bookbashuk #346 - Extra Chapter 1: What happened after that?
#346 - Extra Chapter 1: What happened after that?
"— Just like that, Zunzun disappeared from this world." Yousuke Shimazaki casually turned off the memory playback.
"Eh!?" X2
Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika exclaimed subconsciously. Everything happened too suddenly, not only for the elf bishoujo, but even these two didn't expect such a development.
"W-Wait, Uncle, you said disappeared from this world…"
"It's not like he died or something, right!?"
The two couldn't wait to ask.
If he really died or something, that would be a huge problem.
"No, he didn't die," Yousuke Shimazaki said, playing the memory again. "Didn't you hear just now? Someone took him away."
On the screen, a hand grabbed Zunzun's collar, and the words 'the one-year period has arrived' were playing on repeat.
"I see."
"Sorry, I got too nervous."
The two breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, the great war had just ended, and it was time to relax. Such a sudden event would make anyone nervous. Moreover, they had long regarded Zunzun, the elf bishoujo, and Yousuke Shimazaki as the three main characters.
"Rather, changing the main character halfway through is a major taboo, Uncle!"
"That's right, that's right. In my impression, there's only one manga that became a hit after changing the main character."
Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika looked at each other and said in unison:
"JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE!" X2
This phenomenal manga changes its main character in almost every part, and even if a seemingly invincible character makes a cameo, they won't steal the main character's thunder too much.
"But who exactly is this Reinhardt person? He can even break through space to take people away…"
"Indeed, even the powerful Demon Flame Dragon couldn't do that."
From small clues, one can see the bigger picture.
Even just seeing one arm made the two feel that his strength was terrifying.
Yousuke Shimazaki unconsciously rested his chin on his hands placed on the table. Facing away from the sunlight, his eyes reflected a strange light, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
"That's because he's special."
"Special…?"
"Ah, in Reinhardt's world, there's an ability called [Blessing]. For example, the Blessing of Gale allows people to run very fast, and the Blessing of Language allows people to understand the voices of all things that can make sounds."
"What is that? So amazing!"
Takaoka Keibun exclaimed and said as if he understood something, "Ah, then that Mr. Reinhardt must have a Blessing that can break through the barriers of the world, so he was able to find Zunzun, right?"
"…No."
"No?"
Just when he thought he had guessed wrong, Yousuke Shimazaki spoke again in a low voice.
"He has the Blessing to have any Blessing he wants."
"…Huh?"
"So, he can have any Blessing as long as he wants."
Huh???
Such niche language.
Fujimiya Sumika didn't know what to say anymore. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Doesn't that mean that Mr. Reinhardt can do whatever he wants?"
"You don't understand, Fujimiya. That's what a true powerhouse is. They don't have to consider other people's feelings, and even if the world is destroyed, no one would dare to blame them. I don't eat beef, and that's perfectly fine. Ah, maybe Zunzun was deliberately kidnapped by him… Hehe, hehehe—"
"Keibun, although I know you're always like this, you should restrain your anti-human nature a bit."
"That hurts."
Takaoka Keibun was knocked on the head by his childhood friend. There was no way around it; he had revealed his true nature because of her younger brother's matter.
At this moment, the two heard mumbling again.
It turned out that Yousuke Shimazaki was also muttering to himself, with a disgusted expression on his face, as if he had a very negative impression of Reinhardt.
"Uncle, why are you like this too!?"
"T-This, well… That, well… Look, I'm the type who, even if I know there are difficulties ahead and I might die because of it, I would try again and again to save the world, instead of looking for shortcuts to make things easier…"
"You're talking about games, right?" X2
He was quickly called out by the two.
Yousuke Shimazaki was momentarily speechless, but he still argued, "In any case, I just don't like people like Reinhardt very much."
Hating him for no reason.
However, Takaoka Keibun could understand. This was a gamer's resistance.
For example: In a very difficult Souls-like game, most players wouldn't be able to clear it in one go under normal circumstances. They would have to keep trying, exploring, and finding the enemy's weaknesses, and then defeat them to enjoy the joy of victory.
But some disciples of Feng Ling Yue Ying Sect are different. They like to take shortcuts—increasing their attack power by 999 times, turning the Souls-like game into a scenery simulator, completely betraying the producer's hard work.
What Yousuke Shimazaki couldn't stand was these people.
"But Uncle, games are games, and reality is reality. If reality could be easier, then it wouldn't—"
Halfway through his sentence, Takaoka Keibun couldn't continue.
He didn't know how to persuade a man who only had games in his life and even carried his gaming mindset into another world.
Fujimiya Sumika also clearly realized this, so she quickly changed the subject.
"S-Speaking of which, Uncle, why did that Mr. Reinhardt take Zunzun back?"
"Ah, it's because he wants him to inherit the throne."
"Inherit the throne!?" X2
Yousuke Shimazaki asked curiously, "Huh? Didn't I mention that Zunzun is the heir to the throne of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica?"
"No, you didn't!"
"Uncle, you didn't say that!"
Not only Zunzun, but he hadn't even mentioned that the elf bishoujo was royalty either.
"Look, Balthazar and Cardia—"
"That's from a game!" X2
After 17 years of living in another world, Yousuke Shimazaki's brain was completely messed up. He even often confused reality with games, so his understanding of some common sense was completely different. Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika felt sad about this.
"Then Uncle, Zunzun, did he… never come back after that?"
Speaking of this, Takaoka Keibun felt a little melancholy.
The trio was a classic combination, and losing one member would be very heartbreaking.
Fujimiya Sumika also remained silent for a moment.
"No, he came back later."
"…Really!?"
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"Zunzun came back?"
Hearing Yousuke Shimazaki say this, the two were immediately extremely excited. As expected, the trio was indispensable!
"He came back, he came back. He came back ten years later."
"Gah————!?"
Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika opened their mouths wide, the words they wanted to say stuck in their throats, and they could only make a "gah" sound.
Ten years…
But Yousuke Shimazaki didn't notice the expressions of the two, and instead said to himself, "Oh my, when Zunzun came back, he had completely changed. He had become very powerful, and he even had the title of Lord of the Fairy Spirits. How about it, do you want to see it?"
"…Yeah."
"Please, Uncle."
It was supposed to be a reveal that would make people scream, but the two weren't happy at all, and their tone was a bit gloomy.
However, when they saw Zunzun ten years later, their eyes widened involuntarily.
"S-So strong!"
"So beautiful————!"
In the memory footage, Zunzun still looked like Zunzun, as if ten years hadn't allowed him to grow at all. But whether it was the extremely confident look between his eyebrows or the spirited aura that exuded from his every move, it all showed that he had grown tremendously.
At this moment, he seemed to be fighting some powerful enemy. Six fairy spirits of different colors and shapes were surrounding him, one of which was the juvenile Demon Flame Dragon they had just seen, and the others they had never seen before.
"Ah, they are the Fire Fairy Spirit, Demon Flame Dragon, the Water Fairy Spirit—"
"Wait a minute, Uncle!"
"You can't just spoil things like that!"
The two immediately stopped him.
Just like the story of how he came back later, it was an absolute taboo not to spoil it, no matter how curious they were. Only in this way could they arouse even greater expectations.
"Even if it's ten years later, there's no way around it. Let's suppress our inner restlessness and wait slowly."
"It's okay. I basically adventure alone, and there aren't that many adventure stories anymore. It's not uncommon for us to part ways and not see each other for a year."
Yousuke Shimazaki said casually.
"Really…?"
"Uncle, there's often a discrepancy between your perception and reality."
The two expressed that they didn't quite believe it.
"Wait a minute." Takaoka Keibun keenly caught a word, "Uncle, you said you parted ways later. Didn't you adventure together?"
"Ah, yes." Yousuke Shimazaki nodded and said, "I had to go find mythical-level monsters as a foundation, and the elf had to find Zunzun's whereabouts, so we parted ways later."
"Hiss——————"
Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika both gasped. The two finally realized what was wrong.
You must know that Zunzun had disappeared, so how could the elf bishoujo not have made any statement? Maybe this plain would have been turned upside down.
"U-Uncle! The elf… What happened to the elf-san later?"
"Hmm? She's the same as usual."
Yousuke Shimazaki played the memory of the elf bishoujo later.
‘Ah, she's blackened, she's blackened!’
‘She's turned into a yandere, she's turned into a yandere!’
The elf bishoujo in the picture was standing under the dim light, her long golden hair cascading down like a waterfall, obscuring half of her pale and delicate face.
Her dark pupils were deep and captivating, as if they could see into the deepest parts of the human heart, yet they seemed to hide unknown secrets. A stubbornness and strangeness were revealed between her eyebrows, like fallen leaves in autumn, with a bit of desolation and loneliness.
"Right? She hasn't changed, right?"
—Where hasn't she changed!? X2
Takaoka Keibun and Fujimiya Sumika were stared at by those lifeless eyes, and even through the screen, they felt a chill down their spines.
Yousuke Shimazaki's perception was indeed broken.
"R-Right!" Takaoka Keibun immediately changed the subject and said, "Uncle, what happened to you later? Did you go to the sealed city to find mythical-level monsters?"
"No, I was locked up."
"Why!?"
Even without Zunzun, Yousuke Shimazaki's otherworld journey continued as usual, but it became even more tortuous.