Translator Note: I’m changing the dialogue format a bit to make who’s speaking a bit clearer while reading.

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Tooru: “There’s something called a reverse osmosis membrane, which allows water to pass through but not impurities like salt. If you apply pressure to the side this membrane divided container with impurities in it, you can obtain water pure enough to drink.”

I explain the basic part of the research I do on a daily basis, in an even more digestible way to the four high school students who came to this research institute for a field trip. High school students should be able to understand this much. I have to choose even simpler words when explaining to elementary school students who come sometimes.

But I’ve been here for 7 years… Isn’t this the kind of thing that newcomers should do?

Unspecified Female Student 1: “So you can drink seawater with this?”

Tooru: “Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Unspecified Female Student 2: “How much can you turn into clean water in a day?”

Tooru: “For example, with this device over here. It’s a small one, but it can turn 500 liters of seawater into drinking water in one day.”

Out of the four high school students, two are girls, and they ask me various questions.

Unspecified Male Student 1: “Water just comes out when you turn on the tap.”

Unspecified Male Student 2: “I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to drink seawater.”

The other two are boys. As is common if you live in this country, you wouldn’t normally appreciate the value of water and they aren’t exceptions of that . The issue of ‘virtual water’ and such, probably only a few people know about it.

Tooru: “Our country is blessed with water. However, there are people in the world who struggle just to secure the amount of water they need to live each day. So, we are conducting research to secure drinking water from the vast amount of seawater that exists.”

The girls happily take notes while listening to my talk. The male students seemed a bit bored. I guess the girls decided on this research institute for their field trip, and the boys, who are group members, were dragged along.

I don’t want to be seen as an old man who drones on about boring stories. So, I think I’ll end the explanation here. However, I’m already 31, so I’m already an old man in terms of age…

Tooru: “Let’s finish the lecture here and take a tour inside the institute.”

Once I’ve finished explaining about the importance of water to people and how to make drinking water from seawater, which is the subject of my research, I decided to take the students on a tour of the research institute.

Unspecified Female Student: “Um, Sekiya-san. What is this?”

Tooru: “Huh?”

A female student called out to me, and I turned around. There was a crystal the size of a person’s head on the desk in front of her.

What is that?

Tooru: “I’ve never seen it before, so it’s probably not something from this institute. Did any of you put it there?”

Unspecified Female Student: “No, it was just there when I noticed it.”

Yanagi (Male Student): “It’s beautiful.”

Unspecified Female Student: “Ah, Yanagi-kun. Don’t touch it without—”

The moment a male student named Yanagi touched the crystal, the room we were in was enveloped in light.

—＊＊＊—

Tooru: “W-where is this?”

I was in a space where both under my feet and the surroundings around me were white.

I had no shadow. I don’t even know where the light was coming from. It’s a space that I don’t understand at all, how could this be possible?

Unspecified Female Student: “What, what’s going on!?”

Unspecified Female Student: “Did we, did we die?”

Unspecified Male Student: “It’s because Yanagi touched the crystal.”

Yanagi: “Are you blaming me!?”

The four high school students who were in the same room as me in the research institute are also in the same place. Like me, they had no shadows.

Could it be that we’re dead? But why all of a sudden? Was that crystal the cause?

Unknown Woman: 『Heroes, welcome to my world. 』

A woman’s voice echoed in my head. It was a clear and enchanting voice.

I quickly looked around, but there was no one else to be seen other than us.

Unspecified Student: “H-hero?”

Unspecified Student: “Who are you!?”

Male Student: “What are you talking about!”

Goddess: 『I am the goddess of this world. I have summoned you to defeat the demons who continue to expand their power in my world and save it. 』

Unspecified Student: “Save the world?”

Unspecified Student: “That’s impossible…”

Unspecified Female Student: “We’re just high school students.”

I don’t understand the situation at all, but I’m the only adult here. It’s my job to safely send these high school students home. I can’t panic. I need to respond calmly.

Tooru: “Um,”

Goddess: 『Hm? What is it, you? 』

The entity that claims to be a goddess reacted as if she just noticed that I was present.

Tooru: “My name is Tooru Sekiya. I was showing these kids around the research institute where I work. I have a responsibility to safely return them to their respective homes.”

Goddess: 『I summoned these young four from another world. Skills cannot be given to adults. Did you intrude on my summoning spell on your own? 』

Tooru: “Intrude on my own? No, I—”

It seemed like the woman who claimed to be a god had no intention of listening to what I had to say.

Goddess: 『Sending you back also consumes my divine power. So, you will have to live in my world for a while. After these children have saved the world, if you are still alive, I might consider sending you back. 』

I had a really bad feeling. I rushed towards the high school students. I couldn’t leave them.

However, my actions were futile in front of the god.

Goddess: 『Then, off you go. 』

My body vanished into light from the tip of my hand that I stretched out towards the high school students.

While watching their anxious faces, I was forcibly moved from that place without being able to utter a word.