Chapter 5 – Missing Family

""Thank you so for saving our daughter!"" Both of them bowed at once, with her mom Marina holding Mary's head to bow as well, the entire family bowed all at once. 

[H-how did it come to this...] I now understand why Mary stuttered when she first met me. 

Right now we're sitting to one of the tables with no one but us right now, as all the rooms are occupied they closed the inn early. 

After I awkwardly explained what happened, leaving some details like how I killed the werebeasts. The two parents named Marina and Leonon immediately began sweating like bullets and with Mary finishes letting out her tears. Started helping me out, although exaggerated, towards the end. Relieving me of some of my stress. 

[Please, just don't...] I'm very uncomfortable with two people older than me bow down. 

Maybe because I lived in the hierarchical Japan where age is respected, this is really just uncomfortable. 

"Don't worry about it, Mary has also done a lot to help me." I said with a wriggly smile. 

[Thank god I didn't mention that I saved her was just pure coincidence... Otherwise I'm afraid that they will do a dogeza on the floor, which would probably make me faint.] I look at Mary which looks to have one of those anime head bumps, but I didn't see her mom do any harm to her. So it's probably a mental one.

But anyways, I'm just a low rung manager in a company before I was a professional gamer. So although I may have the kouhais and new staff lowering their heads, I never had anyone do this to me so I wanna get out of this as soon as possible. 

"P-please! It's tradition to give appropriate rewards for someone that saves their children's lives!" Marina practically shouted. 

"Haha I'm very sorry about the look I had earlier missy, we just love our daughter you see..." Leonon apologetically said, as he rubs on Mary's head. 

[Don't don't...] I repeatedly thought. But as it seem like they won't stop lowering their heads. Ding! I come up with an idea. But that idea is... [Sigh... Well no matter how manipulative that is, it's the only way their gratitude towards me would be in a manageable level.] I thought, so hard resisting the temptation of facepalming right now. 

"If you say so.." I said in a low voice, so low they don't notice it. "Well I do have one thing you could repay me for..." I said, as my heart strickens with shame. 

"I would be able to stay here as long as I want without pay." I declared. 

Immediately the parent's eyes went wide and the look at each other multiple times. 

[I Knew this wouldn't work...] I regrettably thought. But at the same time somewhat relieved that I hadn't succeeded in manipulated their emotions. 

At least I thought it failed. ""We accept."" Both said at the same time.

"E-eh...?" I made a sound, but it seems that they didn't hear it. 

After that, "Yay~! So Mori-san will stay with us like family?!" Mary excitedly asks. It seems that when the parents were looking at each other, she was glueing her eyes to me wide open. 

"Yes, they say that according to tradition when someone heroically saves another, that another's family would treat that someone like family too." Marina explained a tale I never heard before. 

"So I will get a daughter eh? Although I like me some strong sons having brave daughters is fine for me too!" Leonon laughingly said as he holds a cup of alcohol. 

"Yaaay...! So I have a sister now! Mori-san as well! I have my dream and best sister I could wish for!" Mary spouting off inconceivable things. 

"We-we-wait... Are you guys jumping to conclusions a bit...?" I never agreed to this, I felt bad for asking to let me stay here like a leper, but for that leper to be regarded as family?! No way. 

[It wouldn't be appropriate for me to get involved with this right?!] I seriously thought, with cold sweat coming down. As I dunno why things escalated so quickly when I just to find a place stay for a few days.

"Aww so Mori-san won't become my sister....?" She asks, lowering her head. "I-I didn't mean it like that Mary..." I try to explain it to her before I was interrupted. 

"Well, Ms. Morus, dear. It is said that if a person decided to live in someone else's house and the inhabitants agrees to it, it would make that person a part of that inhabitant's family." She explained calmly. 

Bam! A double whammy, [Crap cultural differences! How did I forgot?!] Cultural differences. Differences in culture, customs, and traditions that makes that culture unique.

Every culture has it, even similar ones have differences. I've always prided myself as culturally diverse since I met players all over the world in Endless World Online. But it seems that I forgot about it this time.

[It looks like I underestimated this world a bit...] I need to improve my mental capabilities in the future. I've been thoroughly double-checkmated, I thought that this place was similar to European culture. While that's mostly the case, there are also key differences between customs. 

[Crap...] As much as I hate to say it I didn't accept this proposal. It would be disadvantageous of me to refused this since it would cut off the only connection I have in this world so far. 

"Well... I guess it would be fine for me to stay here for a while...." I said with a mix smile.

"Yaaaaaaayyyy.....!" Suffice it to say that Mary is very happy. 

The parents are also quite satisfied judging by their expressions. 

"Haha a new family! I guess we should celebrate this by tonight's dinner!" By the way all the wolf meat are placed on this table in front of us. As Leonon wriggle his fingers as he slowly grab a wolf's ribs with a look of a wild beast catching prey. 

Before that could happen though. "Stop that! We'll be recooking it for our new daughter! Now carry them to the kitchen!" Marina angrily shouted as she slap down her husband's hands which made the ribs fall back to the pack. 

"But my foot—" When he tries to excuse himself. "Stop using your foot as a convenient excuse! You said you're fine right?!" Can't argue with that can we? 

"But..." One last desperate attempt, but it was useless. "I'm not sleeping with you tonight." Immediately the husband stood up and made a salute. "Yes ma'am!" Before grabbing up most of the meat and walking to the door of the kitchen, 

[It almost looks as though he doesn't have any disabilities at all...] But upon closer inspection you can see the wooden cane strap around his calf and him holding it under his armpits. But still, it's very impressive and shows his cleverness behind his carefree demeanor. 

"You too Maria, you need to work the most for this one." On the other hand she gently told Mary, perhaps seeing what happened to her father she immediately sprang into action. "Yes mama! I will make the best meal for my new sister Mori-san!" She grab the rest of the meat before sprinting to the kitchen. 

"Ha ah..." I chuckled a bit at the sire of a panicky Mary carrying all that stuff. [Looks like she inherited all that strength from her father.] I thought as I see her mother Marina standing up. 

"I guess you rule the roost in this house huh.." I casually remark as I look the window, not expecting her to respond. "Well they do say the man is the blade and the woman is the handle after all." But she did. 

I look at her and see her slightly giggling as well with her hands on her chin. A women with a slightly voluptuous physique due to age, but still in terms of being a late 30s women look incredibly young like in her mid 20s. Especially the face with her low twintails hairstyle with ocean blue hair, an innocent smile that almost making her look like in her teens. But with her red ruby eyes, she has a slightly sinister aura about her. 

"Hmm.. Good quote." I responded back after I got a good look at her. 

[She looks like Mary, but acts not.] It's more likely to me that she got her whimsical nature from her father as supposed to this bewitching figure in front of me. 

"You're welcome dear." She said with a smile, "No problem... Aaahh..." I stretch my back, I've been sitting in the same position as soon as I sat here so my back hurts. "Well I guess I'll be staying here for a while." I also casually remark. 

"You're right." She simply replied. I open my eyes as I thought she would have left by now. Instead, she comes closer to me, right next to my ear in fact. 

"But still... Me and my husband are eternally grateful for saving our precious little darling." She whispered to me in my ear. 

[Girl talk...?] I thought, so this is how women talk secretly. 

"Well I already said that I..." As I was repeating my line earlier. She came even closer, a breaths away in fact. "I know you don't feel comfortable with us acting as your family. I hesitated at first when you first told us that your gonna live here. But when I look at my daughter, my sweetie, so happy at what you said, I honestly felt so jealous at you for a moment, I really do. But at the same time, so happy, so happy to see her shine like that, she always shines in our family, but even more so when she looks at you. I wanna see her shine like that all the time, it's the greatest happiness..." She whispered, she paused for a bit but continued on. 

"So even if you don't think of us as our parents, at least take care of our daughter as a sister. I also honestly felt so ashamed that I couldn't find her earlier, can't stop her. I felt so helpless, I was thinking of her as I shouted her name outside and on the streets earlier. Just as night came around and was cleaning, there, she came back, I thought that Juno finally found her, but it was you, a stranger that found her instead..." She said, with tears starting to form in her eyes. 

"I felt so ashamed, jealous, and other negative emotions. But also happiness and joy, what an indescribable feeling... In the end I couldn't help but accept you to be a part of our family. I dunno why, but I just felt that you belong somehow." She said, as she talk more and more meekly before hugging me completely.

"I understand that it is just what our forebears said and doesn't really mean that your part of my family, but Mary practically sees you as a sister and savior now so I don't wanna take that away from her. So I do hope you'll be able to see me at least as a mother-like in the future or more. So let's take care of my little Maria or Mary from now on." She hugs me tighter before leaving her grasp, she wipes her tears, and for the almost too perfect time. 

Bam! Mary slam open the door and came out with a bloody knife on her hand. "Mama were done chopping it up!!" She happily shouted.

"Maria...! Be careful with that thing!" Marina ran to her with dramatic movement, as if nothing happened at all. 

['I hope you'll see me as a mother in the future.' How would that happen now after what you just did?!  'Let's take care of her from now one on...' What does that even mean...?!] With my face on my palm and my lips moving like a snake, my face is so red right now that you might mistake me for having a fever, as I try to sort through my goddamn thoughts right now. [So that's girl talk...]

My head is all fucked up. 

•••

We just finished eating dinner, with me, Mary, and her parents Marina and Leonon at once. I still couldn't move on from what happened earlier, but for the sake of enjoying this feast of a dinner, me and Marina both stayed quiet about it and never brought it up, but still it's on the back of my mind the whole time. 

But the dinner was great. Wolf ribs with the blood used as a sauce, wolf soup and wolf-on-a-stick with many vegetables. The savory juices of the wolf steak, and the overwhelming richness of Marina's own personal broth adds in a taste of the herbs we could use. 

In the dinner we got to know each other a little better. We chatted, eated, laughed all at once. It was a truly special moment for me as someone who, part of an incomplete family, got to experience. 

I think I'm able to see myself accepting them in the near future.

Of course there's always a place for my mother and little sisters, but their back on Earth and would never see again. So having a new one so soon after I got here, I can really call myself lucky. 

Enough of the mushy stuff, there's still tons more left overs but decided that we'll eat it tomorrow morning.

That's when an interruption came. 

"What the hell are you doing?!"

After looking at him, I recall the amazing dinner feast we had without him on it. 

•••

"So that's why I lost my foot! Chomp!" He finishes his story with a bite of the wolf's hind legs. 

"I see I see... Slurp!" I agreed and nodded but I mainly focused on savoring the soup made from wolf bones, meat and some herbs that Marina created. 

[So the thought of people eating grass soup in the middle ages is a misconception after all!] I thought as I took a bite out of the soft chewy wolf chunks from the neck I think. 

Partially because of the assorted meats that I brought that I'm able to eat something as good as this tonight. But it is also due to the cooking of Marina as she's quietly enjoying wolf ribs right now. [Although I've always known those are bullshit because of the desire for humans to taste good food..... Mmmm~mm!] The slight saltiness of the wolf chunks makes my spine tingle. A hearty meal you call it. 

There are reports of old Estonian grandmas making blood cakes with only their local ingredients as the people who ate it said it was the best food they had in their life. So humans always find ways to get good food.

But even so I still listened to what Leonon said. Apparently the reason why he lost his leg is because of gang infighting that spilled out of the alleys. Leonon and his patrol squad managed to beat down both gangs but some stragglers hunted him down and tried to assassinate him, they failed of course but from either an arrow shot, a hammer or from a lightning-based attack— one of those hit jobs failed but managed to hit his leg, forcing him to amputate it himself on the spot, but... 

"Well how very brave of you Leonon dear, if you could have at least waited for me to come and help you out you wouldn't have needed a cane right now." She sarcastically said, ending her silence as she heard her husband's story slowly exaggerating it more and more. 

"Hey! No dumb healing potions would had save this thing! It's busted beyond repair when the bastard struck me with it!" He shouted as he chug on his alcohol. 

"You wouldn't know if you tried didn't ya? If you could have been a little more patient as I came to your rescue." She said, as she finishes one of the rib bones. 

"Well at least you have me afyerwards!" Mary shouted out of nowhere, and the two of them froze for a moment before nervously continuing on. 

They explained that afterwards, "My poor husband was so distraught that he begged his superiors to let him stay..." She said while her palm is in her cheeks. 

"Oh shut it! You were the one letting me jump on you on bed as 'compensation!'"

[What a noisy dinner.] I silently thought. 

From the noises that I managed to gather it seems afterwards when Leonon was in the dumps, Marina offered him sex to get his mood back up. The result of that being... 

"Me!" Mary shouted, as it seem she knew what I thought when I look at her with squinted eyes. 

I look at her parents. [So you let your child know how she was conceptualize?] I thought. But shook it off. [I shouldn't judge them on that...] It might be a cultural thing to talk about sex more openly like that. But the parents Marina and Leonon are even talking about their positions! [Well I guess the conclusion is that sex isn't such a taboo in this world.] Japan should take a note of that. 

On a sidenote his superiors let him stay to become an instructor for new recruits, saying that if he gets defeated by them they would force him to retire. So far he hasn't been defeated once. [So that's why the guards are terrified of him.]

After a while we moved on to another topic, to which this time the ball was passed to me. "So Morus-san, how about your parents? It's unusual for someone of your looks to be travelling instead of being married." Marina ask curiously. 

But my response is, "Well..." it's really hard to tell about it.

First off their in another world and secondly, [I don't really wanna talk about it.] But they already told me a lot about themselves so it won't be fair to hide mine. 

I started to recap my life about it, It's a simple and complicated story at the same time. 

"When I was young mother was the one that took care if me, father left her and went to another woman and didn't file a divorce. We were already a poor house back then but it got even worse when mother got stricken with cancer..." I explained, the rowdy parents went silent. But I continued.

"I had to end my education early and worked my damn hardest since that father of mine abandoned us. I was the only one of age at the time so I had to provide for mom and my sisters. My sisters did their best too but I was the one providing income." I was about to say I didn't go to collage and working in a office but since this is another world I excluded that from my story. 

"Ten years of hard work. Ten years of working overnight, but it was not enough. Even when the rest of my sisters came of age we were not able to afford a treatment for mom. At the time there's even episodes of me not being mentally stable haha..." It was the driest, fakes laugh that I could make, but it was real. I could only laugh when I remember that time. 

It was my 7th year working in the drooling office space and when I was in my most severe depression yet and seriously contemplating pulling the plug, "Someone... Said that I had a talent for magic." When I was searching for suicide threads there was an ad for a game known as "Endless World Online" it was still in beta back then but hearing the words, "A new life and a new beginning. Somewhere where you choose your own path without consequences!" A totally cliche line but it still uplifted me somehow. 

I bought a VR console after that and played the game as a beta tester. 

Although I only played it sparingly at first and there were a lot of bugs, it was still a game that captivated me and eventually became a mental stapler to keep me going. 

A whole new world where you can do anything, is something that captivated me about it and played it more and more. As time went by and the release of the game was only a few days away, it became very popular. but for us early beta testers, a simple message was sent to us that read,

'Join the Endless Program! 

Be a part of the world itself and become a 'character' in the world. If you do actions in the game that we see as historically 'important' and 'epic' you will receive a great pay! You can stream the game and when you become popular, we may also sponsor you! If you agree to these terms you will receive a monthly income!'

The Endless program. It's a program where they select players and have them make nations and do historical events that would change the game itself. 

In a moment of madness I agreed, and became an unofficial employee of the company. 

For the people that agreed we knew the big update that will happen in a future update of the game, so we acted quickly. 

Me as well, I immediately created my character and started my group to go to war and claim territory within the game. 

"Because of that talent I was able to change my job and earned enough money to treat my mother's illness..." It's the first time I smiled for a while, and they too seem relieve as well. 

I still continue to play of course and eventually became rich through it, I was able to make my family live comfortable lives through video games. 

But then.. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, I gave up most of my money to my mom and sisters and started travelling. Then I met Mary and here we are today." The truth is I died and was transported to this world, but there's no need for them to know that. 

The end. A very generalize recap of my life. [Wait didn't they just ask for my parents?] I thought before the door was opened immediately and a man with blue hair came inside. 

"What the hell are you doing?!"

A family member I totally forgot about. 

Chaaruzu_Corner

Well aside from that I tried a little experiment where I made Mori recall the dinner instead of starting from the beginning. I wanted to generalize the conversation by telling it in the past so that it wouldn't be just walls of dialogue but didn't stop it for being so long though xD so tell me guys if you like it or not. 

But anyways arigatou and see you next chapter, piece!