Volume 3 Chapter 54 Homecoming
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The first two days of the New Year passed by in a blur. For the most part, it was a tranquil—or should I say Makoto-esque—holiday, spent lounging at the neighbor’s house and playing games while the TV hummed in the background. I think we managed to check off every traditional indoor New Year’s activity: sugoroku¹ board games, beanbags, spinning tops, and karuta² cards. Suu-chan became absolutely obsessed with fukuwarai³, the “pin the feature on the face” game. Specifically, she used a version she’d made using a photo of my actual face.
Our outdoor excursions were limited to short walks, battledore, jumping rope, and practicing on the bicycle I got for Christmas. That “practice” lasted all of five minutes before I was already zooming around the park like a pro. We skipped the usual New Year’s crowds for shrine visits and “first sales” events. The Totsuka family and Mother both share a deep-seated loathing for crowds; I could feel their collective, iron-clad will to ignore any trend manufactured by society. Then again, trying to haul Fuu-chan and Kyo-chan through those masses would have been a nightmare anyway.
Since Mother’s New Year’s break is over in a heartbeat, she probably wanted to spend her time recovering and conserving her energy. She’s technically off until the third, but since the third is a Sunday, the break feels pathetically short. Still, I felt we should at least go and offer some thanks to the heavens. (Goddess, thank you for the reincarnation. I’m having a blast, thanks to you. Good luck with your work quota again this year.)
And so, I welcomed the New Year feeling much more refreshed and clear-headed than the last. Then came the afternoon of the third day. Since this morning, Suu-chan and her entire family have been away, visiting Mitsuhisa’s parents. With the sudden addition of two new family members—Fuu-chan and Kyo-chan—the car was quite a sight, crammed with a booster seat and two baby seats.
As usual, Suu-chan put up a fight about leaving. However, now that she’s a big sister to two little girls, she was fired up about taking care of them, so the departure was actually smoother than I expected. Seeing Suu-chan grow up like that makes me happy, but it’s also a little bit lonely. (I wonder how much longer she’ll keep asking for a goodbye kiss…)
Because of that, today was the first time in a while that it was just Mother and me. Since she starts work again tomorrow, I assumed we’d just spend the day moping around the house, but it turns out we’re heading out. After lunch, she called out, “Maa-kun, we’re going on a trip!” and we both changed into our dressier clothes. Once I was buckled into my special seat, Mother took the wheel and we set off.
A few minutes after leaving the house, I realized the landscape blurring past the window was entirely new. I’d assumed we were just going grocery shopping or something. “Mom, where are we going?” I asked.
”Hmm, maybe it’s a surprise for when we get there!” Mother replied. She just playfully dodged the question. Looking at the after-market GPS, there was no destination set, and even when I checked the road signs passing by, nothing rang a bell. Well, I’ll find out when we arrive. We’ll likely be back within half a day, so it can’t be that far. I decided to stop overthinking it.
”Maa-kun, you can take a nap if you want, okay?” Mother said.
”Yeah… Good luck with the driving, Mom. Goodnight,” I replied. Since it was my usual nap time anyway, I found myself stifling a massive yawn before I even realized it. My eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted off.
* * *
”Nn…”
”Maa-kun, you awake?” Mother asked.
”Yeah,” I mumbled.
”We’re almost there, so just hang on a little longer,” she said.
When I opened my eyes, I was still being rocked by the motion of the car. I tilted my head just enough to check the dashboard clock. It seems I’d been out for about an hour—a bit shorter than my usual nap. Even in a high-quality booster seat that’s cozy in the winter, the hum of a moving car makes for a shallow sleep. I watched the unfamiliar scenery flow by, playing a game of shiritori⁴ word-chains with Mother as she drove. After a few minutes, we turned down a narrow side street and the car pulled into a driveway.
It was a modest, two-story wooden house that felt a bit seasoned with age. There was a small, almost apologetic garden tucked behind the two-car parking space. Since I’ve started getting used to the sheer scale of the countryside and the oppressive grandeur of the Yoshikura estate, my internal yardstick is probably broken—but this looked like a perfectly ordinary home. Similar houses lined the street.
But the house in front of me was a place far more intimate and significant to me than the Yoshikura family. The nameplate on the gate read, in stark, formal block script: YASHIRO. The meaning was unmistakable.
”Is this Mom’s house?” I asked.
”That’s right,” Mother replied. “This is where I lived when I was little. And it’s where my father and mother… your Grandfather and Grandmother live.”
Hearing that, I turned back to look at the house. Mother’s family home. As my question was met with a “yes,” my heart began to pound with a strange rhythm. It was a tension I was experiencing for the first time in this life. Even when Suu-chan was pouncing on me, or when I was sharing a bath with Mother or Mio-san, I’d—theoretically—always kept my cool. (Whew. This is a different kind of thumping. Let’s stay calm.)
I’ve simulated this a dozen times, haven’t I? I knew this meeting would happen sooner or later. My grandparents. Mother’s father and mother. I’ve never met them, but to be honest, my impression of them isn’t exactly glowing. The fact that Mother has kept me away from them until now made it easy to imagine there was a rift between them. I don’t know the details, though. Mother—and presumably Mio-san and Mitsuhisa, who likely know the whole story—never bring the subject up around me.
It’s a delicate topic. I knew they were avoiding it, so I never pried. Maybe they would have told me if I’d asked, but the last thing I wanted was to make Mother suffer by reliving it. I suspect they were against her having me, or maybe it was a clash over how to raise a child. Something like that. I know it’s wrong to think poorly of my grandparents when I barely know them. Both Mother and my grandparents must have their own perspectives and feelings on the matter. I don’t intend to sit in judgment over who was right or wrong.
But, at the very least, I am on Mother’s side. I know how much she cherishes me, and I know how hard she’s worked to make this life happen. With those whirlpools of complex emotion swirling around, the truth is, I don’t want to meet them. Even without a face to put to the names, I have a clear sense of aversion. It’s not like I don’t have people I’m “bad with.” There are a few among my kindergarten friends and their parents. But with those people, you can just run away. Unless they’re your neighbors, you won’t have much overlap, and you’ll naturally drift apart over time.
But it’s different with grandparents. Even if we live apart and rarely see each other, the blood tie remains. And since Mother brought me here to her old home, she must be hoping to move their relationship in a better direction.
”Maa-kun, are you nervous?” Mother asked.
My thoughts must have leaked onto my face, because she knelt down to meet my eyes. Nervous… yeah, that’s one way to put it. How can I give them the impression of being a “good grandson”? What can I actually do to help mend the bridge between Mother and her parents? I’m decent enough at faking a smile, but I don’t feel like I can interact with them naturally. I’m also painfully aware that I’m terrible at acting like a pampered child.
”Hehe, it’s okay. Mom is right here with you,” Mother said. She smiled, trying to soothe the furrow in my brow. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and gave them a little squish. Her hands were cold.
There’s no point in freezing up here. I’m not going to find the perfect answer just by standing in the driveway. Besides, Mother said it’s okay, so it probably won’t be a total disaster. I trust her, after all. Let’s just go for broke. (Metaphorically speaking, of course. If I “broke” for real, it would be a pathetic sight.)
”Yeah. I’m okay,” I said.
”That’s my boy. Maa-kun is so strong,” Mother said. She gave my head a quick stroke, pulled a key from her bag, and opened the front door with a practiced rattle of the lock.
”I’m home,” Mother called out.
”Pardon the intrusion,” I added.
And so, with Mother leading me by the hand, we stepped into my mother’s past.
—
Summary:
After a quiet New Year’s spent with the neighbors, Mother takes Makoto on a surprise trip to her childhood home. Makoto discovers the identity of his maternal grandparents, the Yashiros, and realizes the depth of the estrangement between them and his mother. Despite his anxiety and personal prejudice against them, he resolves to support his mother as they step across the threshold of the Yashiro residence.
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Trivia:
- The ‘Yashiro’ nameplate in block script suggests a traditional and potentially rigid family background.
- Mother’s hands turning cold indicates she is just as nervous as Makoto, despite her reassuring facade.
- Makoto’s adult motor skills allow him to master a bicycle instantly, a subtle nod to his reincarnation status that others might overlook as ‘genius’.
- The silence regarding the grandparents from Mio and Mitsuhisa highlights how taboo the subject is within their social circle
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Character Insight:
The bond between Makoto and Mother is solidified here; he explicitly identifies as her ‘ally’ regardless of the truth of the family rift. Mother transitions from a carefree holiday mode to a protective, albeit anxious, daughter returning to her roots.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
Introduction of the Yashiro family, establishing a new branch of the protagonist’s family tree. The contrast between the wealthy Yoshikura estate and the ‘ordinary’ Yashiro house highlights the different social strata in the story.
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TL Notes:
The pun on ‘Makoto’ (tranquil/round) was localized as ‘Makoto-esque’ to preserve the author’s wordplay while making it accessible to English readers.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Makoto – Four‑year‑old Maa‑kun, 93 cm, 13 kg, wears a neat shirt, cap and backpack in Rose Class. Polite, short‑haired, he hides his reincarnated 30‑year‑old salaryman mind—calls himself “Toilet Master”—and is male despite his father’s belief. He protects Suu‑chan, mediates fights, reads Kanji, speaks English, and aids his mother and neighbors, still called Maa‑kun by her.
• Totsuka – The neighbor family consisting of a husband (Mitsuhisa), wife (Mio), and daughter (Suu-chan). They are hardcore gamers who provide hand-me-down consoles to the protagonist’s household.
• Mitsuhisa – Mitsuhisa-san, 33, 184 cm, 71 kg, is Mio’s husband and father to Suu-chan, Fuu-chan, and Kyo-chan—currently on modified childcare leave, working from home while actively assisting with housework and childcare. Reserved and scowling, he hides a toned, sporty physique and a quiet passion for documenting family life with a video camera. Though emotionally distant with family photographer Akari, he shares darkly playful banter with Makoto, his former college-athlete friend, whose influence over his daughters unsettles him. Deeply lonely as his children grow independent, he balances breadwinning duty with tender, watchful fatherhood, harboring few material desires beyond niche adult interests—his quiet pride evident as he holds the twins during Suu-chan’s birthday, clearing the frame for the Producer.
• Grandfather – Akari’s father. A tall, lean man with short graying hair and deep wrinkles on his face. He wears chinos and a diamond-patterned sweater. He has a gruff, stoic personality but is trying to connect with his grandson.
• Grandmother – Akari’s mother. She has shoulder-length dark brown hair, a youthful appearance, and wears a simple pantsuit. She is polite but possesses a gentle, mellow aura.
• Mio – Suu-chan’s mother, Mio-P (“Producer”), is a 28-year-old pregnant Totsuka resident with a round belly, baby-faced charm, and elegant gray attire accentuating her G-cup curves; 164 cm, 57 kg, formerly a relay and badminton star turned teacher, cook, and photographer. Wife to Mitsuhisa, she bakes strawberry shortcake and chirashi-zushi, adores babysitting Ma-kun, and subtly nudges his marriage to Suu-chan. A playful, theatrical neighbor and family friend, she orchestrates heartfelt birthday moments with a sketchbook, narrates childhood memories as the narrator’s elementary best friend, and mothers Suu-chan, Fuu-chan, and Kyo-chan. Devoted to her daughter’s education, avoids crowds, and remains the neighborhood’s beloved “Love Guru” matchmaker—quietly guiding destinies with warmth and wit.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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