Chapter 167: Crayons for Christmas! (1)

Chapter 167: Crayons for Christmas! (1)Everyone froze as if they had stepped on a landmine that would explode at the slightest movement.I was no exception.5 seconds, 10 seconds passed.

After what felt like an eternity but was actually quite brief, I came to my senses and took off my shoes.As I entered the living room, the frozen atmosphere thawed and people's expressions began to change.

"You..."

A woman, who by my calculations should now be 50 years old, raised her eyebrows high as she looked at me. Wearing an apron, she looked like an ordinary housewife.The only notable difference was that she had more gray hair than I remembered.I had once speculated that perhaps time had stopped in the world after I fell into that strange realm—but that was clearly not the case.

"...Where have you been all this time?"

My mother asked me.At that question, I felt as if countless stories were about to burst forth from deep within me like a tidal wave.

Where should I start?As I hesitated, overwhelmed by how much there was to say, a sturdy middle-aged man removed his glasses and put them in their case before speaking, moving his stern-looking jaw.

"Come in first. Tell the others behind you to come in too. It's not polite to keep people standing outside in the cold winter."

Those words felt like a solemn command. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that more than half of my life had been shaped by such commands.I thought things would be different now that I could cut even steel with my bare hands.But the man still seemed like an imposing mountain range, and I found it hard to imagine myself surpassing him.

"Everyone, come in."

I ushered everyone into the house.Naru, Hina, Cecily, Tywin.Brigitte, Salome, Cariote.And finally, Syphnoi.

Everyone looked around, blinking in confusion, not understanding the situation.The fact that no one spoke was probably because they sensed the tense atmosphere and chose to remain silent.

I quickly darted my eyes around in this awkward atmosphere.The December calendar.Even the old Christmas tree modestly placed in the living room.

My mother soon opened the cupboard and took out a bunch of decorative cups that weren't usually used, filled them with water, and handed them out one by one.

"...Are they foreigners? Will they understand us? What if I have to speak English? Rumi, you're an English Literature major. Try talking to these people! Who on earth are they?""Me? Me!? I don't know either! What kind of situation is this anyway!"

Pop—The 21-year-old girl hid behind the middle-aged man.Father's back was still broad enough to easily hide one cheeky 21-year-old girl.

However, her posture resembled Naru, Hina, and Cecily clinging to my thighs and hiding.If you look closely, there might be one or two similarities in their faces too.Of course there would be.They're family.Family.

At that thought, I suddenly felt like laughing at how strange and awkward this whole situation was. How silly. There's no need to put on airs in front of family.

"Naru, Hina, Cecily. Come forward and say hello. You too, Tywin."

I thought it would be good to introduce them to each other first.I've heard that when otters give birth, they show their babies to the zookeepers. As if to say, "These are my babies, please take good care of them."I felt the same way.

I gently pushed Cecily, Hina, and Naru forward to show them to everyone.The children fidgeted nervously, even Naru, who usually bounced around without a care in the world, was now awkwardly looking around.Are they scared of my father?Well, that's understandable.

He's over 180 cm tall with a body weight of at least 90 kg, so he has quite a large build.His face is also stern-looking without a hint of a smile, and I remember the neighborhood kids freezing up whenever my father walked by.But children are naturally curious.

"I'm... Naru...!"

Naru was the first to speak up hesitantly.Taking the initiative in such a situation showed that she had enough qualities to be the leader of the children. Seeing this, Hina seemed to come to her senses and glanced at Naru before speaking.

"This Christmas ice cream cake is very pleasing...! No nymph has ever tasted a cake as delicious as this Syphnoi has...!"

Syphnoi seemed to like the ice cream cake.But my mother found Syphnoi strange.

"...What exactly is this child?""She's a nymph.""...I see..."

My mother looked at Syphnoi with strange eyes. It was like looking at someone who had written "Emiya Kiritsugu" in the "People I Respect" section.

─Thief Skill, Super Chatter.Chatter— Chatter—

I briefly explained to my mother, father, and sister about how I fell into a strange world and came back, in about 5 minutes.A fantasy world where magic and monsters exist.They all seemed to think my story was a lie, but when Brigitte lit a flame in her hand or created simple ice, everyone seemed to accept it.

"Mom! Mom! Look at this one, it's so cute. Like a doll! A doll!""This Cecily von Regdoll is a noble lady...! Don't pat her so carelessly...!""Even the way she talks is hilarious!"

My sister was teasing her nieces.

Perhaps she was interested because the children's appearance resembled the dolls she used to play with when she was young?My sister Harumi was especially pampered by mom and dad, who bought her lots of toys, and she received many dolls as gifts for Christmas or her birthday.And those dolls usually ended up with their limbs dismembered.Thinking about it now, even that is a fond memory.

Cecily asked.

"Is Auntie a noble? It's amazing that people live in such a high place. Surely she must be a great and tremendous noble, right?"

In the Pangaea continent, living on a high floor meant high status.This 17th floor must have seemed very high to Cecily.

"Noble? Well? Our grandfather was a four-term congressman, so I guess we could say we have a pretty good spoon? Grandfather even gave us a family tree not too long ago.""...What's a congressman? Somehow it sounds like a very noble-friendly word."

As Cecily tilted her head at the unfamiliar word, I was surprised to hear that my grandfather had succeeded in four terms. And the mention of giving a family tree also caught my attention.As far as I knew, my father and grandfather had almost cut ties by the time I became a high school student?

Swish—Then a gentle hand stroked my back.It was my mother.

"A lot has happened since you disappeared. After you went missing, your dad asked grandfather to help look for you. Since then, they've been in touch occasionally.""Really?"

The two years I was gone.That much time had honestly passed here in the 21st century too.That's a relief.

If it had been like Interstellar where 2 years there equaled 200 years here—I might never have seen mom and dad's faces again.That would have been sad, wouldn't it?

"Son, I'm glad you're back."

Mom hugged me.It was quite embarrassing to be hugged by her at this age, especially with my wives and daughters watching, but I just stayed still.Because she was crying sorrowfully.

I was someone who rarely knew tears, but this situation was so sad that I felt like crying too.Because I could really feel how much she had aged in these two years.

"Son, your body's like a rock. How much have you been through! Look how thin your face has become!""No, this is a bit embarrassing no matter how you look at it."