「Mama, wake up?」
As usual, I try to wake my mother. Today is the day my parents are setting off on an expedition as explorers.
Huh…?
Why am I waking my mother?
My parents should already be dead.
「Naoki, is Mama awake?」
「She’s still a sleepyhead as usual. Can I do the usual thing?」
「Permission granted.」
My mother is terrible at waking up in the morning. No matter how much you shake or nudge her, she never stirs. The only way to wake her is by using that.
「Goblin attack!」
Just like always, I slip my hands under her sides and start tickling her. This never fails to wake up my sleepyhead mother.
「Hahaha, stop it! Little Goblin-san, stop!」
Laughing loudly, she finally wakes up. This was our usual morning routine.
For the record, if my father tried the same thing, he’d get kicked so hard the wall would end up with a hole.
I still remember the forlorn look on his face afterward.
Ever since then, he decided that I needed his permission to tickle her, just in case I ended up getting kicked too.
Only an explorer can rein in another explorer, after all.
「Hurry up and get ready, or you’ll miss the bullet train.」
The nearest station is quite far from here. Honestly, they’re adults; they should learn to wake up on their own.
Thinking that, I left my mother’s room and headed to the living room, where my grandparents were waiting.
「Fufufu, Naoki’s really grown up, hasn’t he?」
「She pretends to be asleep just to play with the kid.」
「You better watch your mouth.」
「Yeah, yeah. As if I could ever take on a high-rank explorer. Anyway, you should spend some time with Naoki. You won’t see him for a while.」
「You’re right.」
I stood frozen in front of my mother’s room, about to grab something for her.
「So it was all a lie…」
I quietly returned to the living room, trying not to be seen.
「Will Mama and Papa come down soon?」
「Yeah.」
I never imagined I was being lied to. I always thought my mother enjoyed those moments, but maybe she was just playing along for my sake.
Explorers like my parents risk their lives every day. I’ve always admired them and dreamed of becoming an explorer myself.
That’s why the first step is to become a proper adult.
「Itadakimasu.」
As I started eating breakfast, my parents finally joined me, albeit a bit late.
「Ah, my favorite tamagoyaki!」
Mother reached out and picked up a piece of tamagoyaki from the table, popping it into her mouth.
「Such bad manners. Naoki might imitate you, you know.」
「It’s fine. Naoki is a much better kid than I am.」
「Can’t argue with that.」
「He’s your son too, you know?」
My parents were truly close. Watching them, I always felt I didn’t want to trouble them, so I made a point of playing the role of the “good child.”
I still remember how I used to think, If I do this, they’ll be happy, and acted accordingly.
「Mama, hurry up, or you’ll miss the bullet train!」
At my urging, my mother quickly sat down and began eating breakfast. Midway, she choked on her food and hastily gulped down miso soup, which was so hot she started coughing again.
After finishing breakfast, my parents began preparing for their trip to the dungeon.
「When will you be back?」
「Hmm, since it’s Mount Fuji, it’ll take quite a few days.」
Mount Fuji Dungeon is said to be one of the most challenging dungeons in Japan, if not the world.
The fact that my parents could take on such a dungeon showed how strong and impressive they were.
「I see…」
「What’s this? Is Naoki feeling lonely?」
With a playful grin, my mother approached me and pulled me into a hug.
「We’ll come back as soon as we can, okay?」
「Alright, Naoki, take care of the house for us.」
「The little goblin will guard this place!」
Both of them ruffled my hair so vigorously it felt like they might rub it all off.
「That hurts! I’m strong, so I won’t get lonely! Even if Mama and Papa don’t come back…….. I’ve got Grandpa and Grandma!」
I brushed off their hands and smiled brightly. At least while seeing them off, I didn’t want to burden them with worries.
That day, my parents left for Mount Fuji Dungeon.
I never imagined that would be the last conversation I’d ever have with them.
Or perhaps I don’t even remember if it truly was the last.
All I know is that I regret not saying, ‘I want you to come back soon’ or ‘Don’t go’. Instead, I stubbornly said, ‘Even if you don’t come back, I’ll be fine’.
「Ugh…」
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through my head.
♢
「Papa!」
「Huh…?」
「Dori-chan, go for it!」
「Yeah!」
I heard voices somewhere nearby, and before I could process them, a ticklish sensation spread under my arms.
「Hey, Dori, stop that!」
「It’s your fault for not waking up, Papa-san!」
「Teyk dat!」
Dori was tickling me under my arms, her touch a bit too strong, lacking control.
「You passed out yesterday. It was quite the ordeal, you know?」
「Huh?」
I felt as though I’d been having a nostalgic dream. Apparently, I had fainted the day before.
「Papa?」
Dori looked at me with concern as I sat there dazed.
「Alright, it’s payback time!」
I slipped my hands under Dori’s arms and tickled her in return. She burst out laughing, only to kick me in the face as she squirmed.
Yeah, maybe I should rethink tickling Dori. That hurt more than I expected.
For a moment, I thought I saw my grandparents waving at me from across the river.
But no, my grandparents are still alive.
「I’m glad to see you’re doing well.」
Apparently, last night, Sena and Lady sensed something was off and came to my room. They moved me to my bed and tucked me in.
While my streaming channel was still live, both Sena and Lady ended up appearing on the feed. This inadvertently revealed their identities and the fact that Lady was staying here.
I immediately apologized to Lady, but she didn’t seem to mind.
According to her, some of the viewers had already suspected something, and the exposure actually worked as a deterrent by clearly showing who was protecting us.
Moreover, she seemed quite happy about being able to openly boast about staying here.
「Besides, there are many things to be happy about.」
With that, Lady left and returned to the living room.
「Ah, bento!」
I had planned to make a bento again today, but it had completely slipped my mind. I rushed to the kitchen, only to find someone I didn’t want to meet this early in the morning.
「Yo! It’s Nao-chan, the guy who got KO’d by Dori-chan’s headbutt.」
Haruki was already in the kitchen, cooking. It seemed he and Grandma had taken over my task of making the bento.
「Thanks.」
「Huh? What was that? I didn’t catch it.」
「Are your ears useless or what?!」
「That’s something you say about eyes, not ears, you know.」
Haruki’s laughter grated on my nerves, but I couldn’t deny I was grateful today.
「Ah, today is truly a blessing for the eyes.」
Nearby, Lady was murmuring something that sounded like a prayer, but I decided to ignore it.
I thought I’d switch with Haruki midway, but Grandma vetoed the idea, saying it was a good learning opportunity. Apparently, there was much to be gained from a chef like Haruki.
On the second day of bento-making, Haruki had officially taken over.
「By the way, I’m opening a restaurant around here, so advertise it on your stream, will you?」
…What?
Haruki starting a restaurant here?
「Oh, I didn’t mention it? I got approved for the restaurant application.」
A few days ago, I heard from the city hall that a new restaurant application had come through. They’d said it focused on “local production for local consumption” and was expected to help boost the dungeon’s profile.
I had given the go-ahead, thinking it wouldn’t be a problem for a small business to set up shop.
If I recall, the name was Koharu Pavilion.
「Wait, Koharu comes from Kojima Haruki?!」
Right, time to report this to the mayor and get it shut down immediately. For my peace of mind, it has to go.
This is the power of being an adult.
「I’m just here for an inspection and to visit home this time, but next time, I’ll bring my wife and daughter along.」
「Wife and daughter…?」
「Married?!」
My voice overlapped with Lady’s. We were clearly thinking the same thing.
「Another loss for me!」
「My ship… it’s sunk!」
It seemed her thoughts had taken a different turn from mine. Meanwhile, Dori patted my head in an attempt to console me.
Once again, I’d lost to Haruki.
With Dori’s tiny hands moving at high speed, I felt like I might’ve lost a few strands of hair.
Her touch felt nostalgic somehow.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall whose hands they reminded me of.
「What are you doing, Grandpa?」
And then, my grandfather.
「Ah, hair is precious, after all.」
Don’t stealthily pick up the hair I just lost!
I have no intention of going bald!
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