Chapter 536 - Chapter 477: Invitation to the Main Ise Family Residence
Monday
"It's amazing..."
"More rural than you imagined, isn't it?"
"Well, there's nothing here, but at least the air is clean, right?"
Mion, getting off the Automated Tour Bus, seemed surprised by the rice paddies and fields visible from my grandpa's house. It was a journey of nearly five hours, transferring from train to linear motor car, then another train, and finally the Automated Tour Bus. This village, with a population of just under 7,000, apparently had most of its residents engaged in agriculture.
My grandpa also grows rice and vegetables, but most of the work is done by AI-controlled robots.
"Hey, did you forget anything?"
"Ah..."
I thought we had taken all our luggage off the bus, but I asked them to double-check. We unloaded four small suitcases and some souvenirs from the trunk, then sent the Automated Tour Bus on its way.
"Let's go!"
"Alright." "Hmph." "Ah, yes."
My grandpa's house is on a hill up this slope. When I was in elementary school, it felt like a very long slope, but now it doesn't seem that bad.
"That's grandpa's house."
"Wow..."
A purely Japanese-style wooden single-story house. It looked incredibly old, and indeed, it was built during the Showa era, but the interior has been renovated many times.
"I'm home!"
Opening the sliding front door revealed a dirt floor that continued straight through. To the left of the dirt floor was a long step board, a raised threshold, and a reception area.
"How is it? Seeing the real thing?"
"It's moving..."
Beside our conversation, Mashiro-nee and Miki took off their shoes and stepped up.
"Where are gramps and granny?"
"They must be out in the fields, wouldn't they?"
The wooden-floored corridor leading from the reception area also served as a veranda, facing a classic Japanese garden, but a clothesline ruined the aesthetic somewhat...
"Um, greetings..."
"Oh, after we put our luggage away."
Grandpa was probably off checking either the rice paddies or the mountain, but grandma was likely in the back garden. The furthest room, facing the backyard, was an empty eight-tatami-mat room when the shoji screen was opened. It used to be my dad's room, but now it's our room for when we stay over.
"Luggage goes here."
"Yes."
Mashiro-nee opened the closet and tossed everyone's suitcases into the empty lower section. By the way, futons were stacked on the upper section; I should probably air them out.
"Mio-chan, this way."
"Yes."
Opening the shoji screen on the right side led to a wooden-floored corridor.
"This is... the restroom."
Mashiro-nee almost said 'benjo' (toilet) but corrected herself. Is that thanks to the prestigious all-girls university she attends?
We continued on to the bath. Beyond the changing room was a large bath. A cypress bath would be ideal, but it was just an ordinary large bath. Then, circling back, we eventually came to...
"This connects to the dirt floor."
"I see."
The dirt floor from the entrance extended all the way to the back door of the house. However, since we took off our shoes at the entrance, we used the wooden sandals here. Grandma's pair wasn't there, so she must be in the back garden.
"I'm going to go call granny for a bit."
Mashiro-nee said, putting on the sandals and reaching to open the back door...
"Who are you calling granny! That's enough!"
The door slid open with a loud rattle, and grandma appeared, grabbing Mashiro-nee's wrist and twisting it hard in reverse.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
She's still as merciless to Mashiro-nee as ever, and she's only slightly taller than Miki, yet so powerful.
"...Grandma, that's enough. We have guests."
When I said that, she released Mashiro-nee. Her gaze then turned to Mion, looking a little surprised.
"This is Izumo-san, my classmate and clubmate."
"I-I'm Izumo Mio. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Upon hearing that, grandma looked very pleased.
"Please take care of Shota. He can be a bit stubborn, but he's a good boy."
"Y-Yes!"
Stubborn? I don't really think I'm stubborn...
"Mashiro and Miki are here too, aren't they?"
"Yeah, they're helping grandma prepare snacks."
"I see. I'm going to wash my boots for a bit, so could you take this dog to the kennel?"
She said, petting the black Shiba dog's head. There was apparently a dog kennel near the entrance to the courtyard, but I hadn't noticed it earlier.
"Okay. By the way, what's this dog's name?"
"Kagemaru. He's cool, like a ninja, isn't he?"
"Wafun!"
Grandpa looked at me smugly, seeking agreement. Is poor naming sense hereditary too?
...
...
...
Dinner was yakiniku. When we visit, dinner is usually something easy and celebratory, so it's either yakiniku or curry. Well, Mashiro-nee eats a ton. After dinner, as promised, ice cream was served, and we had our usual chat, or rather, caught up on each other's lives.
"Eh? Grandpa and grandma are playing IRO too!?"
"Yeah. Sumire and I just started recently."
Sumire is grandma's name, and grandpa always calls her by it. Grandma, incidentally, calls grandpa Shoichi-san. They're close, aren't they?
"Where did you two choose as your starting point?"
"The Demon Kingdom. We only play when there's less work, like on rainy days."
Grandma said, taking a sip of hot tea. We were having ice cream, but they were having their usual hojicha.
"I didn't think you'd play games..."
"Don't you remember playing games with Kashiwahara's child when you were in elementary school?"
"Ah, I think I do..."
I vaguely remembered Mashiro-nee, Miki, Nat, my grandpa, and grandma playing an old competitive board game. Nat and I got totally crushed back then.
"It was my first time with Full-Dive, but it's fun, like being young again."
"I've fallen in love with Sumire-san all over again, seeing her youthful self."
"Oh, Shoichi-san, in front of your grandchildren!"
...I'm just glad they seem so happy together. Mashiro-nee and Miki gave wry smiles, but Mion was all smiles, so they couldn't say anything. However, the two of them weren't playing to level up furiously; they were apparently leisurely spending their time in a small village east of the Demon Kingdom's capital.
"Hmph. I thought I might be able to play with grandpa and grandma..."
"Haha. Well, maybe someday."
"No need to humor old folks' hobbies."
Mashiro-nee looked relieved at that remark. Grandpa and grandma were apparently playing as ogre/demon characters. Mashiro-nee muttered "demon hag" under her breath, and grandma...
They went hunting in the forest together, and grew vegetables in the fields. They were doing pretty much the same things we were.
"Oh? By any chance... do you know about Mion and me?"
"I suspected it, but seeing Mio-chan today confirmed it."
So that's why grandma was surprised...
"Shota, you're putting what I taught you into practice well," said grandpa.
I'm happy to be praised, but knowing that all my screw-ups are exposed... it's super embarrassing.
...
...
...
"The bath is ready. Girls, go in together."
"Alright! Let's go!"
"Hmph." "Y-Yes."
We were watching Bell-bucho's daytime archive (private stream for Miki) in the living room. Four people from Silver Manor had arrived on the Southern Island, and next up was probably meeting Gaju's Kijimunaa. No point watching by myself, so I paused it and saw the three girls off.
"Are Shohei and Ritsuko-chan doing well?"
"Ah, um, yeah, they're doing well. Mom's gone for good, but Dad comes home occasionally."
"I see..."
Mashiro-nee, Miki, and I all think it's inevitable that Mom won't come back, but grandpa still doesn't seem to accept it.
"It's too late for that now. Shota's got it handled, so just leave it to him."
"I understand that, but still..."
"More importantly, tell him about that matter."
"Ah..."
What matter?
"I'm thinking of making Shota the heir to this house, the mountain, and the fields."
"Eh!?"
I thought he could just give it to Dad, but apparently, handing it directly to me would result in lower inheritance tax. Dad would probably be constantly with Mom anyway and wouldn't intend to take up farming, but...
"Wait, wait. I don't intend to take up farming either."
"It's not about right now. We intend to live a long time, too."
"It's about afterwards. If you don't want it anymore, you can sell it to someone who wants to farm, or worst case, to the state."
"Hmm. Well, if that's the case..."
Inheriting a house or the like might be an old concept now, but I can agree with the house, mountain, and fields eventually going to me. Mashiro-nee is like that, and making Miki shoulder it feels wrong...
"By the way... does Mio-chan seem like she'd make a good wife?"
"That child is better than Ritsuko. She looked me in the eye and greeted me properly."
"Ah, um, well, yeah..."
[Update History]
3/22 Chapter 477 "Invitation to the Main Ise Family Residence" ~ Up to this chapter
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