic pouch. Then, I hugged Mika tightly.
I ended up making her cry… To be honest, I was planning to put a stop to being lovey-dovey, until we were done with this mess. Well, there was no other way.
“I-I absolutely don’t want to be separated from you, Ayumu. Still, won’t I be a bother to you? I’m not weighting you down, am I?” she asked, while placing her chin onto my shoulder.
“Nah, it’s fine. I feel the same, after all.”
“Eh-heh-heh-heh, i-is that so?”
“Sure is.”
“Let’s get out of here, then. Mr. Mitsuo and the king are waiting for us.”
Hand in hand, Mika and I left the magic room.
From then on, after Mika, the king and I had locked Mr. Mitsuo in the jail under the castle, we used the Amritas, first on people with a high rank and those we could trust… We revived the three SSS-Rankers, Bacchus, and so on, who then assisted us in resurrecting all the people in and around the royal capital, who’d died due to Armageddon’s evil influence. It took us two days.
Further, by to the king’s orders, I imbued the Amritas with a liquid that erased everyone’s memories about me being able to bring people back to life, excluding only Mika and I, the king, and those who’d helped us revive people.
A medicine that could resurrect someone would only give birth to issues… that’s what the king said.
Still, due to the potion’s effects, a feeling of being saved apparently remained. A condition that made them think “I am grateful to them, but I forgot what I should be grateful for”.
…What the heck was that?
Incidentally, when we revived the townsfolk, the wanted people and criminals among them were thrown in jail after being resurrected. Among them were the guys who took me to a back alley when I came to this city for the first time.3
Serves them right.
_________
_______
____
Not just Alim and the others, no one noticed. That in the strange space of the magic pouch, Lord Jizou was chuckling to himself.
TL notes:
Well, that wasn’t ominous at all…
You’d think that Alim would understand that Mika would never leave him, after hearing how she got after his death. Well, I guess it further ties into the theme of both of them being very insecure in their relationship.
[You cannot use this.]