It was the middle of the night when I decided it was time for me to head back home. I had already said my goodbyes, so there was nothing left for me in this world.

Besides, it was not as if I was leaving forever. I would come back as soon as my work in the other world was over…

What is this so-called work? Even I did not know at the moment. I just knew that I needed to return to put an end to my feelings.

[Would you like to use the Gate of Enenis to head to the other dimension? Once used, the gate will go on a cooldown and will not be able to be used for some time. Would you like to accept these conditions?]

The system asked, and I took in a deep breath before I pressed select. This was not an opportunity I wanted to miss out on.

[Understood. I will now open the Gate of Enenis. Cooldown: 1 month.]

One month felt like a long time, but it was still enough for me not to feel like I was running away. I took in a deep breath before I headed toward the door and clenched the doorknob.

'It's now or never. Do I really want to leave?'

The question haunted me, but my feelings about returning home were much stronger than I expected, and I pushed the door open.

"Shopkeeper, wait—! I will come with you as well."

Just as I crossed the threshold, another fluffy creature ran past me and outside the door before I realized what happened.

The door closed shut behind me, with no way of opening it again until the cooldown, and I looked down at Fenrir.

The hell-hound gave me an innocence-filled look as he panted and looked around, pretending nothing had happened.

"Fenrir, did you follow me? Why would you do that?"

I could not help but ask as the puppy still pretended to be innocent.

"I-I just wanted to see where you were going, shopkeeper. I had no other intentions. I promise. Also, Nyx and Erebus will be fine. Leo and Luna will take care of them…I think...or will it be the other way around…?"

Fenrir promised, but I could never take his words seriously.

Sigh

'Now that Fenrir is here, it's not like I can send him back either. I cannot open the gate for some time. I might as well take him in as a pet.'

I sighed and signaled for Fenrir to come closer to me. I saw him hesitate, but he ultimately decided to come closer to me.

As soon as he was in range, I grabbed him before I bought a collar from the system and put it around the puppy in front of me…that had grown quite big and heavy.

The fact that I could pick him up and still move was a testament to how strong I had gotten as well.

"What is this? A collar? I don't like it, shopkeeper. Do I have to wear it?"

Fenrir questioned as he tried to tug at the collar. His behavior was beginning to attract more attention from the people around me, and some had started to record me.

I had a vague feeling that I could use my powers to get out of this situation, but I also knew that it wouldn't solve anything.

"Fenrir, I know you are feeling agitated by the collar, but you will have to wear one. Otherwise, you will get kidnapped and left god-known-where by the authorities. Don't you want to head back home with me?"

I asked, and Fenrir stopped feeling agitated and gave me a concerned look. He also noticed how people were looking at us and their phones aimed at me and calmed down.

"For now, let's head home. I need to check up on a few things before I can head back home."

I told Fenrir and immediately tugged at the collar for him to follow me. Fenrir did that without much hesitation, and people finally started to head back to their homes.

I let out a sigh of relief as soon as the door to my house closed behind me. I was finally free from those judgmental stares people were giving me and Fenrir.

"Shopkeeper, can I take off the collar now? It's itching."

Fenrir asked, and I quickly helped him get the collar off his neck. Fenrir looked happy to finally be freed from the burden on top of his neck, and he let out a relief-filled sigh.

"Does this feel better? I am afraid that you will need a collar and leash every time you head out here. This is a different place and has different rules than the one you are used to."

I told Fenrir as he shook his fur to get it back in place.

"Ugh, I understand. But…what is this world, Shopkeeper? It feels different from the one we came from. I cannot feel much faith in the air, and everything feels…different."

Fenrir asked, and I suddenly did not want to tell him that this was the world I initially came from.

"This world is…just something. You do not have to worry about it. I just need to live here for a month and get my affairs in order. I…might also need to get an identity if I want to take you to the vet. Also, what day is it today?"

I asked, quickly looking at my phone. The date showed that it was a little over a year since I had left this world. It was a long time, and I had a feeling that a lot had changed.

'Wait—! Is this place even mine? Am I trespassing right now? I have not paid rent for the past few months…'

I suddenly felt nervous and decided to head out before I could be arrested. But I only made it so far before I encountered one of the people who appeared in my nightmares—my landlady.

She walked toward me immediately when she saw me, and her face did not look happy.

"You are finally back, you punk? Where did you disappear to? Do you know how much trouble you caused me, not showing up even once for the past few months?"

The landlady asked, and I immediately pulled Fenrir back before he could attack the landlady. She also looked shocked to see Fenrir and almost fell on her back before she caught herself and looked at me.

"You have a dog now? Don't you know, pets are not allowed in here? You're just asking for a scolding at this rate."

The landlady kept on going, not even giving me a chance to interfere and say anything back. Not that I had anything to say back when I needed to control Fenrir.

"…Anyway, so what I am telling you is that you need to pack and sign your lease. Clear your debt for the past few months so that I can finally sell your sorry excuse of a room to someone else."

She told me, and I sighed in relief that no other legal action was being taken. I was also surprised that the room I had stayed in before had not been re-rented already.

"I understand, landlady. I will clear out my debt as well as take my furniture out as soon as I can."

I told her, and she frowned. She opened her mouth to speak once more before she closed it.

"Tsk, why did I not rent out this room until now? Was there a reason behind this?"

The landlady questioned as she walked off, and I had a feeling that this was because of the system.

But whatever the reason was, I quickly headed inside and packed things up in my system. Because of my powers, I did not even need to call for a company to come and do this for me.

As for clearing out my debt, I checked the system, and I actually had money to exchange here. Suddenly, I was no longer the poor soul who could not afford anything in here but a rich young person.

"Fenrir, should I rent a huge house for one month? I can easily buy it as well, but it feels like a waste when I am only going to be here for a single month."

"Do what you want to, shopkeeper. I do not have much knowledge about this place, so it is up to you to decide."

Fenrir told me, and I nodded. But I also felt a little lost. What was I supposed to do in this world? In the other world, I felt like I had a purpose. But I felt lost in this world.

'Why did I want to come back here? Is it because of the comfort this world provided me? Or just because it is familiar to me? This place…no longer feels like my home.'

This place had never been my home, but I had not realized it until I got to live in a place that accepted me for who I was.

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