The Blind Love Life of the Returning Hero: The Companions I Lost in Another World Resurrect in the Modern Era and Indulge Me - Episode 4

My physical condition had fully recovered, but a new problem had surfaced. In the dimly lit room, I plugged in my smartphone, which had been dead and neglected for a long time, and finally turned it on after so long. The boot-up sound was followed by a cascade of notification chimes for missed calls and messages, shattering the silence.

“Whoa.”

Looking at the screen, I saw dozens upon dozens of missed calls from my company and worried messages piled up. There was even a final notice email: ‘Due to continued unauthorized absence, you are hereby dismissed in accordance with Article X of our company’s employment regulations.’ It stated they had sent documents with the details and instructed me to review them.

“This, huh.”

I checked the pile of unopened deliveries stacked by the entrance. From a brown envelope that must have arrived at some point without me noticing, I pulled out the contents. As expected, it was the notice of dismissal.

“Well, figures.”

The wording was businesslike and cold. Hayato’s decade-long battle in another world wasn’t considered anywhere. Of course not. No one knew about that.

“Sigh.”

I’d acted too late. A sigh escaped me. Only now did I realize there had been several ways I could have handled this before it came to this.

Thinking about it properly, maybe I should have called an ambulance. Gotten checked by a doctor. If I had, I might have been able to explain my absence as due to illness. It was easy to think of that now, in my calmer state.

My fatal mistake was assuming I could just rest quietly until I recovered without asking anyone for help. I should have sought help.

A whole month of unauthorized absence. I had to accept that dismissal was the natural consequence.

I thought maybe if I’d at least contacted someone before resting my body, things could have been different. But the shock of returning from the other world had been too overwhelming; I was utterly confused, unable to grasp my situation. The memories of my comrades who fell in the final battle against the Demon King, of saving that world, were too vivid.

I couldn’t tell this story to my family. If I did, they’d surely think I’d gone crazy.

Scrolling down further on my smartphone screen, an even heavier reality awaited me. A mountain of unread messages from my girlfriend. The final email contained decisive words.

“Right. That’s how it was.”

Hayato sank deeply onto the floor. That’s right, he remembered the existence of his girlfriend. Over the ten years in the other world, his romantic feelings for her had faded. True, in the beginning, the desire to see her had been one of the big reasons he wanted to return to his original world.

But now, even that feeling had weathered away. It had become rare for him to even recall her. Ten years had done that. Checking his call log and messages, he finally remembered her existence – he’d become a stranger to her.

Probably, the old me had loved her deeply. But those feelings from back then had also faded now. Really, so much had changed.

The final email contained words of farewell. Apparently, learning that Hayato had been fired from his company made her feel uneasy about continuing a relationship leading to marriage. Honestly, I could understand that feeling.

Hayato felt genuinely sorry for causing her anxiety. And he felt it was no longer possible to continue the relationship. He considered meeting her to talk directly, but that would likely only cause her more pain. Hayato himself no longer felt any desire to repair the relationship.

He typed a short reply.

‘I’m sorry. I understand about the breakup. Thank you for everything until now. Goodbye.’

His finger hesitated slightly over the send button. But believing this was the best choice, he tapped the screen. No reply came from her afterward. Maybe his contact was already deleted. The chances of reconnecting with her again were vanishingly small.

Hayato had returned to his original world, only to lose both his job and his girlfriend in one fell swoop. Gazing at the sunlight streaming through the window, he considered his path forward. Checking his bank balance, he had a little savings. Factoring in rent and living expenses, he could probably survive for a few more months. He had to find a new job before then.

The situation was bad. Yet, strangely, his heart was calm. He felt that simply being able to return to this peaceful modern society was the most valuable thing of all. In this world, there were countless ways to survive. Compared to the battles in the other world, any hardship here seemed trivial.

Knock knock—.

Right in the middle of thinking about his future life, a sudden knocking sound echoed through the quiet room, announcing an unexpected visitor. Who could it be? There shouldn’t be anyone who would visit me. Thinking this, Hayato stood up.

“Yes! Coming right now!”

Opening the door, a single girl stood there. Her golden hair shone in the sunlight, and her blue eyes gazed straight at him. Her uniform suggested she was a high school girl. Her face was unfamiliar. Or was it? Was it really unfamiliar?

The girl wore an expression filled with certainty, as if looking at a long-known friend, and spoke quietly.

“You are Lord Hayato, correct?”

He almost recoiled. Hayato didn’t know her. He answered, unable to hide his confusion.
“Huh? Ah, yes. I am. But you are…?”
“I am Lilia.”
“Wha…? Lilia, you say…?”

That single word made Hayato’s world tremble. Lilia—that was the name of his precious comrade, the female sage who fought alongside him in the other world. But she had lost her life in that tragic battle. The image of her smiling as she met her end still came back vividly.

A girl claiming the name of someone who shouldn’t exist in this modern world. A dead comrade returning was impossible. Yet, the gaze of the girl before him held the same core strength and kindness as back then. And that golden hair, those clear blue eyes. She resembled her greatly.

Hayato’s thoughts were swept into a whirlpool of confusion. Maybe he was seeing a hallucination. An illusion born of his own desperate desire to see her. Hayato couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before him.

“Finally… Finally, I found you, Lord Hayato!”
“Whoa!?”

The girl who called herself Lilia clung to Hayato, tears streaming down her face. It wasn’t an illusion or anything ethereal. She was real. Her embrace seemed filled with a desperate determination never to let go of this precious person again.

Hayato couldn’t hide his bewilderment. Yet, the raw, earnest emotion in her tear-streaked face felt undeniably genuine. Unconsciously, he gently hugged her small body back. Many questions still swirled in his head. Just what in the world was happening…?

“How… How are you…? Lilia, in that battle, you…”

As Hayato struggled to find the words, the girl, still clinging to him, wiped her tears with her sleeve and gave a small nod.

“It’s a long story. If it pleases Lord Hayato, I will tell you everything. Please listen. Please remember us.”

Us—. Hayato’s heart leaped at her words. Not just Lilia… could the other comrades be…?

Just what in the world was happening?