The only onesstill standing are Yui and the rest of Sora’s friends.  Not only are the other yuusha down, at some point, all the adventurer’s evacuated the area too.

Sora looks at them.  Their expression are at a complete loss.  He wants to call out to them, but first he says, “They’re important friends of mine.  No matter what, don’t lay a hand on them.”

He then, slowly, walks over to them.  As he gets closer, he notices they are trembling oro oro, from nervousness.  Haa, maybe I should say something?

Sora’s tone comes out a bit awkward, but isn’t malicious.  He only wants to ease the tension. “Even though my companions were fighting, I totally acted like I had nothing to do with it.  Pretty lame, right?”

Karou’s expression shows his dissatisfaction. “Ahh!?  —So- Sora…”  Then, upon discovering who he’s talking to, turns away.

Well, I guess that makes sense.  We might have been classmates, but after a long time, I show back up and beat up his comrades.  Laila and Sura are really the one’s responsible though.

Everyone averts their eyes from Sora.  Everyone, except for one person, one person who stares him down with a glare.

“What’s that glare for?”

“….”

Nao, with a delinquent like scowl on her face, walks straight up to Sora.  Even though her height is the same as his, her presence swallows him.  She only stops right when their noses are about to touch.

Wh- what the!?  You’re really harsh to me in public, why are you getting this close for!?  Something smells good… Ah!  Calm down!  This isn’t the first time you’ve been this close to a girl!

Yami and the others always… Although, this is a bit different.

“Ain’t you going to say something?”

Sora’s mouth flaps open.  Nao’s words race his heart into a panic.  Something?  The heck am I supposed to say, ‘Long time no see’? No, no, no, no I should think about it a little more.

She’ll definitely whack me if I say the wrong thing.

……Shit!  Would it kill you to give me a hint?  Anything!

Sora looks around with his eyes for a clue, but finds nothing.  Upon returning his gaze upon Nao, he finds that she’s about to burst into tears. 

Ahre… I’m an idiot for over thinking this…  What I should say was obvious from the start.

“I’m back.”

“— —ch!”

Nao squeezes him with a hug.

—Bafuu

“!?”

Sora is both shocked and confused.  He can even hear her crying.  Nao tightens her grip to which he hugs her back. 

“—!!”

  Nao’s silent tears break in response.  Her weeping lures Yui and the others, who have been trembling, oro oro, into also shedding tears.

—Welcome back

Sora is positive he hears those words through her tears.

**

Nao stops crying after a few minutes and calms down.  She gives Sora a stern warning, “Don’t tell anyone I was crying.”

“Got it.”

Yui and everyone else already know though.

Nao says, “Again, welcome back, Sora.”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

Nao then releases Sora.  Afterwards, they, along with Yui and the others, discuss their future plans.  They decide on going over everything they’ve gone through.

—But we should probably go someplace else before the yuusha wake up and complicate everything.

Sora says, “Follow me, I know a good place.”  Then, while ignoring the aura of displeasure floating off of Laila, Yami, and Sura, he tells his party, “I’ll explain everything later.  For now, let’s go back.”

Sora, with everyone’s consent, transports them all to Nanalia Village.  He then takes them to the village chief’s house which they borrow for the time being.  As not everyone can fit inside, Gorilla and Noi are left outside.  Three people originally needed to wait outside, but the issue was rendered moot once Sura dropped her anthropomorphication and returned to being a slime.

Within the room are three chairs around a table.  Of the 8 people plus slime who entered the room, five will be left either standing or sitting on the floor. 

Sora asks Yui’s party if anyone would like to use the chairs.  With Nao and Kaoru accepting the offer, they along with Sora, Yami, and Sura sit down on them. Yami is on Sora’s lap while Sura claims his head.  Laila takes an imposing stance behind Sora with disgruntlement clear on her face.

Yami says, “Say, masta—”

Laila says, “Just a moment.  Shujin, before anything else, won’t you explain to us who these people are?”

How annoying.

Sora says, “They’re my buds.”

Laila, without a word, clamps down on Sora’s shoulder. 

“Kh!!  Oww!  That hurts!”

Slowly, jiri jiri, she grips harder and tighter.  While he might be able to endure it with body reinforcement, he doesn’t know the skill.  He’s completely at the mercy of her Dragon Newt might.

“Okay, okay!  I’ll give a proper explanation!”

Laila says, “Oh, really?  You will?  As expected of Shujin.”

This girl…  I’ll remember this.

Sora says, “Fuu, I think you know this, but these guys are the yuusha. 

“Yeah, I know.”

“I think I’ve said this before, but I’m technically a yuusha too.  Actually, it’s more like I fail to become—”

“Hooooold it!”

“What?”

“I never heard that Shujin is a yuushaaa!”

“Ahre?  I never mentioned it before?”

“This is the first time I’m hearing iiiit!”

I’m pretty sure I mentioned it.  Maybe she forgot?  Seriously, just what kind of character is she supposed to have? 

Sora says, “Really?  Well, I am.”

Laila says, “Fumu… if that’s the case, I can believe that these yuusha are your friends.  However, then why did the other yuusha attack you on sight?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out.”

**

Sora says, “Right, well then, I’ll tell you everything I’ve been through up till now.”

Saying everything is going to be a pain though.  Isn’t there an easier way to do this?

Sora says, “First, I was summoned by the queen.  She half killed me and dumped me into a void.  When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a prairie. I hunted monsters to survive.  By chance, I encountered her, the one sitting on my head, Sura.  The two of us entered a forest for an adventure.  There I met Yami who’s sitting on my lap.  I then went into a city, got curious about the slave market, and checked it out.  I bought Laila, who’s standing behind me, right as she was about to be disposed of.  Then I came to this village and met a DQN[1] like person.  Once we all became friends, we challenged the labyrinth.  That’s where we met Noi.  Those last two are the two people waiting outside.”

Yui says, “Uwah, that’s seriously a rough summary of events.”

Sora says, “You think so?  Well, maybe you could view it as an example for your own?”

“Fine, we—”

**

Yui’s explanation is incredibly thorough and ridiculously long.  There are many points where Sora almost falls asleep, but each time, Nao kicks his shin under the table.

Yui says, “What do you think?”

Sora says, “It was easy to understand, but long. So, in short, the queen made me into the worst villain possible.  By making me look like a traitor, she’d be able to have the yuusha dispose of me.  Instead, the opposite happened and they were all, boko boko, beat up.  Something like that?”

“I did my best to condense it…”

Kaoru then speaks up.  He fidgets, sowa sowa, as he says, “He- hey, Sora.”

“Yeah?”

“Her, on your lap, she’s Yami-chan?  Can I touch her for a bit?”

“!!”

Shit!  This guy’s a lolicon!!  Just, why’s he asking me for?

Sora says, “Don’t ask me, ask Yami.”

“Yami-chan—”

“No.”

“There you have it.”

“Naghhhh…!!”

Kaoru’s actions help liven the atmosphere.  Everyone laughs upon seeing Kaoru’s gloom at Yami’s rejection.

Sora then says, “So, what are all of you going to do now?”  He doesn’t feel like it’s necessary to ask, considering who he’s talking to, but does so regardless.

Yui says, “That’s right…”  She then gathers everyone and after some discussion, returns to say, “Sora, we’ll be joining you.”

“Fuu, really?”

Called it.

Sora says, “Still, are you sure?  Coming with me—”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Tomo says, “That’s right!  I had no idea those guys saw you as an enemy!  Just, Sora, why the heck did you leave me out?”

I forgot, not that I can say it out loud.

Sora says, “Right, I won’t be taking responsibility for anything that happens.”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”

---

T/N: And here’s something that you may have considered abandoned.  No, I just needed a break from it.  A really, really long break.  Anyway, that guy at the end is probably his so called best friend from the prologue.  I honestly though he was going to go down the “final boss before the queen” route.

[1] A delinquent/person who is stupid, uncultured, or socially inferior

<4.1.1 Restarting and Sora
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