Chapter 23 Home Visit
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Um, so… do you have plans for the next day off? My mom said she wants to meet my friend…”
‘It’s here━(゜∀゜)━( ゜∀)━( ゜)━()━!!!!!’
I got that invite while talking with Haruka, just as the voice told me to. Rumors about me and Harold had spread all over school, now treated as fact. I was worn out from Harold still following me around.
‘This is one of the home events that happens when a main character’s favor level goes past the limit, starting with Haruka. What’s wrong? Homo-chan, it came faster than planned, right? Maybe because she’s timid and hates being alone? She has trauma too, so him reaching out first probably helps.’
From what the voice said, I had finished the needed task.
I did not want to do those awful things again. I did not want to hear bad rumors about myself. I did not want anything to do with Harold. I wanted to look away from the truth that I killed people at night… So I followed the voice’s orders and used that as an excuse to run from everything. I kept talking with Haruka.
I felt lonely on my own. I needed others to heal my heart wounds… I let myself depend on Haruka, the one person I was allowed to get close to.
”So, what do you think…?”
‘Ofc, the only right answer here is “yes”.’
”…Sure, let’s go.”
If the voice said go, I had no choice… Well, I think I would have gone even without orders.
”Then I’ll take you there on the next day off.”
”…Okay.”
”I’ll come pick you up, so wait for me.”
”…Yeah.”
Wait, come to think of it, is this the first time I visit a friend’s house? No, going anywhere with a friend is a first for me. Doing anything on a day off besides training or stripping is rare too.
When I thought about it that way, I noticed a small part of me felt happy and excited.
I felt a little glad, and my mouth softened into a smile without thinking—
”I believe you’re innocent…”
Those kind words made my face crumple.
”See you later.”
I could not look straight at Haruka as he stood up, turned his back, and walked away.
Pain shot through my chest. I was not innocent at all. The rumors were true… Harold himself seemed to spread them on purpose.
I was betraying the trust of this gentle boy. The words hit me hard again.
”This is my house.”
‘Right he↑re↓.’
It stood deep in the poor area outside the school city, even farther out. A home shorter than my height, made only from old boards and dirty cloth stuck together.
All around, people without even such homes lay on the muddy ground. They stared far away with empty faces and did not move. The air felt thick and full of bad smells all the time. No sign of life anywhere. The whole place seemed covered in gray clouds.
”You’re shocked it’s so run-down, right?”
‘Of course!’
”No, it’s not that…”
‘Liar, you totally thought it.’
”You don’t have to hold back.”
Haruka gave a bitter smile at my words and went inside, calling, “Mom, I’m home.”
I followed, scared, and slipped past the thin cloth that worked as a door.
”Um, excuse me…”
”Oh? Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh?”
‘How many times will she say it?’
A woman doing piecework deeper inside looked up. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.
‘By the way~, I heard “ara ara” is a sign for big sisters who like young boys in English places—ssu. Don’t know for sure.’
”Are you Reina-chan? Haruka talks about you a lot.”
”Mom, wait—”
”Um, yes… that’s me…”
Haruka’s mother grabbed both my hands, and I felt lost. I did not understand most of what the voice said. I had no idea what to do and just stood there.
The woman looked into my face with energy, but dark circles sat under her eyes, and her cheeks looked thin. She was very skinny overall. Her hands felt rough. She did not look healthy at all.
”Haruka mentions your name so often, I wanted to meet you!”
”Uh, ah, um…”
‘Homo-chan can’t talk to people, lol.’
I did not get most of the voice’s words, but I could tell it made fun of me. It made me a little angry, but when someone came on this strong, I truly did not know how to act.
”Mom, Reina looks troubled, so calm down. You’re not strong yourself, so sit.”
”Ara ara, you’re right. Sorry? I just got too happy that Haruka made a friend.”
”N-no, it’s fine, I’m not…”
‘What kind of group are these three again?’
Haruka’s mother sat on the ground after he stopped her. A simple mat of woven straw lay there—her usual spot.
She tried to give me the cleanest place since I was a guest, but I said no. Haruka said his mother was not healthy, just like she looked. And a dirty person like me would ruin a clean spot.
”That’s it! Haruka, go buy something good outside! I have secret savings!”
‘Oh, right! (Suddenly)’
”No, please don’t worry…”
”It’s fine, it’s fine! A friend came over, so we have to treat you!”
‘I don’t need that (from my heart).’
Their money situation clearly looked bad, but Haruka’s mother pushed copper coins into his hand. Haruka nodded like he had no choice and left.
Now only me and his mother stayed… I had no idea how to talk to a stranger. Especially a friend’s mom—I needed to be careful, but I did not know what to say.
I sat across from her and tried to speak… but no words came… I kept doing that strange thing for tens of seconds—then she said something I did not expect, and I froze.
”Hey, someone you can’t see is controlling you, right?”
”——”
‘Right he↑re↓. Every time, her line text can’t be read~ In the main story it’s fine, but in free mode after clearing, Haruka’s mom’s words always turn black. Is it a bug or on purpose? No comment from makers, so it stays a mystery. Really, what is it? If anyone knows, comment please.’
I slowly thought over what the woman in front of me said and the voice in my head.
As I understood the meaning bit by bit, I swallowed without thinking. Sweat came to my hands from nerves.
Could I say it now? Tell a stranger about this voice? My heart beat hard. I tried to gather courage and open my mouth, but the woman raised a hand to stop me.
”You don’t have to force it. I already know.”
”…Ah…”
”It’s an old trait of mine. I can feel beings that are not human.”
‘Well, in free mode she doesn’t show much, so it’s fine… In the main story, Haruka’s mom helps the hero and the god—or player—and starts the wake-up event in Haruka’s route. She’s important there, but in free mode it’s whatever, so no problem, you can skip.’
Really? Was there truly someone who understood my situation exactly?
My lips shook, and my throat turned dry.
I did not even know where to start. No words came to mind at all.
”It looks like a very bad being has its eye on you… Not a kind one that watches gently, shares your joy and worry, and faces hard times with you. No, this one is without pity and thinks only of itself. It does not care about each life. It handles things roughly, and if something breaks, it just reaches for the next toy. That kind of being.”
Every point the woman listed fit perfectly.
The voice called Lucia and Cliff the hero or important characters of this world, yet it would kill them at once if they got in the way of its “time.”
It treated me the same. It kept making wild demands over and over, always saying, ‘”If this fails, reset. Let’s move to the next.”‘
”You must have suffered a lot without telling anyone, right?”
”I-I… I…”
It’s all right, don’t force yourself—she said that and pulled me into a gentle hug from the front.
That became the final push. Everything I had held back until now poured out.
Notes:
• –
• Cliff – Son of First-Class Knight Lilia. Practices Flame God Style. Obsessed with defeating strong opponents, especially Reina Alcott after a humiliating loss.
• Lucia – A female classmate of Reina with the (Regeneration) blessing, a power of immense value, unaware of the world government’s interest in her abilities.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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