As expected of an elder with years behind him—even a casual remark was enough to make Obito feel he had gained something.
The group retraced the path they had taken and returned to the apartment. By now, it was already time to rest.
Their rooms had been chosen long ago, and after washing up, each of them returned to their room to sleep.
Tomorrow, they still had to take a proper stroll around Central City, so they had to fully recover all the energy they had wasted on the road today.
Gradually, faint snores drifted through the apartment. It seemed everyone had fallen asleep.
Tomohiro, however, lay on his bed, gazing at the bright moonlight outside the window.
"There was a time when I also imagined what I would do after returning to the human world."
"Starting my travels again was my first thought, and now I suppose I've achieved that.
This world has developed so quickly. Everything is so new and strange. There are so many things I've never seen before that even figuring out what they're used for is difficult."
"Have I already been abandoned by the times?"
But very quickly, Tomohiro gave up on that thought.
"No. I wasn't abandoned by the times. The times have accepted me again."
Returning from the Valley to human society was a transition and adjustment that could not happen overnight.
Tomohiro had gone from knowing nothing at all to seeing so many interesting things, and he had also learned many things.
And his lifespan was still very long, long enough for him to experience even more novel things.
"Why did I suddenly start learning that young people's emo routine? Everything should be looked at moving forward."
Tomohiro used a new word he had only recently learned to comfort himself. And just