After returning home from the zoo, we took a short break before embarking
on my most important mission. My father was a manga author, while my
mother worked on picture books. But even with their unusual schedules, they
didn't go to bed that late. My dad always said that pulling all-nighters would
harm you in the long run. The more tired you were, the harder it was to
concentrate on your work. Plus, my mother always claimed it wasn't good for
her skin.
The idea of hurting yourself to make a deadline was silly, honestly. My folks
firmly believed that you could only do your best when you were in good health,
and I agreed with that sentiment.
Obviously, there was the odd emergency where you might have to work
overtime, like if last-minute adjustments needed to be made or something.
If I remembered right, the deadline for my dad's work should've passed.
Assuming things were still the same as in my memory, they'd both be resting at
a reasonable hour today.
My parents didn't live too far from my grandfather. It was only around fifteen
minutes away by train. The full trip was roughly an hour, though. It took thirty
minutes to get to the station from my grandpa's place, then fifteen by train,
then fifteen to walk to my old house.
Unfortunately, it was pretty late at night, so the trains weren't running. That
wasn't a huge deal, however. We decided against walking there, since such a
large crowd of people walking through the streets could potentially attract the
wrong kind of attention.
"[Gate]."
I used my divinity, channeled through my smartphone, to open a portal
straight to my house. I'd lived there my whole life on Earth, which made it easy
to create a mental bridge there.
I took the lead and walked through the portal first. Once I did, I found myself
in a familiar living room, not too different from how I'd left it. The lights were
off, so I didn't get a good look right away, but the TV was definitely a newer
model than the one I'd last seen.
...Man, this is nostalgic. But I don't have time to get sentimental.
I brought my arms out and channeled my divinity just a little to cast [Sleep
Cloud], dispersing a thin mist of sleep magic throughout the house. My folks
might have been awake, which meant I had to make sure that they wouldn't
bump into me, mistake me for a burglar, and call the cops or something. That
wouldn't exactly have been a great reunion.
After I cast the spell, Yumina and the others came through the portal one by
one.
"So this is your family home..." Linze whispered as she tiptoed around the
living room. It wasn't exactly very big, so I wondered what they thought... They
were used to living in castles and stuff, which made it hardly comparable.
"Now then, darling... What're we doing? Using [Hypnosis] or [Mirage],
perhaps?"
"Nope. We'll use divinity to create a mental link to my parents. That way, we
can appear before them in a shared dreamlike state."
I'd originally planned to just change myself like Leen suggested, but Karen had
texted me saying the dream approach was better overall.
It was kind of funny that she could just text me even though I was in another
world, but I was used to such oddities at this point. I'd already browsed the
internet and called God Almighty multiple times from the other world. My
phone was a sacred treasure, so interdimensional communication was just...
possible. It was just one of those things. Yumina and the girls also had that
function added to their phones.
Either way, we were just going to cut out the middleman and meet my
parents in their dreams instead of just making it feel like a dream. That way, I
could appear before them in whatever form I pleased.
Yumina suddenly turned to me and gave a small tilt of her head.
"Is it like when you use telepathy with your summoned beasts?"
"Uh... Something like that. It's more like I'll draw everyone's consciousness
into a closed space. We won't be reading each other's minds or anything."
In a way, it was like connecting to an online game... I'd be creating a space out
of divinity and feeding our senses into it. I couldn't describe it that way, though.
The girls had no idea what videogames were.
My parents were sleeping upstairs, so I decided to get started. I wasn't
confident in being able to localize my divinity just to their room, so I figured
spreading it out and covering the whole house was fine. I was a newbie god, so
going overboard probably wasn't smart.
I told the girls to sit on the living room couch and relax, then headed to the
middle of the room and closed my eyes to focus. I let my divine energy channel
outward and wash over the house around me.
Slow... Deep breaths... Okay.
"Here we go... [Connect]."
Everyone suddenly lost consciousness, as if they'd drifted off to sleep. One by
one, their minds were linked up to the divine pseudo-reality I'd created. And
eventually, once everyone had been synchronized, I let myself sink into slumber
as well.
"Touya-dono, what is this place?"
"It's a miniature world made out of my divinity... It's kinda empty, though... I
guess you could consider it similar to the inside of a [Storage] space."
As I answered Yae's question, relief set in when I noticed I'd returned to my
old self.
Phew, that's more like it!
Since we were in a virtually constructed space, I was wearing my usual coat
and outfit from the other world. That was the image I most associated with
myself at this point, after all.
"It's a bit scary here... There's a faint mist at our feet and it's almost pitch
black..."
"Oh, well... I'm supposed to be dead, right? I figured I should match the
aesthetic if they're getting visited by a ghost."
Linze seemed a bit unnerved, but that was the point. I was trying to match the
kind of atmosphere you'd see on TV or movies when people were visited by the
dead. It was kind of like the divine realm, but a whole lot freakier.
"...Isn't this a little too spooky? They might think you're lingering with
unresolved grudges if the place has this kind of vibe. You want to show them
you're happy, right?"
"Oh. Good point."
Thanks, Elze. I probably should've thought about that. Guess I got carried
away with the whole ghost idea! Whoops... But what kind of environment
should I make instead?
"I think it should be sunny and bright... Maybe a field of flowers, too? A happy
landscape should set them at ease."
"Indeed. You need to give them the image of a happy afterlife, Touya," Leen
said as she nodded along with Hilde.
Oh, huh. I really wouldn't have thought of that.
I snapped my fingers and the scenery changed. The space around us was
illuminated with refreshing sunlight, while a gorgeous blue sky stretched out
overhead. At our feet, the ominous mist was replaced by beautiful sprouting
flowers.
I could change this space on a whim, kind of like the holodeck from a certain
sci-fi series. Even creating smells and sounds wasn't out of the realm of
possibility! To illustrate that, I snapped my fingers once more, creating a soft
breeze that carried the scent of flowers.
"Amazing... It's so realistic," Yumina mumbled as she crouched down to smell
some roses. It wasn't all that different from reality, since you could even touch
stuff in here. I definitely didn't have the divinity to maintain it for any longer
than an hour or so, though. It was an ephemeral dream, in the end.
"What about your parents? Shouldn't they be here?"
"They should be, yeah. I connected their minds to this space."
As I replied to Sue, I suddenly noticed something in the distance. Someone
was running through the field of flowers, heading directly toward me. There
was another person not far behind, too.
The one in front was a woman in her thirties, though she actually looked
about ten years younger. Her hair was bunched up and tied back, but one bushy
part flowed over the front of her right shoulder. The one following behind her
was a concerned-looking man in glasses who looked to be about forty.
It went without saying, but they were my parents. My father, the manga
artist, Mochizuki Touichirou. My mother, the picture book writer, Mochizuki
Tsuzuri.
My mother barreled toward me with a very particular look on her face. It was
almost blank and expressionless. I knew it well, having lived in her house for so
many years. She was in a bad mood... but why? Was she mad at me? That
wouldn't match up with the touching reunion scene I had in mind at all!
Eventually, my mother arrived in front of me. She emanated a silent, dominant
pressure that made Yumina and the others back off slightly.
"H-Hey, Mom... Long time no see?" I said as I smirked awkwardly, speaking
the first bland thing that came to mind. My mother reached out her hand and
touched my cheek. It was soft... I could feel her warmth, even in this dream
space.
Her other hand approached my other cheek. Her expression warped and she
began to smile gently. It was a smile I'd seen when I was a little boy.
As the nostalgia washed over me, my mother tightened her grip on my head.
Then, she leaned her head backward slightly.
Huh?
My mother was about as tall as I was. She was quite the tall, slender woman
in her youth. I wasn't sure what kind of power she was hiding in that delicate
frame, but for some reason, I couldn't escape her grip.
The gentle smile was gone, replaced by a stern glare and a twisted grin.
"You freakin' brat!"
"Gyaaah!"
I suddenly saw stars as my mother headbutted me in the face. I rolled
backward, writhing in pain and clutching at my forehead.
What the hell?! I can feel pain in here? Wait... No, I can't! It's only because I
thought it hurt! Gaaah! Go away, pain, go away... Okay, it doesn't hurt so much
now... I'm still in control here... But man, what the hell?
"You've got a lot of nerve showing up this late in the game! Couldn't you have
come to see us the day after you died or something?! And you've even got the
balls to come here with nine wives in tow?! Well, look at you, Mr. Playboy!
Having a heap of fun without us, huh?!"
"Wh-What?! H-How do you even know that?!"
As I scrambled to my feet, my mother simply stood there with her arms
folded. I hadn't even told her about Yumina and the others... Did she have
telepathy or something?
"A-Ack... Are you okay, Touya? S-Sweetheart, even if we're dreaming, don't
you think that's a bit much?"
"Like I give a rat's ass if it's a dream or not!"
My dad called out in concern from behind my mom. Clearly, they thought
they were dreaming. That was what I was hoping for, but I didn't exactly expect
to be full-on attacked. I would've expected a hug rather than a headbutt... She
had no mercy when she was mad.
"B-But hold on, Mom. How do you know about my situation?!"
"A week ago, some weird old guy claiming to be god appeared in my dream.
He said he wanted to apologize for killing you."
"I had that dream too. He was an old man with glasses and greyish hair."
...Wait, God Almighty showed up in my parents' dreams? Does he still feel bad
or something? Ugh, I've got a bad feeling about all of this.
"...So, what happened?"
"Well, obviously I was mad, so I reached out to slap him and—"
"You what?!"
"...But your father stopped me, so I decided to let it go," Mom sulked slightly
as she spoke.
"Even if it was a dream, I felt like it was a bit much to slap someone who
called himself a god... The poor old man almost looked frightened. It was very
awkward," my dad sighed softly.
...Crap, I'm gonna have to apologize to him when I get home.
"I've got every right to be mad at that geezer. And I'm plenty mad at you, too!
Dying to lightning?! Are you stupid or something?! Give me a break, kid!"
...How about you give me a break? It wasn't just any lightning, you know?! It
was crazy divine lightning. There's no way I could've survived that.
"Anyway, that god asshole told us that you'd come up in a dream soon with
nine freakin' wives! It was so stupid that I was pissed off when I woke up!"
"...I had that dream too, though... Also, you both look like the real deal. Am I
actually dreaming right now? Or is this something supernatural?"
I guess they both think everyone else is a dream except for them...
Dad suddenly tried pinching his cheeks, so I silently manipulated the space to
blot out his pain.
"...I don't feel anything. Guess it really is a dream. Well, that's not surprising...
But I'm happy to see you again, son. You look well... Maybe that's a little weird
to say, since you're dead, but... yeah..."
"Dad..."
My dad laughed awkwardly. It was good to know he still marched to the beat
of his own drum. Dad was either very kind or just very blunt. My mom suddenly
reached up to pinch her cheek, so I willed away the pain there as well.
"...Huh? But my forehead hurt a bit earlier..."
"D-Don't overthink it."
"Well, okay."
My mom rubbed her forehead a bit, but then she shrugged it off. Sometimes I
was glad she didn't sweat the small stuff.
"You're a little taller, aren't you? I've seen you in my dreams now and then,
but you looked the same as you did when you died all those times. Kind of a
shame I won't get to see you as a man..."
My mom let out a small, sad laugh. My body was divine, so it grew a lot more
slowly, but I'd probably have an adult form eventually. If God Almighty
permitted it, I'd be sure to come back and visit them again then.
"But..." my mom paused and suddenly glanced over at Yumina and the
others. Everyone was a little bit stunned by the headbutt they'd just witnessed,
which was pretty fair. Even I'd have been surprised.
Yumina mustered up enough courage to step forward and greet her in-laws.
"U-Um... I-I'm... uh... I am... I-I am..."
"Yumina, right?"
"Huh?" Yumina was stopped in her tracks entirely by my mother's words.
...God, you even told them that much about my wives?
"The one with the long hair there must be Elze, then the short hair is Linze...
The girl with the tied-up hair there must be Yae... Right, dear?"
"I think so, yeah. If I remember right, the names of the girl with the pigtails
there and the golden-haired girl... are... Leen and Sue... I think? They're a little
young to be wives, though..." Dad nodded quietly, identifying more of the girls.
What...? What's going on here? They know Yumina, Elze, Linze, Yae, Sue, and
Leen...? How?
"As for the other three... Sorry... I haven't read that far yet!"
Lu, Hilde, and Sakura looked positively devastated as my mother failed to
identify them. She seemed very apologetic.
"...Wait, what do you mean you haven't read that far?"
"You remember Himura, right? Your old classmate?"
Huh? My junior high buddy? Why bring him up now?
"He's working as an assistant for me right now... Apparently, he's gotten lots
of dreams from your god friend."
Wait, what? You've even been visiting Himura, old man?!
"He keeps getting shown visions and stories about your adventures in his
dream. He came and told me about it... Said he thinks you might have been
born into another world and made a new life there... Anyway, he came up with
a storyboard and started penning the story."
"He what?!"
What the hell?! A storyboard is just a rough draft, like a blueprint for a series...
It has a basic representation of the composition, panel layout, characters, and
so on... It's basically a way of telling if your manga will work out or not... But
he's been drafting up a manga based on my life in the other world?! What the
hell, man! Does he think he's just getting the ideas from his dreams or
something?! Why would God Almighty do this?!
"S-So wait... Where are you up to right now, story-wise?"
"Uhhh... Let me think... The most recent chapter had you recruiting a turtle
and a snake."
Sango and Kokuyou, then... That's right before I started uncovering the
Babylon stuff. We hadn't met Lu and the other two at that point.
"I must admit, I was surprised to hear you had nine wives... I almost want to
ask, but... well, it's a dream. I've had many strange dreams as of late, so there's
no point questioning it."
"R-Right..."
...Himura, please stop writing about my exploits in your manga. I'm gonna
scream. It was bad enough having Babylon and the gods watch my every move,
but now my parents get to see everything I do on the other side?! This is
embarrassing!
I could at least take solace in the fact that it was still in rough stages and
hadn't been published yet.
"...Mmm?"
"Huh? What's wrong, Sakura?"
Sakura, who was talking to my mother, suddenly turned around and gazed off
somewhere. My mother raised an eyebrow, glancing off into the distance too.
I looked, but all I saw was an endless expanse of flowers. There was nothing in
this world other than us, surely... Despite that, Sakura cupped a hand around
her ear as if to focus intently. She had the special divine trait that allowed her to
hear almost anything. She could pick out noises that were far beyond earshot
for anyone else. But what was she hearing now?
"...There's a strange... wailing?"
"What?"
Wailing?! Th-That's scary! I don't want a nightmare, just a dream!
"It kind of sounds... like a baby...? Not quite crying..."
My parents suddenly stared at each other, then started marching in the
direction Sakura pointed.
Huh? What gives?
We quickly hurried after my folks, curious about what was going on.
A few moments later, we found a tiny bundled baby laying amongst the
flowers. It was squirming around and looked to be on the verge of tears.
"I knew it... There, there, sweetie... You're such a good girl. You didn't cry.
Well done..."
"Waaah..."
My mom picked up the baby, gently cradling her as she gurgled.
Wait, is this kid...?
My mom smiled softly, rocking the baby and turning her towards me.
"Look here, Fuyuka... It's your big brother."
"Uu...?"
...I knew it. Her eyes look kinda like mine too... This is my little sister, huh?
She must have gotten dragged in because I'd designated the entire house as
space for the [Connect] process.
"Ahhh... So it was Fuyuka, huh? Did she come into my dream to see her big
brother?"
"I think you'll find it's my dream, dear. Also, of course she did. It's only natural
that my daughter is so considerate."
"Now now, honey... I think you'll find she's my daughter too."
My parents were both fussing over the baby while having a strange argument.
...Yep, these guys are as ditzy as ever when it comes to parenting. It's no
wonder I ended up learning more from Grandpa...
I felt a little bit jealous of the girl they were fawning over, but those feelings
were blown aside when they passed her to me.
"Gagah..."
"Ohhh..."
Fuyuka reached her little hand out toward me. She was positively adorable...
It wasn't the first time I'd held a baby, but there was something special about
seeing my little sister for the very first time.
"Oh! Wow! She's so cute!"
"She really is!"
"She's very cute... I know it for sure..."
Linze, Sue, and Sakura started to coo and clamor around the baby, but Fuyuka
didn't seem to mind at all.
"What was her name, again?"
"Fuyuka. It was either that or Touka, but I didn't want her getting the Tou
nickname that her dad and brother got. Not very ladylike, is it?"
My mom chuckled as she spoke to Yumina. I had that nickname back in
elementary school, and my dad did as well, since his name was Touichirou.
"Baba... Gagah..."
"Careful there..."
"Bah..."
Fuyuka reached out for Linze, almost grasping for her hair. She was a bold
child. Her personality was pretty aggressive, too... Not hard to tell which parent
she'd taken after.
"You can hold her if you want."
"A-Are you sure that's okay?"
"She's your sister-in-law, so of course it is. No need to distance yourself."
At my mom's urging, I handed off Fuyuka to Linze. I moved a little slowly,
since I didn't wanna drop her. Fuyuka started to wave her arms out as if to tell
me to hurry up.
"Gah... Gah..."
"Nice to meet you, Fuyuka. I'm Linze, your sister-in-law."
"Gah!"
Linze smiled down at Fuyuka, who returned the gesture. Linze honestly had
the kind of smile that could make flowers bloom... She really resembled an
angel at times.
"C-Can I hold her too?"
"So long as you're careful not to drop her, then sure."
Elze asked for permission to hold Fuyuka next. After that, all the girls took
turns cradling the little baby. She sure was a popular girl.
"She giggles a lot, she does."
"Heh... She's full of smiles."
Yae passed Fuyuka, who was now laughing, over to Lu.
"She's certainly not lacking in courage."
"I'm not surprised, given she's our darling's sister... I'm sure she'll grow up to
be quite a powerful and extraordinary woman."
"C'mon, you guys..."
I had to butt in on Hilde and Leen's conversation. What the heck did they
even mean by that? The image of Fuyuka as a Tomoe Gozen-esque legendary
woman, shoving a man down, suddenly flashed through my mind. Still, so long
as she grew up to have a kind heart, that'd be fine by me.
I sighed softly, then my mom patted me on the shoulder.
"We'll take good care of Fuyuka, okay? So don't worry about us. We miss you,
but you can rest in peace."
"Yeah... Thanks..."
I had mixed feelings about my mom saying that to me, to be honest. To my
folks, this was just a dream that had come up because they'd read Himura's
rough draft.
I wanted to tell them the truth, tell them everything... That I was a fledgling
god, that I wouldn't be able to visit them very often if ever again...
If I asked God Almighty for permission, I was sure he'd let me come see them,
but even that would have its limits. As a god, I wasn't allowed to show bias or
favoritism toward them just because they were my family during my life in this
world. Plus, I'd already decided to leave them behind and live in the other
world. They were my old life, and I had a new family to look after.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Well, we were quite surprised to get a call from his elementary school
teachers. They said Touya hadn't attended school that day, even though he'd
definitely left. I was wondering if there'd been an accident or something, and
then the police called us. Wanna know what happened? He was found sailing
on a raft down the river! The dumb little guy built himself a raft, then needed to
be rescued when it started falling apart!"
"A raft...?"
"Yep. He somehow got it into his head that he could sail to school faster than
he could walk. He sounds like a real dumbass, doesn't he?"
Please stop...
My mom was happily telling stories about my childhood as she sat in the field
of flowers.
I couldn't bear it any longer, so I sat a little bit away from the girls and used
[Storage] to take out some fresh sandwiches Lu had whipped up for me and my
dad.
"That's an old story, huh, son? It must've happened during your second year
in junior high, right?"
"...It was my first."
I'd gotten the idea from one of my dad's books, The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer. After all, Sawyer was a kid and he could make a raft. Why not me? But
unfortunately, the raft I cobbled together with rope and wood wasn't very
good. Just a few moments after it set sail, it started breaking apart and I fell into
the water. Had to cling to a piece of wood to survive. Thankfully, it wasn't
winter... or it could've ended way worse.
A lot of people got really mad at me after all that... My grandpa was madder
about the shoddy raft, though.
My mom sure was comfortable in this so-called dream... She had no problem
blabbing about my dark past. Though, to be honest, she was the type to tell
these stories in the real world too.
The girls had gotten quite used to her pretty quickly, so they were asking a lot
of questions. I just wished they wouldn't probe too hard... It was
embarrassing...
"I'm surprised you're married, son. Even if this is a dream, let me congratulate
you. I'm proud..."
"Yeah, seems like things are gonna get busy from here."
"Now, Touya. You should probably slow down a little. Marriage is always
easier for a man. Don't wanna jostle the girls too much."
...I'm not sure if that's the case here, Dad. The girls are a lot more gung-ho
than I am, at least most of the time... Maybe it's an other-world thing where
women are more brazen over there.
Even the most docile of the girls, Linze, spoke her mind to me quite often. To
be honest, I was more worried about not being able to keep up with them. It
was a little bit silly and egocentric, but my pride as a man was on the line.
"I don't think you need to overdo it, that's all I'm saying. No point
showboating for your own family. You're meant to accept each other, warts and
all, so putting up pretenses and being needlessly proud proves nothing."
I had to admit that he was probably right. Even if the girls heard embarrassing
things from my past, it wasn't like they'd suddenly think I was lame and hate me
for it... so it was probably fine for them to hear those stories.
"Touya's first crush was this girl next door named Shouko."
"Hey wait, that's a bit much!"
I groaned slightly as I chowed down on the food in front of me.
Ugh, whatever! At least the food's nice!
"Guuu... Waaah... Ahhh..."
"Hm? Are you tired, Fuyuka?"
My sister, who was sitting in my mom's arms, moaned and yawned a little.
I wasn't surprised. She was asleep in real life, but being drawn in here was
keeping her senses stimulated. Even if it wasn't her real body, she'd probably
be quite mentally worn out. Still, part of me wondered if she was trying to
protect me from having more stories told. I preferred to believe she was on my
side, personally. What a good sister...
Being here was kind of like going through REM sleep, so it was probably hard
for a baby.
"...Well, it's time for bed."
"We're done?"
I packed Lu's food back into [Storage] and stood up. I'd done what I wanted
to do, so staying any longer would only make it harder to say goodbye. My dad
glanced up at me with a frown on his face.
"I can't stay here too long, Dad. Besides, Fuyuka's sleepy. I don't wanna strain
her too hard."
"I see... That's a shame."
Using [Connect] drained my divinity, and I was almost out of juice. I couldn't
risk running out... Plus, I wanted my mom to stop embarrassing me.
My father got up, and we headed back toward the girls. Lu blushed fiercely as
my dad complimented her cooking, but his comments only made my mom
pout.
My grandpa and dad were great cooks, but my mom just wasn't meant for the
kitchen. The best she could do was rice balls and sandwiches. To her credit, the
ones she made were still pretty nice... In a way, I'd come to associate those
foods with my mother, and my dad probably felt the same.
I wanted to eat her cooking again, but... well, that just wasn't possible.
"Are you leaving?"
"Mhm. I don't want Fuyuka getting too cranky tomorrow. That'd be bad for
both of you."
"Googah..."
Fuyuka wriggled a bit in my mom's arms. She seemed a bit irritable, so I
definitely had to get her out of here.
"Come back for the Obon festival, okay? It's a time for honoring the dead and
all... I'll make those horse decorations out of cucumber and eggplant to
welcome you back. And drag your grandpa along with you next time, got it? I've
never seen him in my dreams before, so let him know he has a granddaughter
to come meet."
"Oh, well... Sure..." I gave a vague enough response to my mom. I didn't
actually know where my grandpa was. Up in the heavens somewhere, maybe? I
was sure he'd have already visited us in our dreams if it were possible...
I didn't think I'd be able to come see them in time for Obon, but I quietly
vowed to visit again. I wanted to see my little sister all grown up, after all.
"We'll be off, then. Take care, you two... See you later, Fuyuka."
"Heh... You too, kid. Make sure you have fun with everyone... and don't make
any of these girls cry."
"I hope we meet again soon, son. Let's spend a little more time together next
time."
I'd have to train up my divinity to maintain this space for longer next time, so I
set that as a personal goal.
"[Disconnect]."
The mental world faded away. My vision blurred, and we all returned to
reality...
"Ngh..."
I stood up from the carpet, fully conscious. Unfortunately, I was back in that
tiny body again...
"Mmmh...?"
"Hmmmh...?"
Sue woke up first, then Yumina. The other girls gradually awoke after that.
My parents and sister had been put to sleep with [Sleep Cloud], so there was
no risk of them hearing us.
"...Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
Just as I was about to leave, a strange sensation washed over me.
No way...
I opened the living room curtains and glanced out into the garden. God
Almighty was out there. I was utterly stunned. He waved, simply standing there
in the pale moonlight as if beckoning me. Someone was positioned behind him
with their head hanging low.
Who is that...?
I opened the window, slipped on the sandals I'd left behind the day I died, and
went outside. It was a little hard to walk in them on account of my smaller size,
however...
"I see you have finished what you set out to do."
"Hey, uh... what's going on here? Oh, hold on... Lemme just apologize for my
mom... I heard you met her..."
"Ah, pay that no mind. It was my fault. Though, I must confess... she was a
little scary..."
God Almighty let out a small chuckle. Clearly, my mother was a force to be
reckoned with, if she could even scare a god like him...
"So, uh... what's up?"
"Oh, well. This person here is a servile god."
"What?!"
"Calm down, my lad. This is not the same servile god as the one that caused
chaos in the other world."
Oh, geez... You scared me, man. I thought that NEET god got revived for a
second there...
On closer inspection, the person behind God Almighty was quite younglooking. Also, she was a woman...
The NEET god was a lanky old dude, but this goddess looked a little older than
Karen. She appeared to be in her late twenties or so. She had short black hair
and a slender frame. For the most part, she reminded me of Moroha.
"This woman, well... she was the one in charge of the servile god that ran
amok."
Wait, she was that NEET's supervisor or something?!
My eyes went wide, and the woman bowed her head to me.
"Please forgive my transgressions. It was through my own ineptitude that he
escaped and caused you so much trouble. I would have come to apologize
sooner, but I hadn't received permission to enter the mortal realm."
"Oh, uh... don't worry about it. Really, that whole mess is over now."
Being a servile god meant being at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.
But even among those servile gods, there were some with more duties and
responsibilities than others. While the NEET guy was the lowest of the low, this
woman seemed to have some kind of middle management position.
Apparently, she was specifically mentoring the NEET god, and they had
something of a master/apprentice relationship, so it must've been pretty hard
for her, given what happened...
"He often caused trouble, and although he would apologize, he never
sounded sincere... Even when I scolded him, he did it again. One day, he just
went missing, and I assumed he was just slacking off again... Never in a million
years would I have expected him to do what he did."
It must've come as quite the shock to her. Like if you were a private tutor that
suddenly saw one of your students on the news for committing a crime.
"Rest assured, she has not been punished. We have told her many times that
she is not to blame, but... try as we might, she cannot stop blaming herself. That
is why I have brought her to you."
Man, she's really beating herself up about it. It's not like it's her fault or
anything.
"Now, to the matter at hand. She wishes to become a guardian deity assigned
to your sister."
"Huh?!"
Wait, what? A guardian? Assigned to my sister?
"She would not exactly have divine powers. She would be a semi-divine
creature sent to Earth to keep your sister safe. I suppose she would be
something of a bodyguard."
"Wait, huh?! No way! That's crazy talk!"
"P-Please hear me out! I want to do this!"
Ugh... Damn it... This girl's the overly serious type, huh? She gives me the vibe
of the kind of person who can't take a joke... Like an honor student or
something. Even though she's a god, I get the feeling she's decided this is the
only way she can make it up to me.
"I think you should allow it. To us divine beings, a human life is only the blink
of an eye. If it makes her feel as though she has repented, then why not allow
her the chance?"
"Hrmm..."
It was true that I'd thought about summoning a beast to keep Fuyuka safe,
but I gave up on that plan when I realized keeping it active was impossible...
But wouldn't defending her with a literal god be overkill?
"Would you keep your human form? I don't get it."
"Of course not. I'd assume animal form. Then, I'd simply become her pet,
allowing me to protect her at all times."
...From god to pet? Is this a joke? She looks dead serious, though... Gah... If
she's really set on this, then... so be it.
"Could you take the form of a dog? My parents love dogs..."
"A dog? That is possible, yes."
After she spoke, the goddess transformed into a mighty white wolf.
...Holy shit. She looks like a Siberian husky on steroids.
"How's this?"
"It's, uh... I don't know if they'd adopt you like that..."
"Really?!"
The dog-goddess flattened her ears a bit. She just looked too wild to be a
housepet. She gave off the aura of a solitary wolf that belonged alone in the
wilderness.
Ideally, she'd give off a good first impression, and I had just the idea that
might work well.
"Could you become a puppy? I think if you're small and cute, it'll work
better."
"I see... Then let me try this..."
The white wolf shimmered and flashed, gradually turning into a tiny little
puppy. The wild aura from before completely disappeared.
"How about now?"
"Perfect. Now you just have to make a good first impression. Please don't
speak to them, either. Dogs can't talk."
"Roger that!"
The dog snapped to attention, raising her little paw upward in a salute.
...Please don't do anything like that either.
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Nah, it'll be fine... I'm still a little worried, but I'm sure it'll turn out okay..."
"She will make a fine companion for your sister. So long as she has enough
magic stored up, she will be able to use recovery spells in case of illness or
injury."
That was quite the relief, in all honesty. It was nice to know my sister had
someone looking out for her in my absence.
I turned around and noticed my wives crowding around the little white puppy.
"Ahhh! She's so cuuute!"
"W-Wait, stop!"
"Wowie! She's all white and fuzzy! What a cutie!"
I felt a funny sense of deja vu wash over me as I recalled Kohaku suffering in
much the same way the first time she assumed her tiny form.
Well, with a little luck, everything would turn out okay. Probably.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Bah... Gah..."
"Hm? What's wrong, Fuyuka?"
The woman could only watch as her daughter crawled toward the window.
The baby was always in a good mood, but today she seemed a little overexcited.
Part of the woman wondered if the baby had seen the dream she'd had the
previous night.
The night before, she'd had a strange dream about meeting with her late son.
He had nine wives with him, even. Even though it was her own dream, she
couldn't help but be surprised. There were way too many of them. They all
seemed like nice girls, though.
Oddly enough, when she mentioned this to her husband... he said he'd had
the exact same dream. Even when they went through the details, everything
matched up quite closely. It was quite strange, in the end. For a husband and
wife to have the same dream.
Still, it could be explained, perhaps, by the fact that they worked closely
alongside each other and largely kept to the same schedule. Indeed, Mrs.
Mochizuki had already handwaved it away as a funny little thing, but her
husband was still mulling it over a bit.
"Hmm... Maybe it was something from the spirit world after all... Probably
not, though... Hard to imagine Touya astrally projecting like that..."
He was overthinking it. Probably had manga on the brain a little too much,
honestly. Still, it was a very unusual dream. Certainly one of the clearer dreams
he'd ever had. His daughter, Fuyuka, had even been there as well. And that
made him think perhaps she'd been in the dream with them.
"No way," Tsuzuri said as she shook her head, dismissing the idea.
Probably not, thought her husband. And it's not like we can ever know for
sure...
Fuyuka kept on patting the window, almost as if she wanted to go out into the
garden. She seemed to be beckoning her father to open the window. The
garden wasn't visible from such a short line of sight, so she probably wanted to
go outside and see the grass.
"What is it, do you want to go out?"
"Gah... Oggie... Wah!"
"...Oggie?" Tsuzuri said in confusion, tilting her head slightly. The noise wasn't
exactly one of her daughter's usual ones.
Just as she stood up to go and open the window, she noticed a puppy sitting
in the yard. It was pure white, an utterly beautiful specimen. Something about it
resembled a Siberian Husky... But at the same time, it looked a little unique.
Perhaps some kind of interesting crossbreed.
"Ah... Oggie..."
"Oh! Doggie!"
Finally understanding what her daughter meant, she opened up the window.
Little Fuyuka almost scrambled right outside on all fours, but she was promptly
stopped by her mother. There was no way she was going to allow her daughter
to get mud all over her freshly-cleaned clothes.
"...Oggie!"
"I know, sweetheart. Hold on."
She put on her sandals and walked into the garden with her daughter,
greeting the immobile puppy. It was surprisingly docile, all things considered.
Usually, a dog so young would be yapping all over the place.
"See? Here's the doggie."
"Oggie!"
"Woof!" the dog suddenly barked in response to Fuyuka's voice, then lowered
its head as if inviting her to pet it. Tsuzuri raised her brow at this, somewhat
surprised at how friendly and obedient this seemingly wild puppy acted.
"You're an obedient little thing, huh? Where are your owners?"
She tried to look for any identifying marks, but there wasn't a collar to be
found. There was still the possibility of it being a lost dog, though.
"Wuff..."
The puppy rubbed its head up against Tsuzuri's hand.
This is bad... thought the woman. Real bad... This puppy's cute... Almost too
cute...
"Hm? What's with that dog, honey?"
"Oh, sweetheart. I think it's a stray."
She glanced back to see her husband peering out the window. He quickly
slipped his sandals on and walked down to the garden.
Her husband was a big dog lover. So was she, but she'd never actually owned
one before. They once tried to adopt a dog from a friend, but Tsuzuri found
herself strangely skittish and afraid of it. And even trying three times, she failed
to shake the unease.
"Arf?"
They'd given up on ever getting a dog, but perhaps... Perhaps this was fate.
Surely it couldn't have been a coincidence that this puppy had graced their
garden the morning after that strange dream.
The woman briefly wondered if the puppy was a reincarnated form of her
son... But, almost as if to dispel that idea, the dog started shaking its head from
side to side. Of course not, that would be silly.
"Touichirou... Do you think we could keep this puppy?"
"Hmm... I'd feel bad if it belonged to someone else, though..."
"Oggie! Oggie!"
"C'mon now... I think it's a stray. And look at how much Fuyuka seems to like
it."
Fuyuka reached her arms out to try and pet the puppy, and the puppy simply
allowed itself to be pet.
"Man, what a docile little thing..."
"Right? What do you think? You wanna keep him? Hey, puppy, wanna live
with us?"
"Arf!" the puppy let out a cheerful bark.
The woman and the dog gazed into each other's eyes, mutual happiness
welling up inside them. In response to that, Touichirou slid his glasses back up
to the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth.
"No."
"Whaaat?!"
"Gaaah!"
"Awoo..."
Wife, daughter, and puppy all expressed their disappointment.
"Not until we've gone through the proper channels. We'll need to take this
puppy to the vet, then the police. We have to be entirely certain this isn't
someone else's dog... And then, we can keep it."
"Yay! Thanks, sweetheart!"
"Oggie! Yaaah!"
"Woof woof!" the white puppy yipped and darted around, almost in
celebration.
"Whew... Infiltration complete... Now I can keep the girl safe..." the guardian
deity quietly vowed to fulfill her duty, atone for her sins, and eventually be
accepted back into the divine realm once more.
She was in it for the long haul, so she'd probably have to disguise herself as
multiple creatures as the girl grew older, but it was something she'd mentally
prepared herself to do.
"Oof! Oof!"
"Woof!"
Thus, the Mochizuki family gained a new member. Eventually, various
interesting circumstances would arise involving a young lady and her
mysterious pet dog... But that was a story for another day.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Whew..."
I walked down the stairs, rubbing my tired eyes. I had trouble sleeping the
night before, probably because of how late we'd stayed up. I had having a series
of naps more than a proper rest.
My grandpa often had guests, so there were plenty of futons for everyone to
sleep on... But unfortunately, there wasn't a bedroom big enough for all of us.
And since it wouldn't have been fair for me to only spend the night with specific
wives, I ended up sleeping on my own... Usually, this would spell a troubled
marriage, but I could see their point.
Yesterday sure was something.
I hoped that the servile god had made it to my family okay. My parents both
loved dogs, so it was probably fine. My mom was definitely a dog-lover, even if
she could get nervous around them sometimes. I was sure if it made a good first
impression, she'd pamper that pooch like no tomorrow. My grandpa and I were
more attuned to cats, though.
Either way, if Fuyuka was being kept safe by a guardian deity, I was happy.
Even if it wasn't a fully-fledged god, just having someone look after her was
good in my book.
"Hmm?"
A pleasant smell wafted over from the kitchen. I walked over and saw Lu with
her apron on, chopping away at various things with her knives. The morning sun
shone through the window, illuminating her form. She looked beautiful.
"Oh, Touya. Good morning."
"Pretty..."
"Hm?"
"Oh, uh. Nothing! Good morning, Lu," I said as I sat down at the kitchen table.
A second later, Lu passed me a freshly-brewed cup of tea.
"You're up early, Lu. Did you sleep okay?"
"I always get up at this time back at the castle. It's just part of my routine."
Lu helped out Crea, our head cook, with breakfast just about every day. Old
habits died hard, apparently. If you turned something into your daily schedule,
it became easier to repeat over time.
"Where's everyone else?"
"Yae, Hilde, and Elze are all up. They're doing some mock training in the
garden. Linze and Yumina are watching TV in the living room."
Everyone sure is up early... But I guess late nights don't really happen in the
other world, come to think of it. People are usually in bed by ten.
"What about Sue?"
"Still asleep. I'm gonna let her rest a little longer, then call her down for
breakfast. She's worn out after yesterday."
Sue, Sakura, and Leen were still in their beds. It was a little relieving to know
that I wasn't the last one up; I didn't want to be the kind of husband who kept
people waiting.
"Sue played a lot with Fuyuka yesterday, so it's okay to let her rest a bit more.
Sakura's never been the best at getting up early... As for Leen, it's probably..."
"...Probably what? My old age?"
"Gah?!"
I turned around and saw a sleepy-eyed Leen standing there in her pajamas.
You scared the crap outta me!
Leen didn't have her hair bunched up when she slept, so right now her hair
was all down. Honestly? She looked great like that.
"Of course not. Older people actually tend to get up earlier, silly."
"I see. Very well, then. Lu, could I have some tea?"
"Yep. Coming right up."
Leen rubbed her sleepy eyes as the tea was poured out in front of her.
"Are Sakura and Sue awake yet?"
"Still sleeping. Let's have them rest a bit longer, they deserve that much. Now,
darling... You've finished what you wanted to come here for, yes? What next?"
"Oh, well... I guess we'll have to talk about that. I don't think we'll be coming
back here any time soon, if ever, so we should make the most of it."
I didn't want my honeymoon to only consist of a trip to the zoo and meeting
up with my parents. That was kind of lame...
If I used [Gate] via my smartphone, we could go anywhere. Obviously, it used
divinity, so I couldn't use it whenever I wanted, but a day trip would be doable.
"Oh, that reminds me..."
"What is it, darling?"
I got up and walked over to my grandpa's study. He was a very meticulous
man, so the books were arranged precisely on the shelves.
Where was it, again... Oh. Here we go.
I brought a particular book back to the kitchen table.
"What is this?"
"It's a travel guide. It was written by a friend of my grandpa. I remember
seeing it a long time ago."
The book had all kinds of famous locations in it. It was a bit of an old book,
but the landmarks in it were still recognizable enough that I'd be able to get to
them through [Gate].
Leen picked up the book and flipped through it.
"Hmm... Quite interesting... This seems to be quite ancient architecture. I
certainly like that."
"That's Chichen Itza. It's an ancient city, like a thousand years old or so."
Chichen Itza was one of the largest ancient Mayan cities from the Postclassic
period. The page Leen was on showed the famous temple structure, dedicated
to the god Kukulkan. It was a massive pyramid with all kinds of intricate snakelike carvings all over it. The Mayans called the deity Kukulkan, while the Aztecs
called it Quetzalcoatl.
"If the city's only a thousand years old, why is it in such a state of disrepair?"
"There's no protective magic or anything over here, remember?"
"Oh, that would explain it."
Earth magic was often used in the other world to fortify buildings, alongside
general protective spells. Really rich families would pay extra to bulk up their
home foundations. If there was protective magic in this world, we'd have been
able to see so many ancient structures in their prime forms... It was a bit of a
shame.
The guidebook listed all kinds of places. The Sphinx, Stonehenge, the Leaning
Tower of Pisa, and the Eiffel Tower were among them. There weren't just manmade structures in the book, though. There were also natural wonders like
Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon.
There were a few Japanese landmarks, too. I was pleased to see the scenic
views of Amanohashidate listed, as well as the Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Skytree
wasn't mentioned, but that was because the book was older than it.
Leen kept on flicking through the book until we all heard a ding from the
microwave.
"Touya, you should wake up those two now."
"Gotcha."
I headed upstairs and found Sue and Sakura, half-hanging out of their futons.
...You guys are so slovenly... But I guess it's kinda cute in a way...
That wasn't too unusual to think, given they were my wives and all.
"Hey, Sue. It's time to get up."
"Mweh... Five more minutes..." Sue mumbled as she sleepily brushed my
hand away from her shoulder. I suddenly realized Leim, her butler, probably
had a pretty rough time dealing with her. Now that Sue lived with me, his duties
had shifted to caring for her little brother, Ed. Although I'd actually heard that
Leim was in the middle of training his son to succeed him, so perhaps
retirement was on the cards.
At least that's what I'd thought at first... Apparently, he spoke to Laim and
said he wanted to work in Brunhild. He probably wanted to be there to look
after any kids Sue and I ended up having.
As much as I appreciated the gesture, he'd probably be waiting a while... I
sighed a bit as I looked down at the sleepy Sue.
"C'mon now, it's time to get up. Breakfast's ready. We're all waiting."
"Breakfast..."
The one to reply to that wasn't Sue, it was Sakura. She'd been completely
unresponsive all this time, but the mention of food was enough to rouse her
from slumber.
"...Food's too good here... I'm gonna get fat... Really fat..."
"No, you won't."
"...Would you hate it if I got fat...?" Sakura mumbled slightly as she clung to
her futon. She sure could be silly sometimes.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sakura. I'll feel the same about you no matter what."
"Good... I'm happy..." She stopped hugging the futon and instead hugged me.
Gah, wait! I'm too small and weak for a full-on attack!
I got pushed down onto the nearby blanket, held there by Sakura's weight.
"Hey... What're you doing there? I wanna do it too!"
Sue had finally awoken, and she wasted no time getting in on the hug action.
Ack, wait! What are you... Nooo!
"...Just what are you all doing?"
A stern voice snapped us all back to reality. It was Linze, standing at the
entryway with her hands on her hips.
"Everyone's sitting at the dining table. You're taking up our time."
She narrowed her eyes slightly at the three of us. I felt a little bad. Apparently,
I hadn't come down right away, so Linze came to check on me. Whoops.
"...Sorry... We'll come downstairs right now..."
From my prone position, I slowly looked up at Linze.
Oh crap... Don't grin... Don't let her know what you just saw!
"...What is it now?"
"Hmm... Did you do that on purpose...?"
"Huh? Do what?"
"We see your panties..." Sakura's words caused Linze to grab at her skirt and
back away in a flurry. We were already married, so it wasn't that big of a deal...
But at the same time, we probably shouldn't have discarded all sense of shame.
"They're the new ones I bought when we arrived..."
"They're cute, but you shouldn't wear white... You're a married woman, so
you should wear something more adult..."
"S-Sakura! That's enough!"
Adult underwear...? Has Sakura been talking to Cesca or something? Or
maybe she saw something on TV...
"I'd wear something spicier, cause I'm a married woman now! But Yumina
said I shouldn't do that yet."
...Yeah, I'm not surprised she said that, Sue... Give it a couple more years at
least.
Apparently, people from the other world lived longer than Earth humans. But
even though they had this longer lifespan, the average age of death was still
younger due to stuff like monster attacks and more widespread poverty.
According to Doc Babylon, the reason for most humans having longer
lifespans was that almost everyone had some form of elven or demonkin blood
in their family tree. A blood examination at the research laboratory revealed
that Yae even had some demonkin blood in her. One of her distant ancestors
was a horned creature, apparently. It wasn't much, but it was there.
Eashen's ruler was also part-spirit, so stuff like that wasn't too uncommon
over there. Eashen did have a clan of demonkin who called themselves the
onifolk, so maybe Yae's ancestor was one of those.
Maybe that lineage would help explain her insatiable appetite, too...
"Geez! Just get up already! The food's gonna be gone at this rate!"
"Mm... Good point..."
"Yaeee! Don't eat my food!"
Sue and Sakura went bounding down the stairs. I didn't think Yae would do
something like that, but there was always the risk of her eating extra helpings of
the side dishes before we had a chance to get to them.
"Touya... You're not gonna rest here forever, are you?"
"I wasn't even resting..."
Well, whatever. Let's get breakfast while I still can.
I grabbed Linze's hand and headed downstairs with her.