Tenshi Translations

Volume 1 Chapter 1 Part 2

Chapter 1: A Parallel World Before I Knew It

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You can grab the PDF here.

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I, Kanou Shinichi, am a so-called『home security guard』.

If『home security guard』was too hard to understand, then『neet』or『hikikomori』or the blunt『deadbeat』would do. Generally, I’m in a position that can be summarized with those words. But then again, my name is still on my school’s register, so it might be more correct to call me a『truant student』.

Actually, no. If we are to aim for correctness, then we must use past tense and say『I used to be a home security guard』.

My lifestyle of living while holed up inside my room that had lasted a year......was suddenly brought to an end by my parents’ forceful measures.

For slightly over a year, I was a hikikomori......my younger sister, who was much smarter than me, was studying for her high school entrance exams, so my parents focused on supporting her with that and mainly left me be.

But after my younger sister got accepted into her school of choice, as one could expect, even my parents would begin to feel bothered by their oldest son acting like this. With their daughter entering a top-notch local high school after so much effort, their son being a home security guard for an indefinite extent of time undoubtedly did not do wonders for appearances.

And thus.

Unfortunately for me, my parents were pretty extreme people.

Although they’re usually quite happy-go-easy, but when they start something, they are utterly thorough with it.

Furthermore, when they think of something, they put it into motion the very same day——they’re so impatient that if it was a war, they would press the launch button for the nuclear missiles immediately after the war declaration. They’re people who would skip steps that other normal people would take one at a time while accessing the situation, and thrust ultimatums at the other side as an opening move. Husband and wife both had such unreasonable personalities.

As a specific example, the door to my room was suddenly split into two on a certain day.

The door had stayed shut as a symbol of my obstinate decision to reject any and all contact with the outside world——well okay, I did open and close to it go to the toilet and take baths and stuff like that——but of all things, those two used a chainsaw to literally cut open a path.

Please imagine it.

I was in the middle of working hard on leveling up when, without any prior notice, the sound of an engine starting was accompanied by the scene of the door being bisected. Furthermore, my parents were fastidious about the weirdest things. Spouting bullshit like『this is the proper thing to wear when using a chainsaw』, they were even wearing hockey masks. Frankly speaking, I want to be commended for not having pissed in my pants.

As if that wasn’t enough......

“Well then, Shinichi. Here’s a question. What is it that you should do from here on? Please select a choice from the following three options. One, return to school. Two, find a job. Three, leave our family registry.”

“......What is with that impossibly hard game.”

“What’s an impossibly hard game! Because you’re our son, when you said ‘I’m going to be a hikikomori’ after something sensitive happened to you, we decided to wait and see for a while. But just because we went easy on you, you started to get carried away and got on the highway towards being a neet! To make matters worse, you started to use cash on delivery to mail order a stupid amount of manga and games——whose earnings do you think you’re burning, you deadbeat!”

“Adults always use such cruel words to hurt us children.”

“You’re not sensitive, you’re just lazy, right?”

“Even Mom too......More like, it’s freaking scary so for now please take off those hockey masks, please?”

“In any case, both your dad and I are reaching the limits of our patience. For now, either go find a job or go back to school. Choose now. Otherwise, the pictures inside the〈Landscape Images〉folder that you’ve been stockpiling devotedly will start disappearing one by one, OK?”

“Wha-......?! How?! Just in case, I gave it a safe name and buried it under several levels of folders! More like, when the heck did you touch my computer?!”

“It’s not good to underestimate a former ero illustrator. It’s not that rare for someone in a rural small game company to be the scenario writer and the programmer and the graphic artist all at the same time.”

“You HACKED my computer?!”

“In the first place, how many ero images have you hoarded to make the file a whole terabyte! I peeked at the contents of some of the sub-folders, but got pretty turned off by the time I got to the fourth one.”

“GYAAAAA!! You looked inside?!”

“So you follow what I’m saying, Shinichi? The treasured collection of 1 TB that you’d diligently built up while going around the internet, the seven game accounts that you have, and a few other things, will all be erased along with the contents of your HDD. If you don’t want this to happen, either start working or resume your studies. ASAP.”

........................................And well, it was a conversation that pretty much went like that.

My life as a home security guard was forcefully brought to a close in the fifteenth month without any chance for an appeal.

“——Hohou. So that’s why you’re now looking for a job.”

The middle-aged man on the other side of the foldable conference table nodded.

The very next day after my parents carried out the ‘forceful entry into my room’ strategy——I was in Akiba.

Not having been exposed to direct sunlight for so long, I had no choice but to endure the torture of the sun relentlessly burning my eyes and my skin like as if I was a vampire. The reason why after more than a year, I was finally back in the sacred land of otakus......was because out of the options presented by my dad, I had chosen the second one.

In other words, to find a job.

To be frank, by this point in time, I could not bring myself to feel like going back to school. More like, if it had been that easy for me to go back, I wouldn’t have turned truant and holed up inside my room. Just by being an otaku, I was already often made the target of bullying and teasing, but......after not showing up for more than a year, going back now would only make me the laughingstock of the entire school, no doubt about it. My nerves are not stout enough to be capable of withstanding something like that.

In that case, then I might as well go straight into becoming a member of society——is what I thought.

This, too, was not easy either. That’s only natural, though.

In the first place, the world was not so lenient that a high school dropout cum former home security guard could find a job as soon as he thinks of looking for one. It would be a different story if I had a special skill or ability of some sort, but there was no way that I did. If I had to name something that I could be proud of, then it would be the otaku knowledge that I’d accumulated over such a long time——well, it’s not exactly something to be proud of, though.

However, if one were to list workplaces where having otaku knowledge would be an advantage, they would realize that they are very rare and limited in number.

The only two kinds of choices were creator-side jobs like what my parents held, or sales-side jobs like being a store clerk in a store that deals in otaku goods. At least, all I could think of were these two choices.

But then again, being a creator brings with it numerous problems unique to creators. The fact that just by going up to one of those companies and saying “Please let me be a creator” would get me nowhere was only made all the more apparent when I looked at my own parents.

Therefore, there was only one road for me to take——to be a clerk in a bookstore, DVD shop, computer shop, game shop, figure shop, toy store, or some other otaku-related store.

Lately, online job hunting support sites are pretty well-stocked with requests, and many stores also have their own “Job Offers” page. Just by searching “Job Offer” along with some otaku-related words, I could easily find the information that I need.

And thus, while looking for job offers on the internet, I came across that page.

Across the top of the page were the words『Looking for an Otakus』in big letters.

More like, that was the only hiring requirement written on the page.

There was none of the usual numerous qualification requirements, such as relevant work experience, licenses held, degree of education, ‘above 18 and under 30,’ or anything like that. The only requirement was to be someone recognized both by self and by others as an otaku, someone with an abundance of knowledge in that field.

Furthermore......surprisingly, the remuneration was really good.

In this time of recession, the monthly salary was, can you believe it, 300,000 yen. (T/N: USD$26500). And depending on results, that amount could be raised even higher. In addition, the company will provide furnished housing. This was clearly not a request for a part-timer, but a request for a full-time employee.

Near the bottom of the page was written『General Entertainment Company AmuTec』.

Of course, there’s the possibility that this was a black company looking to trick innocent sheep ignorant of the ways of the world——I’m talking about myself, by the way——into becoming a corporate slave, but well, it won’t be too late to start worrying about that after I take the interview.

(T/N: ‘Black company’ is a term used by Japanese to describe companies that exploits employees, such as by demanding unpaid overtime.)

For now, I’ll just click the『Apply Here』button at the bottom of the page.

When I did......a new window with the title『Check Your Otaku Level』popped up. Surprisingly, they were having the employment exam online.

Speaking of which, there used to be some sort of otaku official certification thing in the past. I wonder if this was something like that? When I was thinking such things, a timer suddenly popped up from the side of the page.

Apparently, there is a time limit.

Well......just think about it and you can understand why.

Otaku knowledge is something that you can search up on the internet. If there wasn’t a time limit, anyone could get a full score on this exam. In other words, this time limit was to prevent applicants from looking up each and every question——there’s time to make a few quick searches, but to pass, the applicant has to already have a certain amount of basic knowledge.

Frankly, I was slightly on fire. This might possibly be a chance for me to find out where I rank in my otaku-ness relative to other people.

However......when I actually started, I felt so let down.

So easy. So freaking easy.

Anime. Manga. Games. Novels. Figures. Doujinshi. And a few others.

One way or another, the test covered famous works from each and every genre, and asked how much the applicant knew about the contents of the works, what their selling points were, why they became famous......and other similar questions in detail one by one.

However, the test was in multiple choice format.

During my time as a home security guard, I’ve already seen all the works covered in the exam, I’ve read all the sites talking about each work’s sales strategy, and I’ve also gone to all the bulletin boards where people held heated discussions about the works.

Therefore......I would have felt troubled if asked to write up all that information in an essay, but selecting the correct answer from multiple choices was extremely easy. More like......I understood this from actually taking the test, but most likely, the person who wrote this test was not an otaku himself.

How do I put it......something felt “off,” like an article written by a reporter about a place without having gone there in person.

There were no large mistakes, but somehow, the impression that I got was that of the questions being slightly off the mark, or the examiner not quite understanding what he was asking about. Almost as if——the examiner was not an otaku, but was instead an anthropologist or an economist. And instead of thoroughly reading the work, he read only the outline and instead looked at the number of copies sold and pictures of the lines on the opening date and referred to other『objective data from the outside perspective』. The questions on the exam gave off such an uncomfortable feeling.

I wonder who it was that wrote this test, and for what purpose?

While mulling over such thoughts, I continued to breeze through the exam, answering the last question before even half of the allotted time was up.

At that moment, along with the words『Congratulations. You’ve passed.』, the page refreshed to another one where the time of the interview the next day and a map to the location were displayed.

The interview location was located in Akiba——and it was in a building right next to the Manseibashi Police Station, to boot.

Although this recruitment ad was suspicious as heck, but I really don’t think swindlers or solicitors to new religions would base their operations right beside the police.

When I came to this realization——I decided to show up for the interview to this『General Entertainment Company AmuTec』.

“——I see.”

The middle-aged man in charge of the interview nodded deeply.

The namecard that he had given me earlier named him as『Matoba Jinzaburou』.

In contrast to his weirdly traditional-sounding name, the person himself looked extremely normal.

He was a person who felt like one of those salarymen that you could find anywhere. A few white hairs were mixed in with his hair, which was carefully split into a 7:3 hairstyle. His body was of medium build, and he was wearing a suit the color of dried leaves. His eyes were as thin as a thread, causing him to look like he was permanently smiling——more like, after I got used to that smile, I became unable to imagine any other expression on his face. For starters, he looked like a pretty nice person.

Then again, swindlers all look like nice people at first glance. If this『AmuTec』company was truly a black company, then it would be dangerous to make a judgment based on first impressions.

“By the way, what are your parents’ occupations?”

This was after I’d given him the complete picture of my current circumstances. Without holding anything back, I spoke at length both about the fact that I used to be a home security guard and also that it was my parents who had coerced——err, I mean, convinced me to go job-hunting. I honestly did not expect to get accepted at my first interview at the very start of my job-hunting, so I was more in this for the experience. My attitude towards this interview was that if I failed, then I can just move on to the next one.

“My parents? My father is a ‘lanobe’ writer, and my mother is a full-time housewife. She used to be an ero ‘genga,’ though.”

“‘Lanobe’ writer?”

“It means he writes light novels. Well, light novels are books kind of like mangas.”

“I see, I see.”

Matoba-san was nodding while writing something onto some documents.

What do my parents’ occupations have to do with my own job application? Or perhaps, was this the so-called recruitment discrimination? Doesn’t look like it, though. Not that I know anything about it, though.

“Then——ero ‘genga’?”

“Refers to being the illustrator for eroge.”

“......Eroge. Illustrator.”

Matoba-san knitted his eyebrows while muttering to himself.

It was as if these were foreign words that he’d heard for the first time and he was repeating them to himself to commit them to memory.

Seeing as the ad had said “Looking for Otakus,” I’d clearly thought that this was a company with that sort of people. But wait, maybe it’s because they don’t have that sort of people that they expressly went to the trouble of posting a recruitment ad like that.

“Ummm. ‘Eroge’ means an adult game for 18 and over. She used to draw the illustrations for those.”

“Ahh! Ahh, I see.”

Matoba-san nodded vigorously with a look like he’d just learned something new.

“I see, I see! So you are an otaku thoroughbred, aren’t you?”

“‘Thoroughbred’......well, I guess that way of putting it, is not exactly wrong.”

I answered with a wry face.

Although it’s true that ever since I can remember, my house has been choke full of manga and anime discs, and that this has undoubtedly been a huge influence on me becoming an otaku, but my younger sister does not have that kind of interest at all, and summing up my otaku interests with the single word of “DNA” feels quite dissatisfying.

“Nevertheless, you almost got a full score on the online test.”

“Those questions were on the level where any otaku worth their salt could answer immediately. They were just numerous.”

I answered thus.

There was a bit of modesty mixed in, but......in actuality, those questions truly weren’t that difficult.

“Fumu......”

Matoba-san quickly flipped through the documents that he had on hand.

“Spendid. To be honest, we had half given up, but——to think that someone who matches our needs so perfectly would show up......!”

“......Excuse me?”

I doubted my ears.

Just now, this ossan, what did he say?

“Your knowledge is more than enough. In addition, you’re a former hikikomori, and you wish to live by yourself......! Truly promising.”

“Eh......? But......”

Although I did indeed breeze through the exam questions, but......

Despite that——I find it extremely hard to believe that the words『promising』and『splendid』would be coming from the side who would be hiring a high school dropout cum home security guard. Perhaps they were completely basing their evaluation on actual results, and any otaku would have fit their bill.

More like, in the first place, this company——exactly what kind of company was『AmuTec』anyway?

At the start, Matoba-san had introduced it as an “general entertainment company,” but that doesn’t really mean anything.『General』and easily be interpreted to mean『anything goes』.

This interview room too......any way you look at it, it gives off the distinct feeling of being a temporarily rented room in a multi-tenant building. There was absolutely nothing here that would tell me anything about the function as well as the corporate culture of the company『AmuTec』. Inside the room, there was literally only a table, some chairs, and a drink machine. There wasn’t even a single poster on the walls.

In other words, this company’s usual functions must be taking place in some other location......

“Alright. I have to confirm a matters in regards to your resume in the room at the back, so please take a seat and wait a white. Oh, do feel free to help yourself to the drink machine.”

So saying, Matoba-san took the documents that he had been writing memos on since a while ago and left the room.

“I wonder what’s up.”

Muttering to myself, I took up Matoba-san’s offer and walked towards the drink machine.

For now, I pressed the button for oolong tea, and set the paper cup.

The cup filled up almost immediately, so I took it and sipped it while taking a second look around the room.

There really was nothing.

Rather than that......it feels like a place that could be packed up and abandoned at any moment.

“Could this company possibly be someplace really dangerous?”

Right outside the window, I could see the Manseibashi Police Station standing imposingly. I can’t imagine any criminal activity happening this close to a police station.

Wiping away my worries by draining the oolong tea, I went back to the chair and sat down again.

How long is it going to take until Matoba-san comes back?

He said that he had something to confirm, so did that mean that he was going to compare what I had said in the interview against what I had written on my resume?

But are normal job applications this strict?

Well, I’ve heard that when applying for a government job, they do a background check on you, but......

“Unexpectedly, could this be a government job?”

Speaking of which, one of the former Prime Ministers did say that he wanted to build a museum for anime, if I remember right. He said something about us being a world leader in the entertainment industry, and wanting to promote anime as a national policy. But well, as always, the oh-so-great government officials were almost indifferent to the actual contents of the works, and in the end came up with a project that completely missed the mark——were they perhaps thinking of making changes to that project, and were therefore trying to hire personnel who knows about this stuff?

“Lol, no way.”

If that was the case, then the recruitment would be happening on a much larger scale.

Smiling wryly at my wild idea, I yawned really widely, then——

“............”

My memories cut off right there.

♦♦♦♦

And thus——end of recollection.

The time is now the present.

In other words——

“Ohh......?!”

I raised my voice in admiration.

Taking a step outside the entranceway and turning around, I beheld a large mansion.

Completely filling up my field of vision, the brickwork building extended both to my left and my right.

This is one of those so-called ‘Western-styled houses.’

However, unlike its usual run-down and antique-looking appearance in games and manga and other such, this one felt strangely brand new. Of course, it was not like a stage prop, where if you look closely you can see the details being fudged over. This mansion was built properly, and therefore gave off an overwhelming sense of presence that weighed down heavily on me.

In other words, this was a real mansion.

And furthermore, it had most likely been completed only recently.

I had grasped the general idea from the bedroom in which I had been sleeping in, but now that I’m seeing the building again up close, I still feel very much overwhelmed. The fact that this place was not Akiba, that it wasn’t even Japan, was impressed upon me very strongly.

However......honestly, what I was surprised about was not the mansion itself.

It was the thing behind it.

“That’s freaking huge!”

It was so gigantic that despite being on the other side of the mansion, it was still so prominent that it could be considered part of the landscape or part of the geography——it was a majestic architecture on the level of a mountain.

“That’s the Holy Eldant Palace.”

Minori-san answered while standing next to me and also looking up at the palace.

As for its shape, it gave off a Middle Age European feeling like the mansion that I was in did. Castle gates huge enough for elephants to pass through in a pack? Check. Sturdy castle walls? Check. Pinnacles that looked like watchtowers? Check. Yep, nothing out of the ordinary.

However......

“It’s a castle with the same name as the country. In other words, it’s where the imperial throne is. They gouged out the mountain that used to be there to build that castle——but well, even I don’t know the exact details.”

That castle was more massive than any other architecture that I’ve ever seen in person.

For comparison, even the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (which looks like a Demon Lord’s castle, by the way) looks tiny in comparison to this. Leaving the height aside, the breadth and thickness was completely different. If placed next to this Eldant Palace, the Government Building would only come across as being thin and flimsy. This Palace wins not only in height, but also in the size of its base. It was larger in all three dimensions.

Naturally, in games and anime and manga and novels and other created works, even more gigantic constructions have been featured——like space strongholds the size of an entire planet——but the sense of presence felt when I see it with my own eyes and feel it with my skin is......profound, if I had to summarize it into one word.

At the foot of the mountain-sized castle were numerous Middle Age European-styled buildings packed densely together, and several roads paved with flagstone ran throughout the entire thing like blood vessels. The mansion that I was at was at the very fringe——in other words, it was located in the suburbs of the castle town. Around the castle was a gentle slope, such that from my current position, I had to look up to see the town.

“This really is a fantasy world, eh......”

“It is indeed.”

Minori-san smiled wryly at my impression.

“May I go visit the town for a bit?”

“You sure are fearless, aren’t you.”

Minori-san responded in a slightly impressed tone of voice.

“I had thought that you’d hole yourself up inside the mansion and refuse to take even a step outside. I’m saying this again, but this is not simply a different country, alright? Parallel world. Another world. This is that kind of place.”

“......I’m not exactly proud of it, but......”

The corner of my lip curled up in a self-deprecating smile.

“To me, this scenery feels very familiar.”

I am a hardcore otaku. For people like me, the fantasy genre in games and anime and manga and light novels is considered an extremely mainstream taste. The only difference here is that 2D has become 3D. Another way of putting it is that the realism has simply gone up a notch. All I feel from this place is a sense of nostalgia, like as if it is my actual hometown.

Hole myself up in the house? Absolutely unthinkable.

“Although I do concede that just now, I did panic a little bit when that dragon popped out in front of me .”

“That’s the normal reaction, though.”

So said Minori-san.

Incidentally, if I squint my eyes, I can see two or three dragon-like shapes flying in the sky above the castle. Apparently, dragons are considered mountable beasts the way horses are......When I took a second look, I realized that the dragon from just now was also wearing a saddle near the base of its neck.

“To be specific, what you just saw was a wyvern. The wild dragons are much larger and much fiercer, apparently.”

“Truly living up to the fantasy genre, isn’t it.”

Dragons and wyverns. At this rate, there might also be sea serpents. It wouldn’t surprise me if people here rode chocobo instead of horses.

(T/N: Thanks, Target Tg, for telling me about chocobos.)

“Anyhow, you might have to put off visiting the town to tomorrow.”

Minori-san was squinting her eyes while looking in the direction of the town.

“Because the person who is going to explain everything in full detail has arrived.”

“......?”

I followed Minori-san’s line of sight and looked toward the town——I stared at the paved road that stretched from the mansion.

When I did, I saw something absurd that was jarringly out of place in this setting.

Colored deep green, same as the skirt that Minori-san was wearing as part of her uniform, the thing was......an automobile.

At first glance, its angular frame clearly identified it as a military vehicle——and I knew this model. Commonly used by the JSDF, this was a Light Armored Vehicle, or LAV for short. It had played an active role even when dispatched overseas, and appears often in works featuring the JSDF.

Inside this Middle Age European fantasy scenery ran the JSDF military vehicle.

Rather than calling it a mere mismatch, this was something that clearly did not fit in this location.

Before long, the LAV came up in front of us then stopped.

The person who opened the back and stepped out was......someone I had recollection of.

With his seven three hair and his dried leaves colored suit, the man had an extremely ordinary appearance.

“——Ah. The interviewer?!”

If I remember correctly, his name was Matoba Jinzaburou, wasn’t it.

I had expected a JSDF member wearing field uniform, or someone with an appearance that shouted ‘fantasy!’, but the reality went above my expectations.

Rather, his figure seemed to be shouting “I’m a salaryman~” instead, and looked as out of place as the LAV that he had arrived in. Well, that’s probably true for Minori-san and myself too, though.

“How are you doing, Kanou Shinichi-kun?”

Matoba-san spoke with a calm-looking smile.

“Welcome to the Holy Eldant Empire. Or rather, to the parallel world.”

He was so easygoing that I almost felt like a tourist who had just arrived at some attraction.

But then again, if I hadn’t seen that dragon, I might have believed it if someone told me that this was a tourist attraction someplace in the West.

“......Exactly what kind of situation is this?”

I knitted my eyebrows while responding.

“Why was I brought to this kind of place from the interview location in Akiba?”

“Un. I was going to talk about that with you. That’s why I quickly wrapped up the talks at the palace and came back here.”

So answered Matoba-san.

“Talks at the palace?”

“No worries, I’ll tell you about that too. For now, let’s head back inside.”

So saying, Matoba-san began walking towards the mansion.

♦♦♦♦

“Alright——”

Matoba-san spoke up while holding a teacup in his hand.

We were inside the mansion——inside the parlor, to be exact.

The room was almost as big as a banquet hall, and had a round table almost three meters in diameter. Matoba-san and I were sitting on the chairs that had been arranged around the table.

Incidentally, Minori-san was sitting on a chair that she had placed in a corner of the room. Clearly, she had no intention of participating in the conversation. Beside her was a service cart with a complete tea set on it, with Miusel standing next to it. The cup that Matoba-san was drinking from, as well as the steaming cup in front of myself, were both filled with tea brewed by Miusel.

“Before the explanation.”

Matoba-san shot a quick glance at Miusel while speaking.

“Kanou-kun. Would you mind taking off your ring first?”

“......Eh?”

Oh right, I was wearing a ring.

I looked at the『magical ring』that was on my finger. The one that I had exchanged with Miusel.

This thing apparently had a translating function, which allows two people who wore it to be able to communicate their own intentions to each other even while speaking different languages.

“Since there are some things that might be easily misunderstood. And there are also some things that we don’t want people on this side to know.”

When I looked again, I realized that Matoba-san had already taken off his own ring. Turning around to glance quickly at Minori-san, I confirmed that she had also done the same. I was pretty sure that she still had it on until just now, though.

“......Hah. Is this fine?”

For now, I took off the ring.

“Good.”

Nodding in response, Matoba-san then placed both his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together.

“Everything began a year ago——a mysterious『hole』was found inside the sea of trees around Mt. Fuji.”

“......『Hole』?”

He had only just brought it up, but by ‘sea of trees around Mt. Fuji,’ didn’t he mean that infamous Aokigahara primeval forest? That place with shady circumstances like being a famous suicide spot and having strange magnetic fields that cause compasses to go haywire?

“To be exact, it is something closer in form to a crevice. It’s just that everyone’s gotten used to calling it a『hole』. The scientists tell us that it’s a ‘hyper dimensional passageway.’”

Hyper dimensional passageway.

All of a sudden, a word completely lacking in any sense of realism was brought up.

“Upon further inspection, we learned something strange about this『hole』. This『hole』apparently penetrates three-dimensional space and connects with a parallel world, but......well......”

“............”

“You don’t look very surprised.”

Matoba-san couldn’t help making a wry smile.

“Well, yea. Or rather, the story couldn’t get more standard than this.”

Worm holes. Warp gates. Shift portals.

A hole that was actually a hyperspace construct that connects to another world......from ancient fairytales to the latest SF fantasies, this plot device has been used so much that it is now a staple of the genre.

“Anyways——when we tried to go through the hole, we discovered land that we had never seen before. Furthermore, in that place, creatures that we’ve only heard of in fairytales and myths were living naturally, and there were even『humans』similar to us who had『civilization』. Their culture turned out to be a bit different from that of our own, though.”

“A different culture......is that because they have magic?”

“......Exactly.”

Half expecting to be repudiated, I said what I did as a joke——but of all things, Matoba-san actually nodded deeply in affirmation.

“............”

I looked at the rings lying on top of the round table.

So that instant translation phenomenon was really because of the rings’ magic?

“That is one of the things brought about due to magic.”

Almost as if he had read my thoughts, Matoba-san spoke up.

“Basically, Japan is suddenly sharing a land border with such an unrealistic world......is what has happened.”

“......Land border.....”

I kind of feel like that’s not exactly the right word to use here......if the only way to go to that other world is by this『hole』that’s floating off the ground
somewhere, then I don’t really think you can call that a land border.

“Our Japanese government put scout parties into organizations and dispatched them. Their mission was to come into contact with the authority that ruled over the area which the『hole』was in......in other words, the closest『nation』. That turned out to be this Holy Eldant Empire. As this『hole』is within their territory, it technically belongs to them.”

“I’m surprised it didn’t turn into a war.”

When two different worlds or two different cultures suddenly meet, there’s a high probability that a war develops——this pattern often happens in mangas and novels. I believe that there are many examples of this in actual history too.

“Even we’re not that stupid. And the other side also had their wise men.”

Matoba-san shrugged his shoulders while answering.

“Both sides moved cautiously while confirming each other’s intentions, then before long, we were able to find a compromise that benefits both parties and signed an agreement to cooperate with each other.”

Well, indeed it’s true that as long as someone knows the『frequently used pattern』and understands that『heedless actions lead to war』, all they have to do is to move cautiously. This was a good example of how the well-used material in mangas and novels could come in handy.

“Are you following me so far?”

“Well......somehow, yes.”

Frankly speaking, I was still having trouble believing that this was all real—the palace, the dragons, and the unnatural state of affairs around me. And currently, the only person who’s been able to explain everything, without leaving any information out, is Matoba-san alone.

However——

“However, how does discovery of this other world relate to myself?”

Even if what he was saying was true.

What does any of it have to do with a former home security guard like me?

A giant discovery like this that could shake the entire world would normally have bigshots in foreign governments moving around and doing various things, but what’s the point of bringing along a normal citizen like myself if they even have to go to the trouble of assigning a JSDF soldier as escort?

“Don’t tell me that I was actually born as a prince from this side who was sent to our world but due to my inescapable fate I’ve been summoned to help this side eradicate a demon lord. Seriously, it’s not a plot device like that, right?”

“Calm down. It’s nothing as cliché as that.”

Matoba-san smiled wryly.

“I’m currently serving as the Bureau Director of the『Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau』, which is under the direct control of the Cabinet Office.”

“Eh? Sorry, what?”

Suddenly, a lot of complicated-sounding words came up.

“Well, the official name aside, the『Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau』is an organization in charge of exploring ways to strengthen the relations between Japan and this other world. As for General Entertainment Company『AmuTec』, it’s a semi-governmental corporation affiliated to this Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau. In other words, it’s a joint venture by Japan and the Holy Eldant Empire, and it’s also the very first corporate entity in this parallel world.”

“......What?”

“And you, you are——”

Matoba-san paused for dramatic effect.

“You are the person who has been hired as the General Manager of『AmuTec』.”

“Wai......?!”

The very first corporate entity of this parallel world?!

General Manager?! ......Me?!

What karma is this?!

“Wasn’t I hired as the odd jobs guy or even as a regular employee?”

“That’s the part you’re surprised at, huh.”

Matoba-san smiled wryly.

(T/N: Matoba is basically just wryly smiling in response to everything Shinichi says. He was described as having a calm smile, but I have only seen him make wry smiles lol.)

“You can call yourself the Director or the CEO or whatever else you like. In any event, the person standing at the top and directing everything will be you.”

So said Matoba-san in a composed manner.

“Your job as the General Manager of『AmuTec』is to export Japan’s anime and manga and games to this country.”

Anime and manga and games are Japan’s prided exports.

Well, any otaku can tell you as much.

It’s indeed true, but......

“It seems that this world’s entertainment culture is lagging far behind our own. Therefore, the plan is to get along with this side by exporting our own entertainment culture to them——we’re hoping that this will be a catalyst to deepen friendly relations between both sides.”

“WHAAATTT?!”

A few steps seem to have been skipped here......seriously, generating international goodwill through anime and manga and games?!

Even someone as stupid as me understood that when government officials say『let’s get along』, they don’t actually mean it. This was a diplomatic issue. Furthermore, the other party was not even a foreign country on the same Earth. The degree of complication here was, frankly speaking, unprecedented.

In that kind of situation, how on earth did they arrive at the conclusion of exporting animanga......?

“Indeed. I understand what you want to say.”

Matoba-san smile wryly.

“Of course, at the very beginning, we thought of using goods related to traditional culture, such as porcelain and cloths. That was what we worked hard on for the first few months. But in the end, they didn’t really seem right.”

So at the very least, they weren’t completely rejected by the people of the Holy Eldant Empire.

However, these differences in culture were based on having different histories and geographic features, so it was hard to say anything about it. Especially, a large part of traditional Japanese culture revolved around the idea of『wabisabi』, which even foreigners on Earth found hard to understand......Perhaps it was the same for the Eldant Empire.

(T/N: Wabisabi is the “aesthetic sense in Japanese art emphasizing quiet simplicity and subdued refinement.” Courtesy of zKanji.)

“Therefore, the talk turned towards the fact that Japanimation was a prided part of Japanese culture too. And also what, TV games? You know, like how the release of a new game causes really long lines or how there are cases of blackmail and extortion for the sake of limited edition goods.”

“That’s——”

“What we want to see is that kind of vigor characteristic of the younger generation that can trigger such a social phenomenon. In actual fact, we showed the Eldant people a few anime series, and the reception was quite good.”

“You never know about that kind of thing though——”

Lately, many anime are being exported overseas. Or rather, some are being made with the premise that it will be exported.

In other words, they plan to completely bypass the differences in culture and national traits by capitalizing instead on the other side’s primitive entertainment industry. However, for things like noh and kabuki, the prerequisite knowledge and taste were too high. In comparison, this『ease of understanding that crosses national borders and ages』that has caused even young boys and girls in other countries to become engrossed could indeed be said to be a characteristic of entertainment works.

“It’s just that when it comes to that sort of art and entertainment......when government officials get involved with that sort of thing, everything somehow seems subtly wrong. You can say that we don’t have the refinement or style, or that our buttons get pressed by the strangest things. You know, like how public building construction projects continuously get shutdown due to breakdowns in management. By thinking of other similar government-spearheaded initiatives to develop cultural affairs, you can understand what I’m saying here, right?”

“......Well, yes.”

The contents of that test came to mind. Though they weren’t wrong, they were indeed subtly missing the point——many questions felt like they had been posed by an outsider who hadn’t taken a direct look at the referenced works.

“Therefore, someone raised the suggestion of placing a『live otaku』, someone who actually knows what’s in and what’s out, into the position of General Manager. In any event, because there is no precedence of any sort, government officials, who have been disciplined into becoming absolutely useless without rules and conventions and operating manuals, are entirely unsuitable for the position.”

Matoba-san was speaking in a self-deprecating tone of voice.

“Be that as it may, why me?”

I do indeed admit to being a pretty hardcore otaku.

However, if they combed the entire country, they would find that otakus number in the tens of thousands.

Out of all of them, why employ me, who was a former home security guard who had only just begun looking for a job? Wasn’t that strange?

“............”

Matoba-san stayed silent.

“............”

With a start like as if he had thought of a good idea, he turned towards Minori-san——but she merely had an ambiguous expression on her face.

Half smiling. Half pitying. Or at least, that’s what I interpreted it as.

........................Wait, pitying?

“Well, that’s......You know.”

Matoba-san started to speak haltingly.

“The existence of this『hole』——and also the cultural exchange with the Eldant Empire——are both confidential matters that will have enormous effects on Japan’s future.”

“I’m following so far.”

“That’s why we were looking for someone who could protect these secrets.”

So said Matoba-san.

“So you guys determined that I am tight-lipped?”

Were some of the questions from the interview actually for the sake of determining how well I can keep a secret?

“Not exactly. Whether your lips are loose or tight is of little consequence.”

Matoba-san seemed to be having more and more trouble with his words.

“After all, you’ll be living in anyways, so it’s not like you will have anyone to blab to.”

“......Eh?”

Living in. Here.

In other words——inside this mansion that stands inside the Holy Eldant Empire. In this parallel world.

That means......

“Wai-Wait a second......”

“That’s, you know. Even if you suddenly disappeared, the people around wouldn’t question it......and that makes everything a lot more convenient, so yea......”

“OOOOIIIIIIII?!”

I raised my voice in what bordered on a shriek.

So, in other words, that was what he was getting at?! Even if a home security guard suddenly went missing, everyone would go “ah, as we thought” and no one would make a fuss?!

I felt a trickle of sweat run uncomfortably down my back.

National secret.

For the sake of such a just cause, many things could be overlooked. In order to steal national secrets, causing human casualties is only considered normal. Especially when it comes to an unprecedented situation like an exchange with a parallel world, it is only natural that other countries would go into a frenzy and desire to meddle however they could——

“Ummm. May I go home?”

In response to my request, Matoba-san smiled wryly and answered with his own question.

“Do you know how?”

“............”

My words clogged up inside my throat.

He had a point. I had no idea where was the『hole』——the hyper dimensional passageway. If I was left alone in a parallel world like this——I’m not proud of it, mind——but I wouldn’t last even three days without collapsing. I could not be more sure of this.

Actually, no. It’s not just that. Now that I knew so much of this national secret——even though I was forced to listen to it, there’s no way that the government would just go『oh, if you don’t want to, then there’s no helping it』and let me safely go back. Worst case scenario, there is also the possibility that they would chase me down to『erase』me even if I did managed to escape.

“Don’t worry......we won’t go to such extremes.”

Almost as if he could read the fears inside my heart——more like, I was probably displaying them on my face——Matoba-san continued speaking.

“If you can bring about a certain amount of results and get『AmuTec』started on track, then we wouldn’t mind letting you go. And of course, we will also be paying you from the national budget——well, the Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau’s budget, to be specific. From the Eldant Empire side, too, you will be receiving treatment befitting a state guest, so overall, I don’t think you’ll be treated badly at all.”

“Ev......Even if you put it that way......”

“Don’t worry. I will take care of all the office work and paperwork.”

Matoba-san lightly struck his own chest.

Let’s leave aside the fact that up to this point, I haven’t felt a single shred of dependability from him. If the Bureau Director himself was going to do the paperwork, then——could it be that this Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau actually doesn’t have anyone on it?

“You can rest assured, all you have to do is popularize different kinds of otaku culture in this Eldant Empire. Ummm, what words do you youngsters use? Akiba? Magical girls, tsundere, moe, that sort of stuff.”

“............”

Even while completely at a loss, all I could think was that this was hopeless.

This was something that had already been decided and set in stone by the various related parties. Even I were to complain and raise a fuss, there’s no longer anything that can be done. This will be forced labor in the true meaning of the word.

“Well then......Is there anything else that you want to ask about?”

So asked Matoba-san, still speaking in a tone of voice as carefree as it had been from the very start.