novelWhat has to be seen through to the end (3)
| ← Ch.33 | Ch.35 → |
"Welcome home, Colonel. That took a while."
It was quite late at night by the time Khalija returned to Room 101 of Marigold Hills Tokorozawa, the apartment where Diana was staying and was a thirty second walk away from the Kenzaki house.
"Ah, there was just a bit of trouble with Shouko."
"Did something happen?"
"Because of what a certain idiot did, I wasn't able to come back home for quite a while. It took a lot of effort to bring her flames back under control."
"Ahh... Thank you for your hard work."
After showing a wry smile, Diana took Khalija's cup out of the kitchen cabinet.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"If we have any ice coffee, I'd like some. I actually worked for once after a long time, so I'm tired."
Putting it as "work" was quite strange, and for Khalija to actually make a request for something was also quite rare.
Ever since their battle that took place a few days ago, Khalija had not broken her stance of absolute obedience towards the Kenzaki family, and even towards Diana.
On top of being injured, Khalija was aware that she was dependent on Diana for most of her living needs, so that last command she had given to Diana as a superior office was, 『Don't take my needs into consideration. Feel free to kill me at any time if you think I'm acting suspiciously. 』
Since she said that, Diana could understand just how much Khalija regretted her actions.
Until now, whenever Diana had asked her what she wanted to eat or drink after she finished her shift at guarding Yasuo, Nodoka, or Shouko, Khalija would only ask for bread or water. That's why, hearing Khalija ask for something else actually made Diana happy.
"Would you like milk and sugar?"
"No, I don't need any. I'm just so thirsty... Ahh, thank you."
Khalija drank the ice coffee which had no milk or sugar in one gulp and then sighed in contentment even while looking like it gave her a headache.
"......Still, what did you think of that?"
"Are you talking about Yasuo?"
"He's eighteen years old, right? If this was Resteria, it wouldn't be strange if he was running a household of his own at that age."
"I suppose it's just a matter of the differences in culture."
"You think so? While walking around the city, I've seen students who looked younger than Yasuo getting along well with members of the opposite sex."
"Yasuo has not yet reached that level of maturity when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex."
"Shouko was saying something similar as well, but that's only if you look at it positively. If you consider it from a neutral standpoint, he just lacks consideration. There are too many problems with his ability to deal with others."
It was really quite rare for Khalija to be this talkative.
However, Diana had already objected to Yasuo's behavior as a female who happened to be present when Shouko confessed her feelings to him, so she did not refute Khalija's viewpoint.
"I properly explained everything to him, so please don't tease him too much."
"Major Krone, you're too soft on him. For a weakling like Yasuo, someone strict like Nodoka would be just about right. If not, he'll just start depending on you, in a bad way."
"A bad way?"
"Yes. Can I have another cup?"
"Here you go."
After getting a refill of iced coffee, Khalija made a grim expression.
"Major Krone, you see Yasuo's various actions too positively. It is still fine right now, but if he gets into the habit of thinking that you will affirm his worthless behavior every time he encounters trouble, at some point in the future he will just come to a standstill when he encounters an obstacle."
Diana understood what Khalija was saying.
However, in Diana's eyes, Yasuo was definitely not that kind of person.
He was just an ordinary person living in this country called Japan.
Saying that he was ordinary meant that he was properly living his life.
"Yasuo isn't that weak. He may spend more time lost in doubt that most people, but he is still moving forward."
"That's so sweet."
"That coffee isn't supposed to have any sugar in it, though."
"You're doing that on purpose, right? Do you consider him to be nothing more than a troublesome younger brother?"
"Sure, Yasuo is not strong, but he's not weak either. I don't think that there are many high school students in this country who can heal themselves and make a plan to defeat you after having a hole opened up in their side."
"......Well, sure."
Once Diana brought that up, Khalija, who herself had lost to that, felt weak instead.
"From my perspective, Yasuo is... that's right, he is hope."
"Hope? That guy?"
"Yes."
Khalija did not know about it.
She did not know how fiercely Yasuo had fought to deny the existence of Diana and Ante Lande.
The instant when his denial turned to acceptance.
The effort he put in to change everything about himself that he had accumulated over the past eighteen years.
"Even Hideo did not start off as the strongest Hero. Moreover, there is no need for Yasuo to become the kind of Hero that Hideo was. That's why someone like me is only fit for..."
Moreover, Khalija did not know how many obstacles he had overcome, both big and small.
"...supporting the Hero who just began his journey and affirming his every action, don't you think?"
"......Fine, do as you like."
Khalija's expression looked like she was both exasperated and impressed by what Diana had said. She took a sip of her coffee and mentally added a warning to Diana.
Don't ever say something like that in front of Shouko.
"Although that might be amusing as well."
"What are you talking about?"
"No, it's nothing."
※
Three days later, on a Saturday.
There was a group of strangely nervous people standing in front of the pub for the masses, 『Restaurant Saburou』.
"......I say, Dear."
"What?"
"I feel more nervous than I did before the fight with Kaul."
"You're right."
The Kenzaki couple, Hideo and Madoka.
The Hero of Salvation and the Great Sage were both pale faced and drenched in a cold sweat.
The suit Hideo was wearing wasn't the one he usually wore to work; it was an expensive tailored-to-order suit that he only wore for very important job meetings.
The suit his mother was wearing was not tailored-to-order, but it was brand new and she had purchased it particularly for this meeting.
Yasuo was naturally wearing his school uniform.
So far it was not particularly strange for a group of people who were visiting another person's house, but beside them was Diana, dressed in her full dress uniform as a Magitech Knight, which immediately caused their motive to become unclear.
"I-It's okay. In the worst case, I will take care of it..."
In this situation, Yasuo, who was standing next to Diana while her thought process was stalled, had no idea what was counted as the worst case scenario or what Diana intended to do, but since the previous day he had been so tense that he had not even been able to eat anything.
He had no idea that it would be this frightening to "just" tell strangers who knew nothing about the situation about their absurd secret.
Ever since he had entered middle school, Yasuo had wondered countless times why protagonists from manga, anime, and movies who possessed some special ability or came in contact with other worlds disliked telling other people about their secret.
Considering the commonly used 『Fewer people that know my secret, the better』theory, it made no difference whether the people close to the protagonists knew their secret or not; there was no telling how the enemies would make use of them in either case.
As for the 『I don't want to get them involved』 theory, it was often the enemies, and not the protagonists who got people involved.
It was usually such protagonists who had a tendency to disappear without saying a word to the people close to them, so in most cases those people would appear at the critical moment purely because they were worried, or act strangely and get noticed by the enemy, and in either case they would get involved in a lot of trouble.
That being the case, Yasuo had always thought that it would be better for the protagonists to take some effort to get those important people to understand their special natures, properly explain the difference in fighting ability and give them an idea about what might happen in the future, and then convince them with a logical argument as to why they should keep their distance.
However, Yasuo finally understood their reluctance, now that he was placed in the same situation.
He understood it precisely because he had felt that way earlier.
What would happen if they revealed their special circumstances, far removed from common sense, to strangers?
It might spell an end to their own 『social life』.
In other words, people from their community in the surroundings they were raised in might say things like, 『That person is a little strange, it might be better to not get involved』, and keep their distance.
Given a choice, he would prefer to be able to go back to his original peaceful life after getting rid of the danger that threatened the world.
What would happen if they put their lives on the line and defeated the powerful enemy to protect the peaceful world they lived in, only to come back to find people saying things like:
『Did you hear about Kenzaki-san's husband? I heard he tried to take the daughter of the couple who run Saburou away by telling them some nonsense about other worlds and demon kings. 』
『Oh my... I wonder if he had some problem at his job or something. 』
『Both their children have important exams this year, I wonder if the family had a falling-out of some kind. 』
『What should we do? By rotation, the next chairman of the regional committee will be Kenzaki-san's husband...』
『How about we say at the next regional event that kids are easily influenced, so someone who talks about "demon kings" is not suitable?』
『Lately there have been a lot of things breaking at the Kenzaki family house... I wonder if those are really accidents... You know, we often hear of incidents caused by people who become unable to tell the difference between reality and fiction. 』
『I wonder if they're alright... I wonder if we should consult with the head of the neighborhood association or the district welfare officer... this is so scary. 』
If things turned out like that, their only options would be for the whole family to quietly run away to some other place in the dead of the night, or move to the other world and settle down in a place where nobody knew them.
Even Yasuo had not been able to easily accept the reality, even after seeing his father's holy sword and his mother's magic.
Even if Hideo, Madoka, or Diana floated in the air or used magic in front of other people, such things were already a part of the common sense of people living in Japan, and people would forcefully come up with their own explanations for it and things would stagnate there. Such an outcome was also definitely possible.
In the end, he had only believed the story about his parents' past or about the existence of Ante Lande after experiencing the fights with Alexei's Shii and William Bareig.
Even Shouko had only believed it because of the fact that she herself had transformed into a Shii, and also because she encountered the other members of the Kenzaki family, Diana, and Khalija under extraordinary circumstances.
That's why, showing up during a peaceful time and talking to Shouko's parents about things like 『The other world, Ante Lande』 or 『The Holy Sword, Liutberga』 was a daunting task.
Firstly, Shouko's parents were probably not that different in age from Yasuo's parents.
In which case, they would not be less than forty years old. It was still considered within the prime of one's working life.
Yasuo imagined the appearance of Shouko's father, whom he had not seen yet.
The owner of Restaurant Saburou.
He imagined a burly man who dealt with drunk people on a daily basis, and could resolve any problems that arose with just one hand.
A person with a solidly built physique and a taciturn personality which showed on his face, with a headband tied around his forehead and wearing a black t-shirt and an apron with the restaurant's name printed on it.
Judging by Shouko's skill at cooking and what he had heard from the neighborhood rumor mill, he could imagine that they were a family who communicated well with each other.
And Yasuo's father was going to go into such a place and start the conversation with a sentence like, 『Actually, I was a Hero in another world thirty years ago. 』
""I want to go home.""
Just thinking about it made Yasuo's palpitations increase all of a sudden, and he felt the scant contents of his stomach start to rise. Behind him, the Hero of Salvation wholeheartedly agreed with his words.
""......""
Perhaps seeing how similar the father and son were served to actually strengthen Madoka's determination instead.
Madoka stepped up to the door and pressed the intercom button.
""Ah......""
The two men let out a wordless scream, but Madoka no longer paid attention to them.
The Tatewaki family house was integrated into the same building as the restaurant Saburou, and actually had a different entrance from the entrance to the restaurant.
However they would have to walk quite some distance through the alley to reach it, and since the restaurant entrance was normally used as the main door by the Tatewaki family as well, Shouko had told them to use the restaurant entrance when they came over.
After a short while, 『I'll be right there!』
He heard a male voice that was far lighter than what he imagined.
"Hello... my name is Kenzaki. We are here to talk to you today about Shouko-san..."
It appeared that Madoka's ability to speak clearly was affected by her stress, but, 『Ah, Kenzaki-san. Please wait a moment. 』
The reply was once again far lighter than imagined.
After the call over the intercom ended, Yasuo felt that the following ten-odd seconds stretched on for a horribly long time.
"Hello, welcome. Sorry for having you come all this way."
The person who appeared from behind the sliding door was very different to the image of the owner of a pub that Yasuo had imagined.
He had a slight build and a handsome face, and he was wearing silver-rimmed glasses. He had a smart air about him.
He was wearing a fresh-looking polo shirt and chino pants, and looked more like a salaryman on his day off than anything else. Was this person really Shouko's father?
"My wife was supposed to join us, but she had some unavoidable personal business to take care of, so I will convey what we discuss to her."
He had a very gentle expression, and even when he saw the Kenzaki family dressed formally, or Diana who was dressed in an obviously strange fashion, he didn't change his expression at all.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet us on a holiday. I am Kenzaki Hideo."
Now that things had reached this stage, there was no way that Hideo could stay hidden behind his wife.
He took one step forward and, prior to mentioning his business for the day, he gave a precise bow, and Madoka and Yasuo also bowed upon seeing that.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Shouko's father, Tatewaki Kousuke. Everyone, you don't need to stand on ceremony, please raise your heads."
"No, we can't do that."
"Haa..."
"I believe that your daughter must have already told you about the situation to some extent, but since the matter is quite removed from what would be considered within the realm of common sense, I assume that you must be quite confused. Everything that happened is our responsibility......"
"Kenzaki-san. And the rest of you as well, please calm down. For starters, please come inside."
Shouko's father, Kousuke, invited the group into the shop without any hint of harshness in his attitude.
"Thank you for inviting us in."
Hideo finally raised his head, bowed once more, and proceeded to enter the store. Yasuo and the others followed him inside.
"Welcome. Please take a seat over here."
Kousuke welcomed them in and seated them as if they were regular customers, but the Kenzaki family could not rid themselves of their nervousness.
They could not allow themselves to think that they were welcome here.
It was likely that Kousuke didn't understand the situation at all.
As if to prove that, there was only a slight amount of trepidation mixed into his gentle tone.
Despite the fact that they had obviously come to apologize as a family for having caused a problem, the reason why Kousuke had invited them in with just that much amount of trepidation was probably because of his etiquette as a member of society.
And then, the first person to crumble under the stress of the situation was Diana.
"I am so sorry for what happened!!"
"Eh!?"
Diana, unable to sit in the chair she had been offered, kneeled down right there on the floor of the restaurant and prostrated herself in front of Kousuke.
"H-Hey, what's wrong!?"
"I am so sorry for doing something so unforgivable to your daughter during a period of time that is very important to her!"
"U-Umm..."
Kousuke looked bewildered by Diana's sudden prostration, while on the other hand Yasuo once again felt like running away, but for a different reason from before.
Diana's apology was certainly not wrong, but seen in the light of Japan's typical social etiquette, the current situation and Diana's wording might be seen as an apology for Yasuo having committed some sort of immoral mistake with Shouko.
"You are Diana-san, right? I assumed that you were the one the instant I saw you."
Putting Yasuo's unscrupulous imaginations aside, Kousuke spoke to Diana is an unexpectedly gentle tone.
"It looks like your Japanese is quite fluent as well. I'm sorry to say this in the middle of such a tense situation, but I seriously felt like laughing just now."
"....... Haa."
Seeing that Diana was not even able to lift her face, Kousuke kneeled down and lifted her face up.
"I mean, from the way you put it and the current situation, it sounded like there some serious mistake that happened between Yasuo-kun and Shouko."
""Eh......?""
Diana made a sound because she didn't understand what he meant, and as for Yasuo it was because he hadn't expected to hear that.
"......Seriously, I feel like you're doing this on purpose just to embarrass me."
They heard a voice from the side.
Looking over to that side, they saw Shouko wearing a triangular head covering and an apron, standing there with a red face.
She was holding a silver-colored ladle in her hand, and Yasuo, whose senses had been dulled due to nervousness, suddenly smelled the aroma of broth that stimulated his appetite.
"I've heard about the general situation from my daughter already. Sure, I had trouble believing it in the beginning, but I'm not so hard headed as to not believe something that I saw with my own eyes. Come now, everyone sit down. Ever since she heard that all of you would be coming over, Shouko has been unusually eager in many ways."
"......Haa......"
Yasuo, Hideo, Madoka, and Diana were confused, but sat down at a table for four after hearing Kousuke speak.
"What were the appetizers again, stewed radish?"
"That's right."
"......!"
Diana, who was teary-eyed, suddenly shook when she heard the word "radish."
"Shouko said that she wanted to invite you all to sample her cooking. She said that Diana-san really enjoyed the lunch she made for the picnic last time, so I thought that I'd let all of you judge whether she is ready to cook for our customers."
"I-I see."
"That's right. If even a person from another world found it delicious, there should be no problem with serving her food to our customers here."
Hearing Kousuke casually use the phrase 『another world』, Hideo could not hold himself back from speaking.
"Umm, Tatewaki-san, this might be rude of me, but..."
"There are some things that I believe, and some things that I don't."
Kousuke answered Hideo's unspoken question without changing his gentle expression.
"After hearing Shouko's explanation, I came to believe that 『Magic』 exists, and that Shouko has been possessed by some strange being. However, I do not believe in the existence of this other world called 『Ante Lande』"
"W-Why not?"
Yasuo spoke up for the first time since they had gotten here.
Now that he thought about it, he had not even properly introduced himself, but Kousuke replied like he didn't particularly mind.
"I didn't hear a logical explanation for its existence. And also, because I haven't seen it."
"Because you didn't see it... Eh, hang on!"
Yasuo was not the only one surprised by the implication behind what Kousuke had said.
He would believe it when he saw it.
In that case, just where had Kousuke seen the use of magic?
"Ah, about that, I requested Khalija-san to show it to him the other day."
"Eh!? The Colonel!?"
Hearing Shouko's explanation from the kitchen, Diana was surprised.
Under what circumstances had Khalija come into contact with Shouko's parents?
"Khalija-san escorted me home after my lectures the other day, right? That's when I asked her."
"Ah......"
Speaking of which, Khalija had returned home unusually late that day.
"I mean, I had a really hard time holding back the Shii that day, so I decided that it might be a good time for Khalija-san and I to give my parents a brief explanation."
"Ugh......"
Shouko's verbal arrow struck Yasuo's heart directly.
On that day, after Diana explained what he had said to Shouko, he had spent the night writhing in agony on his bed.
"In the beginning, I wondered why on earth you were wearing sunglasses like that."
Shouko's Shii would manifest from her eyes.
If she managed to hold the flames back to just her eyes, then it was certainly possible to hide that by wearing sunglasses.
"What did the Colonel... What did Khalija Welleger say to you?"
"I had her show pretty much all the magic she was capable of. Earth, water, fire, and wind were a given, and lightning as well. But the most amazing of all was probably that one, the portable stove."
"""Portable stove?"""
Since the topic had suddenly changed from the attributes of magic to a portable stove, all members of the Kenzaki family asked that in unison and tilted their heads.
"That's right. I thought that the fire and lightning were a trick of some sort and I was still not sure if I should believe her, but there was no way I could explain the portable stove."
Saying that, Kousuke stood up and went to a shelf in the corner of the store, picked up two portable stoves, and brought them over to the table where the Kenzaki family were sitting.
"We use these to keep dishes like stew or boiled tofu warm at the table when we serve them, but these two were broken and Khalija-san fixed them."
Kousuke pumped the gas and twisted the knob on one of the stoves lightly, turning it on and off to show that it was working.
"She just used some copper and metal wire that we had at home. To be honest, that was more surprising than any other magic that she showed that day. The stoves came apart by themselves even though she didn't even touch them, and the components floated on a slab of light. And then she added in the copper wire and pieces of metal... there's no way for me to explain it but to call it a mysterious power, the pieces were floating and melting and then she gathered them all together again and as you can see, it started working again. Really, it's such a convenient ability!"
Khalija had been born in a family of Techno Weapon craftsmen, and her skills were so advanced that she was scouted by the Techno Weapons Research Division soon after she enlisted as a Knight.
Yasuo, who was not good with mechanical things, had no idea if Khalija's knowledge of Techno Weapons would be useful in repairing a portable stove, but it appeared it was a piece of cake for her to fix them.
"Also, one of her arms is fractured, right? So I asked her if it wasn't hard for her to do it with one hand, and she replied that for something of that level, one finger was more than enough. So I took the opportunity to have her fix this other stove as well!"
"The Colonel... did something like that...?"
"But, thanks to that I decided to believe in the existence of your magic. I don't think it will take much more to convince me that this so-called other world exists as well. Especially if Shouko will be going there."
"Are you okay with that?"
When Diana asked that, Kousuke nodded.
"It's not a matter of being okay with it or not. I don't think that whatever is inside Shouko is something doctors or a hospital can handle. Besides, if there is a world where magic exists and that thing came from over there, then I believe that we should let the people from that world remove it from her body."
"......To be honest, I could not bring myself to hope that you would be so understanding. Seeing as this will end up causing problems for your daughter's studies as well."
Kousuke smiled bitterly after hearing Hideo's honest opinion.
"Well, if you think about it rationally, that might be true. It's just that I had a similar experience as well, although on a smaller scale."
"Eh?"
Could it be that Shouko's father was also a person who had visited another world?
"This is not something I usually tell people, but I actually graduated from Tokyo University."
"Eh!?"
The person who was most shocked by this statement was Yasuo.
"Oh yeah, even I only found out about that recently."
Shouko's voice from the kitchen also sounded like she felt uneasy about it.
It was true that he had an intellectual air about him, but Yasuo had not imagined that he had actually graduated from Tokyo University.
"So you opened this shop here right after you graduated?"
Of course, Hideo did not show any surprise and asked that question calmly. In response, Kousuke shook his head.
"No, I worked at at an energy regulatory company for a few years after I graduated."
The name of the company that Kousuke told them was so famous that even Yasuo had heard of it.
"It was boring, so I left."
The job must have paid a pretty high salary, but he left it just because it was boring.
It was something that Yasuo could not understand at all.
Kousuke looked at Yasuo and smiled, as if he could read Yasuo's expression.
"Do you think that it's incomprehensible? Everyone around me told me the same thing, repeatedly. They asked me what the heck I was doing, in spite of graduating from Tokyo University and getting a job at a good company. However, don't you think they only spoke to me that way because I 『graduated from Tokyo University』? There's no law that says that a Tokyo University graduate isn't allowed to run a pub, right?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"When I quit my job, people around me just had absurd expectations and asked me things like whether I was scouted by another company, or if I was starting up my own venture, or if I was moving overseas. Back then, I was already engaged to my wife and my parents were in good health. I intended on working in my hometown, so when I told my parents that, they were very shocked. I rebelled against them quite strongly, asking if it was really that strange."
Kousuke looked a little worn out as he recounted his experiences.
"Even school kids would often look at me like I was from a different planet when I told them that I was attending Tokyo University. Even now, you see ads on television with some strange criteria for measurement like 『The brand chosen by Tokyo University students』, right? Even though I was just a normal person like everybody else, the moment I got into Tokyo University, I was treated like I was somehow different. I'm sure there are some people who enjoy that feeling, but I couldn't endure that. I wonder if there is anyone who studied at Tokyo University who hasn't been called 『Student of Todai』 or 『Todai-kun』 at least once in their lives. That's why I decided to join a large company where being a graduate of Tokyo University would not be particularly rare."
"In a place like an energy regulatory company, I assume there were naturally cliques formed based on what college you studied at? Also, I assume when dealing with administration or the government regulatory offices, the matter of what college you graduated from would only become even more important?"
Kousuke nodded strongly in reply to Hideo's question.
"It was exactly as you said. There were a lot of people who said that I was special even among the people who graduated from Tokyo University. Well, in short, I was not suited for the status that came with being a graduate of Tokyo University. When I thought that after all the hard work I put into my studies, the destination I arrived at was a place where people only saw me through the filter of my alma mater's name, I just got fed up with everything... Don't you think that the title of 『Hero』 is also something similar to that?"
"I suppose... you're right."
The Hero, Hideo.
Khalija had already explained to Yasuo very clearly about the irresponsible wishes and hopes that the people placed upon that name.
Diana had also gone through hard times because of her family name.
Both Hideo and Diana could not treat Kousuke's story as somebody else's problem, and perhaps the reverse of that was true as well.
"Because of that, I became the kind of person who does not expect anything special from the result brought about by a 『school』. That is why I never did something like put on a frown and force Shouko to study. However... the fact that I let my disinterest go so far as to not hold any interest at all in her student life was bad. I was not able to pay attention to Shouko's environment when she was in middle school. In that matter, I feel like I failed as a parent."
"I told you, I don't care about that anymore so you can just forget about it."
"As your father, that is not something that I can just forget about."
"Geez..."
Shouko probably wasn't lying about the fact that she didn't resent her father for not intervening.
However, it was still something that any parent would regret.
"...We got a bit off topic, but in any case, it's like I said. Saying this may make me sound like a doting parent, but Shouko is not the kind of child who neglects her daily studies. Taking a break of one week from school is no big deal. If she herself wants to go, neither I nor my wife have any reason to stop her. As for the matter of what reason to give to her school, you can leave that up to us. Of course, as parents we will add the minimum condition that her safety will be thoroughly seen to at all times, but..."
"Of course, the Resteria Kingdom's Knights will spare no effort in that regard!"
Diana replied enthusiastically and got a little ahead of herself, but Kousuke just smiled and looked at Yasuo.
"Having the Knights' protection is well and good, but Shouko mentioned a different condition, right? I would appreciate it if you could accept that condition as well."
"Dad!!!"
Shouko, who had picked up on her father's intent, shouted from the other side of the kitchen counter with such force that it wouldn't have been surprising if she jumped over it as well, but her father was not fazed in the least.
"Shouko. The frying pan has been on the fire for too long. The meat is going to get charred while you sautée it. Do it over."
"Aaargh!! It's your fault, Dad!!"
Shouko groaned after suddenly realizing it, but she still obediently went back to the frying pan on the stove with a bright red face.
While looking at Shouko behaving in that manner, Diana spoke.
"I discussed this with the people on the other side. If anything, it seems like they would be glad to have him come as well."
"Eh?"
The condition that Shouko had attached was of course to have Yasuo accompany her.
However, Yasuo hadn't heard anything about it until today, but it looked like his father and mother were not surprised, so Yasuo looked at Diana in confusion.
Seeing that, Diana gave a small nod while looking slightly apologetic.
"......My daughter became more cheerful after entering high school, and after she reuniting with you, she became even more lively. I'm sure this is a very important time for you as well, but I would like to leave her in your care. Yasuo-kun, Kenzaki-san, and Diana-san as well."
"I... I'll do my best."
"Understood."
"Even if it costs me my life!!"
Yasuo, Hideo, and Diana made their promises to that father who was worried about his only daughter.
"Alright, now our discussion is at an end! It looks like the fried food will be a little delayed because of me, but please, stay for a while and eat! Diana-san, the food will be freshly made this time, so eat as much as you like!"
"T-Thank you very much!"
At that point, Shouko appeared while carrying a tray with ceramic bowls on it, and placed a serving of stewed radish in front of the Kenzaki family members, Diana, and her father.
"Shouko. The bowls. None of them are facing in the correct direction."
And then, she received that ruthless reprimand from her father.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!"
Perhaps as a result of not being strict with her studies, it appeared that Kousuke was strict when it came to serving etiquette instead. On hearing his reprimand, Shouko hurriedly fixed the positioning of the bowls and set the table as per the rules.
Diana's eyes sparked as she looked at the radish that had been boiled in miso soup and garnished with yuzu zest, and even Hideo and Madoka widened their eyes at the effect of the presentation.
"This is a good opportunity, so let's call this a sending-off party for the trip to Ante Lande. Everyone, I look forward to getting to know you better in the future. Now, come on, eat up!"
Shouko looked satisfied at the reactions of everyone present.
"Shouko, aren't you supposed to say something?"
"Ah, that's right. Everyone, please enjoy your meal!"
"W-Well, then..."
Yasuo was the first one to take a bite of the radish that had been boiled until it was soft enough for the chopsticks to sink into it.
"......Delicious."
"Oh my, that's delicious!"
Yasuo and Madoka spoke up at the same time, and Hideo took another bite while nodding.
As for Diana, her bowl was already empty.
"Shouko... it was... It was really good!!"
"Yay."
Seeing his daughter smile with a happy expression on her face, Kousuke suddenly looked up.
"Shouko, I need to get something from the back room. Kenzaki-san, please excuse me for a minute."
"Okay, sure."
"Ah, certainly."
Kousuke, who excused himself temporarily from the table, went towards the living quarters instead of the back room of the store.
In the living room that could not be seen from the store, there was a woman sitting on the tatami mat.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
"........."
"It looks like you're not very convinced."
"Of course not. Thinking about it rationally, how could I accept something like that?"
Shouko's mother, Tatewaki Youko, gave a large sigh and pursed her lips.
Both Shouko and Kousuke knew that Youko was at home.
However, since she stubbornly refused to appear in front of the Kenzaki family, they had to use the hastily contrived excuse of her having gone out on 『personal business』 despite the fact that an important conversation was about to take place.
Her eyes, behind large spectacles, were looking towards a particularly large stuffed animal in the room.
It was the magic-using version of the mascot of the most famous theme park in the world, located in the Chiba prefecture.
"So lucky, so lucky, Shouko is so lucky... A world of dreams and magic... that sounds so nice..."
Looking at his wife who looked vexed as she wrung the neck of the stuffed animal mascot of the most famous theme park in the world that was located in the Chiba prefecture, Kousuke gave a smile with mixed feelings.
Shouko's 『Obsession with Princesses』that stuck with her from kindergarten until middle school was quite obviously because of her mother.
In the first place, the underlying reason why Shouko, who had an introverted personality, started to search within herself for 『an ideal young woman』 that did not exist was because of the influence of this mother of hers who was an enthusiast of that most famous theme park in the world that was located in the Chiba prefecture.
Of course, he had no intention of blaming his wife for something like that, and Shouko didn't feel that way either.
However, looking at his wife who would still lead the charge into the most famous theme park in the world that was located in the Chiba prefecture with the enthusiasm of a school girl despite the fact that she was more than forty years old, and who was even now was showing envy toward her own daughter who had come in contact with 『real magic』, although he didn't know how serious she was about it, he started to worry whether she would once again have a bad influence of Shouko.
"......It's alright. I'm still an adult, after all."
Youko let out a sigh, maybe because she sensed the suspicious gaze of her husband.
"I know that Shouko is going through a lot of trouble. It's just that, when that child entered highschool and her personality changed, and during the time when she transformed into that outrageous thing called a Shii or whatever, I wasn't able to deal with it at all, and I was forced to realize that I was far from being able to get close to her heart or to her life. That was a little damaging."
"I'm not much different in that regard."
"......So, what did you think of Yasuo-kun? Does he look reliable?"
"......Honestly, I don't know. But... we have no choice but to leave her to him. Since we can't go along with her, after all."
"After grade school, middle school, and high school, she's now going to a different world... why is it that parents can only stay with their children for such a short time?"
Youko's sigh as she threw herself upon the low table in the living room along with the mascot character of the most famous theme park in the world that was located in the Chiba prefecture coincided perfectly with the sigh of her husband.
※
| ← Ch. 33 | Ch. 35 → |