Chapter 373 – Her Decision

Her Decision

「Hikaru?! Are you all right?!」

The unexpected sight of Japan made Hikaru dizzy, and he fell to his knees. Lavia and Paula, however, did not know why.

「I-I’m fine… Sorry. Just felt a little light-headed.」

「It’s more than just a little!」Paula said.「You look pale as a sheet!」

Holding Hikaru from both sides, the girls dragged him away as far as possible from the shimmering mist. Hikaru glanced at the rift. Various thoughts flooding in paralyzed his body, and he let himself be taken away.

Is it because of holy mana?

I thought it was the bond between souls that connected worlds. How did Drake do it?

Is that really Japan? Or another world that looks a lot like it?

When did that phenomenon appear and how long will it last?

Can I pass through it? Can I come back here?

Maybe he could go back to Japan. Hikaru’s heart felt heavy. Using his ability to tweak Soul Boards, he decided to live in this world where he met Lavia. He had to look after Paula too. He didn’t even need to think about going back to Japan.

And now this.

Confronted with the possibility of returning to Japan, Hikaru’s mind was in chaos. Asphalt roads that were hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Skyscrapers reflecting white clouds in the blue skies. Cars driving by, spewing exhaust fumes. Convenience stores with their bright lights on throughout the night. School, even though he didn’t have any real friends. He missed all of them dearly.

「Have some water, Hikaru-sama.」Paula handed a flask to Hikaru.

Drinking water calmed him down a bit. They were about a hundred meters away from the rift now.

Hikaru could still see the shimmer, a rift between worlds. He didn’t know it worked, but he thought it wouldn’t go away that easily. Yet at the same time it felt like it could disappear ten seconds later.

Hikaru assumed the place he caught a glimpse of was Japan—the same time period that he came from.

「I take it you’re familiar with what you saw there.」Lavia said, causing Hikaru to twitch.

「What?! I thought it was a magical world or something! How else can you explain those huge graves? Did Hikaru-sama come from a world of giants?!」

「Graves?」

Hikaru pondered what Paula just said. Graves. Gravestones. Huge stones. Building. He burst out laughing.

「Hikaru-sama…?」

The girls couldn’t understand why he was cackling. Hikaru simply found Paula’s words amusing. Thinking back, the Japan where he came from had many desolate-looking high-rise buildings. Perhaps they were huge gravestones in a sense.

「Sorry, that was too funny. I feel better now.」Hikaru took another gulp of water.「I guess I’ll have to explain again what my world was like.」

He’d told them about Earth, but not their way of life. Simply because he thought he was never going back.

But before Hikaru could start talking, his Mana Detection picked something up. His mind was in turmoil until just now, so he let down his guard.

The ones he detected were about a hundred meters away and fast approaching. Four people emerged on top of the slope behind Hikaru and the girls.

「There’s nothing here… but since Silver Face came all the way to this place, there has to be something.」Selyse said as she watched Hikaru’s party.

「There’s some kind of a haze in the middle!」A black-haired Japanese girl—Selica—exclaimed.

Hikaru didn’t expect the Four Stars of the East to come here. They should be working on commissions from the guild.

Sure our departure was delayed because of the Pink Deer, but we moved quickly and even recovered time we lost. We used a hang gliders too. Yet they arrived almost at the same time.

With Selyse leading the way, the Four Stars made their way to Hikaru.

「You guys sure are fast. We left the morning after the feast we had.」

Of course, Hikaru thought. They wouldn’t have made it here this fast otherwise.

「Awfully reckless of you.」Hikaru said with a hint of exasperation.「Coming here with only the four of you?」

「We’re a high-ranking party too, you know? If anything, you’re the reckless ones. There’s only three of you.」

「Why are you here?」

「Just thought it would be interesting.」

Hikaru talked about a lot of things that night, but he kept the part about the Evil Drakon a secret. Still they came straight here, the farthest point in the whole continent.

Interesting? Maybe it’s an adventurer’s special sense of smell.

「What’s the matter Selica?」

Selica took a step forward, tottering.

『It can’t be… How? What is that?!』she muttered in Japanese.

「Selica, calm down. What’s wrong?」Selyse shook her friend’s shoulders.

Hikaru knew exactly why she was acting the way she was.「It seems that shimmer is connected to another world.」

「Another world?」Selyse asked.

「How do you know that?! Did you go to the other side?! Were you able to?!」

「Selica! Calm down!」

Sophie started chanting a spell to cast on Selica. Some kind of magic that calms one’s mind? Hikaru wondered. He glanced at Paula. Her blank stare meant she didn’t know what it was.

It took a while, but Selyse and the others were able to fully understand what the rift was.

「Sorry, Silver Face. Now that it’s come to this, I guess I should tell you. Selica actually came from another world. Apparently there are a few people like her.」

「I’m fine now, Selyse!」

Selica turned as pale as Hikaru, but color had now returned to her face.

The seven of them came right next to the rift. Hikaru stayed a few meters away, but Selica moved just inches of it. Then she stuck her arm into the rift.

「Hey!」

「I can get through!」

「Selica?!」

「What are you doing?」

「Let’s pull her back!」

Panicking, Selyse, Sarah, and Sophie pulled Selica back easily. Hikaru could only watch, his eyes blinking repeatedly.

「What are you doing?! We don’t even know if it’s safe!」Selyse raised her voice. She sounded confused, scared, and a little angry—something unusual for her.「We don’t even know if that rift is really connected to your home! Even if it is, we don’t know if you can come back!」

Selica blinked in surprise at Selyse’s menacing look.

「She’s right, Selica.」Sarah said.「We’re with Selyse on this one.」

「Did our friendship… not matter that much to you?」Sophie said.

Yeah, Hikaru thought. I don’t even know if that’s Japan on the other side. It’s also possible that it’s not the Japan I know. It’s ridiculous to jump in for something so uncertain. What’s more, it could have adverse effects to the body.

What they said made perfect sense. But Selica didn’t seem convinced.

Hikaru squeezed his hands tight. He knew how Selica felt. There was no logic here. Her soul was quite literally drawn to it.

Unlike Hikaru, Selica wasn’t briefed about this world. She didn’t ask to come here. She was involved in an accident and found herself here, like she was abducted.

「Selyse. Sarah. Sophie. I have to go to the other side! This is something I need to do.」Selica sounded decisive.「So please, just let me go for now!」

For now.

Selica planned to come back. Even though there was no guarantee she could.

Selyse looked distressed. She had no idea what to do. Hikaru didn’t expect this from her. Selyse always looked aloof, wearing a smile that seemed to hide whatever she was thinking inside.

「I’m sorry, Selyse! I’ll never forget my promise to you!」Selica turned her back on her friends.「I’m off!」

She jumped into the rift. Smoothly, she arrived at the other world.

Selica froze on the other side, looked around, then glanced back at her friends. She looked surprised, but no one knew why. Then she started running and eventually disappeared.

「Selyse! Are you sure you should’ve let her go like that?!」Sarah said.「We should’ve followed her!」

「I don’t think that’s possible, Sarah.」Sophie had her hands on the rift’s surface.

「What?」

「My body can’t pass through. It’s being rejected, like there’s an invisible wall blocking my way.」

Sarah touched the rift too, and was met with the same result.

「Only those who crossed over here from the other side can go. Is Selica coming back?」

No one had an answer to Sarah’s question.

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