Useless Effort…? Time to Go Home

Arifureta Universe, Tortus, Heiligh Kingdom, Erisen.

Two days have passed since Myu was returned to her mother, Remia. In those two days, Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, and Tio stayed at Remia's house, the group spent time experimenting with [Spirit Magic], touring the city with Myu, and helping Remia around the house. On top of all that, James would spend fifteen minutes each day healing Remia's legs.

Speaking of which, James' last treatment just ended. And although that was a good thing, it also meant the end of Tatsuo's, Sumire's and James' stay in this world, as they would be returning home soon.

"Well, it's almost time." James said while sitting on the edge of one of the docks making up Erisen. "*Sigh* Although I can't say I had fun, especially while babysitting those kids in the Labyrinth, it was definitely interesting."

"Stop making it seem like you can't come back whenever you want." Tatsuo shot back while shaking his head. "And I know you'll be back. I mean, you actually did start to like Yaegashi, didn't you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." James replied while shaking his head, as well. "But I wouldn't mind having her around. She would make a good [Knight], too. And as it so happens, Ravel is missing a [Knight]."

"Oh, are you with her, too?" Tatsuo asked curiously. 

"No... Not yet, anyway." James replied. "*Sigh* I've already got fifteen. And to be honest, I probably don't give all of them as much time as they deserve. So, I'm reluctant to add more."

A moment later, however, James puffed his chest out in pride.

"But then again, when you're as outstanding as I am, it can't be helped." James continued with a big smile on his face.

"Your draconic aura doesn't help when it comes to keeping the opposite sex away, either." Ddraig, his voice coming from a green glow on the back of James' left hand, said calmly.

"Come on, Ddraig, do you always have to rain on my parade?" James asked in an aggrieved tone.

"Yes." Ddraig replied concisely. "Yes, I do."

"Dick." James replied in a bitter tone.

Meanwhile, Tatsuo, although he knew of Ddraig's existence, it was the first time he had ever heard the Heavenly Dragon's voice.

'He sounds like Christopher Sabat.' Tatsuo thought to himself while listening to James and Ddraig go back and forth.

"Anyway, sorry to interrupt." Tatsuo said, interrupting the boy and his dragon with a smile on his face. "Do you ever use [Boost] in fights since you got so strong?"

"Oh, not really." James replied. "But I can. The problem is that no one is usually strong enough to make me do it."

"You think you could show me?" Tatsuo asked with his eyes lighting up slightly.

James did not respond immediately, however. Instead, he glared at Tatsuo with his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What?" Tatsuo asked while averting his eyes.

"You're trying to steal another one of my techniques, aren't you?" James asked. "How did you even do that, anyway? Copying [Senbonzakura], I mean. That's not even a technique. It's my bloodline ability."

"Yeah, you told me that when I was making the katana for you back then." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "I guess I forgot to tell you about the reward I got from my first [Mission], the one in Sumire-San's world."

James nodded in response, signaling for Tatsuo to continue.

"Well, I got [The End]." Tatsuo said, shrugging his shoulders in response.

James could only stare at Tatsuo with a blank gaze. And that lasted until the glow on the back of his left hand flickered.

"So, what's [The End]?" Ddraig asked.

"Bullshit, that's what it is." James, snapping out of his daze thanks to Ddraig's question, snapped in frustration. "Are you telling me you got that Bullshit girl's Abnormality as a reward for your first [Mission]?"

"Yup, pretty much." Tatsuo replied, shrugging his shoulders once again.

"Seriously, I'm calling bullshit!" James shouted.

A moment later, however, James frustrated expression changed into a wide smile.

"Now, I'm really looking forward to what kind of Random Reward I'll get at the end of this [Mission]." James said excitedly.

"Seriously, what the hell is [The End]?" Ddraig asked in an irritated tone, tired of his question being ignored.

James, in a good mood, finally replied to Ddraig's question. Meanwhile, Tatsuo turned away and looked out towards the ocean, where Sumire, Aletia, Shea, and Tio were playing tag in the water with Myu. And Myu, thanks to her dagon heritage, was swimming circles around the other ladies with a happy smile on her face.

"Wait, wasn't Remia out there with them, too?" Tatsuo muttered to himself.

*Splash!*

"Were you looking for me, Tatsuo?" Remia, who popped out of the water just below the dock where Tatsuo and James were sitting, asked as she rested her upper body on Tatsuo's lap.

Instead of being startled by Remia's sudden appearance, Tatsuo's attention was consumed by Remia's placement.

While Tatsuo was sitting and chatting with James, he had his legs spread. So, when Remia emerged from the water, she did so between his legs. Meaning, with her upper body resting on his lap, her arms were supporting the rest of her body on his thighs while her rather plentiful bosom was resting in a more... sensitive area.

"Tatsuo? Are you okay?" Remia asked with a smile on her face.

That was enough to snap Tatsuo out of his daze. However, instead of answering Remia immediately, he reached down, hooked his hands under her arms, and pulled her out of the water before sitting her on the edge of the dock right next to him.

Meanwhile Remia, like she did when Tatsuo princess carried her a few days ago, blinked her eyes a few times in confusion.

"I was just wondering where you were, since you were supposed to be out playing with Myu and the others." Tatsuo said, finally answering Remia's question while casually resting his hands over his crotch in a way that did not draw attention to it.

And James, having seen this whole exchange while explaining [The End] to Ddraig, though, they started conversing in James' head when Remia showed up, shot Tatsuo a thumbs up for how smoothly he handled that situation. Because, he knew for sure that if Tatsuo had popped a boner from Remia's intimate contact, he would have laughed at him about it for a long time. Hell, he would have more than likely spread the information in the [Chat] later, too.

"Oh, I see." Remia said, her confused expression turning into the gentle smile she wears in most situations. "Well, you don't have to worry, I was just coming to check on the two of you. Aren't you going to join the rest of us?"

"Of course we are." James said, replying before Tatsuo could. "We were just having a little guy talk. You know how it is."

"Oh, I see." Remia said in an understanding tone. "Well then, don't keep us waiting too long. Myu wants to play with you, Big Brother."

Smiling in return, Tatsuo through an arm around James' shoulder while smiling at Remia.

"Don't worry, we won't." Tatsuo said.

"Tatsuo, don't you---" James muttered as he felt Tatsuo's [Energy] starting to move.

However, before James could finish, he and Tatsuo disappeared from the spot where they were sitting on the dock. An instant later, they appeared in the air near the girls.

"... do it" James said, finishing his sentence from before Tatsuo blinked them away from where they were sitting.

*Splash!*

"Kya~!" x 4

However, Tatsuo did not let James get his bearings after the [Blink]. Instead, as soon as they reappeared, he gripped James shoulder tightly. Then, he threw himself and James backwards, causing them to splash back first into the ocean.

Tatsuo's action actually served two purposes. On top of dunking James with a professional wrestling move, the Russian Leg Sweep, because of the angle they appeared over the water, the splash that was created also washed over all the other girls, except for Myu, who dove underwater just before Tatsuo and James appeared overhead.

"Splash!*

A moment later, Tatsuo surfaced, shaking his head vigorously and sending droplets of water flying in every direction from the tips of his long hair. Then, he looked at the girls with a refreshing smile on his face.

*Splash!*

However, before Tatsuo could greet the girls, James surfaced right behind him, and grabbed the back of his head with an iron claw.

"OH... Hey, James." Tatsuo, with pain and nervousness mixed into his tone, said without being able to turn around. "Come on, it was all in good fun."

"Oh, don't worry, we're all here to have a good time, Tatsuo." James said, his smile looking a bit sinister to the onlookers. "We're just horsing around a little, right?"

*Splish!* *Splish!* *Splish!* *Splash!*

Then, before Tatsuo could reply, James turned around in the water before throwing Tatsuo into the distance. However, instead of just splashing into the water, Tatsuo skipped across its surface several times before finally splashing into the water.

"Oh, my goodness." Sumire said after seeing James skipping like a stone. "This isn't going to end peacefully, is it?"

*Splash!*

"What the...!" James started to say when he felt his ankles were grabbed under the water.

A moment later, James was dragged underwater by Tatsuo, who [Blinked] to James' position without surfacing.

After that, the water war between Tatsuo and James continued for a while. And no one, other than Myu, was spared from their rough housing. Though, they did include Myu in the fun, even if they were not nearly as rough with her as the others. But in the end, everyone had fun, and they stayed out until Myu got too tired to continue before returning to Remia's house.

Then, after a hardy meal cooked by Remia with Sumire, Shea, and Tio's help, Remia and Myu laid down together for a nap, both tired out from all the playing in the ocean. Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Sumire, James, Aletia, Shea, and Tio gathered in the living room to discuss the end of the [Mission].

"So, we're all in agreement, right?" Tatsuo asked. "Although we'd like to bring all of you to see other worlds, since we can only take one of you, it will be Aletia. Because despite sealing off this world from Ehit, there's always a chance he could find a way in somehow. And since she's his primary target for a new body, we can't let him get his hands on her. For that, we'll be adding Aletia to the [Dimensional Chat]."

In response, everyone nodded. Though, Shea and Tio looked somewhat unwilling. Because despite knowing that they could leave the world at any time if Tatsuo, Sumire, or James came to get them, Aletia would be able to talk to Tatsuo whenever she wanted as a member of the [Dimensional Chat]. And that left the two feeling as if things were unfair.

"Well then, since we're all in agreement." Tatsuo said, trying not to make eye contact with Shea and Tio, who were looking at him with puppy dog eyes. Instead, he turned to look at Aletia and continued. "Then, Aletia, will you join the [Dimensional Chat]?"

"Mmm." Aletia replied while nodding her head strongly.

At the same time, Aletia saw a [Notification] in her head.

{[Notifications]

-Invitation to join the [Dimensional Chat] has been accepted!

-Please note: User will not be able to access the functions of the [Dimensional Chat] until those on a [Mission] in your world have returned to their own worlds.}

Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Sumire, and James received a different [Notification].

{[Notifications]

-[Objective] #6 – Complete.

-Congratulations [Mission #2] has been completed.

-Would you like to return to your world? Y/n

-Please note: If you choose not to return immediately, you will be returned to your world automatically in 2 Days, 59 Minutes, 57 Seconds.}

Seeing that [Notification], Tatsuo, Sumire, and James could not help smiling as they congratulated each other on a job well done. However, the jubilant atmosphere did not last for too long, as the three received another [Notification] not long afterwards.

{[Notifications]

-Though the [Mission] has been completed successfully, there is more to be taken care of in this world. Therefore, when the Users exit this world, time will be frozen until the Users return.

- Thus, for a limited time, each participating member of the [Dimensional Chat] will be allowed to bring one individual from the world with them into their world free of charge.

-Users will have until they are forcefully removed from the world to decide if they will bring another with them.

-Time Remaining: 2 Days, 58 Minutes, 34 Seconds

-Please note: Selected individuals must be willing. Forcefully taking another with the User is strictly forbidden.}

After reading the second message, Tatsuo, Sumire, and James froze with disbelief etched onto their faces. However, Sumire's shock did not last for long. So, when she quickly turned to look at Tatsuo and James, who had spent so much effort to stop Ehit from doing whatever he wanted with the world after they left.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Shea asked, feeling that something was wrong.

Aletia, who was unable to see the latest [Notification] due to not having access to the [Dimensional Chat's] functions, and Tio, who like Shea, was not a member of the [Dimensional Chat] at all, were wondering the same thing. Especially after seeing the dumbfounded expressions on Tatsuo's and James' faces.

"Well, yes and no." Sumire, the only one of the three not stuck in a daze, replied while smiling awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Tio asked curiously. "If there's anything wrong, we'll do all we can to help."

"Well, it's a bit complicated." Sumire said while letting her gaze shift between Tatsuo and James. "Remember when we told you about how time in our worlds freeze when we come on these missions?"

In response, Aletia, Shea, and Tio all nodded their heads.

"Well, we all just found out that when we leave, the same thing will happen in this world." Sumire continued. "Meaning..."

"Meaning, all that work to lock the space from outside entry was a waste of time, huh?" Tio said while nodding in understanding. "Yes, I can see how that would be demoralizing."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tatsuo's disbelieving gaze turned into a glare. Then, he snapped his head in Tio's direction.

"You, this is your fault." Tatsuo muttered. "You're the one who came up with the idea of locking the space around Tortus."

"Yes, that's right." Tio replied while smiling elegantly with her hand fan covering the lower half of her face. However, when she continued speaking, her breathing sounded a bit labored while her pointed ears, which were not hidden by the fan, turned red. "For giving such horrendous advice... *Pant* and causing you to work needlessly, *Pant* Master, *Pant* please punish this worthless servant. "

Immediately, the heat behind Tatsuo's glare went out and he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"God damn it!" James shouted as he shot up to his feet. "That means I can bring Yaegashi with me. I planned on waiting until I got back to my world before trying to convince her. But now... Fuck!"

"Well, you better hurry." Sumire said. "You've still got a few days to convince her before the world freezes."

"Damn it." James muttered. "Fine, I'll talk to you guys later."

Then, James dashed out of Remia's house before spreading his wings and taking off into the sky.

"Hey, do you think he forgot that he could use [Teleportation Magic]?" Tatsuo asked while standing up to close the door that James forgot to shut in his panic.

"Probably." Sumire replied with a giggle. "It looks like he liked Yaegashi-San a lot more than he let on, huh?"

Sumire then looked at Tatsuo with a smile. However, that smile made Tatsuo feel a chill climbing up his spine.

"We also just found out that each of us, me, Tatsuo-Kun, and James-Kun, can bring one person with us to our own worlds without having to buy [Dimensional Travel Tickets]." Sumire continued while smiling sweetly.

"I don't have to buy one, either." Aletia added. "I just received a message that said I can choose to go to the world of any member of the [Dimensional Chat] for free. *Sigh* But I will be going to Sumire's world as I promised."

Nodding in response to Aletia's words, Sumire then turned her attention back to Tatsuo.

"So, for my choice, I'll be taking Shea-San with me." Sumire said while smiling sweetly. "Because she wanted to be able to stand by your side, I think making her a Dungeon Explorer will help her a lot."

Upon hearing that they would be able to follow either Tatsuo or Sumire, both Shea and Tio looked at Tatsuo with sparkling eyes. However, when Sumire said that she wanted to take Shea with her, the rabbit girl looked at Sumire as if she had just been stabbed in the back.

"Huh? But I wanna go with Tatsuo." Shea said in a whiny tone.

"I know." Sumire replied. "But it will be much easier for you to get stronger in my world. And if you get stronger, you'll be able to stand next to Tatsuo-Kun sooner, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Shea grumbled, accepting Sumire's reasoning, though unwillingly.

Meanwhile, Tio continued to stare at Tatsuo with sparkling eyes. And despite the fact that Tatsuo wanted to decline Tio's silent entreaties, he knew that she would more than likely lose it if he rejected her. And not in the sense that she would get angry. Rather, she would probably start to writhe in ecstasy from the rejection.

On top of that, though he did not want to admit it, Tatsuo did not want to see the disappointment that might overtake the euphoria of being treated poorly that might appear in Tio's eyes. So, against his better judgement, he nodded his head.

"Then, I guess that means Tio is coming with me." Tatsuo said through gritted teeth.

In response, Tio's smile was bright enough to light up even the darkest night.

So, with that decided, Tatsuo, Sumire, Aletia, Shea, and Tio spent the rest of their time in this world with Myu and Remia. And since time would freeze when they left, they did not even need to relocate to an isolated place first. Instead, all they needed to do was make sure that they were not mid-conversation or in contact with someone who was not coming with them, as that would have been somewhat awkward when they returned.

Like that, the three days before the dimensional travelers and their plus ones left the world passed. When they did, the Arifureta Universe froze until they returned in the future.