Published: August 10, 2026
A few hours after Noah and the others' airship departed, we received word from Kohana Sakuya that the invasion from the Kingdom of Reytis had stopped, perhaps because they were wary of the airship's movements. As a result, we were suddenly told to leave as well.
We had already prepared so we could depart at any time, but because it had all happened so abruptly, we ended up hurrying to load our luggage onto the Kohana family carriage that would take us as far as the border.
After Ueno-san, Tsuda-kun, Nanase-kun, and Mr. Zeal had gotten on, I turned back to look at Akira, who had come to see us off, before stepping into the carriage.
"Well then, see you."
"Yeah."
At first glance, his expression looked nothing but irritated. It was only after coming to this world that I realized that expression often meant worry or concern.
"You don't need to worry that much. Zeal-san's with us, too, so nothing too troublesome should happen."
"...I'm not worried about you guys at all."
"Yeah, yeah. ...You take care of yourself, too."
I laughed off Akira's ungraciousness even though he'd come all this way to see us off, and I held out my fist.
"Yeah. Just don't lose sight of your goal and priorities."
Fist to fist, Akira's knuckles lightly tapped mine—something he probably would've ignored without even acknowledging just a little while ago.
"Of course. I want to prioritize my classmates, but I haven't forgotten my promise to Hiraes. I'll also look into the magatama as much as I can."
If we were able to enter the Kingdom of Reytis safely, there were three things we needed to do.
First, fulfill our promise to Hiraes, the primordial demonic beast and lord of dragons. In other words, destroy the princess's crystal that had been controlling our classmates. Second, protect the classmates who were freed and escort them back to Yamato Country. And third, if everything else was finished and we still had time to spare, look for the national treasure of Yamato Country: the jade magatama.
We had at most two weeks. If it took any longer than that, the war would likely have intensified, and we wouldn't be able to stay in the Kingdom of Reytis. It was a race against time.
Our objectives and priorities were all clearly set.
Honestly, the one who should go would probably be Asahina-kun or Akira, since they were the ones who had actually destroyed the princess's crystal before. But if Yamato Country got conquered while we were in the Kingdom of Reytis, that would be the worst possible outcome. The two of them would remain here as our strongest combatants and try to see whether they could intervene in the war from this side.
To be honest, the danger level was about the same. After all, there was a high possibility that the Demon Clan was here.
"As long as you know that, fine."
His fist slowly pulled away.
I turned and climbed into the carriage. The door was shut immediately, and the carriage began to move.
"Huh, Oda-kun's gotten more honest?"
"Nah, I'd say he's just gotten a little easier to understand."
I replied to Tsuda-kun's teasing voice from the seat he'd taken first.
You were pretty shy yourself until recently, so maybe you shouldn't talk, I thought, but decided it was probably better not to say that out loud.
I sat down across from Ueno-san. It was a six-person carriage, but with five of us packed in while wearing our equipment, it was tight enough to feel cramped, and it certainly wasn't comfortable. Still, we couldn't afford to be picky. Time was limited, so if there was anything we could use to shorten the trip even a little, we would take it.
"Right, right. Akira was always a straightforward, cute guy from the start, wasn't he?"
"No way, that's definitely just your imagination. What part of Oda-kun even looks cute to you?"
At Nanase-kun's words, Ueno-san shook his head in exasperation.
"Come to think of it, Nanase-kun seemed to be watching out for Akira even back when we were in the original world. Was there a reason for that?"
We'd likely be bored for a day or two before reaching the border anyway, so this seemed like a good chance to ask.