"Now, please help yourself!"
"Thank you for the meal!"
On the table, a variety of dishes prepared by Lu and Arcia, mother and daughter, are spread out, occupying every inch of space.
Not only the table, but even Grandpa's spacious living room has become cramped with more than twenty people gathered, so a few people decided to eat at the dining table in the kitchen.
Since the living room and kitchen are connected without a door, you can see each other's faces from here.
On the other side, Yae, Frei, Linne, Alice, and Kuon are seated. They’re the big eaters group. By the way, Kuon isn't that much of a big eater, but Alice took him along.
My mother, who is sitting next to me, sighs as she looks at the spread of food.
"Goodness, you cook so much again... Is money okay?"
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. The gods helped me exchange it. Over in that world, I'm technically a king, so I have money."
"I never thought my son would become a king... I still can't believe it..."
Well, that's understandable. I never thought I’d be able to return with so many family members either.
"Mmm! This shrimp chili is delicious! It’s my favorite flavor!"
"I'm so glad it suits your taste, Father."
"Grandpa! The pork simmered in soy sauce here is delicious too! I made it!"
Lu and Arcia eagerly recommend their dishes to my father, competing with each other. I glance to the side and see my mother, who just had a bite of the sweet and sour pork, making a somewhat conflicted expression.
"Huh? Didn’t it suit your taste?"
"No, it's delicious. It’s really delicious. It’s so much better than the one I made, I’m not sure how to react..."
Well, I guess… that’s, you know?
My mother doesn’t cook much to begin with. She has a few dishes she's good at, but they only show up once in a while. Generally, it’s Dad, or me, or when I was little, Grandpa who did the cooking.
"However, it’s strange. I thought we would be having food from the other world, but this is just normal Earth food."
"Well, the food from over there is still rough in many ways, and I’m not sure if the ingredients would suit you guys… Would you want to try roasted rabbit or armored turtle soup?"
"That's a bit iffy… I'm somewhat curious, though."
My mother hesitates. Neither of those are that bad, and they’re somewhat tasty. It's just that when compared to the food here...
"Oh, but the dragon meat steak is superb. You can’t eat that here."
"Dragon meat? Dragon's meat? Do they even have such a thing over there...? It really is like a fantasy world, huh."
“If it's dragon meat steak, it’s in the [Storage]. Alright, let’s serve some otherworldly cuisine this time.”
I take out the dragon meat steak that I had left in the [Storage].
Since I put it in right after grilling, it's still piping hot.
“This is…”
“It’s dragon meat steak. It’s so tender that you can tear it apart with chopsticks, so you can just eat it as is. Please enjoy if you'd like.”
I dramatically say this and place the plate with the steak in front of my mother.
My mother cautiously pokes it with her chopsticks and then starts cutting the meat.
“It's so tender...!”
She puts the sliced meat into her mouth, and the moment she bites into it, her movement stops.
Ten seconds… twenty seconds… it’s taking a while!? I grab my mother's arm and shake it.
“Mom?”
“Huh!? I saw Dad on the other side of the river saying, ‘Let me have some too!’…”
Wait, that’s the River Styx… Her reaction doesn’t match the usual one when she eats something delicious… This looks more like when someone gets poisoned.
“I’ve never tasted such delicious meat before…! Even A5-rank beef would run away in shame…”
“It’s meat that even the nobles and royalty over there can rarely eat.”
Munching happily while saying "Delicious, delicious," my mother eats, while on the side, Fuyuka, sitting on Elze's lap, stares at her. Oh, there's drool...
Noticing her daughter’s gaze, my mother stops eating.
“Haha, sorry, sorry. If it's this soft, even Fuyuka can eat it. Here, Fuyuka, say ‘Ah’.”
“Hmm? Ahh.”
My mother holds out a small piece of meat, which Fuyuka, with her small mouth, eagerly takes a bite.
“Uff! Ah! Yummy! Ah!”
Fuyuka, after taking the meat in her mouth, sparkles her eyes and starts waving both her hands up and down. What is this? she so cute. She really seems to love it.
“More! More, I want to eat more!”
“It’s delicious, isn’t it? Here, say ‘Ah’.”
“Ahh!”
When my mother gives Fuyuka another piece of meat, she starts breathing heavily and thrashing about in excitement, becoming the hyperactive little girl she is.
Hey, she’s fine, right...? Is there anything bad about giving dragon meat to a toddler? No weird excitement effects or anything, right?
Fuyuka continues munching happily, eating almost half of it by herself.
“Burp.”
I guess she’s full now because Fuyuka starts to doze off. Eating makes her sleepy, huh?
Elze gently lays her down on a cushion and covers her with a towel blanket. At that moment, Blanca comes over and, like a bodyguard, lies down beside her.
“She fell asleep, huh.”
“She probably played too much with the girls during the day.”
I guess so? Kids just suddenly fall asleep, like their batteries run out. They move until they hit their physical limit.
They say "sleeping children grow," so maybe all that moving promotes their growth?
“By the way, Darling. Hasn’t it already been a full day?”
“Huh? Ah, you’re right. I can return to my original form now.”
When Leen, who was sitting across the table, mentioned it, I checked the clock in the living room. Since I had synced the time with [Space-time Transfer], a full day should have passed since I became a child yesterday.
“Can you really return to your original form?”
“If I return, it’ll take another full day to change back into a child again, though.”
As I answered Dad’s question, who was sitting next to Leen, I tried to channel divine power into my transformation bracelet to return to my original form... but then.
I noticed Leen’s suspicious, sly grin next to Dad, and intuitively, I stopped my movement.
That’s the face Leen makes when she’s up to something. What’s going on? What’s she planning? It’s just changing back to my original form, nothing special... Ah! That’s it!
I stood up silently and tried to leave the living room.
"Oh, where are you going?"
"If I stay like this, my clothes will tear when I change back. I’m going to change over there."
"Ah, you noticed. How boring."
Leen sighs softly, looking bored. That was close! If I stayed like this, I would have torn my clothes and exposed myself in front of everyone!
I go to a separate room, take off the children's clothes, toss them into [Storage], and clumsily put on my usual clothes. As expected, they’re way too big...
Even my underwear is too loose, and I have to hold it up or it will slip off. I need to change back to my original form soon.
I channel divine power into the crystal embedded in my bracelet.
Pop! With a puff of smoke, I instantly return to my original form. Ah, it feels good to be back in my original form after a whole day.
I quickly fix my slightly disheveled clothes and return to the living room, filled with excitement.
“I’m back to my original form. How do I look?”
“How… should I say? It’s Touya-kun, right?”
Huh? That’s not the reaction I was expecting... I thought it would be more like a “Welcome back!” or something emotional...
“Well, I already saw you in my dreams, and there hasn’t been much of a change, so I’m not really surprised.”
“Yeah, honestly, I was more surprised by Touya-kun when you were a child.”
“What... did you just say...?”
So all that effort from the World God to make sure I meet them in my proper form was completely pointless...?
Well, I didn’t change back just to surprise anyone.
But still, maybe I didn’t need to change back after all...
“Now that I’m back to this form, I can’t go outside…”
“Why not? …Oh, right, if you’re supposed to be dead and you’re suddenly alive, the neighbors will definitely be surprised.”
“I see. If I’m in my child form, I can just pass as a relative's child. I can’t really excuse this form, though.”
That’s exactly it. So now, I can’t go outside for a full day.
Hmm, could I use [Mirage]? As long as I look like someone else, I should be fine.
But maintaining illusion magic continuously is tiring on Earth...
“Well, maybe it’s just as well. If we work until morning, we won’t be good for anything tomorrow anyway.”
“We’re lucky to have you, Touya. With Fuyuka, normally one of us would have to stay up, but now we don’t need to.”
It seems like both Mom and Dad are in for an all-nighter. Looks like tomorrow will be a total crash from morning until evening.
Well, in that case, showing up now wasn’t a mistake. Though, I didn’t really need to change back after all.
“But if that’s the case, the kids won’t be able to go out, so it’s a bit of a shame. Is there anything we can do?”
“Hmmm, I think it’d be fine if we weren’t in Japan. If we don’t know anyone, I think this form would be fine.”
Of course, there’s always the chance that we might end up on TV in some foreign country and one of our acquaintances could spot us, but...
“Wait, can we transfer to foreign countries too? You really can do anything...”
“Well, tomorrow, Linze will probably be asleep anyway. If we do go out, it will just be for a relaxing walk, not sightseeing.”
I don’t want to make Linze feel left out, enjoying sightseeing while she stays behind. A park or a big open space should be fine for some fun.
“I’m fine with not sleeping for one day…”
“No, you need to sleep.”
I smile as I firmly refuse Linze, who is trying to assure me she’s fine. Taking someone who’s sleep-deprived out would just make things more stressful for me.
Let’s go on the trip when everyone is well-rested the day after tomorrow.
It seems Linze understands that, as she didn’t press the issue any further.
While eating, I ask Mom about the accommodations for our upcoming trip.
"My junior from school owns a ryokan (inn). It’s a place where they can be somewhat flexible, and since there’s a hot spring town, I think we’ll enjoy it."
"Oh, really? Where exactly is it?"
"Umm, in Y Prefecture..."
I search for my mom's junior’s inn on the map app on my phone.
I switch to Street View, look around the area, and memorize the scenery.
"Yeah, I think we can jump there. Let’s leave the day after tomorrow."
"You can teleport just like that...?"
Dad says this with an exasperated tone, but if it's [Teleport], I wouldn't need to do that process. Though with [Teleport], there’s a chance it could be a little off.
"No, just teleporting there in a flash feels boring. We should properly ride the Shinkansen or a bus and go to the ryokan. It's not tourist season, so we should be able to get tickets easily."
Well, I guess it's true. Throwing away most of the charm of traveling would indeed feel a bit dull.
Initially, I didn’t think of traveling with Mom and Dad, so I thought it would be a bit difficult for just the kids to move around.
I even considered using [Mirage] to take on an adult form to cover up when staying at the inn.
If we were overseas, it would be different, but in Japan, if there are guardians around, it might be better to rely on them...
Dad says he’ll handle the seat reservations, so I decided to leave it to him. I should rely on my parents... I hope I can become that kind of parent too.
Once we finished eating, Dad, Mom, and Linze quickly returned to their manuscript work.
We took turns getting in the bath, then relaxed while watching TV, eating ice cream after the bath, and looking through travel magazines.
The kids, probably tired from all the unfamiliar things, had a few already drifting off to sleep.
I spread out the futons I took from [Storage] in the room upstairs and, using [Levitation], gently floated the sleeping children to the bed.
It’s been a busy first day. Tomorrow, maybe we’ll go to a park somewhere not in Japan and just relax.
Hmm, where should we go...
◇ ◇ ◇
“What’s this tree?”
“That’s a curious tree, huh?”
I answered Linne’s question like that, though.
Since there’s a time difference, we arrived at the Moanalua Garden Park in Oahu, Hawaii, through [Space-time Transfer].
The "curious tree" is actually a Monkey Pod tree. It’s officially called the American Acacia or Rain Tree.
It’s a famous large tree even in Japan, often seen in TV commercials.
Though it’s not native to Hawaii, it originally comes from Central and South America. It’s considered an invasive species in Hawaii. Whoa.
Moanalua Garden Park was originally owned by the Kamehameha royal family, which founded the Kingdom of Hawaii. Now it’s private property, and there’s an entrance fee.
It’s ten dollars for adults and seven dollars for children (ages six to twelve). It’s free for kids under five. I’m glad I borrowed Dad's credit card…
Since we came all the way here, I’m taking lots of photos and videos. I’ll show Dad and the others when we get back.
The kids are running around the park. Yesterday, they were mostly inside the room. Hopefully, this helps distract them a bit.
The weather’s great, and I see families laying out picnic mats under the shade of the large trees, enjoying their picnics. There are also kids playing with frisbees and soccer balls.
Wait a minute, are my kids playing too!?
The kids are wearing translation bracelets, so they can communicate in any language, meaning there’s no language barrier. Kids sure make friends quickly...
We also lay out a picnic mat and spread out the bento that Lu and Arcia made for us. Fuyuka, sitting on Elze’s lap, is having a blast.
By the way, Lu and Arcia stayed at home. They said they wanted to prepare as much food as possible because they wouldn’t be able to cook while traveling.
Well, if we used [Gate], we could return from the trip instantly... but for those two, they might just get so absorbed in cooking that they wouldn’t have time for anything else.
After lunch, I start to feel sleepy... The sunshine is warm and nice... I haven’t had time to relax recently... zzz...
“Touya-san please wake up. It’s almost time to go home.”
“Huh?”
When I was shaken by Yumina, I woke up and saw that it was already evening. Wait!? I really slept for quite a while...
I came on this trip to make memories with the kids, but I ended up sleeping like that... Well, it’s just for a break, so I guess it’s fine? I’ll call it a close call.
It seems like the kids were also tired from playing, as Steph, Linne, and Frei, just like me, had fallen asleep.
Each of us, carrying the three kids who had fallen asleep—me, Yae, and Hilda—left the park and used [Space-time Transfer] to return to Japan in a place where no one could see us.
“We’re back!”
“Welcome back. So, the kids fell asleep, huh?”
When we got home, Mom and the others greeted us.
It looks like Dad and Linze finished their work in the morning and took a nap, so they don’t seem tired.
“I think they’re just tired from playing. I’ll let them sleep until dinner.”
I laid Steph and the others down on futons, then returned to the living room. Fuyuka, after a long time, seemed happy to be back on Mom’s lap.
I showed Dad and Mom the pictures from Moanalua Garden Park. There are tons of photos of the kids having fun. Huh? They even took a picture of me while I was sleeping like a log...
“Ah, about the ryokan we’re going to tomorrow. I’ve already contacted them, and they made a reservation. They were happy to have us because a group booking was canceled and they were struggling.”
It looks like the reservation for the inn has been made. Wasn’t it owned by Mom’s junior from school? Mom said she had visited a few times when she was younger and showed the website to Yumina and the others.
“The view from the outdoor hot spring looks nice.”
“The rooms also look calm and cozy.”
“The boat dish looks delicious!”
The wives were all commenting, and I also peeked at the website. The small ryokan had a traditional Japanese-style atmosphere.
It seems there are various shops around the inn, creating a nostalgic hot spring town feel. This is looking promising.
But, I’m wondering if the kids will enjoy it... They’d probably prefer somewhere like an amusement park or a leisure land. ...Though, I think Kuon would probably like the hot spring.
Maybe because we were talking so much, Steph and the others woke up.
After yesterday’s meal, we had a lavish... well, rather multicultural and anything-goes meal laid out on the table. Nasi Goreng, Bánh Mì, Tom Yum Goong, Tortillas, Borscht, Gapao Rice, Paella, Galette, Moussaka, Ratatouille... Looks like they made whatever they could...
Well, Mom and the others are happy eating dishes they haven’t had much before, so it’s fine. Oh, this Ratatouille is delicious. I’ll ask them to make it again next time.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next day, the weather was clear and sunny. Perfect for a trip.
But my excitement was low. Because, once again, I had turned back into a child. Wait, no! I didn’t turn back! This is the temporary form!
“We’re walking to the nearest station first, right?”
“Yeah. From there, we’ll take the train to the station where the Shinkansen leaves.”
I answer Yumina, who’s holding hands with Kuuon. I could use teleportation magic, but walking to the station is part of the journey.
Each of the kids is holding hands with their mother. Alice is holding hands with Mom, and Fuyuka is being carried by Dad.
I’m the only one without a hand to hold. Dad asked, “Do you want to hold hands with me?” but I politely declined.
Walking with more than twenty people really draws attention. Most of the kids look foreign, after all.
The kids seem curious about the Japanese streets, looking around, but they’re not overly excited. They only ask questions from time to time, like, “What’s that?”
Before we came, I showed them a few Japanese films from another world, and we’ve watched various things on TV since we’ve been here. They’re calm. Except for Quun.
Quun seems fascinated by everything, wanting to push the pedestrian button, buy drinks from vending machines, and watching the cars speed by with sparkling eyes.
Every time she tries to rush forward, Leen pulls her hand back sharply.
“I’m gonna get tired before we even get to the station…”
Lean already has a “fed up” expression on her face. It’s good that she’s curious, but for Quun, she has the ability to create situations, you know...
When we return to the future, I bet Brunhild’s technology will leap forward in a big way.
Once we get to the station, I can easily imagine her getting absorbed in the ticket machines and automatic ticket gates.
...Well, if she’s enjoying herself, that’s what matters.
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