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Returning Home to Japan – Part 05

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re back,” Hikaru’s father said. He turned his gaze towards Lavia. “So who’s the girl? She looks like a foreigner.”

Hikaru glanced at Lavia, who sat next to him. Lavia in an adventurer’s outfit seemed oddly out of place in the apartment.

He hadn’t expected a welcome, or whatever one could call it, like this. Revealing his decision might surprise and hurt his parents.

Before telling them about Lavia, I need to tell them something else first.

Hikaru gently squeezed Lavia’s hand. “Sorry, there’s something I need to tell you first. I’m not coming back to this world. I’ve decided to live there.”

His father’s eyes widened.

“Why would you do that?!” His mother rose abruptly. “You’re finally home, and now you’re leaving again? Why?!”

“Please calm down,” said the father.

“How could I?! You say something too!”

“I’m sure he’s thought about this. Am I right?”

Hikaru nodded in confusion. The two people before him didn’t seem like the parents in his memories.

How long had it been since he talked to his parents like this? See them so emotionally charged? He couldn’t even remember.

“Does it have something to do with that girl?” His mother turned her gaze to Lavia.

Hikaru gave a start. Lavia straightened her posture as the mother studied her. Though she didn’t understand Japanese, being stared at in such a tense atmosphere suggested that she was the topic of the conversation.

Lavia was worried about Hikaru’s parents not liking her. Not wanting to hurt her feelings after she had encouraged him to come here, Hikaru opened his mouth to speak.

His mother sighed. “Like father, like son.”

“…What?”

What was that sigh about? Hikaru wondered, perplexed.

“Our relatives were against our marriage,” his mother continued. “Your father then suggested we eloped. He didn’t contact my family for years.”

“Huh?”

The sudden change in the topic was followed by completely new information. Hikaru had never imagined that his dysfunctional family had such a history.

Thinking back, Hikaru did visit his paternal grandparents when he was young, but he never went to his maternal grandparents’ house. When he finally visited during the early years of grade school, they welcomed him with tears of joy—he now realized they must have been happy to finally meet their grandchild. After that, the couple’s relationship grew cold, and they stopped going to his grandparents’ house.

“That’s news to me,” Hikaru said.

“It’s not something you tell a child,” his father replied, wearing a complicated expression.

“Wait, how did your relationship get so bad that you stopped talking to each other? You guys eloped, didn’t you?”

“Well,” his father mumbled.

“Your father cheated,” his mother picked up. “With a female employee at his company.”

“Huh… What?!”

Seriously? Hikaru looked at his father.

“I explained it many times. That was only a misunderstanding.”

“She called on the phone while sounding so sweet.”

“It was punishment for losing a game. People at work don’t like me.”

“Oh, a punishment? Riiight.”

“You pressured me several times to go back to your parents’ house. When I said I was busy, we ended up arguing, and you didn’t even bother to hear me out.”

“Don’t you put the blame on me.”

“It’s not like that!”

“I get it. I get it. So could you not embarrass yourselves in front of Lavia?” Hikaru cut in.

His parents fell silent, looking awkward.

“To sum it up,” Hikaru said, “Mom’s parents had finally warmed up to you guys, but then you had a major falling out over suspicions of cheating. And then you stopped talking to each other.”

“There was no suspicion whatsoever,” his father said. “It was baseless—”

“I’m just fact-checking at the moment, so please save the unnecessary commentary.” Hikaru gave him a sharp stare.

“O-Okay, you’re right.” He nodded. “When did Hikaru get this imposing?” he whispered to his wife.

“He’s grown so much,” she whispered back.

“I totally got the wrong idea,” Hikaru continued. “I thought you both got tired of the family and went on to live your own lives. I figured that if I was gone, you’d throw a party instead of feeling sad.”

“Of course—”

“Of course not!” his mother cried. “I realized how important you were when we lost you.”

“Actually, I was thinking of not coming back here for good,” Hikaru said.

Both his parents fell into silence once more. His father’s furrowed brow deepened, and his mother’s eyes started to glisten.

“I’m sorry, Hikaru,” his father said a moment later. “Your mom and I were kinda selfish, thinking only about ourselves. But it doesn’t mean you weren’t important to us.”

“He’s right. When you were gone, I was a mess, regretting why I didn’t talk to you more.”

Tears welled up in his mother’s eyes, and when Lavia offered a handkerchief, she was a bit surprised at first, then smiled and accepted it.

“So this girl,” said the father. “Lavia, was it?”

“Yup, that’s her name. She’s the most important person to me in both worlds.”

His father blinked at his straightforward answer, and then grinned. “I see. You found a keeper.”

“Lavia can’t speak Japanese, but she was dying to meet you guys, so I brought her along.”

“How did you snag such a cutie? Are there loads of them in the other world?” Hikaru’s mother asked, holding Lavia’s hand from across the table.

Lavia handing her a handkerchief earlier seemed to have earned her favor.

“It’ll take a long time to explain, and we have to leave soon.”

“Already?”

“Yeah.”

Though Hikaru felt guilty when he saw the joy in his parents’ faces turn into disappointment, he figured it was high time to make his way back to Serika’s place.

“I thought this would be quick. I didn’t plan to stay long.”

Had he anticipated this outcome, he might have scheduled not just for an hour but two, three, or even until the next morning.

“Right… that’s true.” His mother’s eyes welled with tears, clearly disheartened.

“I-I can drop by again at some point,” Hikaru said.

“Really?! Come to think of it, apparently the portal opens monthly.”

“Uh… I think that will change soon, but I can pick a date and swing back by.”

“Anytime is fine,” his father chimed in. “You can come visit whenever you want. This is your home.”

“Why are you trying to be all cool? After Hikaru died, you went AWOL at work, got fired, and moped in your room.”

Surprised, Hikaru looked at his father, who seemed uncomfortable.

“You were a mess yourself,” he retorted. “Ironically enough, the ill feelings between me and your mother just sort of faded away. I realized how important you were only after we lost you. I’m an awful parent, and I’m really sorry for that. I’ve been meaning to apologize to you for ages. Sorry for being a lousy father. And if possible, I want us to start over and become family again.”

Start over. Become family again.

“Hikaru, I’m really glad you’re alive,” his mother said. “And I owe you an apology too. I wasn’t exactly a good mother either.”

They lowered their heads. Hikaru didn’t know what to do. Not only did he not expect this turn of events, he did not even consider it a possibility.

“I gotta go,” was all he could say.

Staying here felt like his head was about to explode, and he was on the verge of bursting into tears.

“Hikaru.” His father locked eyes with him, a hint of desperation in his gaze.

Feeling even more lost about what to do, Hikaru mumbled, “I’ll be back. We’ll chat then.” He got up.

However, for his parents, it seemed to be enough──both of them suddenly brightened up.

“Lavia, we gotta go.”

“O-Okay. Are you sure?”

“It’s okay. They both liked you.”

Lavia’s face lit up instantly. She rose to her feet and curtsied, an aristocratic gesture that seemed out of place in her adventurer attire.

“My name is Lavia. It is an honor to meet both of you. I will learn Japanese, so I will make a formal introduction then.”

Even as a caged bird, Lavia had been taught the etiquette of the nobility. Hikaru’s parents, witnessing her elegant gesture, exclaimed.

“I-Is she the daughter of some moneybag?”

“Did you see that, dear?! What an adorable girl!”

Were they always like this? Hikaru wondered as he observed them. They were. I just didn’t make an effort to know them.

It was the same with the disputes with his grandparents. He had only visited his father’s side of the family, so if he had thought about it even a little, he would have realized the truth.

I guess I should learn more about them bit by bit from now on.

Hikaru was surprised at himself for having such thoughts.

He had thought he would never come to Japan again, but now he was already considering when he would visit next.

---

“Why did I have to stay in this dark place for an hour?!” Serika cried as soon as the rift opened.

Upon the return of Hikaru and Lavia to the apartment, where Hazuki and the Four Eastern Stars waited, the spell for crossing worlds activated mere minutes later.

“Sorry. I didn’t have the time to brief you on the situation. But Paula filled you in, didn’t she?”

Switching from Japan to the Ponsonia Kingdom, Hikaru noticed Paula wearing a tired smile. Serika had clearly not stopped expressing her discontent.

“Thanks,” he said. “Looks like the elemental magic stones responded favorably.”

“Yes. The thought of you and Lavia not making it back if I failed made my hands shake the whole time, though.”

Paula rejoiced, holding hands with Lavia.

Hikaru turned his attention to Serika, who was now back in her apartment on the other side of the rift. “Are you still staying in Japan?”

“Yup! I told you I had plenty of money, didn’t I?!”

“There’s plenty of trouble, too.”

In the brief time before the rift reopened, Hikaru inquired about the Four Eastern Stars potentially carrying contagious diseases. The detailed examinations were finished, apparently. However, roaming around freely wasn’t an option, given media scrutiny. Though the apartment appeared safe for now, it wouldn’t be long until they learned about it.

“We’ll head back once it gets too much!” Serika said.

“How am I supposed to know when it gets too much?”

“Open the portal once a month! I’ll tell you what we need then!”

“No way. That’s too much effort. Besides, this was supposed to be a short-term thing.”

Lavia tugged at Hikaru’s sleeve. “If you’re visiting Japan then, you can ask her to come to the kingdom in exchange.”

On the way back to Serika’s apartment, Hikaru briefed Lavia on the conversation with his parents. Lavia enthusiastically agreed to accompany Hikaru to Japan.

“Okay,” Hikaru said. “For now, let’s reconvene in a month. You will all come here then, and we’ll discuss future plans. I’ll also tell you what I want.”

“You got yourself a deal!”

Beyond the closing rift, Serika placed her hands on her hips, looking smug. Selyse, Sophie, and Sara also appeared willing to remain in Japan for a while. True adventurers, relishing moments of leisure.

“Later, Hazuki,” Hikaru said.

Hazuki blinked and offered a smile. “Bye. Don’t die again.”

Just before the rift sealed shut, Hikaru remembered and tossed a small package from his pocket.

And darkness enveloped the surroundings.

The magic formula burned completely, the mixed scents of burnt catalysts lingering in the air, almost suffocating.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah. Japan was fascinating, but the air quality was bad.”

“Please tell me what you saw,” Paula said. “Also about Lord Hikaru’s parents.”

“Of course,” Lavia replied.

“Hahaha…”

Flustered, surprised, and uncertain—Hikaru had revealed many of his vulnerable sides to Lavia. But he also wished for her to witness all those aspects of himself.

As they stepped out of the warehouse, countless stars sparkled in the night sky over the royal capital. Like Lavia said, the air here was pristine.

“By the way, Hikaru, what did you toss earlier?”

“Hmm? Oh, Serika asked me to take pictures of this world. Remember the small device I showed you?”

“Photos, right? Did you manage to take any?”

“Whatever I could. I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to work with.” Hikaru smiled faintly.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just wondering what kind of face Serika will wear when she sees it.”

It might not be immediately apparent—no, Selyse would likely recognize the subject instantly.

A candid shot of the Kingdom of Ponsonia’s Queen Kujastria.