“I guess not, huh?” Hajime replied with a slight smile. His left arm and right eye only looked normal. Underneath the artificial skin, his arm was still a metal prosthetic, and his right eye was still the same Demon Eye he’d fashioned for himself.
If he’d really wanted to, he could have had Kaori restore his old body with restoration magic. The reason he hadn’t was because it was the new, white-haired, one-armed, one-eyed version of him that had fought through all those trials and hardships together with Yue and the others. He didn’t want to throw away that part of himself.
Also, it was simply a matter of practicality to keep all of the powerful weapons he’d grafted onto his body. He wasn’t foolish enough to think he’d never need to fight again. So for both of those reasons, he’d kept his new body and simply camouflaged it to look like his old one.
“I guess it’s not that easy to change gears. Everything that happened back on Tortus is still fresh in my mind.”
“Maybe it’s because you’ve been so busy since getting back?”
“Yeah, that’s definitely a big part of it.”
Unsurprisingly, Hajime had been quite busy over the two weeks since he’d returned to Earth. An entire class of people had mysteriously disappeared all at once and stayed missing for a full year. Naturally, their sudden reappearance had caused quite a stir.
They’d had to explain everything that had happened to the police and various politicians, then go through rigorous physical and mental examinations. Hajime had also had to go through various administrative procedures to obtain permission for Yue and the others to live in Japan, and then they’d had the mass media to deal with. Hajime hadn’t even had a full day to sit down and talk with his parents.
“Thank you, Hajime...” Yue said, once again reading Hajime’s thoughts.
It had been difficult getting Yue and the others to integrate into Japanese society, considering how different their cultures were from Earth’s. Thankfully, Hajime’s classmates (especially a certain young man whose presence was thinner than a shadow and who was now going by the extremely ridiculous nickname Abyssal Lord) had helped him out a lot.
Hajime and his friends had run themselves ragged, even cutting down on sleep and time they could have spent with their parents to make sure Yue and the others weren’t bombarded by journalists, and to ensure they were able to live comfortably in Japan. Naturally, Yue and the others felt bad about that, but there was nothing they could have done.
“Don’t worry about it... You guys are all family.”
“Mmm... Still, thank you.”
Hajime was willing to do anything and everything for the irreplaceable people he’d brought back to Japan. He didn’t want them to feel the same fear and unease he had when he’d been summoned to Tortus. After all, to them, Earth was a completely different world.
Of course, Yue and the others were well aware of the great lengths Hajime had gone to for them. It was Hajime himself who didn’t realize how much the things he considered a given meant to them, though. That was just the kind of person he was, but it was also why Yue and the others found him so adorable.
Yue stared up at him again, willing him to see just how grateful she was through the look in her eyes. Her beauty was as striking as always, and Hajime ran his fingers through her golden-blonde hair. He then reached down and brushed the tips of her ears, prompting her to smile at him.
“Things will finally settle down a little now, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve finished most everything that needs to be done. Though there are a couple things that are still just stopgap solutions. There are probably some more things we’ll need to take care of down the road.”
“It’s okay... We’ve learned a lot too.”
Yue grabbed Hajime’s hand and pressed it against her cheek. As he watched her expression change slightly, he realized now why they’d all come into his room instead of sleeping in the makeshift rooms he’d made for them.
They’d all been waiting for things to calm down enough that they could feel comfortable begging him to spoil them.
He smiled apologetically at Yue and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you all feel lonely. I honestly wanted to show you around my hometown a lot sooner than this, but...”
“Don’t worry about it. Your mother kept us company while you were busy. Besides...” Yue brought her mouth to Hajime’s ear and whispered, “We have plenty of time now. We’ll be together forever, after all.”
She then playfully bit Hajime’s earlobe.
“Yue.”
“Mmm...Hajime.”
The two of them cupped each other’s cheeks and pressed their foreheads together. Yue stuck her tongue out of her lips, and the two of them kissed again, more passionately this time. Both of them could see the happiness reflected in each other’s eyes, and as they pulled away, they both smiled at each other.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Good morning, Yue.”
“Mmm... Good morning, Hajime.”
Just as the two were about to start kissing again, they were rudely interrupted.
“Jeez! Have you forgotten that we’re here too?!” Shea roared, grabbing Hajime’s face and turning it toward her.
Oh yeah, she woke up at the same time as Yue, didn’t she?
Shea didn’t give Hajime a chance to object before pressing her lips against his and sticking her tongue into his mouth.
Shea’s kisses were far more intense than Yue’s, and she sucked greedily on Hajime’s tongue. After a few seconds, Shea finally pulled away and said, “Pwah, he he he! Good morning, Hajime-san, Yue-san.”
“Mmm... Good morning, Shea.”
“Y-Yeah, morning, Shea.”
Yue took all of this in stride, but Hajime looked a bit conflicted, not only because they were both sticking their lips out at the same time, expectantly waiting for more kisses, but because they now had a new observer.
“Umm, you don’t have to pretend to still be asleep, Remia,” Hajime said, noticing her close her eyes the moment he turned to her. He’d been so focused on Yue that he hadn’t realized she’d awoken.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t want to disturb you,” Remia replied hurriedly, looking like a child who’d been caught in the middle of a prank. She quickly sat up and straightened out her hair. It was honestly charming how she was always trying to look perfectly presentable.
“Morning, Remia. Were you able to sleep all right down there?”
“Oh, yes. I had more than enough room. And...I feel the most at ease when I’m by your side, Hajime-san.”
She blushed slightly as she said that, then glanced away guiltily. It was clear she was wondering whether or not it was okay to give Hajime a good morning kiss as well. Even if she wasn’t doing it on purpose, every single one of her mannerisms just made her look cuter, so Hajime had to hold himself back from pushing her down right then and there.
“Tio, Myu’s right here, so restrain yourself. If you can’t, I’ll teleport you into the ocean.”
“I-I’m sorry, Master, it was just a joke!”
Tio hurriedly got up as well, making it obvious she, too, had just been pretending to be asleep. She’d been sneakily trying to pull down Hajime’s shorts, but Hajime put a stop to her perverted antics before she could do anything that Myu wasn’t allowed to see. She hadn’t fixed up her yukata before getting up, so her boobs bounced up and down as she sat up, and the full length of her legs was clearly visible.
Normally, any man would find her unbelievably attractive, but the fact that she was panting happily at the prospect of being tossed into the ocean killed any lust that might have been welling up inside Hajime. At the moment, though, he was thankful for how much of a turn-off that was.
Seeing the hopeful look in Tio’s eyes, Hajime kicked her off the bed, and she shouted, “Thank you very much!” as she hit the ground with a thud.
“Mrrr? Daddy?”
“I’m right here. Good morning, Myu.”
At this point, they were all being noisy enough that even Myu woke up. Everyone watched with a smile on their face as she slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
“Mmm... Good morning...”
Myu also puckered her lips, clearly expecting a kiss from Hajime. It was obvious who she’d been influenced by.
“Whoa there,” Hajime said, holding his hand out to stop her. He then glared at Yue and Shea, who guiltily averted their gazes.
“Mrrr? Why’d you stop me?”
“It’s too early for you to be kissing people on the lips, Myu. Besides, I’m your dad.”
“Unacceptable! Shut up and let me kiss you!”
“Myu, where did you learn that kind of language?!”
“From the drama mommy really likes!”
After coming to Earth, Remia had gotten hooked on TV dramas. Yue and the others had been amazed by the wonders of modern civilization as well, but they’d been far more impressed by Hajime’s PC. They’d all ended up becoming computer fans like the rest of the modern youth, but Remia had been far more entranced by the romantic drama she’d caught a glimpse of on TV. Hajime still remembered how her eyes had glittered with excitement as she’d sat down, eyes glued to the TV while everyone else tinkered with his computer.
Incidentally, everyone had a different favorite modern appliance. Yue loved her smartphone’s GPS feature, Shea was all over the pressure cooker, Tio was amazed by the bathroom—specifically, the fact that you could get hot water from the faucets—and Myu was obsessed with video game consoles.
Yue’s expression had truly been something to behold when Kaori had explained that if Hajime had his phone on him, Yue would be able to track his location via GPS no matter where he was.
Incidentally, Kaori’s expression had been the exact opposite of Yue’s when she’d been giving that lecture.
Shea’s and Myu’s favorite modern appliances both matched their respective personalities perfectly. Shea had already started taking over the Nagumo family’s kitchen, while Myu was the person from Tortus who had become the most proficient in using computers, microwaves, and other electronic gadgets in this short time.
As for Tio, well, she had been spending a lot of time in the bathroom and everyone could hear weird moaning noises every now and then, but they were all trying their best not to think too hard about it.
At any rate, after hearing Myu’s answer, Remia covered her face with her hands and apologized profusely for being such a bad influence on her daughter. Hajime gently patted her back to try to calm her down, while Yue turned to Myu and said, “Myu, I’ll give you a good morning kiss instead.”
Not wanting to be part of the group that was being a bad influence on Myu, Yue pulled her out of Hajime’s arms and softly kissed her on the cheek.
Myu let out a tiny squeal of surprise but otherwise didn’t protest.
“Here, I’ll give you a good morning kiss too. Good morning, Myu!” Shea said, taking Myu from Yue and kissing her on the forehead.
Tio decided she also wanted to join in. “I’d like to be part of this as well. Good morning, Myu.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on, but you shouldn’t say those kinds of things, okay, Myu?” Remia said, taking her daughter back.
“Eek! Everyone keeps kissing me!”
Naturally, Hajime had no compunction about kissing Myu on the forehead, and he did so once everyone else was done with her. That seemed to pacify her for the moment, and she excitedly got out of bed.
It was hard to believe this group of people had been fighting for their lives in a different world just a month prior.
Though Hajime was having a hard time fully changing gears, seeing a scene like this helped drive home the fact that he’d really made it back, and that no harsh trials were waiting for him every time he woke up.
“Hajime, you better get up soon or—”
The familiar yet nostalgic voice of Hajime’s mom reached his ears as she walked up the stairs and opened his door before he could warn her not to.
Sumire Nagumo, a woman in her early forties with a stylish bob cut, walked into the room and froze when she saw what was going on in her son’s bed—namely, the fact that her son was surrounded by naked and half-naked women.
“Ah.” Yue, Shea, Tio, and Remia said at once. They all stared at the woman who was effectively their mother-in-law now.
Honestly, from the way everyone looked, it was hard to tell if they’d had a wild time last night, or if all of these women were just about to have their way with Sumire’s son.
Of course, in either case, this situation was extremely awkward. Yue and the others started panicking, worried that Sumire might think they were all shameless women and chase them out of the Nagumo household.
“Mom, it’s not what you think. I can—”
“Ah, grandma! Good morning!” Myu exclaimed, interrupting Hajime’s attempt to explain the situation.
“Oh, good morning, Myu-chan. You’re in a good mood this morning.”
Thanks to Myu’s cheerful greeting, Sumire’s stiff expression turned into a smile, and she turned to Yue and the others.
“Should I come back an hour later, then? Well, with how many of you there are, I guess I should give you two hours. Enjoy.”
“What?!”
Stunned by how understanding Sumire was being, Yue and the others were unable to say anything before she left and closed the door behind her.
“Y-You’re misunderstanding, mother—” Yue shouted far too late, stretching her arm out toward the door.
“Deeeeeeaaaaaar! Our son’s having an orgy in his room! As his mother, how am I supposed to react to this?!” Sumire shouted, running down the stairs.
Shea hurriedly jumped out of bed and said, “I-I’ll go explain things to—”
“What?! I can’t believe my son’s sleeping with his harem this early in the morning! I thought that only happened in visual novels! What is he, a visual novel protagonist?!” Hajime’s father, Shu Nagumo, shouted from the living room.
“Oh, but dear, that means we’re going to have even more grandchildren! Our family’s going to keep on growing!”
“We should go to the temple and buy some charms for all of the girls to pray for their safe deliveries. Actually, Sumire, we should do that right now. Driving to the local temple and back should take us around two hours. That’s enough time, right?”
“Oh, yes, that’s a perfect idea! It’d be awkward if we stuck around, right? I’ll be ready in forty seconds!”
As Hajime’s parents ran around getting ready, Remia covered her face with both hands, her cheeks so red she looked like a tomato.
Yue, Shea, and Tio were blushing in embarrassment as well, but at the same time, they gave Hajime a knowing look.
“Dad, mom...” Hajime shook his head in exasperation.
Hajime, your parents are just like you.
Hajime-san, your parents are just like you.
Master, your parents are just like you.
Yue, Shea, and Tio were all thinking the exact same thing. For his part, Hajime’s reaction was surprisingly tame. It was far closer to how his personality had been before the ordeals he’d gone through in Tortus.
“Daddy? What are grandpa and grandma doing?” Myu asked, completely oblivious to the situation at hand.
Never change, Myu. You’re the only pure one here... Hajime thought.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Mom and dad have always been like that. They go with the flow really easily, but they also say some pretty random things at times.” Hajime gently patted Myu on the head, then turned back to Yue and the others. He glared pointedly at them and said, “Put on some clothes, will you?”
It was, after all, their fault his mom had misunderstood things.
“Ah!”
Yue, Shea, and Tio normally slept naked or close to it when they were sleeping in the same bed as Hajime, so they hadn’t really given it much thought, but after this incident with Sumire, they were doing some serious self-reflecting.
Hajime was just thankful it wasn’t his dad who’d come to wake him up. Had that happened, poor Shu would have likely had his memories of what he’d seen removed by force. Just as Hajime was thinking that, he heard his dad sneeze from the living room.
“What the?! Why do I suddenly feel a chill?!” Shu said.
“I’ll go explain things to them, so you all should get dressed, okay?” Hajime said as he handed Myu off to Remia and got out of bed.
“Okay,” Yue and the others responded apologetically.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
“Today’s breakfast is delicious, Shea-chan, Remia-chan,” Sumire said.
“I’m impressed by how quickly you adapted to Earth’s food, even though you guys must have completely different spices and ingredients in your home world,” Shu added.
After getting dressed, everyone had come down to eat breakfast together at the dining table. It was honestly a rare occurrence for everyone in the Nagumo household to be around for breakfast. Hajime’s parents both worked in creative fields—Sumire was a popular shoujo manga author, while Shu worked at a game development company. They were both extremely passionate about their jobs and hardcore otaku, which meant they were both night owls.
Normally, they never ate breakfast, and honestly, they skipped lunch pretty often too. They mostly subsisted on one big meal each day, that meal being dinner. Both of them were of the opinion that waking up early just to eat was a waste of time. Or rather, they had been of that opinion until Shea and Remia came along.
“He he he, I’m glad you like it. I heard all about Earth food from Hajime-san back when we were in Tortus, and he showed me how to make a few simple Earth dishes, so adapting wasn’t too hard,” Shea said with a smile, her bunny ears flopping around happily.
“I know everyone lives their lives differently, but you two must have been extremely stressed over the past year, right? Both of you are terribly thin. I know your work keeps you busy, but I’d like it if you at least ate three proper meals a day,” Remia continued, in a kind voice. Even though she was younger than Sumire and Shu, both of them were gripped by the sudden urge to call her “mom” anyway.
Shea and Remia had started learning how to cook Earth dishes while Hajime was busy taking care of all the small details that had accompanied their return to Earth. They’d wanted to do what they could to help Hajime and his parents, as well as slowly get used to Japan, and cooking had seemed like a good way to do both.
It helped that both of them were good cooks already, so all they needed to do was learn how to use new ingredients and follow new recipes. Under normal circumstances, Sumire and Shu would never have woken up early to eat breakfast, but after hearing that two of their daughters-in-law were making homemade food for their sake, they’d immediately started setting alarms.
“If I don’t eat a home-cooked meal made with love, how can I call myself a manga author?!” Sumire had said.
“There’s no way I’d miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Shu had shouted. Eating breakfast had nothing to do with whether you drew manga or not, and since Shea and Remia were cooking every day it was hardly a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but either way, both of them had jumped at the chance to live out a common anime trope. They would have eaten anything their cute daughters-in-law cooked for them, even if it made them sick.
At any rate, a week had passed since then. Eating breakfast together as a family had become customary now.
“Hajime, you really brought back some wonderful wives. If you do anything to make them cry, I’m going to draw an NTR doujin with you in it and put it out at Comiket, so you better be careful,” Sumire said.
“Yeah, you better not ever leave them...or else...my revenge will be swift and merciless.”
“You guys are starting to scare me.”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login