“Ahh, that was so much fun.”

The day after enjoying the barbecue and fireworks with everyone, I safely returned home. And after coming back yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation I had with Kawabata-san at the very end.

No matter how I look at it, that was definitely a confession… No, but last time I thought the same when she said she had something she didn’t want others to hear, and it turned out to be something completely different… But still…

Lost in such thoughts, I ended up spending the whole day yesterday brooding over it. Realizing that this wasn’t good, I decided to shift my focus and spent the morning working through my summer homework. I got so absorbed in it that I ended up finishing all of my assignments, even though there’s still a full week left of summer vacation. For the record, I’m the type who prefers to complete assignments bit by bit.

The next day, I went to deliver souvenirs from the beach to Mamoru-san and Fuka-chan. Thanks to the temporary job, I had some extra money. It seemed like they also had a great time on their overseas trip, and I ended up receiving more souvenirs from them than I gave.

Fusuke also seemed satisfied after playing with Fuka-chan for the first time in a while. During our trip to the beach, he had spent most of his time perched on my head, except for the occasional solo nighttime stroll, so maybe he was feeling a bit bored.

“Alright, time to switch gears and head to the other world for the first time in a while!”

At times like this, escaping reality is the best option. Besides, I’ll have to face Kawabata-san again once school starts next week anyway. I even bought souvenirs for Sara-san and Lilith-san, so I might as well visit a new town in the other world.

With that decided, I wasted no time. I quickly passed through the door in my ceiling and traveled to the other world. Using teleportation magic, I transported myself to a forest near Luxeria and made my way into the city.

It’s been a while. A lot has happened in my world recently, so just walking through the streets of this otherworldly city was enough to ease my mind little by little.

…But still, the city seems unusually busy. About half of the shops are closed. Did something happen? I should head to Sara-san’s mansion and ask.

“Ah, Darga-san! It’s been a while!”

“Ohh, Masayoshi-dono! It has indeed been a while.”

After going through the usual security check performed by the many guards stationed by the first and second princes, I was finally allowed into the mansion and greeted Darga-san.

“I was traveling for a bit and brought back some souvenirs. Is Sara-san here?”

“Oh, how kind of you! However, I must apologize—Her Highness is out at the moment.”

“Oh, I see. Hmm… If she won’t be back for a while, I was thinking of just leaving the souvenirs here…”

“No, she should be back by tonight at the latest.”

“I see. In that case, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Since I’m still on summer break, there’s no rush. It’d be better to hand the souvenirs to her personally.

“Thank you. I’m sure Her Highness will be delighted.”

“By the way, I noticed that the city seemed quite hectic…”

“Well, I believe there shouldn’t be any major issues, but there have been some movements from the neighboring country. The chances are slim, but if negotiations don’t go well, things could become problematic. Still, I’m sure it will amount to nothing more than unnecessary worries. Hahaha!”

…Why do I have an overwhelming sense of déjà vu? I swear this exact same conversation happened before, right before that natural disaster.

“…I see. Well then, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Feeling a bit uneasy, I left Sara-san’s mansion. I can’t help but be concerned, but surely it won’t be anything as catastrophic as the last disaster… Wait, am I raising a flag here? No, I should be fine since I didn’t say it out loud.

Next, I teleported to the town of Egarton. Compared to Luxeria, this place seemed as normal as ever.

I visited Lilith-san’s party house, but it turned out she and the others were out today. Well, they are adventurers, after all. It wouldn’t make sense for them to just be lounging around at the party house during the day.

I’ll be visiting the other world again tomorrow anyway. If they’re not here again, I’ll just leave the souvenirs on the doorknob. I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to try stealing from an A-rank adventurer’s party house.

After that, I enjoyed strolling through Egarton’s market and street stalls, indulging in some street food. It really is fun to go food-hopping once in a while. And with an absurd amount of money in this world, I never have to worry about the cost.

The next day, I returned to Luxeria, but the city was even more frantic than yesterday. Something was definitely going on. I hurried to Sara-san’s mansion.

When I arrived, I noticed that the guards outside looked noticeably tense.

“Masayoshi-dono!”

“Darga-san, what on earth is happening?”

“I must apologize. I told you yesterday that things would be fine, but I never expected this to happen…”

“What exactly happened?”

“…War. The neighboring Bartom Kingdom has declared war on us.”