Otherworld Company Chapter 192.1: Sometimes I Can’t Sleep Thinking About The Next Day.

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　I hear the clink of ice in a glass coming from my hand.

　It’s me, Suela, Memoria, and Himiku in a room in the house we live in.

　It was the living room.

　The lights are on, but I’m the only one here.

　I brought a chair all the way from the living room to the window and looked down on the Tokyo cityscape, which should be familiar to me, even if only vaguely.

　The time would soon change to the date.

　The bottle of whiskey I had pulled out to drink for the evening had been opened, but its contents were almost empty.

　The cigarette I smoked only the first sip, and the rest is ashes in the ashtray I left by the window, thanks to my neglect.

　I thought to myself, “How easy it is to be so carefree when every moment is at stake.”

　All I could do was rest my body and keep my mind in perfect condition.

　I’m not allowed to go to the dungeon, nor to train too much, nor to do anything that would tire me out, and all I can do is drink a glass of whiskey at night to help me sleep.

“……” (Jiro)

　However, even though he had a good reason, it didn’t make the whiskey any better, and I drank the contents of the glass, which was a little more bland than usual, and was lost in thought.

　If I had spent the time just looking at it without thinking about it, I would have been able to induce sleepiness.

　Unfortunately, I don’t have the calm mind to spend time without thinking.

“Have I done what I was supposed to do?” (Jiro)

　But all I could think about was whether my preparations were flawless and whether there were any holes in my plans, which made me chuckle.

　My jaw dropped, and I realized that I was wasting my time and that in a few days, I would be back on the continent, this time on the battlefield. My senses have also gone crazy as if I could be normal at the thought of it.

　In the past, I would have been so nervous that my heart would have leaped out of my chest, and I would have curled up under the covers wishing that tomorrow would never come.

　But what about now?

　My heart was calm instead of pounding, and my eyes had been on the streets of Tokyo for a while now, and I was comparing them to the streets of the otherworld in my head.

“One more drink and I’ll go to bed.” (Jiro)

“Then, can I join you for that drink, master?” (Himiku)

　The peaceful Japan and the other world that was peaceful, if not a little unsafe.

　Pausing myself from thinking philosophically about what the difference is, I reached for the bottle I had placed on the floor, but before I could reach for it, the bottle was suddenly lifted and it was poured over my glass.

“Himiku, I thought you were asleep.” (Jiro)

“How could I? I can’t sleep when my master is alone. Suela and Memoria have gone to bed first.” (Himiku)

　I silently offered a glass to her and poured it for her.

　The glass, again tinted with amber, is placed on the window sill, and the bottle is accepted.

“Then please join me for a drink.” (Jiro)

“Oh, I’d be delighted.” (Himiku)

　Himiku magically summons a chair and sits down next to me, arranging it so that her wings don’t hit anything.

　I lightly clink our glasses and call toast.

　I gulp down a sip of whiskey.

　The taste and aroma of the whiskey’s distinctive alcohol flavor spreads in my mouth, and I swallow a little bit of the fire in my mouth.

　Himiku was looking at the whiskey curiously and didn’t seem to be drinking it.

“Was this your first time drinking whiskey?” (Jiro)

“Oh, I never saw it when I was on the other side.” (Himiku)

　The other side, could it be Ithar, where the sun rules the continent?

　An existence where there are heroic men and women who fight against the Demon King.

　A world where fairy tales are real.

　I have been there only once, and the incident, good or bad, was a memory that I will never forget.

“Come to think of it, Himiku was from Ithar, right?” (Jiro)

“To be exact, I am from the heavenly realm.” (Himiku)

　Himiku gazed at the glass for a while, but the sight of the Fallen Angel looking at the drink strangely made Himiku feel a little strange, my mouth loosened, and I decided to ask a question that came to mind.

“Then do you know anything about heroes?” (Jiro)

“We angels were given the task of managing the world, and we are also responsible for the heroes, so we have a certain amount of knowledge.” (Himiku)

　Maybe it’s because we’re heading to the place where Amelia, who is bound by the Demon King’s soul, and Carter, who might be a hero, are.

“Then what is the relationship between the hero and the Demon King in this world?” (Jiro)

“That is sudden, master.” (Himiku)

　I raised a question that I had not been able to ask before.

　I was about to put the glass to my mouth when Himik blinked at my out-of-left-field question and turned her gaze from the glass to me.

“From my point of view, it’s not like it happened all of a sudden, but from my previous knowledge, it was common knowledge that the Demon King was an evil being who would destroy the world. He killed all humans. Withering plants, polluting springs, and corrupting the stars. The symbol of such destruction is the Demon King. However, since joining this company, I have come into contact with members of the Demon King Army in my own way. Of course, I have also seen the president. From this experience, I realized that my common sense cannot be relied upon.” (Himiku)

　From my point of view, the Demon King’s Army has a different common sense from mine, and although there are parts that are out of my perception, they still have intelligence, feelings, and reason.

　They were by no means incompatible with me.

“I wondered if the conflict between the Demon Army and the other side could not be resolved through discussion. Suela told me that at first, they tried to solve the problem through talks, but the human side killed the Demon King’s family and things got bogged down from there. I don’t intend to believe it, but from what little I’ve learned about the existence and position of the heroes in Ithar, I can’t say for sure that the story is wrong.”

　In order, he tells the story of why he asked the question in the first place.

　I don’t want to hear the answer that the heroes and the Demon King are adversaries.

　A question that I didn’t ask Suela, Memoria, or the instructors.

　It is because Himiku is on the side of the heroes and is now in a position close to the Demon King Army that I was able to ask this question.

“I wonder if that is why. Why do humans hate and are hostile to the Demon King and those who belong to the Demon King’s army so much?” (Jiro)

“I see, you mean master wants to know how the heroes and the Demon King came to have the relationship they have now?” (Himiku)

“I guess so.” (Jiro)

　The hero and the Demon King are enemies.

　Although it’s a common story with a common setting.

　When it comes to why this happened, it’s usually the Demon King’s fault.

　However, while I have been in this company and have seen many instinctive things that are different from humans, I have never seen a disaster that would destroy the world.

　Maybe I just didn’t see it.

　This question just occurred to me, but after asking it, I’m still curious about the answer.

“What’s causing it is fear. And that fear promotes and eliminates it. It’s a common story among humans. There’s nothing complicated like what master thinks.” (Himiku)

“Fear?” (Jiro)

“Oh, humans don’t have what demons have. They have far superior magical power and longevity. If humans see even the slightest bit of ferocity in them, humans become afraid. The human common sense has been distorted over the years, and it has become commonplace that what belongs to demons is evil to humans. That is the only boundary that has been created. It is only a borderline between what is acceptable and what is not. That is where the big boundary of the struggle between light and darkness came from. It is not that the demons did anything differently. It was just there, and it didn’t work. That’s all.” (Himiku)

　As if to teach common sense, Himiku explains how the relationship came to be the way it is today.