Returning Home to Japan – Part 04
“Hazuki.”
Hikaru didn’t know what to call the emotion welling up in his chest.
Oh.
He reflected on how different his character would be had he not met her back in middle school. In a world devoid of color, both at home and school, this person was a solitary beam of light streaming through the gap in the curtains.
So this is what nostalgia feels like.
The name of the overwhelming emotion dawned on him.
“Long time no see.”
The Japanese language felt strangely unfamiliar on his lips.
“Hikaru… Is it really you?”
“Yes. Although my outfit has changed.”
“…I see. You’ve grown up.”
“Huh. I don’t think my height has changed that much.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Hazuki shook her head lightly. “You’ve grown in more ways than one.” Her gaze shifted toward Lavia. “I’m guessing you’re the reason why.”
“I think so,” Hikaru agreed.
He looked at Lavia and returned her bewildered gaze with a smile.
And just from that alone, Hazuki sensed the purpose of Hikaru’s visit.
“Go. Your house is still in the same place.”
“I’m off, then.”
Hikaru slipped past Hazuki and boarded the elevator with Lavia. He pressed the button, and as the elevator descended, Lavia watched nervously.
“Hikaru, the person just now…”
“Hazuki. Someone who has been very, very helpful to me in this world.”
He struggled to explain. Even without Hazuki, he could have kept on living. But it was like the difference between eating tasteless bread and having the meal one desired.
For Hikaru, who had lost interest in much of the world, Hazuki’s existence was an intriguing subject itself. After being transferred to another world after death, remembering Hazuki kept his spirit from breaking.
So, the only words that came to mind were “helpful.” He could’ve explained it more, but saying too much might lead to Lavia thinking that he liked her.
I might’ve liked her, but I wasn’t madly in love or anything. Hazuki was just easy to like.
In fact, after Hazuki, who was one year older, entered high school, Hikaru didn’t make an effort to meet her, and after meeting Lavia in the other world, he remembered Hazuki less frequently.
I can’t express it well. But that’s okay.
The elevator reached the first floor, and the door opened.
“Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
Even though it was nighttime, there were still many people outside, and their adventurer-style attire would be too conspicuous in the streets of Japan. Hikaru managed to activate Stealth without any issues.
The apartment Serika rented was in the neighboring town from Hikaru’s house, but it was still close enough, about a ten-minute walk away.
The brightly lit streets at night, paved roads stretching endlessly, cars zooming by, people chatting with smooth, thin devices pressed against their ears—for Hikaru, all of these were familiar and mundane, while for Lavia, everything seemed novel and unusual.
As they moved away from the bustling district near the station, the residential area became quiet. Next to a small park was a four-story, low-rise apartment, the place where Hikaru used to live.
“…”
Out of the blue, a shock hit Hikaru, like a sledgehammer to his heart, and he abruptly stopped. He glanced around, trying to make sense of what had just happened, not realizing it came from his own mind. His body resisted the idea of going back.
Back in the day, Hikaru used to hole up in his room after returning from school. Conversations with his parents became a blur in his memory.
“…Hikaru.”
Lavia tightly squeezed Hikaru’s frozen hand.
“Sorry. It’s harder than I thought.”
Did he want to run away from home? Did he go to the convenience store that night, too, thinking it could offer him a sense of freedom? Did he entertain thoughts like that before getting hit by a truck on his way back?
“You don’t have to go, Hikaru.”
Lavia circled around in front of him and embraced him tightly.
Hikaru felt like he was emerging from deep, heavy thoughts that threatened to drag him down. He could feel his blood flowing again from where her body touched his.
“But I want to meet your parents.”
Lavia’s situation flashed in his mind. Compared to what she had gone through, this was nothing.
Why am I worrying about something so insignificant?
Suddenly, his heavy body felt light, as if wings had sprouted from his back.
“Okay… yeah,” Hikaru replied. “There’s no point in coming here if I didn’t at least introduce you.” He gently let go of Lavia.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“I’m fine. I won’t die or anything.”
The life-and-death battles he faced in the other world had undoubtedly made him stronger.
As they resumed walking, Hikaru said, “Thank you, Lavia.”
Lavia responded by squeezing his hand in return.
Upon entering the apartment premises, memories flooded back.
Playing with balls in the parking lot and getting scolded. Sending soap bubbles flying down the stairs. Taking a detour home because of some churlish upperclassmen hanging around. Eating snacks bought at the convenience store alone on the rooftop.
Memories stirred his emotions, but Hikaru was no longer shaken. He knew that the warmth from their intertwined hands was where he belonged now.
The entrance to the apartment had an automatic lock system, but they managed to enter by going in with a resident. Stealth made them unnoticeable.
The top floor where Hikaru’s home was located, the fourth-floor corridor, was quiet. Given its relatively high-quality construction, not only was there no noise from other units, but even the corridor didn’t let any sound leak out.
“Here we are.”
“…”
Upon reaching the front of the house, it seemed that Lavia was more nervous than Hikaru.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… um, I can’t speak your language, so I don’t know what they might say, and I’m anxious about them not liking me, so…”
“It’s okay.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Your charm can win anyone over,” Hikaru said with a straight face. “If it doesn’t work, then they’re the problem.”
“Come on!”
She slapped his back repeatedly in embarrassment.
Hikaru exhaled and rang the doorbell. The idea of testing whether Stealth could fool electronic devices crossed his mind, but now wasn’t the time for experiments.
A muffled voice echoed from the intercom. Their appearance was extremely suspicious in contemporary Japan. Had they quickly recognized Hikaru?
The door lock clicked and the door swung open. Hikaru couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
A middle-aged man in an unfamiliar sweat shirt and pants and glasses, looking worn out. Though unmistakably his father, Hikaru had never seen him like this before.
“H-Hikaru? Is that you?”
“It is. Why do you look like—”
His barefoot father emerged into the corridor, pulling Hikaru into a hug. A tight one. The force knocked his glasses off, but he didn’t care.
“Hikaru!” His father shrieked.
Hikaru was dumbfounded. Was this really his father? The same man who had always been indifferent towards him, never engaging in trivial chatter.
“Huh…”
He did not expect this. None of it. Especially the hug. Hikaru’s mind went blank.
“What’s with all the ruckus?”
His mother, emerging from beyond the door, was stunned to see Hikaru embraced by his father.
“Ah… ahh.”
She plopped down on the spot. Hikaru and his parents stayed there for a few moments, not knowing what to do.
“Imagine my shock when you just showed up at the door.”
Hikaru regained his senses first, urging his parents to enter the house. They gathered around the living room table as his mother brewed tea. Lavia joined them, and she was served tea as well, though they said nothing to her.
“I had a feeling, you know… I still couldn’t believe that you died,” said Hikaru’s father, who looked ten years older than he remembered. “The body was badly damaged, and the clothes seemed to be yours, but we couldn’t be sure.”
Not just dad, mom too…
She appeared to have aged similarly, perhaps due to the increase in her gray hair.
“Actually, I… can’t explain it in detail because I don’t understand it myself, but I can say for sure that I was the one in the accident.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like I said, I don’t really understand it myself. But, I went to a different world.”
Believing his parents wouldn’t understand if he talked about souls and magic, Hikaru decided to feign ignorance instead.
“I see. There’s a girl named Serika Tanoue who’s causing a stir in the world right now. They say she went to a different world. I thought, just maybe, you ended up just like her. But it was too crazy.”
“I met Serika there actually. So, I searched for a way to travel back here.”
“I see.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence dominated the table. Hikaru didn’t know what to say, and his parents didn’t know what to ask either.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Rule Breaker (Light Novel)
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
I was hoping they’d have him not forgive the emotional abuse, regrets post death mean nothing to who knows how many years they treated him like he didnt exist.