Chapter 1

The Shibuyas oldest son is completely immersed in typing on his keyboard on the bench in the airport, late at night.

Its a mini machine, about palm-sized. At first it was a simple device for sending mails, but after a hardworking antique dealers modifications, and over and over again, finally it was upgraded into a pride-worthy miniature PC.

Its name is Betsujin 27-go[1].

As for the original, adorable design, it was long since lost in the modifications.

This 27-go is currently refreshing a secretly-operated bishoujo games research site. Of course now isnt the time to review the latest works, but if its blogs and BBS, then maybe a few of the regular visitors might have some opinions for reference?

The title of the forum is Is there a way to make the Niagara Falls flow backwards?

Perfect! This way he can probably get useful information from younger-sibling-lovers all over the world if there is any. Even if he cant get intel, maybe when everyone is discussing their deep thoughts and ideas, Ikkyu-san will come up with something good! Such as asking the Niagara hermit, or something really neat IN Niagara etc.

He might as well post on the military weapon forums he usually goes to as well. To Shouri, this is a time of emergency, so be it bishoujo game enthusiasts or military weapon enthusiasts, theyre all people he will ask for help. He even wants to use the judo pincer grip to force them to think.

After all, his only little brother whom hed adored for sixteen years is currently missing. This isnt something trivial like camping out for no reason, running away from home, or singing songs at the KTV all night, either.

He went missing in another world.

Another world!

Its as though he has some disappearing jutsu, even radars cant find him. Forget radars, all the technology in the world cant help. His precious brother went to the world of swords, magic, and Yuu-chan is so moe and never came back

Does that RPG stuff really happen!?

Just hearing Yuuris friend, Muratas words makes it hard to believe. Whod have thought that there are such imaginative little brats in this world, this sort of person will probably go on to make movies. But after he got confirmation from his old acquaintance, Bob, the believability of it all increased significantly.

That unique American is a family friend since his grandfathers generation, and every time they meet he says some outrageous things. To other people, hes a guy with extremely normal Robert de Niro looks, and a man with an extremely normal platinum English Express card. Theres only one thing about him that stands out

This Mr Bob, is the Maou.

Since the bona fide Maou of the Earth himself said it clearly, then he has no choice but to believe that his little brother is facing some sort of crisis. Besides, Bob even stared at him through those weird sunglasses, so its really hard to laugh it off as a joke.

Yuu-chan poor Yuu-chan.

Baby brotherThat high school student whose head is full of only baseball bats, baseballs and baseball gloves, actually went to world 180 degrees different from Earth to be the Maou. His little brain is probably being tortured by things like taxes, annual incomes, economic meltdowns, stock markets etc, isnt it? After all, his math isnt good.

At any rate he has to fly there as soon as possible and bring his little brother back! If it was a stranger with no connections whatsoever then thats another matter, but he is his older brother, Shouri! How can he just put his head into the spot-billed suck pond and pretend he didnt see anything?

Those two damned black glasses and white glasses, telling me about Niagara and Fuji, when they themselves actually ran to Haneda Domestic Airport. After talking so much about so many other places, why are there foreigners running to Haneda Domestic Airport now?

Shibuya Shouri pushes his glasses up with his hand, muttering away. To him, his glasses are already a part of his face, so theres no problem there.

Bob and Murata are headed to the pride of the Japanese people, Haneda Airport, to meet a man named Rodriguez. Hes a master amongst the Earth mazoku, and has a connection with that world.

Where did that Rodriguez come from? Russia? Korea? Or China?

On the other hand, Shouri, planning to make Niagara flow backwards, is operating along, bringing the brand new passport from ten years ago to Haneda International Airport.

It was past eight at night when he reached Haneda. Although the international flights were still coming and going, but since evening the rain has been getting heavier and heavier. Since there arent any passengers who bothered the ladies behind the counters about it yet, so theyre still smiling gracefully.

And right now the only funds he can use are his pathetic student credit card, but at least he can still buy two-way tickets to Oregon. Only, when he was asked, Is Economy class okay?, all he could do was nod his head obediently in reply. Back then he quietly yelled in his heart, Dammit! Ill definitely make it rich

Its just that the share he bought last year havent earned a single cent until now.

Excuse me, do you want to be put on the waiting list?

Since he was lining up with complicated feelings in front of the counter, when he is suddenly told that the flight is full, he really had a feeling of disappointment.

Is Oregon that popular? Oh, right, now is the autumn tourism season, people always say Autumn Starts in Oregon[2], so thats why its full

Mister, if youre headed for the Niagara Falls, shouldnt you be going to Canada?

I-I know that. I also know that monkeys will fall from trees, so no matter how capable a person he will still make a mistake someday.

Shibuya Shouri, who hasnt been embarrassed in public for a long time, is corrected by the smiling lady staff. He doesnt want them to find out that he had allegedly returned here from America. And when hes waiting for a replacement seat, quite a few flights cant take off due to the weather. The passengers who cant get onto their flights fill up the benches, and the hall gets stuffy with their discontent. Its only the end of October in Japan, so theyre still very slapdash with the air conditioning.

But everyone doesnt want to go outside either. Thanks to the growing winds, the rain has become a sideways-flying storm. Looking at the gale beating on the glass windows, he just realized that the Kanto area is affected by a hurricane.

There are already people ready to camp out for the night, and other graceful business travelers plan to wait patiently at a nearby hotel. People who cant do either of the above and have a temper to boot, start venting out their frustrations on the staff, so you can hear the travelers dissatisfied complaints everywhere.

Having successfully updated the web page, Shouri closes his trusty Bestujin 27-go. The guy beside the guy beside the guy beside him is an office worker who cant sit still because he cant take a smokehe deduced that from the smell of cigarettes on his clothes. If it was that little brother of his who puts health above everything else and hates cigarettes, he probably wouldnt be able to sit quietly for even five minutes.

Just then Shouri plans on playing a little trick, and so he heads for the lounge especially for business class VIPs. The friendly female staff stands beside the PC, waiting for the passengers to come in for a break. He tries to use Bobs name, and doesnt expect it when hes easily let into the VIP lounge.

Thank you, Bob. I thought all you were good for was dressing up sexily with two shells covering your bits in front and dancing the samba, so it never occurred to me that you could come in handy at a place like this.

The VIP lounge and the waiting area where the normal passengers are squashed together is completely different, this is practically heaven in comparison. In the practical room painted with deep colors, there are many empty and soft sofas that let you sink in them, and the air conditioning is very suitable too. Other than providing coffee, red tea and other non-alcoholic beverages, there is also a complete display of business-related magazines on the racks, though there arent any newspaper sport sections.

This is practically a different world!

In a little booklet just lying around, it even says that theyll give you Shigaraki ware as a souvenir for the flight, but first he must be lucky enough to get onto the plane. Surely the airline will give him a tanuki[3], right?

Just as Shouri is imagining himself carrying home a silly-looking omnivore as he adds coffee into his pure white coffee cup and prepares to go back to his seat, he sees that theres a girl in the otherwise empty lounge. Shes sitting right beside the table where he put his luggage. There are obviously a lot of empty spaces nearby, so why must she choose to sit near Shouri?

But since he was originally sitting there, it would be weird if he suddenly changed seats, so he takes his coffee cup and walks back to her side. Just one look would tell anyone that shes obviously a foreigner. The natural brown hair is tied neatly, and behind those brown brows are a pair of grey-blue eyes filled with laughter. But her clothes are completely Japanesethe almost bright red bottom and the fish embroidered with gold thread, would not only remind people of a Nagoya lady owner, but it would also be received well, wouldnt it? But this is an international airport with a hurricane outside, so no matter how friendly her smile is, people will only treat her as a weird foreigner.

Its still better not to get involved with her. Conservative Shouri sips his coffee, trying to avoid meeting her gaze.

Hi! How you do--

How you do.

She really is enthusiastic What on earth does this foreigner pretending to know Japanese want to do?

You, geisha--?

No, Im not.

OH! What a pity, might as well commit seppuku.

She points at her kimono, raises her head and sticks out her chest, saying proudly, Im a geisha.

No, you probably arent.

NOI should definitely be a geisha.

Tears gather in those grey-blue eyes. Not only has he made a foreigner cry, its a tourist younger than him too, so Shouri hurriedly puts down the magazine he was reading.

AhI apologize, ahsorry. I never went for a geishas performance, neither have I seen a real geisha. Im really very sorry, it was my fault.

Though more and more Japanese people are going overseas for their vacations, but there arent many foreigners who visit Japan. If he left a bad impression of Japan on her, forget her coming back again for a second trip, she might even turn her friends and family anti-Japanese. Didnt even the governor of Tokyo strongly pledge to make Japan a tourism giant? Even if shes the clueless heroine of Kill Bill, since hes the first Japanese she came into contact with, hell have to treat her kindly.

This geisha outfit is pretty good! Mn Especially the salmon swimming upstream, it leaves a lasting impression.

NOthese are carp. Dont you know its 1000 AD now?

Haha ahaha Its around 2000 AD now.

He cant tell at all if shes joking, or if shes just that clueless.

Maybe she misunderstands that he accepted her cold joke, because she starts chatting up Shouri enthusiastically. She takes out the passport in her pocket and shows him,

Im here during the fall break to play at my Japaneses friends penis[4]!

What!?

Upon hearing that, Shouri is shocked. How can a young girl say that word in a public area? And also, which fellow taught her wrong Japanese?

Hold on a sec, miss. Its not your friends penis, its your friends place.

OHthats right. Its my friends place

Its place not penis, just one sound makes a large difference Defeated, Shouri cant help but press his brow with three of his fingers.

This world has gone crazy. A young girl can actually say such a crude word so brazenly, what has America come to?

The other person is my online friend, my online friend, you knowto deepen the exchange between American and Japanese culture, we communicate and help each other out.

I really dont know if I should say, good luck

If what she says is true, then isnt it a recommendable culture exchange? OH! Japan has really fallenAnd its not the influence of Japanese English either, but of American Japanese, making people sigh at the loss of the five, seven, five rhythmic beauty of the Japanese language.

Isnt your friend coming to meet you? Or are they late cause of the hurricane--

He really has been affected by her accent.

NO, NO, NO.

The girl raises her right hand and waves it in front of her face, symbolizing denial.

Im waiting for a man called BOB. Three days before I go to my friends penis to play, I plan on first asking him to take me around his New Years party

Is that so

Shouri reaches out to take the magazine he hadnt finished reading, and starts checking the chart of last months stocksstaring hard at the Euro.

I hope the Bob youre talking about is a normal person.

Once he said that, the two of them fall silent, just staring at the heavy rain outside.

Bob?

When you say Bob, do you mean that Bob!?

After blurting out that question, he just realizes how stupid that sounded. Bob is a name you can simply pick off the street, just like a ton of people are called Sanro. Besides, shes just a tourist who just happened to sit beside him at the airport, so she shouldnt have any relationship with that Bob.

Which BOB do you mean by BOB?

The blue-eyed girl who claims to be a geisha asks back in fluent English.

Hes a bespectacled, sunglasses-wearing cocky old uncle.

Then it cant be the same person, the BOB I know isnt cocky at all. The cheerful, open Uncle BOB I know is too HIGH Robert de Niro!

Robert de Niro? What a coincidence, the Bob Im talking about looks a lot like him too, maybe theyre even CLONEs.

Eh? Your friend is a CLOWN? Your English sucks. Now even kindergarten brats dont talk like that.

W...w..w..w..what happened to your Japanese[5]!?

Shouri swallows his urge to yell, gripping his fists tightly on his knees. Shouri, you have to bear with it, at times like this you must bear with it. The person whose teacher wrote bad temper on the family contact book isnt him, it was his younger brother.

Technically, it shouldnt be that BOB looks like Robert de Niro, but de Niro who looks like BOB. Because the BOB Im waiting for has been wearing those sunglasses and sporting that hairstyle for a very, very long time, since even my great grandmothers time!

From your great grandmothers

Thats right, weird, isnt it? Just like a monster, right? And he even says half-jokingly that hes the Maou!

Shouri suddenly bangs the table top with his fist, and the coffee cup makes a sharp sound.

Whats his name!?

The Boston native in the kimono looks surprised, and then she says in her weird accented Japanese,

Name? Oh~ My name is Abigail Graves.

Not your name, I meant Bobs full name!

Very few people can say the Maou of the Earths full name.