Chapter 988 - Death by Homecoming
"————————... I'm ho—...me...?"
Time passed, and night fell.
I had casually told my parents and the three girls, 'I'll be back by evening at the latest,' before I left. Now, it was past ten in the evening—meaning I had blithely sailed past not only evening but dinnertime as well. Having failed to keep my word, I found myself forced to slip through my home's gate with great trepidation.
It was all, I must admit, due to my own hopeless lack of foresight. Every single place I went to pay my respects, I was met with an exceptionally intense welcome that held me captive.
I get it, I do.
The places I visited were restaurants, izakayas, an ice cream shop, and a few others—part-time jobs where I had worked for a relatively long time and felt genuinely indebted to them.
They were also the workplaces of the people who had identified me from the broadcast of the Tenth Four Pillar War and had contacted me, full of concern and worry, asking, 'Hey, are you alright?!'
So, yeah.
I had replied to their messages and let them know I was safe, but... when I showed up in person, it's probably natural that they'd want to grab me and fuss over me.
My final part-time jobs were all carefully selected places I chose to stay at after working my way through numerous other workplaces—to be honest, it wasn't about the pay so much as they were environments with great personal relationships where I could work comfortably.
At one place, they dragged me off, saying, 'Hey, let's go get lunch, my treat.'
At another, 'Have you eaten lunch yet? Wanna go to a café?' and I was whisked away.
At yet another, 'Alright, it's yakiniku time. We're going to the most expensive place,' and off I went.
And at another, 'What's that? You already had meat? Then it's sushi time,' and I was taken away again.
At one last place, they almost made me take home a ridiculous souvenir weighing an estimated ten-plus kilograms, asking, 'Ice cream, want to take a whole box? We're closed, but we've got stock.'
...And so on, and so forth—seriously, know your limits.
Two lunches, two dinners, plus countless light meals in between; I thought my stomach was going to explode. But, I was able to spend ample time at each place, so I managed to catch up with everyone properly.
My stomach is in turmoil, but my worries are resolved. It feels like I've finally been able to set down a burden I'd been quietly carrying. My shoulders feel lighter, and my heart feels clear.
...So then, why.
"..., ..., ..."
Why am I proceeding down the hallway with a grim face, tiptoeing cautiously while holding my breath? The answer lies in a text conversation between my mother and me about twenty minutes ago.
------ 'Mom, sorry. I'm on my way home now.' Read
-----...
----...
--...
...
Yep. Not much of a conversation, more like a one-way street. The sheer power of being left on read.
I had been sending periodic updates, and she had replied up until I said, 'Sorry, got held up for dinner too.' But after several more hours passed, my declaration of return was met with silence from my mother.
It's too scary. She's definitely mad—and I mean, of course she is.
'What the hell are you doing, leaving the guests you brought home all alone?' I couldn't complain even if she berated me with a smile. Making my rounds was definitely something I had to do, but this is a matter of me failing to manage my schedule properly in the first place.
Honestly, even I'm thinking, 'This guy is unbelievable.'
Hence the trepidation and the stealthy reconnaissance moves... So, I wonder what's going on in the living room where all the presences are gathered. I was about to peek from behind the entryway when—
"—And this one... is third grade. It's Nozomi sulking because he couldn't get first place in a running race."
"?????"
Through the door separating the hallway and the living room.
As my brain processed the devastating words my ears had caught, I instantly pulled back, suppressed my presence, and in the dark hallway, alone and in solitude, I began to spin thoughts about my next move at top speed.
"...How cu—"
I shut out my ears as well, completely blocking out my partner's high-tension reaction that followed my mother's voice. I then took two or three more steps back, striving for silence.
"............................................................"
—Yeah, I could hear them.
I thought to myself, 'Wow, it's lively over there in the hallway,' but...!!!
Mother...!!
What on earth are you doing, staging the classic instant-death event without my permission...!!
I mean, honestly, I was prepared for it. I knew it would come at some point. So I was mentally ready for the inevitable arrival of 'the usual,' but staging it in my absence is a different story.
Wait, I can't handle this.
Not even knowing what they've seen or how much of it is a bona fide case of mortifying death???
Is this my punishment? Is it? Or is this a make-up event for Sora and the others who were left to fend for themselves in an unfamiliar place for so long? No, no... well, I guess it's fine, but still...!!!
And so, for how long did I stay like that?
"...Haaaaaaaa..., ...Alright. Okay."
I mumbled a nearly silent monologue to myself while still suppressing my presence.
"I... saw... nothing..."
My parents and the three girls, all getting along harmoniously.
I kicked the image of the five of them gathered happily around the living room table, fondly looking through someone's growth record (album), to the far corners of my memory and began the second act of my sneaking mission.
Knowing exactly where to step to avoid creaks, I traversed the path to my room with what was undoubtedly my fastest speed and greatest stealth ever—and chose to become a hermit.
Until the feast of death downstairs reached its finale, I did nothing but single-mindedly suppress my presence.