Family (6)
"Haha, so that's what happened. These things happen, son. Your old man understands completely."
"...You're saying that while you've got me hanging upside down?"
"People make mistakes in life. Don't let it bother you too much."
"...I'm the victim here?!"
"There's no such thing between a parent and a child."
Ain could only stare in disbelief at his father's shameless remarks. Meanwhile Haru — the one who had landed him in this mess to begin with — sat on the sofa, taking unhurried bites out of an apple.
"Good thing I brought fruit. It's nice to see you enjoying it so much."
"Fruit... eat a lot, blood gets cleaner. Other people too..."
"...That sounds like you have some kind of ulterior motive."
The one who said that was Er, who had just been handed a slice of apple. Until moments ago she had been sweating bullets, scrambling to clear up the misunderstanding and pull Ain back from what had felt like a genuine threat to his life.
Ain's mother had somehow fetched a knife from the kitchen, and with a deftness no ordinary housewife should have possessed, she peeled an apple so thin the other side showed through. She handed the slice to Er and turned to her son.
"Ain, this mother of yours believed in you. That's why I'm peeling apples to feed you like this."
"...That doesn't quite add up with the voices I heard saying things like Go for the throat! and Break his legs first!"
"You imagined it."
"..."
Ain had plenty he wanted to say. In the end none of it made it out of his mouth. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"To think you have so little faith in your own son..."
"Ain, that's not it. We believed in you — that's why it ended there."
"...Excuse me?"
"If we hadn't, you'd already be dead."
The way she smiled so sweetly while the knife kept moving was somehow terrifying. Ain swallowed dryly without meaning to.
"By contrast, it seems our son doesn't trust us. That's why he thinks we suspected him."
"...What do you mean?"
"It's written all over your face. If it weren't that bad... you wouldn't have kept it from us that you left the temple."
This was it.
The thought flashed through Ain's mind. Everything they had done today — all the teasing, all the trouble they had put him through — it had all been because of this.
How must it have felt for parents to hear about their son's whereabouts not from him, but from his master?
The thought left him at a loss for words. Ain spoke in a voice that seemed to shrink into itself.
"...I didn't want you to worry."
"Of course we worried. But that's not why you never said a word to us, is it?"
A direct hit. Ain's shoulders flinched at his mother's words. He hung his head.
"You were afraid we'd tell you not to, weren't you?"
"...Yes."
"Of course we would have told you not to. How wonderful would it have been to stay with Lady Veronica? Someone so famous, so powerful... no parent would just sit back and watch their child leave her side. But—"
She smiled, faint and warm.
"—if you truly wanted it, do you think we would have opposed you to the end?"
"We don't think our son is some fool who can't take care of himself and just runs wild."
Those words only made Ain's guilt worse. Their faith in him was completely undeserved. He was exactly that — a guy who couldn't take care of himself. A moron who had charged out of the temple on nothing but impulse, who had danced back and forth along the road to the afterlife more times than he could count.
As the self-loathing settled in, Jina noticed and waved a hand.
"Mother, Ain was just worried, that's all! He didn't mean anything strange by it..."
"I thought so too. Still, I couldn't help feeling a little hurt... so you'll forgive your mother this much spite, won't you, son?"
"...Yes. I'm sorry."
She chuckled at the sight of him hanging his head, then finally stilled the hands that hadn't stopped moving even as she spoke.
"That's enough, then. Shall we get started?"
"...With what?"
"What else?"
There was only one thing parents did when they visited their independent son's home.
"Let's see how well you've been living, shall we?"
"...Ain's parents are a little unusual."
Ain and his parents had gone upstairs to his room, leaving the women suddenly on their own. They had gathered companionably in front of the house to talk. Er, who had called for a huddle outside so that no one inside would overhear and mistake it for gossip, spoke carefully.
"How should I put it... they just seem to have this overwhelming amount of composure?"
"They do. And they don't look their age at all."
"Personalities, similar to Ain... but. Question. Have one."
"What is it?"
Haru looked back and forth between Er and Jina with her usual vacant expression, then spoke in a voice that, for her, was unusually cautious.
"...Don't look alike."
"...Excuse me?"
"Ain, blond. Parents, black hair and brown hair."
"..."
"Height too. Ain, not that tall. But Ain's parents..."
Unlike Ain, who stood about even with Er or only a little taller, his father was the kind of towering man you had to crane your neck to look at. His mother, too, was quite tall for a woman, with an active, athletic air about her.
Ain, on the other hand — setting aside those sharp, unpleasant eyes of his — had a delicate appearance. Skin so pale it seemed unsuited to sunlight. And those golden irises that made anyone who looked into them feel far too much.
His most striking features — the golden hair and those mysterious golden eyes — could not be found in either of his parents.
"...Need confirmation."
Haru said it as though the suspicion were more than justified. That was when Er cut her off.
"Stop it, Haru. That's rude."
"But..."
"They're a happy family. Don't go stirring up trouble for no reason."
"...She's right."
Jina had known Ain far longer than either Er or Haru. Of course the same thought had crossed her mind. She had simply chosen to leave it buried, unwilling to shake the happiness Ain so clearly felt in front of his parents.
"...Nobody actually knows, right? Maybe one of Ain's ancestors had golden hair and golden eyes. That kind of thing happens."
"That's true."
"...Possibility, exists."
Er and Haru accepted Jina's reasoning, but the doubt didn't quite leave their faces. After a moment they each seemed to settle their thoughts, and spoke in low voices.
"Let's not bring it up. You too, Haru."
"Yeah. No point picking at a scab."
"...Why just me?"
"Have you seen yourself? You already flipped this house upside down once today."
"I, didn't lie. All true."
"Yes. And that's exactly why it was a problem."
Er huffed a small laugh, then turned to look at Jina.
"More importantly, Jina. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"...Of course not."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't forget what we agreed on. Things got a little shaky right from the start, but... we still need to score points with Mother and Father."
"Of course. I was thrown off by a situation I hadn't accounted for too, but... what we have to do hasn't changed, has it?"
Jina had only just realized the serious problem that they were being seen as daughters rather than daughter-in-law material — and if anything, she was even more fired up than Er.
She had thought she was well ahead. She had been wrong. They were still standing on the same starting line, and all she had was the slight advantage of knowing the arena. Worse, Ain's parents already seemed to like Er. The situation was not nearly as comfortable as she had hoped.
"Heh heh. You can look forward to it. Among Master's disciples, the weakest ones handled all the chores. I wasn't stuck with it as permanently as Ain was, but I can cook well enough—"
"It's still you we're talking about, Jina. One look at your catastrophic cleaning skills and Mother will be horrified."
"...You haven't forgotten that we're supposed to be cooperating, have you?"
"Of course not. I won't attack first. First, that is."
"Hahaha. Now that's what I like to hear."
Er and Jina locked eyes, glaring. The look they exchanged was so vicious it almost seemed sparks should have flown between them.
"...Let's stop this pointless fighting. The results will speak for themselves."
"Yeah, you're right. So — shall we get ready?"
"Let's. We'll give Ain's parents the finest hospitality—"
"...What are you three doing out here?"
The voice that cut them off belonged to Ain, who had appeared with shadows under his eyes so dark they looked like they had been painted on over the course of a single afternoon.
"What kind of scheme are you cooking up that you had to come all the way outside?"
"We're making dinner tonight! If we show them what we can do, it'll be the perfect virtuous-daughter-in-law appeal!"
Jina stood her ground with such unshakable confidence that Er, despite herself, was on the verge of looking at her with genuine admiration.
"Sorry to disappoint, but that's not happening."
"...Why not?"
"Mother's occupied the kitchen. And she told me to go find out what you all like."
He looked over the three of them, the corner of his mouth curling up.
"So I told her to make meat."
"...That sounds one hundred percent like your preference."
"It is!"
Er let out a hollow laugh at Ain's completely unapologetic answer. Jina, on the other hand, looked like the ground had dropped out from under her.
"...Wait. Then what am I supposed to do? My perfect plan to wow Mother and Father with my cooking and rack up a mountain of points!!"
"So that's what you were prepping for? What are you supposed to do? It's dead, that's what."
Ain grinned as he said it.
"Whatever it is, stop standing around out here and come inside. If you actually want to score points... shouldn't you at least go help right now?"
That was all it took.
"Mother!"
"I'll help too!"
Er and Jina shot to their feet and bolted into the house. Ain watched them go and let out a quiet snort of laughter, then turned.
"Haru, what about you?"
"Cooking, can't."
"...Then?"
Haru's vacant eyes filled with a startling amount of confidence.
"Eating. Specialist."
"...Yeah. That's more like you."
Ain nodded, as if that were exactly the answer he had expected.
The skill of a housewife with a grown son and a husband was a formidable thing.
Jina, who had been so sure of herself, never even got a proper chance to pick up a knife before she wilted into the background. Er, who had gone to the trouble of finding rare ingredients from somewhere, took one look at a recipe she had never heard of in her life and shut her mouth.
"I hope it was to your taste. I just made it the way I always do."
"Ah, no, it's..."
"You're incredible, Mother..."
Only after they had finished the meal in a daze did the two of them understand that they had been no more useful than fanning into a typhoon. They sank without a trace.
"I've stocked the pantry with things you can eat on ordinary days. Make sure you eat properly."
"No, you really didn't have to..."
"When you were with Lady Veronica, she looked after you, but that's not the case anymore, is it? And Miss Er and Jina both seem rather unskilled at this sort of thing."
"Un... unskilled..."
"Haha..."
She said it with no malice whatsoever, as though she genuinely believed it, and the two of them were completely knocked out. Ain, looking equal parts burdened and embarrassed, turned his head slightly aside.
"...Thank you, Mother."
"Hehe. I'm your mom, aren't I?"
She ruffled her son's hair as though he were the most precious thing in the world. The father, seated beside her, spoke up.
"Ain, does this place not have a bath?"
"A bath? There is one, but..."
"Then might I borrow it, Miss Haru? We've been traveling all over and I feel rather grimy."
Haru, still reeling from the food Ain's mother had made, answered in a vacant voice.
"First floor. Far left end. Bath..."
"Thank you, Miss Haru. Ain, you're coming with me!"
"Wh-why?"
"To scrub my back, of course!"
"I don't want to..."
Ain's protests were utterly useless. Er watched as he was slung over his father's shoulder and hauled toward the bath, screaming the whole way, and for a moment something almost like envy crossed her face.
"You two — would you like to share a room tonight?"
"...Share a room?"
Ain's mother smiled, small and knowing.
"There are things I'd like to say to both of you, and things I'd like to confirm."
"Confirm..."
Her words were concerning enough on their own, but sharing a room was, unexpectedly, an extremely dangerous proposition. If either of them had terrible sleeping habits — if, heaven forbid, one of them snored or ground their teeth and showed some hideous side of themselves!
"Jina, this is a little risky..."
"I'd love to, Mother!"
"No, this woman is seriously...!"
Unlike the cautious Er, Jina looked utterly self-assured. She even shot Er a mocking little smile.
"If you don't want to, Er, I'll just sleep with Mother by myself!"
"Wh-who said I didn't want to! Mother, I'll...!"
Er bristled at Jina's words and turned to Ain's mother just as quickly.
"Oh my. I'm so glad. Truly."
And just like that, the night's room assignments were settled.
"This is wonderful, Ain! It's been so long since we could have a deep, meaningful father-and-son night!"
"S-save me! Er, Jina!! Save me! My dad's snoring is insane!!"
"Good night, Ain."
"See you tomorrow~"
Haru had already gone down to her room in the basement. Er and Jina saw Ain off with bright, smiling faces as he screamed in genuine agony — then suddenly looked at each other.
"...You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"Two-hour shifts on night watch. If the other one starts doing anything weird, we wake her up."
"...If you break that promise, you'd better be ready."
"Same goes for you."
They had accepted the arrangement, but neither of them trusted it. The treaty they had just struck felt like overkill, and they both knew it. They exchanged a look heavy with meaning.
"Oh my, what are you two doing out here? Ain and my husband..."
"The two of them already went to bed."
"They said they'd be sleeping in Ain's room."
"Oh, is that so?"
Ain's mother, last out of the bath, shook out her damp black hair as she spoke.
"Then shall we turn in as well? As for our hair... it'll dry while we talk a little."
"Yes, that sounds good!"
The room they chose was Jina's. For reasons known only to herself, Jina had already prepared bedding far too large for a single person — and there was no more suitable place.
"Jina, why exactly do you need bedding this size?"
"Because it's uncomfortable otherwise."
"That's about sleeping together, isn't it?! It is, isn't it?!"
Ain's mother watched the two of them bantering and smiled.
"You two seem close. It's nice to see."
"...Thank you."
"That wasn't really the intention, but..."
Even the way Er and Jina looked at each other — faintly awkward, faintly sour — seemed to please her. She smiled as she went on.
"All of you, get along, all right? And if you look after our son while you're at it, even better."
"Of course. Ain is... someone precious to me."
"Me too, Mother! I might actually die if Ain weren't around!"
Er answered normally. Jina's reply was extreme enough to peel paint. Their host simply smiled through both.
"I'm glad the two of you are by Ain's side. As you know, our son is a little... lacking in foresight, isn't he? So please, take care of him."
"Th-that's not true. Ain is..."
Er started to defend him, and then the words died in her throat. He was the same person who had charged out of the temple with no plan, become an adventurer with no plan, and run wild with no plan. If she stood here and said Ain was fine, wouldn't that be lying to his mother?
The thought sealed her lips — and she was not the only one. Jina, too, found nothing to say and closed her mouth. The silence that settled over them was answer enough.
"You two must have had a hard time because of Ain as well. I'm sorry."
"N-no, not at all!"
"That can't be, Mother!"
"Well, that's a relief, then."
She smiled as though she understood perfectly.
"I'm sorry. I worry too much. My husband does too, but... I'm especially bad about it."
"O-oh, Mother. I tell you this every time, don't I? I'm here, so you don't need to worry like that!"
"Jina, I'm grateful to you as well. I'm sure Ain feels the same way."
"Heh... heheh..."
Jina's mood lifted instantly at the praise, a bashful little laugh slipping out of her.
"And you too, Miss Er. Just looking at him, it seems our son is quite fond of you..."
"...Yes. He is."
"He's a deficient son, but please look on him kindly. Even if he's a bit of a fool sometimes, just bear with him. That's on us for not raising him better."
"Th-that's not...!"
Er rushed to deny it — and then the next words stole the rest of her sentence away.
"He's a child we bore in our hearts, so we wanted to do right by him. It hasn't been easy."
"...Pardon?"
"Mother, that means..."
She said it in a calm, even voice. Er and Jina, hearing it, looked utterly lost.
"Wh-why would you tell us that..."
"M-Mother. Is that really something you can just say so easily?"
"I'm telling you because it's the two of you. Because you're the people Ain trusts."
She smiled then, a smile that carried the weight of a long story behind it.
"But we raised him as our own. He was so clever from such a young age that we couldn't manage him ourselves, and we ended up sending him to the temple... but Ain is our precious son."
"Mother..."
"We thought about staying near the Grand Temple and looking after him from behind the scenes, but I didn't think that would be good for him. So we decided this was a chance to travel the continent as well. I discussed it with my husband."
A faint, glowing smile touched her face.
"That's why I'm even prouder of him. He grew up so wonderfully under such inadequate parents. A disciple of Lady Veronica, and an ordained priest... I could introduce him anywhere with my head held high."
"Mother..."
"So please, take care of him. If there's anything Ain lacks, it's because of my husband's shortcomings and mine. Look on him kindly. Ain is... going to need the two of you."
So this was what she had wanted to say.
Er and Jina felt the sincerity in every word and could find nothing to answer with. They simply turned her request over in their minds.
A brief silence passed. Er was the first to speak.
"...Please don't worry. I have no intention of letting Ain go."
"Miss Er...?"
"Mother, same here. I am never giving up on Ain! Though to make that happen... I'll probably have to deal with a certain fox first."
"Oh my. How convenient. I was just thinking the same thing as Jina."
They glared at each other for a beat — then, deciding there was something that needed settling before any fight of theirs, both of them smiled, faint and sure.
"So please don't worry."
"We'll take good care of him!"
"...If the two of you say so, I can rest easy. What a relief."
She let out a small breath, as though she were setting down a worry she had been carrying for a long time.
"This is what I wanted to talk about. I'm sorry if it was a burden."
"No, not at all."
"I actually liked it! Getting to talk with you like this, Mother..."
"Well, that's good... but I feel bad leaving you with nothing but a heavy conversation. Shall I tell you something else?"
"Something else?"
The two of them lit up, eyes shining with interest. She smiled at them.
"For instance... the time Ain fainted at the sight of a bug when he was little...?"
That night, a certain young man's dignity was brutally murdered without his knowledge.
"So, son! How does it feel, sleeping with your old man again after all this time?"
"It's cramped. And hot..."
"Think of it as your father's love! We're leaving tomorrow — if not tonight, who knows when we'll see each other again!"
His father burst into a booming laugh and tried to throw a leg over him. Ain shoved it off.
"Where are you going this time?"
"Well, I was thinking we might head south..."
"...Can't the two of you just settle down somewhere?"
Ain said it carefully, almost gingerly.
"You're not getting any younger... if I talked to Master, she could arrange something near Arcadia—"
"This brat's treating us like a pair of old folks to be tucked away in a back room. We're not there yet."
"Father."
"Your mother and I have our own plans. We need to see them through, don't we?"
Ain had nothing to say to that. He closed his mouth.
"Don't worry, Ain."
"...About what."
"We won't become a problem for your future. If anything..."
His father let his eyes fall shut, as though the day's fatigue had finally caught up with him.