Chapter 242: One Hundred And Eighty-Eight

Taking my seat in the pub, waiting for my parents and the Mori’s, I found myself breaking out in a cold sweat. Seriously, this shouldn’t be any worse than fighting monsters in the Boundary. Hell, I’ve survived attacks by yakuza and US agents, so why am I shaking now? I guess we could never escape our pasts. My father was a hard man, with very strong options and iron principles. Sure, he was a good father who definitely loved my sis and me, but… he’s definitely intense and strict.

To distract myself from the upcoming bloodbath I idly checked my phone, only to find a message from Shiro. Oh yeah, I guess it’s about time for her to wake up. Usually after a fun night out she was wiped out for days, only communicating by texts. Okay, what is she saying this time?

“Hey Aki. Thanks again for last night, getting me home. To be honest, I thought you’d give in to your base instincts and devour me like a ravenous wolf since I was all helpless and weak in the back of the taxi… but I guess you don’t have the guts for that!”

Yeah, just as annoying as ever. Seriously, Shiro is living proof of the saying that ‘god doesn’t give two gifts’ as she is blessed with a personality as annoying as her looks are stunning. Continuing to read, I nodded to the barman, old man Higuchi-san, as he popped down an entire bottle of his best whiskey, as well as some top-grade sake for the women.  Pouring myself a glass of the whiskey, I gulped it down, wishing more than ever that I could easily get drunk like I used to. Though having such a serious talk drunk would have its own problems. “… so anyway, thanks again. I had fun. I’m curious though, we’ve heard so much about your sister and childhood friend, but we’ve never met them. Next time they are in Tokyo, we should all go out. Although they are still under-age, right? Damn, Aki you pervert! Seriously, I’d love to meet the girl that finally made you drop your cowardice with women!”

“As always, she is such a pain.” I muttered, taking another long sip of whiskey. “Still, I guess I did talk about Eri and Aiko a lot in the past, especially when drunk. Yeah… that’s right. They are why I’m going through all this. Yeah.” Feeling a little bit better now I finished off the message.

“Oh, and don’t think I forgot that you agreed to do more work for me! I’ll be sending some over when I feel a little better, so once you’ve had your lovey-dovey weekend, you better get cracking! Oh, and speaking of forgetting… that stuff I said to you in the taxi about my illness and … other things… just forget all that, okay Aki? I’m not sure why I spilled all that, I never do normally, but I was drunk and you just seemed so easy to talk to. Anyway… I’m tired so I’m off back to bed. Later!”

And with that the message was done. It was typical Shiro, that was for sure. Though… when she opened up to me, I caught a glimpse of the sadness and anger under her bizarrely cheerful exterior. Hmm, my schedule is packed, but… I do want to try and help her somehow. Still… that’s for next week. For now… the door to the pub opened, and Higuchi-san called out his greetings, only to have them returned by my father. Well, here goes…

“Father, mom. Uncle, auntie.” I greeted them, ushering them over to the quiet corner-booth I was sitting in. There were a few other drinkers around, but that didn’t matter. It was time to talk seriously about the future.

“What’s that face for, Aki?” My mom asked, taking a seat next to me. Uncle was on my other side, while father and auntie were across from us. I poured everyone drinks, generous measures, and forced a smile.

“Well, I’ll be honest, this talk isn’t something I was looking forward to. But… the adult world is hard, right, father? We often have to do things we don’t want to do, because they are the right thing to do.” I used one of his favourite lectures from the past as my opening, and I got a stiff nod in return.

“Well, isn’t this awkward.” My mom interjected, her British forthrightness on clear show. I think that’s where my sis gets her ability to always speak her mind. Ugh, no escaping into my thoughts, I have to face this head on.

“By the way Aki, there’s been something odd going on in town recently.” She continued, clearly trying to lift the gloomy atmosphere. “There’ve been a lot of visitors, though they don’t seem to be relatives of anyone in town, nor do they seem to be tourists. Weird, huh? Is Nishimorioka on the up, getting popular?”

“Yes.” Uncle Junpei agreed. “We’ve noticed them as well, haven’t we, Hana?”

Auntie Hana nodded. “Yes, it’s quite worrying, as they seem to be watching the school and I’ve seen a pair of women near our house on several occasions. I tried calling the police, but they told us there was nothing to worry about.” She adopted a troubled expression. “How can this be nothing to worry about?”

“Well…” I took another gulp of whiskey before pouring myself another generous measure. “… that’s actually really helpful, mom, auntie. It touches on what I wanted to talk about a bit.”

As soon as I said that my father’s face tightened, a hard scowl crossing his features, but what surprised me was my mom suddenly looked a bit sick, as though she had expected something along these lines.

“… I knew it. Ai told me I was wrong, but… how else could you get so much money?” my mom said, and suddenly she burst into tears, shocking me.

“… oh my poor Eri. To think you’d go off the rails like this, little Aki. I’m so disappointed in you, but it isn’t too late! If you cut ties with them and go to the police, after a few years you can start afresh. I’m sure my Eri will wait for you!”

Wait, what? Confused, I was blindsided as my father threw some printouts on the table. The content was… surprising. Yakuza attack a shrine. Motive unknown but suspected to be gang-related turf disputes. Scabbing through there were also mentions of someone being taken in by the Organised Crime Control Bureau. I wasn’t named, but there were a few small details that made it possible to identify it as me, if you knew me and that I was involved with the shrine. Shit. I guess I’m not the only one who can use the internet to my advantage.

“Tell the truth, son.” My father rumbled, his angry gaze intense. “No good comes from lying. I let you and your so-called secretary fool me before, but not this time. The strangers in our village are all powerful-looking, and I believe some of them are even armed. Are they yakuza? Are we in danger? If your sister or anyone else is hurt by these thugs, I’ll kill you, I swear it!”

“I know you wanted to make our daughter happy.” Junpei said, trying to be reasonable, though his voice was edged too. “And it’s our fault we are poor and can’t provide a life you wanted, but this… seriously, drugs? Does Eri know? Our little girl wouldn’t want you to earn money that way, profiting off the misery of others. She wouldn’t care if you were living in poverty, just as long as you are together!”

“That’s right!” Auntie said, slapping the table. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she blinked futilely, trying to clear them. “My daughter is finally happy, she smiles all the time. But if it’s built on a foundation of lies… the pain in the end will be that much worse! All Eri ever wanted was you, she doesn’t care about nice presents or trips abroad! All she wants is to be with you!” at that the tears started flowing, and my mother broke down too, hugging her close.

Drugs? Seriously? Wait, didn’t Aiko mention mom asked her about something like that a while back? I’m… actually a little hurt. Though… I guess the truth is even stranger than that. I had thoughts that Karen-chan had managed to convince father about the source of my money, but I guess he was only pretending, or only partially believed us anyway. The other few patrons of the pub were looking away from this display of grief in typical Japanese fashion. Though in a small town like this, gossip will get around…

“Time to tell the truth.” Uncle continued, as my father was too angry to speak. “We promise to listen to you. I know you won’t have done this for selfish reasons, you’ve always been a good kid. But one bad mistake and suddenly there is no way out. You just end up falling deeper and deeper. I get that. Just… talk to us, and we will do what we can to help.”

“I see.” I sighed, a long exhalation of resolve. Well, I intended to explain some of this mess, but now… I need to go further. “Hey, Higuchi-san?” I called out, surprising everyone, who were waiting with baited breaths for my answer.

“What is it?” he said jovially. Since the baseball he had really taken a shine to me.

“Can we borrow a back room? I have to have a private conversation. And bring us some food and more booze. The best you have. It’s a… celebration, I guess?” I pulled a handful of bills from my wallet and handed them over.

“A celebration, you say?” Higuchi-san looked doubtful, seeing the expression on the men’s faces and the crying women, but his professionalism took over and he agreed, pointing us to the back. I snatched the papers off the table and led them through, and as soon as Higuchi-san brought in plates of skewers, rice balls and other snacks, I picked up the printouts again, my expression deadly serious. Well, here goes, the first and easiest part, I guess.

“Well, I’m not going to lie. Yes, the shrine I was staying at and working with was attacked by yakuza.”

“I knew it.” Father said quietly, his hard eyes compelling me to continue, ready to judge me by his high moral standards. Mother and auntie hugged each other so tightly they could barely breathe, waiting for the inevitable.

But here’s where we go off their script. “But… I’m not in the yakuza, or committing any crimes.” I scoffed at their suggestion. “Drugs? Seriously? Drugs.” I shook my head sadly. “I’m actually pretty hurt you’d think that of me, or that…” I was going to say that I’d take actions that would put my family and friends in danger, but sadly… in a way I did. And will continue to do so. That’s why we all need to be strong and protected. “I was taken in by the police, sure, but it was for excessive self-defence, not any organised criminality.” Well, they did think I was yakuza, but since I’m not, why complicate things?

“Self-defence? You?” Father scoffed. “You aren’t your sister. You don’t…” suddenly he paused, thinking.

“Yes, you’ve changed, Aki.” Uncle said, also considering what he remembered. “During the baseball you were strangely athletic and fast. I guess if you’ve been working out to get to that shape, fighting some thugs isn’t impossible…”

“Yeah. Well, that can wait. We were talking about the strangers in town, right? You’re correct, they are watching you. And as for the school, they are keeping an eye on Eri and Aiko. But they aren’t yakuza, or indeed criminals of any sort.” I fortified my spirit with some more whiskey, before finishing. “In fact they are hired security, pretty much the best there is. Fujiwara Security Services. There was another incident at the shrine that you haven’t been able to find any info on. After that, my… well, my business partners, I guess… decided that it was too much of a risk leaving my family unguarded. I totally agree, everything I’m doing is pointless if those I care about aren’t safe. Unfortunately I’ve been standing out too much, so… yeah, damn this is hard to explain.”

“You expect us to believe this?” my father shook his head. He was drinking as well, his face starting to become flushed from the booze. “I let you convince me before. Shrine real estate deals… it’s barely plausible, and Takeyabashi-san at Chairoakitara shrine vouched for you too… but, yakuza, security guards, getting arrested… just tell me the truth! Lying won’t make things better!”

“Indeed.” Auntie cried. “!t will only hurt Eri when she finds out. If she’s happy now, the despair will be worse when it all comes crashing down…”

“Son, you are a computer programmer, eking out a modest living in Tokyo. I could respect you, that you worked hard to put yourself through University, when we could barely afford some small help towards the costs. I did think you were wasting your life, and hoped you would find steady work and get married, have a family. But then…” he looked at uncle Junpei and auntie Hana. “… but then the inevitable happened and you and Eri-san started dating. You had money to throw around, and I thought you’d finally become a real man. Instead…” he took a deep breath. “Stop treating us like we are idiots. Nothing makes sense except you are involved in something strange and illegal, where the rewards are grand but you have to throw away your decency, your humanity, to get them! It may seem like a good idea, living the high life, but when someone gets hurt or worse, you’ll have to carry that through your whole life! Short as it’ll be, as son…” my father was deadly serious. “… Akio, if you end up harming Eri-san, or Aiko, or your mother… I’ll kill you myself, even if I end up in prison for it.”

I always thought I was very different to my father, and perhaps I am, but there are similarities too. I would kill those that hurt my family too… “I know.” I said, emptying my glass once more. “Don’t you think I’ve wrestled with these thoughts? Eri, Aiko… the thought of putting them in danger makes me sick. But… the world isn’t so kind.”

As mother and auntie gasped, uncle asked me just what I meant by that, if Eri and Aiko knew what I was doing, and I nodded. “Yeah. I was going to keep it quiet, but Shaeula… she felt they had to know. She’s an impulsive girl, and she likes to meddle, but she always does it from a place of kindness and to benefit me. I was pretty angry, but when Eri and my sis confronted me about being kept in the dark… I realised they were all right about it. So…” I bowed deeply. “… sorry I kept you guys in the dark too. But… this stuff is near-impossible to explain.”

“So, finally ready to confess?” My father sighed. “Good. I know I raised you to be an honest, upright man. If you’ve made mistakes, we’ll fix it, but first…” he tensed, and I could see his muscles working, my enhanced perception easily tracking his movements, they were painfully slow to me. Still, I didn’t move as his fist slammed into my cheek, letting him have the hit.

“Stupid bastard! Putting the girls in danger, I should beat you until… ugh, what…” he cried out as his fist bounced off my cheek, pain flaring through his suddenly bruised hand.

“Taichi! What are you doing?” my mom cried, trying to get between us, only to realise I was unmoved, my skin not even marked by the impact, while father was holding his hand, gritting his teeth, face pale.

“Sorry, but I’ve already fought yakuza and won.” I said dryly. “A punch from you doesn’t scare me anymore, father. But… at least I know you care.” Yeah, father has always been hard, but… his life wasn’t easy either. My paternal grandparents were dead before I was even born in an accident, when father was just seventeen, so it was only his friendship with uncle and auntie that kept him sane, as he often said when drunk. It was that lack of family ties that led him to go abroad to work, taking a chance, as he had no family to hold him here. And then he met mother. Smiling at the memory, I was caught flat-footed by the question that came from auntie Hana, though I was going to have to address it at some point. I just wasn’t expecting it now…

“So, Shaeula is involved in what is going on?” auntie said, her face set resolutely, but tears were still running down her cheeks. As I met her gaze I could see the fear in her eyes, fear of the answers I might give. I get it. You are Eri’s mother, after all…

“I thought it strange when you brought such a pretty young girl home with you, especially the way she acted around you. It was like… it was like you were dating, and I feared it would crush my little Eri, kill her. But you denied it, she denied it, though rather poorly, and Eri confessed and everything worked out. But… now you brought even more girls, and I find out Shaeula has been involved in whatever you are doing all along? Aki… I’ve always seen you as family. Tell me the truth. Just who is Shaeula to you?”

“That’s simple. I love her.” I couldn’t lie, not now. “And… we got engaged. I intend to marry her.” At my plain words auntie let out a cry of pain, going limp.

“Hana, calm down!” my mom said, holding her close, glaring at me, a look I had never seen her direct at me before. Father was still cradling his hand, but uncle Junpei… he was enraged.

“Akio, you bastard! What about Eri? Are you going to just throw her aside!” he stood, one half-drunk bottle of sake flying off the table to shatter on the floor. At the noise Higuchi-san popped his head in, but seeing uncle lunging at me, he backed off, pretending he had heard and seen nothing. Junpei grabbed me by the front of my shirt, pulling me right into his face. That expression too… damn, I’m handling this badly…

“She’s finally happy!” he shook me, spittle scattering across my face as he barked at me, eyes wild. “And you, you promised to marry her, to love her always! You even… her chastity…” he couldn’t say the words properly, emotion strangling his thoughts. They were so happy when they found out Eri and I had got engaged, even that we’d made love. And now… I can see why he’s upset but…

Before I could speak, uncle was hitting me as well, only to suffer the same fate as father, though I heard an audible crack as two of his fingers bent out of shape, the bones breaking. As he cried out in pain and the others called to him worriedly, I shook him off, grabbing his arm. Angrily he tried to pull free, but finding he couldn’t, he resorted to a baleful glare. “I ought to kill you… like you’ll kill my Eri…” he grated.

“Oh, shut the hell up. You were delighted when we got engaged, so why not give me a chance?” I pulled his broken hand to me, ignoring the pained yelp he made. Setting the bones with an audible and agonising crack, I channelled some aether, repairing the damage.

“Ouch… wait, it doesn’t hurt?” he marvelled, momentarily forgetting his rage, before his face twisted again. “No, you won’t distract me, you cheating little bast…”

“I may be a cheating bastard, I don’t deny it, but… I have resolved to love Eri, make her happy, and you think I’d break my promise? Really? Don’t fucking make me laugh, uncle. I’d die for Eri, you know that. If someone shot at her, I’d take the bullet, even if I risked death. You think I’d betray her?” the contempt in my voice halted everyone at the table. I let uncle free, and he slumped backwards, nearly falling over.

“Shut up and let me talk.” I complained, angry. Sure, they have a right to be mad, I’ve kept secrets, I’ve let Eri and Aiko go into danger, I’ve let information leak that might put everyone at risk… I cheated on Eri, even if it’s with her permission and blessing. But even so… everything I do, I do for us. I’ve made mistakes, but fucking hell, the situation is impossible, no-one can do it perfectly, unless it’s some stupid wish-fulfilment self-insert web novel!

“Talk then.” My mom said, her gaze still upsetting me. She had always been in my corner, the parent that let me get away with things when I was young, but now she was furious.

“Fine, I will. But first…” I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick message. “It doesn’t look like I’ll be joining everyone at the party.” With that done, I emptied more booze down my throat, before refilling my own and everyone else’s glass. “I think we all need this. So, where to begin? Shaeula, I guess. Like I said, I love her. I’ve only known her a short time, a month and change, though it seems far longer.” Probably because it is, with Boundary time taken into account. At my declaration, uncle and auntie groaned, thinking of Eri and how it would crush her spirit.

“At first she was a business rival, but we had… a disagreement, and afterwards, she joined me under my care.”

“I still don’t know what it is you claim to be doing…” father grated, still holding his hand.

“I told you to shut up. I’ll get to that.” I actually stood up to him, which was shocking for us both. Grabbing his hand I let out some aether, and he looked puzzled as the pain faded. That done, I continued.

”Shaeula… she isn’t Japanese. Well, I suppose in a very strange way you could say she’s a half, like me.” The Night Parade is kind of Japanese, right? “She’s also similar to me in a way. Eri and Aiko too. Where she grew up… well, let’s just say she’s from a very distinguished family, but being a half, she had no respect and no true friends. In fact, all she had was her pride, and her poor behaviour ended up getting her banished to Japan to prove herself. I think it’s why she’s so happy now. She found that being honest, putting aside her issues with trust… it makes life better. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s similar to Eri, no? Both of them were isolated from others due to their own behaviour and fears. So… spending time with Shaeula, even facing death together…”

“Death…?” my father murmured, but at my glare he said no more.

“… well, just like I care for Eri, I see the same things in Shaeula and wanted to help her too. But… I’m a coward.” I said, taking a harsh but fair shot at my own flaws. “Ever since I was young, I never really felt I was good enough.” I sighed. “So… leaving for Tokyo, it wasn’t just to broaden my horizons, it was also to run away. From my sister and her affection, from Eri and her love. Even in Tokyo, I had friends, but… I was always letting them drag me around, I seldom, if ever, instigated anything. But… it was Shaeula who encouraged me, and also Eri. If… if Shaeula hadn’t pushed us to it, I don’t think we’d have ever got together. So I don’t want you holding anything against her!”

“Even so…” Auntie began.

You are reading story On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor at novel35.com

“Even nothing!” I had the momentum, and wasn’t going to stop until this, at the very least, was resolved. I hate not being able to tell my family about Shaeula. It’s not fair to her, either. “Shaeula’s country is a polygamous one… multiple marriages are fine there. But… well, Eri was very wary of Shaeula, insecure and desperate. But even so, Eri is good girl, she knows gratitude. Even as she pushed Shaeula away from me, they could see the pain each of them had within. Still, I had promised myself to Eri after the festival, so there was no way I’d ever break that. Until…”

I remembered the desperate battle Shaeula endured, first against Ulfuric, and then against the whole force of her brother. “… until Shaeula’s brother came visiting while you were in Tokyo to hear about what I was up to. It was harsh and ugly, and Eri realised she had been very cruel to Shaeula, despite Shaeula genuinely liking her. So… she asked me to accept Shaeula as well.”

“No way. My little Eri would never do that!” Auntie exclaimed.

“I thought that too! Even so, I was going to refuse Shaeula, even though I knew I loved her too. I do have loyalty, and I love Eri deeply as well. But… they defeated me. Eventually I realised that all I had to do was make both of them as happy as they could be, and we’d all win. And I mean to do so!” I shook my head. “As for the marriage issue, worst case we can get married in Shaeula’s country. Or there may be other ways… but, you said it yourself. Eri is always smiling and happy now. And why not? She has me, she has Aiko, she has Shaeula… I’m not hiding anything from her, she knows everything. So if she still knows and is this happy…” at that I surprised them, bowing down on the floor in dogeza, an opposite to my current aggressive mood.

“Uncle, auntie. I love Eri and I will marry her and make her happy now and forever. I love Shaeula too, and have promised her the same. So I beg you, please continue to bless our union, and… treat Shaeula as your daughter too. She’s a good girl, you’ll like her, and if I ever was making Eri sad, Shaeula would be the first to punish me. She has a deep loyalty to her new friends, probably as she never really had any before. Besides, Eri is very lovable, Shaeula too. Having them close as sisters benefits them both.”

“Oh, Aki…” my mother whispered, shocked by the revelations, but my heartfelt pleas had reached her, melting away some of her anger.

“This is hard to accept.” Uncle admitted. “As a father, as someone that’s known you forever…”

“My little girl is happier though.” Auntie whispered. “Even after you got engaged, there was a shadow on her, something eating at her. A mother knows. After she spent the day with you in Tokyo though… that vanished. And ever since she’s been so radiant.”

“Just ask her.” I said, still kneeling down. “After this we’ll have no secrets, so she can tell you herself.”

“That still doesn’t explain… these other girls you brought back.” Uncle picked at the thread I was hoping they would ignore.

“Well, that’s political. The business I am in, which again I must stress is by no means illegal… I mean, drugs, seriously…” I still found myself somewhat offended. Getting to my feet I dusted myself off and sat down once more. “One girl is a daughter of Nichibotsu technology, that big multi-national firm. And another… well, she’s the granddaughter of the Minister for Defence in the Diet.”

“Seriously? You told me that the very polite girl was the granddaughter of the minister, but to think the other one was so rich too…” mom muttered. “… I know I joked I was happy to see more cute girls, but… Aki, just what are they here for? To learn martial arts? That seems… impossible.”

“Well, she’s not entirely lying. Motoko-san and her bodyguard Natsumi-san are very interested in martial arts and it so happens my new job has some… crossover.” I paused at their disbelieving looks, and finally spoke the truth. “… though, I guess you could say this is kind of a matchmaking weekend. Seriously though, I’m not interested! I have Eri and Shaeula, that’s more than enough happiness for me!” I assured them hastily. “But… they want closer ties with me, so having me in a relationship with their girls… they think it would tie me to them. I guess it would, as I’m weak to the requests of those I love.” I had to admit.

“Again, I cannot understand just what you are involved in that is so sought after. You are just a programmer!” my father exclaimed. “All this wealth, the security… powerful friends. Did you come up with some sort of AI that can rule the world or something?”

“You saw that on TV the other day…” my mom giggled. “Seriously though Aki… what are you going to do? Do you like these girls?”

“My Eri should be your priority!” Auntie shouted, swigging frenziedly at sake to dull her nerves, the revelations too much for her. “As for this Shaeula… I need to speak to her and Eri first. I’ll decide then. But more? No way! I forbid it!”

“That’s a normal reaction, and I agree.” I said, sighing. “They are good girls, and they have their own problems, but… I can help them out without having to… well, forget it. I have no plans to tie myself to them when I already have my hands full with the girls I already have.”

“What happened once will happen again.” Uncle Junpei said piously, before he looked me in the eyes. “I really want to punch you again right now, but… seriously, what is up with you? You didn’t even flinch when I hit you.”

“And you mentioned facing death with Shaeula, did you not? Then there was the yakuza, and these strangers… no, bodyguards for us?” Father observed. “You know high-ranking people, they are even offering you their precious daughters. Just… just what have you got yourself involved in?”

“A good question, and now that we have discussed Eri and Shaeula… I can talk about that too. But it’ll be hard to believe.”

“As hard to believe as my Aki having two fiancées, with more possible?” the heat and judgement had gone out of my mom’s gaze, and she was now loose and relieved, the tension having left her. Pouring herself another drink, which was risky as despite her heritage she was bad with alcohol, she shook her head. “Hana. I trust my son. It seems silly to say it considering what I thought he was doing but… can you blame me, Aki? Too many strange things are happening. What else was I to think? But… I’ll hear you out.”

“Thanks. So… it all started one day when a strange visitor came to my room…”

 

********

 

“Unbelievable. Impossible!” my father was exclaiming after I told them the most of my story. “That you are a yakuza and dealing drugs is more believable, but…”

“But the proof is in the scene before us.” Uncle Junpei sighed. Flames were swirling above one of my palms, while I was keeping a handful of coins flying about with wind with my other. This was after I had already demonstrated my incredible strength, lifting up both uncle and father one-handed without any obvious signs of strain.

“I can do more. Want me to pick up and throw a car? I can manage that now, I reckon.” I smiled, relieved that my secret was out in the open.

“So, Shaeula, she’s not even a human? But she looks so much like a pretty girl.” Auntie focussed in on her own interests, which was her daughters’ love rival.

“Well, I can say she’s totally and completely a girl when she wants to be, head to toes, a perfect reproduction. But in her Faerie form she isn’t.” I flushed as I realised I’d just implied something lewd in front of Eri’s mother.

“More importantly… this other world is dangerous, isn’t it?” Uncle asked. “And my little girl is risking her life there?”

I winced. “Well, like I said, originally I planned to keep everyone else out of this, but Shaeula made the decision for me. I now think she was right though.” I shrugged. “Auntie, uncle. Just ask Eri about how much she’s grown. I was won over by Eri when she told me that even if I loved her I didn’t have a right to control her life. She wanted to stand by my side. And while the thought of her or my sister, or anyone I care about getting hurt terrifies me… well, I let Shaeula fight by my side, so to deny Eri… it wouldn’t be fair to her. I am making sure that Eri, Aiko and those others I’m in charge of have maximum safety margins and don’t take risks. I still feel pretty uncomfortable with it all, but… the world is a dangerous place. Having my family and friends strong enough to protect themselves makes the most sense. I can’t be everywhere at once.”

“I see. Well… Eri seems very happy. And I’m pleased to hear she is standing up for herself more.” Uncle continued. “Even if I doubt some of her choices.”

“But still, if you can defeat mobs of yakuza and other assailants, how are these bodyguards going to protect us?” my father asked, and it was a good question.

“Luckily, it’s more a case of foreign agents who might target you. Normal people, if well-trained and armed. Fujiwara Security can handle that, I’ve been assured, or if not, they can buy you enough time to escape. When we are done here I’ll call Fujiwara-san’s secretary to patch me through to the leader of their Security Services, Ueno-san. He can get the security to introduce themselves to you all. When they don’t have to hide, they can do a better job. Please let them guard you. As for others like me… I dealt with the only current one I know of, he’s in prison for terrible crimes now. So I think this should be good enough.”

They seemed doubtful, but as I stopped my display of elemental talents, they were all listening. Father being who he was though, he wasn’t done questioning me. “So… are you sure you can trust this Exposition-san, as you called them? It seems very shady to me. After all, the amount of knowledge provided was limited, almost tailored to entice you to go one way. If you had not met Shaeula… well, I think things might have been different. She seems to fill in your lack of clarity on how things work.”

A good point. “I’ve thought about that a lot myself. The only conclusion I could come to was that I just don’t know. But what I do know is, I can’t afford to stop now. Having fought a truly vile opponent who has exploited this power, I shudder to think what would happen if Aiko or Eri or Shaeula fell into his hands. So no, the world has changed and we need strength to ensure we are all safe. I won’t blindly trust in Exposition-san, but so far I’ve only gained from the power I’ve been given. They did hint at obligations, or at least hoping I would be grateful down the line, but I’ll worry about that when it becomes relevant. I can only deal with what’s in front of me right now.”

“I’m worried for you, Aki.” My mother hugged me, and I could feel her trembling. “I hate the thought of you fighting. Aiko too.”

“I know. But… I’m pretty strong!” I boasted, glossing over the times I’d almost died. “I also like keeping safety margins and taking few risks, but I’ll do what I have to! That’s why I need connections to powerful people too. Hell, I met the Prime Minster the other day.”

I continued to explain, and time passed rapidly, the table soon empty of drinks. It was then the question I was pondering was asked.

“So, Akio. Son.” My father said seriously. “Are you going to teach us, like you did Aiko and Eri-san?”

“You know… I think I probably should.” I was torn, but there were good reasons to, now that the truth was out, so to speak. “A bit of strength will help you in any emergencies, and more importantly, when you see Eri and Aiko working hard, I think you’ll accept their choices, as I have. I’ll ask Shaeula to use her Chirurgery on you all tomorrow, since I’m spending the whole day with Eri, since it’s her birthday.”

“So, what about my parents?” Auntie Hana asked, and it was a good question. While my father’s parents were deceased, mom’s still lived in the United Kingdom, and Aiko and I had only met them a couple of times when they visited, the last time being six years ago. As for uncle’s parents. They were dead too. Apparently it was an outbreak of disease. Just bad luck. Nishimorioka has never been lucky with illnesses. Auntie Hana’s were still alive though, and they lived in one of the mountain villages in our catchment area. They were pretty frail though, her father being particularly unwell. I guess that’s another reason I spent so much time with my sis and Eri when we were kids. Lacking healthy grandparents to babysit, naturally it fell to me to look after them. Not that I regret a thing. Otherwise Eri and I would likely never have got together…

“That’s a good question. I’d need to speak to Shaeula, I’m not so good with Chirurgery yet. It would defeat the point, putting them at risk. Though if they could gain a little strength it could improve their health… yeah, we’ll consider it. Although obviously, they’d need to keep this secret for now. Shaeula and I agree we need to grow our powerbase before the world finds out about this. Fujiwara-san and the Prime Minister concur.”

“I can’t believe our little Aki knows the Prime Minister!” my drunken mom giggled. Now that she knew I wasn’t a criminal her mood had improved, though I still saw flickers of unease when she thought about the danger.

“Of course. I’ll talk to Shaeula. No, we will.” Auntie exchanged a long look with uncle Junpei. “We have to make sure our Eri won’t be hurt in this situation. I’m still angry with you both. With Eri too.”

“Well, she’s my daughter, so I’m troubled. But I’m also a man.” Uncle disagreed with her gently, before asking me an earnest question. “I get why you might find it hard to choose between two girls you love. But… it’ll be a bed of thorns keeping them both happy. Can you do it? I’m asking you, man to man.”

“It’s not a case of can, I simply will!” I declared resolutely, earning a hearty slap on the back from uncle.

“That’s what a man should say. But don’t come crying to me if things go wrong. You are being massively selfish, so I’ll have no sympathy.”

“I know. But…if you’d have been there… well, seeing Shaeula fighting her brother’s forces to a standstill, then breaking down about being separated from us… if your heart wasn’t moved, you’d be made of stone.”

“I shudder to think of Eri going through something like that…” Auntie really did shudder.

“Better she has strength if she needs it, rather than needing it and not having it. That goes for money too. Now you know where I am getting it from, that it’s a hundred-percent legitimate, I want no more nonsense about not taking it. After all, your son owns a hotel chain now. It’s not the biggest or the best, but even living off that money could make us all comfortable.”

“I feel very conflicted.” My father admitted. “As your parent, taking money from you makes me feel a failure.”

“Don’t talk crap.” I disagreed. “Like I said, you are going to have to get used to things you would never have believed in before. And you think Eri and I can rest easy in riches while our parents struggle? Just suck it up, and know that I get a good laugh out of it. It’s strange to me too.” I grinned.

“So… I think this calls for a celebration?” Mom asked. “I’m so relieved that nothing bad was happening. And… I’ll speak to Ai and Eri. Shaeula too. And these new girls, the ministers’ daughter and the rich heiress. I need to understand everything, to set my mind at ease.”

“I don’t think we’ll be truly at ease knowing what you are doing. Our daughters too.” Uncle said, finishing his glass of whiskey.  “But… if what you said about this Kondou Kazuo is true, and I have no reason to doubt you… I understand why you were making that choice.” He seized my shirt and pulled me close in a repeat of earlier, just this time with goodwill in his eyes. “Just promise me… you’ll look out for them.”

“Like with the dog, I’ll never back down.” I promised, and he released me before pulling me into a hug.

“Shit, I’m crying. Why?” he scrubbed at his tears with his free hand, and everyone else looked at him sympathetically. “I must have had too much to drink.”

“Or too little. I can help with hangovers using Ether Healing.” I smiled slyly. “It’s a lot to take in all at once, I know that. So why don’t us adults drink the night away while our young girls are at home?” I fired off another text saying we would be back late.

My father looked at me, and I saw something I seldom saw in his eyes. Approval. “I think we should, Akio. I think we should. I have to accept it. Even if I might have chosen differently, you decided on your own what you needed to protect and how to do that, and to grasp what you wanted, despite what others would think. I have to accept you are a true man now.”

I felt myself welling up a bit, but smiled. Wow. It took the world facing Armageddon to get my father to admit I’m all grown up and earn his respect. Shit. Why do I feel so happy all of a sudden? Drowning my embarrassment and high emotion with the remains of my drink, I called out to Higuchi-san for more…

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