Chapter 22: Back to Work II

It had already been a month since I transferred back to Earth. Since that moment, I had researched many things. I read countless books from the library regarding summoning and reincarnation, but it was all just third-class chunni nonsense. There was no scientific proof for any of it; a thesis is only a thesis.

Since the roughly one month I spent in the other world only equaled two weeks here, it meant around two months had passed over there. I was deeply worried about them. Now that Captain Charles had found out they deceived the kingdom, the knights must really be taking action against them. I didn't even know if Diana had been able to deliver the message.

I scratched the back of my head in frustration. "AHHHH, geez! What should I do… Verixa, summon me already, please!" I stood up and raised my voice, only to sit right back down with a heavy sigh, starting to scrub through my notes again.

The doorknob to my room turned, and Coco walked in bringing me some tea and snacks. "Onii-chan, I prepared some tea and thought maybe you would like it."

She put the tea on the small table. As she stood there, I suddenly hugged her. Seeing her look so mature compared to how she used to always rely on me, and seeing her become more independent, my eyes welled up with tears of joy.

"WHAAAAA…!" she screamed, her face flushing bright red. She pushed me back and slapped me hard, sending me falling flat on my back. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Oww… I was just happy that you're growing up so well," I replied, holding my stinging cheek.

"Geez! I might be growing up, but you're still totally overreacting, you know!" She turned around, and as she did, she caught sight of the notebook I had been scribbling in. She picked it up. "Huh? What is this… A summoning circle? A Hero's party…? And being troubled by demons and elves…? Are you writing a novel or something…?"

"Ahh…!" I stood up in a panic, snatched the book away, and hid it behind my back. "It's just… I mean, yeah! I am thinking about writing a novel…"

"Huhhh?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, then turned toward the door. "Well, it's better than nothing, I guess. Let me read it when you finish the first chapter, okay?"

As she started to walk away, I called out to her. "Hey! Just for reference—only for reference, mind you—have you ever read a novel or a manga where the MC gets transported back to Earth and tries to return? If so, how does he go back?"

"Hmm. Well, I've read some novels… but there isn't really one that tells that kind of story," she replied after thinking hard.

"I see. No help then," I sighed.

"Well, people usually get transported to another world when they die, right? Wouldn't it work the same way if you tried it again?" Coco added cheerfully. "Ah, right! What about getting hit by Truck-kun? A truck is a direct ticket to another world!"

"So, in the end, I just have to die overall…" I muttered to myself.

"Hmm?" Confused, Coco tilted her head. "By the way, it's the weekend. Now that I think about it, why don't we go to the mall? There are some new manga and novels there, so you might find some inspiration."

"Well, better than doing nothing, I guess…" I agreed, accepting her suggestion.

On the weekend, I wore my everyday casuals—the perfect fit for me: a sky-blue tracksuit with white stripes and a 'Z' logo. Coco wore a green top with an orange cardigan and a red skirt. We entered the manga store, where I glanced at every single manga and light novel, desperately trying to find anything new that might help me return.

Eventually, Coco left me to go shop for tonight's dinner.

"Haa…" I sighed. The shelves were mostly filled with the exact same type of isekai stories, where the MC dies, gets reincarnated with cheat skills, and always finds cute girls. In my case, all I got was a bratty child, a simping wicked woman who always butters up her queen, and a maniac… Well, I guess out of the entire trio, Alira was the truly insane one, so I don't even need to clarify that.

I closed my eyes and silently apologized to her in my mind.

"Well, maybe I should just wait for Coco. She said she'd meet me on the roof, so I guess I'll head up there."

I walked toward the roof. Up there was a kids' play area with several rides, but due to ongoing maintenance, the roof was pretty empty. I bought an orange juice to refresh my mind and leaned against the boundary railing, looking downward. The cars and people walking below looked like tiny insects.

"So, do I just have to jump from here to transport myself back, huh?" I took a sip, emptied the can, and slowly stepped over the railing, keeping one hand gripped tight against the metal bar.

I peeked down, checking the height.

"Well, it sure is high… There would be zero chance of survival if I jumped from here… hehehe." I laughed at myself. "Maybe I should climb back over so Coco doesn't panic and think I was…?"

I turned around and locked eyes with Coco. Her eyes widened, and her shopping bags dropped straight from her hands, spilling everywhere.

"Onii-chan?!" she called out, absolutely terrified.

"Wait!!! It's just a misunder—"

Before I could finish, she dashed toward me. The misunderstanding was set in stone; she completely thought I was committing suicide. In her blind panic, her leg slipped. She stumbled right into the railing, hitting me hard.

My hands slipped from the bar.

"Eh..?"

Just like before, I blinked twice.

Suddenly, Coco and I were both falling through the air. Coco was crying hysterically. To save her, I pulled her tightly into my arms, shielding her with my body so my face pointed downward.

"Wait!!! Wait….!!! WAIT!!!!"

"Just like I said before, the summoning method is way more my style than the 'die and reincarnate' option!!!" I screamed.

Slam!

One day after Zacken and Diana faced Charles.

Everyone was gathered in the council room. Valkira and the other council members were giving everyone a lecture on defense tactics for the village guards.

A guard walked up to the Chief and, leaning into his ear, whispered that a half-goblin girl was demanding an audience with the Queen of the Demons. Valkira noticed the exchange. Seeing how concerned the Chief looked, she asked, "Chief, is there an issue? You seem troubled."

"Ahh… well, it seems like a half-goblin girl wants to meet the Queen, Commander Valkira."

"Huh? Meet me?" Verixa asked, surprised, pointing a finger at herself.

"This is concerning," Alira said, stepping forward. "Didn't the goblins join the humans in the war? Though, that's a separate matter since the humans betrayed them the moment the Hero was summoned."

"Well, you are right. It would probably be best if the Queen doesn't meet—"

"I will meet her," Verixa interrupted.

"But Queen!" Valkira protested.

Verixa shook her head. "We need to understand what she wants to talk about. And if they are here to attack me, I think you all are more than capable of handling it, right?" Verixa looked around at the others—the demon triplets, Ken, Alira, and Valkira.

The guards brought Diana into the room. She was heavily handcuffed so she wouldn't be able to make a sudden move. As everyone stood protectively beside Verixa, the Queen stepped forward.

"So, what is it you wanted to say?"

"Huh..?"

Diana looked at Verixa with narrowed, confused eyes. Then, she lifted her gaze to Valkira and bowed deeply to the commander.

"Demon Queen… I am here to deliver a message from your ally."

"HEY!!!! Where are you looking?!" Verixa yelled, completely frustrated and raising her voice. "She is my commander! I am the Queen, I am right here!"

"Princess…" Valkira sighed deeply, exasperated by Verixa's behavior. She then addressed the messenger. "You may continue. And what do you mean by 'ally'?"

"Yeah…" Diana said, still looking thoroughly confused. "Well, there is a human I met when I was in prison. He helped me escape."

"A human? Do you mean you met Zacken?!" Alira took a sharp step forward, and a wave of worry instantly froze the entire room.

"I don't remember his name since he didn't tell me," Diana replied. "But he told me to deliver this message."

Everyone froze in tense silence, waiting anxiously to hear what Diana was about to say.