My clothes looked like rags just like me, so I put on an outfit I had at home.
It was all loose and baggy, probably due to the size difference between men and women, but in its own way, it kind of suited me. Still, wandering outside like this felt a bit off.
Especially for Alice.
“Wow, check this out! Sis, what is this? There’s a disc inside like a round plate!”
“Claire, let me explain, but first, sit down here.”
I said this to Claire, who was hastily digging through my game collection. I wasn’t too worried since Claire wouldn’t treat my stuff carelessly, but still, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy about her touching things without knowing their purpose.
“Uh, wait a second. What’s drawn here—”
No, wait, that’s!
Seeing Claire pull out another package, I dashed toward her with all my might and snatched it from her hands. Thankfully, Claire wasn’t gripping it tightly, so it was easy to take away.
What Claire had pulled out was the latest installment of Chronicles of Aetherna that I played in this world. The cover naturally featured most of the game’s important characters, mainly focusing on the heroines.
Of course, Claire and Alice were also on it.
BEEP.
WEEEEEENG—
“Oh, it powered on. That’s right, isn’t it?”
I quickly turned my head when I heard the machine start up, and saw Claire powering on my console. Apparently, it was a touch-sensitive button, so just tapping on it would turn it on.
Maybe it was because I had just paid the electricity bill and came back? It seemed like the power had returned to the room that had been cut off. I mean, can it really come back this fast? Isn’t it usually supposed to take longer?
Setting aside those somewhat trivial matters, getting the game console up and running was more urgent.
The account login screen meant the game icons wouldn’t pop up immediately, but as I remembered, the game disc inside was the first installment of the Chronicles of Aetherna for this world. After playing through the latest installment, I had thought I’d go back and replay from the beginning to look for clues.
And due to the nature of game consoles, once logged in, the icon for the last game played would be displayed, usually with the game package illustration taking up the whole background.
I cut the power to the console’s multi-tap. The monitor and console’s power turned off simultaneously, along with the screen that had been active.
“Now, both of you, please take a seat.”
“Do you know what kind of world this is? You seem to know everything just by touching a few things.”
“That’s true. Now that I think about it, it’s suspicious. Not to mention that you were just coming in and out.”
Alice said while glancing toward the plastic bag I had brought in. A playful expression she couldn’t hide was evident on her face.
“Anyway, please sit down.”
“On this bare floor?”
“In this country, we usually don’t wear shoes when we come home, and we live sitting on the floor.”
And you two are already sitting on that bare floor. What’s the point of asking while you’re already in that position? Are you just trying to mess with me?
As I patiently explained, Claire shot her hand up like a student eager to answer a question in class.
“…Claire.”
When I called her out, Claire lowered her hand and asked, “If we live on the floor, why is there so much dust on the ground?”
“…That’s because quite some time has passed since I was displaced in this world.”
FLASH!
This time, Alice’s hand went up.
Alice wasn’t the type to enthusiastically raise her hand like that. While she studies hard, she’s generally hesitant to answer questions from teachers.
Did she catch Claire’s enthusiasm or find this situation amusing?
“Alice.”
As I spoke, holding back a sigh, Alice pointed at the lit LED light and asked, “What’s that?”
“…That’s an LED light.”
It used to be fluorescent, but I got permission from the landlord to change it.
“The light is pretty steady. It doesn’t seem like mana stone. It might be good to introduce it to the Empire. Is that possible?”
If they gathered an immense number of experts, it could be made possible in a few decades. But honestly, it’d probably be more efficient to research how to use electricity in that world.
“…Claire.”
Seeing Claire’s hand shoot up again, I called her with a half-hearted gesture.
“So where is this place? It’s not the world we lived in, right? I’ve never heard of a country like this at the eastern edge.”
“That’s right. If this technology existed, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by us.”
After alternating glances between the light and the console, Alice agreed with Claire’s statement.
We’ve gone around in circles, but I finally got to share what I wanted.
Grabbing the opportunity, I spoke promptly, “This is the world where I originally lived.”
“The world you originally lived in?”
Claire tilted her head.
“Alice, aren’t you surprised?”
“Well, I kind of felt that way the moment I crossed over. It’s strange to think that you, someone with a goddess-like being involved, would casually say ‘I was born in our world.’”
Then the conversation got going fast.
“This world is the original realm I inhabited. Thanks to that goddess of order, I ended up crossing over into your world. And when I ended up winning, the goddess either retaliated against me or did it for a reason, sending me back to this world… I think…”
As I continued to explain, I felt I was forgetting something, causing my speech to slow.
“…But how did you both end up crossing over?”
Just then, I recalled what I had forgotten and asked.
It had barely been a day since I came to this side. I didn’t know how the time flowed between the two worlds, but judging by how ragged my clothes were, I figured I must have arrived not long after the battle.
“Ah, that’s…”
Claire awkwardly laughed a bit before speaking.
“After you suddenly disappeared, I tried to follow you no matter what, but I realized there was still some power in the spirit.”
Oh.
Does that mean there’s still strength left in the spirit?
Seemingly reading my thoughts, Alice joined in right away.
“Exactly. Just like how you woke the world using the spirit, Claire brought the spirit out to follow you. I ended up following Claire, and we both ended up here.”
As Alice spoke, Claire stood up and rummaged through her clothes hanging on the wall.
And from the unfinished spirit she pulled out, a faint light was indeed emanating.
“Is there enough power to go back? There better be.”
“…”
Upon my words, Claire and Alice looked at each other suddenly. Then, simultaneously, they sighed heavily.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Uh, it’s just…”
Alice slightly avoided my gaze as she replied.
“To be honest… I thought for a moment that you’d want to stay in this world.”
“…”
I raised my head and glanced around my house.
It wasn’t cramped for living alone. It was a house I rented temporarily because of my job, but it wasn’t really bad living there. It was clean. The only downside was that roaches would crawl in if I left the windows open in summer.
“Any way I look at it, my old place looks much better.”
But that was true.
The room I lived in the Empire was way bigger and better than this place. There were no worries about bugs coming in, and I had plenty of money to do whatever I wanted any time.
Well, there were inconveniences, like not being able to play video games, but over there, the film industry was developing rapidly, and perhaps just like how the technology of the world I lived in advanced overnight, the same could be true for that world.
If I think about over-the-top technology, it might even be faster.
Who knows, maybe during my lifetime, a piece like Star●s could come out.
At my response, Alice smirked. No, it wasn’t a joke.
“For now, let’s stay here for a few days and observe the situation. I don’t plan on sticking around here either.”
“Sounds good!”
At my words, Claire shouted enthusiastically.
“While we’re staying here, I want to see how you’ve been living!”
“I’m curious about that too.”
The two of them looked at me, filled with anticipation.
“……”
I just watched those two silently.
And I recalled the countless books, games, figures, and merchandise in this room that scream otaku.
…I’m doomed.
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