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Returning Home to Japan – Part 03

They arrived at a familiar, unused warehouse. Their purpose: to execute the spell for crossing worlds.

“I want you to learn how to do it. It’s not that difficult, though.”

If it became possible to travel between Earth and this world, Hikaru would need Paula, who was staying behind, to once again cast the spell for crossing worlds to help him return to this realm.

“O-Okay!”

“You actually just need to place the catalysts in order.”

Kujastria had already prepared several sheets of paper marked with sigils. Sharing the same level of passion for sorcery as Ivy, she crafted them during breaks from her busy schedule.

Paula attentively observed as Hikaru did the procedure. The sigils on the paper were already emitting a subtle glow.

“Then, following the Four Elementals Fusion Theory, we combine the formula with elemental magic stones.”

Hikaru laid out a small sheet of paper, inscribed with the formula for the Four Elementals Fusion Theory, on the spot where he usually placed the large elemental magic stone. After carefully measuring the ambient magical energy, he sorted the elemental magic stones. He then set down several sets of formulas and stones of all four attributes.

The symbols, prepared by Kujastria, shimmered in orange light, connecting the four elemental magic stones. Lavia’s and Paula’s excitement was palpable as they witnessed the magic unfold for the first time.

“It’s been 20 days since I used this spell last,” Hikaru noted. “I’m supposed to do this three days to a week before the usual monthly date, but ten days early should be fine.”

Missing the appointed date would likely cause a bigger uproar back on Earth, but not if he was early.

“All right. Let’s try it. Step back, you two.”

Hikaru put down four elemental magic stones. The paper with the formula burst into flames, turning to ash, but the sigils remained, glowing orange as they linked the stones together.

“It’s so pretty,” Lavia remarked.

“I can feel immense power,” Paula said.

It was their first time seeing the spell in action.

Red light emanated from the fire elemental magic stone, blue from the water, green from the wind, and yellow from the earth, rising like pillars.

But it was a fleeting spectacle. The lights converged, twisted, and transformed into a pillar of pure, blinding white light.

Who would have imagined that elemental magic stones called junk stones held such potent power?

“Activating the spell!”

Previous execution of the spell produced reactions corresponding to the attributes of the elemental magic stones. Wind created a powerful gust, and earth summoned rock pillars.

This time, however, light surged from the entire magical formula of the spell for crossing worlds, bathing the warehouse’s interior in a white hue. A tearing sound, like fresh wood being torn, echoed, and a rift appeared in space.

It’s entirely different from before. There’s no hint of instability. Mana is also being steadily supplied.

Large elemental magic stones the size of rugby balls could only open a rift that lasted a few seconds, but combining four types of elemental magic stones, even those considered junk, generated an immense amount of magical energy.

The rift widened to the size of a house door.

“Huh?”

And on the other side was Serika, her expression one of astonishment. She was in a small but girly room, furnished with a bed with a pink polka-dot cover, matching curtains, a bookshelf filled with manga, a brand-new TV. She wasn’t alone.

“Oh, is that Hikaru?” said Selyse, a member of the same party, Four Eastern Stars. Next to her were Sophie and Sara. In short, all members of the party were present.

Furthermore, they were all in their pajamas, each wearing a different color but the same stripe pattern—Selyse in yellow, Sophie in blue, Sara in green, and Serika in red. Hikaru briefly wondered if the colors were based on the four types of elemental magic stones.

“Wh-Why are you opening the rift already?! We’re having a pajama party over here!”

“I just thought the earlier the better.”

“I mean, come on—wait.” Serika paused. “Y-You can hear me?!”

Hikaru nodded. “You should be able to return here. Do you want to try—whoa!”

Sara, seated on the bed, leaped barefoot and landed next to Hikaru with a nimbleness that made her seem weightless.

“Oh, he’s right. We can go back! And the rift isn’t closing at all.”

“It’s an updated version of the spell. Still, I think it’s limited to one or two minutes.”

“I see.” Sara returned to the room and dusted off the soles of her feet.

“Wait, you’re not coming back here?” Hikaru asked.

“Hmm? We go back when Serika goes back.”

Hikaru shifted his gaze to Serika.

“I-I was so shocked, my mind stopped working! Now that I think about it, you can travel freely between here and there!”

“No, you—”

“No, you can’t.” Selyse cut Hikaru off.

The spell for crossing worlds determined the destination based on the connection between souls. This was clear from the fact that all rifts until now had opened near Hazuki. In other words, at least one of those people who shared a connection must stay in the other world.

Additionally, Hikaru could only measure the amount of mana within the junk stones because of his Mana Detection. It was still far from useful.

Selyse probably already knew about the former.

“Really?! Why not?!”

“Explaining that will take a bit of time. Come, Lavia.”

“Okay.”

Hikaru held hands with Lavia and crossed the rift.

“What?”

Serika, Sophie, and Sara gaped, while Selyse alone smiled with delight.

“Serika, I have a favor to ask,” Hikaru said.

“Huh? What?”

“I want you to go to the other side and use the spell again an hour later.”

“What?!”

Hikaru grabbed Serika’s hand and sent her back through the rift. The portal was slowly closing.

“Paula. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Got it!”

“Whaaat?!”

The rift closed.

---

Without Hikaru needing to clarify that the spell for crossing worlds would only activate when Serika used it in the other world, the three members of the Four Eastern Stars appeared to have intuited it somehow. It seemed that only Serika remained somewhat perplexed—the explanation would be provided by Paula, as Hikaru had briefed her on the situation.

“Are you two going to walk around town in those outfits?” Selyse asked.

“It seems you have been quite influenced by this world since we last saw you,” Hikaru said.

“This world is wonderful. It’s peaceful, safe, and not dusty.”

Selyse’s complexion had improved, and her golden hair, usually tied into a chignon, cascaded down her back with a lustrous sheen.

Hikaru recalled how Selyse typically maintained a neat and tidy appearance, which he assumed she did so that clients would take her more seriously. Perhaps there was more to it than that. Selyse herself might love being clean.

“I really liked this manga.” Sophie showed a girls’ manga in her hands. It was brand-new.

“Um… do you understand Japanese?”

“I don’t. However, even by just looking at the pictures, I can understand that it’s wonderfully done.”

“I-Is that so.”

Back in their world, Galeicrada, the son of Duke Nightblaze, was searching for Sophie, but Hikaru couldn’t tell her that when she was so absorbed in studying the girls’ manga.

“Well then, we’ll be going. We’ll be back here in an hour.”

“Do you know where here is?” Sara asked.

“I have a rough idea.”

“I see, I see. There’s a TV series I wanna watch, so I was thinking of letting Selyse be your guide.”

“I’ve just taken a bath, so I don’t want to. If you really insist, though, I’ll consider it.”

“N-No, it’s fine.”

The three of them seemed to be adapting to Japan too well. Hikaru and Lavia apologized for entering with their shoes on and then left the room.

It was an apartment unit located on the fourth floor of a complex. A familiar scene greeted them outside. Hikaru gripped the handrail of the corridor as he gazed at the night view.

I’m really back.

There was no room to savor the emotions surging within. Hikaru’s heart felt heavy at the thought of what he was about to do.

It was almost 10 p.m. Would his parents be at home? He didn’t know about his father, who cared only about work, but his mother would definitely be there.

“Hikaru.”

As Lavia called to Hikaru, the elevator door opened, and a girl emerged.

Her usually detached eyes were currently filled with surprise. Her thin lips and fair skin evoked the image of an ill-starred beauty, but as far as Hikaru knew, she had always lived quietly and stayed true to her desires.

Wearing a cardigan, with her smooth black hair flowing down, she appeared to have just dropped by from the neighborhood. Was she here to visit Serika?