Chapter 249: Moving to the Office
“Would you like something to drink?”
As Yanagihara-san pulled out glasses for everyone, he set them neatly in the holder. From the refrigerator, he retrieved two bottles.
“Choose between apple and orange.”
Upon closer inspection, the labels on the bottles read “100% Pure Juice.” It was surely something expensive. Though in this Otherworld, juice labeled as 100% fruit juice only came in pure form.
“I’ll go with orange.”
As I made my choice, voices chimed in from others as well. Apples and oranges were familiar fruits in this world too, so it felt comforting. Perhaps it was the effect of the Otherworld Language Skill that made “apple” and “orange” sound so clear.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
The glasses were passed around until they reached Ivan, who sat at the very back. Phonia took a sip right away and exclaimed, “So sweet!” with a smile on her face. Even though both were straight juices, this one, modified through selective breeding, tasted far better.
“Now then… may I ask you something?”
As I observed the interior of the vehicle with curiosity, Yanagihara-san, who was seated directly under the television, spoke up.
“What is it?”
“Um… about your outfits. Are they some kind of cosplay?”
His tone was somewhat vague, yet it carried an undertone of determination.
“Well, I suppose it does look that way.”
I was at a loss for how to respond. Would they really believe me if I said we came from another world? Discussing how we obtained our smartphones would be unavoidable, but I hadn’t anticipated this moment. Still, magic existed in this world, and with Ivan and Phonia being Beastmen, there were plenty of things that could serve as evidence.
“Well, the ears on Ivan and Phonia’s heads are just too realistic…”
“Huh?”
Phonia turned around, her ears twitching as if she had heard her name. Though she wore a hooded robe, both of them had their hoods down, making their ears fully visible. I hadn’t explicitly told them to hide, so others must have seen them too.
“These ears are natural for us…”
Hey, is something wrong?
Ivan’s telepathic communication reached me, tinged with confusion.
If this world resembles our homeland, Japan, then Beastmen shouldn’t exist, making us quite the rarity.
Oh, I see. They don’t exist here?
The car seemed to have merged onto the highway, accelerating swiftly, causing the scenery outside to blur past.
“Natural?”
“That’s right. Look.”
I patted down the hair on the sides of my head, flattening it. Of course, there were no ears where they should have been.
“What?”
“See, Phonia has them too.”
Setting her glass in the holder, Ivan cupped Phonia’s face with both hands. “Huh?” she exclaimed, her ears perking up sharply.
“…”
“I’m not sure if you’ll believe us, but we came from what you might call an Otherworld.”
I slowly revealed the truth to Yanagihara-san, who was left speechless.
“…Is that so?”
He lowered his gaze to the glass in his hand, and the words ceased to flow from his lips. The scenery outside transformed rapidly into an urban landscape. Tall buildings multiplied, and the sky visible through the windows grew narrower.
For Yanagihara-san, it would have been so much easier if we were just cosplayers. If that were the case, Kaede-san’s smartphone would serve as proof that it originally belonged to this world.
—But that wasn’t the case.
I had expected him to laugh it off, but perhaps he believed us. The change in Yanagihara-san’s demeanor made me hesitate to press for clarification. In that world, the value of life was low. I had no intention of conveying that, but it would be difficult for an ordinary Japanese person without any powers to survive.
“Shuu-kun and Rio-kun don’t seem to have ears on their heads, though…”
When I looked up, Yanagihara-san’s gaze shifted to me and Rio.
“Also, your names sound quite Japanese. Your last name was Mizumoto, right?”
“Ivan and Phonia don’t have family names, though.”
After nodding, Ivan chimed in, and Yanagihara-san’s attention turned to Rio.
“Shuu and I are Japanese.”
“Huh? …What do you mean? Weren’t you from another world?”
Just as Yanagihara-san posed another question, the driver from the front seat called out, “Sir.”
“What is it?”
“We will be arriving shortly, so please prepare yourselves.”
“I see. Understood. We can discuss the details once we reach the room.”
Before I knew it, we had exited the highway, and our luxury car entered the underground of a massive building. Yanagihara-san appeared to be making a phone call on his smartphone.
“Ah, it’s me. I’ve just returned. …Yes, yes, no problems. …Please prepare the reception room on the top floor for my guests.”
By the time the call ended, the car had come to a stop. After a brief wait, the car door was opened from the outside.
“Thank you for your hard work. We have arrived, so please watch your step.”
The driver urged us to disembark.
“Well then, let’s go.”
With Yanagihara-san’s words, we began to exit the vehicle, starting with Ivan, who was seated closest to the door. Phonia, it seemed, had fallen asleep and was being cradled in Ivan’s arms.