Chapter 02: Return to the Original World
Hayato awoke. As his consciousness muddled, he looked up at the ceiling, and an unfamiliar sight met his eyes. No, it felt somewhat familiar. Something tugged at his memory. The moment he tried to understand it, he felt something strange about his body.
“Owowowow!?”
Just moving his body slightly sent an intense, electric shock-like pain coursing through his entire being. He reflexively tried to protect his body, but even that movement amplified the pain. Yet, strangely enough, he didn’t feel any wounds opening or blood flowing.
From his experience in countless battles up until now, Hayato had become able to grasp the state of his wounds by feel. In the battle against the Demon King, he should have sustained injuries severe enough to be fatal. Even so, determined not to lose, he had pushed himself recklessly and continued to fight. The wounds that had covered his battered body were now closed.
Had someone healed him with magic after the battle? And then brought him to this room? Or perhaps, was this all a dream?
“Hah… hah…”
As he regulated his breathing, he grew accustomed to the pain in his body. Looking around the room, he saw modern appliances lined up—a small television, a personal computer, and other things unseen in the other world.
On the wall was a photo with friends, taken during his university days. On the desk, stationery he had used before was scattered about.
This was, without a doubt, his own room.
“This is…”
Looking down at his body, he saw he was wearing familiar loungewear—pants and a shirt. His well-worn armor, the Holy Sword that had saved his life countless times, and the bag containing his precious travel gear were nowhere to be found.
No, that wasn’t it. So that’s how it is.
“Could it be… the original world? Have I… returned…? Guh!?”
In his shock, he tried to sit up suddenly, forcing his body to move, and a pain so intense it brought tears to his eyes assaulted him. A pain like muscle soreness amplified hundreds of times over permeated every corner of his body. This was too much. It was as if every single cell in his body was screaming. Even moving a single finger was difficult. At this rate, standing up might be impossible.
If only I could use recovery magic right now…
He unconsciously began to chant an incantation for recovery magic, but he couldn’t feel any mana within his body. Of course. This was modern Japan; there was no way he could use magic. Even so, the reflexive actions ingrained in his body didn’t seem like they would disappear easily.
“Hah, hah… Phew.”
Once again, while slowly regulating his breathing, he returned his body to its previous position. He realized that if he rested quietly, the pain would gradually subside.
It seemed he had no choice but to rest quietly until he fully recovered.
If this was the modern world, then his life probably wasn’t in danger. There was no chance of monsters attacking, nor any worry of being targeted by assassins from hostile organizations. It should be far safer than camping out in the wild.
Even thinking that, the wariness ingrained in him from his harsh journey in the other world didn’t seem like it would fade easily. The habit of occasionally straining his ears at sounds and carefully scanning every corner was deeply ingrained in him.
What happened to that world after he left? Was the Demon King truly defeated? Did they manage to deliver the finishing blow? Had it become a world where people could live in peace, without fearing monsters? Was Lilia-tachi’s sacrifice rewarded? These questions surfaced one after another, tightening his chest.
He wanted to know what had happened. But he had no way of finding out. No matter how much he kept thinking, he wouldn’t find an answer.
“…”
Wanting to know how long he had been in the other world, he mustered his strength and reached for the mobile phone by his pillow. Tapping the screen yielded no response. The power seemed to be off. This was no good. He didn’t even have the energy to look for the phone’s charger.
There was an alarm clock. It pointed to 3:00 PM. Judging from the light streaming in through the window, it certainly seemed to be past noon. But he didn’t know what month or day it was.
It was no use. Hayato decided to put all his thoughts aside for later. For now, he would focus on resting his injured body. He would think about everything else after he recovered.
As he quietly closed his eyes, his consciousness gradually sank into a deep sleep.