I’m the Only Totem in Another World

Chapter 193: IF ━ If the Cathedral Was Still Standing （4）

I looked over the booklet made by the mysterious group called the “Administration” once more.

It was to give a serious answer to Hanna’s question about where and what kind of work I wanted to do.

“…A mart. I’m thinking about a large supermarket.”

“A mart? Is there a reason?”

Hanna showed curiosity.

A reason, huh? There’s nothing special.

I’ve worked part-time at a convenience store before, so maybe it’s just a thought of trying something bigger now.

“Just because.”

I didn’t want to tell her the embarrassing reason, so I just gave a vague answer and moved on.

“Which mart are you thinking of working at?”

“Of course, the one closest to home. For a comfortable commute. So… around here?”

“…Should we work together?”

Hanna, who was looking at the mart I pointed at, asked cautiously and continued.

“Well, you see, I don’t have anything I want to do… and it’s a bit awkward to just kill time at home alone. And wouldn’t it be better to work together as fellow Returnees?”

“Pfft. Fellow Returnees, she says.”

Seeing her naturally utter words like ‘Returnee’ and ‘comrade’, which are rarely used in modern society, made me laugh.

“Well, did I say anything wrong? And fellow Returnee sounds better than fellow Possessed.”

“Won’t the people watching us hear that and show up right away?”

I said, looking around.

Since I decided to live with all the memories of my time in the other world, the Administration must have put me under surveillance. Two Returnees gathered, so there must be two surveillance agents as well.

“Would they really show up? We’re not plotting anything.”

Hanna gave me a scornful look. A chic woman with her hair dyed red doing that looked quite rebellious.

Ugh, I want to flick her forehead.

“Still, shouldn’t we avoid talking about ‘Returnees’? There are other people here.”

“Other people would just hear us and think we’re talking about a game. And if they were going to show up, they would have done so already. They’re staying put because there’s no problem.”

“That’s true.”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been living with the mindset of ‘considering everything’ while acting as Loa Malak. To Hanna, it might have seemed like I was worrying unnecessarily.

“Then let’s decide on this mart. Want to go check it out tomorrow?”

Hanna tapped the booklet.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. We have to see it first and decide. And if it seems okay, let’s start working next week.”

“Why next week?”

“Because I have to move.”

Moving, huh? Come to think of it, Hanna said she lives alone. She said she had a bad relationship with her parents and moved out early.

She also said that when she returned to Earth from the other world, she didn’t visit them directly but only contacted them through text messages and phone calls.

“Hmm.”

Hanna… must be very lonely. The reason she wanted to meet me and work together was because of loneliness.

“Okay. Let’s go check it out tomorrow.”

I nodded. As Hanna said, we’re fellow Returnees.

We’re not as close as family members connected by blood, but I think we’re right below that level. It’s not an exaggeration to call us sworn brothers, or rather, sworn siblings.

Comforting Hanna’s loneliness is also my role as a ‘fellow Returnee’.

I continued chatting with Hanna, whose expression brightened noticeably.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

“Ugh, my back.”

I moved all the boxes filled with produce and rubbed my back.

Ah, why did I suggest working at a large supermarket? You idiot.

Large supermarkets generally have a high proportion of middle-aged women. They do hire people in their 20s, but the chances of a man being hired are low.

The job that a physically fit man in his 20s, who managed to get hired despite the low odds, has to do at a supermarket. It was all too obvious.

The back-breaking work that middle-aged women can’t do.

“It’s no different from manual labor.”

Even with some exaggeration, it was several times harder than my part-time job at the convenience store.

“Phew.”

Even my senior（?）, who started working here three weeks before me, let out a deep sigh.

“Good work.”

“You too.”

I exchanged customary greetings with him and sat down on a chair. We finished earlier than expected, so I should be able to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Ah, the thought of having to do this again in a while makes me sigh.

If I were alone, I would have quit right away. That’s what would have happened if I hadn’t joined with Hanna.

Hanna, who struggles to socialize, is doing a great job handling the information desk, so what would it look like if I, the one who suggested working at the supermarket, quit because it’s hard?

It would be the ultimate shame.

I spent some time moving things around, and my work for the day was over.

“Your girlfriend is waiting for you outside. Go ahead.”

The lady, who was the oldest and had good leadership skills, earning her the nickname ‘Big Sister’, said to me with a chuckle.

“Really?”

I was too tired to deny it, so I just brushed it off and went outside. If I said she wasn’t my girlfriend, they would ask more persistently.

I see Hanna. She had been peeking out as if to see if I was coming, but as soon as she saw me, she hid.

“Honestly.”

She saw me anyway, so what’s the point? It’s not hide-and-seek.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat dinner.”

Hanna, pretending not to have waited for me, said while fiddling with her smartphone.

“What do you want to eat?”

“There’s a new Japanese restaurant over there. How about sukiyaki?”

“Sukiyaki? What’s that?”

What a peculiar name.

Japanese food has become trendy while I was in the other world. It’s just troublesome for me, someone who doesn’t know much Japanese.

“It’s similar to shabu-shabu. That…”

Hanna averted her gaze slightly and hesitantly held out her hand. She was signaling for me to hold it.

“Shabu-shabu sounds good.”

I chuckled and took her hand. It was small and soft, like a hand that had never known hardship.

Well, it’s not wrong since it was my Paladin’s artificial body in the other world that went through all the hardship.

“…Let’s go.”

Hanna, hand in hand with me, led the way.

Well, what Big Sister said earlier wasn’t entirely wrong. She’s not my girlfriend, but we are seeing each other.

We’ve spent a lot of time together, and I’ve noticed her feelings for a while now.

Whenever I was talking to other female employees in their 20s, Hanna’s eyes would change noticeably.

Is it because we’re comrades who went through the demonic apocalypse, something no one else can experience?

Somehow, we naturally ended up like this. Although we’re just holding hands for now.

It was while we were waiting for our food at the Japanese restaurant.

“Huh?”

Hanna, who had been chatting with me, let out a strange exclamation after briefly checking her smartphone.

“Sanz, look at this.”

She, who prefers being called by her nickname rather than her real name, shoved her smartphone in my face as if to show me.

“What is it, Netkama.”

“Drop dead. Call me Hanna.”

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander” is a saying for times like this. She calls me by my game nickname, yet…

“Just look at this already~!”

At Hanna’s urging, I checked her smartphone, and…

“Hmm?”

I was also taken aback by the unexpected content.

[‘Paladin Survival’ Game Fan Meeting Hosted by]

What is this?

“Look here.”

Following Hanna’s gesture, I checked the host.

[Dina Silverstein]

Dina? Could it be?

“This, it must be Princess Dina, right?”

Hanna said, her voice filled with excitement.

“Well… maybe?”

I turned on my smartphone and checked the information.

Dina Silverstein. Mid-20s, American female. Heir to the Silverstein Group.

The Silverstein Group is a private military company, and it’s said to be among the top ten in the world.

The heir to a private military company… I guess you could say it’s a fitting background for Dina.

“Hey, look at this! I think it really is Princess Dina?!”

Hanna excitedly showed me that there had been no trace of Dina Silverstein for two years.

It’s hard to deny it when things line up this well. Is Princess Dina trying to hold a ‘Possessed People’s Reunion’ or something?

“…Won’t the Administration intervene?”

I couldn’t help but worry again.

“Ah, that again? If they were going to intervene, they would have stopped it before the news broke out. You worry too much, Sanz.”

“Tsk.”

She might think I’m a scaredy-cat, but there’s a reason for it.

Actually, I had a nightmare again yesterday. A dream where that bastard Karon came through a dimensional gate and wreaked havoc on Earth.

━ Sanz! You clown of a Loa! There’s no paradise where you’ve run off to! The place you’ve reached will also become a battlefield!

As usual, Karon scared me with his bullshit, but the pattern had changed a bit.

━ Kyaaak!

This time, he attacked Hanna, not me.

━ Watch helplessly as your woman dies! You loser!

Rake, turned into a zombie, was about to behead Hanna with the Meteor Sword held high. Even though I knew it was a dream, I was so scared that I wet myself.

Getting hit by my mother’s repeated back attacks was a bonus.

Having this dream over and over again made me think…

‘Could Karon still be alive, wreaking havoc in the other world?’

‘Should I have stayed in that world and eradicated Karon as well?’

It was just a lingering regret, but I couldn’t shake it off.

If Karon really is alive and attacks the Tribal Federation, causing it to crumble… I would go mad with despair and regret.

I’m not showing it to Hanna right now, but if this continues, I’ll eventually break down.

…Would attending this Possessed People’s Reunion disguised as a game fan meeting and listening to other people’s stories help me find some peace of mind?

“It’s happening in the US next weekend! Let’s go together!”

Hanna, oblivious to my inner turmoil, just smiled brightly.

“Okay.”

I said with a smile, hoping that this meeting would bring me peace of mind.