Chapter 1: “Return to Japan” and the S-Rank Adventurer
“…Alright. I’ve made up my mind. Time to go.”
In front of me stood a massive stone building that looked like it had history carved into every brick.
Above the entrance hung a wooden sign with a sword and shield emblem, and writing that wasn’t Japanese.
This was the Adventurers’ Guild of another world.
I had died in Japan and been reborn here.
When I woke up in this world, I wasn’t a 28-year-old black-haired, black-eyed Japanese man anymore.
I had the appearance of a 20-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes.
And today… I was about to take the biggest gamble of my life.
Maybe even including my previous life.
I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and pushed open the guild doors.
“Woooo! This ale hits the spot!”
“That ogre was a real pain! But the reward was worth it!”
Inside, tables were lined up near the entrance.
Rough-looking men were already drinking and eating in the middle of the day.
In this world, “adventurers” did everything from monster hunting to escort missions to guarding shops.
Basically… a job for people who did anything for money.
At the back was the reception counter.
Women in fantasy-style uniforms were handling adventurers in line.
And at one counter, a massive crowd had gathered—almost twenty people.
“No way! He soloed a Black Dragon?!”
“So that’s the strength of S-rank adventurer ‘Sword Saint Yuuka’…”
“Yuuka-sama, you’re even more beautiful today!”
At the center of the crowd stood a young woman in her late teens.
She was stunning enough to draw the attention of everyone—men and women alike.
Her long black hair was tied back.
She wore silver armor, and a katana-like sword hung at her waist.
Tall, sharp-featured, and carrying herself with absolute confidence.
Even I—someone with no combat ability—could feel the pressure coming off her.
And yet… despite her beauty, her expression was empty.
Almost lonely.
The people around her were clearly top-tier adventurers.
S-rank… or maybe A or B rank at worst.
She had just returned from completing a major quest.
I was terrified to step into that circle.
But this… was the only path I had.
“Excuse me! Yuuka-sama! Could I have a moment of your time!”
My voice echoed through the guild.
All eyes turned to me.
Then those eyes quickly shifted into suspicion.
I was wearing a cloak and mask, hiding my face.
And honestly… I probably looked like some suspicious beggar trying to talk to royalty.
“I’m sorry, but I must decline.”
She lowered her head slightly and refused me.
Around us, the adventurers looked like that was the obvious outcome.
If I had black hair and black eyes like her…
Maybe she would’ve at least listened.
But that didn’t matter.
This was within expectations.
“Understood. Then at least… please accept this as a token.”
“…!”
The moment I pulled something out of my bag and showed it to her, her expression changed completely.
For the first time, her emotionless face cracked.
“…Very well. You can do it now.”
“Y-Yuuka-sama?!”
“No way! Why him?!”
“He looked so weak! It was just a piece of paper—why?!”
The guild exploded into chaos.
Good thing I wore the mask.
After leaving the guild, Yuuka guided me to a high-end restaurant.
The kind of place nobles would use.
Even getting in here without her would’ve been impossible—I got stopped at the door.
As expected, S-rank adventurers had serious authority.
“This is quite something… I’ve never been somewhere like this before.”
In a private room, sound from outside completely disappeared.
Yuuka was clearly still wary of me.
That made sense.
I slowly removed my cloak and mask.
“…I see. You’re a Transmigrator, then.”
“My name is Kirishima Kakeru.”
She watched me carefully.
Then introduced herself.
“I’m Miyazaka Yuuka. I’ve been transferred to this world for about two years.”
So she was a Transferred person.
Not a Reincarnated one like me.
She immediately understood the difference just from my appearance.
In this world, people like us were called “Blessed Ones.”
Those who came from Japan and gained special abilities.
“My skill is called Sword Saint. It enhances sword techniques.”
“…Cheat skills everywhere. Unreal.”
Then I showed her the newspaper.
“This newspaper was brought from Japan using my Unique Skill—‘Return to Japan.’”
“…!!”
Her eyes widened again.
The date was only a few days old.
To her, someone who had been here for two years, that was undeniable proof.
“…Does that mean… I can return to Japan too?”
“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve met another Blessed One.”
“But there’s a possibility.”
“Please! Let me try your skill!”
She suddenly grabbed my hands.
Her eyes were desperate.
She really wants to go back to Japan…
“Alright. So far I haven’t been able to transfer living creatures… but maybe Blessed Ones are different. However, there are conditions!”
“…What conditions?”
Her expression sharpened again.
Smart. She knew exactly how dangerous this sounded.
“First—don’t tell anyone about my skill.”
“Fine.”
That was expected.
Unique Skills were basically trump cards in this world.
“And the main condition is—”
“…What is it?”
She braced herself.
I took a breath.
“Please give me money! And… protect me!”
“….”
“…Huh?”
I bowed deeply toward Yuuka.
For a while, she stayed silent.
Then she let out a completely dumbfounded sound.
Even S-rank adventurers can make noises like that, huh.
Well… I guess from her perspective, I basically just asked to become a freeloader.
“No, I think I understand what you’re trying to say…”
“You’re thinking that if you can move between Japan and this world, it’d be easy to make money, right?”
“Uh… isn’t that it? Honestly, if you just exchange gold coins here into yen in Japan and sell Japanese goods back here, you could probably make a fortune…”
“I thought so too. If this were transmigration, it would’ve been much simpler…”
When I first arrived in this world, I seriously thought I’d hit the jackpot.
“Nice, I got a cheat skill. Time to make money and live a slow, peaceful life.”
Yeah. That fantasy got crushed instantly.
“I did think about selling gold coins first. But in my case, I already died in Japan, so I don’t have a family registry or address anymore. I don’t have ID, and I can’t even make one.”
“Ah… right…”
I even went back to Japan and researched it using library internet.
There were actually quite a few places that would buy gold—pawn shops, precious metal dealers, recycling stores.
But all of them required identification.
If this had been transmigration, I would’ve still had my ID and address…
“I even tried asking random people with IDs to exchange it for me, but they all refused. Nowadays there’s a lot of scams and shady part-time job crimes, so no normal person would trust someone dressed like me.”
“That’s… true, I guess.”
Right now I basically look like a suspicious foreigner.
And I don’t even have money to buy proper clothes in Japan.
Stealing? Yeah, I could probably make money that way… but I refuse to go that route.
“Without an ID or address, I can’t even get a part-time job. And without starting capital, I literally can’t do anything.”
“If I try selling items I bring from Japan here, I’ll immediately catch the attention of nobles or other Blessed Ones.”
“And that would be game over.”
“…Yeah, that sounds like the correct judgment.”
I had even considered selling things I picked up from garbage in Japan.
But this world apparently has a lot of other Blessed Ones.
If I start selling Japanese goods, someone will notice immediately.
And if that someone is decent, fine.
But if they’re not… they’d blackmail me without hesitation.
“If there are that many transmigrators and transferred people, there’s definitely going to be people with bad intentions.”
“That’s why I chose you, Yuuka.”
“I heard you’re a famous S-rank adventurer, a Blessed One with a clean reputation who’s helped many people.”
“I trusted you the most.”
I gambled everything on her.
Used all the money I’d saved in this world over the past month just to get here.
And I told her about my skill for the first time.
My ability has no combat power.
If she protects me, that’s great.
But if she ever turns on me…
Honestly, I’m done.
That’s why I needed to make everything clear.
“Maybe with my skill, you could also go back to Japan.”
“And if we find a way to earn money there, we could bring things back here.”
“…And one more thing.”
“Yuuka… is there anything you still regret in your world?”