NOVEL NEXT Episode 2
Episode 2
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my room.
My body… was completely mine. Looking in the mirror in the room, I could see myself, but the attire was the issue.
I was still dressed the same way I was when I last fought the Demon Lord.
My appearance resembled an assassin, leaning a bit towards a ninja-like figure.
If this were a cosplay, it would be top-notch. If I were to say, “I’m cosplaying as a ninja for Comiket right now,” it would surely be a hit with foreigners.
“Huh.”
It didn’t feel out of place in the other world, but I couldn’t go out dressed in such a cosplay.
…Well, my abilities as a hero are still intact, so concealing my appearance should be easy.
But I can’t just walk outside like this.
Taking off all my equipment and storing it in the item box, I wrapped myself in a shabby shirt I found in the room.
…Why do I only have wrinkled ones?
“For now… what should I do?… Oh yeah, didn’t the goddess say something about me living here for a year?”
The goddess mentioned that when she first summoned me.
In addition, she confidently said, “Even if you defeat the Demon Lord and return to your original world, there won’t be any discomfort!”
…What does that mean?
I have no idea what’s going on.
While thinking about that, I glanced around the room.
Wait, what is this room? It’s exactly like the room of a shut-in I imagined.
…I have a bad feeling about this.
To confirm it, I slowly opened the door of the room.
Anyway, the best way to find out about my situation over the past year is to ask someone who knows me.
I left my room and headed towards the presence I felt on the first floor.
Whether it’s because my abilities as a hero are still intact, or for some other reason… I can easily grasp the situation around me.
When I entered the living room… there was an unfamiliar woman.
A girl with short brown hair. …She looks kind of like a delinquent, but there’s something familiar about her face.
No way…
“Mai, is that you?”
I called out my little sister’s name.
Mai, my stepsister from my father’s remarriage.
He got remarried when I was in elementary school, but because I was so kind to Mai, she became very attached to me.
But why does she look like a delinquent…?
She jumped, startled by my voice. Then, with a surprised expression, she looked at me while dropping the candy stick she was eating.
“…Huh? B-big brother? W-why…?”
…Why? What does she mean by that?
Her response is like she’s meeting me for the first time in a long while.
It’s fine for me to have that reaction, right? It’s actually true. So why is my Angel the one reacting like this?
Hey, goddess? What happened to me during the year I was in another world?
Suppressing the urge to raid the heavens, for now, I looked at Mai.
“Uh, well… um… maybe… long time no see?”
Trying to sound a little playful,
“A-Aah, big bro! I-I’m so glad you’re… h-hiccup!”
She burst into tears and hugged me.
While ecstatic about being hugged by my beloved Mai, my brain calmly assessed the situation.
Mai, my bosom buddy, has grown a bit.
No, not that.
Since she jumped into my arms from the sofa, normally I would have collapsed, but thanks to my otherworldly body, I managed to catch her.
Oh, there there. I pat her head and back as if comforting a beloved pet.
“…Big bro, I’m so glad… you came out of your room… hiccup…”
Came out of my room…?
I remembered my room from earlier.
…It seemed like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.
The curtains were closed, making the room dark.
Empty PET bottles and abandoned cup noodles were scattered around the room.
Since I was transferred to another world, my senses, or rather my thinking abilities, were enhanced, and as a result, I reached one conclusion.
…Could it be that I was a shut-in for a year?
Hey, damn goddess. What do you mean by, “You, on Earth—Yuto Sakuma—continue to live just like the previous Yuto Sakuma, so rest assured!”
This is a huge problem!
Don’t make Mai cry! I’ll kill you!
When I was in the other world, she would come out immediately if I yelled, but now that I’m back in Japan, there’s no response at all.
Maybe she’s refusing to handle complaints and hung up the phone. I’ve heard that my dad’s new grads once caused a problem by doing something like that.
Anyway, for now, I apologize profusely to Mai while trying to confirm things and calm her down.
“Uh, sorry for causing so many problems… I’ve been shut-in in my room all this time.”
“I-It’s okay. It’s partly my fault too for causing you to shut yourself in…”
Yes, confirmed shut-in. The anger meter towards the goddess has increased.
Original Author’s Comment:
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Thank you for reading up to this point!
I had a great time! If you’re curious about what happens next, I’d be delighted if you could give a ☆☆☆ or follow!
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