Rimuru reached the unknown building on top of Ranga's back. He climbed down, and Ranga hid in his shadow. 'I've seen similar buildings a few times in the Japanese countryside.' Rimuru thought.

A smile appeared on his face, and he opened the door to the building.

'Yamato Inn. Yes, even the name is Japanese. The owner of this place is also Japanese.' As soon as Rimuru entered the building, he found a woman with a kind smile sitting behind a counter at the reception.

'Urgh, this woman gives me a bad feeling.'

"Welcome to the Yamato Hotel; how can I help you?" The woman said with a smile.

"I'm looking to find an owner of this place. Is he around?"

"Sir. Nahida? Yes, he's in the kitchen. Do you want me to call him?"

"Yes, do that. Sir... But isn't Nahida a female name?" Rimuru, who was Japanese, knew that Nahida was a female name, so he was confused about why the receptionist called the owner "Sir."

Ramiris had also said the owner was a man.

"Huh?" And as soon as the owner appeared, Rimuru tilted his head. He's a man, but though his face was entirely Japanese, his hair was blond, as was his beard. And it seems natural.

It was a strange appearance for a Japanese man.

Nahida, who had left the kitchen and rushed there after hearing that a beautiful girl with blue hair was at the reception, almost screamed as soon as he saw Rimuru. It was indeed Rimuru, and his appearance was frighteningly attractive.

Nahida knew Rimuru is a man, but his heart pounded.

"How can I help you?" Nahida coughed and looked away, trying not to look directly at Rimuru.

"A friend told me about this place, so I came here to visit since it's in my territory. So, why did you build an inn in this place? Not many people come here, you know?"

Nahida scratched his head. "Well, how to say... I didn't build it here. Do you want to sit down and talk for a while? I can explain to you what's going on... And since it's you, I think you'll believe."

"Hm?" Rimuru tilted his head cutely. Nahida's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. But he rejected those feelings. Rimuru was a man. Don't think of strange things.

But he was so beautiful.

'Damn, why did you take the body of a girl as beautiful as Shizu and not a man?! That damn author!' Nahida screamed internally and walked with Rimuru to one of the tables.

Once the two sat facing each other, Nahida asked Shelly to bring some tea prepared by Chef Lucky, and she headed towards the kitchen.

"So, what's going on? You came from Japan, just like me, right? But you don't seem to have been reincarnated..."

"Exactly. I live in a rural town in Japan."

"You live?"

"Yes, exactly. I still live. How can I explain... My hotel is simultaneously in several different worlds. As soon as I walk out that door, I'll be in Japan, and as soon as you leave, you'll be in your world."

"..." Rimuru thought for a moment. "You're kidding. Such a crazy thing is happening to you?"

"Want me to show you?" Nahida asked.

"Yes, but first. Could you explain to me why your name is Nahida? Isn't it a female name?"

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Well, my parents wanted a daughter and chose Nahida. But it's a long story..." A tired and sad expression appeared on Nahida's face. Rimuru realized that Nahida had suffered a lot because of this name.

####

Nahida and Rimuru went to the hotel reception. When the two reached, Shelly looked at them smiling but kept silent. Rimuru looked at Nahida for answers.

"Why does such a strange woman work here? Her smile gives me the chills."

"It's a long story. I'll need to show you my system to explain all this."

"System?"

"Exactly. I have a divine voice that tells me some things, but-" Nahida was going to say that he knew about Rimuru's great sage but preferred not to say that.

Rimuru had already told Nahida he had come from Japan, but...

"But?

"It's nothing. About before, look at this." Nahida opened the inn's front door, and a convenience store across the street appeared. At the same time, an old car was also passing there.

Rimuru widened his eyes and watched the car disappear. He then approached the door and tried to put his hand out.

However.

"I can't... I can't..." Rimuru said to himself a few times as he tried to get out. A strange feeling was in his heart at the moment. He loved that new world and his new life.

However, as soon as he saw that convenience store, that car, the longing for his old world appeared again.

He controlled himself and didn't let any tears escape. He just gave a gentle smile and turned away from the door.

"Is everything alright?" Nahida asked Rimuru. Rimuru turned to look at him and gave a smile.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied. Nahida realized he was feeling unwell but didn't touch the subject. It would be an insensitive thing to do.

Did Rimuru really miss his old world?

He knew that Rimuru loved the world he was in now, but Nahida should have figured that. Japan was very important to Rimuru.

Rimuru did not leave many things behind.

However, it was painful for him.

'If he had the chance to return... Would he go back?' That question stayed in Nahida's mind, but he did not ask it to Rimuru.

He didn't want to be too intrusive.

The two returned to the table and sat down. Then the tea was finally served. Shelly had forgotten what was asked of her, and Lucky had to pour the tea.

"All the staff at your hotel seem pretty strange. They're all Westerners, but I can still understand them. Are you speaking Japanese?

"I don't know. I think so. Anyway, I can understand Shelly and Lucky, I can understand you, and I can understand Ramiris and Beretta too. The system may have something that makes everyone inside the hotel speak the same language."

Nahida thought for a moment, and it was indeed possible. He had also understood what Natsu and Lucy were talking about when they showed up at his hotel.

"So convenient. So, your system... How does it work? You don't have to talk if you don't want to; I'm just curious." Rimuru took a sip of his tea, and his eyebrows rose. "Tasty..." He said in a low voice.

"How can I put it... My system is my hotel. I can do upgrades on my hotel. Isn't that weird?"

"Sounds like a comedy LN."

"I compared it to a fanfic... Well, isn't it cool? It's something different."

"What about you? Can't you get stronger from it?

"I haven't thought about it too much for now, but apparently, I can't. I live in Japan and don't need strength like you and Ramiris, right? There are no monsters."

"But since you received a system like that, aren't you afraid of being attacked by something? You wouldn't receive this ability without a reason. Just like me." Rimuru nodded.

"... Well, we'll know in the future. Right now, I'll focus on my hotel, which was the ability God gave me. Maybe I'll become as strong as you... Who knows?" Nahida knew how powerful Rimuru was.

He couldn't sense magic in Rimuru because he had no magical ability, but just looking at him was enough to make his body tremble. He sure was a demon lord.

"Right. I came here to look at it, but I liked you and am curious. What do you think about transporting your hotel to Tempest? I'm sure you'll have many customers if you do that."

"Are you sure? I won't be in the way?"

"Of course not. As long as you give the best possible hospitality to the people, I see no reason not to allow it."

"Well, but I don't know if I can do that. System, can I do that?"

Seeing Nahida talking to the system, Rimuru remembered himself and laughed internally.

[ That will be possible as long as you have someone's support. ]

"Support?"

[ Exactly. A person will take the 'Permission' to where you want to have your hotel. ]

After that message, something appeared in the air before Nahida and Rimuru.

"What is it?" Rimuru tilted his head.

"It's some kind of 'permission.' You need to place this where my hotel will be, and the building will be transported. I guess that's it?"

The permission was nothing but a golden ticket with some strange drawings.

"Okay, I'll do that." Rimuru took the 'permission' and stood up. "I'm going now as I have things to do."

"Alright, thanks."

Nahida escorted Rimuru to the front door of the hotel.

"I'll be back to talk later. I'm quite curious about how Japan is after all this time."

"I'll look forward to that."

Rimuru opened the hotel door, and Nahida could see the Jura forest. On instinct, he tried to walk out the door, and to his surprise.

"Huh?"

His hand had gone through the invisible wall Rimuru couldn't.

Rimuru hadn't noticed this and left after saying goodbye once more. Nahida closed the door, and when he opened it again, the forest was no longer there. "That scared me a bit."

It was unbelievable for him to leave his hotel and go into an unknown world without having any skills.

"Let's focus on my hotel now and look forward to new guests."

[ You received 1 experience point! 38/200 ]

####

"Hey, Ranga, let's head back to Tempest. I have something to do." Rimuru felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: happiness at having had such close contact with his old world. He even got to see his old world.

The convenience store, the car. They were such simple things, but they made him so happy to see them.

'It's been a while since I felt like this. And that guy...' The image of Nahida came into his mind. It was a sad, pained expression as if he had been suffering.

His expression changed when Nahida spoke about his parents. Rimuru wondered what had happened between Nahida and his parents.

'Maybe it has something to do with that old hotel alone. Maybe that hotel belonged to his parents, and it's painful to take care of that place.' But Rimuru didn't want to make too many assumptions.

He did not want to meddle in the life of someone he had just met.

So, quickly, Ranga and Rimuru arrived in Tempest.

As soon as Rimuru entered the town, he began to be greeted by several locals. They all looked at him as the most important person in their lives. And he was.

A new demon lord.

Rimuru walked alongside Ranga through the town until they reached an empty lot.

"Ranga, warn the others not to build anything here."

"Right, Rimuru-sama." Ranga disappeared, and Rimuru placed the 'permission' on the ground. Soon after, the 'permission' was swallowed by the earth and disappeared. Then, as if it were a magic tree, walls grew.

"Uuh~~" Rimuru jumped away, and the building was quickly 'built.' The monsters around cheered, thinking it was magic from Rimuru.

"That guy received an interesting system. Great Sage, do you know anything about it? Hm? Too bad."