※ This time, the story is from Katsuragi Saizou's point of view.
"It's started..." I muttered to myself.
When the floor of the classroom lit up as we waited for the short homeroom before going home, I understood what was happening right away.
An Other World Summoning1 is something that normally could never happen, but I've run through this simulation hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times.
The familiar classroom scene changed into an unknown grassy field in an instant.
My classmates were confused by this impossible situation and were about to panic, but I was completely calm. No, I tell myself to stay calm, but honestly, I'm super pumped.
What I got was Fire Attribute Magic. I can understand the Soldier's yelling, so I must have language ability too. What's surrounding us are Soldiers dressed in metal armor like something out of medieval Europe on Earth, and a white-faced woman wearing a way-too-decorated outfit.
The best answer I've worked out from all the info is this!
"Cannon!" I shouted, unleashing my spell.
"Welcome, Heroes from another world..." The white-faced woman began smoothly.
BOOOOOOOM!
The timing was perfect - I cut off the white-faced woman's speech, and the power was more than enough to take down a giant tree.
"Bullet..." I chanted, firing in rapid succession.
BZZZZZZZZZZZ-BOOM!
The rapid-fire performance and the power - both are within what I expected. With this, I should be able to take control.
Me, Katsuragi Saizou, I'm a fat otaku. I don't care at all if people call me a gross fat otaku. So I've never once hidden the fact that I'm an otaku at school.
People tend to think otaku get bullied, but once you get past a certain level, you become the kind of person it's a pain to mess with. For that, knowledge of PCs, smartphones, social media, and video sites is a must.
Yeah - if you make them think that messing with you means their bad deeds get exposed and they get canceled, that's your win. Having over 100,000 otaku-related followers isn't just for show.
Oops, let me get back on track.
The Other World Summoning we got caught up in seems to be hard mode. Just from the way the queen who summoned us acts, there's definitely something shady going on. The whole "we can send you back to Japan" thing is honestly pretty fishy.
But the thing is, I don't even want to go back to Japan in the first place. Probably, if I go back to Japan, I won't be able to use Magic anymore. If that's the case, then I might as well play in this Other World I've always dreamed of for the rest of my life.
Powerful fire Magic, over ten times the Magic Power of a normal person - as long as I don't let my guard down, I've got everything I need to rise up.
When you get caught up in a situation like this, a normal person would aim to be the Hero. Slaying the Evil Dragon and saving people from misery... The soccer club pretty boy already seems to be into that idea, but I'll pass on such a boring way of life. The path I'm walking is the path to Demon Lord.
The one to shake hands with is nobody but Tokuda Hideki, who even the school's toughest punks look up to. With Tokuda, who shows off overwhelming physical ability just from his looks, building an equal relationship back in Japan would've been impossible. But in a world of swords and Magic, it's a different story.
Now that I've actually shown him Magic and proved its power is way higher than simple punches and kicks, I should be able to build an equal relationship with Tokuda.
The plan worked, and I brought in Tokuda and his crew, the Yankee Group3.
You might think running with a bunch of punks comes with risk, but that's wrong. If you show respect, profit, and a sense of loyalty, it's way safer than being with people who don't have their hearts in anything. If you acknowledge the existence of people who tend to get looked down on, give them the benefit of Magic advice, and show them you're one of them and get accepted, they'll protect you inside a solid wall.
The day after we were summoned, we were moved to a place called a training ground.
Tokuda and his group looked unhappy, but I convinced them by saying if the treatment was bad we'd get it fixed, and that we could sharpen our skills better in a place where we could blast Magic freely than in a cramped castle. If you're gonna give weapons to hot-blooded guys, it's obviously better to give them a place where they can use them all out.
I thought the training ground would be days away from the castle, but surprisingly it was only about two hours by Carriage. I mean, just a little ways from the city, there's already natural grassland and forest spreading out, so there's probably no shortage of space.
We were brought to a place with just a barracks-like building and nothing else, and the punks looked obviously unhappy.
One of the Soldiers watching that raised his voice.
"Hey! Stop dawdling, you slowpokes... Gwaaaaah!" The soldier barked, before screaming in pain.
I hit the Soldier who yelled at us with Magic and set him on fire. I fired fireball after fireball into the forest behind the shocked Soldiers.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOOOOOOM!
Just like a tokusatsu show2, giant pillars of fire shot up one after another, and the Soldiers froze in place.
Just from working on how to handle Magic Power last night, even with the same amount of Magic Power as yesterday, the power feels like it's gone up several times over.
"Since you seem to have the wrong idea, let me say this clearly first. We'll cooperate, but we have no intention of being used as tools. If you talk down to us, I don't mind starting a war right here and now. Cooperation, or war - which do you choose?" I declared, stepping forward to address them.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" A man who seemed to be the commander called out urgently.
"Wait? You're giving me orders at this point?" I scoffed, narrowing my eyes.
"Negative! Please wait, I beg of you. I apologize for my subordinate's rude behavior. Please, overlook this incident." The commander pleaded desperately.
The man who seemed to be the commander bowed with a twitching face.
"We were living peaceful lives, and we got dragged here by force and forced to fight the Evil Dragon. And on top of that, if you're gonna act like you're looking down on us, we'll respond accordingly. Got it - never act like you're looking down on us again. If you can't promise that, the cooperation ends, and I'll go back to take down the castle." I warned him with a glare.
"Understood. I will instruct all subordinates to adjust their conduct immediately. You have my word." The commander assured me rapidly.
"Good. Then please show us to our quarters. We'll have any complaints fixed right away, so keep that in mind..." I instructed him flatly.
"Understood. You personnel, escort these individuals at once! Under no circumstances are you to display disrespect!" The commander barked orders to his unit.
Ordered by the man who seemed to be the commander, the way the Soldiers looked at us clearly changed.
"N-now then, we'll show you the way." One soldier stammered, stepping forward nervously.
As the prompted classmates started moving, Tokuda put his arm around my shoulder.
"Nice work, Saizo." Tokuda said with a smirk.
"First impressions matter, you know..." I replied, shrugging slightly.
"Ain't no doubt about that..." Tokuda agreed, laughing softly.
The Yankee Group started walking with me and Tokuda at the center.
Oh right - you guys are gonna be my wall of meat and protect me, got it.
Trivia:
- Saizou's thousands of simulation runs before the summoning suggest he may have had foreknowledge of the event, possibly through patterns he noticed in otaku media or actual pre-summoning signals.
- The queen's white face and over-decorated outfit mirror the classic isekai trope of a deceptive summoner, and Saizou's immediate distrust implies he has seen this exact scenario play out in fiction many times.
- Saizou's claim that he never wanted to return to Japan reframes the entire series premise, since the title character is actively preparing to go back while Saizou sees the Other World as his escape.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A genre staple in Japanese light novels where protagonists are transported to a fantasy world, often with game-like mechanics. The term itself is used as an English loanword in the source, highlighting the otaku subculture's familiarity with the trope.
2 ↩ A Japanese term for live-action special effects shows like Power Rangers or Ultraman. The fire pillars are compared to this genre's dramatic practical effects.
3 ↩ In Japanese slang, yankii refers to delinquent youth, roughly equivalent to punks or hoods. The term carries specific cultural connotations of rebellion, tough appearance, and school hierarchy.
Notes:
• Saizou - A classmate with an enormous magic value over 2300 Mete, more than ten times that of an average adult man. He is calm, sharp, and quick to see through the kingdom's scheme to collar the summoned students. He negotiates directly with the Queen and demands an apology and fair treatment as guests. He openly plans to enjoy the other world and agrees to cooperate in defeating the evil dragon. The narrator describes him as a dramatic fat otaku with a smug face.
• Saizo - Classmate who was given fire magic. Normally a quiet otaku in class but seizes the spotlight during the summoning. Uses dramatic chunibyo poses and shows off his power to gain leverage in negotiations. Takes charge of questioning the queen.
• Tokuda - Central figure of the yankee group. Close to 180 centimeters tall with heavily trained muscles. Reportedly practiced full-contact martial arts. Demonstrates physical strength through his grip when shaking hands. Listens seriously to Souza's advice after witnessing his power. Pragmatic and eager to enjoy the new world without restraint.