Chapter 21: Back to work part-01

Leaning back against the headboard of the bed, I was confused. I remembered that the last thing I was doing was running away, trying to save myself from the capital commander. I had used Verixa's power, and then... I hit the ground, right? I mean, I wasn't entirely sure myself, especially since there was no physical pain anymore.

I checked my body for any bruises or marks, but there was nothing. My clothes had been changed into a patient's gown. Above all else, I glanced over at my little sister, Coco. She was sitting in a chair, sleeping with her head leaning against the edge of the bed. It all pointed to one conclusion: it seemed like I had been transferred back to my original world.

Did I die...?

My eyes widened, but then I heard Coco muttering something to herself, drooling a bit onto the bed.

"Onii-chan..." It was a soft voice, sounding as if she was deeply worried about me. My expression softened. I was just about to pat her head when she completed her sentence.

"Onii-chan... you really suck at this game... hehehe..." She chuckled in her sleep.

Feeling embarrassed that I had actually thought she was worried about me, I chopped her on the head.

"Ouch!! OW...! Hey, that hurts!" she complained, half-sleepy with a single tear in her eye.

"So, you're finally awake. How was your nap?" I asked, teasing her.

"Onii-chan...!" Her voice shook as she launched herself at me. But her pounce was so sudden that my head smacked against the wall behind me.

"Oww... Ow...." I covered my head, trying to squeeze the pain away with my hands.

"I'm so relieved... I thought I lost you when the doctor said there was a very slim chance you'd wake up," she said, her voice trembling.

"I see. But look, I'm totally normal now, so you don't have to worry so much," I said, trying to cheer her up.

But deep down, I was still confused. Was everything about the other world—the Verixa demon army and the human party—all just a dream? Even if it had been real, I didn't have any evidence to prove it to myself.

The doctor observed me for a week. During that time, I was still unsure about everything that had happened to me. Asking Coco helped me fill in the blanks: after an electric pole fell on me, I went into a coma, and two weeks had passed since then. Yet, I had spent more than a month in that other world.

The doctor finally discharged me after running some tests, and I came back home. Our parents always lived abroad, so Coco and I used to live with our grandparents, but they passed away a few years ago. Since then, it had just been the two of us. Our parents often sent us money so we could live comfortably.

I was sitting on the living room sofa, feeling bored. I tried playing multiple games, but an uneasy feeling still lingered in my mind. My thoughts raced from one thing to another. To think that after their own son went into a coma, they never even tried to come see me! Those damn old hags! I'll give them a taste of my fist so they at least start caring about us.

"I'm back..." Coco walked into the living room after returning from school, still wearing her middle school uniform.

"Huh! What is that?" she asked angrily the moment she saw the mess scattered all over the floor.

"Well... I was just bored, so I was searching for something to help divert my mind, that's all," I said, putting my hands up in surrender to calm her down.

"Geez! You know, you always do this... and when are you going to start going back to school anyway?" she asked.

"Well... Haha." I scratched the back of my neck.

"What am I going to do with you..." She sighed, but then she chuckled.

Confused, I asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Nope! I'm just relieved that you're back to normal, and I'm relieved that I'm not lonely anymore."

"Huh...?" I walked over to her and slowly gently placed my hand on her forehead, raising her bangs. "It seems like you're ill, acting like a cute little sister."

Shocked, her face turned bright red, and she slapped my cheek in a panic.

"Onii-chan, you stupid! Idiot! Dork! Dummy! Brainless!"

"Hey! That hurts! I was just teasing you. You didn't have to go that far just to hit me! What if I re-returned to the another world?!" The words slipped out, and I quickly covered my mouth in embarrassment.

"Another world? You mean those isekai type things that are a famous genre in manga and anime lately?" At first she seemed confused, but then she tried to hold back a laugh before completely letting it out. "Pfft* Hahahah..."

She caught her breath and wiped her eye with her hand. "You really are still in your chuunibyou phase, just like you were in middle school," she mocked.

"Whaaa... Don't bring up those painful memories... It's embarrassing..." I covered my face. When I was in middle school, I was so inspired by anime and manga that I often acted like someone who possessed dark powers, wrapping my hands in bandages and keeping a diary full of magic chants.

"Hehe... Well, now it really feels like home. Welcome back, Onii-chan," she said, tilting her head with a gentle smile, tears of relief still glistening in her eyes.

I smiled back. But just as I was about to reach out my hand to her head again, a flashback suddenly rushed into my mind.

"Promise me you will return safely." Those were the last words I had heard from Verixa, and the promise I had made to her...

I have to go back. If I don't... I suddenly remembered the words I heard when I was first isekai'd to that world, spoken in Valkira's voice:

"Verixa will be publicly executed... as a symbol of the end of the demon race."