Chapter 286

Kagome shook her head.

Another world?

That was just too ridiculous.

More ridiculous than talking fleas or an ancient well that could send people through time.

Still, whether Haruto truly came from another world or not, one thing was obvious—he was definitely from a modern era.

"So, Haruto-kun, how did you get to this world?"

Kagome looked at him curiously.

Part of her still suspected that Haruto might somehow have crossed over through the Bone-Eater’s Well.

"I have an ability that lets me travel between different worlds."

"This time, I happened to arrive in the world you live in, Kagome-san."

Haruto explained it without the slightest hesitation.

Unsurprisingly, that answer did little to clear up Kagome’s doubts.

After thinking for a moment, she decided not to press the issue any further and instead extended an invitation.

"Either way, Haruto-kun, you should come with me to the village up ahead first."

"The wilderness may look peaceful, but there are yōkai everywhere. It’s dangerous out here, especially at night."

For now, Kagome had no way of knowing whether Haruto was telling the truth.

Bringing him back to the village seemed like the safest option.

Even if there really was something suspicious about him, Inuyasha, Miroku, and the others were there. He would not be able to cause much trouble.

Of course, this was mostly just a precaution.

At the very least, Kagome had sensed no malice from him.

"Sure. Thanks."

Haruto agreed immediately.

He had already planned to visit the village and gather information, so having Kagome guide him there was perfect.

It would also give him a chance to figure out how far the story had progressed, how many shards of the Shikon Jewel had been collected, and how powerful Naraku currently was.

Most importantly, he wanted information about Tōtōsai.

Haruto was fairly certain Inuyasha could help with that.

After following Kagome into the village, Haruto looked around.

It was exactly what one would expect from an ordinary village in Japan’s Sengoku period.

"This is the village where I usually stay."

Kagome glanced over at Haruto as they walked.

"Everyone here is pretty friendly."

The villagers smiled and greeted Kagome as she passed, and she cheerfully returned each greeting without slowing down.

Before long, she led Haruto toward Kaede’s hut.

Outside, Inuyasha was sprawled lazily across the roof, his ears twitching every so often.

Miroku sat on a nearby rock, sorting through his exorcism supplies.

Sango stood a short distance away, carefully maintaining her Hiraikotsu.

Shippō and Kirara, meanwhile, were chasing a pink butterfly through the grass. Shippō’s fluffy fox tail swayed behind him, while the tips of his ears bounced with every step.

The moment Kagome drew near, everyone noticed her.

"Kagome! You’re back!"

Shippō’s eyes lit up.

He immediately abandoned the butterfly and came running over on his short legs, fluffy tail sticking straight up.

Of course, at least eighty percent of his excitement probably had more to do with whatever snacks Kagome had brought back from the modern era.

Shippō quickly reached her side and started chattering.

"Kagome, you brought snacks, right?! I can smell them!"

Kagome laughed and pulled out a bag of potato chips.

Shippō snatched it eagerly, tore the package open with practiced ease, and immediately began crunching away.

Unlike Shippō, who had eyes only for the snacks, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango noticed Haruto almost immediately.

His clothing alone made it obvious that he did not belong in this era.

Haruto met their gazes and introduced himself.

"My name is Suzuki Haruto. I’m a Super Chef, and I also work as a Gourmet Hunter."

"I came here looking for some unusual ingredients."

Kagome then introduced the others one by one.

"Haruto-kun, this is Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippō. They’re all important companions of mine."

Miroku gave Haruto a polite nod.

Sango lowered the Hiraikotsu she had been working on and nodded as well, her gaze carrying a measure of scrutiny but no hostility.

Inuyasha jumped down from the roof.

He walked over to Haruto and began sniffing the air around him.

His sense of smell was vastly sharper than a human’s.

And the longer he sniffed, the more confused he became.

There was definitely no trace of yōkai on Haruto.

Nor was there the mixed scent of human and demon that clung to a half-demon like himself.

Yet Haruto did not smell like an ordinary human either.

The contradiction made Inuyasha’s frown deepen.

Even more concerning was the oppressive sense of danger surrounding Haruto.

Almost unconsciously, Inuyasha rested one hand on the hilt of Tessaiga.

His eyes sharpened.

"You’re human?"

Haruto’s temple twitched.

A dark line practically appeared across his face.

’Seriously?’

He had traveled through several worlds by now, and this was the first time someone had openly questioned whether he was even human.

Then Haruto thought about it and realized Inuyasha’s suspicion was actually understandable.

He was not originally from this world, and his body had been transformed by Gourmet Cells.

Compared with an ordinary human from this setting, the difference was enormous.

It made sense that Inuyasha would find his scent strange.

Once he reached that conclusion, Haruto answered with complete seriousness.

"Of course I’m human. One hundred percent human."

"He doesn’t seem like a yōkai to me."

Sango spoke up.

She had been born into a family of demon slayers and had spent her entire life surrounded by yōkai.

Her sensitivity to demonic aura was deeply ingrained.

Yet she could sense none whatsoever from Haruto.

"I agree. Haruto-san feels human to me as well."

Miroku nodded.

As a monk, his ability to detect yōki was no worse than Sango’s.

"No way!"

Inuyasha immediately objected, still glaring at Haruto.

"His scent might be similar to a human’s, but it’s definitely different!"

"What exactly are you? Don’t try anything funny!"

Haruto simply felt far too dangerous.

Every instinct inherited from Inuyasha’s demon blood was screaming a warning at him.

The man standing in front of him was anything but ordinary.

He might even possess enough power to threaten him.

There was no way an ordinary human should give off that kind of feeling.

Haruto raised an eyebrow at the sight of Inuyasha practically bristling.

Then he replied with a perfectly straight face.

"You just asked what kind of person I am."

"So clearly, even you think I’m a person and not a yōkai, right?"

Inuyasha froze.

His eyes widened.

His mouth hung slightly open as his brain seemed to stall completely while he replayed Haruto’s words.

’Wait...’

’That kind of makes sense?’

But somehow, it still felt wrong.

Kagome took one look at his utterly confused expression and burst out laughing.

She reached over and patted Inuyasha’s arm.

"Okay, Inuyasha. We can talk about this inside."

Haruto was still a guest, after all.

There was no reason to keep him standing outside indefinitely.

With Kagome intervening, Inuyasha finally stopped arguing.

Kagome invited Haruto into the hut and poured him a cup of barley tea.

A moment later, Inuyasha’s ears twitched.

He leaned forward and asked bluntly,

"Hey, are you from the modern era too?"

Sango and Miroku immediately turned their attention toward Haruto.

Haruto raised an eyebrow, lifted his cup, and took a sip.

The mild bitterness of the barley tea spread across his tongue before he looked back at Inuyasha.

"That’s right."

"But I’m not from the same modern era Kagome comes from."

"I’m from another world entirely. An alternate world."

"Oh! That explains it!"

Inuyasha’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding.

"No wonder you smell completely different from everyone in this world! You’re from another world!"

If Haruto had never belonged to this world in the first place, then naturally his scent would be different from the humans here.

All that suspicion about whether he was really human suddenly seemed unnecessary.

Haruto stared at him.

His cup stopped halfway to his mouth.

He had already been thinking about how to prove his story if they demanded evidence.

And Inuyasha had just... accepted it?

Without a single question?

The speed of that turnaround caught even Haruto off guard.

"Uh... you believe me that easily?"

He slowly lowered the cup and looked at Inuyasha, who appeared to regard the explanation as perfectly reasonable.

Kagome immediately covered her forehead with one hand.

Miroku rubbed his chin, looking caught between amusement and disbelief.

Sango sighed helplessly.

Even Shippō stopped eating his chips long enough to roll his eyes dramatically at Inuyasha and make a face.

"Haruto-kun, could you wait here for a second?"

Kagome took a deep breath and gave Haruto an apologetic smile.

Then she grabbed Inuyasha and lowered her voice.

"You. Come with me."

Inuyasha stumbled as she yanked him away.

"Hey! Kagome, what are you doing?! Was I wrong or something?"

Despite his protests, Kagome continued dragging him toward the side of the hut.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippō hurried after them.

Shippō made sure to clutch his bag of chips tightly as he ran, glancing suspiciously back at Haruto while his little legs carried him away as fast as they could.