The Blind Love Life of the Returning Hero: The Companions I Lost in Another World Resurrect in the Modern Era and Indulge Me - Episode 25

Seika contacted Hayato just after he returned home from his job at the security company.

“Hayato, do you have time today? There’s been some progress with the illustrator.”

“Yeah, of course. Want to meet up or talk over the phone?”

“I’d prefer to meet in person. It’s an important discussion—and I have something to show you.”

At the agreed time, the doorbell rang. Hayato opened the door to welcome her.

“Thanks for the warm welcome. You just got off work, right? How’s it going?”

“Yeah. I’m getting used to it. So, how did things go with the illustrator?”

They chatted as they walked down the hallway. Once in the living room, they sat across from each other on the sofa. Seika, calm as always, began to speak.

“It went well. I handled most of the meeting myself, but I made sure everyone’s requests were properly conveyed.”

Hayato nodded appreciatively.

“Mr. Sawada, the illustrator, seemed really enthusiastic. When he heard about the concept of ‘heroes and their companions who were transported from another world to the modern day,’ he got really excited. Especially the idea of a Vtuber sharing memories from another world—it really drew him in.”

Hayato looked impressed. Sharing memories from another world, framed as fiction, could be a fresh and captivating story for modern audiences. Though those were their real experiences, listeners would perceive them as creative storytelling.

“So, how did the designs turn out?”

Seika pulled a tablet from her bag and began to operate it as she replied.

“Basically, we decided to recreate our appearances from the other world as faithfully as possible. Here, take a look—he illustrated them based on our memories. They’re clearly distinct from how we look now in this life.”

“I see. Yeah… this really brings back memories.”

Looking at the designs, Hayato was flooded with vivid memories of the other world. The characters on the screen were exactly like the comrades he had known. As he looked at them, even scenes from their final battle surfaced in his mind, and a deep emotion welled up in his chest. He almost felt like crying, recalling the sacrifices of their comrades.

“Though… for your design, Hayato, I did ask for a few changes.”

“Changes?”

“If we recreated your otherworld self exactly, it might end up looking too much like your current self. To avoid the risk of being recognized, I asked the illustrator to make some deliberate modifications.”

“Got it. Thanks for thinking ahead.”

“After all, it’s just an online avatar. Here—this is the design.”

The avatar shown looked cooler than Hayato did in real life. It didn’t really feel like “him,” but he thought that was fine. If people were going to see this version of him, he didn’t mind if it was a cooler one. He decided to accept it as a stylized version of his otherworld self.

That day, Hayato and Seika reviewed the designs together and discussed the finer details for adjustments.

On the weekend night, Seika, Riri, and Josuke came over to Hayato’s apartment. They were going to review the finalized designs together.

“What about Go?”

“He’s tied up with an important business deal and can’t get away. We’ll check his design for him and send him the data later.”

Josuke answered Hayato’s question. Unfortunately, Go couldn’t make it due to work.

The four of them sat on the living room sofa. On the table was Seika’s tablet. Gentle light from the window, with a view of the city lights, softly illuminated their faces.

“Have you seen them already?”

Riri asked, and Hayato responded.

“Yeah. Seika and I checked them first.”

“I see. Well then, let’s have a look.”

Josuke took the tablet and began scrolling through it.

“Me too.”

Riri leaned in from the side to look at the screen.

“This really takes me back.”

“Yeah… it’s nostalgic. That’s who we used to be.”

Looking at the avatars, their expressions softened. Their minds were filled with memories from their days in the other world. The illustrations were so detailed and faithful that it felt like looking at old photographs. The weapons, armor, and accessories were all reproduced exactly as they remembered them.

“They turned out really nice.”

“Yeah. No complaints here. Go will probably be happy with them too.”

Riri and Josuke continued studying the avatars, thinking carefully.

“These designs will be used to create 3D models, and then we’ll add motion data to animate them.”

Riri began explaining from a technical point of view. She already seemed to be mentally drafting the software architecture, her expression confident as if she could already see the path forward—how to bring these avatars to life.

“We’ll start with basic movements, then gradually add expressions and more complex motions.”

Meanwhile, Josuke analyzed things from another perspective. Holding the tablet, he examined each character one by one.

“From a marketing standpoint, these designs are very impactful. They’ll grab the audience’s attention. With the current popularity of isekai fantasy, we should be able to draw a lot of interest.”

They went on to meticulously examine each illustration. The small details on the gear, the subtle facial expressions, the feel of their poses. With this level of precision, they all voiced admiration. It was amazing how well the past had been captured.

“Seika, you really conveyed everything perfectly.”

“Thank you. But really, it’s all thanks to Mr. Sawada’s talent. That he could recreate this much from just my explanations…”

Seika gave a slightly shy smile. She gently brushed her fingers across the screen, as if touching the images of their long-lost comrades. It was like a reunion with precious memories they thought were gone. Being able to recreate them like this brought genuine joy.

“So the next step is turning them into 3D models. Then we simulate their actual movements…”

“And we’ll need to think about the content for the streams too.”

Hayato said this as he looked out the window, contemplating how they should tell their story.

“How do we talk about our adventures in the other world?”

“Maybe start from the summoning, then meeting our companions, our journey, and finally the last battle… following the timeline?”

Josuke’s suggestion made Hayato fall into thought. As they were discussing this, Riri jumped in with a bright smile.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that too.”

“Oh yeah? What’s your idea?”

“I was thinking… maybe we make it into an RPG-style game. But that’s going to take a while to explain. For now, let’s focus on the tasks we need for the debut, okay?”

“Yeah, good point. But a game, huh? That sounds interesting. Tell me more about it sometime.”

“Of course!”

Riri’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She clearly already had some concrete ideas in her head, but for now, everyone agreed to concentrate on the more pressing matter—their debut—and they continued to plan out the next steps together.