"A-anyway, shall we continue? How did you get here?"

  Not missing the opportunity created by Norgaar's sudden departure, Rashion tried to change the subject.

  "No... before that, what were you doing on Earth?"

  "Of course I came to see you, Father. What else?"

  "You activated that grand thaumaturgy thing just for that?"

  At Amashiro's incredulous question, Rashion answered with a serious expression.

  "You may think it's 'just that,' Father, but the four of us became a family again here, yet you weren't with us... I thought you must be feeling lonely. I wanted to at least tell you that we'd all become a family again and were doing well, so you didn't need to worry."

  "I see..."

  Various emotions welled up in Amashiro, leaving him unable to speak.

  "So, when I learned that this world's thaumaturgy could send one person to where someone they wanted to see was, and the conditions for it—which only align once every 100 years—had just been met, I prepared hard for it and went as our representative... Father?"

  "Ah..."

  Noticing he was shedding large tears again without realizing it, Amashiro tried to cover it up by wiping them with his hand.

  "Sorry. As I've gotten older, I've become overly emotional for my age."

  Isha quietly drew close to Amashiro and wiped his tears with a handkerchief.

  "No, I'm happy. It's proof that you treasure us dearly as well."

  "Is that so... Thank you.

  Just knowing that my love for you as family wasn't one-sided makes coming here worthwhile. I don't think anything could make me happier.

  However... hey...

  Rashion, didn't you notice anything strange when you came to Earth?"

  At Amashiro's sudden question after he'd stopped crying, Rashion nodded.

  "Indeed. When I arrived at your residence there, somehow all three were still alive from our cat days, so I had no choice but to hide the fact that all four of us had reincarnated here, but—"

  "My goodness!"

  Isha exclaimed in surprise.

  Of course, everyone reincarnating here meant they'd all died on Earth, but somehow in the 'Amashiro's present' that Rashion had transferred to via thaumaturgy, the three cats besides Rashion were alive and well.

  "And Rashion, I already told you this, but only one year has passed on Earth since you departed, yet you're 70 years old here?"

  "Yes. Incidentally, Norgaar is 65, and Isha is..."

  "That's quite enough, Your Majesty?"

  Isha interrupted Rashion's words with a beaming smile.

  Even on a planet other than Earth, in a species other than human, age remained a sensitive topic for women. Setting that aside, Amashiro thought this made no sense whatsoever. Only one year had passed on Earth since Rashion's departure, yet Rashion here was 70 years old, and considering that everyone alive on Earth had reincarnated here, the answer probably converged on one conclusion.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Earth and here... what was it, Tweeta? The two planets might exist in different time zones."

  "It's Tusita. That's an outrageously bold hypothesis, but since I actually went there and met everyone who's alive, I think Father's theory has merit."

  "If that's really true, it's a bit worrying."

  Isha, who'd been playfully threatening Rashion with a smile, spoke with a serious expression as if something concerned her.

  "What is?"

  "You said everyone except His Majesty is still alive in that world.

  If Father can't return there... what will happen to us over there?"

  "Ah."

  If Amashiro couldn't return to Earth, what would happen to Norgaar and the others, left as cats alone?

  All three were elderly cats, so they wouldn't get their daily medication, their subcutaneous fluids, and before that, their food and water, which would eventually lead to...

  "I've been concerned about that too, but... somehow, I'm not worried."

  "What do you mean? Surely you don't think they'll just pass away and reincarnate here...?"

  Amashiro scolded Rashion, who asked suspiciously.

  "Hey! Don't say such inauspicious things! What do you take me for?!

  ...It's not something so heartless. Somehow... I feel like I heard that I could return whenever I wanted..."

  "Huh?"

  The royal couple's faces said 'what an outrageous thing to say.'

  Rashion spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

  "Heard? From whom?"

  "That's the thing, I don't know.

  But... just before, right before coming here... I was opening the closet to put away the box of treats. Like this..."

  The moment Amashiro unconsciously mimicked opening a closet door while saying this, the reception room door opened and Norgaar burst in holding a cardboard box in both hands.

  "Sister-in-law! Princess Asha! I brought it! Those tre— DWAAAH!?"

  "Norgaar, you've been rushing in and out, it's really noi— Whaaaaat?!"

  "F-Father?! What is this?!"

  "Kyaaah! Asha? Are you alright?!"

  Before everyone's eyes, a door appeared from thin air, scattering sparks.

  "!! Norgaar! Quickly, close the door!"

  "Y-yes!"

  While everyone was in a panic, Rashion, the first to regain his senses, gave that instruction. Probably judging that this phenomenon shouldn't be shown to the guards outside or anyone else yet.

  Even without seeing inside the room, the commotion had likely already made them realize something had happened...

  "Your Majesty! What's going on?!"

  At the soldier's question from outside the door, Rashion gave Norgaar a look to answer appropriately.

  "No, it's nothing serious. You need not concern yourselves. Return to your posts."

  "Y... Yes. Understood."

  Though the voice seemed unconvinced, when told "don't worry about it" regarding something in the royal family's private space, they had no choice but to comply. As long as no more commotion arose from inside the room.

  "...So.

  What the hell is thiiiis?!"

  Watching Rashion demonstrate the odd technique of shouting without raising his voice so it wouldn't be heard outside, Amashiro wondered if he should respond similarly, but decided to answer normally.

  "Huh? Isn't it your thaumaturgy or whatever? I thought Norgaar did something..."

  The moment he trailed off, both the door and sparks vanished, leaving only the empty space that had been there before.

  All five stood there with their mouths agape again.

  "No, at least no one here can use thaumaturgy.

  As for magic, Isha has a little knowledge... Did you do something?"

  "Of course not! I was surprised too!"

  Isha, who'd been holding her daughter tightly to protect her from the unexpected, showed mild anger at being falsely accused, while Asha, in her embrace, said casually:

  "Didn't Grandfather do it?"

  "What?!"

  Whether due to a child's shrewdness or something else, while all the adults were flustered, Asha seemed to have noticed something and spoke calmly.

  "Earlier, Grandfather made the motion of opening a door, right? That's when that door appeared."

  The suspicious gazes of the three royal adults turned sharply toward Amashiro.

  "I-I don't know either!

  But, like... this?"

  Just as Asha said, Amashiro tried the gesture of gripping a doorknob, turning it, and opening a door as if doing pantomime, but nothing happened—no spark-scattering door or anything.

  "Was it a mistake...?"

  "Well, we shouldn't take a child's word too seriously."

  "I hate you, Uncle!"

  "Yes, yes."

  While smiling wryly at the Rashion family getting along (?) and making noise, Amashiro felt that what Asha said wasn't wrong, but something important was missing.

  What could it be? Was something lacking in the motion? The direction of opening the door? He tried pulling forward, pushing inward, sliding it open like a sliding door, changing how he turned the doorknob, pressing a lever—various ways of opening, but nothing happened.

  Feeling the gazes of the four watching him, while feeling slightly embarrassed, Amashiro realized something.

  Not the motion, but perhaps...

  "Iftah Ya Simsim (Open, Sesame)."

  SHIIINE.

  In the middle of the room, from the space where there'd been nothing, that door appeared again.