I drag many heavy feelings with me as I board the bullet train.
After shaking in it for three hours, I reach my stop before I know it. I get off the train thinking I wanted to shake some more.
It’s a sight I’m familiar with, but the feeling of being back rustles my heart.
I don’t want to go home. Should I go back? I think as four people I recognize walk in front of me.
Men and women who are twenty-four. They’re in pairs, pushing strollers towards the shopping mall near the station.
They pass by me, but don’t seem to notice me.
We studied together for three years in high school, but I guess I’m the only one who thought we were friends.
I look different because I’m fat, but I thought they would recognize me. Even if we only spoke twice in three years, I thought they would remember. Even if they were on the more popular side in class and I was a little below the middle, I thought they’d care.
I watch them go.
I wasn’t an important part of those three years for them.
But it doesn’t really matter.
That’s enough evading reality, let’s face it.
My mother Taeko is pregnant. This is very happy news.
Who’s the father? My father, of course.
How old are they? My father is fifty-eight, and my mother fifty-six.
Still active near their sixtieth birthday, I see.
That’s not something I want to think about.
I know that sort of thing happens, and I’ve done it too, I just really don’t want to think about my parents doing it.
It’s not a bad thing at all, it’s proof they’re still young.
But still…
“A new sibling at this age…”
Again, it’s not a bad thing.
I should welcome a new family member, but I just can’t accept it.
It’s a matter of feelings.
Also, I’m worried that it will be a burden on my parents physically, considering their ages. I heard raising a child is a war, so I’m worried if my parent’s aging bodies will be able to handle it.
But I guess those are just excuses. If my mother is having a baby, I just have to root for her.
My brother and sister will be supporting her, and I’ll be watching over from afar.
Yes, that’s it.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome. Come in, everyone’s waiting in the back.”
My sister Haruka greets me, wearing a comfortable outfit I can tell is meant to be easy on her physically.
“Okay.”
I close the door, wanting to return to the apartment.
Why is everyone together? He’s here too, right? Her husband?
I almost turn around to leave, but as I open the door, a hand grabs my shoulder hard.
“Why are you trying to leave!?”
“I just felt that impulse because my brother-in-law is here.”
“…You still have a problem with him?”
“Kind of.”
I don’t really like my sister’s husband, Masafumi.
I wasn’t a good student in middle school, and was almost forced to go to cram school. I threw a fit because I didn’t want to go, and as a result, Masafumi, who was in the same year as my sister, was made to help me study.
Why my sister’s friend? That question crossed my mind, but I understood that he loved her and wanted to show off to her.
Still, he was a good student and teacher. And really harsh.
I had never seen an actual whip before.
When I got a question wrong, he’d yell and make noise with the whip.
He never struck me or anything, but the noise made me tremble every time.
And seeing what he was hitting made me tremble even more.
I have no doubt it was thanks to him that I ended up graduating from university, but experiencing that until I was accepted into university made me carry a bad impression of him.
I look straight at my sister.
“What?”
Is he still using the whip?
The words reach my throat, but have never exited my mouth.
“Nothing.”
I go inside, and head to the living room.
There I see my niece and nephew riding Masafumi’s back like a horse, as he moves according to their directions.
The adults are looking on like it’s charming. For a moment I think it’s amusing too, but from my point of view and having picked up on a few things, I feel like looking away.
“Haruto, you’re back. Come sit over here.”
“…Ah, mom…”
A stranger suddenly calls out to me, but then I realize it’s Taeko, my mother.
That’s right, she became young again.
Next to her is my father Jinkurou, all lovey-dovey with his arm around her.
I guess it’s just me who thinks this looks weird, but I can’t help but feel someone looking from the outside might report him.
“I’m back. I heard about it, but are you feeling okay?”
“I am. But I really didn’t expect to be pregnant at this age.”
She says with a laugh while waving her hand.
Despite what she says, she looks happy. And my father is creepily lovey-dovey.
“Do you want to eat something? We’re eating sushi tonight, but we have yesterday’s curry.”
She pulls my father off her, and jumps to her feet.
She moves like she’s protecting her belly, and it’s apparent there really is a new life inside her.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it. Rest.”
“It’s okay, if I don’t move a little, it will have a bad influence on the baby. So get off me, Jin!”
My father is holding her hand, not wanting to let go.
She pushes him away and goes to the kitchen. And my father glares at me.
What? I didn’t do anything.
I didn’t expect that look of criticism, so I glare right back. And as we mess around like this, I feel a hit on my stomach.
“Baah!”
My sister’s son hit me.
He looks at me with a smiling face, and I see his nose is running, probably because it’s getting colder. And it’s now on my clothes.
I think I have to clean it, as I pat his head.
And he gets me even dirtier by shoving his face against me.
Does he think my clothes are tissues?
Then my niece strikes from the side. This one has chocolate on the sides of her mouth.
“What, are you trying to dye me?”
Nasal mucus and chocolate. The former will come off, but the latter not so much.
I pat their heads roughly, but they yell yeah and run.
So cute, aren’t they? I can only imagine they’ll become unbearable when they’re older. Actually, I remember my uncle once telling me it was too bad I turned out like that, because I used to be so cute.
At the time I shut up and took my new year’s money, but I guess I’ll be like him one day.
“Hey! What are you doing to your uncle!?”
Yoshina, my brother’s wife, is angry.
This person is a source of trauma for me. I can talk to her normally, but she sometimes teases me, asking if I found a girl with big boobs. I’m sure that joke’s never going away.
“Sorry Haruto. I’ll wash it, so come get changed.”
“Yes.”
“This is a secret, but…”
“Hm?”
“I found a big boobed employee in a convenience store. Go check it out later.”
She says with a giggle. What does she think I am?
So what if an employee of a convenience store has big boobs? Even if I went to check it out, I’d just think it’s great, I wouldn’t talk to her. Even if I had hopes for a chance, I know it’d be no good.
What kind of idiot empty-headed pervert would go there for that reason?
However…
“Around what time?”
There are times when people have to be idiots.
“Stop being silly, come get changed already.”
The one dismissing my lust as a joke is Masafumi, who was acting like a horse until just now.
He’s wearing a white shirt and black jeans, and he has hair parted in the center and glasses. He really looks like an intellectual.
In reality, he works in a research lab, and really is super intelligent. Because of that, he has special interests, but if my sister understands, that’s fine.
“So Haruto… You’re fat. Are you eating like crazy because you’re living alone?”
“It’s been a while, Masafumi. Hum… I’m on a diet, haha.”
I laugh it off, and Masafumi continues with a glint in his glasses.
“If things aren’t going well over there, how about coming back? You have a job here, I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“I’ll have to say no. I still have things to do over there…”
I flatly refuse his proposal, but even I question what I just said.
Things I have to do? What do I want to do there?
“Haruto?”
Masafumi tilts his head with concern, as I suddenly go quiet.
His voice brings me back, and I leave the room. I have to change clothes, but that’s not what I should be thinking about now.
“…Sorry, sorry, sorry.”
I mutter to myself without thinking.
◇ ◇ ◇
I change into a sweatshirt, and go back to the living room.
The moment I get there, the two little ones run towards me, but this time, I go after them.
They weren’t expecting me to run towards them, so they run in the opposite direction.
“Kyah!”
High-pitched voices echo in the living room as they run.
But that’s not good. My mother just happens to be bringing curry from the kitchen, and the kids running near her surprise her, making her slip.
Everyone watches it unfold in slow motion.
The curry goes up, and my mother falls as she slips.
At this rate, she’s going to fall and get hurt. And if what they say is true, she’s pregnant.
If something happens to her because of this…
I immediately cast Physical Strengthening to accelerate, and go around her to catch her.
The surprised kids fall too, but there’s nothing I can do about it. If they get hurt, I’ll heal them.
“T-thanks.”
Says my mother when she realizes I saved her.
I smile, and the curry falls on my head.
“Hooot!!!”
My face is bright red, and I head straight to the bathroom.
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