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The Staggering Price of Bridging Worlds – Part 01

“Hey, it’s been a while! How have you been? It’s been so long since I’ve used that world’s language that I’m already forgetting it. So I’ll stick to Japanese. It’s like, whenever I use Japanese here, I forget a lot of the words I learned there, you know. Oh, funny story. You know how the girls came here, right? Well, Selyse can’t speak Japanese, but she’s also getting worse at that world’s language. Pretty hilarious, huh? It’s like, what’s going on here? Ahahaha. Anyway…”

Serika, wearing a zip-up hoodie with red embroidery on pure white, cleared her throat.

“What did she just say?”

“Nothing important, trust me.”

It was a palm-sized screen. Recorded on the smartphone, a familiar device back on Earth, was a video message from Serika.

Lavia and Paula were peering with great interest from the sides. The two of them were waiting for Hikaru after he had completed casting the spell for crossing worlds. When he opened the package, he found the smartphone inside, which led to a viewing party.

Since Serika was speaking Japanese, Hikaru had to translate simultaneously.

“Thanks for sending my friends here. I’m really grateful. You know how I left without saying a word. Selyse was mad at me. She said we four are the Four Eastern Stars.”

Serika didn’t notify her friends about her return to Japan last time. However, Selyse and the others had long noticed that something was off with her. So they decided to go to Japan as well, knowing that there might be no coming back.

Serika seemed awkward, probably because she knew that.

“As for what they’re up to right now: they’re in the hospital. The public was skeptical about the existence of a different world, but then the girls appeared. For the time being, they’re undergoing physical examination to confirm whether they’re in good health, and tests to see if they’re carrying any unknown viruses. It’s been going on for a while. I’m good because I’m originally Japanese, but they’re from a different world. They also have unknown blood types, so it’s taking a lot of time.”

I see. Hikaru nodded in understanding.

The introduction of an unknown virus that could not be analyzed by modern medicine would be a significant concern.

“Anyway, everyone was stupefied when they saw the potion Sara brought. Imagine their surprise if I showed them magic, though.”

“Huh. Can you use magic on Earth?”

“Then again, I can barely cast a spell here.”

Although it made no sense to talk to the video, Serika answered Hikaru’s question somehow.

Is casting magic possible over there?

Hikaru was momentarily dumbfounded. If so, it wouldn’t be strange for other Mages to appear on Earth.

No, wait. There are mages on Earth.

Psychics, espers, wielders of mysterious powers—people with such titles certainly existed, and many believed in them. However, Hikaru merely regarded them with skepticism.

Were they actually the real deal? I wonder. If I go there right now, can I use my Mana Detection… Is there even mana there? There’s probably hardly any mana in the atmosphere, or even elementals at all. Hence why Serika can’t use her spells.

Lavia tugged on Hikaru’s sleeve. “Hikaru? Serika is talking.”

“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought.”

Serika was talking non-stop on the screen, so he rewound the video. Seeing the footage wound back elicited a surprised gasp from Lavia and Paula.

Although it was their first time seeing a smartphone, they appeared more intrigued than astonished, likely because of the advanced sorcery and magic items in this world. If anything, they were most surprised when he explained that this device did not require any magic at all.

“Thanks to all that, there’s this crazy hype going on. People who want to go there are flocking in. They have no idea how tough it is there. Heck, I almost died when I first arrived. I don’t think it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but hey, lots of folks wear rose-tinted glasses I guess. So, the girls showed up last time the spell was activated, right? Well, that proved the existence of other worlds, and everyone and their grandma started pouring in from around the globe. Ah, I should fill you in on why it all got spilled to the media in the first place. You know how I was planning to head back once I met the people I wanted to see, right? But turns out I couldn’t go back. Soon, folks started talking about how I was supposed to be missing, and my family couldn’t keep it under wraps anymore. So, I spilled the beans. To quite a few people, actually. Then they started wondering if I had lost my marbles—totally expected. So, I had no other choice but to use magic.”

In this world, Serika was a highly skilled Elemental Mage. She had five points on all four attributes on her Soul Board: fire, wind, earth, and water. Hikaru had never seen a Mage as skilled as her.

Magic might be weaker back on Earth, but a demonstration of all four types of elemental magic would provide no room for doubt. And the result was the horde of media that appeared the last time Hikaru activated the spell.

“Ah, it’s been a tough two months. People wondered if I had the ability to open a rift to another world, and there were those who thought that if they were near me, they could travel there. So much attention… People came to my family, where the rift opened, and oh, they even came to Hazuki’s house. So we moved out.”

“You don’t have to tell him about me, Serika.”

“Why not? I thought you were curious about Hikaru. You were on his mind, you know.”

“Just drop it.”

Hikaru gave a start. He thought Serika was recording alone, but it turned out there was someone else by her side.

He never expected to return to Japan, but there were people he’d want to see if he could. One of them was Hazuki. Hearing the voice, Hikaru realized Hazuki was the one Serika was talking to.

“Life will be rough for you. You may be clever, but you’re also reckless. Someday, somewhere, you might just suddenly die.”

Hikaru ignored the words of other seniors and adults, but he readily listened to what Hazuki had to say. And in an ironic twist of fate, he did meet his end back in Japan.

“Since you insist it’s all right, I guess I don’t have to worry about it too much? Ahahaha, sorry, sorry! Don’t give me that look.”

Hazuki was beyond the rift when Selyse’s party left. She seemed a bit more mature than the Hazuki he remembered, probably because she was a year older than him and they hadn’t seen each other for over a year.

Her long black hair remained the same, her intellectual features unchanged.

“The girl who holds the key to the existence of another world and its gate. In short, I’ve become a super important person for the Japanese government, so I’ve been subjected to various restrictions. In return, the government shouldered the moving expenses for both our families. We live in the latest high-rise condo now, so it’s pretty comfy.”

Serika smiled unabashedly, genuinely enjoying the current situation.

“Anyway, that’s the sitch. If you have questions, write a letter or something. Perfecting the spell for crossing worlds will take a while anyway, so there’s no need to rush. Don’t worry about what’s happening here.”

Hikaru came to a realization. Serika originally planned to return within a month, but her stay in Japan was already twice as long, and now she was bound to stay for another month. She might develop attachment to her family and Hazuki, affecting her desire to return to his world.

Did I do something bad?

The longer she stayed, the more painful the farewell.

I have to work on the spell quick.

“We sold the gold coins and gems Sara brought, so we have plenty of money to play around with.”

This time, her smile had a somewhat wicked feel to it. The sigh that followed was probably from Hazuki, which synced with Hikaru’s own. Was Serika planning to go on a spending spree or something?

“Oh. Also, I think the phone should work… but if it doesn’t, you won’t be able to watch this video, huh? Uh-oh, maybe I should have written a letter. Oh well, next time. We can’t spend all that money in a month anyway.”

Yup, that was her plan.

“Anyway, there’s a fully charged battery in the same package. I need you to take lots of videos and photos of the scenery there, including the town. This is a request from the Japanese government. Actually, more like this huge organization called the UN or something.”

Hikaru had noticed that the phone he was holding was marketed for its durability, apparently because Serika wanted pictures and videos of this world. Danger lurked everywhere here, after all.

“Lastly, the next time you open the portal, it might be better to change the date. Since it’s already known that the rift opens every thirty days, it’s all chaos. This time, media from all over the world flocked in, and they’re broadcasting the whole thing worldwide. Hazuki said she didn’t want to be on camera, so I’m going alone. She’ll be nearby, though. If she’s not around, we’ll have no idea where the rift might open.”

Serika looked somewhat downcast, her pigtails sagging.

“Anyway, change the date. Ideally, a few days before the 30th day. A day before, and there are already people camping overnight.”

Camping overnight? The hype must be crazy.

“Maybe three days before? I’ll make sure to be with Hazuki at 10 PM every day from a week before. This is a seriously urgent matter. The Prime Minister told me that next time, they’ll rent out a baseball stadium or a concert hall. And he was serious.”

The Prime Minister too? Hikaru felt sorry for Serika, but this was also her fault for not being able to lie her way out of things.

Three days before…

Hikaru had less time for research now. He had to perfect the spell for crossing worlds as soon as possible.

It pisses me off how she’s out there having a good time, while I’m here working my butt off.

There was no better motivation than this.