“Aga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!”

The moment I felt the power leave my body, Ande suddenly began to writhe in agony. Of course, I had already warned Ande that the inheritance magic would bring intense pain.

Thank goodness. I was worried that I, as the one passing down the power, might once again experience that hellish pain. I never want to go through that prolonged agony again.

It seems that no matter how high one's physical capabilities are, the pain of inheritance magic is unavoidable. …This is the first time I’ve ever seen Ande in such distress.

“…Wait, what? Why?”

Through inheritance magic, I had passed the power I had inherited from the Grand Mage over to Ande. As proof, I could no longer use magic or skills.

However, despite losing my power, my body had not reverted to its original overweight state and remained the same as before. …No, upon lifting my shirt to check, I saw that my previously toned abs had disappeared, and I had gained a slight bit of pudge. So, there had been some change.

“...Why hasn’t the body-maintenance skill disappeared? No, could it be that this is my natural physique now?”

Was it because I had been fighting—rather than exercising—while still using the body-maintenance skill? If I had been that heavy and moved around that much, I suppose it makes sense that I lost weight...

“Ughhhhhh!”

…No point in thinking about that while Ande is suffering right next to me. He probably doesn’t want anyone seeing him like this either.

Leaving Ande behind, I stepped through the portal and returned to my original world. The Grand Mage’s house is stocked with plenty of drinks and preserved food that I had bought from this world, so Ande should be able to manage once the inheritance is complete.

“Fireball!”

…As expected, I couldn’t use magic. My body also felt heavier than before. It seemed the inheritance magic had activated properly, and the Grand Mage’s power was currently being transferred to Ande.

Fortunately, my body had only gained a slight bit of weight. This way, my mom wouldn’t notice anything strange.

“So, I’m back to normal, huh…”

No more magic, no more skills, no more power. Thankfully, I had only gained a little weight, but the overwhelming strength of the Grand Mage was gone. Thinking about it that way, everything that had happened felt like a dream.

No, this isn’t the time to be thinking like that. Repairing the portal to the other world is Ande’s responsibility now, but even without the Grand Mage’s power, I still have things I need to do.

“Hoo!”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re still with me, Fūsuke.”

That’s right—this wasn’t a dream. Fūsuke is still here, and everything that happened with Sara, Lilith, and the others wasn’t just an illusion.

“Alright, one step at a time.”

“Hoo!”

Three days had passed since I inherited the Grand Mage’s power to Ande. About half a day after the inheritance magic activated, Ande contacted me through the portal to confirm that he had successfully received the power.

With the barrier magic deteriorating, the portal to the other world could close at any moment. From now on, we would communicate through letters. It’s unlikely, but if I were to stick my head through the portal and it closed at the wrong moment, my head and body could end up separated forever…

Since I had also passed on the language comprehension skill to Ande, we would be communicating in Japanese. If there were any updates regarding the portal, he would let me know via letter.

As for me, my long summer break had ended, and school had finally resumed.

“Ugh, man. Classes start again tomorrow…”

“Yeah, and we need to start thinking about next year’s entrance exams…”

Abe and Watanabe were both doing well. Well, physically at least. Mentally, they seemed completely drained. I guess that’s to be expected after summer break.

“Yeah, we need to start considering our futures.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about reality yet.”

“Yeah… Wait, Tachihara-kun, you look kind of different?”

“Huh? Oh, well, I did gain a little weight back.”

“No, that’s not it. Like, your vibe… or posture… I don’t know, but something feels different from when we worked that part-time job together.”

“…Honestly, I feel like I got weaker and slower from slacking off too much over summer break.”

After that part-time job, a lot happened in the other world, and now I had things I needed to do. Maybe my face looked a little more determined because of it.

Alright, things were going to get busy. After the opening ceremony, I planned to visit Mamoru-san’s house. Now that the Grand Mage’s power was gone, I wouldn’t be able to continue my past rescue efforts. I needed to explain that to him and ask for a favor.