Chapter 94

Even as she looks at my black hair and eyes, does she not realize I’m also Japanese? Or is there another purpose behind her actions…?

“…Don’t you think anything of my appearance? I too have black hair and eyes just like you,” I said, unable to contain myself any longer.

She seemed completely indifferent to my presence, curiously looking around the shop, while Mars behind me seemed a bit exasperated.

“Eh? Oh, really! Oh well, I heard that black hair and eyes were rare in this world, but it seems that’s not the case. So there are others like me. Your name, Takumi, sounds very Japanese too. Oh, my name is Haruka.”

Is that really her reaction?

Could it be that she’s feigning ignorance? No, but she looks seriously clueless…

“…No, well… I am definitely Japanese. I come from the same world as you… a player of ‘Change the World’.”

At my words, the girl’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, opening and closing her mouth in disbelief, she stared at me before stepping forward aggressively.

“Is that—is that really true?!”

“Yes, it’s true. Besides, if I were a resident of this world, I wouldn’t have any reason to bring up ‘Change the World’.”

“So, it’s not that girl with the glasses… it was you who messed up the original course of this world!!!”

I almost blurted out a “You’re just realizing this now!!” but I managed to restrain myself.

“Yes, that’s right. If you have any complaints about that, I’m willing to listen. But I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.”

The girl, Haruka-chan, frowned as if she wanted to say something in response to my words.

But it was only for a moment, soon she bit her lip and glared straight at me with her spirited eyes.

“Hmph. Fine. If you’re going to go that far, I might as well hear you out.”

After a brief silence, Haruka pointed at me decisively.

“It’s clear to me that you’ve used your knowledge of ‘Change the World’ to alter the fates of the people in this country, haven’t you?”

“Yes, like I said earlier.”

“That means! You must have met some of the main characters from ‘Change the World,’ right?!!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… not all of them.”

Why does it feel like this conversation is heading in an unexpected direction…?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Haruka closed the distance swiftly and then gripped my hands tightly with both of hers. Her grip was so strong I had to wonder if it was really the grip strength of a girl.

“Then, I have a favor to ask of you!”

“A favor?”

“Just this once – help me meet my favorite character! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime request!”

“…Excuse me?”

After that, I borrowed a corner of the perfume shop to talk with Haruka-chan for a while. Mars kindly pushed chairs against the wall for her and me. Then, he considerately withdrew to the back of the store, intentionally leaving Haruka and me alone.

The thoughtfulness Mars-kun displayed was beyond what one would expect from a child. What a good kid… However, I’m a bit concerned about him whispering to me as he left, “If she attacks you, please shout loudly. I’ll come flying to help.”

Unfortunately, it seems Mars-kun still doesn’t trust Haruka-chan after all. Well, considering how their first meeting went…

But about Haruka-chan, “Listen carefully, Takumi-san!!!!” She went on and on, complaining to me in a rapid-fire talk. “Just when I thought I was summoned as the protagonist in the world of ‘Change the World,’ every critical situation was already over!!! Isn’t it normal for the summoned person to take over as the protagonist?”

“At the point of being transferred to another world, I don’t think anything is normal…”

“Normal is exactly that!

…Ultimately, the one who summoned me wasn’t a main character or anything, so I can’t meet my favorite character at all.

“Do you want to meet them that badly?”

“Of course! …After all, both Takumi-san and I can never return to our original world, right? So, at least… I want to find something that makes me glad I came to this world…” Haruka said, drooping her shoulders sadly. “……I never even imagined that I wouldn’t be able to see my dad or mom again…… And my pet Chiko, too……” She sniffled.

As Haruka cried beside me, I nearly panicked at the situation.

Gradually, Haruka started sniffling and rubbing her eyes. After hesitating a bit, I managed to regain my composure and gently rubbed her back with my palm.

…But still, unlike me, was Haruka-chan artificially summoned to this world?

Who on earth would do that, and for what purpose?

“So… why did you come to see me today?”

“I didn’t come to see you, Takumi-san, but I intended to meet that glasses-wearing shop assistant… sniff. I felt a bit bad about something I did to her and thought I’d apologize… and I wondered if, in case that child is a transmigrant or a possessor, they might understand my feelings…”

“I see.”

Hmm. It seems that Haruka-chan isn’t such a bad kid after all.

For better or worse, she is a straightforward and sincere child.

But that still leaves several questions unanswered.

“If that’s the case, then why did you run away when I first approached you… Didn’t you think to seek protection from the Black-winged knights?”

Haruka looked troubled by my question and hung her head.

“Um… I am currently under the protection of a noble, but… that person does not reside in Rittzheim.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, he’s a noble from the neighboring country of Oster. He found me all alone in the forest and took me under his protection. The person who summoned me wasn’t there for some reason… Just the magic circle used for the summoning ceremony was left behind. I’m sure if that person hadn’t found me by chance, I might have been eaten by monsters in the forest.” Saying this, Haruka hugged herself with both arms and shivered.

I see. Because Haruka-chan was under the protection of a noble from Oster, she did not get caught in the Knight’s information network. I had assumed she was under the care of an influential person in Ritzheim.

“And that person told me, ‘I will try to ask the royal family of Ritzheim to perform a return ceremony to send you back to your original world.'”

“But, as it stands, you have nothing to prove your identity, and you haven’t gone through the proper procedures to enter Ritzheim. If you’re suspected of illegal entry, you have no means to deny it. I’m sorry, but please avoid contact with anyone from the knights or other nobles besides myself, and if someone approaches you, subtly distance yourself from them”

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

Indeed, there are kind people in this world.

It was fortunate that the person who helped Haruka-chan was a good Samaritan! …Still, there are still some mysterious aspects.

That person said he would “try to ask the royal family of Rittzheim to perform a return ceremony.” I’ve never heard such a request being made to Ritzheim. If there were an official request from a noble of Oster, it would likely be a topic of discussion, right?

But,

Even if the matter was being dealt with secretly for some reason, it seems likely that the information would reach the ears of Gazel, the commander, or Felix, the son of the Count’s family…

“…But even though that person said that… it’s absolutely impossible, isn’t it? To return to the original world.”

Next to me, thinking deeply, Haruka murmured sadly again.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because, in ‘Change the World,’ when the protagonist returns to the original world, in addition to the return ceremony, a tremendous amount of magical power was needed, right? Even if the conditions were met for a return ceremony, according to the scenario, the only ones who possess such a tremendous amount of magical power would be the summoned protagonist or the Demon King, right! But the Demon King has been subdued by you, hasn’t he?”

“I didn’t subdue him… but he is no longer here.”

“That means, possessing a vast amount of magical power necessary for me to return to the original world… either way, it’s impossible!”

“People like that simply don’t exist in this country! See, I knew it…”

“If that’s the case, I’ll be the one to return her. I’ve inherited magical powers from the Demon King. Besides, I have no intention of going back there,” I said.

“Eh?”

Haruka stared at me with a blank expression.

But I was also surprised by my own words.

Wait. Did I just say, unconsciously, that ‘I don’t want to go back there’?

“Well, you received magical powers from the Demon King… eh? And you don’t want to go back to your original world, eh?!!!!”

“Yeah, well… that’s, there’s been a lot happening here. It’s turned out that way.”

“I… I want to know more about the various things you mentioned!?!?! And wait, really—can I really go back to that world? Can I see Mom and Dad again…?”

Haruka, who had stopped crying, now looked at me again with tearful eyes.

I gently touched her shoulder and nodded slowly.

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll make sure you can return to your original world.”

Tears began to fall from Haruka’s large chestnut-brown eyes.

How anxious she must have felt up until now. Being thrown all alone into this world suddenly… It must have been her pent-up emotions bursting out that made her lash out so intensely at the glasses-wearing shop assistant when she first arrived. She must have believed that the shop assistant, being from the same hometown, would understand her feelings of vulnerability.

At that time, Haruka-chan must have believed that the shop assistant was someone from her own homeland.

I, too, felt that if I could use the magic I inherited from the Demon King to return Haruka-chan to her original world, I would finally be able to justify it to him. It pained my heart to have such powerful magic entrusted to me by someone who had given it with the last of his life, only for it to go unused. Personally, I also thought that by dedicating my magic to the returning ceremony, Gazel and Felix would also be relieved.

Both of them seemed worried that I might return to my original world.

So by using my power for Haruka-chan and showing the two of them that I have no intention of returning, I can finally convey my feelings to them.

I want to live in this world—by their sides, forever…

“…Thank you, Takumi-san…”

“No need for thanks. If anything, I’m the one who should be grateful. … However, even if I can manage the magical aspect, I haven’t got the slightest clue about the actual returning ceremony.”

“Is that so? Hmm… I’ve left everything about the returning ceremony to Lord Audley… I feel bad rushing him.”

“Right. Well, I’ll have to ask Gazelle and Felix to wait a little longer. What did you just say now?”

“Eh?”

“Lord Audley… are you talking about Bernard Audley of the Oster Kingdom?”

At my question, Haruka-chan’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“Oh! You know him?”