The Blind Love Life of the Returning Hero: The Companions I Lost in Another World Resurrect in the Modern Era and Indulge Me - Episode 51

Morning light streamed through the window on their day off. After finishing breakfast, the two got ready to go out. Several weeks into living together, their lifestyles were perfectly in sync, both active even on weekend mornings.

“Ready?” Hayato asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go,” Lily replied, dressed more stylishly than usual.

Hand in hand, they walked to the nearest station and boarded the train. Though it was a weekend morning, the car was more crowded than expected. They naturally leaned close together.

“Speaking of the sign, how big do you think it is?”
“From what Go said, it’s a giant ad using a building’s wall.”
“Our avatars… are really going to be like that?”

They drew their faces closer, whispering. They used their avatars for streaming. They’d heard their avatars were being used in ads all over the place. Today, they decided to go see one.

Arriving at the Electric Town station, a unique energy enveloped them. Billboards for anime and games were everywhere, and people in cosplay walked around casually. The vibrant voices of young people echoed through the streets.

“It’s so lively,” Lily remarked.
“Yeah. I’d heard about it, but being here is different,” Hayato agreed.

Almost immediately after starting to walk, signs featuring characters from various works caught their eye – famous shonen manga, trending anime, popular game characters. Moving deeper into this landscape…

“Ah!” Lily whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Look, that one!”
“Whoa.”

Lily pointed discreetly. Hayato followed her gaze. There it was: an enormous billboard covering nearly an entire building facade.

The avatars of Hayato, Lily, John, Celestia, and Gallett were depicted boldly. The dynamic composition drew the eyes of passersby.

“Wow,” Hayato murmured, genuinely impressed. It felt strange – they, who had fought for their lives in another world, were now appearing as entertainers in a place like this.

“Look, people are taking pictures,” Lily said, pointing.

Sure enough, several people were pointing their smartphones at the billboard. Some young people were even mimicking the poses.

“We really are popular, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s starting to feel real.”

After gazing at the billboard for a while, they headed towards the shops selling anime goods. Many people were enjoying their shopping all around.

“The figures should be in here,” Lily said.

Entering a large hobby goods section, figures and plastic models were crammed onto the shelves. Lily’s eyes sparkled as she scanned the displays.

“Hmm… The VTuber corner… Found it!”

In the corner Lily found, goods featuring various VTubers were displayed. But…

“Huh? The figures are gone…?”

Many figures were there, but theirs were nowhere to be seen. Maybe they weren’t sold here?

“Excuse me,” Hayato called out to a nearby clerk, feeling a bit awkward but deciding to ask. “We’re looking for the Isekai Party figures.”

The clerk responded promptly. “I’m very sorry. That item is sold out. The next shipment is scheduled for next week.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

They exchanged a look at the clerk’s explanation.

“Sold out… They really are popular.”
“That’s amazing.”

They continued visiting other shops, checking out merchandise featuring their characters – acrylic stands, clear files, pin badges. Their characters were on all sorts of goods.

And their merchandise wasn’t limited to official items.

“Ah, look. There are novels too,” Lily said, picking up a book titled Isekai Party: Unofficial Novelization. It seemed like a doujin work.

“I wonder what the content is like?”
“It looks like a story based on our streams. Huh, it’s selling pretty well.”

Their outing felt more like market research than a date, but both were enjoying themselves. It was time to truly feel that their activities were being noticed and embraced by many people.

“Let’s take a break,” Hayato suggested.
“Yeah. My throat’s dry. Let’s rest,” Lily agreed.

They entered a nearby cafe and sat at a window seat. The shop had a calm atmosphere with soft music playing. Lily ordered a strawberry parfait; Hayato got an iced coffee.

“It was fun seeing all that today,” Lily said, poking at her parfait.
“Yeah. It still feels strange knowing we’re getting this much attention,” Hayato shared his thoughts of the day.

“Nobody knows our real faces, do they?” Lily mused.
“That’s fine. That other form is firmly etched in everyone’s memory. We don’t need to flaunt it,” Hayato replied gently, taking Lily’s hand.

“This life now… it’s not bad, right?”
“Yes, I’m very happy.”

Lily smiled and squeezed his hand back.

Finishing their break and leaving the cafe, they found the street bathed in the soft light of evening. The orange-tinted sky signaled the day’s end. As they walked side by side, a group of young people passed in front of them.

“Hey, did you see it? The Isekai Party billboard!”
“Yeah, it was huge!”
“Hayato’s so cool~!”
“I’m a Lily fan!”

Hearing their own names in the conversation made Hayato’s heart skip a beat. He and Lily exchanged glances and smiled faintly. They passed by unnoticed, of course.

“They didn’t recognize us,” Lily observed.
“No, they didn’t. The avatars and the real thing are different, after all.”

Back at their apartment, they sat on the sofa looking through the photos they’d taken that day – commemorative shots in front of the big billboard, photos of various merchandise.

“By the way, it seems to be a topic on SNS too,” Lily said, operating her smartphone.
“Look, ‘Saw the Isekai Party billboard in Electric Town today!’ ‘The figures were sold out (crying).'”
“We should be grateful to the fans.”
“Yeah. They’re supporting us after all.”

Outside the window, the city’s nightscape glittered. The former hero and sage from another world were now walking through new days as modern entertainers, and above all, as lovers deeply in love.

“We have a stream meeting tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s do our best tomorrow too.”

Their silhouettes merged with the night view reflected in the window. Such happy, everyday moments would continue.