Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 4.1

Chapter IV: The Angel’s Guardian

A foreign-made sedan cruised down the coastal highway, all of the windows rolled down to let the fresh ocean breeze flow in.

“I always love driving down this highway.” the driver, a man in his mid-forties, said. His hair whipped behind him in the wind, and despite his age, he looked quite handsome and young enough to be mistaken as thirty.

This man was Tomoichi Shirasaki, Kaori’s father.

“He he, it does feel nice,” the woman in the front passenger seat said. She was Kaoruko Shirasaki, Kaori’s mother.

The resemblance between the two of them was so strong that it was clear Kaori would look just like her mother when she grew older. Much like Tomoichi, Kaoruko didn’t look at all like she was in her forties.

“Y-You think so too, right, Kaori?” Tomoichi asked, glancing at his daughter through the rearview mirror. He’d been looking back at her constantly, much to the chagrin of his wife, who wanted him to focus on the road.

“......” Kaori said nothing in response. She was wearing a white dress under a thick cardigan. With her hands neatly in her lap, she looked like the daughter of some rich family. The way she stared out of the window at the ocean was so picturesque that it belonged in a Hollywood movie. Unfortunately, her expression ruined the otherwise perfect image. It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard her father, but she was purposely ignoring him. That much was clear from the frown on her face.

Tomoichi cleared his throat and once more tried to catch his daughter’s attention.

“I’ve always wanted a beachfront house. Maybe we should move—”

“Over my dead body,” Kaori said, and Tomoichi let out a small groan. Still, he refused to give up.

“Y-You’re the one who always complained that you didn’t want to go back every time we came here. You’ll be able to live closer to Sakura-oneechan too. Don’t you think—?”

“If you want to move, then you can do it. I’m staying.”

“That’s too cruel, Kaori!” Tomoichi exclaimed, turning back to Kaori. Naturally, the car started to swerve, and Kaoruko slapped him, forcing him to look back at the road in front of him.

In a stern voice, she said, “Dear?” and Tomoichi immediately apologized. He knew how terrifying his wife’s wrath could be. Much like Kaori, Kaoruko’s rage was a sight to behold.

“Come now, dear, there’s no way Kaori would want to move, especially since Shizuku-chan isn’t going anywhere.”

“Y-You have a point, but...I still think it’s a good idea...” Tomoichi grumbled to himself.

Right now, the Shirasaki family was heading to the house where Tomoichi’s parents and older brother lived. His older brother had a daughter named Sakura, who was four years older than Kaori. She’d always been a very mature girl, and Kaori had always looked up to her like an older sister. As an only child, Kaori had always wanted siblings, and Sakura had been the closest thing to one.

Tch, I thought if I brought up Sakura-chan, I might be able to change Kaori’s mind... Tomoichi thought to himself. He was truly desperate right now. His beloved daughter had miraculously returned to him, only to tell him that she’d fallen in love. Now the mere mention of Hajime’s name soured his mood.

“Besides, Kaori’s never going to leave the city Hajime-kun lives in,” Kaoruko said with a chuckle, knowing that saying Hajime’s name would set Tomoichi off.

“Please don’t, Kaoruko! We finally get to have a proper family gathering, so don’t bring up that miserable brat and ruin the—”

“Dad?” Kaori said in a chilly voice, and Tomoichi shivered. He knew that if he turned around he’d see a demonic mask floating above Kaori’s head. But even so, he couldn’t back down here. His beloved daughter was being deceived by this villainous man (or so he thought) and he had to bring her back to her senses!

“K-Kaori, calm down. I’m sorry, I should have chosen my words more carefully. Still, I think that shitty philanderer shouldn’t—”

“Fine, I’m going home. Bye, dad.”

“Nooo! Listen to me, Kaori! I’m saying this to protect you!”

“You’re insulting people for my sake? I didn’t know you were such a horrible person, dad.”

“You’ve got it all wrong, Kaori! I don’t want to say such horrible things about H-Ha-that guy! I’m grateful to him too!”

“Really?” Kaori said, finally turning to face her father, a dubious look on her face.

“Yes, really. If not for that bast—I mean, that guy, you wouldn’t have made it back home, right? And while I still can’t believe it, he even...”

“Yep, he saved my life.”

After getting back home, Kaori had told Tomoichi and Kaoruko about everything she’d been through in Tortus. Like Hajime’s parents, they hadn’t believed her at first, but after seeing her use magic, they’d had no choice but to.

With the amount of proof they’d seen, Tomoichi and Kaoruko fully believed that Kaori had been sent to a different world for a whole year. As a result, it had been quite chilling to learn that Kaori had died once, had her soul transferred to a different body, and even had to fight against a god’s army. She’d come close to dying for good countless times, so it was only natural that they’d be worried.

“It really is a miracle that you returned to us, and it seems he’s the one who brought you all back. I owe him everything.”

“Dad...” Kaori mumbled, her expression finally softening. She could tell her dad wasn’t lying. Kaoruko nodded along in agreement.

Indeed, the first time both of them had met Hajime, they’d hugged him and professed their heartfelt thanks with tears in their eyes. But even so, Tomoichi couldn’t accept that the two of them were in a relationship. Not because he disapproved of the two of them going out, but rather because he disapproved of Hajime’s harem.

“But still, how can that bastard cheat on you with all those other women when he already has such a perfect girlfriend, Kaori? He doesn’t even feel guilty about it. Instead, he’s openly flaunting his harem! Only a scumbag would do that!”

“Forget it. I hate you, dad.”

“Gah!”

That was the last thing Tomoichi wanted to hear, so he nearly started coughing up blood. Tears welled up in his eyes, he wailed, “Please don’t hate me, Kaori, my beautiful angel!”

“Oh dear, please just accept it already. Kaori had a crush on Hajime-kun even before they got summoned away. Isn’t it wonderful that her love finally bore fruit in the harsh climate of another world?”

“No one told me she had a crush on him for that long!”

Indeed, the knowledge that Kaori had become Hajime’s girlfriend had been a complete shock to Tomoichi, especially since during the family meeting where all the families of the missing children had gathered together, Hajime had introduced Yue and the others to everyone. He’d explained that he’d only been able to get everyone back with their help, so of course the parents had all been grateful to them. At the same time, they’d side-eyed Hajime when they’d learned that all of these women were Hajime’s girlfriends.

Of course, even Tomoichi had been able to figure out Kaori loved Hajime when he saw how her expression changed every time she mentioned him when she’d been telling her parents about everything that had happened in Tortus. That alone had been quite a shock, but he’d been willing to accept Kaori dating Hajime considering all that he’d done to help his daughter.

So naturally, Tomoichi had felt quite betrayed when he’d learned Kaori was just one of Hajime’s many girlfriends.

“Besides, that bastard didn’t even show me any respect when he said he was going out with you!” Tomoichi exclaimed, his knuckles going white as he gripped the steering wheel as hard as he could.

His anger was understandable, considering how Hajime had completely skipped the obligatory “please let me have your daughter” conversation with Tomoichi. Instead, he’d boldly proclaimed, “Your daughter’s mine now. I hope you don’t mind, father-in-law.”

Of course, he’d only said the truth, which made it all the more galling to Tomoichi. One could hardly have blamed Tomoichi, who’d been profusely thanking Hajime a second ago, for suddenly saying, “All right, you’re a dead man,” after that.

“He even said he won’t break up with any of them! Who does he think he is, saying he’s going to marry every single one of you?!”

“Calm down, dear. It’s not really that bad. Everyone seems happy with the arrangement. Have you ever seen Kaori look so happy? She seems to get along great with Yue-chan and the others as well, so what’s the problem?”

“Exactly. Well, I still wouldn’t say I get along with Yue, but...I don’t hate her. And I do respect her. Honestly, I don’t mind supporting Hajime-kun together with everyone else... He he he,” Kaori said, blushing.

I bet that bastard used some sort of magic to mind control Kaori! That’s gotta be it! Tomoichi thought for the hundredth time.

Indeed, that was what he’d initially assumed during the big family meeting, and he’d tried to punch Hajime. However, it had been Kaori herself who’d pinned him down and stopped him.

Meanwhile, Hajime hadn’t looked the least bit put off by Tomoichi’s wrath. In truth, he’d been fully prepared to be punched because he knew that what he was doing was considered scummy by normal standards, but Tomoichi had mistaken his resolve for condescension, which had only made him angrier. In the end, Kaori had been forced to suplex her dad to knock him out, at which point the whole meeting had adjourned. Afterward, he’d learned that Kaori had already had sex with Hajime too, which had sent him into another fit of rage.

He’d actually planned this impromptu family trip because he’d learned that Hajime was going to be taking everyone, including Kaori, out on a date today and had wanted to get in the way.

Naturally, Kaori’s grandparents and her uncle had come running over when they’d learned that she’d miraculously come back, but things had still been chaotic back then, so they hadn’t been able to spend too much time together. Everyone was really looking forward to seeing Kaori again today, which was why she’d reluctantly told Hajime that she wouldn’t be able to make it to her date.

“It’s too late to do anything about it now, but next time make sure you check what my plans are before deciding on trips like this, okay, dad?”

“I will,” Tomoichi replied in a low voice, clearly intending to ruin her plans next time as well. Kaori could tell what he was thinking, so her mood grew even darker.

“Hajime-kun didn’t even get mad when I said I couldn’t come. He told me to enjoy my time with my family...all because he knows how you feel.”

“I-I see. I can’t believe he’s trying to one-up me by acting like the mature one!” Tomoichi said angrily. Despite his desire to get back in his daughter’s good graces, he couldn’t help but continue to insult him.

“Give it a rest, you two. We’re almost there,” Kaoruko said, finding her daughter and husband’s spat more entertaining than anything else.

Tomoichi parked the car in front of a large, two-family house. This was the home he’d grown up in, and where his parents and older brother still lived. He was still incensed about the Hajime thing, so his parking was a bit sloppy, but he didn’t care. Kaoruko rubbed her temples in exasperation but said nothing.

Kaori wordlessly got out of the car, prompting Tomoichi to hurriedly get out as well. He opened the trunk and said, “Kaori, let me take your stuff—”

“No need; the front door isn’t that far. Besides, Hajime-kun would have taken it without even saying anything.”

Kaori hefted her luggage out of the trunk and stalked off. Tomoichi dropped to his knees in defeat and started slamming the ground with his fist.

Damn you, Hajimeeeeeeee!

Just then, someone came over from around the backyard and stared at Tomoichi.

“What are you doing, uncle? Please stop; the neighbors are going to think we’re weirdos.”

Kaori took her hand off the doorbell and turned around to see a beautiful young woman with straight brown hair. She was Sakura Shirasaki, Kaori’s cousin. Sakura had a dripping hose in one hand; she’d been in the middle of watering the garden.

“Sakura-oneechan!”

“Hey there, Kaori. I’m glad things seem to have calmed down for you now.”

Though Sakura looked like an aloof woman, the gentle smile she flashed Kaori when Kaori ran up to hug her made it obvious the two of them were related.

“Sorry I worried you so much.”

“As long as you’re alive and well, everything’s fine. We’ll be able to talk properly now, so you better tell me everything that happened.”

“Sure!”

“Also, welcome, auntie. Why don’t you come inside and relax?”

“He he, thank you, Sakura-chan.”

The three women walked into the house, smiling, leaving Tomoichi behind. It was almost enough to make one pity him.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Kaori and Sakura walked along the beach together, the starry sky twinkling overhead.

“I don’t normally go to concerts, but that one was really fun!” Kaori said.

“Really? I was worried it’d be boring, since it was only local bands playing, so I’m glad you liked it.”

After the warm welcome Sakura and everyone else had given them, Kaori had explained everything that had happened. Once that was done, they’d lazed around for a while, but then Sakura invited Kaori to see a mini-concert that some local bands were putting on at the beach. Sakura had figured Kaori hadn’t been able to leave the house much in the busy week she’d had dealing with the logistics of her return, and Kaori had indeed been grateful for the opportunity to get out of the house.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Kaori’s genuine smile, glad to know inviting Kaori out had been the right idea. But then she looked behind her and her expression stiffened.

“Waaah, Kaori, my dear angel. Please look at me. I’m so sad I’m going to die.”

Tomoichi was trailing behind them. He’d offered to go with them to the concert, since he was worried about sending two girls out alone. However, Kaori had been tired of him butting in every time she tried to talk to Sakura about Hajime and Yue and the others, so she’d refused. Still, he’d cried so much that she’d ultimately relented. That being said, she was ignoring him completely as she chatted with Sakura. It was honestly kind of scary how good she’d gotten at completely ignoring him.

In truth, Sakura understood how Kaori felt. She’d had the same issue with her dad the first time she’d brought home a boyfriend. At the same time, she understood Tomoichi’s misgivings about Kaori’s somewhat irregular relationship.

She didn’t want to take sides, which left her stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I wish something could happen to just magically fix this rift between them. I’m getting sick of this...

“Huh? You guys were at the concert earlier, weren’t you? What a coincidence! Wanna hang out for a bit?”

The heavens must have heard Sakura’s prayers and decided to spit on her, since a group of five men suddenly came up and blocked their path.

This is not what I was hoping for...

“Sorry, but we’ve already got plans,” Sakura said in a tired voice.

“How about letting us join in on the fun? The more the merrier, right?”

Sakura could immediately tell these were the type of guys who refused to take no for an answer.

Sakura and Kaori were both extremely beautiful women, so these guys weren’t going to give up very easily. Naturally, Tomoichi wasn’t going to sit idle while these guys hit on his daughter and niece.

“Could you guys please move out of the way? We all had a good time at the concert, so surely you don’t want any trouble,” he said, trying to sound reasonable.

“Who the hell’s this old fart?”

“I’m her father, and we’re on our way home now.”

The men burst out laughing and started hurling insults at him. Tomoichi didn’t get angry, but neither did he back down.

Seeing his confident attitude pissed the guys off, and one of them raised his fist threateningly.

“Get lost, you creepy old fart. Look, we’ll take them home after we have a bit of fun with them.”

Another guy reached out toward Kaori’s shoulder, so Tomoichi grabbed his hand.

“Don’t touch my daughter,” he said, in a perfectly even voice. Tomoichi was an architect, which wasn’t a very physically demanding job and he didn’t go to the gym regularly, so he wasn’t particularly well-built. That being said, he was still a grown man, which made the look in his eyes feel quite intimidating.

“Get lost, geezer.”

The men found themselves taken aback by the fire in Tomoichi’s eyes, but then they grew angry at themselves for being intimidated and the one with the raised fist punched him.

Tomoichi let out a pained grunt, blood dripping from his split lip. And yet, he continued glaring intently at the men, which caused them to get even angrier. The man tried to punch him again.

“Uncle!” Sakura shouted, taking out her phone to call the police. Upon seeing that, the men turned their attention to Sakura and glared threateningly at her.

“What do you all think you’re doing?” Kaori said in a quiet voice.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, and the man who’d punched Tomoichi suddenly realized that Kaori had stopped his second punch with one hand. They all turned to her, overwhelmed by the ice-cold smile on her face and the fact that she’d stopped a man’s punch with her slender hand.

Her tone completely flat, she said, “What are you doing to my dad, huh?”

“Wh-What’s your problem, girlie? We’re just teaching your dad a lesson, that’s all! He needs to learn not to look down on people!” the man shouted, trying to pull his fist out of Kaori’s grip.

“It’s true that dad needs to learn a lot of lessons. He’s always joking around, he’s too overprotective, he still treats me like a kid, he sulks too often, and he keeps bad-mouthing Hajime-kun.”

“Wh-What the hell?! This girl’s strong!” the guy exclaimed. Even after putting all of his weight behind it, he couldn’t pull his fist out. The other men stared at their companion in confusion. It would have been more believable if he was acting, but it was clear from the panic in his voice that he wasn’t.

Kaori ignored him and continued talking, almost as if she were speaking to herself.

“But you know, he’s a really kind dad too. Even when he’s busy with work, he always finds time to talk to me. And even though he’s bad at fighting, he always tries to protect me. Whenever I try my hardest, he praises me, and whenever I do something wrong, he scolds me.”

Kaori wasn’t even looking at the men anymore. She was looking over at her father.

“I’m sorry, dad. I should have stopped him before he hit you, but I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I reacted late. Thank you for trying to protect me.”

“Kaori...” Tomoichi mumbled. He was so stunned that all he could do was say Kaori’s name. It was shocking how mature his daughter looked. He was forced to accept that she’d long since left the nest...and that realization brought with it a sense of profound loneliness.

Kaori turned back to the men and glared icily at them.

“My dad’s the best dad in the world, so stop making fun of him!”

“Let go already you—Bwagh!”

The man tried to punch Kaori with his free hand, but she sent him flying with a kick before he could.

The other guys watched as their friend sailed through the air and crashed into the sand with a resounding thud. He twitched a few times, but made no move to get back up. They stared at him in stunned silence for a few seconds.

“If you leave now, I’ll let the rest of you go,” Kaori said in a cold voice. The men exchanged uneasy glances. Normally, they would have run away, but she’d hurt their pride. Screaming incoherent insults, they all charged at her.

“I guess no matter what world you’re in, there’s always guys like you out there, huh?” Kaori said with a long sigh. That, more than anything, got to the men.

“We’re gonna fucking kill—!”

There was a loud metallic click and the men stopped in their tracks. They looked down at Kaori’s hands in shock. She’d somehow suddenly brought out two extendable batons, one in each hand. They must have been custom-made, since they were over a meter long. Definitely not the kind of things a regular high school girl carried around.

“K-Kaori, where did you bring those out from?” Sakura asked, looking just as shocked as the men. None of them had any idea that the ring on Kaori’s pinky finger contained a whole host of deadly weapons, including her prized twin claymores.

Hajime had, in fact, made these batons for Kaori—as well as mundane weapons for everyone else—because he’d predicted that something like this might happen.

“That bluff won’t work on—Bwaaagh!”

The baton was made of pure azantium and could shock people as well. Kaori made short work of the hoodlums, teaching them a lesson about pain that they wouldn’t ever forget.

“Isn’t that great, uncle? Kaori’s getting mad on your behalf,” Sakura said.

“Y-Yeah... I can even see the aura she gives off when she’s really mad. It’s clearer than ever,” Tomoichi replied. They both watched as Kaori sent all five of the men flying. Once she was done, she messed with their memories a little using spirit magic, a beaming smile on her face.

Neither Tomoichi nor Sakura asked what exactly she’d done to them, but they could tell from her expression that it was something exceptionally cruel. That night, they both learned that they should never make Kaori truly mad.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Kaori and Tomoichi took a detour to take a slightly longer route back home, while Sakura headed straight back. She could tell that the two of them wanted to have a long talk, so she made herself scarce.

“Dad, does your lip still hurt?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine now, Kaori. Magic really is amazing. I know I’ve seen it a bunch now, but it still surprises me each time.”

Kaori smiled gently, then tried to figure out how to phrase what it was she wanted to say. Tomoichi already knew what was going through her mind, so he held back a sigh.

“Kaori, if there’s something you want to say, just say it. I’m the world’s best dad, so I promise I’ll hear you out.”

Kaori blinked in surprise, then smiled again and said, “All righty, then. You know, dad, I realized this earlier, but you’re a lot like Hajime-kun.”

“Hold up, Kaori, there’s a limit to how much I can take, even if I am the world’s best dad. You’re telling me I’m like that cheating harem lord bastard? Is it okay if I take a journey to find myself? I think after a year, maybe I’ll be able to come to terms with what you just said.”

Kaori chuckled at her dad’s reaction and shook her head.

“Ha ha ha, I don’t mean how he is now, but how he used to be.”

“Before you all got summoned away?” Tomoichi asked dubiously, and Kaori nodded, her expression nostalgic.

“Yes. Back then, he wasn’t good at fighting at all, but he still stood up to people harassing others without hesitation. He was weak but strong.”

That was why Kaori had fallen in love with him in the first place. She’d learned from watching her mom that marrying someone like her dad would make her happy. Though, when she said as much to Tomoichi, he wasn’t sure whether to be happy to hear that or not.

“I can’t believe that guy I met at the family meeting used to be such a meek boy...”

“It’s crazy, right? When I first saw him again after he fell off that bridge, I was shocked too. It was like he’d become a completely different person. He’d gone through so much that he’d had no choice but to change.”

“Well...I guess if what you all say is true, he really did have it rough.”

“He did. But you know, deep down he was still the same Hajime-kun I knew. On a fundamental level, he hadn’t changed. That’s why there are so many people who love him even now. If he really was a cheating womanizer, do you think there’d be so many people sticking by his side? Besides, I’m not so stupid that I’d pine after a guy like that either.”

There was nothing Tomoichi could say to refute that. Groaning, he kicked a rock in frustration.

“Look, I know he’s the guy your heart’s set on,” he finally said after a long pause. “But you know, it’s still hard for me to accept this as your father. I want you to marry someone who’ll treasure you more than anyone else.” Tomoichi let out a long sigh and scratched his head.

Kaori linked her arm around his and said, “Thank you, dad, but I know that even if I won’t be the most important person to Hajime-kun, he’ll still make me happier than anyone else ever could.”

Kaori showed him the ring hanging from the necklace around her neck. This one wasn’t a Treasure Trove, it was a simple engagement ring that Hajime had given her. Naturally, Tomoichi frowned distastefully as he looked at it.

“Dad, Hajime-kun’s the kind of person who cares about everything and everyone the people he holds dear care about, so no matter how cold you are to him, he’s not going to give up trying to make amends with you.”

“I guess he is the guy who crawled back up out of hell just to make it back to his family and then killed god to get his girlfriend back.”

“He he, that’s right. He never, ever gives up.”

Yeah, I don’t think I can win in a war of attrition against him.

Tomoichi let out another very long sigh.

“I know our relationship isn’t normal, and I’m sorry I’m making you worry, but...” Kaori trailed off there, looking into her dad’s eyes. “Even if it takes time, I’d like it if you could try to get along with Hajime-kun, dad. I love him, and I want you to love him as well.”

I wish the tide had come in and drowned out my daughter’s words just now. If I could just pretend I never heard that, then this would be so much easier.

Tomoichi glared over at the ocean, unable to maintain eye contact with his daughter. He’d never felt this conflicted before.

For a few moments after that, the two of them walked on in silence as Tomoichi contemplated how to best respond. Finally, he let out the longest sigh of the day yet and his shoulders drooped in surrender.

“As a father who loves his daughter, how can I possibly say no to that?” he muttered in a barely audible voice. He then held out his hand toward Kaori.