In a Different World with a Smartphone

“Good morning,” I greeted.

“Good morning,” they replied.

“Morning,” others added.

I woke up, changed out of my pajamas, and went to the living room, where everyone greeted me with their usual morning salutations. Perhaps because I woke up quite early, not everyone had gathered yet. It felt like a normal morning, yet the conversation was somehow subdued. Everyone knew that today was the day of farewell.

After that, the wives and children woke up little by little, offering greetings, and the number of people in the living room increased, but the usual liveliness was absent. Contrary to our feelings, the outside was incredibly bright and clear. I felt a slight resentment towards the sun.

Since the weather was nice, Yumina suggested we have breakfast on the terrace, and everyone agreed. Using [Levitation], I gathered the tables on the terrace and arranged them so everyone could eat together.

“Breakfast is served!”

Eventually, Lucia and Arcia returned from the kitchen, and the maids brought everyone’s breakfast on trolleys. Toast, ham and eggs, crispy bacon and sausage, salad, and coffee. It was a classic but satisfying morning set. I had coffee, but others had tea or juice; everyone had their own preference for drinks.

“We humbly receive this food.”

“We humbly receive this food!”

As expected, conversation was sparse, and everyone quietly continued with their meal. I felt like everyone, including myself, took longer than usual to eat, as if cherishing this time…

Eventually, the meal ended, and everyone returned to their own rooms. This was to put the items they were taking back into their smartphone’s [Storage]. The wives followed them, wanting to be with them until the very last moment. I remained on the terrace, gazing up at the sky alone. It was annoyingly sunny.

“Hello, Touya,” a voice said.

I suddenly turned around and saw Ende’s family standing there.

“You guys… Seriously, I told you to use the front door. Allis is going to copy you… wait, are you alright?” I started complaining to Ende, but suddenly lost my words. Allis was clinging to Melle and whimpering. Lyle, holding Lycee’s hand, had his usual calm expression but was looking at Allis with concern. Lyle is also going to the future with them. Otherwise, he would be at home from the moment Allis was born.

“She was fine until we left the house… But she started getting downcast every time the townspeople greeted her on the way, and this is the result,” Ney explained with a troubled expression.

Allis often played in the town. She must have realized the pain of parting with the children she made friends with and the townspeople. Those people will still be in the future, but the children she played with will be adults, the adults will be middle-aged, and the middle-aged people will be elders. She won’t be able to meet the people she knows now.

“Allis, are you okay?”

“Not okay…” Allis replied, burying her face into Melle’s embrace and starting to whimper again.

“Touya-san…”

“Hmm?”

I turned around and saw Linne, whose hand was held by a troubled-looking Linze, sobbing. Her too…

After that, Elna, Steph, Arcia, Yoshino, Frei, Yakumo, Quun, and Kuon returned with their mothers, and everyone was teary-eyed to varying degrees. Steph was crying streams, and Sue was also getting teary-eyed because of her. Yakumo, Frei, and Quun weren’t crying, but they were sniffing as if trying to hold back their tears. Kuon looked his usual self, but his brow was slightly furrowed. Since he’s a boy, he’s probably trying hard not to cry.

At a time like this, or perhaps because it was a time like this, my heart was unexpectedly calm. If I were to start crying like Sue, things would become uncontrollable.

“Hey, everyone. I met my future self last night,” I announced. “Eh!?” Yumina exclaimed in surprise. The crying children also looked surprised and regained some composure.

“He told me, ‘Thank you for looking after the children.’ Everyone in the future is waiting. Waiting for you to return. We are not saying goodbye forever. We are just preparing to welcome you all back, carrying all your memories from here. So we can meet with smiles in the future,” I explained. “Daddy…!” Steph flew into my chest impulsively. There was no usual rocket impact, but I felt a heavy emotion.

“Dad…!” “Father…!”

Linne and Elna charged in next, followed by Arcia, Yoshino, Frei, Quun, and Yakumo, tackling me one after another. Yes, I’m happy, but it hurts a little… I stroked the head of Kuon, who came over hesitantly last.

“He said that as soon as you get back, you’ll be going to Earth right away. Send my best regards to Grandpa and Grandma. Oh, and he said your destination will be ten-something years after the time we went to, so Fuyuka will already be taller than Yakumo.”

“Ehh!? Fuyuka-chan!?” Elna’s eyes widened in surprise, but well, if you consider one Earth year and one other-world year to be the same, that’s roughly the age difference, isn’t it?

To be exact, twelve months on Earth and sixteen months here means time moves slower here. Simply put, four years on Earth is three years here. However, since I adjust the time when crossing worlds, I treat them as the same one year. So, in a way, time doesn’t really matter. It’s fundamentally nonsensical to think of the flow of time in different worlds on the same scale. The only way to measure it is to use me as the origin point.

Granny Tokie must feel this way constantly… Doesn’t it get all jumbled up for her?

In that sense, even if hundreds or thousands of years pass in this world, we can meet Dad and Mom again if we go to their time. That’s a comforting thought. Well, provided the World God gives permission.

Perhaps the story about Fuyuka was a slight shock, because the children’s tears subsided a bit.

Just then, Granny Tokie appeared in front of me.

“Oh dear, was I a little late? Or was I too early?” Granny Tokie said with a smile. Is that a spacetime god joke about controlling time…? Well, since we didn’t promise an exact time, it’s not a problem. I only told her “morning.”

It must be time… I hugged and stroked the head of each child one last time. The wives were also holding back tears, embracing all the children, including their own who rushed over.

“Devote yourself to your training…” Yae said, choking up. “Do your best, like a Knight…!” Hildegard added. “Don’t get too engrossed in tinkering with machines…” Leen warned. “Don’t play musical instruments late at night…” Sakura advised. “Be thoughtful about the seasoning for others!” Arcia reminded. “Uggh… Elna…” Elze sobbed. “Linne… be well…!” Linze cried. “Kuon, cherish Allis…!” Yumina whispered. “T-take care of yourselves… sobs” Sue wailed.

The wives were close to their limit. There’s no doubt that their tear ducts were about to break. Melle’s family wasn’t quite as distraught, except for Ende.

“Allis…! We will definitely meet again…!” Ende cried, hugging Allis tightly. Seeing him shedding tears so profusely made my own tears subside a little. I should be slightly thankful for that.

“Are the farewells done?” Granny Tokie asked. “Yes. The children… I entrust them to you,” I replied.

Yakumo, Frei, Quun, Yoshino, Arcia, Elna, Linne, Kuon, Steph, and also Allis and Lyle walked toward Granny Tokie. Parla was next to Quun, and Gold was next to Steph. Since Steph, his master, is going to the future, it’s better to take him too.

The children were still whimpering and crying. Please. Smile. Show us your smile one last time.

Granny Tokie also gave a troubled smile, but then Kuon took a step forward.

“Father, Mother, and mothers. We learned many things while we were here. We will carry those memories, which we will never forget, to the future. When we return, we will talk a lot about our time here in the past. So, please keep the memories of us close. So that the day will come when we can talk and laugh about them. Please look forward to that time.”

…Honestly, my son is such a well-spoken child. But, you should also think about the father who is trying to hold back his tears. My nose has been stinging terribly.

“Alright, everyone, take care. See you in the future.” I managed to utter the words.

“Thank you for taking care of us!” Kuon said. “Thank you for taking care of us!” the others echoed, bowing their heads.

When the children raised their heads, they were crying but gave us their biggest possible smiles. Yes, that’s the smile I wanted to see.

“Well then, farewell. Until we meet again.”

Granny Tokie snapped her fingers, and along with her, the children vanished without a sound. As if no one had been there in the first place…

Ah, they really left, a sense of loneliness and emptiness washing over my chest.

“Waaah… Steph is gone…! Sobs, Touya…!” Sue cried, hugging me from behind. But I couldn’t turn around. I figured my face was terrible with tears and snot. I could hear the muffled sobs of the other wives from behind me. Everyone feels the same way. It really is lonely.

The sky I looked up at, trying to stop the tears, was annoyingly clear.

When we felt the tremor at the castle, I thought, “It’s finally here.” It was a dimensional tremor. The children, who had been sent on a subjugation request to the forest, were supposed to be caught in the tremor and jump back to the past.

It was all according to plan. There was nothing to panic or fear about. I had heard from Granny Tokie that the dimensional tremor would occur at this day and time. That’s why we were all gathered in the courtyard. Ende also ditched his Adventurer’s Guild work and was here. I wonder if it’s okay for the Guild Master to do that, but since that thought would definitely boomerang back to me, I kept it to myself.

Only a few seconds should have passed since the dimensional tremor occurred, but it felt incredibly long. Are they alright? Did some trouble or change happen in the past that we don’t know about…? Did that affect the future and cause something to happen to the children!

Just as that bad thought crossed my mind, Granny Tokie and the children suddenly appeared in front of us without a sound.

“Mom!” “Mother!” “Mama!”

The children rushed to their respective mothers. For us, less than three hours had passed since we sent them off in the morning. But for the children, they had been away for almost a year. Although our past selves were there, they didn’t have the memories of the children being born up until now. Something must be slightly different. With apologies to my past self, the true parents of these children are us.

And Lyle and Gold, who weren’t here this morning, were present. Lyle was looking around with a puzzled expression, and Gold was calmly watching Steph and Sue embrace. Allis led Lyle by the hand to her family. Melle stroked Lyle’s head and said, “Welcome back.” It was a reunion after twelve years. Ende was still glaring at Kuon, though.

It wasn’t just Rile. For us, this was also a reunion after twelve years. A reunion with the children we met in the past, fought the Evil God’s Apostles with, traveled to Earth with, and then said goodbye to.

Kuon, who was being fussed over by Yumina, came over to me.

“I’ve returned, Father.”

“Welcome back. Did you have fun?”

“Yes, very much.”

They even fought the Evil God’s Apostles, but if they had fun overall, that’s good. I felt much more anxious back then, but the children now seem to have a stronger core. The life in a different place (although it was the same location) must have helped them grow considerably.

They say, “send the beloved child on a journey,” and it’s true. Although, as a parent, there’s also a part of me that doesn’t want them to grow up so fast.

“Alright, after resting for a day, tomorrow we’re going to Earth! Grandpa and Grandma are waiting!”

I hadn’t been able to let my parents meet the children for the past twelve years. Because it would change the future. I didn’t want to bother Granny Tokie again. I did visit Earth every year, but only with my wives, and I returned to my original time axis, so the children were completely unaware. I showed Dad and Mom photos and videos of the children each time. Furthermore, my future self, who was further in the future than this time, apparently visited them with the children, so they weren’t too lonely.

And this time, Dad, Mom, and Fuyuka are moving here for a year only. Fuyuka must be excited and waiting eagerly. I’m a little worried…

As my future self said, it went by in a flash. Loud yet happy days will continue from now on. The sky I looked up at was piercingly blue.

For a while after the children returned to the future, we were in two extremes: either zoning out or throwing ourselves into work. When working, I could forget about the children, and when zoning out, I immersed myself in memories of the children. Eventually, everyone realized they couldn’t continue like this and started getting back to normal.

As expected, Yae and Hildegard were the first to recover. After all, the children were growing inside their bellies. They had to face reality, willing or not. Inspired by them, we also started doing what we could for the future.

We are becoming parents. I don’t know if we can be great parents, but I don’t want to claim parenthood just because of a blood tie without making an effort.

We decided to start by preparing the necessary items for the babies. I collaborated with Doc Babylon and Flora to develop infant formula. I plan to ask Alba-san to mass-produce this later and sell it in the castle town.

In addition, we developed baby bottles, disposable diapers, baby soap, baby powder, strollers, baby carriers, and even child seats for carriages. I plan to sell these eventually, and parents with infants will surely appreciate them.

One thing I forgot was the clothes Yae and Hildegard would wear as their bellies grew. So-called maternity clothes barely exist in this world, and they usually wear oversized tunics. Especially for pregnant women of high status, like nobles or royalty, who rarely go out, there are virtually no stylish clothes suitable for going outside. I immediately went to Zanac-san, the owner of the clothing store, and presented him with various maternity wear designs. With this, pregnant women can enjoy fashion, and Yae and the others will be comfortable.

What was slightly unexpected was that a few months after Yae and Hildegard’s pregnancies were discovered, female staff in the castle also became pregnant one after another. This included maids, cooks, and, of course, female Knights.

“Well, children the same age as the royal children have a high chance of marrying into money if they are girls, or being chosen as close aides if they are boys,” Doc Babylon said. “But both of the babies to be born are girls…” I pointed out. “The others don’t know that. And normally, they would hope for the birth of a Crown Prince.”

Doc Babylon, who is developing the other world’s television, Ether-Vision, offered that opinion. Is this the reason for the baby boom?

Also, if they all take maternity leave at once, the work might not get done. I need to prepare countermeasures now. And I need to quickly set up the nursery I planned. Things are going to be tough before and after the births…

However, it’s also rewarding. I’m busy with not just childcare matters, but also royal duties and god-related matters—a frenzy everywhere. There are still many things that can be done. Since I’ve been entrusted with this world, I need to keep doing my best to make it a better world.

I took my smartphone out of my pocket. I remembered the day I first came to this world. I had no food, no water, and no local currency. All I had was this smartphone, which had been blessed with power by God.

“So many things have happened…”

Since then, I’ve met various people, seen various things, and learned various things. I will continue to meet new people, see new things, and learn new things. According to Kuon, smartphones will permeate this world in the future, with most nobles owning one. He said they were developing a smartphone for commoners next. Anyone can talk to anyone they want, anytime, and get the information they want right away. That was normal on Earth, but thinking about it again, it’s amazing.

I hope the world becomes one where people connect and understand each other through conversation, but it won’t be that easy. Well, I have no choice but to do what I can.

“I’m counting on you from now on, partner.” I put the familiar smartphone back into my pocket.

“Touya-san!” Yumina called out, waving her hand. Elze, Linze, Yae, Sue, Hildegard, Lucia, Leen, Sakura… my family, my precious people, were calling me.

“I’m coming!”

I will continue to live here. In this other world, with my smartphone.

The End (Ending Song: Junjou Emotional)