Chapter 34 – Strange Tale of the Dragon God
Midday.
Koji Itsumi was swaying in the train with a feeling of great agitation.
Beyond the windows, buildings and billboards rushed by.
‘The next stop is Kamida Station.’
The announcement rang, and he got up from his seat. This was not the station here he had agreed to meet. However, he could not sit still for a moment longer.
He took out his phone and checked the time.
They were to meet at 10 o’clock.
“I wonder what they’re like?”
He noticed that his throat was dry. He opened the bottle of water in his hand and took a sip. And then he took a deep breath.
And thought back.
On why he was here.
Last night, he had started a thread on an anonymous message board.
In order to talk about his experience being summoned by a god called Zephalis.
Two weeks passed since his return, and there was a whirlwind of emotions within Koji.
Being killed. The people he left behind.
And the kobold.
He spat out everything. All of his emotions to a faceless audience. Sometimes, he even received serious responses.
He had been satisfied with it.. And yet, he had not been able to sleep. And it was as he kept an eye on the thread, that the person came.
‘Would you like to return to that world once again?’
And the person had provided an address so that they could speak to each other directly.
Not only that, but the address and password involved his name and date of birth.
If this was all a joke, then it was incredibly creepy.
It was supposed to be anonymous. His private information should not have leaked.
“What if I get assassinated…as soon as I arrive.”
Different thoughts entered his mind.
Perhaps it was a trick. After all, he would have looked like an idiot student who had lost grip of reality.
But…
“There is always that thing. How the real scenario starts after you retire…”
The other possibility.
Perhaps there was a community of people who had been to that world. Maybe there was an organization who was rebelling against the gods.
‘Koji Itsumi. It’s my first time talking like this.’
‘Who the hell are you? How did you find out my real name?’
‘I’ve been keeping an eye on you. …I did not expect you to do tha…’
‘So, you hacked me then?’
‘We can discuss everything when we meet. In fact, I am going over there tomorrow, in order to deal with some other business.’
They did not chat long.
The other person did not want to leave traces of their existence on the internet. And so the address was erased shortly after.
“Damn it… My heart hurts…”
Koji held his violently beating heart as the train continued to move.
Eventually, the billboards and buildings changed to that famous cluster of electronics stores.
They crossed the elevated green rails and then reached the platform.
The doors opened and the bell rang.
While still shaking, Koji got out of the train along with some other students.
The sign on a pillar read ‘Akihabara.’
He went down the stairs and towards the ticket gate.
There had been no details about this person’s physical appearance. They said that they would be the one to approach Koji when he arrived.
“Meeting in Akihabara, huh?”
It felt strange. But perhaps it was the best spot.
If a stranger listened to what they would talk about, they would just assume it was from a game or light novel. If you want to hide a tree, then go to a forest.
He went down the escalator and took in a deep breath while heading to the ticket gate.
Koji used his smartphone to get through.
On his way here, he had tried to imagine who the person would be.
A scary man in black who wore sunglasses?
A pretty boy his own age?
Or a cute girl?
“Ah, there you are.”
He was immediately disappointed.
That was not a girl.
But Koji was surprised when he saw the person who approached him.
“You must be tired from a lack of sleep.”
He had a round face and a warm smile. His jacket and pants looked a little tight for him.
His hair was black and neatly trimmed. He wore glasses with wire frames, and had a shoulder bag that likely contained a laptop.
Indeed, he looked like an ordinary middle-age otaku you see in Akihabara.
“Uh… Are you sure you have the right person?”
“Don’t act slow with me, former Hero. Or perhaps you are confused by my appearance?”
Said the man. And then he quickly went out into the sidewalk, towards the road with the game centers and electronics stores.
“Hey, wait!”
“We cannot stand around here. There must be a place we can go. Well, there is no comfortable place around here… What to do…”
In spite of his weight, he walked quickly. After finally catching up with him, Koji grumbled.
“Look, I get that it’s you now. But you could at least tell me your name.”
“Sorry. It’s been a while since I was last here. And so I’ve forgotten my manners. Here.”
His thick fingers disappeared into his pocket and then came out with cheap-looking aluminum business cards.
He pulled one out and turned to Koji and offered it to him politely, with both hands.
“I am Kako Yamami. A management consultant. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
What the hell was with this guy?
For the first time in his life, Koji accepted a business card with some confusion.
“Still, I’m surprised you would accept such an invitation.”
Yamami said as they started walking again.
“The hell! You told me to come!?”
“But weren’t you suspicious? What if it was a scam? A trap.”
“Of course, I was suspicious! To be honest…I almost didn’t come.”
Yamami laughed, and they stopped at a red light beneath a bridge.
“Still, you did come.”
“Because you’re going to tell me what I want to know, right?”
The people started to walk, and so they joined the flow across the street.
The man nodded.
“You are just full of curiosity, aren’t you?”
“…I wouldn’t have followed a god otherwise…”
“I see. Well, perhaps it is that decisiveness that resulted in you being chosen for a Hero.”
He really just looked like an ordinary man.
But he was the one writing on the message board.
He had asked if Koji wanted to return to that world.
“What do you want to know?”
“Huh?”
“I asked what you wanted to know.”
A trailer for a new video game was playing in a store window. It was so loud that Yamami had to repeat himself.
“Well…I…”
“You want to know how you can return? Perhaps I can tell you.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
He said it so casually.
Koji looked at him with a stunned expression.
“However, there are some conditions.”
“…I thought there would be.”
It was expected. There was no way that someone from that world would approach him without some reason.
“Like…you want my life?”
“I said ‘conditions.’”
Yamami said as he stopped in front of a multi-tenant building. There was a game center with an orange sigh.
“There is a proper order for everything. And you also have your own circumstances. We need to figure everything out.”
“What should I do?”
They headed inside. Past the rows of cabinets and prize machines. The man stopped at the staircase and then smiled.
“First, you must accompany me for some shopping.”
He was standing near a sign with some cute characters.
It seemed like a manga store for otaku merch and doujin.
“…Shopping…?”
“A circle that I am fond of has released some new works. And there are some books that are only sold here.”
“Wait a minute!”
Koji shouted without thinking.
“Do not be so loud. It will disturb the other customers.”
“No, no, no, no! What do you expect! Why are we suddenly talking about buying manga!”
“Didn’t I tell you? I came here to deal with some business.”
He had said something like that. But, surely he didn’t mean this!?
Were they not supposed to talk about other worlds? The games of god and reveal terrible secrets?
“You really came here to do this?”
“Not just this. I am very busy.”
Yamami boasted as he took out his smartphone.
“Let’s see…a graphics card, and a server machine to store scanned documents. Also, I must search for some old games. A friend asked me for a favor. In fact, I would also like to buy a new smartphone…”
“You’re just a regular otaku!”
“Fool. I must also go to the card game store. And if I have enough time, I will visit the used books store.”
Koji’s head was suddenly hurting. It was probably the fatigue from a lack of sleep. He felt dizzy.
“Now, let’s go.”
Yamami ignored his reaction and descended the narrow staircase
Koji could do nothing but sigh and go after him.