At 3 PM, the school bell echoed throughout Kaminoge High School, signaling the end of the day.
As the teacher left the classroom, students prepared for club activities or headed straight home for those who weren't part of any clubs.
Naoki was the latter type. After declining Sato and his other friends' invitation to go to the game center, he hurried straight home.
Upon arriving at the empty Kamikawa house, Naoki immediately began preparations. He packed clothes and essential items into a suitcase. After all, he would be traveling abroad, albeit in an unconventional way.
"Still one hour before flight departure time." Naoki glanced at his watch. He dragged the suitcase down the creaking wooden stairs. "Let's grab something to eat before heading to the airport. Airport food is way too expensive."
Locking his front door, Naoki wheeled his suitcase along the residential street, searching for a suitable place to eat.
Ten minutes later, he found a small, modest udon restaurant and entered.
Sitting in a chair near the window, the aroma of warm meat broth and wheat filled his nose. Naoki's thoughts suddenly drifted to a certain figure associated with udon.
"When you mention udon, I immediately think of Ogata Rizu—that petite girl with large breasts, a science genius whose dream is actually in literature." He said with a small smile.
"Her breast size is bigger than Sahara's, right? Too bad this world isn't a slice-of-life crossover like in most fanfiction. Otherwise, I think I would've long ago snuck into Rizu's room at night to 'sample' them."
Naoki knew that idea was completely unrealistic. He didn't take it seriously. But wasn't it natural for a man to occasionally imagine lewd things?
It was a small escape from the sometimes too-heavy reality of the world.
"..."
Before long, his order of hot udon arrived. Naoki devoured it hungrily.
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With his stomach full, Naoki decided to take drastic action: taking a taxi to Haneda International Airport.
Taxi fares in Japan are known as among the most expensive in the world. That's why many people prefer public transportation.
Naoki lived very frugally, relying on his savings and his parents' life insurance money. He had never "plagiarized" famous works from his previous life like other Reincarnators or Transmigrators often did—he couldn't draw manga and had forgotten many plot details if he wanted to write light novels.
So, taking a taxi was a luxury he usually didn't indulge in. But this time, he was in a hurry not to miss his flight.
The good news was, he didn't need to worry too much about finances anymore. With Tenka by his side, Naoki knew he wouldn't lack money, even if he wasn't yet a billionaire.
As the Chief Commander of the Anti-Demon Corps, Tenka had a substantial salary and benefits.
Upon arriving at the crowded airport, Naoki didn't head straight to the departure area. Instead, he entered a public restroom.
Once inside a locked toilet stall, he whispered softly.
"«Pandemonium»."
Instantly, a golden-black cross pattern lit up in his eyes. He accessed the Thaumiel slot in the Qliphoth Tree and activated «Ame-no-Mitori». Using spatial manipulation, he enveloped himself with Spatial Refraction.
His form became invisible—not truly vanished, but the space around him was bent in such a way that light and attention naturally flowed around him without capturing him.
Very carefully to avoid being bumped into since people couldn't see him, he exited the toilet stall and walked through the airport.
Check-in Counter, Immigration, Security Screening—Naoki passed them all with ease.
Clearly, he planned to board the plane illegally, as a stowaway.
There was no other choice.
Naoki didn't have a passport!
Indeed, the Japanese passport is one of the strongest passports in the world, granting visa-free access to over 190 countries. However, ironically, only about 20% of Japanese citizens actually own passports, as many of them prefer domestic tourism.
Why didn't Naoki just get a passport instead of going through all this illegal hassle?
The reason was simple.
He didn't want to wait!
Japanese citizens typically need about a week to process a new passport. Naoki didn't have that patience. His powers and plans demanded speed.
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After successfully entering the departure area and finding the right plane, Naoki considered his seating options.
Between economy class, business class, and first class cabins, he chose the business class cabin as a middle ground.
First class cabin was too empty; only a few passengers. The risk of flight attendants or crew noticing an extra passenger was too great. Meanwhile, economy cabin was packed with passengers; every seat filled, making it difficult to slip in without touching someone.
Business class cabin was the perfect compromise: enough passengers, but not at full capacity. There was no way flight attendants could recognize every face perfectly here. So, Naoki calmly "joined" them, enjoying all the airline's facilities and services without paying a single yen.
He found an empty seat in the middle row, sat comfortably and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Travel time from Tokyo to Beijing is about four hours. Let's get some sleep. Tonight, I'll surely be busy."
He grabbed the sleeping mask provided on the seat back, put it on, then leaned back comfortably.
The droning sound of the plane's engines and the gentle motion as the plane began to taxi on the runway lulled him to sleep.
The plane began to take off, leaving Haneda Airport and Japan, carrying Naoki to his next destination: China, and the Peach Blessing he craved.
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Naoki was roughly awakened from his sleep by violent shaking that rocked the entire plane body. His seat vibrated hard, and a roaring sound thundered outside the plane's hull.
"What? This plane isn't going to crash, is it?" He muttered, still half-conscious but immediately alert.
He quickly pulled his sleeping mask up to his forehead. Looking out the small window beside him, the previously clear sky now appeared dark and turbulent. More worryingly, the plane was clearly losing altitude rapidly; clouds were moving upward at a disturbing speed across the window glass.
Chaos immediately engulfed the cabin. From the economy cabin in the back, hysterical screams, crying, and panicked prayers could be heard. Even in the normally quieter business cabin, panic began to spread. Some passengers gripped their armrests until their knuckles turned white, others muttered fearfully, their eyes wide.
The flight attendants desperately tried to calm the situation, their voices trembling despite trying to sound reassuring.
"Please remain calm! Stay in your seats and fasten your seatbelts! This is just turbulence!"
But their efforts seemed futile in the face of the fear of sudden death.
"What terrible luck!" Naoki grumbled irritably. "Statistically, the risk of plane crashes is indeed the lowest compared to other transportation, but the certainty of death rate is the highest if it actually happens!"
Amid the mass panic, Naoki was the only person not showing a fearful expression. With the Peach Blessing he possessed, a plane crash was just a minor inconvenience. If this plane really exploded in midair, he just needed to activate «Ame-no-Mitori» and transport himself to the nearest land in the blink of an eye.
However, a moral dilemma arose in his head.
(Should I save all these people? Or should I just let fate take its course?)
Although Naoki considered himself a pragmatic and sometimes amoral individual, he wasn't a sociopath capable of watching hundreds of lives perish just like that if he had the power to prevent it.
This brief but intense internal conflict played out in his head while the plane continued to shake and descend.
Fortunately, his anxiety turned out to be unnecessary.
*DING-DONG!*
The PA system sounded, followed by the firm voice of the pilot captain.
"Distinguished passengers, this is your captain speaking. We have just experienced minor technical difficulties and severe unexpected turbulence. The issue has been resolved, and we are stabilizing the aircraft. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please remain calm and stay in your seats with your seatbelts fastened. We will soon return to normal cruising altitude. Thank you."
The announcement was repeated in several languages. Slowly but surely, the panic in the cabin began to subside. Crying turned into sobs of relief, grips on armrests began to loosen.
"Thank goodness... it was just a false alarm."
Naoki breathed a deep sigh of relief, mixed with gratitude that he didn't have to make a difficult moral decision. He had already deactivated his Spatial Refraction since boarding the plane to avoid unnecessary suspicion and to be able to interact normally with the cabin crew.
Now, with the situation stabilized, he decided to enjoy the rest of the flight.
He pressed the call button on his armrest. A flight attendant who still looked slightly shaken but professional immediately approached him.
"Could I get some food, and perhaps a cup of tea?" Naoki asked politely. "I'm a bit hungry after... that incident earlier."
"Of course, sir. I'll bring it right away." The flight attendant replied with a thin smile that was still tense.
Naoki nodded, then leaned back in his seat, gazing at the sky that was beginning to clear again outside the window.
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