kscans

Chapter 192 - Devotion

The day after Halloween.
It’s normal to feel a bit burnt out and lethargic after a big celebration. Today, everyone at the office was working diligently, but you could tell their minds were elsewhere. It would be a problem if this continued, but we are all working adults. We would likely be back to normal by tomorrow. It is not so bad to bask in the afterglow for a day, though it would be a different story during a busy season.

"Chief, you seemed to be in a good mood today."

One of my subordinates spoke to me as I was getting ready to leave. I looked around and saw the other staff seemed curious as well, subtly listening in on our conversation. I had not thought it was something worth broadcasting, but since she brought it up, maybe I would let myself brag a little.

"Yeah, well. Since the end of August, I’ve had a young relative of mine boarding with me."

"I know. Isn’t he a straightforwardly good kid, so much so that it’s hard to believe he’s related to you?"

Who started that rumor.
Well, whatever.

"You bet he is. And that kid told me he’s taking me out to dinner to thank me for always taking care of him."

He had apparently been thinking about it for a while but could not seem to find a good restaurant. A few days ago, however, a place his classmate’s family had gone to caught his interest. After looking it up, he thought it was the one. With his extra pay from Halloween in hand, he decided now was the time to act. That was how he ended up inviting me this morning. I thought it was unlike him to ask so suddenly on the day of, but…

‘I’ve been secretly checking your schedule for a while now.’

That is what he said. Now that he mentioned it, I had a vague feeling that might have been the case, but my memory was not clear. He probably sounded me out when I had been drinking.

"He said he’s been secretly saving up money little by little from a part time job. For me! For me!!"

I had to mix in a lie since I could not explain the details of the Supernatural World, but that part was not important. What was important was that it was for my sake! Yes, for my sake! Saku-chan planned all of this!

"Ugh… that’s a max level smug face…"

"Still, for a high school kid these days, that’s incredibly dutiful of him."

"Right? Right? Riiiiiight!?"

He has the looks. He has the brains. He has the personality. He is a flawless nephew with all three qualities. To be precise, he is my grandnephew, but that is not a very common term.

"Anyway, this old uncle is off to dinner, so bye byeee!!"

In high spirits, I left the office and went to our meeting spot, where Saku-chan was already waiting in his casual clothes. I had thought this for a while, but Saku-chan’s casual outfits make him look like a student from a good university. It is a trait unique to boys his age, myself included, to sneak something edgy into their style somewhere. Saku-chan has none of that prickliness at all. He just looks effortlessly stylish.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, it’s fine. Shall we go?"

"Sure."

Following Saku-chan’s lead, we transferred trains a few times and were led to a yakiniku restaurant somewhere in the city. Just from its appearance, I got the feeling it would be a winner.

"Hero Uncle, you like meat, right? So I thought this would be a good choice… oh, maybe you already know this place?"

"Nope. This is my first time here."

Sure, I know a number of delicious restaurants, but I have not covered them all. So I was a little excited at the prospect of discovering a new place. When I said that, Saku-chan’s face broke into a soft smile, and he let out a relieved, "Good."

"Excuse me, I have a reservation under the name Ayase."

"Ayase-sama, correct? This way, please."

Guided by the waiter, we were shown to a private room. I had figured a pricey place like this would have private rooms, but I did not expect him to go out of his way to get one for us.

"It’s more relaxing to eat this way, right?"

"You’re right. Thanks for being so thoughtful."

"I heard that besides beef, pork, and chicken, this place also has some unusual options like alligator and deer."

"Oh?"

"And they also focus on their vegetables, sourcing a selection from all over the country."

"Nice. Personally, I find that places that don’t cut corners on the side dishes have a high probability of being a hit."

I opened the menu, and there was quite a variety…

"For starters, I think I’ll go with your recommendations, Saku-chan. You’ve put a lot of thought into this, right?"

"Of course!"

He is the kind of kid who plans these things out properly. I am a pretty big eater myself, and Saku-chan probably intended to eat a lot today too. We ended up ordering a considerable amount right from the start.

"How was yesterday? Oh, I put up a barrier, so feel free to speak your mind."

"Yeah. Let’s see… I don’t know, I haven’t fully processed it yet, but… I learned that there are all kinds of strength."

Oh?

"There are so many strong people around us, right? Starting with you, Hero Uncle, then Rika-chan’s mother, Takahashi-san, Suzuki-san…"

"That’s true. They even call your Hero Uncle a living forbidden card, you know."

"Ahaha… Because of that, I tended to focus on simple measures of power, but I was made to realize how naive my thinking was."

To put it plainly, most of the people there lacked talent. They could only go as far as hard work alone would take them. So does that make them weak, or worthless? Not at all.

"They can even turn their own weakness into a weapon at times… It’s truly amazing."

"If you understand that, Saku-chan, you can become even stronger from now on."

Though you will probably return to the Surface World before that happens.

"Oh, about that."

"Hm?"

"I was thinking of staying in the Supernatural World until I at least graduate from university."

"And your reason is?"

"There’s the fact that I want to save money to broaden my future options, but."

"But?"

Saku-chan seemed to be searching for his words, his gaze wandering. There was no reason to rush him, so I waited while sipping my beer.

"I can’t quite put it into words, but I feel like there’s something here that I can only find here."

"I see… Well, I won’t deny any decision you’ve made after careful thought, Saku-chan."

However, just as I was about to continue, Saku-chan smiled and said it was okay.

"I’ll talk to my mom and dad about it myself. Maybe when I go home at the end of the year."

"I see. As long as you understand, then that’s fine."

"Yeah. Thank you."

As we were talking, the meat started to arrive, and we placed it on the grill.

"By the way. Afterwards, I was talking with some of the members during a break."

"Oh, that’s great. It never hurts to make some connections."

"And I heard all sorts of stories about you, Hero Uncle. You’ve really been through a lot of life-or-death situations, haven’t you."

Saku-chan laughed, saying he never noticed at all. Well, we only saw each other once a year, so of course he would not.

"They were all stories I’d never heard before. It made me realize again that I know almost nothing about the Hero Uncle of the Supernatural World."

"So you want to know more?"

"Yeah. If you don’t mind, Hero Uncle."

"Well, as long as I exclude the stuff that’s not for minors, I can tell you most things."

"Then let’s start right away. Tell me about a fight you had that was strong or scary or left an impression on you."

"Let’s see."

That one guy sounds like he would be an interesting story.

"Saku-chan, do you know about the ‘do not look’ taboo?"

"You mean the motif you see a lot in myths and folktales, right? Like The Grateful Crane."

"Exactly. You must not do it. It’s human nature to want to do something precisely because you’re told not to."

I have that side to me as well, and I am sure Saku-chan has had that experience too. It is not anything special. It is something quite common.

"But there was a fool whose common human nature swelled up so much that he nearly destroyed the world."

"…………Huh?"

"He had the personality of a mischievous little kid."

He was the type who got excited thinking, what would happen if I did this? Or this? That alone would have been fine… but the problem was, he was a powerful person. Or rather, perhaps it is more accurate to say that he became strong because of the sheer intensity that nature of his possessed.

"The trouble was, he didn’t have a single shred of malice. If anything, he even felt guilty about doing something he wasn’t supposed to."

He wanted to do what was forbidden. Aside from the intensity of that nature, his sensibilities were those of an ordinary person.

"When I faced him, I thought from the bottom of my heart. There’s no hierarchy when it comes to feelings."

What might seem trivial to others can destroy the world, depending on the passion poured into it. A noble cause, bottomless malice, a minor personal quirk… when taken to the extreme, they can all stand on the same stage. If that is the case, then perhaps there is no superiority or inferiority among feelings and wishes.

"...Maybe you’re right. But that’s a little sad, I think."

"Hm?"

"His sensibilities were those of a normal person, weren’t they?"

"Yeah."

"And yet, he was swept up by an intensity he couldn’t control, and Hero Uncle had to…"

"Wait, wait. I never said I killed the guy."

"Eh?"

I mean, think about it. It would be a waste to kill someone that interesting, right? I did beat him down once to make him stop, but I did not kill him.

"He’s one of my unhinged friends now. He’s even in my address book."

"You’re the unhinged one, Hero Uncle…"