550 Inner World (1/2)
The book reading (hellish battleground) finally ended.
Natsuya said goodbye and left Seiji's apartment, while Shika went to go take a shower.
Seiji felt rather complex feelings inside as he was no longer tortured, but was also no longer able to feel the soft sensation of a girl on each side of him.
Although it was a lot of pressure, it also felt wonderful to have a girl clinging onto each arm… No, no, what was he thinking!
It wasn't that there was a girl clinging onto each arm, they were just sitting really close to him! They didn't do anything impure at all, they simply had fun reading light novels together!
Seiji forcefully stopped this line of thinking and decided to cease considering this subject any longer.
At this moment, his cell phone rang.
The caller ID indicated that the call was from Nozomi Uehara, the landlord.
”Haruta-kun, is Mika with you?”
”She's not with me.”
”Then, do you know where she went? I can't reach her cell phone.” Nozomi's voice was filled with worry.
Unable to reach her cell phone? Seiji felt an ominous premonition.
”…Perhaps she's over at Chiaki's apartment,” Seiji told her.
”Let me go ask her.” Nozomi hung up the call.
Something flashed in Seiji's eyes.
Moments later, he exited his apartment and went over to knock on the Uehara Family's front door.
The door soon opened.
”Haruta-kun…”
”Miss Landlord… how are things?”
”She's not over at Chiaki's.” Nozomi's expression was filled with concern. ”Chiaki doesn't know where Mika is, either. She's currently calling her friends…”
Seiji's ominous premonition became even stronger. However, in order to prevent the landlord from being even more worried, he didn't allow it to show on his face.
”I'll go look for her as well.”
”Sorry to trouble you, Haruta-kun.”
”No need to say that.”
It was quite late into the evening already. Mika still hadn't returned, and her cell phone was unreachable. Seiji felt that it was highly likely that something might have happened to Mika.
He returned to his apartment, and immediately cast a spell in his study...
[Interdimensional Locator]!
Target: Mika Uehara.
His vision instantly became pitch-black and his consciousness went hazy. He faintly saw red lights streaking before him, along with numerous fragmented scenes and faint sounds.
In this ambiguous realm, Seiji's consciousness was sent in a specific direction by an invisible force.
”Where… is this…”
”So… many monsters…”
He heard Mika's voice!
”I'm so scared…”
”How do I return home…”
He saw very hazy scenes that were gray and blue, together with some weird sounds.
”Seiji…”
”Save me…”
”Mika!”
Seiji suddenly opened his eyes.
A white miniature spell formation appeared on his right hand's back. However, it was incredibly faint, and seemed like it might disappear at any time.
He had to hurry!!!
There was no time for him to put on his full set of combat equipment. Seiji hurriedly grabbed his spiritual sword and shield and rushed out of his apartment.
He cast the [Body-strengthening technique] on himself and ran at top speed in the direction that his spell indicated!
Although Seiji intentionally picked roads that were more deserted, there were still some people passing by that happened to see him running as fast as a speeding car. Some were astonished to see this, while others thought that they had seen wrongly.
Seiji soon reached the riverside.
He could detect that something mystical was going on here. However, his level of [Astral Vision] was too low to find out what it was.
”Yomi, please wake up!” He requested assistance from his bonded female spirit.
”A portal was opened here not long ago. I can help to reopen it for you,” Yomi's voice spoke up in his mind.
”I knew I could count on you!”
Seiji instantly began casting a spell that Yomi taught him.
He created a seal with both his hands and uttered an incantation. Soon, a gigantic golden spell formation appeared on the ground.