after story 1
Arifureta After - Morning at the Nagumo House Part 1
AN: Thank you very much for a lot of the review about the completion.
From here on too, Hakumei will enjoy myself while discharging wild idea bit by bit, and it will make me happy if you readers can keep accompanying me.
「……Wake up. Wake up, Hajime.」
His dozing off awareness was led to awakening by a soft voice and a gentle shake. Because of the brightness seen through the back of his eyelids, he could tell the curtains had been opened. It was morning, and the sun was insisting on its presence.
「……Don't mind me. Go on, ahead.」(TN: Here Hajime is using a line like a hero who will stay behind so other can escape safely)
「……It's no good using clichéd line like that. Breakfast will get cold. So wake up.」
He tucked himself into the bed like a bagworm and tried to take a journey into the dream world, this man who was trying to journey to the dream world with a voice that was going to disappear anytime, was the eldest son of this household――Nagumo Hajime. And then, the one who was making a troubled smile to such Hajime even while kept urging him gently to get out of the bed, was Hajime's beloved vampire princess that came from another world――Yue.
Yue sat down beside the bed and she gently stroked the black hair of Hajime who was curling in to himself. Her slender fingertips caressed through Hajime's hair, combing them down. And then, her eyes squinted affectionately and she quietly brought her lips toward Hajime's ear.
A small *chuu* sound resounded and Hajime twitched in reaction. Perhaps enjoying that reaction of Hajime, Yue's look was increasingly bursting open in happiness, next she held Hajime's earlobe into her mouth. Hajime once more twitched in reaction. Yue kept playfully nibbling then. And Hajime kept twitching from that.
Yue separated her lips from Hajime's ear with *chupa* sound before she opened her mouth while blowing a feverish sigh on Hajime's ear.
「……If you don't wake up……Hajime will be the breakfast.」
「I'll wake up.」
It was a lovely speech, but there were his parents downstairs, other than them there were also the freeloaders and his daughter. Making a ruckus complete with moaning sound 「aah-」from morning would be problematic in various meaning. The neighbors too would be guaranteed to look at him later with grinning expression saying 「oh my」. Therefore, Hajime pushed aside the futon with a snap and woke up.
「Good morning, Yue.」
「……Nn. Good morning.」
Hajime's hair that was curling up here and there was fixed attentively by Yue using her hand as comb. Since the morning the atmosphere of the two was already teeming with mushiness. It even felt like the morning sunlight brightly shining in through the window was growing dim in reservation from these two's lack in prudence.
Hajime who was exposing a dazed waking up face which was unthinkable if it was at the period when he was journeying the other world Tortus, was narrowing his eyes toward his lover that was caressing his head in front of his eyes. While he was at it he was also running his gaze through the surrounding relaxedly.
Inside the room, seventy percent of it was buried in bookshelves and the books and the games that were put there, and then there were a desk and reclining chair, a good quality desktop PC, and also a closet between the bookshelves. A window was attached at the wall that was facing south, a navy blue curtain the same color with the bed was hanging over it.
(…..I'm still feeling that this room is 'nostalgic'. it must be because the experience at the other side is too strong. If I still feel like this after going home for a year, then it might take a half more year to be able to live without feeling anything is out of place.)
Hajime sighed a bit inside his heart. And then, he clenched his left hand repeatedly as though to ascertain it. That arm didn't shine with dull metallic gleam, its appearance was that of a normal human arm. It had elastic skin and slight mark of suntan similar with his right arm.
Furthermore, Hajime also gently traced his right eye with his fingertip. There, he didn't feel the sensation of eye patch that was in the process of becoming his trademark in Tortus. Far from that, there wasn't even the bluish white shine that was the trait of god crystal. The eye's appearance was a dark brown eyes that looked like the eye of a normal Japanese as expected.
「……Nn? Hajime, what's wrong? It feels uncomfortable?」
Yue noticed Hajime's state, she then brought her face closer until their nose tip almost touched while tilting her head. The sweet fragrance that tickled Hajime's nasal cavity made him got slightly bewitched while he shook his head.
「No, there is no discomfort in both my arm and my eye. Thanks to Yue and others' cooperation, the artificial skin and the artificial eyes are all in extremely excellent condition. No one would notice as long as they don't get scanned in detail at hospital. If I have to say, perhaps I'm feeling discomfort from this situation where there is no discomfort.」
「……? Hajime feel discomfort from the appearance of your body?」
「Yeah. After all the experience over there was just too dense. The metallic arm, the crystal eye, and also the white hair, all those were already me. That's why, rather than calling this appearance getting back to normal, it feels like that I changed again. Well, it going to be really bad if that kind of unknown automail and strange crystal eye get discovered in this modern earth, so that can't be helped though.」
While smiling wryly, Hajime tapped on his left hand using his right hand. The artificial skin that used metamorphosis magic had reproduced a splendid skin texture, making the one touching wouldn't be able to sense the existence of metallic artificial arm hidden behind it.
The one who accomplished this was Tio. The technique of Tio that was the only expert in metamorphosis magic among his comrades, added with Hajime and Yue's help, remade the artificial hand smartly and disguised it as a normal arm in outward appearance and texture.
Also, Hajime's artificial eye was something that was remade using creation magic, while his hair color was due to Kaori's regeneration magic returning the hair color to before.
Of course, for Kaori whose hand had reached to the territory of time intervention, if she used regeneration magic seriously then it was possible she could even restore Hajime's altered body to normal human body. Whether it was his loss of limb or his change due to eating monster, all of those could be reverted if Kaori just returned Hajime's body to its previous state.
But, Hajime didn't wish for that. Actually, by returning to earth, things like tough body was unneeded, but for some reason it felt like turning his body to how it was before was like making light of his journey at that other world. And above all else, he couldn't be growing senile first and left behind Yue who would be living for a long time.
In the end possessing a monster class body where it wasn't even definite that it had life span was in agreement with Hajime's own wish. By the way, if they were using Yue's secret technique of apostle creation, then the problem of life span could be resolved to a certain degree even if they were using their original normal body, so Kaori and others also didn't view this matter as a problem.
「……Nn. Personally, there is no problem for me because I can enjoy various Hajime. Rather I feel happy.」
Yue said that and gave kisses in turn at Hajime's left shoulder, right eye, and his head. Every single action of Yue was overflowing with affection.
At that day, after they established the method of going home, since that day when Yue was proposed under the great tree of [Haltina Sea of Trees], Yue's expression of love was increasingly became polished. She had never been seen without the ring that was fitted in the ring finger of her left hand, and when Yue saw the matching ring that was fitted in Hajime's left ring finger, an aura of happiness would be scattered in full from her.
「Speaking of that, what about Yue? Have you get used with the world over here?」
「……Nn. There are still a lot of things, that I don't know, that I am not familiar with. This is really, a different world. There are a lot of unbelievable things……. But, it's fun. Every day is fun like opening jack-in-the-box.」
「I see.」
「……Nn. Besides, I will be happy anywhere if that is a place where Hajime is. Mother-in-law and father-in-law are also really kind. They treasured me like their real daughter, it feels really happy. Everywhere in Hajime's world, is filled with happiness.」
「I, I see……somehow, it feels hot even though it's morning huh.」
The gaze of Hajime who ate a straight punch of love was wandering around. Yue who understood that Hajime was being shy chuckled 「Nfufu」while snuggling at him like a cat. Hajime's hand was subconsciously moving and gently caressed Yue's fluffy hair.
An atmosphere that was overflowing with sugar content was running rampant since the morning. Yue quivered her long eyelashes while quietly closing her eyelids, her faint pink lips were pushing out to Hajime. Hajime easily surrendered seeing that obviously coaxing pose. His face was approaching near……
「Geez~, Yue-oneechan! Is Papa still not awake nano!?」
The one who opened the door of the room loudly with a bang while entering with a huff was a five years old girl who puffed up her flat chest. She was Hajime's daughter Myuu. However, now her emerald green hair became emerald blond, while her fan shaped ears that were the trait of merman race had changed into small and cute human ears.
The cause of the change was the illusion that was created by the ring artifact hanging down from Myuu's neck. The artifact was something excellent that surprisingly could reproduce even the touching sensation, so even if Myuu's ear was touched the person touching wouldn't feel the texture of fin, but the sensation of human ear instead. And so, Myuu's appearance was completely that of a beautiful little girl with blond hair.
The moment that Myuu energetically entered the room, she pointed her finger at the clichéd childhood friend morning scene which entered her eyes and raised a protesting voice「Aa~~!」.
「Geez-, Yue-oneechan! I always told you every time! Doing that to papa right from the morning is a no-no! Why aren't you protecting your promise nano!」(TN: Here Myuu said 'me-' to Yue. This is the way people in Japanese scolded their naughty child or pet, it's like saying 'bad' with scolding tone in English, though I translated it into no-no here.)
「……uu. Tha, that is because Hajime is……」
「Blaming others is no-no!」
「……au. I'm sorry.」
Toward Myuu who pointed her index finger at Yue's nose while saying 「Bad-」, Yue could only dejectedly hung her head down regardless of her big sister status.
It had been about a year since they moved into earth. Recently Myuu who had grown up remarkably was acting really proper and strict. When all the onee-chan who often became hopeless character that couldn't read the atmosphere when they got entangled with Hajime, like Yue right now, Myuu would remonstrate them with 'Bad' like this.
Actually, in order for Myuu to become used with this world quickly, and also because it was desirable for Myuu to have education in good taste, she was then enrolled into a nursery school about two months ago, but it seemed that in the school Myuu became awakened as 'onee-san' for some reason.
There was the factor of how based on her age she was included in the senior group in school, but additionally there was also how she had been piling up experience that should be too dense for a mere infant. She had been kidnapped, auctioned, traveled through desert, struggling through a scene of carnage at the devil king castle, and even participated in a legendary decisive battle. Looking from the point of view of such Myuu, the children the same age with her who were born in peaceful country like Japan were as expected looked really young and naïve.
Thinking 'I have to be proper and strict!', she imitated the outrageous onee-chan group around her and her mother that was overflowing with kindness, like that she acted too helpful toward the other kindergarteners……when she noticed, she had became the trusted and beloved leader of the kindergarteners.
However, her call of 「Gentlemen! And ladies of Myuu's friend!」when she was gathering the kindergarteners, or how she said 「Right now is exactly the time to blaze our soul!」when encouraging a child that felt down, or how she showed a fearless grin when there was a child that looked uneasy, those actions that looked a little bit unlike a kindergartener were conspicuous so the teacher there reported it to Nagumo household……regarding the state of Hajime when he received that contact from the teacher, let's just say that he was rolling around on the floor for real at that time.
「Really it's my bad, Myuu. Come on, I've already waking up here.」
Yue who possessed the absolute dignity as the legal wife toward the other wives was seriously feeling down from getting scolded by Myuu. Hajime sent a glance at such a Yue while crawling out from the futon. Myuu listened to Hajime's words and nodded, she then faced Hajime and reached out both her hands.
「Myuu? What's with those hands?」
「Papa, Myuu want to be carried nano.」
Even though she was scolding Yue just now, but right after that Myuu demonstrated a spoiled kid request. Yue went 'hah' in shock and moved her gaze to Myuu. Her eyes were clearly narrating her dissatisfaction 「Even though I was scolded when acting spoiled……」which was looking a bit lacking in maturity.
Toward that, Myuu said,
「Mama said, 『When Yue-san pulled back, immediately act spoiled(attack)』, like that nano.」
「……I'm going to speak a bit with Remia.」
Yue became enveloped with faint golden light, right after that she became adult mode. And then, in order to speak a few words with the mother who taught woman battle tactic to a little child, Yue silently, but quickly exited from the room.
And then, Myuu who kept holding her pose asking for hug directed a shuddering gaze toward Hajime who was left behind. This little girl in front his eyes was steadily mastering the lesson from the seniors around her. From here on, just what kind of growth this beloved daughter would show him after accepting the teaching of the women who had one or two peculiarities Hajime wondered……
「Papa, carry me nano.」
「……Okay」
With a cramped expression, Hajime hugged Myuu who was making a cute request with cute grin, and then he exited the room while listening to the tumult that was audible from downstairs.
Hajime who entered the living room at first floor with one of his arms carrying Myuu witnessed the scene of Yue laying down complaints incessantly to Myuu's actual mother Remia. In regard to Remia, similar with Myuu she was also exposing emerald blond hair and human ears, right now she was showing her usual 「my my, ufufu」smile while dodging Yue's complaints flightily――was how it looked like, but her cheeks were faintly blushing.
With the adult mode Yue as her opponent, as expected even a professional widow would find herself at disadvantage. Even though they were the same gender, yet being stared by adult Yue fixedly from very close range would make anyone unable to calm down. Adult Yue-sama, how terrifying.
「Ah, you finally woke up Hajime-san.」
「Fumu, as I thought perhaps having Yue in charge of waking up art no good.」
Shia who was helping with the preparation of breakfast was saying such thing with an exasperated face while giving her morning greeting, and Tio who was watching morning news at the living room looked behind while also similarly greeting him.
There was no change in Tio's appearance, while Shia's prided rabbit ears were similarly hidden with artifact like Myuu and Remia. Right now her straight faint blue hair was put together using hair tie located around her neck and the bundle of hair was hung down forward.
「My, Shia-chan and also Tio-chan, you two are saying such thing, but if it's the two of you who are going to wake up Hajime won't you two also dive in?」
「Naturally desu, Kaa-sama.」
「Of course, Hahaue-dono」(TN: Both ways of calling have the same meaning of mother, but the kanji they are written with has the meaning of mother-in-law.)
Carrying breakfast from the kitchen……wasn't how she appeared, this person who appeared from the washroom as though to say that she had woken up just now, was Hajime's mother, Nagumo Sumire. Sumire was a famous shoujo manga artist, so there were a lot of times where she was staying until late at night in her workplace, she was extraordinarily weak in morning. Because of that, in Nagumo household there was no regular habit of taking breakfast properly but……
There, Shia who was in charge of cooking at Tortus and Remia who was a mother with a child came. Hajime took home Yue and others from the other world, and not long after the girls became freeloaders, the kitchen became entrusted to the two of them.
「Everyone, good morning. Maaan, it's great that the house is brilliant right from the morning. Even after a year has passed, my heart is still dancing every time I see this. You damn son, how dare you came home after becoming a great man! Really thank you very much-」
「You are full with energy from the morning huh, Tou-san. And then, don't grin like that while looking at them. You are going to get punch flying you know……by Kaa-san.」
The short haired middle-aged man with tall stature who had been continuously in a state of 'Right now, I'm intensely moved!' since a year ago, was the central pillar of Nagumo household, the company president who managed a game company, Nagumo Shuu.
He who was a pure otaku seemed to be deeply moved everyday from witnessing Yue and others who seemed to come out straight from 2D. And then most likely, being called as 「Otou-sama」by beautiful girls and women was also undoubtedly greatly related with that.
Shuu laughed in good mood from being surrounded by the daughters-in-law, Sumire was in a daze, and Hajime was doing Myuu's hairstyle while the breakfast was lined up on the dining table.
By the way, Shuu and Sumire's yearly income far surpassed the earning of average salary man, so Nagumo household was quite large. And so, even when their family increased all of a sudden, the home didn't feel that cramped even when all of them lived in one house.
Although, because of the sudden increase in residence right now the renovation of the house was in progress, after several months passed the house would surely be completed into a splendid building twice the previous size that the neighbors would notice.
In addition, regarding the administrative concern of Yue and others like their resident registration and the like, Hajime had sneaked into the government office and finished forging the documents. For their peace of mind, Yue even used her soul magic to the government workers to plant suggestion in them so there would be no problem. It was a hard work because there was a lot of kind of documents that needed to be put in order, for example passport and identification paper and so on, but at the very least there should be no one that could discover any unnaturalness with their existences in Japan.
Even for example that they got found out, they could just use soul magic to deal with it every time, they were also planning to slowly left behind evidence of their existences at the foreign governments too. The government officials of the world would be opposed by age of god magic!
「Yup, Shia-chan, Remia-chan, today the food is also delicious. Before this I thought that putting food into your stomach right from the morning, is that some kind of torture huh?, like that……but if it's like this then I can eat no matter how much.」
「I get what you mean. Hajime, Tou-san is happy. My son became a splendid cheat harem bastard when he returned back. There is nothing that I can teach you anymore like this.」
「Tou-san, I don't understand whether you are praising me or speaking ill of me from your words, but I have never received any lesson or anything about being cheat harem bastard at all.」
Sumire sent an exaggerated praise at Shia and Remia excessively, while Shuu was sending Hajime words with condescending attitude, hearing that Hajime replied back with an exasperated state. To that, Shuu opened his mouth with irritating atmosphere as though to say 「Good grief, yareyare daze」.
「What are you saying? Haven't I beaten up the soul of otaku into you since you have awareness of your surrounding? In other words, that was also me beating up the soul of cheat harem into you. The reason that you were able to create cheat harem at another world, is exactly because of that. How is that? Can you feel the gratitude for your Otou-sama keenly in your heart now?」
「I think I have already talked with you about my experience in another world, but where is otaku soul is proving useful there――」
Shuu and Sumire had listened to all that Hajime experienced at the other world. About how much effort it took to recover his normal appearance, about how his arm and eye were artificial, about how his gaze turned sharp now, and above all about how his atmosphere now was completely different from in the past, Hajime told all of those personally without any falsehood or manipulation, nor he was even trying to do those.
In other words, Shuu and Sumire should have known about the sequence of event of their son's grand experience starting from his experience in the abyss, in spite of that Shuu now declared that otaku knowledge was useful in those experiences, hearing that Hajime was a bit unable to accept it.
And so, Hajime normally objected to Shuu, but Shuu and Sumire immediately grinned widely while cutting off Hajime's words.
「『Ladies and gentleman-, all of you warriors-』」
「-」
「『Right now in this time, is exactly the time to blaze your soul-』」
「!!」
「『If you said you are going to get in my way, I'll kill you.』」
「!?」
「『I'll protect Yue, and Yue will protect me. With that we are――』」
「I got it already-! Otou-sama, really thank you very much-! That's why, stop it-」
Hajime writhed while asking them to stop with a voice that sounded like scream. Toward their son who was enduring his shame that much, the father and mother were mercilessly dealing the pursuing attack.
「Oi oi, what's wrong Hajime? What are you feeling ashamed for? You were cool you know? In real life, there is almost no chance to say those kind of speeches you know? When Tou-san watched the image recording Tio-san showed to me, my heart was trembling hard. Oh man, it was really an amazing chuu――cough-, really an amazing heroic you know?」
「Yes, truly. Not only to the girl partner, but you even said 『she is my woman』to the girl's parent, when I watched that I thought, just from what galgame this conquering character came from. Really……」
After giving a glance at Hajime who was shaking in while holding his chopstick, Shuu and Sumire paused with a superb timing before continuing with splendid harmony.
「「Hajime-san, those were seriously awesome -ssu. Trully, thank you very much-!」」
「You two are noisy-. Don't screw around, stop messing with me using that material-」
Shuu and Sumire knew about the events in the other world not only from Hajime's story. While keeping it secret from Hajime, Tio used regeneration magic to leave behind recording image of every memory――obviously the events in the abyss were included, other than that, the time when Hajime accepted Shia, the time when Hajime spoke resolutely to Tio's grandfather Adol, and even Hajime's speech at his classmates in the devil king castle, etc.――and showed it to Shuu and Sumire, since then at every opportunity Shuu and Sumire would praise Hajime「As expected from our son-!」with teasing mixed in it to mess with Hajime.
The corner of Hajime's eyes lifted up fiercely and brutally put pressure on Tio in an outburst of anger. With a cough, Tio choked in the middle of slurping her miso soup. Miso soup was dripping fromher nose while her breathing was getting rough 'haa haa'.
「A, as expected from the parents of Hajime-san. Recently I have become used to it, but as I thought seeing the figure of Hajime-san being toyed around, the uncomfortable feeling that I get is not half-baked desu.」
「……Nn. But, the bullied Hajime……is also nice.」
「My my, Yue-san. Recently, it feels like if it is about Hajime-san then everything is fine for you. Fufu, Myuu too has to work hard like this. Also Tio-san, this is the dining table you know? Please don't go haa haa while dripping snot like that, eat your food properly. Right now your face is looking quite "over the age limit" you know?」
Shia smiled wryly toward the exchange between Hajime and his parents, while Yue's cheeks reddened for some reason, Tio was going 'haa haa', and Remia was going 'my my, ufufu' smilingly. This was the ordinary day of Nagumo household recently.
Just when Hajime was going to snap from the mess, Shuu and Sumire easily drew back and concentrated on their breakfast as though nothing had happened. Hajime who was trembling from losing the target of his anger was then comforted by Yue and others altogether.
With a sidelong glance at their son who was being taken care by beautiful women and girls, Shuu and Sumire faced each other and their expression burst into a smile.
「Nevertheless, that time when Hajime suddenly returned home, and in addition he also introduced Yue and others, it was really shocking huh.」
「You're right. For him to really go to another world and went home bringing cheat harem, that's something that I had never even dreamed of.」
While exchanging words with small whisper, both of them recalled that time when Hajime came home.
AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.
Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.
For the time being, I’m thinking of writing a bit about the story of post-going home.
After all there are considerable request and also hope for present-day story (lol)
Hakumei himself is swelling out with wild ideas.
Next will be the story of Hajime returning to his home and reunite with Shuu and Sumire.
I think it most likely can be posted at 6 P.M Saturday next week.
Please take care of me from here on too.