LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 61
Chapter 61. A Family Gathering?
The next day, Saturday, to be precise.
The Yanagi family had gone out for breakfast at a slightly fancy restaurant. The reason? Their house was entirely devoid of food and cooking utensils.
Yesterday, Mom had gone into the kitchen intending to cook, only to find no ingredients. A vein visibly pulsed on her temple. Needless to say, lightning struck both Ao and me as we realized what kind of lifestyle we’d been leading. We were forced to sit in seiza for several minutes as punishment.
Ao is similar to me—neither of us bothers with elaborate meals, often settling for something simple. Cooking feels like too much effort.
So here we are, eating out.
Currently, the family expressions can be split into two categories.
—Either lifeless despair or beaming smiles as bright as blooming flowers.
Me? Obviously the former. Please, don’t bother asking such obvious things. It’s a rhetorical question.
Even now, I’m trembling next to Ao. Imagining the aftermath of this meal, where the witch will likely pummel me, makes this outing feel like a last supper.
The other person with a pale face is the Yanagi household’s breadwinner, Dad—Yanagi Atsushi.
The reason? Mom is seated next to him, locking arms and fully applying a joint lock.
If Dad so much as glances at another woman, the merciless witch attacks without hesitation. Powerless, the pitiful prisoner offers his arm in a show of loyalty and submission… I averted my eyes discreetly.
Mom’s all smiles, and Ao, next to me, is grinning at the menu with sparkling eyes.
Aren’t the women in this household way too strong?
Oh, by the way, I’m covering the cost of this meal.
Hoping to brighten the future even a little, I willingly volunteered to be today’s ATM.
It worked out, though; I’d been unsure what to do with the hefty balance in my account. This was a good opportunity. Seeing my parents’ smiles (well, one of them is smiling while the other’s pale) makes me think this might count as filial piety.
Then again, the breakdown is probably 70% begging for mercy, 20% bribery, and 5% daily gratitude, with the rest miscellaneous. Heh, they should appreciate having a son like me. And please, just let me get home alive.
“Has everyone decided? I’ll call the server now.”
Mom flagged down a staff member and ordered meals for the four of us.
Dad chose a hamburger steak. Mom went with meat spaghetti. Ao picked gratin, and I opted for a salad and fries.
Heavy meals in the morning are a bit much for me. We learned in home economics class that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but realistically, how many people eat a big breakfast?
After a few minutes of waiting, the food was prepared and brought to the table.
“You’re the best, onii-chan! Thanks for the meal!”
Ao thanked me enthusiastically while eyeing the food before her.
Honestly, what a straightforward person. I can practically see yen symbols in her eyes—at least try to hide it.
“So, Hayato, Ao, did anything interesting happen while we were away?”
“Oh, I’d like to hear that too. Hayato, got yourself a girlfriend yet? …Actually, never mind.”
“Haha, of course not! onii-chan’s the king of virgins!”
“Alright, Ao, Dad, let’s step outside for a moment.”
We chatted cheerfully about past events as we ate.
Things like school and the labyrinth came up.
(Spending time with family like this isn’t so bad…)
Given how crazy things have been lately, this family time was a welcome break.
Or so I thought, but the moment was fleeting.
Suddenly, I overheard a conversation from the table behind us.
“Hey, did you hear about that?”
“Of course, you mean the world tournament?”
“Yeah. Apparently, two Absolute Ones are participating, and it’s causing a global frenzy. I wanted to see the rumored strongest fighters up close, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get tickets…”
“Haha, not surprising. Winning the lottery might be easier. Guess we’ll just watch it on TV.”
“True enough. Still, I wonder why they decided to participate. They’ve never been involved in events like this before.”
“No clue. It’s beyond us regular folks to understand.”
(Huh, there’s a tournament like that? By Absolute Ones, they must mean that red-haired old man, right?)
A tournament with two people of the red-haired old man’s caliber? No one else stands a chance. I silently offered my condolences to the participating fighters before refocusing on my meal.
“Hehehe…”
I thought I heard the witch’s laughter…
Brushing it off as a mistake, I stiffly turned my neck like a creaky machine to glance at Mom.
—She was smiling.
Her eyes glinted with amusement, her lips curling into a crescent-moon grin.
“Hayato, I’ve decided to stop training you.”
“R-Really? Haha, that’s great!”
It should’ve been good news, so why won’t this sweat on my cheek stop?
“Yes. Instead, I’d like you to participate in a little tournament.”
“Uh… Like a food-eating contest?”
Yeah, that must be it! That’s totally it! There’s a summer eating contest, right? Alright, I’ll do my best! Time to start practicing!
“Nope.”
So much for that.
Then maybe a swimming competition? Not great, since I’m not a strong swimmer, but if I start practicing now, I might manage.
“But don’t worry. I’m not a complete demon. I won’t ask you to win or anything.”
“…What?!”
The biggest shock of the day. No way! Such a kind person couldn’t be Mom! You must be an imposter!
“All you have to do is defeat the two people I specify. See? Much easier than winning, right?”
“…”
…She’s the real deal. And of course, Mom is still a witch.
(That’s no different from winning the whole thing…)
I silently cursed the two men at the other table with blood tears.
◇
“Wow, Mom, that person’s amazing!”
“Oh my, is this some sort of street performance?”
(…So embarrassing.)
After breakfast, the women went shopping while the men were assigned to carry the bags.
Balancing a mountain of bags on my left arm and head, I fiddled with my newly delivered smartphone in my right hand.
I was surprised it arrived so quickly this morning. It’s more functional than my old one, and I’m already loving it. I even re-registered Hattori-san’s contact info before my family’s—what any guy my age would do, right?
“Hayato, carry some of mine too~”
“Dad, you’ve still got room. Your head’s free.”
“Unlike you, I can’t strengthen my body…”
Fine, fine.
I took a few bags from Dad and added them to my growing pile.
Back to the tournament, I’m holding off on deciding whether to participate. Since I’m part of the Special Ability Unit, I’ll check with Kongo-san first.
At this point, my fate rests in his hands.
Ping!
The sound of an incoming email caught my attention. It was from Kongo-san—the very person I’d been thinking about.
“What’s this about?”
Maybe it’s just a follow-up after the last mission? I opened the email, skimming through its contents, and felt my brows furrow.
It asked me to come to HQ tomorrow.
That alone wouldn’t be unusual, but apparently, I’ve caused some trouble with this mission.
“Sigh…”
Well, yeah. I did defeat four S-rank monsters. It’d be strange if the higher-ups didn’t react.
Guess I’ll pay Sally a visit tomorrow.