From today onwards, I'm taking a break from sediment removal to work on strengthening the defenses of the village. I was in charge of checking the logs surrounding the village. I'm working silently, but yesterday's comments from the management keep going round and round in my head.
"Stay in the village or go back to Japan?"
The deadline for that decision is this evening. The management will contact me again and I'll let them know the answer then. The management told me that.
"We're trying to make sure that no living person can come and go through the hole. We have three more days before the repairs are complete. So I'm sorry, but I need you to make a decision soon. Besides, if you don't, you'll be participating in the Temptation of the Evil God in the flesh."
I heard that there would be two players from the enemy side participating in this raid. Needless to say, that alone is a threat. Rather than being on the battlefield, it would be better for me to return to Japan and control the game from my computer, so that I can make calm decisions....To be honest, I'm afraid of dying. In the past few months, I've had my life threatened a few times, but they were human and equal to me. But here, it's different. Monsters are attacking in large numbers.
When I accompanied Gams on his hunting trip, I saw the monsters firsthand, but I couldn't do anything about them. The monsters were so bizarre that it was all I could do to keep up appearances. Besides, I had a family and Seika in Japan. I also have a job, albeit a part-time one. After all the effort I've put into repairing our relationship, am I supposed to run away from my family and reality to live here? But if I leave, I'll never be able to visit this world again. I can't make up my mind. I'm....
"Yoshio! You're making a strange face. What's wrong with you?"
"Hey, don't be rude."
I turned my gaze downward in response to the sudden voice, and my eyes met Carol's, who was staring at me. I wondered if she hadn't noticed that I was so close to her.
"I'm sorry, I interrupted your work."
Chem is the one who pulls Carol away and bows her head. She's a little more open with me than she used to be, but she still doesn't fail to be polite to me in my position as a squire of God.
"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
"Something on your mind? Then you should talk to everyone! My mom says that you shouldn't keep your problems to yourself. Carol can help you with that!"
She tapped her chest with a dong, indicating that I could count on her. Next to her, Chem bowed her head again and again in fear.
"You're right, it's better to be listened to than to worry about it alone. What would you do if I told you that Carol is moving out of the village tomorrow to live somewhere else with her mother and father? If she moves, she will never come back to the village."
"Hmmm, no!"
She raised her hand vigorously with a swoosh and spoke up.
"That's right, isn't it?"
I was troubled, too.
"But I like you guys, so I'm staying here with mom and dad!"
You've made up your mind once and for all. Your conditions are a little different from mine, but you have no hesitation in staying in the village?
"What do you think?"
"Me? If I'm moving with my brother, I want to go with him....But if we move today, we won't have enough people to deal with the Temptation of the Evil God....Also, I'm sad to leave you all. So I think I'll stay."
It seems that Chem had the same trouble making a decision, but her conclusion is the same as Carol's....Let's ask some other people. I don't think I'll ever get an answer if I keep dwelling on it alone.
"It's difficult. I'm willing to move if there's a safe place for Carol and my wife to live, but I'm still not willing to give up this village...."
"I'm just like him. I know that my family's happiness is the most important thing, but I don't want to leave this village. I've had a lot of hardships, but I also have a lot of happy memories from the past three months."
Lodis and Laila looked at each other and smiled. Will these two choose to stay in the village with their daughter instead of moving out?
"I feel at home here."
"I'm with Ran and Kang."
Stopping their hands from making bows and arrows, Kang and Ran answered. They seemed to choose to stay in the village.
"I can't leave this Forbidden Forest, so I'm afraid there's no place for me to move to in the first place."
I went up to the watchtower and asked Murus about it, but he replied in a blunt manner. Even so, the response was better than before. I thanked the villagers for their kind words and returned to my familiar tent. I asked the other newly arrived villagers, but in the end they all chose to stay in the village. It was a foregone conclusion.
The villagers decided to stay in the village even though they were heavily damaged by the second Temptation of the Evil God. They were in a different position than me, who was guaranteed a safe life if I returned.
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that."
As someone who has almost died twice living in Japan, it was not a very safe place to live. Still, compared to the rest of the world, it was definitely a better place to live and had higher safety standards. My family and Seika, who had lived with me for decades and had never, abandoned me, and the villagers who had shared their hardships for less than a month. I mustn't forget that it was thanks to them that I was able to become the person I am today.
I abandoned them and returned to Japan alone. I feel guilty. But staying here is like running away from reality. I take out my cell phone and turn it on. Is it Sunday in Japan? If it's a vacation, I guess I'll stay home. I select my mother from the phone book and touch the call button.
"Oh, it's unusual for you to call me. You're not bothering anyone over there, are you?"
"No, I'm fine. I've been busy helping out in the village. How are things there?"
"Your father and Sayuki are looking lonely. –I'm not lonely, don't lie!"
I heard my sister yelling from the phone. She seemed to be right beside me.
"I'm glad you're well. What would you do if I told you that I couldn't come back to you?"
"Well, I don't mind as long as you're fine. As a mother, I'd be a little sad, but as a parent, I'd welcome it if you could live happily on your own. Did you find a job there? If so, make sure you call the boss to inform him of your decision."
I guess she interpreted it conveniently, but that's how my mother thinks.
"Hey, aren't you going to come back here?"
"Sayuki. No, it's just a what if."
Sayuki seemed to have taken the phone from my mother, and I could hear her not even trying to hide her grumpiness.
"I don't care which way you go, but even if you live there, you have to come back at least once. Besides, I want to apologize for...some things...."
She didn't say anything else from there, but fell silent.
"It's me. I hope you haven't caught a cold."
This time it was my father. His tone was the same as usual, but I could tell from his voice that he was worried about me.
"I'm in perfect health."
"Well, that's good. I don't know what you're confused about, but you'll regret it more if someone else decides for you than if you choose your own path and fail. It's important to respect the opinions of others, but in the end, make your own decisions."
I will take my father's advice to heart.
"I see. Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Dad."
"Mmm. It's your life, live it how you want. I'm sure you won't choose the wrong path. And no matter what path you choose, we're your family and we'll do our best to support you. So, take care of yourself."
My father hung up the phone. What will I say to the management? My hesitation is almost gone, but I need one last push. Without turning off my phone, I choose another person from the phone book and call her.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is it cold in Hokkaido? How's Carol doing?"
My cheeks loosened up when I heard my childhood friend's voice, which was always worried about me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. She's been running around all day and I've been getting pushed around a lot."
"Hmmm, she's always so full of energy. What's wrong with you? Are you worried about something?"
"...No, nothing."
"You're lying. You rarely call me yourself. When you do, it's only when something's wrong."
Am I that easy to catch when I lie? Can my sister and Seika see through me so easily?
"Actually, they've invited me to live in the village. They're offering me a job."
"I see. What do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure. If I live here, I won't be able to come back."
The truth was that I would never be able to return, but I couldn't tell her that.
"You can do whatever you want."
Well, that was a lot easier than I expected. I felt like an idiot for expecting her to ask me not to stay.
"Yeah, I guess it's best to do what I want."
"Yes, yes. No matter where you go, I'll be there to see you."
"What?"
"I'll come see you no matter where you go, in Hokkaido or anywhere else. I won't let you go."
...I' m not mishearing you, am I? I'm not sure if I'm hearing wrong, but I think I'm hearing right.
"Seika, you weren't that kind of character..."
"Yes, I was. I used to push myself away because I only cared about the other person, but I've stopped. After a few years of talking and being together...I decided that I would never let go. A woman who has waited decades for you is scary!"
I don't know this proactive Seika. I wonder what kind of expression Seika is making on the other side of the phone. Is she as embarrassed and confused as I am, or is she...?"
"Say something...it's embarrassing."
"Sorry, sorry. That's it. I'm ..."
"You don't have to say anything beyond that right now. I don't want you to be carried away by the atmosphere; I want you to think about what you're saying."
I hadn't seen her in a few years, and I thought she didn't look much different from the old days, but I was wrong. She has become a much more active and wonderful adult than me.
"All right. One day, I'll tell you."
Whenever I feel confident in myself, I will.
"Yes. I'll look forward to it."
"But what do you like about me? I've been living like this for ten years. I think most people would abandon me."
It was a simple question. If I were Seika, I doubt I would fall in love with such a man. I've read on the internet that women are more serious than men and they consider a man's income to be more important than anything else.
"Normal for whom? Could it be knowledge you got from the Internet? I'm not some imaginary woman who can't tell the difference between what's true and what's not. I'm a childhood friend named Seika who has been watching Yoshio for over thirty years. You'll be able to find out all about the good and the bad of the...woman."
It was a stupid question for me to ask. If such a wonderful woman is in love with me, I should believe that I have a little bit of good in me.
"I see. Thank you so much for your help today, it really took my mind off my troubles."
"Whatever your answer, I'll be there for you and I'll be rooting for you. Good night."
"Good night."
The call ended and I exhaled heavily. My hesitation was blown away when I learned about my family and Seika's thoughts. Something was tugging at my clothes beneath my feet, and I looked down to see Destiny looking up at me.
"I know, I know. I've thought about you too....Okay, I've decided!"
Having come to a decision, I ran out of the tent and immersed myself in work until night.
As night fell, everyone went home to their own homes. I returned to my familiar tent, put my phone on the floor, and sat down in front of it. I heard a ringtone, so I picked it up and put it to my ear.
"Have you decided, Yoshio?"
"Yes, I've decided. I've—"