CH 63

"Naa Chisome"

"What?"

"You know, am I walking in the school hallway or something?"

"Ahaha, that's a good analogy!"

It's a bit different to say it's like a school, but the size of the hallway gave exactly the same feeling as walking through a school hallway.

The woman walking in front of us, who was said to be Tachibana-san, didn't say a word after we talked to her outside for a bit.

"..............."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little......bit"

"Well, let's go and take it easy. I'm okay no matter what I'm told, it's not as if we came here to get into a fight."

"You're right"

"Probably but, I wonder, wouldn't she be surprised if I were to peel my eyeballs off~"

"Girls do not say things like that."

"Ye~s♪"

By the way, even though we are having this exchange, Mashiro is hiding in Chisome's shadow and hasn't come out.

Probably Mashiro also thinks that today is an important day for Chisome, and that's why she's lurking still...... She grew up to be a really caring child.

"It is here. And you are......"

“Nii-san will also enter together with us. I mean, because he is my family now, and he is my precious lover, so it's only natural, right?"

"......I see. Understood."

Tachibana-san quickly lowered her head and stepped back.

When *konkon* and Chisome knocked, a familiar female voice was heard from inside.

"You may"

"Let's go Nii-san"

"Yeah"

Chisome opened the door and we went inside.

Inside, a woman was sitting on a chair, elegantly drinking a cup of tea or something poured into a cup.

Her beauty, which looked exactly like Chisome's, was as beautiful as before, and her eyes, which were gazing at the scene, pierced through us.

(......she's still as beautiful as ever.)

In the first place, it's only natural that she's beautiful at the point of being similar to Chisome though.

After looking at Chisome and opening her eyes slightly, she then turned her gaze to me and opened her mouth.

"Welcome. Hasn't it been a while with you?"

"Yes. But I never thought we would meet again in this way."

"That goes for me too――Chisome, I didn't think I would see you again."

The gaze that was directed at me turned to Chisome.

And the words she unleashed didn't contain the kindness that would be directed at a daughter and were clearly the same as those directed at a complete stranger.

"For the time being, it's okay to sit down. Since you're a guest, I've prepared tea and sweets for you."

"e? Really? By the way, what about cheesecake?"

"There is. You used to love that."

"Seems like there is, Nii-san! Sit down quickly!"

"O-, Ou"

I don't really know, but I guess the hard air has softened for now.

As Chisome urged me to head to the table, Chisome immediately put her hands together and ate the cake.

"Un. It's delicious." (Chisome)

"......Sheesh, overthinking this a little bit would make me look like an idiot."

"That's fine as it is" (Chisome)

By the way, Chisome's mother was watching this exchange with an expressionless face.

"Kohon *cough*. I didn't give my name at that time――It's Kamida Shinra"

"I'm Rikudou Taiga. Please let us get along well."

Shinra-san, that seems to be her name.

While the two of us were in the middle of introducing ourselves again, Chisome was deliciously stuffing her cheeks with cheesecake the whole time, and her appearance eased my nervousness.

"Phew, it was delicious. Thank you for the cheesecake."

"..............."

Shinra-san didn't react to Chisome, who put her hands together, saying thanks for the cheesecake, and just gracefully sipped the tea.

Even Chisome doesn't seem to care about the lack of response and doesn't particularly even react to it.

"Now then, Kaa-san."

"I'm no longer—"

"A~it's fine already with that. I'm not your mother anymore, so don't say such things; I don't wish for that kind of reply anyway?" (fix)

"..............."

It was a rather sharp jab.

I don't have anything in particular to talk about, Chisome just wants to say what she wants to say, and we intend on going home today, so whether or not what Chisome is trying to say will really surprise Shinra-san......。

"Nee Kaa-san, I used to hate everything. Why, ever since I was born, do I have to be looked at so badly by those around me? I asked myself that time. Why am I so unhappy? I said."

"..............."

I close my eyes and remember the first time I met her.

The fact that I was reincarnated in the game world in the first place was a surprise in itself, but the fact that Taiga was killed by Chisome in the game was even more surprising.

I didn't want to end up like that; I didn't want to get killed, and of course I was motivated by such feelings, but...... most of all, I liked her, and I wanted to save her in my own way.

(......Now, it has taken shape in this way and is connected with Chisome and Mashiro. Our future will continue from now on too.)

That's precisely why, I have to see it through.

Chisome probably didn't want to meet her mother face-to-face for too long, and for that, I will with intent see it through.

"Even Kaa-san should have known, right? That I've been depressed for so long, that I've been resenting this world...... Why did you give birth to me in such circumstances? I said and that I resented Kaa-san."

"Indeed"

"That feeling still hasn't changed...... But, I came to think that there is no point in thinking about such things. I mean――"

There Chisome looked at me.

"No matter how much despair, no matter how sad and painful......because there was a hero who saved me."

Shinra-san looked at me at those words.

It was embarrassing to have both of them stare at me and seriously tell me I was a hero, but I was happy again that I was able to save her after all.

"Such Nii-san cheered me up, and in the truest sense of the word, he saw me as a girl and treated me like a normal person...... Having someone close to me who cares about me, the joy. I learned it."

"..............."

"From then on, I fell in love with Nii-san very quickly. I love him, I love him so much that it became unbearable, and I realized how wonderful it is to be in love...... For the first time there, I thought from the bottom of my heart that I was glad to be born in this world."

"......Chisome"

The change in Chisome must have been surprising to Shinra-san.

I don't think she regrets letting go of Chisome anyway, and above all, what she said to me at that time shouldn't be a lie.

I would like to think that the surprise she had when she saw Chisome enter the room earlier was precisely because she saw her now after all the changes she has gone through since then.

"Kaa-san"

"......What is it"

Chisome spins the words.

What should be said, and the things she has to say.

"I am Kaa-san's daughter, and that's precisely why I end up understanding things to some extent. Even though she was feeling refreshed that she had thrown me out, she was concerned about me somewhere in her heart. I think it was something close to subconscious, but Kaa-san was certainly thinking about me. I mean, otherwise you wouldn't have done something like giving me so much money that I wouldn't be inconvenienced, right?"

"That was just overthinking it, isn't it. At the very least, it's only natural to hand over a large amount of money when entrusting one person, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's not just you, it's also the result of thinking about Rikudou-kun, the house you were entrusted to, and that's why."

For that, it's something that can't really be thanked enough.

There's a limit to how much I can live with just a child, but it is definitely thanks to Shinra-san that I am able to live comfortably with Chisome without having to work part-time.

"Yes, then let's just say I'm overthinking it. On top of that, it's definitely thanks to the combination of many factors that have made me happy like this......and that's why, thank you, Kaa-san, for giving birth to me. Thanks to that, I was able to be happy in this world."

"-......Don't fool aro――"

"That's why I'm telling you you don't have to yell at me. You abandoned your own daughter, so get it to accept this much."

"Muu......"

I said it like this but, Chisome and Shinra-san's Muu-ed or annoyed gestures are very similar.

After all, they are a parent and child, the conversation and the atmosphere is. It was so easy to imagine that the space would otherwise be full of smiles.

"Kaa-san, I promise――I'm fine. I'm happy now......and that's why, Kaa-san, you don't have to carry it on your back. I have come to love the power that dwells in me." (Chisome)

"......Really, Chisome, you've become splendid." (Shinra)

"Ehehe, it's thanks to Nii-san♪" (Chisome)

There, Chisome called that girl's name.

"Mashiro, come."

"Un"

"-!?"

Mashiro suddenly appeared.

Shinra-san was extremely surprised by the appearance of her, who had the same appearance as Chisome, but she could tell was not a person.

"This girl is the original stone of my power, but like me, she was an existence saved by Nii-san. She was given the name Mashiro, and she fell in love a lot with Nii-san too."

"Un. I've come to love him so much."

Chisome smiled wryly at Shinra-san, whose mouth was gaping open and shut.

"I just wanted to tell you today that I'm happy now. And also a thank you for giving birth to me."

"Chisome is fine now. Onii-sama and I are by her side."

Shinra-san looked down at those two words and muttered softly, "I see."

TL: Maza Miya

Editor: Maza Miya

[Tl note: I'm going to refer to Chisome's mother as Kaa-san (Mom) when said, and other than that, I'm going to use Mother.

Is what I was about to do, but I'm conflicted. Do you think I should switch with Mom or Mother instead?

Kaa-san: Mom, but slightly not that affectionate; or Mother, because of the explanation below. It depends on who was saying it and the relationship they had, really. 

In Chisome's case, she was born into a super wealthy family. Usually, these kinds of daughters would call their mother Okaa-sama (Mother), or even Haha-ue (Dear Mother). But the way Chisome referred to her is Kaa-san, which is by the standard of most novels I read, is probably because she thinks calling her mother Okaa-san is giving her mother too much credit.

For now, I'll be using Kaa-san for this whole chapter, and since I'm still sick, I could at least listen to your feedback first before finalizing anything. It's either Mother or Mom or something, or maybe just keep it as is.]