Chapter 202: Grandpa’s Secret

Activating the teleportation circle in the yard, we arrived at Grandpa’s village in an instant. I had considered going by car, but this time, confirming the activation of the teleportation circle took precedence.

Arriving at the entrance, I rang the doorbell. To my surprise, Grandpa himself came out to greet us. “Oh, isn’t Keita here today?” I thought, but then I realized that school had started.

It’s already the second half of January. It’s easy to forget, but the world has returned to normal mode.

“Oh, Sakura-san, thank you for coming. And who might you be?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sasamiya Tsubaki. I’ve been with Keisuke-san over there the whole time.”

“I see. I’m Keizo, Keisuke’s grandfather. I’m serving as the village chief here. Since you’re here, please come in.”

“Thank you,” Tsubaki and I replied.

After being led into the living room, I introduced Tsubaki and Sakura once again. I explained their relationship honestly to avoid any misunderstandings.

“Well, you can do as you please. You’re already an old man in his forties. I have no right to say anything.” 

Whether he understood or simply lacked interest, I couldn’t discern, but he seemed to accept it for now. He bowed deeply to Tsubaki and Sakura, saying, “Thank you for your help.”

“Grandpa, I wanted to continue our previous conversation today. I’d like you to tell us a bit more if possible.” 

“Very well. However… there are things I can’t tell you due to restrictions.”

“I understand that to some extent. By the way, I’ve heard that you’ve been to the other world.”

“I see, then there’s no need to beat around the bush. The first time I went to another world was…”

From there, Grandpa’s adventure in another world began. There were restrictions on what he could say, and he occasionally stumbled over his words.

In the world Grandpa was transported to, there were countries of humans, elves, and dwarves. There were also monsters in that world, recognized as a common enemy to humanity. Grandpa, who was sent to the elven country, survived by learning sword and magic techniques.

He was sent there long before I was born, back when he was still in his teens. After befriending some elves and going on many adventures, he returned to Japan with several elves.

“So… everyone in this village is an elf?” 

“Except for me, yes.”

“Seriously… I had no idea.”

Everyone looked like ordinary Japanese people. But that’s because they apparently used magic to change their appearance. I had lived here for years without realizing it. Or rather, I had never even imagined it.

“Hey Grandpa, could it be that I… have elf blood?”

“No, your grandma was a genuine Japanese. By the way, she was also sent to another world around the same time as me.”

“So, you met there and got married?”

“Yes.”

But still, my family… aren’t we cursed or something? Me getting involved after Grandpa and Grandma… It was denied by Grandpa, but maybe my parents too… Their story about dying in an accident seems suspicious now.

I asked various questions afterward, and it seems that when you go to the other world, you end up getting younger. You become long-lived like an elf and spend an eternal time there. After being forced to make that choice, Grandpa decided to return to Japan.

“Well, that’s about it. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. But I never intended to hide anything.”

“I see, even if you explained it to me, I wouldn’t have believed it. But now, I can accept most things.”

“The day Keisuke disappeared, our god informed us immediately. When it happened to me, there were only six of us… I was truly surprised to learn there were a million of you.”

“I panicked at first too. Well, I’m grateful to have met these two.”

“I see. I’m grateful to both of you.”

After wrapping up that topic, the conversation switched to the next one. It seems that Grandpa and the others are planning to leave this village soon. They mentioned they were going to move to another place.

I had already guessed this when the topic came up, but… it turned out that they were moving to another world. It seems to be the instruction of the god Grandpa brought. At least until Japan is reset, that is the plan.

It’s not a problem for them to stay in Japan, but in this case, there seemed to be personal reasons for Grandpa.

“Well, you know… I can’t say much about it, but… it’s been a while since your grandma passed away. It’s about time I kept my promise…”

“What promise?”

“Well, you know… various things.”

“I see. If you can’t say, then it can’t be helped.”

The Elf’s country, the long-lived species, Grandma’s passing…

It’s a common development, isn’t it? Meeting the loved ones left behind in the local area, perhaps. Elves are long-lived, after all. I can’t help but think about the promise to return to his local elf wife after Granny’s death…

But then again, if he had settled in the other world, it would have been better… No, no, that’s not it. It’s not like it was decided like that, and there might be a more legitimate reason.

“Well, I plan to hand over the land in this village to you.”

“Huh? Does that mean you’re never coming back, Grandpa?”

“I’m not sure about that yet. But either way, you’ll need it.”

“Of course, but… what about Keita? What’s going to happen to him?”

“I’ll take him with me. I should mention that it’s because he wants to.”

“I see. It’s not for me to say anything, but…”

“It’s not a farewell for this lifetime. I don’t know when, but he plans to come back someday. He’ll be rejuvenated like you by then.”

“Haha, that’s not funny.”

Suddenly the topic of inheritance came up, but… He had apparently already started the paperwork by the time we met last time. The living area of this village is about a kilometer in diameter. The shape of the land is distorted, but including the mountains, it’s about three times as much—probably about the same size as Nanasia’s town.

Still, I had never noticed this close to home fantasy until now. It’s surprising how easily I accepted it… It’s a development that I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t experienced another world myself.

◇◇◇

In the evening of that day…

When we returned home, the members of the shopping team had just returned as well. It seemed they had bought quite a lot, as they were chatting while holding a tasting session.

I revealed Grandpa’s true identity, but no one seemed particularly surprised. When Natsuki and Akiho asked, “Can we go to that world too?” I replied, “If the god of that world permits it.” It seemed they were just asking out of curiosity, as they quickly changed the topic.

“So, the village chief’s grandpa has a wife in the other world too, right?”

“Hey Natsuki, I told you that was just speculation, didn’t I?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe she’s the queen of the elves… And if that’s the case, does it mean the village chief has royal blood?”

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t look anything like an elf, and my grandmother was Japanese.”

“Village chief, don’t you hear the voice of spirits or something?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that ability.”

While exchanging such silly stories, we opened a feast with various junk foods we had bought. Voices reminiscing about familiar tastes. The village’s sweet potatoes were delicious, but Japanese food culture was still the best.

“By the way, Juri, do we have all the equipment we need for the livestream?”

“Yes, we’re all set! Just as the village chief instructed, I splurged and got everything we need!”

“Whoa… You didn’t spend all the money, did you?”

“Of course not. And we also withdrew from our savings. I think we can contribute at least a little!”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“Okay then, let’s start the planning meeting for the videos. First of all—”

With that, led by Natsuki and the streaming team, we began to decide on the content of the videos. The conversation flowed smoothly, and one plan after another was proposed. Before we knew it, the discussion was wrapped up, and we returned to the other world to rest for the night.

By the way, it seems the goddess won’t be able to return for several days. I’m not quite sure, but apparently, there are various formalities and greetings to be made to the other gods. There seem to be an incredible number of gods in Japan, and she conveyed it with a weary tone.

(Well, they say there are countless gods, so it might not be that simple. Hang in there, Goddess…)

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