After returning from the shrine, I took a shower because my body felt sticky.
And while we were relaxing and watching TV, it was already time for dinner.
The dining table is surrounded by our family of three.
Iâve been eating alone so much lately that meals with my parents felt like a long time ago.
Simmered taro, pickled vegetables and fried eggs.
And other Japanese food such as rice and miso soup.
I put my favorite taro stew in my mouth.
The texture is sticky, and the broth soaks in well.
âYutaâs always been a fan of boiled fish.â
âIâve always eaten convenience store lunches, so⊠my momâs cooking when I come home once in a while is delicious.â
âI know you live alone, but itâs about time you find someone nice to cook for you.
ââŠthatâs old-fashioned nowadays, people work together even if theyâre married.â
We donât get that much income, and the future is uncertain.
It is not encouraging to rely on one personâs income.
âOh, well, either way, I canât wait to see my grandchildren, can you, Dad?â
âKids are âŠI donât even have a girlfriend yet âŠâ
âAt your age, you still donât have a girlfriend?â
âDonât do that, Dad, because those words are pretty hurtful.â
The age equals no girlfriend thing could be funny if you were in your early teens, but âŠIâm already in my late 20s.
Oh, Iâve always wanted a girlfriend, too!
Itâs not that Iâm so serious as to think I have a wife in two dimensions.
Of course, itâs not like I like men or have any weird hobbies.
I wanted to, but I just couldnât get her!
Hahahaha ⊠something, Iâm getting sad.
âWell, but ⊠Iâm ⊠too.â
The one that comes to mind is the ⊠blonde haired, blue eyed girl.
ââŠâŠ? No, no, no, who?â
For a moment, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, angelic beauty came to mind, but I donât know such a pretty girl.
Itâs not that girl, itâs Miyuki I like.
We have a date next time, and this is the first time in my life Iâve had a girlfriend!
Iâm hoping for the best.
âMaybe thereâs actually a good girl out there?â
âNo, thereâs noâŠâ
Mom is so sharp in a weird way.
We havenât even started dating yet. I canât tell my parents.
âWell⊠Yuta is like his father, so tell her exactly how you feel. Father didnât confess much either.â
âHahahaâŠ, you know, you asked me, âDo you like me or not?â, and I said I did, and I still dream about it a little bit âŠâ
Dad gave a somewhat distant look.
âI asked her if she liked me, and she finally told me yes.â
âI donât want to hear about how my parents got together!â
âDonât say that, because you were born because of the love between the two of us.â
âI wonât talk about that stuff in front of my kids! I just got chills down my spine, ugh, thatâs disgusting.â
âYes, dear, Yuta is not ready yet.â
âWell, youâre stillâŠâ
âStoooop, donât say that word anymore, because itâs pretty hard to say that word to your parents, itâs heartbreaking!â
Itâs forbidden to be a virgin.
âSorry, but donât you ⊠have a girlfriend or two? Itâs not my place to say, but if you like someone, you should confess.â
ââŠconfession is not âŠthat easy.
If I have the courage to confess my feelings, I wonât be in this dreaded situation of not having a girlfriend until I reached this age.
âThatâs right, donât be afraid to tell someone that you like them, because you may never get to tell them.â
âIâll never be able to tell you âŠwhat itâs like to say goodbye.â
A farewell to this life �
I feel like Iâm âŠforgetting something very important.
I put my fingers between my eyebrows, trying to remember.
Why am I here in the first place �
âWhatâs wrong with your serious face?â
Dad bent an unreliable eyebrow and looked into my face.
âYuta âŠ? Are you okay?â
Mom then gives me a worried look.
Mom also âŠwhy is she here âŠ?
I thought weâd never see each other again.
What do I mean Iâll never see them again?
Dad, youâre here. Mom, youâre also here.
Itâs been really strange âŠsince a while ago.
Because I was reincarnated in a different world where âŠthere is magic ââyes.
Iâm not Yuta Sasaki anymoreâIâm Owen Pepper.
âYuta⊠why are you crying?â
âWhatâŠÂ is that? Thatâs weirdâŠâ
I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my clothes to stop the tears.
Why canât I stop crying?
Suddenly, I started crying and my parents started to worry.
These two, too, are a product of my memory.
When I think about it, Iâll never see my real parents againâŠ
âDad⊠mom⊠Iâm sorry Iâm unfilial.â
There was more I could have done.
Sometimes I didnât answer my momâs calls because I thought it was burdensome.
I didnât come home when my dad had to be hospitalized.
âI donât know what youâre talking about, but âŠyouâre not an unfilial child.â
âYes, weâre lucky Yuta is our child.â
Iâm not as good a kid as the two of you think I am.
I died before my parents did.
It made âŠmy parents sad.
I can use magic, but I canât go back to the world I came from.
We donât speak the same language anymore.