Chapter 367

Kazuma took Aqua’s complete failure to remember Haruto surprisingly well.

After all, this was Aqua they were talking about.

Whatever the explanation, though, one thing was now absolutely certain: Haruto was not originally from this world.

And there was a very good chance he came from the same kind of world Kazuma did.

To Kazuma, this was practically a golden ticket delivered straight into his lap.

He immediately leaned forward with the most shamelessly ingratiating smile he could manage.

"Um... Haruto-san, since we’re fellow countrymen and all, how about we team up and defeat the Demon King together?"

Haruto glanced at him.

"Kagura, Kanna, and I are indeed travelers from another world, but Aqua wasn’t the one who sent us here."

"Strictly speaking, the three of us entered this world using my own ability. We didn’t ask anyone’s permission, so I suppose you could call us... illegal immigrants."

"As for Rapidash, I caught it when I visited the Pokémon world before coming here."

Kazuma’s brain stopped working for several seconds.

Haruto could cross between worlds using his own power?

And he had actually visited the Pokémon world?!

Kazuma was so jealous he almost wanted to cry.

Then another thought struck him, and a surge of indescribable excitement swept through his entire body.

If Haruto could travel between worlds by himself...

Didn’t that mean he could also return to his original world?

And if Haruto could go back, maybe Kazuma could hitch a ride with him and return to Earth!

Back to that wonderful world with air conditioning, heating, and hot water available twenty-four hours a day!

Back to the world where he could hole up comfortably in his room, drink an ice-cold soda, play the latest games, and keep up with seasonal anime!

The more Kazuma imagined it, the faster his heart pounded.

His breathing quickened.

He had just taken a deep breath and was about to ask whether Haruto could take him back to Earth when Aqua abruptly spun around.

She stared sternly at Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna, her staff appearing in her hand as an immense and sacred divine aura erupted from her body.

"You entered this world without authorization from Heaven?! You’re illegal interdimensional travelers!"

"According to Article 1,376 of the Heavenly Regulations, all unauthorized world travelers must be forcibly deported! Anyone who resists will face severe punishment from Heaven!"

Megumin and Darkness exchanged bewildered looks.

Otherworlders?

Heavenly regulations?

Forced deportation?

Neither of them had the slightest idea what Aqua was talking about.

Haruto, Kagura, and Kanna, on the other hand, remained completely unconcerned.

Unless her opponent happened to be a demon or undead, Aqua wasn’t particularly threatening to any of them.

Then Aqua suddenly frowned.

The stern expression vanished from her face almost as quickly as it had appeared.

She tilted her head, tapped a finger against her cheek, and muttered to herself.

"Wait... dealing with illegal world travelers isn’t actually my job anymore, is it?"

"I’m not the goddess in charge of reincarnation now! I’m just an ordinary adventurer!"

"That kind of thing should be handled by the people still working up in Heaven!"

Having reached that conclusion, Aqua immediately put away her staff.

Then she turned around, leaned eagerly against the carriage window, and went straight back to watching Rapidash run.

Silence filled the carriage.

Kazuma’s mouth twitched uncontrollably as he stared at Aqua’s back, feeling as though ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

’What happened to that dignified goddess who was defending the laws of Heaven thirty seconds ago?!’

’How did all that righteous authority pop like a soap bubble?!’

’You’re a goddess! Could you at least pretend to have some dignity?! Some responsibility?!’

’You built up all that tension just for THIS?!’

Kazuma could practically feel his blood pressure rising.

He inhaled slowly, then exhaled, desperately suppressing the overwhelming urge to start yelling.

On second thought, though, maybe it was better that Aqua hadn’t started a fight.

Kazuma had absolutely no confidence that this useless goddess could defeat Haruto and his companions.

If they actually fought, Aqua probably wouldn’t last a second.

More importantly, Kazuma was still hoping Haruto could take him back to Earth.

If Aqua offended Haruto and ruined his chance to go home, Kazuma might genuinely strangle her himself.

With that thought, he relaxed.

Then he turned back toward Haruto, rubbed his hands together, and asked in an almost embarrassingly polite voice, "Um... Haruto-san, you just said you can travel between worlds using your own ability, right?"

"So... that means you can return to the world you originally came from?"

"Would it... maybe be possible for you to take me back with you?"

Kazuma couldn’t stop memories of his miserable life in this world from flashing through his mind.

Back on Earth, he might only have been an ordinary shut-in.

But at least during winter he could curl up under a warm blanket and play games, and during summer he could sit in an air-conditioned room drinking cold soda while watching new anime.

When he first arrived in this world, he had admittedly been excited.

He had genuinely believed he was about to become a legendary hero who defeated the Demon King and saved the world, after which he would marry some beautiful rich girl and live happily ever after.

Reality had slapped him across the face almost immediately.

On his very first day, he had been completely broke and forced to sleep in a foul-smelling stable.

Mosquitoes kept him awake at night, and the smell of horse manure woke him every morning.

To survive, he had been forced to work construction, hauling bricks and mixing mortar until he felt like a dead dog at the end of every day.

Even after finally beginning his adventuring career, his first real jobs involved fighting pathetic low-level monsters like Giant Toads.

And then there were his party members.

Kazuma looked at Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.

His mouth twitched again.

One was a useless goddess who couldn’t be relied on for anything.

One was a chuunibyou little Arch Wizard whose brain contained nothing except Explosion.

The last was an incurable masochistic Crusader with absurd defensive ability and practically nonexistent accuracy.

The thought that he would have to continue adventuring with these three and eventually challenge the overwhelmingly powerful Demon King made Kazuma’s future look completely hopeless.

Defeating the Demon King and saving the world could be left to those other heroes with incredible cheats and divine relics.

Kazuma just wanted to go home and resume his peaceful life as a happy shut-in.

Haruto watched Kazuma’s pleading expression and smiled faintly.

"I can return to my original world, yes. Unfortunately, you and I didn’t come from the same one."

"Have you heard of parallel worlds?"

"My Earth and the Earth you originally lived on are essentially parallel versions of one another."

"Parallel worlds?"

Kazuma blinked, then nodded.

As a veteran anime fan and gamer, he was obviously familiar with the concept.

He had simply assumed parallel universes were something that only existed in science fiction.

Then again, he was currently sitting in a carriage with a goddess and an actual Pokémon.

At this point, parallel universes hardly seemed unreasonable.

Haruto continued, "They may both be called Earth, but plenty of details are completely different."

"For example, in my world, an exceptionally skilled chef can be sought after by powerful people from multiple countries. Top chefs can possess enormous wealth and social status and even influence major business interests."

Kazuma’s last spark of hope died.

In his world, being a chef was an ordinary profession.

Clearly, their Earths really weren’t the same.

Which meant he was still stuck here.

Kazuma’s shoulders collapsed.

He slumped against the carriage wall like a deflated balloon, all light draining from his eyes.

"My soda... my seasonal anime... my figures..."

Megumin, who had finally pieced together what everyone had been talking about, suddenly lit up.

Her eyes turned bright crimson as she shot toward Kazuma.

"Kazuma! You told me you came from some distant country before!"

"So you were actually a hero summoned here by a goddess?!"

"Does that mean you were sent here to defeat the Demon King too?!"

Countless legends about summoned heroes existed throughout this world.

In fact, many famous and extraordinarily powerful adventurers had originally been heroes brought here by goddesses.

And practically all of those heroes shared the same ultimate objective: defeat the Demon King and save the world.

The thought that she was actually adventuring alongside a summoned hero made Megumin tremble with excitement.

This was far too cool!

"Um... Kazuma, are you really a hero?"

Darkness leaned in as well.

Her cheeks flushed an unusual shade of red, her breathing quickening as an unmistakable light of excitement appeared in her eyes.

Kazuma was a hero!

Didn’t that mean their party would eventually have to march into the Demon King’s Castle and confront the Demon King himself?

The instant Darkness imagined being captured by the Demon King and subjected to all sorts of unspeakable treatment, her entire body began trembling with anticipation.

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