Chapter 1: Return

Koichiro Numazawa, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, was receiving the report at the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to his secretary’s summary:

– A dungeon streamer encountered an irregularity in the shallow levels of the Kyogoku Dungeon.

– The irregularity was a deep-level threat.

– Someone defeated it solo and rescued the streamer.

– According to the debriefing, after transferring to another world, this person passed through a local dungeon and traversed the Kyogoku Dungeon in reverse.

– This information was broadcast by the aforementioned dungeon streamer before the government could secure him, and copies of the video were already circulating.

– Regardless of the content of his statements, his abilities are genuine and are estimated to be among the best in the country.

– He is currently being detained and investigated at the Kyogoku branch, but progress is slow as he does not possess a citizen number or other identification.

– After further verification, it is deemed necessary to hold a press conference with the individual in question.

This was the report.

He felt like burying his head in his hands.

First, the dungeon streamer – apparently, there are people who do live broadcasts on video sites, similar to old-fashioned TV broadcasts, and some even do it inside dungeons, which, to him, seemed utterly insane – could be disregarded.

He could be treated as a simple victim of the irregularity, and if he was injured, standard treatment within the Guild’s capabilities would suffice.

A deep-level irregularity wouldn’t normally be reported to him, as it was something that could be handled at the director level.

However, the fact that it was defeated solo changed everything.

The report stated that the individual’s abilities were among the best in the country, but if everything that happened was true, this assessment was far too generous.

The top-ranked explorers in the country would need to form a party with multiple individuals of similar rank to have a fifty-fifty chance against the aforementioned deep-level threat.

To do so alone, while carrying someone in need of rescue, was clearly on another level.

It was more terrifying than any cheap horror story that such a person was making incomprehensible statements about another world and whatnot.

The claim of being a returnee from another world was also problematic.

Currently, there was no telling what lay beyond the unexplored depths of dungeons.

The idea that they connected to another world was a fairly common rumor.

However, this was a mystery that needed to be unraveled by their side, slowly and painstakingly, with time, money, and personnel, through their own exploration of the dungeon.

…

While he was thinking about future countermeasures, his transit was completed.

The individual in question had been moved from the Kyogoku branch, and they met in a room at the Central Regional Management Bureau.

He appeared to be a young man in his early twenties with an intense aura.

He had changed from the combat gear seen in the materials – screenshots from the aforementioned broadcast, apparently – into casual clothing.

He looked like any other young – explorer-like, person.

However, there was something about his expression that caught his attention.

“…”

“Um, nice to meet you? I’m Sehei Moritsuki.”

While lost in thought, he had let the other person introduce himself first.

“Ah, my apologies. I am Numazawa, the Chief Cabinet Secretary.”

Ignoring the hand he offered, the young man replied.

“Um, do you have any relatives named Koichiro? You look like a friend of mine…”

“…Koichiro is my name.”

“Eh, Match…?”

Ah.

It had been in the back of his mind all along.

Even if the target’s name was Sehei Moritsuki, he had been trying to convince himself that it was just a coincidence.

He had hoped and been disappointed so many times.

Even seeing his face, he tried to convince himself that it was just a resemblance.

“It’s been a long time, Tsuki.”

Really.

In this reunion after 50 years, many things came welling up, but, above all.

“Match, you’re an old man.”

“Why are you still a kid?”

They were both slightly irritated by each other’s words.

“From my perspective, only five years have passed. What’s with the year 2056?”

According to the report he received during the transit, only five years had passed from his perspective.

Even though he had waited 50 years.

…

From there, they talked about various things as if to fill the time they had been apart.

“Match, what happened with Hayashi-san? You know, Tomomi Hayashi, the one you were interested in.”

“She’s my wife now.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yeah.”

“Match got married…”

“I even have a grandchild, want to see?”

He showed him the screen of his mobile device.

The photo itself was a little old, taken a few years ago at his grandchild’s elementary school entrance ceremony.

“Wow, he’s a mini-Match, your genes are too strong… By the way, this is a smartphone, right? The kind you can operate by touching the screen.”

Indeed, back then, smartphones were still a rarity.

In fact, some of his classmates didn’t even have flip phones yet.

“Tsuki, did you really go to another world?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. I know it’s hard to believe.”

He looked slightly sulky.

He must have been asked the same question countless times already.

But he couldn’t blame the staff who asked that question.

“Ah, that’s right. I have a favor to ask of you, Match.”

“What is it?”

“Can you find a charger for this?”

The item he showed was an old flip phone.

A model from before the term ‘flip phone’ even existed.

Finding a charger for it would be like finding an antique; it would probably be faster to ask a museum than the manufacturer.

More importantly.

“…Tsuki, where did you just pull that out from?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s my Item Box. Do explorers, was it? Not have many people with them here?”

On the contrary, it was a basic skill that almost everyone possessed – apart from differences in capacity and the passage of time inside, depending on the user.

The problem wasn’t that.

It was the fact that he was able to use a skill outside of a dungeon.

“Tsuki, did anyone see you use your skill outside the dungeon?”

“Hmm? …Could it be, people here can only use skills inside dungeons?”

He seemed to have instantly grasped what he was trying to say.

Although he had been acting like a fish out of water, he was by no means slow-witted.

In fact, he was one of the brightest students in their class.

“I see. That’s something we can’t reveal to the public.”

He took his silence as affirmation and was aware of its importance.

Since the appearance of those damn dungeons, the reason humanity still existed was due to the strange phenomenon that could only be described as leveling up, the accompanying improvement in physical abilities, and, above all, the manifestation of special abilities called skills.

Because of this, humanity was able to push back the monsters that had overflowed with the appearance of the dungeons and reclaim their living space.

And, after that, they could only use their special abilities inside dungeons, in the very narrow area around the dungeon gates, which were their entrances, and, as an exception, in areas where monsters were rampant.

Otherwise, humanity might have used the abilities they suddenly gained to walk the path of self-destruction.

This inference was reinforced by the existence of regions where the governing structure had collapsed because they could not push back the flood of monsters, and where it was now the norm to use abilities to steal from others, creating a hellish state of anarchy.

If someone capable of solo dungeon traversal, let alone solo deep-level defeat, had no restrictions on their abilities, it would undoubtedly become an international issue.

After all, someone with that much power could single-handedly bring a nation to ruin.

He was really glad he had sent his secretary to pick up his wife.

“Speaking of which, Nao-chan should be here soon, but for now, keep it hidden from her too.”

“Oh, u-, O-, Nao? Nao is coming?”

“Yes, your sister, Nao-chan.”

It was as if those words had been a cue, the door to the room was knocked on.

“Sir. I have brought the Director of the Central Regional Management Bureau.”

“Ah, let her in.”

Almost as soon as he responded, the door opened.

A beautiful woman of a certain age entered the room, overtaking his secretary.

She turned her gaze to the young man sitting on the sofa and immediately rushed over.

“Onii-chan!”

“Eh, who are you, old lady?”

And then she swung her fist.

*