Chapter 28 The Man Who Brewed Dark Sludge Just Before Returning
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was the fifth day of cutting back on food costs, and finally, my time in this world was nearly over.
”I can go back to the Otherworld now!”
”Oh…!” I breathed.
It seemed the interval period was exactly five days. That was how long it took until I could return.
What did I even do in those five days? I called the store manager, checked Morisaki’s emails, chose and bought things to take to the Otherworld, played games on my smartphone, and paid the utility bills. That was it. Five days back in Japan for the first time in a month, and the sum total of my activities was painfully thin. It really seemed to highlight how little I actually mattered in Japanu know?
”Ah, but… did I manage to leave any trace of Ami-chan’s presence for the people chasing you?” I muttered.
”Who knows? I bet they’re just doing the bare minimum themselves?” she teased.
I still didn’t understand the first thing about Ami-chan’s situation. Maybe she figured I wouldn’t fully grasp it anyway, even if she explained it. Still, just listening to her talk, it seemed like the very act of me staying in Japan had some kind of meaning for her.
I started gathering the things I was taking back: seeds, various cutlery, an ear pick—the usual random stuff. I even prepared some old, discarded magazines and a bundle of newspapers.
Before heading back, I performed one final SNS check on my smartphone. I knew it just stressed me out, but I couldn’t stop checking my acquaintances’ accounts. Why? Because I was waiting for that one moment, that one post—’I got divorced’ or ‘I was cheated on’—that would announce some profound misfortune.
Checking SNS, wishing for the misery of the people who’d ‘won’ at life—it really shows off my ego, doesn’t it? But seriously, I bet I’m not the only person in the world who wants this. Even on talk shows, they just unconditionally trash the offender.
And it gets even more intense when the culprit is someone who seems to have a good life—a teacher, a lawyer—someone who’s smooth sailing. Then the mob pile-on goes into overdrive. The posts spread like wildfire in an instant with all those quotes and shares.
Seeking that dark, gloomy pleasure, I scrolled through the app.
”…………”
Nothing much, huh? I thought, moving to close the app, but that was the moment it happened.
”Hm…?”
Right at the top of the screen, the words “~ is speaking” popped up. I tapped it and saw the name: 〈Seikyo High School Class 3-A Reunion, Year of XX〉.
What in the world…? Seikyo High was my old school. And I was in 3-A. It looked like some kind of group had been made and they were all chatting. I actually recognized a few of the participants’ names.
”Ah, so this is the group call feature…”
I’d heard rumors about it, but this was the first time I’d actually seen one. Since an account I was following was in it, it must have appeared on my screen.
”Shou~, are you there yet?”
”J-Just a moment,” I stammered.
My heart pounding, I moved my finger and joined the group. It was fine, though; my account name wasn’t my real name, obviously. And since the call was open, anyone could join, not just people from Seikyo High. They wouldn’t figure out it was me.
Despite my anxiety, I joined the group. Multiple men and women were chatting away.
‘Ah-ha-ha! That’s so nostalgic!’
‘Oh yeah, I remember! That time, a piece of chalk hit Shinya right on the forehead!’
‘That stung~. By the way, Yasu, I heard you had a kid recently?’
‘Yeah. Still doesn’t feel like I’m a father yet, though.’
‘Eeeh~, no way! I actually had a crush on you back in high school, Yasu!’
‘W-What, seriously!?’
‘Speaking of, what are you up to, Yuri?’
‘A mother of two~!’
‘Eeeeeeh!?’
‘Seriously? I’m kind of shocked…’
Th-This is… it’s definitely the 3-A reunion! Seriously? Everyone’s voices sounded so familiar. I’d never attended a single reunion before.
And they kept bringing up kids and stuff. Even though I wasn’t talking, it made me feel incredibly left behind.
‘Let’s get to the main topic, guys!’
‘The date for the next reunion, right? I really hope everyone can make it this time~.’
‘That might be tough, no? I heard Kyoya is working overseas right now.’
‘You won’t believe it, but he just came back to Japan!’
‘No way!?’
‘Yeah. He said he really wants to attend the reunion.’
‘Seriously!’
It seemed they were discussing the next reunion date. Kyoya… Osamu Kyoyas it? He was the smartest guy in Seikyo High back then. Tall, too, and the captain of the volleyball club—a real Handsome Guy.
‘Oh, and good news for the single ladies! Kyoya is still single~!’
‘Eh!?’
‘Really!?’
‘Kyoya-kun works for a big-name trading company, right!? I heard he went overseas right after he joined…’
Everyone got even louder at the sudden appearance of such a premium bachelor. Judging by this, the next reunion would have a very high turnout from the women.
‘Well, if Kyoya shows up, then everyone but Shimizu will have attended at least once.’
‘Who was that again…?’
‘Hey, don’t forget a classmate!’
‘He wasn’t that noticeable, I guess. He wasn’t a trouble-maker like Shinya, though!’
’Don’t bring up my name there! I’m an honest salaryman now!’
Shimizu… that’s definitely me. I admit I wasn’t one of the noticeable kids in class. I never talked to the girls, so it makes sense that they barely remember me.
‘But he never kept in touch after graduation, did he?’
‘I heard he failed the university entrance exam and left home, but I wonder what he’s doing now.’
‘Maybe he’s even in this call right now? Hey, Shimizu! If you’re here, send a speaker request!’
‘Nah, he’s probably not here.’
My name! I jumped. Th-That’s okay, right…? They haven’t found me out, have they…? I’d never posted anything with this account, and my profile was totally blank.
It looked like if I became a speaker, I could talk. I checked, and there were eight speakers and seven listeners right now. Naturally, I chose to remain a listener, since I had no intention of joining the conversation.
‘Morisaki might know his contact info, no?’
‘Maybe I’ll ask her next time.’
‘But I heard a rumor a few years ago that he was kicked out of his house and was working part-time…’
‘Ah, I heard that rumor, too.’
‘How many years ago was that? There’s no way he’s still working part-time at this age! He must have gotten a job at some local company?’
Shinya continued speaking with a derisive tone.
‘He wasn’t bad at tests in high school, but when I heard he failed his entrance exams and then failed to get a job, I realized life isn’t all about being smart.’
‘Ahu really feel that in the working world. I have a junior at my company who graduated from a top university, but he’s all talk and can’t actually do any work.’
‘He probably aimed for a university that was too far out of his league. If he’d settled for a decent local one, he would’ve gotten a job easily.’
‘Hey, come on. He can’t still be unemployed, can he?’
Guh…! Th-These guys…! They just assume that going to university and getting a job is the only correct way to live! They’re applying their own definition of normal to me and continuing the conversation! They find pleasure in making an example of anyone who steps outside their tiny little box!
‘Maybe he got super richu know?’
‘Haha. I really can’t imagine that.’
‘Well, he was good at studying, but I can’t picture him getting rich and successful. He seems like the type who could only follow the manual and work exactly as he’s told.’
‘Yeah, but anyone can do that—not just Shimizu.’
‘True…’
‘I’m struggling every day with real estate sales, but I still don’t think Shimizu could handle this job…’
‘Shinya earn over a million yen a month depending on your performance, right? It’s fine if it’s a bit tough!’
They were implying that I lacked communication ability and couldn’t handle a job that relied on my own talent, like sales! And yeah, I do feel like I couldn’t do it, but still…!
‘Man, we haven’t seen him since graduation. I’m really curious what Shimizu is up to and where he is right now~’
Shinya’s tone was completely mocking. The desire to boast about his million-yen-a-month experience and socially mount me was clear as day.
He was desperate to brag that he was a better person than me, no matter how you looked at it.
”Guh…!”
I couldn’t take it anymore and frantically fled the group. What was this feeling? Was it frustration? Or maybe… resignation?
The desire to show them up was certainly there, but on the other hand, I also understood that they had worked hard to get their current earnings and lifestyle. I just happened to be unlucky, you know? A few wrong turns led me to this life, but I originally had the ability to talk on the same stage as them.
Thinking that, I remembered something Ami-chan had said to me before. I was thinking the exact same thing she’d predicted.
”Ara~. Your mind is all nice and sludgy ne! I like it! It’s right up my alley!”
Once I tossed aside the polite pretense that ‘they worked hard, too,’ the pure desire to succeed in Japan, to get back at them, and to mount them all, rose to the surface. Even now, I realized, I was a person with enormous pride and vanity.
”So, what about the reunion~? Are you going to go?” she asked.
”…Do you think I would?” I grumbled.
”I kinda want you to go so that this dark ego can corrode your heart even more deeply. But reunions are just places for salary mounting and happy-life mounting, after all~.”
Damn it… I shouldn’t have joined that group call. Haaah… Why does Ami-chan understand so much about reunions?!
”Now, let’s pull ourselves together! We’re going back to the Otherworld!” she cheered.
”Yeah…”
I stuffed the small items into my pockets and finished my preparations. The old magazines I left near me, but didn’t hold them directly.
”Then… let’s Go-ya to the Otherworld!”
”Go-ya…?”
Right… I have a life waiting for me over there now. I don’t care if my life in Japan disappears. But in a tiny corner of my mind, a small wish had sprouted: somehow, I wanted to reverse my fortunes in Japan, too.
—
Summary:
The protagonist, Shimizu, barely scrapes by in Japan before his five-day window to return to the Otherworld closes. He checks SNS for a dark laugh and stumbles into a live group chat from his high school Class 3-A. His former classmates—like the boastful Shinya—subtly belittle him by discussing his rumored failures and judging him for not having a ‘proper’ corporate job. This triggers immense, resentful pride in Shimizu, delighting the manipulative Ami-chan. He leaves the chat in a fury but is left with a small, burning desire to somehow succeed and get back at them in Japan, even as he prepares to return to his Isekai life.
—
Character Insight:
Shimizu’s true weakness is his immense, fragile pride, which the SNS experience shatters, filling him with a ‘sludge’ of envy. Ami-chan views this emotional turmoil as a positive development, suggesting she feeds on or encourages his negative ego. The classmates are not actively malicious, but their casual boasting is a form of social cruelty that cuts Shimizu deeply.
—
Behind the Scene:
The chapter sets up the protagonist’s motivation: he needs to succeed in the Isekai not just for survival, but to gain the power and wealth necessary to return to Japan and achieve social ‘victory’ over his former peers. His five-day stay was deliberately low-key to show his isolation. The mention of Kyoya, the successful ‘Handsome Guy,’ serves as a new benchmark for his envy.
Notes:
• Morisaki – A former high school friend of Shou’s who is now a successful civil servant. He contacts Shou after speaking with Shou’s brother, offering a legitimate job. His success is a source of humiliation for Shou.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Shinya – A former classmate of the protagonist, now a salaryman who believes his life path (university, job) is the only correct one. He derives satisfaction from looking down on those who failed, like the protagonist.
• Yasu – Another former classmate. A new father, slightly more mellow than Shinya.
• Yuri – A female classmate, now a mother of two. Represents the ‘successful’ domestic life.
• Kyoya – The smartest guy in Seikyo High School back then.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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