“Seriously, what are you guys doing?! Stop this nonsense and go home already!”

“Tch, damn meddler.”

“Hey, don’t you dare do something like this again!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Jeez, those guys… Tachihara, are you okay?”

“...Sensei, these people hit me, and that’s just the end of it?”

“Hmm? Ah, well… I’ll give them a stern warning again.”

“................”

…Yeah, this homeroom teacher is useless. He doesn’t understand how desperately victims of bullying, who are beaten up and have their money stolen, need immediate help. If this is his reaction, then these guys have probably done this before and just got off with a warning.

Warnings alone won’t stop people like Tsuyuhara and these thugs from hitting others and stealing money. What victims want is strict punishment.

“...Sensei, I was assaulted by these people. If the school doesn’t take any action against them, I will report this to the police and press criminal charges.”

“Hah!?”

“What the hell are you saying?!”

“H-Hey, Tachihara! That’s going a bit too far…”

“I’m bleeding from being hit. That’s more than enough for an assault charge. And since they stole money from other students, that qualifies as extortion.”

Yes, people might be misled by words like ‘bullying’ or ‘shakedown,’ but these are serious crimes. Hitting someone and injuring them is assault. Taking their money is extortion. Destroying or hiding someone’s belongings is property damage. It didn’t happen to me, but if a girl were subjected to anything sexual, it would be sexual assault.

If these crimes happened in society, the perpetrators would be arrested. But when they happen in school, they’re dismissed as bullying or shakedowns, and nothing serious is done about them. It’s absurd.

Of course, they are protected by juvenile law, so they likely won’t face prison time. But they can still be sent to family court, and victims can sue for damages.

“I-It’s just that…”

“You bastard, don’t screw with us!”

“Hey, idiot! Stop it!”

One of them tries to rush at me, but the others hold him back. Too bad. If he had hit me, that would’ve made things even easier for me.

“Anyway, I’m going to the hospital to get a medical certificate. And…”

I walked a little away and secretly received my phone from Fūsuke, who had been hiding.

“...Fūsuke, thanks.”

“Hoo!”

“I had cameras set up here beforehand, so I’ve got clear video evidence of them beating me up.”

…That’s a lie. Actually, when I was brought here, I managed to slip my phone to Fūsuke and had him record everything. That’s why I didn’t fight back and let them hit me. I copied what Tsuyuhara used to do.

“If the school properly punishes them for this incident, I won’t report it to the police.”

“U-Understood. I’ll make sure this is addressed properly! You guys, expect suspension or disciplinary action!”

…What a two-faced teacher. Well, from the school’s perspective, it’s better to punish these guys than have the police get involved. This teacher might see me as a troublesome student from now on, but that doesn’t matter.

“Y-You bastard!”

“If you try anything against me again, or if you hit other students and steal their money, I swear I’ll take this evidence to the police!”

“Ugh…”

Going to the police right now is an option, but guys like this can be unpredictable. If they get suspended or expelled, that should be enough for now.

Ideally, that teacher should also face consequences for ignoring bullying and shakedowns. By the way, I once cast a diarrhea-inducing status effect spell on him a few times, and he ended up running to the bathroom repeatedly. Somehow, rumors spread that he had an accident, and now the female students completely avoid him.

Since he played a role in my bullying, I’d say he deserved it. I should have ensured Tsuyuhara got proper punishment too, but back then, I had to worry about my mom, so it was complicated…

“Tch, let’s get out of here!”

“Damn it!”

“Hey, stop right there!”

…Phew, looks like that’s settled. The teacher chased after the fleeing delinquents down from the rooftop. I don’t know their names, but I have the evidence, so it’s fine.

At the very least, I’m not scared of thugs like that anymore. And now, I have Abe and Watanabe with me. Even if someone tries to bully me again, I won’t give in.

The door to the other world has closed, but I believe Ande will reopen it for me someday. Until I can see Sara and the others again, I’ll train myself even more and become someone I can proudly stand before them as!

“Masayoshi-samaaa!!”

…Was that a hallucination? I feel like I just heard a very nostalgic voice. Am I missing Sara so much that I’m hearing things?

“Masayoshi-samaaa!!”

“!?”

That’s not a hallucination! That’s Sara’s voice! But why is it coming from above?!

“Uwoooohhh!!”

F-R-O-M T-H-E S-K-Y, S-A-L-A I-S F-A-L-L-I-N-G!!

Somehow, I managed to catch Sara without falling over. Looks like my training wasn’t for nothing.

Golden hair that shines beautifully, deep blue eyes that pull you in, long pointed ears characteristic of elves. There’s no doubt about it—it’s the real Sara!

“Sara-san, how did you get to this world?!”

“Masayoshi-sama, I finally found you!!”

Oh, right! She can’t understand Japanese. Good thing I studied the language of the other world. My pronunciation might be a little off, but I can understand her!

“Sara-san, how did you get here?”

“It’s thanks to Ande-sama!”

“Honestly, jumping down like that… Even for the descendant of my master, you’re a bit too reckless.”

…Of course. I didn’t even need to ask how Sara got here.

“Ande, so you managed to reconnect the portal to the other world?”

Just like Sara, Ande had beautiful golden hair, long pointed ears, and the characteristic fiery red eyes of a high elf.

“It’s been a while, Masayoshi. Yeah, it took quite some time, but I finally repaired the magic absorption device. Now, the portal to the other world should remain connected indefinitely.”

“…It really has been a long time. But honestly, I’m more amazed that you managed to fix the portal in such a short period.”

Ande's words sound like proper Japanese thanks to my language comprehension skill.

“Masayoshi-sama, finally... finally, we meet again!!”

Sara's eyes overflow with tears. The real Sara is right here!

“Wait, Tachihara! What the hell is this situation!?”

“A girl fell from the sky! And... cosplay?”

Ah, crap! It was supposed to be an emotional reunion with Sara, but this is a total mess!? I mean, talk about timing! Everything was just about to wrap up neatly!

“Hey, Ande! Put these two to sleep for now!”

“Hmm, very well. Sleep!”

“Mnya...”

“Ugh...”

With a single spell from Ande, Abe and Watanabe instantly fell asleep. ...Sorry, you two!

“Phew... what should I do now...”

Putting them to sleep was fine, but they totally saw Ande and Sara. ...Well, whatever, I'll deal with that later!

“Sara!”

“Masayoshi-sama!”

I embrace Sara. She's warm. This isn't a dream! She's really here!

I've spent all this time studying the language of another world, believing I would one day be able to convey these words to Sara. I've practiced them over and over again.

“Sara, please marry me!”

“Yes! With pleasure!”

Closing my eyes, I exchange a kiss with Sara. The softness of her lips reaches me. Just like when we parted back then. Ah, if only time could stop forever like this...

“...Ahem, are you two done yet?”

“Hoo!”

“...!?”

Oh crap, I was so happy to see Sara again that I completely forgot about Ande and Fuusuke.

“Sara, please wait for just a moment.”

“Yes!”

“Sorry, Ande. So, the portal to the other world has reopened, but why are you here?”

“...A lot happened. To complete that spell, I needed this one's help. Once we figured out we could reconnect your house with our world, she insisted on meeting you immediately. We traced your presence here, and then she suddenly jumped down.”

...What the hell happened over there? Anyway, I get that Sara helped reconnect the portal and came here.

“So, what should we do about this situation?”

“………………”

Now that I think about it, I had just wrapped things up nicely on this side too.

“Shall I erase their memories?”

“...No, memory-erasing magic can cause side effects, and these two are important friends. Please don't use it. I'll tell them about the other world when the time is right.”

For now, I'll explain everything to them once they wake up.

“...Hmm, very well. By the way, you seem to be injured. Heal.”

The wounds I got from being punched earlier vanished instantly. Magic really is ridiculously convenient. Oh crap, the medical report... No, you know what, who cares anymore?

“Thanks, Ande. You really saved me in every possible way.”

“It’s no big deal. ...Oh, right. If you feed me that gyudon and ice cream thing again, that'll be enough.”

“...Ah, I'll treat you to something even better this time!”

Last time I was broke, so this time I'll make sure to treat him to something way better.

“Now then, let’s hurry back and return the master's power I inherited from you.”

“Huh!? If you do that, you'll lose all the power you've inherited so far!”

The inheritance magic doesn’t allow selective transfer of skills or spells. That’s why, when I passed on the spell to connect worlds, I had to transfer all my power to Ande.

“It took quite a while to reconnect the portal to this world, so in the meantime, I analyzed and improved the inheritance magic. Now, individual skills, spells, and powers can be transferred separately.”

“You’re a genius!?”

Of course! Ande is a genius! Seriously, he can even modify inheritance magic!?

Apparently, while fixing the portal over the past three months, he also found time to refine the inheritance magic.

“Does that mean the hellish pain and suffering during the transfer are gone too?”

“...No, I couldn’t remove the pain.”

“………………”

So the excruciating pain that comes with inheritance is still unavoidable.

“Ande, are you sure you're okay returning the Grand Mage's power to me?”

“...I did consider taking you on as my disciple, but it doesn’t sit well with me to keep our master's power.”

“If that's how you feel, then I'll accept it gratefully.”

“Very well. But first, let’s eat. Since returning to my world, I haven't been able to forget the taste of your world's food.”

“Yeah, I'll be out of commission for half a day after the transfer, so I should eat something first. And before that, I need to wake those two and explain things.”

The thought of going through that hellish pain again is terrifying, but if it means regaining the Grand Mage’s power, I have no choice. Besides, I’ve spent these three months training myself. I’ve toughened up—at least mentally! ...No, I take that back. I'm still scared. That pain is seriously unbearable...

“Sara, sorry to keep you waiting. It looks like I’ll be getting the Grand Mage’s power back. This means I’ll be able to travel freely between your world and mine again.”

“I see! But whether you have that power or not, Masayoshi-sama is still Masayoshi-sama. More than anything, I’m just so happy we’re together again! And getting married feels like a dream!”

“It really does feel like a dream. Though… there's a lot we need to figure out…”

Of course, I have no regrets, but I definitely proposed on impulse. I need to introduce her to my mom, sort out my family register, consider whether to marry as a student, and figure out how to handle an interworld marriage, not just an international one.

But I have so many reliable people around me. I’ve faced a lot of difficult challenges before, but with everyone’s help, I’ve managed to get through them. With the Grand Mage’s power, we’ll find a way!

“From now on, we can be together always, both in your world and mine!”

“Yes. I look forward to our future together!”

It looks like I’ll once again inherit the Grand Mage’s power and regain the ability to travel between Japan and the other world.

—The End—