After eating and drinking their fill, Oshi lay on the beach in a "wooden"... no, a "big" shape.
Her golden eyes stared at the sky, which had begun to turn red, when she suddenly said, "I miss Mom and Dad. I've missed them ever since we started eating."
Obe, who had been thinking about where they would sleep tonight, paused slightly. The air fell silent...
"Sigh..."
"Me too. We suddenly disappeared. They must be terribly worried. I just hope nothing happens to them."
"With Eldest Brother and Second Brother there, we shouldn't need to worry.
They're both considerate and filial, and Eldest Brother's son, their eldest grandson, is always with Mom and Dad. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Having burned all the kitchen scraps to ashes, Ra sensed their low spirits and tried to comfort them.
"I hope so.
Mom and Dad had only just retired, and then we pulled something like this. I just hope they don't search the whole world for us.
They aren't as healthy as they used to be, either."
Another silence followed...
"Hey? Say we do go back someday. How are we supposed to explain this?
We can't exactly say, 'Dad! Mom! Didn't you always want a daughter?
Well, your son went poof and turned into three girls. How about that? Amazing, right? Surprised? Happy?'"
Whether intentionally or not, Oshi suddenly said something utterly offbeat in the increasingly gloomy atmosphere.
"That would probably scare the two of them sick.
We might as well say, 'Dad, Mom, the three of us are your youngest son's wives. See? Your son's got skills, huh~'"
Obe chuckled, surprisingly going along with Oshi's nonsense.
"Enough, you two. Stop saying such ridiculous things."
Ra's lips curved upward slightly at their spur-of-the-moment remarks before she softly said:
"No matter what, we probably won't be able to return anytime soon. What we need to do now is live well.
After all, even if we're separated by an entire world, Father and Mother would surely want their son to live healthily and happily."
Though she did not show it, compared to Oshi and Obe, Ra—who seemed the most emotionally detached—was actually the one most unable to stop worrying about their parents.
Setting aside Heliopolis's influence on her personality, part of the maturity Ra displayed beyond anything from before, as well as the habits in her words and actions around Oshi and Obe, came from her unconscious imitation of their parents.
Even before Oshi suggested that she become the eldest sister, when Ra first saw the two of them lying unconscious on the ground, she had subconsciously placed them in the category of people she needed to protect and care for.
That was why she unconsciously used the same tone their parents normally used with her when speaking to Oshi and Obe.
And Oshi and Obe had noticed Ra's concern for their parents, which was why they had deliberately steered the subject in a lighter direction. It seemed to have worked somewhat.
"Oh, right. Speaking of another world, I have something to show you. Maybe our hope of getting home lies with it."
After cleaning up the kitchen scraps on the ground, Ra remembered the Millennium Puzzle.
"What is it? Hurry up and show us!"
The moment she heard it had something to do with going home, Oshi hurriedly flipped over and crawled toward Ra on all fours.
Obe also patted the sand off herself, stood up, and moved closer to Ra.
Seeing their reactions, Ra did not keep them in suspense and directly manifested the Millennium Puzzle.
"Do you remember the thing we were wearing on our chests when we crossed over? This might be the key to getting back."
"The Millennium Puzzle?!"
Oshi and Obe naturally recognized the inverted pyramid-shaped object at a glance.
"I remember now. It was glowing when we crossed over! Even though none of its pieces had anything that could emit light."
Oshi recalled what had happened at the time.
"I always thought this thing was strange. It doesn't feel like plastic, but it's not heavy enough to be iron, either. And the gold on the surface doesn't look like paint."
"So, Big Sis, what's wrong with this Millennium Puzzle? Don't tell me there's a Pharaoh's soul inside it too?"
Obe took the Millennium Puzzle from Ra and examined it from every angle.
"There is a 'mind room' that belongs to us inside it. Besides that, there are many worlds."
Ra did not beat around the bush, calmly stating an anything-but-calm fact.
"Worlds!"*2
Instinctively ignoring the earlier mention of the "mind room," the word "worlds" far exceeded anything they had previously imagined.
"Hmm... More accurately, this puzzle is connected to many worlds," Ra thought for a moment before correcting herself.
But that was not important. Since this puzzle could connect to other worlds, then...
The same thought uncontrollably surfaced in Oshi and Obe's minds.
"Maybe we can use this Millennium Puzzle to connect to our original world and go home."
A third voice spoke the thought in their heads, but Ra did not raise their hopes too high. She calmly gave her own assessment:
"Of course, for now, it only has that possibility. No one knows whether it will work."
"Well~ as long as there's hope, that's enough. After all, where there's a will, there's a way.
Before that, Sister Ra, hurry and let us see what the other worlds are like!
Will there be lots of blue Avantis flying through the sky on birds, like in movies or anime?"
Oshi clenched her tiny fists like a curious child, her eyes sparkling.
"That's Avatar. Avanti is the one who rides a donkey."
Obe snarked from the side, though her gaze never left the Millennium Puzzle in her hands.
"The world I saw was a world of Duel Spirits. There were a few fairy-tale animals.
I suspect the other worlds are probably Pokemon Worlds of the 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' setting as well."
Ra naturally did not care about Avatar. She merely answered seriously based on the scene she had glimpsed for those few brief seconds.
"A world of Duel Spirits?! Fairy-tale animals?!"
For card players, a world of Duel Spirits was far more attractive than any Avanti.
"Quick! Let me see!" Oshi pressed her face directly against the Millennium Puzzle, earning a look of disgust from Obe.
"To enter a Pokemon World, you need to use divine power together with mental strength to barely break through the barrier between worlds. The consumption is enormous. With your current power, you probably can't enter yet."
Ra poured cold water over them.
"But you can first take a look at what our 'mind room' is like."
According to Ra's estimate, without using Heliopolis's divine power, the amount of divine power needed to open a passage between the two worlds using only The Winged Dragon of Ra's power would be dozens of times greater than what she currently possessed.
In other words, it would only become possible once this body reached adulthood and could fully wield the power of a Phantom God.
"Anyway, let me try first."
Oshi closed her eyes, pressed her forehead against the Millennium Puzzle, and began exerting herself. Yet after only a moment, she opened her eyes again.
"Um, Sister Ra. How do I get in?"
"Just send your mind into the 'eye' on the puzzle. Like the telekinesis they show on TV, focus your consciousness on it.
Our souls can now exert very strong mental power. You should be able to succeed easily." Ra patiently explained to Oshi.
"Telekinesis, mental power... So does that mean we can bend spoons from a distance like on TV now?" Oshi always managed to let her attention wander to strange places.
"In theory, yes. In fact, that is how I control the shape of the flames."
"Oh! I-I see! Then I'll try again."
As she spoke, Oshi closed her eyes again, then furrowed her brows as if exerting herself.
After hearing Ra's explanation, Obe also frowned and stared at a crab poking its head out of the sand, seemingly trying in secret.
Crab: "..."
"Whoa! I'm in! There really are so many doors~" Oshi suddenly shouted excitedly.
Hearing that, Obe gave up competing with the crab and looked at Oshi, whose forehead was pressed against her chest.
Honestly, if she had not been afraid of interrupting Oshi midway and causing something bad to happen, she would have shoved her aside long ago.
"Do you see that white door? That belongs to our 'mind room.' You can try opening it." Ra patiently guided her from the side.
"Hmm... I'm already trying, but I can't open it! The doorknob feels so heavy!"
Outside, Oshi's face was flushed red and her body trembled slightly. She looked as though she were using every last ounce of strength.
Ra frowned slightly at Oshi's words.
Again, this situation. Back then, Ra had pushed the door open with only a light shove, yet Oshi could not do it.
Oshi can enter the puzzle, which means she has been acknowledged. But why can't she open her own 'mind room'? Is it related to Heliopolis again?
Just as Ra fell into thought, Obe volunteered. "Big Sis, let me try too."
"Alright, let's do it together."
As she spoke, Ra placed her hand on the Millennium Puzzle as well, and her consciousness instantly sank into it. Obe followed right after her.
"Oh~ You're here too? Come help me out. I feel like this door is about to open."
When Oshi turned around and saw the two of them, she hurriedly called them over to help. Obe stepped forward first and placed her hand on the door as well.
"Hyah!"
Finally, with Oshi and Obe working together, the white door slowly opened.
Before you continue