Volume 6 Chapter 68 Family Dining Table
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Good morning, Dad!” Chiho greeted, her voice bright as she entered the kitchen.
”Good morning, Chiho,” Dad replied, smiling softly.
A normal morning scene. The other world still feels like a distant dream I can’t shake off.
Chiho wore her pajamas, her long hair sticking up in messy spikes from sleep. Long hair must be hard to manage. She said she wouldn’t cut it because Dad would cry. She’s definitely Daddy’s little girl.
She walked past me quickly, grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk from the fridge, rested her hand on her hip, and took a big sip. My little sister has this old-man vibe now, so different from when she was a cute kid.
That bottle was hers. I’m glad I bought the same one earlier at the convenience store. I even picked up fruit milk for myself. Japan is amazing—if you have money, you can get anything.
”What are you grilling, Brother Sab? Oh, an omelette!” Chiho said.
It was a rolled omelette, technically a tamagoyaki. Having eggs always stocked in the fridge makes us feel like nobles, even if eggs are cheap here. Still, my rolled omelette tastes so good, I bet nobles would cry tears of joy.
”Eat it with respect,” I said, slicing the omelette into bite-sized pieces.
”It’s been a while since I had Brother Sab’s omelette. Has it really been a year?” Chiho asked as she grabbed a piece with her fingers and popped it in her mouth.
”Hey! That’s bad manners!” Mom scolded, but she was too busy eating herself to be strict.
There wasn’t much rice left, so I filled the gap with bread—a mix of Japanese and Western styles. I made a sandwich using leftover fried food from last night, added a special sauce, and tossed in some tomatoes. I even put milk into the miso soup to make a flavor that pairs well with bread.
Tomato miso soup might be a bit unusual, but as long as it’s just family eating, a little twist is fine.
I prefer rice over bread, so I grilled some salted salmon from the fridge as a side dish. I made a rice bowl topped with a raw egg and some natto. Natto cravings? No problem. You can always find it at the convenience store. It’s like heaven.
Japanese rice is so sweet, almost like dessert. Before I knew it, tears ran down my cheeks.
”Mom, this grilled salmon is the best I’ve ever had. You really splurged on this, huh?” Dad said, clearly enjoying the meal even though he’s a rice person.
”It was on sale at the supermarket. But yes, it’s really delicious,” Mom replied.
”Brother Sab’s cooking skills are insane! The omelette is super delicious too!” Chiho added enthusiastically.
”But, no matter how tasty it is, putting anything other than salt in an omelette is a sin,” Mom said, grumbling while eating a second piece.
Mom’s stubborn about that—she insists omelettes should only have salt. If she wanted a sweet one, she’d have to make it herself.
Chiho wanted to eat, but I was the one who had to cook. Thinking back, I started cooking because of tamagoyaki.
”Still, Saburou’s cooking skills have gotten crazy. You could probably charge money for this. If you opened a restaurant, I’d invest,” Brother Ichirou said, probably meaning it as a compliment. Me, running a restaurant in Japan? That would be a dream come true.
”Is this magic? Or a cheat?” Brother Jirou muttered, always caught up in light novel and otherworldly talk. Cooking skills aren’t exactly superpowers, but they’re definitely useful. If you had magic skills, you might not need cooking, but still—it’s handy.
”Oh, right. Mom, Chiho, keep it a secret that Saburou is back for now,” Dad said seriously, like he had thought it through.
”Why? I called Keisuke yesterday. He was worried when Saburou disappeared,” Mom asked.
Uncle Keisuke is Mom’s youngest brother. I used to play with him a lot when I visited the countryside.
”Is it too late? No, tell Keisuke to keep quiet and hurry up and call him,” Dad said.
Uncle was just about to head to the family home. People in the countryside wake up early; looks like we barely made it in time. If the aunts find out, the whole family will know instantly.
”I knew it, Mom and Chiho can’t keep secrets,” Dad laughed.
”Why keep Saburou’s return a secret?” Mom asked.
”Did you do something you can’t tell us?” Chiho teased.
”No, that’s not it,” I said quickly.
The morning was chaotic. Dad and the others accepted it surprisingly easily, but Mom might be tougher. Should I bribe her with gold nuggets? Or jewels? Maybe a necklace with a huge ruby? How much is a natural ruby the size of a chicken egg worth?
”I’ll explain everything tonight. For now, don’t tell anyone I’m back.”
”Mom’s stubborn in strange ways. But more importantly, Brother Sab, make more tamagoyaki!” Chiho said happily, restoring peace at the table without any bribes.
”There are no more eggs in the fridge. I made egg sandwiches for lunch, so eat them when it’s time,” I told them.
A fluffy dashimaki tamago sandwich bento. It’s a perfect lunch.
”Mmm, mmm… so good!” Chiho dug into her bento without hesitation. Was she always such a foodie?
”Already eating lunch? That’s way too early!” The older brothers hurried out for work with their lunch boxes.
I planned to put leftovers in Magic’s bag, but none were left. Even Mom, a full-time housewife, grabbed her lunch and left.
Am I the only one left to clean up? Well, I guess that’s fine.
While washing dishes, my thoughts flowed freely.
What should I do today? Grocery shopping in the afternoon? No, wait.
I was supposed to think about the other world. Ms. Nina. Ms. Nina. Alright, I remember now.
The Hero Management Bureau holds the key to returning to that world. First, I should check the contents of the memory card I confiscated.
I rinsed the dish soap off and placed the dishes in the dryer. Japanese dish soap is dangerously good—almost as slick as Magic’s.
Back in my room, I pulled out the notebook from the other world.
The memory card isn’t large, but it mostly holds text files—quite a few of them. I opened one to start.
The document was written in the other world’s script, but I could still read it. Was it an invoice? No, more like a product list. Knives, kitchen knives, steel tools, whetstones—each item lined up in detail. A pretty niche selection.
They came in dozens, and when I added them all up, the total was quite large.
Another list showed railway rails, cart springs, and tons of coke.
I kept scanning through the lists one by one. It was oddly fascinating to imagine what they were used for.
Apparently, supplies were sent regularly to the other world. The bulk consisted of metal products, then timber, plus various daily necessities and electrical appliances.
Now that I thought about it, I had seen quite a few things from Earth in the other world. They said the summoned Heroes brought them, but there were just too many items.
The shipments must have been grouped and sent on a schedule. Luck played a role—if you were unlucky, the cargo might just vanish into some space-time gap.
As for summoning the Heroes themselves, that was far trickier than shipping cargo.
When crossing the world’s barrier, the soul had to transform and often broke.
The higher the Hero’s level, the greater the risk. No one had succeeded above level 7.
Even at level 1, the success rate was only about 50 percent, so summoning Heroes was riskier than I thought. How many had been sacrificed? It was a crime beyond forgiveness.
Since levels 7 and above were impossible, Ms. Shirakaba and Mr. Kondou couldn’t return to Japan. No, wait—maybe there was a way to lower the level.
Level Drain… I remembered some monsters had a special attack like that.
Vampires, succubi, and liches used annoying attacks that forced the victim’s level down if resisted.
Usually, the worst attack became the saving grace. Succubi might not know this, but I felt I’d seen liches somewhere before.
Ms. Shirakaba probably didn’t want to go back, but if Mr. Kondou found out, he’d do anything to reunite with his wife and son.
* * *
If the success rate at level 1 was 50 percent, and at level 7 it was zero, what about level 4? Probably less than 50 percent.
Was escaping safely this time a miracle?
I had a terrifying memory of being chased by some black orb while crossing worlds. That fear still haunted me—maybe it was better to forget.
Even with a simple 50 percent chance, succeeding twice in a row was only 25 percent. This was the moment.
The chance of three successes in a row was 12.5 percent—that was bad. It was a hurdle I had to overcome to meet Ms. Nina again.
For four in a row, the chance dropped to 6.25 percent, less than ten percent. Maybe giving up on ever returning safely to Japan was the wiser choice.
Was I really calculating this right? If so, the danger was worse than I thought. Even a hero from a boys’ manga wouldn’t face risks like this often.
The Bureau agents here were ready to risk their lives too.
A 50 percent chance to survive and reach Japan. A 25 percent chance to return home.
Those numbers made it feel real that I could die here, buried far from home.
I felt sorry for them. Was this Stockholm syndrome? No, maybe something else.
* * *
The Bureau’s secret hideout apparently shifted location roughly every ten years.
Before Japan, it was in the United States—in New Mexico, the same place as Avalon Island’s headquarters. Everything was connected.
The Hero summoned then was American. I’d heard from an old man that old Heroes were stubborn and hard to handle.
To be summoned into another world and still keep your own will—that was impressive. I’d always been swept along by others. I envied that a little.
Before America, the hideout had been in Europe. In a world of swords and magic, that was the real deal—classic and authentic.
Anyway, I’d better leave those old questions aside for now. I wanted to learn the exact summoning ritual for Heroes.
There was supposed to be a Magic Formation underground in the Bureau’s hideout connecting the two worlds. The matching formation was likely in the royal capital’s temple.
The ritual that sent me to Earth was recorded, so I’d start investigating from there.
Maybe I could get help from scientists or genius hackers to analyze the ritual. But sneaking into the hideout again might be faster.
That memory card I took without much thought could actually be useful.
Information was important, after all.
Oh, right—I should make a list of my skills before I forget.
I vaguely remembered making one with Editor skill before. Copying that should be quick, right?
Uh, I couldn’t remember the file name…
No matter. Opening files one by one would find it.
I opened a file randomly, only to be startled by an unexpected memory.
It showed an ultra-glamorous beauty—Frapatica, a high-ranking fire spirit.
How could I forget someone I’d even married once?
Oh right, we got divorced. What a waste.
But she was a spirit, not human. What kind of person was I to marry a non-human?
No, I trusted myself. She was probably wonderful, both in looks and personality. I hoped I hadn’t been fooled by her figure.
Ah, but it wasn’t just her, was it? How many women had I married? I started to feel like I’d been sleeping around randomly.
My true nature as a playboy was hard to admit. Had I just been enjoying being called a Hero in another world? I remembered bits of it—actually, I was starting to recall a lot.
I was the worst, rolling around in regret and shame.
No, now wasn’t the time to be foolish. I had to take responsibility.
Fortunately, polygamy was allowed in that world. With money and status, you could take responsibility… Wait, I was a king, wasn’t I? Had I done the math right?
Wow. I was actually pretty reliable.
Losing memories was strange. If my memories changed, in a way, I was a different person.
I remembered my relationships with Ms. Nina, the Doll Princess, and the original Princess Auroora.
By that logic, was I really the same person today as I would be tomorrow? The thought scared me.
Well, those deep questions were best left to philosophers and sci-fi writers.
Rather than overthinking, it was better to act. For now, my resolution was to keep moving forward.
* * *
I slung a big backpack over my shoulders and climbed onto my road bike.
Oh no, the tire was flat. It had been a year, after all.
My beloved bike, the Red Sardine. I also had a mountain bike, the Silver Mackerel. Both were assembled from second-hand parts Uncle Kasuke had collected.
Uncle was a bachelor with a materialistic streak—he bought things he didn’t need, so I often inherited his hand-me-downs.
Old bicycle frames were made of chrome-molybdenum steel, making them heavy with fewer gears than modern models. Still, they were prized pieces once used in races.
Uncle was a bit odd, but he had a good eye for antiques.
Sadly, he didn’t understand trends. He bought old parts during the bike boom, hoping their value would rise, but ended up losing a lot.
Chrome-molybdenum steel resisted rust better than iron, though not as much as stainless steel, thanks to small amounts of chromium and other elements.
The Red Sardine’s frame had sat in Uncle’s yard for years, nearly covered in rust. But it was just surface rust. After I got it, I polished it until it gleamed.
Iron bikes were heavy compared to today’s carbon frames, but extremely durable—you didn’t need to handle them gently.
Next time I went to the other world, I’d take both bikes. I could maintain them myself.
When I tried pumping air into the tires, I noticed a small hole in the rear tube. It could be fixed with a rubber patch, but it would take some time.
The mountain bike had tubeless tires, which resisted punctures better.
Should I take that one instead? No, the front rim was leaking air. The sealing needed redoing.
Notes:
• Chiho – Female. Saburou’s younger sister. She is described as rude but caring. She has a tough personality, which is similar to Jirou’s, and they get along well. She is supportive of Saburou and is happy about his return.
• Ichirou – Male. Saburou’s older brother. He works at a bank and is described as soft-spoken. He is concerned about Saburou’s well-being and is part of the family gathering to celebrate Saburou’s return.
• Jirou – Male. Saburou’s other older brother. He is a shady businessman with a villainous look. He is more understanding of Saburou’s experiences in another world due to his exposure to light novels and anime. He is also tight-lipped, which makes him a good confidant for Saburou’s secrets.
• Keisuke – Saburou’s Mother’s younger brother. Saburou’s uncle.
• Ms. Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Nina – Doll Princess (Auroora 217), renamed by the protagonist. Beautiful blonde, ~168 cm, slim waist. Wears adventurer attire. Made from artificial parts and wooden limbs, resembling a princess. Knowledgeable, can read, write, and use basic healing magic. Reliable partner, often saves the protagonist with her skills.
• Shirakaba – A paladin who seems to be a skilled fighter. He’s introduced as someone with a strong defense and healing abilities.
• Frapatica – Advanced Fire Spirit, brown skin, fiery red hair, striking red leather bikini armor, youthful beneath a mature appearance, Edo-girl speaking style, kind, offers her name as a sign of trust
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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