Timeline – Volume 6
The Minagawa Sisters' Rambunctious Family
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Kanami Minagawa's Soliloquy
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Something amazing just happened! Although it was a bit unexpected and not romantic at all, I don't care! I also didn't think my tears would work, but they did!
"Should we tell mom?" I asked Natsume, my little sister.
"Tell her what?" she asked me back.
Tonight, just literally a minute ago, Aaron proposed to both of us! Even though he skipped the dating part for me, I don't care! I'm happy! Though Natsume had been dating him for a better part of a year (not including our time in his [Pocket Dimension]), but now I'm suddenly engaged! Well, looking at my ring which I already had for quite some time, it felt even more special now.
"Y-you know, that we're both engaged," I said and looked at my ring. We finally arrived in our shared room and we stepped inside.
"Well, she does know about the supernatural, but…how would dad and the rest feel? I mean, other religions already have harems, but it's not that common, and dating the same guy might make it difficult for our normal family members," said Natsume.
"Also, she only found out I was dating Aaron. How would she feel if she suddenly just say 'Oh hey mom, we just got engaged to him and Kanami skipped dating him, hehe~'. I think she'd have a heart attack," added Natsume.
"Don't look down on mom like that, Natsu. She accepted the whole supernatural business really quickly you know? I think she'd be fine after finding out we're both engaged to him…I think?" I replied a bit unsure.
"W-well…"
Natsume looked unsure, but…we decided to talk about this the next day since we'd have more time to go into detail.
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"And with that said, what do you think?" I asked my little sister. It was after breakfast and we were in the living room relaxing before going on a mission today since Azazel informed us of one. It was easy, just dealing with some remnants of the Khaos Order.
"I have to be the one to call her? How about we just visit them on our next free day?" she asked back.
Visit, huh? I mean it would be ideal, right? It's also been a while since I visited them…our first reunion was quite emotional. But after mom found out about the supernatural and Aaron—she wanted us to bring Aaron with us for our next visit.
"But mom wanted us to bring Aaron for our next visit," I replied.
"Okay, how about this? Let's call him, well, I'll call her. Then we'll tell her that we're visiting for a reason and we'll bring Aaron next time. How does that sound?" asked Natsume.
"I think it would be better if you guys just brought him with you nya~" said Kuroka.
"…Mmm, I agree with Kuroka. Wouldn't it be better if you brought your fiancé with you? Although I heard that it would be better if you introduced him as a boyfriend first and if he asked your parents' blessings beforehand…," said Valerie.
"But don't forget this Valerie, we're not exactly normal. So those two dating and being engaged to the same person is going to be controversial to most humans nya~" added Kuroka.
Different opinions! How the heck are we supposed to decide now?! Though Valerie did agree with Kuroka, so…I'm just at a loss now.
"Why do you guys ask the opinions of older women?" said Lavinia as she stroked Shin on the head. Aaron had apparently left him here since he would be gone again today. I swear he's just gone a lot lately.
"I'm an older woman you know? Even if it's just by a few years—actually, you're one, Lavinia, what do you think?" I asked.
"Mmm…I don't have parents, well, biological, but I think mom (Shuri) and dad (Baraqiel) and my other mom (Giorgia) and other dad (Dario), already gave him their blessing so…" she said and smiled at us before hugging Shin again.
Ah, that was probably insensitive of me! But she does have Shuri, Baraqiel and her parents' friends that see themselves as her parents, so she's fine in that regard, and apparently during their visit to her hometown, Aaron got the approval of both of them.
"Let's just go ask Grayfia and the older-older women," said Natsume.
I feel like if she said that in front of them, she would be glared at quite hard…though it is the truth. As we left the room, everyone else said goodbye to us.
— ○ ● ○ ─
We arrived in the back garden of all places since there was no one in the kitchen. However, that wasn't that surprising since we only finished having breakfast not too long ago. In the back garden were various people, like inside our home, there was also a swimming pool out here.
If we wanted to use magic and other things while relaxing, we generally use the indoor swimming pool. But if we wanted to relax in the sun and act like normal people, we use the pool out here. Although Aaron apparently put a function in the back garden that it'll put some kind of illusion magic if we decide to use magic? It sounds like it would do that automatically, so…
"Grayfia! And anyone else that's…er…mature…? C-can we ask you guys a question?" she asked awkwardly. I'm 99% sure she was planning to say 'anyone that's old', but she stopped herself, otherwise she would have faced their wrath.
"Natsume and Kanami. Hmm, how can we help you?" asked Irene.
The ones here that were sunbathing were Irene, Grayfia, Yasaka (with Sharon by her side also in a bikini), Scathach, Aífe, Lilith, and Penemue. At the pool were others as well, such as Inaie, Ophis, Kunou, Kurousagi, Irina and Xenovia. Some were swimming, some were playing and the two former church warriors were fighting with blades made of water.
Natsume told them of our predicament and they all fell silent.
"Why not bring him with you? He has promised to go meet your parents eventually, yes? Your parents are also normal humans…they won't be around forever," said Yasaka with a saddened smile.
That's true, since they're normal and I doubt mom or dad for that matter would want to become immortal. However, we don't know what their answers would be about increasing their life spans.
"Ah, speaking of that, Aaron mentioned something about accelerating the growth of humanity once his restaurant and then empire starts getting popular," said Grayfia.
"What do you mean by that, Grayfia?" Penemue asked. The rest, including us were intrigued by it.
"He said he may create a device that will extend your life expectancy to at least 1000 years old. When he does this, he'll only make it available to the extremely wealthy, and once he sees the effects on humanity, he will make it available to everyone at affordable prices. Of course, he plans on making different life span sets, so an increase by 100, 200 or even 50 years in your life," explained Grayfia.
"Wait…you mean he's finally going to give his 'miracle items' away in the supernatural and human world?" asked Penemue as she stood up in surprise.
"Yes. However, he also mentioned he'll only do it after he evolves since according to his own speculation, he'll have control of everything, and so if it's misused, he can make it 'useless' and 'ineffective' at will," explained Grayfia further.
"So he's not just thinking short term with the restaurant, huh? He plans on…in a way, starting the new 'space age' for humanity, so building crafts that can travel into space, and conquering planets for more habitable places to live…isn't a pipe dream for humans anymore, huh?" asked Penemue.
"Indeed. From the sounds of things, he has many plans for humanity, and the supernatural. I look forward to hearing about them, but for now he still needs to evolve," said Irene. Irene has been coming out more often and seems even more invested in Aaron.
Lavinia asked her once and she simply said she would be in a relationship with Aaron once he fulfills his goal—or close to it. I would guess that it would be peace, right? Or unity in our world.
"Okay…okay, we'll ask him first and then we'll take him. Then we'll talk to mom, okay?" Natsume told me.
"I'm fine with that. Though, if we told them about his plans, they'd probably be too surprise to function normally," I added and laughed.
"A new age for humanity is coming. Although I believe he's doing it because of the 2 billion lives that were lost. I think Aaron thinks this is just a small way to repay them, but that's just my speculation," said Scathach.
"Ah, thank you!" Natsume said before running away.
"Ah, wait!" I shouted and ran after her.
A new age for everyone is coming, huh? I'm really excited about it; I wonder what else he plans on doing…?
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I followed Natsume to our shared room and found her texting someone. Normally if they're part of the supernatural we'd just contact them using a communication circle or another way. However, when I looked at who she was texting, it was definitely Aaron.
I mean, it makes sense, right? He's out on a job right now and she probably doesn't want to interrupt him, so she's doing it this way. But after she sent it, a few seconds later she received a reply!
|Sure thing, I don't mind. I feel like I've been putting it off more and more lately. Sorry about that.|
"He's okay with it! N-now, next is mom…" Natsume was excited at first, but now she was nervous. Well, I was too, but we still had to do it, so…
She shakily went into her contacts, and called mom from there. She then put it on voice speaker so both of us could talk to her.
"Natsume? It's rare for you to call me, is something wrong? What about Kanami?" she asked.
"H-hi, mom…actually you're on speaker right now and sis is beside me. We wanted to have a serious…discussion. Well, we want to start here but also want to speak to you in person soon enough," Natsume said with a bit of a stutter.
"Oh, hi Kanami! And something serious…is it about that boy you two are apparently dating?" she asked.
We were both surprised. Was this what they called a 'mothers' intuition'?! That's scary! I wonder if I'll have that when I become a mother? The thought both makes me excited and embarrassed. I instinctively touched my stomach and blushed even more. A baby, huh?
We've had multiple discussions about it—the women around Aaron, I mean. Most weren't serious. It went along the lines of: 'Oh, I'd like to have a child one day!' or something like that. However, I know for a fact that some really do want them. Akeno, Lavinia and Grayfia to name a few.
"…You know, you have a strange intuition about these things, mom. But yeah, we're calling about that," replied Natsume.
"Once you two become mothers and parents, you'll understand these things. So…when do you plan on taking him here?" Mom asked.
"Soon, he's just busy you know? I texted you about what happened to the world not too long ago, right?" asked Natsume.
"Of course, I was alive when we were transported there, the same with your father…so he's also aware of it now. Ah, I also asked him if that's alright? I mean it would be stranger if he didn't know. I know he probably erased the memory of everyone after the event but…"
"No, no, it's fine. At least we don't need to go around circles and avoiding topics relating to it when it becomes relevant. You told him about the harem thing, right…?"
"Told him? Told him? That old man of yours was jealous! I was so angry that I threw a loaf of bread at him! You two are stronger than me, you can tolerate your boyfriend with having other women. I could never, but if you two are fine with it, I can't stop you," our mom said to us.
Natsume and I laughed. We didn't expect our dad to get jealous of Aaron, but…now I'm looking forward to their interaction. Would he try to ask Aaron on that regard? I didn't know dad wanted a harem for himself. However, since Manga, Light Novels and Anime were very popular here, it's only natural for younger men to like it.
But for an old guy like our dad…no, he was young once, so those desires existed back then, maybe he just repressed them? Whatever the case may be…
"Anyway, I look forward to finally meeting this boyfriend of yours. Call me again when you come here. I want to prepare some snacks for all of you. I have something to do, so I'll hang up first! Bye, you two, love you!"
After that, the call cut off and we sat there processing everything.
"We don't know when Aaron evolves, so let's try to find some time for him to meet them until then—but something tells me it's close to his graduation, so…let's make time before then," said Natsume.
"Yeah, I agree. Let's get to it!" I shouted.
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A few days have passed since then and…we were going to visit our parents. We informed mom about it a day ago and everything appears to be ready now. Also, in a few days we're going to be going to an uninhabited island for a bit of a vacation, and I want to invite both of them along if possible.
I already told Aaron about it and he doesn't have any problems. Natsume was a bit apprehensive, but overall, she didn't mind and also wanted our parents to join. However, we're aware of the dangers that our families will be in once they're part of the supernatural, but…
Because of the 'Heavenly of Aloha incident' that happened four to nearly five years ago, our families were already involved, bar for me since I was still doing my own thing, but I did eventually enter it myself soon enough.
"Aaron…you don't need to wear something like that," Natsume said while looking at our fiancé. He was wearing something pretty fancy; it was basically a black tuxedo.
"Let him, so he can show dad up," I told her and laughed, but she then smacked me. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"Our parents and Aaron are literally meeting each other for the first time. Why would you say that?!" Natsume snapped. She clearly looked on edge, even though we were really casual about this up until today, I guess she was nervous.
Aaron grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace. "I know you're nervous, but you don't need to do that. But fine, I'll change, but I kind of did this as a joke. I wasn't going to wear it…," he admitted and then Natsume started to gentle and continuously hit her forehead against his chest.
Cute. Seeing my little sister doing things like this was amusing, but I did feel a bit jealous, so I hugged him from the back.
"Am I going to be left out?" I asked, trying to appeal to him. I saw Natsume peer over his shoulder and glare at me.
However, Aaron turned around and kissed the top of my head and laughed. "Let's stop fooling around and go to your home, shall we? I'll leave it to the both of you to get me there."
"Roger!" I shouted and hugged him harder.
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We wanted to go there normally, through human transportation. However, in reality, it would take nearly the whole day to reach our home—well, not our normal home as that's only four train stations from Kuoh, but the one that my parents wanted to meet at…so, our grandparents' home.
I feel like they were going to make this into a full family affair. I think Aaron also understood this since he knew that we didn't live too far from Kuoh, so…
"Looks like I'm meeting the entire family then. Both daughters are marrying the same guy. I wonder which ones know about the supernatural? I can hope that it's just your mom and dad," he said and laughed.
"Don't worry, Aaron. If dad and the men of the family want to throw down fists with you, I'll join in!" I declared.
He awkwardly scratched his cheek and said, "I would rather not have a fighting match with all the men of your family if I can help it. That would leave an unpleasant first impression, especially when we're going to tell them I proposed to you two. You said that you didn't tell them about me proposing, and I'm only dating you two, right?"
"Y-yeah…I didn't want to tell mom over the phone about it. I think in-person would be better, right?" asked Natsume nervously.
"I think so," replied Aaron.
Earlier, we teleported to the south of Japan. After that, we got on a short ride via a train. And just around a minute ago, as we spoke, we got off our stop and we were now walking towards our grandparents' home. In this tiny village or town? Well, whatever it was, there weren't many people here, most young adults move away, and many homes here were abandoned.
However, our grandparents' home here was…the biggest, the design was very traditional and the area of land was quite large. To our right were the large white walls and to our left were various trees that gave us shade because of their thick and long branches and leaves. It felt like a fantasy anime more than anything.
Beyond the trees were a few medium-sized rice fields that were tended by our grandparents and some other people in the town. Finally, the gate to this home came into view, and once we arrived there, Natsume stood nervously before it. I also joined them and the one to go forward was Aaron.
He inspected it for a moment before pressing a buzzer and a sound reverberated throughout the area, startling the both of us.
"Yes? Hello?" a voice asked through a speaker. Aaron looked back at us and we finally spoke up.
"G-granny? It's me, Natsume. I brought Sis—Kanami and our boyfriend…" replied Natsume.
For all the power and abilities we have, our blood relatives still terrify us. The world works in mysterious ways…
"Ara? My two beautiful grandkids…they finally brought home a boyfriend…and it's the same man. Fufu, very well, I will have one of our workers open the gate for you three. We're all in the main room, please make yourselves there. I helped with your mother make some delicious food you know?"
After granny said that, the door opened around a minute later and someone that looked like a maid smiled at us and gestured for us to follow her. The inside was also quite large, not including the house itself. From my quick inspection there were various small ponds of water, some with Koi fish, others empty.
There was a small wooden bridge that separated the 'yard' and the 'house', and there were various small trees here—the two that stood out were two large cherry blossom trees. There were also small lamps scattered throughout the courtyard, which I assumed they were turned on when night came.
It had been years since we last visited, so most of these details I didn't remember, except for the Koi Pond. However, I didn't think our grandparents were this rich…our parents never acted like they were, or were we just brought up normally so we wouldn't be spoiled?
The maid brought us in front of a large door and slid it open. When it opened, we saw many people there—
"Kana-nee and Natsu-nee are back!! And they brought a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! They're going to have babiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeesssssssssssss!!" a young girl screeched out and ran away.
Natsume and I were left stunned by this. Everyone else (mostly adults and a few teenagers and kids) were all seated around a rectangular table. However, we were urged to venture inside and once we did—
"Welcome home, Natsume, Kanami. It seems you brought a boyfriend over after all these years…time has really passed…" muttered our grandmother. She wore what looked like a kimono with several floral patterns on it. She had gray hair tied in a short bun adorned with brown eyes.
Our grandfather and dad sat together and they both had their arms crossed and were already glaring at Aaron. The rest of the family, minus the teenage boys, were also glaring at him and watching him closely.
"Fufu, come, come, sit down and join us. Your mother and a few other helpers are bringing the food here. It's a special occasion after all, so we thought we might as well use this large table to eat for once," said our grandmother.
"T-then excuse us," I said and we all sat down.
Aaron sat in the middle of us, while I sat on his right and Natsume on his left. After we sat down, there was a tense atmosphere, but it was eventually broken when mom and other maids came into the room with food.
If I wasn't mistaken, it was around the time to have lunch, so the timing was perfect. We were also going to stay the night here, so…that'll be interesting.
"Ara~ so this is Jin? Or do you prefer being called by your original Irish name, Aaron?" our mother asked.
Before we came here, we told her they could either call him Jin Skyward, or Aaron Toole (we gave the excuse of him wanting a more 'Japanese' name, especially the first name). I think she told the rest of the family who also stared at Aaron, waiting for his response.
He smiled and said, "I don't mind which one you refer to me as, whatever makes it easier for you, Yayoi-san."
Yayoi Minagawa, that was our mother's name. Our dad was Shun Minagawa, our grandmother was Takara Minagawa and our grandfather was Osamu Minagawa.
"My, a young man with manners, you two picked well, ufufu~" our mother giggled and walked back into the kitchen.
"Hmm. He's also well-trimmed and has class. I would have disapproved if he was a delinquent or other…speaking of that, Jin-kun, was it? What plans do you have for the future? If you're marrying both of our daughters, can you support them?" our grandfather, Osamu asked.
We were expecting him to ask this! Or at least dad since mom did mention it a few times in our chat group!
"I would have liked to save this after the meal, but…since you've already asked him, he may as well—though if you don't mind answering, Jin-san," said our grandmother.
"I don't mind, Takara-san. Well, I do plan on opening a restaurant that's backed by very wealthy individuals since I have connections with them, and I also plan on expanding that restaurant into a large enterprise when everything works well. However, that's for the long-term future, as for the immediate…"
Aaron used some kind of spell and then pulled out a briefcase from behind him and presented it to everyone. He then opened it.
"This is part of the small funds I have; this is around ¥100,000,000,000 (100 billion). I am confident that I can financially support these two for quite some time," he told them.
"Pfffffffftt—!!!" Natsume and I spat out the water we drank out of pure shock. The rest of our family sat there in stunned silence. The teenagers who were half-listening to this whole thing dropped their phones in shock too.
"Wooooooooooooaaaah! You can buy a lot of toys with this!" one of the children said. They were the only ones not that shocked by this. Also…how did he fit all of that in there?! It's magic, right?!
Natsume grabbed his collar and started to shake him violently. "W-w-w-what are you doing…?! Why are you showing them that…?!" she asked him while completely red in the face.
"If it's for my future wife, this sum of money is nothing, Natsume," he told her and gently kissed her on the forehead. Natsume stopped and looked both happy and mortified at the situation.
Oh. My. God! He's playing them like a fiddle! He's…he's putting on a show! When I looked at my family, they seemed impressed as hell, especially my grandfather, mother, and grandmother! Dad just looked a bit irritated though or was it jealously?! Even my uncles and aunts seemed to concede! The same with my teenage cousins since money was involved! The young ones already approved of him because money = a lot of toys.
He then turned to me! And even brought my head to his chest, dammit! I was also blushing now, don't involve me in this when I know your plaaaan!!
"Ara, ara~ fufu, it seems like Jin-kun seems to care a lot about Natsume and Kanami then," said our mom as she set the final bowl of food and Aaron in turn put away the briefcase.
"Indeed. We shall discuss more later, however, for now we shall eat," our grandmother told us and so we did. During the entire meal, the atmosphere was a lot lighter as everyone spoke about mundane things and even asked us how our lives were in Kuoh.
However, dad and two uncles didn't seem to approve of Aaron yet as they kept giving him somewhat hostile glances during the entire meal.
— ○ ● ○ ─
"He's good with children," said my grandmother.
Lunch had concluded around two hours ago, and after that, for an hour Aaron answered several questions from everyone in the room. Natsume and I chimed in every now and again, but most of them were aimed at him. Aaron answered them calmly and precisely. He covered his bases and left no holes to be poked through his answers.
But that just left dad and the two uncles even more frustrated. But it also meant the rest of the family liked him more. After that we were free to do what we wanted, and the first thing that happened was the children invited him outside to play, and he happily accepted.
Just like the typical Oppai Dragon, he had one on his shoulders as he ran around having fun with them. He was also being chased by the others, while the one on his shoulders pretended to be the one in control of him.
"Yeah, he is. He sometimes comes into contact with children because of a part-time job he has. So he has experience with them and they all like him," I told them.
"Fufu, it seems like he'll be a good father in the future, right, Kanami, Natsume?" asked our mom. Both of us blushed and had no answer for that.
"You two hit the jackpot, decent looks, wealthy as hell, a restaurant that might evolve into an enterprise in the future and a lot of money in the future! Gosh, I'm so jealous!" said a young female cousin of ours. She then gained a thoughtful look. "Hey, will he accept a third wife?" she asked.
Everyone there turned to look at her in shock, but—
"No, he's ours!" Natsume suddenly shouted. She then covered her mouth and blushed even more than earlier.
The younger girl began laughing and shook her head. "I was just teasing you, Natsume-nee, but I didn't think you'd react that strongly. I guess you love him that much, huh? Then what about Kanami-nee?"
For some reason, I was now the center of attention! How am I supposed to answer this?!
"Well…"
"Ah, so you're okay with it? Wife…number two sounds fine with it, so all I need to do is convince wife number one!" she said with a teasing smirk.
W-what? I didn't agree to anything! —But then the thought hit me. The more women he has, the less time we have with him, not including his current and future responsibilities…that means, if she joins…I'll have less time. I don't want that!
"Noooooooooo!! Never! It's just us two, no more!" I shouted and clutched my head rather dramatically. Everyone seemed taken aback by this, and even Aaron stopped running around with the children to look at me.
"T-that was a bit overdramatic, Kanami-nee…" she said awkwardly and looked away. "I also already have a boyfriend, so I was just teasing you too."
"W-whaaaaaat?! Kanami is shocked!" I said and backed away from her.
"Why did you speak in third person…?" Natsume asked. I also had no idea, so please don't ask me about it!
"Fufu, at least their household will be lively in the future. Our future grandkids will also be quite rambunctious, no?" our grandmother asked while smiling at us.
"It's good to be active while young," grandfather replied while sipping on tea.
"Are you still undecided, dear?" mom asked dad. Everyone turned to him and he sat with the two other uncles while staring at Aaron.
Dad closed his eyes and said, "I will have my final answer when dinner arrives, but until then I will not say anything."
How stubborn! At least speak to him, jeez! Also, why are you acting like some wise old monk? You're just a normal person! I was about to say all this when I felt one of my other uncle's hands on my shoulder and he shook his head. Why? Did he have his reasons or something? Or is he really just trying to act cool for his age?
"A duel will settle it," he muttered, got up and left.
Duel? Duel? What the heck is that old man talking about?! I looked over at Natsume and she seemed to have heard it too. We both just looked confused, I worry about what's to come in the day, ugh…
— ○ ● ○ ─
It was now nighttime. For the last few hours…Natsume and I didn't do anything, really. We were just normal 'guests', and Aaron decided to help with everything. From cleaning the entire walls, trimming the trees, keep the children entertained, speaking with my uncles, aunts, and cousins to even now, he's cooking dinner along with our mom and the maids!
I loitered around the kitchen and listened to their conversation. Natsu was entertaining the children and then…granny came over here.
"Oh! I didn't think you could use that for this dish, Jin-kun~!" mom said in surprise.
"Fufu, it's only a slight change, Yayoi-san. There are more variations I can show you…but that would take too long, so would you be okay with a small book filled with recipes?" said Aaron.
"Ara, ara~ flattery of this kind will definitely win you points, Jin-kun~" mom replied.
Those two sounded like they were having fun, and the maids around them also giggled along with what they were saying. Even Aaron would go around to see their progress or help them. Even when he's not trying, he's attracting more women…! Including my own mother…! I was unsure in how to feel in all of this!!
'H-he won't try to add her, r-right…?' I asked myself. But then the face and figure of Venelana-san flashed in my mind and I felt unsure. As I was about to move to stop him from trying to add my own mother to his harem, my grandmother spoke to me.
"I don't believe all three of you are telling us the full truth. I believe your mother and father know the truth but won't tell us…I will assume it's of paramount importance, yes? If so…he is still a fine young man, so will accept this, Kanami," said granny.
I turned to look at her and she grabbed a hold of my head and brought me into a hug. "You disappeared for a long time. You have no idea how much your parents worried about you, you know? Well, that matter is already solved, please visit them and us more often. We would also like to see your boyfriend more often, fufu."
"I…we'll try our best, granny," I replied. Even though I had a reason for it, I still caused them trouble, but they still accepted me back with not much trouble (although they did scold me when we first reunited and even today).
"Good, let's wait back in the dining room for dinner," she said and I followed her.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Near the end of dinner…something amazing happened—or something unexpected? Either way—
"Actually…there's another reason we came here today," Natsume started and looked at me.
I-it was time?! I was waiting for this, but I didn't think she'd do it at dinner! I stiffened and waited for my little sister to continue. Aaron looked at both of us and held our hands.
Natsume then brought her left hand out and so did I. We then showed off the ring we had, and everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
"J-Jin proposed to us not too long ago…and we plan on getting married in the near or far future. We're not sure yet…," said Natsume.
"Congra—" As granny began to say something, dad immediately stood up and glared at Aaron.
"Dear…please behave yourself," mom said to him but he stood firm.
"I wanted to say this for as long as I lived, so I'll do it now. I'll never hand my daughters over to you!!! If you want my approval, you must defeat me in a duel!" dad declared, completely and utterly stunning everyone in the room.
In a blink of an eye, Natsume appeared behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and slammed him to the ground while screaming 'Damn you old maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!'.
What the heck kind of reason is that?! You just wanted to say something so damn cliché?! That's completely unreasonable! No, it's childish! I glanced at Aaron and he looked troubled but also amused! —Ah! Didn't something similar happen to Suzaku?! Her dad also did something like this…and the match ended pretty anticlimactically.
Dad, who had recovered from Natsume's impromptu wrestling move got up and rubbed his head. Natsume came back and was fuming, but granny and grandad seemed amused, as did the other uncles, aunties and cousins.
"What say you, Jin Skyward?! Do you accept this duel?!" dad asked with passion.
Aaron smiled, got up and nodded. "Very well, I will accept this cliché duel from my future father-in-law. I, Jin Skyward humbly accept."
He's going along with it!! When I looked back at dad—why is he crying?! He's moved by this?! Wait, doesn't that mean you already accepted him?! Is he insane?! No, he's stupid! He's definitely just stupid!!
"It's a duel!"
"A duel!"
"Fight! Fight!"
The children were even more amused! I looked around and for some reason…this psychotic family was going along with iiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttt!!
"Natsume…"
"Sis…we were born into a ludicrous family, weren't we…?" asked Natsume.
"…Yeah, we were…"
Cúntóir: Answer: Heh, like either of you aren't as insane as the rest.
'Heeeeeeeeeeeeey!! We're normal!' I shouted back at her, but got no response. I just heard Cúntóir's voice in my head! I looked at Natsume and we silently communicated that we had heard her!
Cúntóir: Answer: Heh.
Don't 'heh' me!
— ○ ● ○ ─
After that strange debacle, dinner finished relatively normally with dad even joining in the chatter and banter of everyone. Did he seriously just want to do that cliché announcement? He was never that insane to begin with. Did finding out about the supernatural change him like this? It's giving me a headache…
After Aaron helped wash the dishes, and even set up the yard for the duel…everything was ready, dad came back out while wearing some kind of Dojo Gi or something…it was white with a red dot in the middle—no, that couldn't be just the Japanese flag, right…?
I looked around and everyone for some reason seemed impressed! Even Natsume?! Hello?!
"This is for you, Jin."
"Ah, thank you, Shun-san," replied Aaron as he accepted the shinai (bamboo sword) from dad. Dad walked back to his end and Aaron did the same thing.
"Today, I will show the proud technique of the legendary Minagawa sword style that's been passed down through generations!" Dad declared.
Minagawa sword style?! Generations?! What the fuck is happening?! Again, I looked around, but everyone seemed to have accepted this for some strange reason!
Dad then did some strange stance and his fighting spirit increased for some reason! …Eeeeeeeeh?! Why?! Even Natsume didn't find this strange! Did she give up and finally went along with this?!
I-I feel like if I try to think any harder my head will just explode…I give up…I'll accept anything at this rate.
Dad suddenly lunged towards Aaron! He swung his shinai down and Aaron blocked it easily.
"Impressive! It seems you know your way around a sword, young Skyward!" dad shouted, impressed by it.
Um…didn't mom tell you about who he is?! He's done even more ridiculous stuff, you know?!
"Well…I had a good older brother teach me," replied Aaron.
"Brilliant!" shouted Dad.
He then started attacking Aaron more. For someone who had never picked up a weapon before, dad's movements with it were amateurish at best, but he did his best. With every strike he threw at Aaron, he put the minimum amount of effort and strength into blocking it.
He played along with dad who went at him with a lot of enthusiasm…ah…I see, so this is his way of doing things, huh? I get it.
Dad, who found out about the supernatural must have taken a lot of interest in it, and once he found out about our visit with Aaron, he decided to try to step into it. Aaron, who's known as one of the strongest existences in the world and dad…who was an ordinary man.
Maybe he did this to see if he should join us or just have knowledge of it and keep living his life like a normal human. I think Aaron understood this from the start, and that's why he accepted all the strange things he did today. Including the fake hostility he showed him.
I was unsure of the role of my two uncles, but…they were very close to dad, so they probably went along with his whims too.
After a few minutes of this 'duel', dad's stamina finally reached its limit and he fell on his ass and panted as he was out of breath.
"W-well done, young Skyward…t-to think you would defeat our l-legendary style so easily, and without harming me either…!" Dad said tiredly. "B-but don't think I have conceded yet, for I won't accept defeat until you defeat me!"
This stubborn old man… I looked towards Aaron who only kept smiling at him.
"I see, I will deal one last blow to you, Shun-san. Please prepare to take it," he said and grabbed a hold of the shinai's handle with both hands and brought it back. The shinai was just at level with his face.
From the looks of it, Aaron planned to do one simply thrust attack. But…he shook his head and stopped with the stance. He then held the shinai in his right hand and brought it up—he was going to do a single swing instead.
He probably didn't want to accidentally destroy something with that thrust attack…so he's probably going to do something else entirely.
"End it! End it!" the children chanted. Even though it was already this late at night they were still awake and still energetic.
Aaron swung his shinai down and created a gentle yet powerful shockwave. The trees around the yard, the water, dust, and sand around us were slightly raised around their surroundings and then floated back down to the ground.
The sound created was like a 'fwoosh' and then everything settled back down. Everyone, including dad, but except Natsume and I were staring at Aaron in surprise. He then walked towards dad and held his hand out.
"Is that enough, dad (otou-san)?" Aaron asked. Dad who quickly got out of his stupor chuckled and accepted the gesture.
"…Yes…it was, thank you," replied dad and he was pulled up by Aaron.
"Wooooooooooooooooah! It went like fwooosh! Baaaaah!! And then wind!!" the children shouted in unison and became even wilder as they started running around the place.
"…I see. It seems like today's events finally concluded. It's time for bed, everyone," granny suddenly told all of us and everyone more or less accepted this.
— ○ ● ○ ─
For some reason, they separated us from Aaron and didn't let us sleep in the same room as him. How stingy, but…I couldn't sleep, and neither could Natsume.
"Can't sleep?" I asked.
"No…also, Aaron left his room…wanna go check?" asked Natsume.
"Duh," I replied. So we quickly left our shared room and found where Aaron was…he was with our parents and grandparents. We were about to eavesdrop on them! This felt kind of exciting…even if we did this job regularly.
"Thank you for going along with my selfish wishes today, Jin-kun. It must have been bothersome for you, right?" Dad asked.
Aaron smiled and shook his head. "No, I always spoil my lovers, so the fact that you wanted to do something this small…I didn't mind. I enjoyed myself, actually."
"Haha, is that so? Well, thank you again…also, I didn't know mom and dad knew about his identity," said dad as he turned to look at granny and grandpa.
"Fufu, we were alive when we were transported to that place, you know? Shiva, the God of Destruction's speech on Jin here was something interesting. The Dual Dragon Emperor of Unparalleled Power, was it? I asked Yayoi here about it not too long ago, you see…"
W-wait, granny and grandpa were also among the people Aaron teleported to [Sanctuary]?! I looked at Natsume and she also seemed surprised.
"I see…I'm sorry about all of that. It was—"
"No, it's fine. Thank you for protecting us, Jin-kun. I had already approved of you since that day. If both my granddaughters were both involved with you, then I would be able to leave this world in peace," said granny.
"Actually…" Aaron told him about his plans with the technology about increasing lifespans and they seemed surprised by it.
"That's a captivating suggestion, Jin. But…I think, we, the old fossils don't need to overstay our welcome in this world. We've lived satisfying lives, so we'll die like normal humans in a few days. But thank you for sharing this information with us. Perhaps our children may want to do that?" grandpa asked mom and dad.
"Natsume mentioned something about being turned immortal, it's the same with Kanami, right? Well, maybe increasing my lifespan for 100 or even 200 years doesn't sound bad. I want to see the progress humans will have under your future enterprise's guidance, you know?" said mom and clapped her hands happily.
"I wouldn't mind, I want to see more of this world after all, and maybe grandchildren in the future since you probably won't have kids too soon, right? You have a lot of responsibilities after all," said Dad.
"Yes…I won't have any for the next fifty or so years, but maybe after that…" replied Aaron.
Suddenly, dad and mom bowed to Aaron, confusing him.
"…Whatever happens in the future, whether it be us or our daughters, we leave them in your care. Please look after them," said Dad.
"If it's you, we can rest at ease, just like what mother said," added mom.
Aaron stared at them for a few seconds and sighed. "Please raise your heads. I will. I already made that promise to myself, please rest assured."
"Fufu, I can tell," said granny and everyone looked at her. "You value 'family' a lot, don't you? Whatever happened with your previous one, it might not have been the best life, right? So now you wish to have one yourself, one where you make them all happy, correct?"
Aaron stared at her in surprise for a few seconds, before he chuckled. "…The elderly sure have wisdom, don't they? Well…you're right, but I have a feeling my mother loved me very much. But I'll love and cherish my new and current family. That also includes Natsume and Kanami, and to that extent, all of you."
He then bowed. "Whatever decision you choose in the future, I will respect it and support you the best I can. So…this may be late, but please give me your blessings to take your daughters from you."
They chuckled at him and agreed to give both of us to Aaron. He has officially and formally gotten permission from our parents and grandparents. They spoke a bit more about the supernatural before our parents and grandparents left for their respective rooms.
"You two sure like eavesdropping, huh?" Aaron suddenly asked and looked in our direction.
We left the spot and Natsume playfully stuck her tongue out at Aaron before she ran towards him and hugged him. I guess…she liked how he deal with our family today. We were mostly separated from each other apart from when we sat at those tables.
"I'll say this now, Aaron. I feel like you'll have a few twins or even triplets with us (harem) in the future," I told him.
"Ugh…I read that having twins is even more excruciating when giving birth," Natsume said in a muffled voice since her head was still in Aaron's chest.
"You've been reading up about pregnancy and motherhood?" Aaron asked sounding amused.
I saw Natsume's ears go red and she began to shake. I laughed at her and she turned around and tried to strike me!
"Hey! What was that for?!" I asked while dodging.
Instead of answering that question, she smirked at me and said, "…In reality, aren't I closer to becoming a mother more than you?"
Stunned by this, I just stared at her in shock. Aaron sighed and softly chopped both our heads. "It's late at night. Try not to be so energetic and loud right now."
Natsume stuck her tongue out at Aaron before running off saying she'd take another bath and that we should join her. I was tempted since they'd separated us for most of the day already, so… As I was about to follow after my little sister, I felt Aaron grab my wrist.
"Is something wrong?" I asked while turning around to face him.
"You know, I skipped a couple of steps with you, right? So, here's a proper one," he said before leaning down and capturing my lips. I was a bit surprised, but also happy, so I kissed him back.
I know I kissed him a few days ago after he proposed to me. However, it was more like a spur of the moment kind of thing and I didn't count it! This is definitely my first kiss! Yep, yep, that's it, that makes sense!
After a full minute we separated and I didn't know what to say, but I was definitely blushing right now.
"Let's join Natsume in the bath then," he said and intertwined our fingers. I couldn't give him a proper response except for a quiet 'Mmm'.
Meeting Aaron back in the Greek's realm was undoubtedly by chance and luck. However, because of that coincidental meeting, I was reunited with my own sister and finally got to fix a lot of things. It was a blessing in disguise? Whatever it may be, I'm happy with the outcome.
After that…Aaron couldn't join us since the kids somehow woke up and started screaming about both Natsume and I trying to make babies with Aaron in the bath—those kids cock blocked us!
— ○ ● ○ ─
Morning came and passed, Aaron made breakfast with granny, mom, and the maids while everyone else groggily sat around waiting for them. After breakfast, we would finally make our way home, so today was our last day over here.
"Ah that reminds me, you're opening a restaurant, right? It'll be in…Kuoh town, right? We might swing by down there then. Do you have a name for it yet, Jin?" my dad suddenly asked as we ate breakfast.
"I do have the name, but it's not too far from the high school division and I'll make sure to give you guys some coupons through Natsume and Kanami. As for the name…hmm, I guess it's fine."
He nodded to himself before looking around, everyone, including Natsume and I waited early to hear it. Aaron had kept the name of the restaurant a secret for the longest time. Even the 'Four Fated Ones' didn't know the name! Maybe this is something we can brag about? Or…did he tell them in secret and asked them not to tell the rest of us…?!
"Ryukororeacht or Ryukororeacht Restaurant or it can be called the R&R," he told us.
"Ryu…what?" dad repeated, sounding confused. The rest of us were also confused, so he explained further.
Aaron chuckled and said, "It's just word play. So, it goes something like this: 'Ryu' from 'Dragon', 'Koro' from 'Kokoro/Heart' and 'Reacht' from the Irish word for 'Legacy' which is 'Oidhreacht'. So in short, it's the Dragon's Heart Legacy Restaurant," he explained.
"Dragon (Ryu) Heart (koro) Legacy (reacht) Restaurant. I thought it was fine, and that's what I'm going with. What are your thoughts?" he asked.
Oh! Some Japanese and Irish being mixed together again, huh? I feel like he's been doing that a lot lately, the R&R Restaurant, huh? Wait, what?
"Doesn't that sound like the usual 'R&R', for Rest and Relaxation?" I asked.
"That's also a way of looking at it. I want my patrons to come into it and feel relaxed too, since we'll be playing ambient music from various countries to make them more relaxed, as well as making delicious food…," he added.
Oh! He did think of it that way! Also, a dragon, huh? Some of that's part of him, a dragon (outer dragon god, boosted gear and divine dividing), the place where he lives now (Japan) and his origins (Ireland/being Irish). It's pretty fitting for him, I think.
After everyone heard his explanation, they nodded satisfied with it. For our parents and grandparents who knew of his real identity, they seemed even more amused by it, but—
"Oh! Dragon! A restaurant named after a dragon?! Can we go?!" one of the children asked.
"Fufu, it's not open yet, but when it is, I'll make sure to inform you guys, and you're welcome there at any time," he told the children and they became even more happy.
After that, he spoke to them more about it, and we had a more light hearted time before we left. Of course, our grandparents and younger relatives made Aaron promise to visit them again and said that he would, and he teased that maybe next time they'd have even more grandchildren which was embarrassing.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Timeline – Volume 6
A Resolve to Improve & Changing Times
— ○ ● ○ ─
Jin Skyward's Soliloquy
— ○ ● ○ ─
I was in Grigori today, and looked over the prisoners we had. I stood in front of Yashina's cell and she sat on the bench of her cell. She looked up and smiled at me.
"Fufu, Dual Dragon husband, have you come to visit me?" she asked. "I've given you everything I had you know? How about letting me out and letting me join your harem?"
"…You need rehabilitation and maybe after that we'll consider on letting you roam freely, but until then—"
"So you're saying I have a chance? Fufu, okay, I'll play along. I certainly would like to play with your Ice Queen again," she said with a smile before sitting back down and staring at the area between my legs.
I've checked up on her and a few others, but they're not really cooperative…well, Yashina is a bit more cooperative. I mean according to her, she died during the war, so she experienced life after death, but then was brought back. The same goes for the other prisoners here.
"Why not just 'change' me like a few others, hmm?" she asked.
The thought occurred to me, but seeing her own history, I felt pity for her. Being brought up in that environment, I felt pity for her, much like the two subordinates of Yanuyo that I hadn't changed like their leader, they were subjects to what he had done in his past. The previous Yanuyo was also a giant sociopath. He was just born like that.
So I changed him. Redemption and a second chance were beyond him, so…I only do it in severe cases like that. For Avezza specifically, it was a bit different. After hearing her own history, she would eventually end herself and anyone around her, and losing someone with that mind and talent…would be bad, so I changed her.
"I have my reasons. But even if it's just a small percentage, I can see you changing, Yashina. So please, even if it's not for your sake—take the rehabilitation seriously, for my sake," I told her. Maybe I can use her obsession in my favor?
Yashina smiled at me and asked, "Are you telling me to live for your sake?"
"If that's how you perceived that statement, then I won't stop you from doing so." My reply was vague, but if it makes her compliant then I don't mind. It's not the healthiest, but it's a step in some kind of direction.
"Ufufu, I will behave like a good girl and live for you then, Jin-s-a-m-a~" she said and winked.
I shook my head and left. I can take that as some kind of progress, right? Well, whatever…my next destination was…to two individuals. Atsutarou and…Frida Zagan, that devil they found. As far as I could tell, she had what I personally call [Word Magic], anything she says becomes a reality, but it's also limited to things for now.
Like, she can just say 'Everything in the known universe explode', but if she was to say '100 Balls of [Power of Destruction] appear' then yeah, she could. It's quite a powerful clan ability from the Zagan clan.
Frida Zagan herself wasn't too powerful, so the things she's capable of doing is limited, but since Glenda controlled her back then…and that she was much more powerful than Frida, then yeah, she could do all of them, even summon a miniature black hole according to Shigune.
As of right now, I'm treating her case like Ingvild, well…the one from the original Light Novel. I made my way to the treatment facilities and got there quickly, I already knew her life signature and found her quickly. When I entered, a few fallen put their hands up and I greeted them too.
Frida knew of my existence, I'm also sure she survived the war and was transported to [Sanctuary], although I do need to visit that place again, maybe after I evolve… I walked over to her and examined her body myself. For the most part, her body was okay, however, emotionally and mentally she was still recovering.
The things she went through before and after meeting Glenda and the Khaos Order were horrible, so I had to be delicate about it. I could simply erase it, and I even suggested it, but for some strange reason she was against it.
According to Avezza and a few others, she just didn't want to be subjected to that kind of thing anymore, things that could fundamentally change her, so I respected that, and just helped her in other ways.
Even though she lives with me, she spends most of her time in her room, and I personally (when I can) bring her food so she can eat. She's like a scared animal that was held in captivity, but then put out in a wild-life center and still hadn't adjusted. She was still quite fragile. But she has made some progress.
Once they were done checking on her, they left to attend to other patients, so I approached her and…pulled out a book. The things I found out about here were few and far between. However, I know she likes reading, so I've brought her original replicas of books from my home.
Frida reads all kinds and doesn't care what the genre is, so today, I brought her Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata, one of Japan's classical literature pieces. Fusae was the one who recommended it. She liked it too, and since (I think) they have (somewhat) similar personalities, I asked her for help in that regard.
"I asked one of my friends and they thought you'd like this one. It's one of Japan's classic literature pieces," I told her and handed the book over to her.
"…Thank…you…Jin…" she muttered and bowed quickly before opening the book and reading it.
"I'll bring you back home, or do you still need to stay here?" I asked.
"…I…still…have…some…things…to…do…here…so…I…can't…leave…yet," she replied.
"I see. Well, I'll come get you at the end of the day, alright? If you're done sooner, then just contact me through that ring, okay? I already told you how to use it, right?" I asked and she nodded.
Glancing at her one last time, I saw that she had started to walk in a different direction. I already had a few shadow soldiers in her shadow so they'll be able to protect her if anything happens…hopefully.
Next was…the Himejima household. As I said Atsutarou was there again today and he had more time allowed for me to be out since he helped during the war, even getting injured and dying. The closer I got to the Himejima home, the more energies I felt.
I rang the ball as soon as I got there, and the door opened. To my surprise, Akeno came to greet me, but instead of the usual greeting, she grabbed my arm, pulled me into the home and towards the kitchen where I saw even more people.
Shuri, Baraqiel, Azazel, Suzaku, Atsutarou, Kasumi, Kaito (Suzaku's parents), Tobio and Sae. There was a strange atmosphere there and when I looked at Akeno for more context, she shook her head.
"Hello? What's with this tense atmosphere?" I asked.
"Amazing news, Jin. Suou is dead, permanently! Fuhahaha!" Atsutarou said happily, but his usual excitement wasn't there. It seemed like he was forcing himself to act like that.
"…What?" I asked.
Dead? Suou? I heard from Suzaku that he indeed died during the mass attack from Lapis, but he was also revived, wasn't he? Although any time I tried to ask, Suzaku was vague about it. The same goes for some elders and high executives. Some of them had very strange things happen to them. I looked at Suzaku, Shuri and Baraqiel. They seemed to have complicated feelings about this.
"So, care to share and elaborate?" I asked again.
Suzaku sighed and nodded in agreement. "Remember when Lavinia and I went back before we finished your request in the Irish pantheons?" she asked and I nodded. "I was called back to the clan for that. Great uncle Suou and a few other elders and high executives fell asleep and didn't wake up."
"We tried everything, including asking for help from other factions and gods, but according to them, they seemed to be 'asleep'. It's the best way I can put it…we wanted to hold off with asking you about it, Aaron," explained Suzaku.
"Asleep, huh? I'll go take a look later in the day then, or whenever you guys want me to. So that's why the mood was strange here? Well, it makes sense since Suou, his actions and all of you were heavily involved with it, the same with the elders and higher executives of the clan," I replied.
"Well, it's not like we can do much at this point. It's not some kind of disease, and you mentioned before that after you resurrected everyone that died, some of them didn't come back, right? The 2 billion humans, so I'd say Suou and some of those in the Himejima might have been part of it. That's why he's probably in that vegetative state," added Azazel.
Everyone was at odds with each other, and the Five Principal Clans were heavily against any kind of unity with the supernatural since they saw them as their natural born enemies, save for a few that they formed contracts and alliances with, or at least, neutrality. Whatever happened with the Slash/Dog events, it definitely changed it, and what I did only made it stronger.
"It would be better to see it for myself, so I'll go there. Do you mind, Suzaku?" I asked.
"If you're going then make it quick, Koga Hyousuke finally came back from his mission from abroad. So you'll get to meet the final member of the Four Fiends."
"Koga, huh? It's been a while since we saw him. He does like doing things by himself, but…" said Tobio as he looked at me with a bit of a complicated look.
I tilted my head, but he said nothing further. As far as I could tell, Koga Hyousuke and Shigune were the last two to be rescued from the Utsusemi incident and the last survivors of the 'Heavenly of Aloha Incident', and Koga offered himself up to be experimented on Shigune's behalf which made him a bit protective of her.
Shigune hasn't mentioned him that much. He would sometimes say that he was on a mission and wonder how he was doing. I don't know what kind of relationship they have, but it's definitely a close one.
"Right, I'll call Shigune as well since she'll probably want to meet him again. Anyway, off you go, Jin-sama~!" Azazel said with a grin.
He was enjoying this way too much, and whatever weird fallout Koga and I will have that will involve Shigune. As I was about to retort, Suzaku got up and dragged me away followed by Akeno. Azazel was then (softly) beaten by Shuri as he begged for her to stop.
"Let's go then…and I believe Shigune and Koga are just close friends. You have nothing to worry about, Aaron," said Suzaku.
"Hmm? I mean, I'd assume so? Those two were pursued by Oz, the remnants of the Utsusemi and Five Principal Clans back four—er five years ago, right?" I asked and she confirmed with a nod.
"Are you coming with us, Tobio-nii-san?" Akeno asked.
"Yeah, Sae and I will come along, and of course…" Tobio looked to his side and Gin appeared and wagged his tail.
"The more, the merrier, I guess?" I replied and chuckled.
However, I was surprised by what Akeno called Tobio. 'Tobio-nii-san', huh? I guess with all the trips she takes here, she eventually became acquainted enough to call him that. But I'm glad for her since she's deepening her relationships with those from her clan. Earlier, she seemed to get along with both Suzaku's parents too.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Immediately arriving at the grounds of the Himejima clan, I could tell that the atmosphere here was even more tense than at the Himejima home in Grigori. I guess having those elders, executives and Suou himself like this made a lot of people uneasy. However, I also felt some…divine energy here too. I didn't expect them to be here.
As we walked through, some children ran up to us and started chatting with Akeno and Suzaku. They would occasionally do it with Sae and Tobio while they just stared at me from a distance.
"He's the Oppai Dragon, you know?" Akeno said to them and they nodded. "Do you want to speak to him?" she asked and they shook their heads.
Hmm. I wonder why? Well…I'll eventually find out, I guess? We kept walking with the children still talking to us. However, they eventually stopped as we reached a section and they waved goodbye to us.
"Hmm. I guess there are still people against me, or at least not fans. I didn't think children were one of them though," I said to myself.
"I think they're just nervous, Aaron. We're also in the clan so not many would know you too well, or see your show. But times are changing and with Suzaku-onee-sama's changes, they will definitely see more of it," said Akeno.
I agreed with her and patted her head, to which she approved of. We kept walking until we reached a certain building that I could feel an overflowing amount of Shinto magic coming from it. This may have been some kind of healing spell or something, but without another word, Suzaku pushed open the doors to it and we entered the building.
There were other clan members there and they stared at me with curiosity and some bewilderment that me and Tobio were here, and also Akeno, though that was a lot less.
"By the way…where's your kid?" I asked Sae. She didn't have their baby girl and she smiled bitterly.
"Tobio said to leave her at the daycare in Grigori since Raynare-san is there today, and also that this might happen and we didn't want to stress her out…though I wished I just stayed home, but this was also important…mmm, the world of the supernatural is complicated," muttered Sae.
She was clearly agitated and stressed. Tobio had an apologetic look on his face as he tried to calm down his fiancé. As they did that, we eventually reached another door and the Shinto magic from behind this was the strongest, meaning this was the room where Suou and a few other elders were in.
The door was opened by Suzaku and we saw several beds surrounded by Shinto magic circles and several shikigami's around them too. Other Himejimas were there and also…Amaterasu who was accompanied by Benkei turned to look at us.
"Middleman…Suzaku—the clan head brought you?" one of the older Himejima asked.
"Something like that. I was curious about Suou's condition and the other elders…so I'll be taking a look at them," I told them.
Walking over to a random elder first, I bypassed the barriers, seals, and healing they had around them and used [Observe] on him. HP, MP were basically zero, however, the biggest indicator was the 'status' beside their name.
[Name]: Kaen Himejima (Soulless).
That's it. His soul had basically left his body—at best…they had a corpse here. I touched his cheek and it was warm for some reason. However, I also noticed that Amaterasu had her blessings active on them, perhaps that's what's keeping them warm?
I stepped out of the area and glanced around while also avoiding Suou since I wanted to leave him last, and it was the same as Kaen Himejima. They all had the (Soulless) status, so those souls probably already reincarnated or were being kept up in Heaven, or another place…
So, I walked towards Suou's bed and stood at the end of it. Beside me were Suzaku and Amaterasu. Everyone else stayed back. I hadn't given them my answer yet, but seeing as how I didn't try to 'heal' them, they probably understood it was useless.
When I used [Observe] on him…it was the same. (Soulless) was beside his name, and his HP and MP were both empty. So he really died, huh? I wanted to speak to him a bit more, and some people also probably want to make amends, or get their grievances out of their system. But he kicked the bucket after or during the war, huh?
"How—" As Amaterasu tried to speak, I put my hand up then clicked my fingers stopping the spells around us.
"Why did—"
"They're gone. Their souls left their bodies. Keeping those spells up would be pointless since you're essentially healing a soulless corpse," I told the Himejima that tried to protest. The room fell even more silent as they slowly accepted what I said.
"You guys should prepare funerals for them," I told Suzaku and held her hand. She gripped it quite tightly as she looked at her great uncle with a complicated expression.
"…I see, so he has passed, Suou Himejima, and these clan members," Amaterasu said while glancing around. "I will be part of this funeral. Benkei, we will go back and inform the others of the situation. Suzaku…if possible, please bring Zhuque here too."
"…Yes, as you wish, Amaterasu-sama," replied Suzaku.
I glanced back at Suou and also had mixed emotions about this. For a man of his stature, and for all the things he had done, even if he did simply follow the clan's rules and systems—he had a lot of people in this room mourning for him, and even feel some sort of sad emotion for him. Which included Tobio, Sae, Akeno and Suzaku…
— ○ ● ○ ─
"The funeral should be soon, although I will await more instructions from Amaterasu-sama," said Suzaku.
We had arrived back in Grigori and in the Himejima home. After she informed the rest of the clan, many were devastated and many wept for them, but they had to move forward. However, as expected everyone still seemed unsure in how to react. Suzaku's parents also went back to the clan to help with the preparations.
Atsutarou clicked his tongue and went out to the back garden and sat down. Shuri seemed worried and went to talk to him along with Baraqiel. The rest of us were left and Tobio spoke first.
"I didn't know much about Great Uncle Suou, but…even if we didn't see eye to eye, I didn't want him to go out like this. I wish he had at least made amends with some people before he passed away," said Tobio. Sae agreed with him while carrying their child. She had gone to get her as soon as we came back.
"…He hunted me down and nearly killed me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't interrupted…but after everything's that happened, he tried to make amends…however, I still have some complicated feelings about the matter," said Akeno.
"Great uncle…he guided me throughout the years. Although he was harsh with his training at times, I knew in the back of my mind that it was necessary. However, from time-to-time, he would also show a genuine and kind side. Even if some of you do not agree, I am saddened by his passing," said Suzaku.
Everyone turned to look at me. My feelings about the situation were equally complex. I heard most of Atsutarou's story, as well as from Baraqiel, Shuri, Akeno, Tobio and Suzaku. I also know how many people suffered because of it, but also that he tried to change the rules and systems, but in the end he couldn't, and resorted to following them.
But I can't deny the fact that Akeno, Baraqiel, Shuri and even Tobio have suffered. I can only imagine what Suzaku went through. Even when I asked her to elaborate, she would say 'It wasn't that bad', or something like that, so I was already suspicious of it.
I sighed and scratched the back of my head. "I don't know." That's all I could say. Suzaku was clearly grieving the loss, so I shouldn't just say harsh words like 'Fuck him, good that he's dead', that would probably lodge a wedge between our relationship.
I won't pretend that he was a good man even after he died, because he wasn't. He was dealt a hand, and he had to use it. Even if he tried to change it, he didn't. I don't know to what extent he tried to change it. However, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he tried his hardest, but…in the end he didn't change anything. Which leads us to everything that happened to Tobio's grandmother, Akeno and Shuri.
Before anyone else could answer, Tobio and Sae's child began to cry, and the two parents rushed to the kitchen to look after her—she was probably hungry.
Suzaku came over to me and took both my hands into hers. "Thank you," she said before laying her head on my chest. "I know you have complicated feelings towards our great uncle, but even so thank you for not saying anything else."
"…Yeah." I shook my head again and sighed. Akeno also joined us while also acting like her usual self, as she winked at me and hugged my left arm.
— ○ ● ○ ─
We spoke to mom and dad for a little longer before leaving the place. Since Shigune was already here, that meant the guy named Koga was also here, so we were heading towards the place they were at.
The original Slash/Dog Team also joined us, minus Lavinia since she was with Danu in Ireland for something. So the ones here were Tobio, Sae, Natsume and Kouki, but the new members also joined us. Kanami, Kalawarna, Mittelt, Ajamu, Meruem and Fusae.
While Koga wasn't part of the Slash/Dog Team, he was an ally, and also part of the agents of Grigori, and he had been on a year-long mission aboard, somewhere in Europe. According to Cúntóir, he wasn't killed during the war, so he may know what I look like.
Suzaku and Akeno also accompanied us. I wanted to get Frida after all of this, but…her aura was also quite close to Shigune. I wonder if Shigune went to Frida? Those two, while they're not close…got along with each other well enough.
We eventually arrived at a room. I hadn't been there before since Grigori had a ton of them, so I didn't exactly explore all of this place.
In the room was Shigune, with a male and…Frida was on a chair away from the two. They were chatting with each other with smiles on their faces and the man would sometimes comically pat Shigune on the head.
That was definitely Koga Hyousuke. He had short black hair with gold highlights, emerald green eyes and he wore black clothes that resembled a school uniform. Koga was described as having two kinds of personalities. One that resembled Kouki's, which was like a delinquent, and the other was an intellectual nerd, he was also known as a loner.
Once they noticed our presence, they looked over at us and Shigune (with Poh) in her arms ran over to us. Once in front of us, Poh got out of Shigune's arms and jumped onto my shoulder before lying there and sleeping.
'That was quick…' I thought, before I looked back and hugged Shigune.
"Hoho? So you're the all-mighty Middleman, huh? Nanaderu-san's lover, eh?" Koga asked me and looked at me up and down. He then put his hand forward for a handshake. "I'm Koga. Koga Hyousuke, Tobio, and the rest's ally. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," I replied and shook his hand.
"So, are you going to marry Nanaderu-san? Even though we only friends and allies, I see her as like a little sister you know?" he said.
"Yes, I plan on marrying everyone in my harem," I replied. Shigune and the girls around us showed troubled smiles, and a few blushed at my statement.
"Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!! What the hell is this?! I wanted drama! I wanted a fight! I don't want either of you getting along, what the hell?!" Azazel shouted. He had come out…from somewhere.
"Cut?" Koga and I repeated and glanced at the psychotic governor.
He started doing weird and exaggerated hand signs before Avezza came out of nowhere, axe kicked him, knocked him out and dragged him away.
"Sorry about that, I'll get him out of your way," she said and started to 'ufufufu' after they left the room.
"I remember the governor being a very serious person when we first met him. Perhaps he's relaxed more over the years?" Koga asked while staring at the doorway.
"Well, he has certainly relaxed a lot during the past year. Although he always had that mischievous personality, but things back then were tense, and even this year, but…" Tobio said and then looked at me.
"I made him stupid?" I asked and pointed at myself.
Tobio stifled a laugh and shook his head. "N-no, it's that…you know, you made him a bit less tense, that's all."
After that, we made our way to the food court and chatted a bit. Koga told us the details of his mission and that he and Blitz (his Sacred Gear) were tasked with following a criminal organization that may have been informing the humans of a certain city of the supernatural.
Eventually, Koga was forced to slowly and meticulously took them down slowly. He had no backup, and he was on his own, so he had to do a lot of things he hadn't done before to survive. He had no qualms about killing people, so he used the things they left behind for himself.
But he also admitted—
"A war that came out of nowhere, but at the same time it made my job easier since I could freely run around exterminating the rest. I was also lucky that Middle—no, Jin erased all the human's memories. It was a win-win situation for me," said Koga as he ate his food.
"Well, it ended pretty soon, and everyone was transported to that place, although we did loose around 2 billion people after it. But the entire world is still recovering from it. Their memories may be erased, but their bodies still remember a part of that terror," Koga added.
"Well, at least they have their lives back rather than staying dead. It's better to not have the memory—their body remembering it is a small price," said Kouki. "I mean, I myself wouldn't be too bothered by it."
Kalawarna grabbed his cheek and pinched it. "Being sensitive to others' feelings goes a long way Kouki. Not everyone is as strong as you," she told him.
"I know that," he grumbled back.
Looking at them, I'm surprised that Kouki got into a relationship with her. I heard he had some trouble with women in his past, so the fact that he got along with Kalawarna…Tobio must have helped, or someone else. But overall, I'm glad for him, also…sparing them back then—all of them have better lives now.
The weakest one was probably Dohnaseek, although he didn't seem that bothered the last time I saw him. And the one that sought after that power, is now one of the strongest in their previous group.
Kanami, sensing the slightly depressing atmosphere, changed the subject and we all started talking about it, as well as the future of the Slash/Dog Team, and their team for the upcoming Rating Game World Tournament.
— ○ ● ○ ─
Time passed on like that and I finally went back to that room where Koga and Shigune were in. I told the group that were still in the cafeteria that I would fetch her so we could go home. It was nearing four in the afternoon after all, and they thought it was appropriate to go back.
When I stepped into the room, Frida was silently staring at the closed book in her lap. I approached her and before I could say anything—
"…I want to change," she whispered. She then looked up at me, with a slightly upset expression on her face. "…I listened to Shigune-san and Koga-san's…conversation…they've been through a lot…when I was taken over by that woman…I caused a lot of sadness…I want to gain control of my powers and…get stronger too…"
"…It's my fault…everyone…was…hurt during 'Halloween', right…?" she asked, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Frida had been in my home and Grigori as well as the Underworld for months now. The old devils have relentlessly hounded her, but Sirzechs and the other Satans have been doing their best to protect her. However, as I mentioned her own mental health wasn't the greatest and that caused her to shut down more.
I don't know what she's been thinking about these last few months. I only had small amounts of time to spend with her because of all the things that were happening. I feel guilty and responsible for what happened.
"It's not your fault. It was the Wizards of Oz, Glenda, and the Khaos Order. But if you're serious about this, then we can help you," I told her and knelt down.
"…Please…"
I nodded and grabbed her hand. "Alright. Let's start today then, you know of my home and its facilities, right? As far as I can see you're physically fit. We can start light, and slowly increase the training load once more time passes."
She silently nodded her head and got up from her seat. While still holding her hand, I brought her back to everyone and we went home. I spoke with several others who specialized in magic and Aurelia in training her.
Frida, while hesitant, accepted this deal. She resolved herself to change and get stronger, and I—we'll help her.
— ○ ● ○ ─