NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19
“Eh…”
The first place I visited in the world where Earth exists was a small grove on land owned by Grandpa Genji.
Just a short walk from there, I found the nostalgic scene of Akane Village, a place seemingly left behind by time. Surrounded by mountains, fields, and rice paddies, it was the kind of idyllic countryside anyone might imagine.
And now, after everything with Saiouji, the setting has changed. I find myself on the top floor of a high-rise apartment building, so tall I can’t even tell how many floors it has.
Stepping out onto the spacious balcony, where one could easily host a barbecue, I can see the brilliant blue sky above and, below, a sea of buildings tightly packed together. The broad, multi-lane roads between them are filled with cars. In the distance, I can even see the ocean, with a view extending all the way to Tokyo Bay—a prime location in the heart of the city.
“Mr. Allen, lunch is ready.”
In the largest room among many in the apartment, so spacious it feels like you could work out in it, movers are bringing in massive pieces of furniture. As I watch in a daze, Akira-san, now dressed in a butler’s uniform, addresses me in an overly formal manner.
“It’s okay, Akira-san. You can speak to me more casually, like before…”
“No, I couldn’t possibly.”
Akira-san, with her long hair tied back into a ponytail, is the epitome of cool elegance. Though she wears a men’s butler uniform, it suits her perfectly, as she’s always had that kind of chic, mature aura.
I can almost picture her with a cigarette between her lips, holding an assault rifle—she’d look incredibly badass.
When I first met her in Akane Village, I thought she was a somewhat languid, detached woman. But the Akira-san standing before me now is unrecognizable from that first impression.
Her sharp, almond-shaped eyes now gleam with determination, and her movements are crisp and precise, leaving me struggling with the stark contrast to how she was when we first met.
After submitting the photos I took of Saiouji and her adventurer team, along with some video footage I recorded from a distance while she worked on paperwork, the reaction from the Saiouji Group was nothing short of dramatic.
Akira-san, who practically became my personal attendant, is one of those whose reaction changed most dramatically. Apparently, she has been devoted to Saiouji ever since Saiouji was a child, and her feelings toward her are particularly strong.
I guess it makes sense, considering she became a top-notch SP (Special Protection) agent after receiving special training from the family’s servants following Saiouji’s disappearance.
“In a world like Asphial with so little entertainment, we should prioritize sending the manga and anime Miss Shizuku enjoyed reading… Since physical copies would be bulky, it might be better to compile them in electronic form.”
“It’s amazing that you can read manga and watch anime on your smartphone nowadays. What a great time to be alive.”
Akira-san may have become my attendant, but her loyalty is clearly directed toward Saiouji, who remains in the other world, through me.
This is perfectly understandable, and I don’t particularly mind. In fact, it’s rather endearing to watch this cool, stylish woman, who seems like she’d be popular with both men and women, thoughtfully choosing gifts for someone like a younger sister, hand on her chin as she ponders.
On a more personal note, I thought I’d need to arrange a proper identity if I were to live in Japan. In movies and novels, people often turn to the underworld to get fake IDs made, but in reality, I didn’t have those kinds of connections, and I was honestly at a loss.
But meeting Chairman Ryugen through Saiouji solved that issue of my identity in no time.
(…I’ve never seen this much money in my life.)
Chairman Ryugen, knowing I’m the only one who can communicate with his daughter Shizuku Saiouji, provided me with everything I needed to live comfortably in Japan—an identity, a residence, a cell phone, and even a substantial amount of operating funds.
The bank account that had been set up for me—under my previous life’s name, Shinjo Masato—contained a sum that was hundreds of times greater than anything I’d ever earned.
On top of that, they handed me a black card, a symbol of the ultra-wealthy, with no spending limit.
…Honestly, with all this, it’s hard to know where to start.
I had originally planned to just ask for an identity and then earn some money on the side by selling precious metals from Asphial. But that plan was entirely scrapped, thanks to Chairman Ryugen’s generosity.
In fact, my current living conditions might be even better than they were in Asphial.
However, receiving such extensive support comes with a few conditions.
The first is to provide maximum support to Shizuku Saiouji in Asphial. This includes sending her entertainment books and daily necessities, essentially acting as a kind of interdimensional delivery person.
The second condition is to cooperate in the research of my skill, “Interdimensional Travel.” Though the research hasn’t started yet, once preparations are complete, I’ll be required to occasionally generate a Moon Gate at a secret research facility operated by the Saiouji Group, so they can study it.
This includes delivering any mysterious materials I obtain in Asphial.
(The Shining Stones I brought back were worth millions each…)
I had sent one of the Shining Stones—a mysterious mineral that glows when struck—back through Akira-san, just as an experiment. In response, the Saiouji Group’s researchers sent me an overwhelming amount of emails.
Apparently, the substance is made of something completely different from any element found in this world, formed by unknown particles that don’t resemble any atom they’ve ever seen.
At this point, it’s beyond the understanding of someone like me, who only graduated high school, so I’ve decided to leave the research of Asphial’s mysterious materials to the experts.