Chapter 614: Inn Dinner, And Talking With Dad.

“Dinner is ready. Please, proceed to the banquet hall.”

While I was relaxing with Dad in the room, the waitress came to inform us that dinner was ready. Looking at the clock, it was already past 6:30. Kuon, who went out with Allis and the others, hasn’t returned since then. He said there was a game corner; is he playing there the whole time? Was there a classic ping-pong table or something? I sent a text to Kuon telling him to come back for dinner, and immediately the room’s sliding door opened, and he returned. He looks incredibly exhausted, though…

“Eh, what happened?”

“No… At the air hockey table in the game corner, Allis and Big Sis Linne got too heated up, so I was stopping them from unconsciously using body enhancement magic…”

Ahh… So it was air hockey, not ping-pong. On Earth, where magic elements are scarce, magic cannot be used. However, it doesn’t mean it can’t be used at all; if you use the magic power within your body, you can activate it a little. But that is, to use a bad analogy, like wringing water out of an already wrung towel; if you force it out, it puts a considerable burden on the body. In the worst case, there is a possibility of collapsing on the spot. Even they wouldn’t want to fall ill during a precious trip. So Kuon was watching over that the whole time. Concentrating for that long would certainly be tiring… However, there should be air hockey in the castle’s game room too… Does air hockey played at a travel destination have a different charm? Well anyway, it’s dinner. When I went out into the hallway with Kuon, everyone else also came out of their rooms in groups. Checking the small ryokan guide pamphlet that was in the room, we walked toward the banquet hall.

“Ooh, well, well…”

It was a large tatami-matted banquet hall, likely created by removing the sliding doors between two halls. A long table was set in the center, with legless chairs lined up on the left and right for the number of people. And on the table, colorful dishes from the sea and mountains were arranged at each person’s seat. It looked just like a banquet venue.

“How beautiful…! Just looking at it, I am already moved!”

“To think cuisine can shine this much with tableware, ingredients, cutting techniques, and colors…!”

Lu and Arcia raised voices of admiration looking at the food on the table. As the saying goes, ‘Japanese food is eaten with the eyes’; Japanese chefs pay delicate attention to presentation. From the choice of tableware to decorative cutting, it is made to be enjoyed not just with taste but also visually. The children also had sparkling eyes at the feast they had never seen before. There was sashimi, crab, abalone, tempura, and even a small hot pot. Everything looked delicious. After taking our respective seats, the waitress came and lit the solid fuel under the hot pots.

“Then, let’s eat.”

” ” “Let’s eat!” ” “

Following Mom’s voice, I also reached for my chopsticks. First, the sashimi… There is tuna, sea bream, yellowtail, and horse mackerel, but as expected, starting with tuna. Put a little wasabi on it, dip it in soy sauce, and pakuri. Mmm… delicious! Fresh sashimi really is delicious… While the aftertaste of the sashimi remains, shovel in piping hot rice. This combo is irresistible… Next, I have the clear soup with chicken. The clear, gentle taste is soothing. The simmered dish with taro in the small bowl is also tasty. I ate tempura for lunch too, so there’s an overlap. Well, this one is delicious too, so no problem. I’ll try eating this with salt. Everyone seems to be enjoying eating noisily. Only Lu and Arcia are eating with serious faces, though. Are they planning to steal the flavors here? Suddenly, I noticed Yoshino next to me making a complicated face.

“I thought it was pudding, but it wasn’t…”

“Ah, that’s Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard). If you don’t like it, I’ll take it, but are you okay?”

“I’m okay. This is delicious in its own way.”

Yoshino ate the Chawanmushi paku paku with a wooden spoon. Next to her, Sakura was also munching on Chawanmushi in the same way. Prompted by them, I ate mine too. Yeah, the dashi is effective and it’s tasty. The chicken is tender, and the shiitake mushrooms are packed with umami. The scent of trefoil is nice too. Ah, I feel like I ate ‘Japanese food’ for the first time in a while… Lu and Arcia made it for me, but there was still some sense of incongruity somewhere. Is it the tableware? The atmosphere of this place probably plays a part too. Even the final dessert, Yuzu Sherbet, was delicious. While I was immersing myself in a satisfied mood drinking tea, pasha, Yumina took a photo of me from the side with her smartphone.

“Eh, what…?”

“You had a very good smile. Just as a memento.”

Eh, did I have that kind of face…? Asking to see it for confirmation, there was a picture of me laughing with a loose, unguarded face. Is this a good smile…? I feel like it’s a splendidly stupid face, though.

“It is a good smile showing you are completely at ease. I think it is cute.”

Cu…? I-Is that so…? No matter how I look at it, I only see a child with a spineless, grinning face… Well, since my wife says so, I’ll accept it gratefully. Oops, speaking of photos, I remembered that if I don’t take some photos of Allis, I’ll get complained at by that father, Ende, when I get back. I pointed my smartphone camera at Allis, who was still eating. A heartwarming picture as fiancés where Kuon next to her is feeding Allis “Say ahh,” but if Ende sees this, he might cry tears of blood… Yeah, let’s take it.

“I look forward to seeing our grandchild’s face.”

“Too early, too early.”

Yumina stated such an impression while looking at the two. No no, normally they aren’t even born yet. It will take at least another twenty years for Kuon and the others’ children. In twenty years, I’ll be nearly forty… About the same as Dad now?

“Will Touya-san be like Father-in-law by that time?”

“Unfortunately, it seems the growth of the Divine Tribe stops around twenty, so I don’t think I’ll change much.”

“That is a pity… I wanted to see a refined, middle-aged gentleman Touya-san too.”

Yumina sighed, looking truly disappointed. I don’t know if I could become refined, but I certainly yearn a little for the appearance of a dandy man. Should I grow a beard? …It probably won’t grow. My family line has thin facial hair to begin with. I’ve hardly ever shaved, and while Dad shaves, apparently it’s thin even if it grows. It’s better not to have one than to grow patchy stubble… Men in the other world often have magnificent beards. There is a sense that Beard = Adult Man, after all. Kings and such mostly have them. My Brother-in-law from the Knight Kingdom Lestia and the King of Lihnea don’t have them, but I feel like they might grow them eventually. Is being the only one smooth-faced lacking in dignity? Should I wear a fake beard…? But I feel like it would only look like a costume… While I was indulging in thoughts of dandyism, everyone finished eating, and we decided to return to our rooms. The rest is free time until we sleep.

“Daddy, they said there’s a game corner over there! Let’s go together!”

And so, pulled by Steph, I was taken to the game corner along with several children. The game corner I was taken to was a place where, only in that corner, the retro atmosphere exuded by the ryokan seemed to be removed. There were air hockey, crane games, racing games, fighting games, and even a game where you hit a taiko drum don-doko. Certainly, this is a small game center. It seems opening hours are decided, apparently until 9 PM. Well, it would be unbearable if someone went don-doko in the middle of the night. Linne and Allis, who came along, immediately started air hockey. They should have played before the meal too; did they not settle the score? Kuon, who is monitoring them so they don’t carelessly use magic this time too, looks like he’s having a tough time.

“Daddy, let’s play this!”

What Steph begged for was the game where you hit the taiko drum don-doko. I’ve played it a long time ago, but I remember it being quite difficult. I was allowed to play the drums a little bit at a friend of Grandpa’s house, but Japanese drums and such have a different feel from that.

“Looks interesting. I want to try too.”

“Oh? Then why don’t you play with Steph and Yoshino? I’ll watch from behind.”

While inwardly thinking “Saved,” I yielded the taiko game spot to Yoshino. When I put in the money, the two held the bachi sticks with strings attached in both hands. Starting with an easy one should be fine, right. I selected ‘Easy’ for a nursery rhyme song that the two also knew. When the song started, don-don, kak-kak, the two hit the drum rhythmically and cleared it easily. I raised the difficulty by one stage to ‘Normal’, and both cleared it too. However, as soon as I set it to ‘Hard’, the number of hits increased drastically, and Steph’s reaction started to delay.

“It’s faaaast!”

While Steph complained as she hit don-doko, Yoshino calmly matched her bachi hits. At this level, it suddenly gets difficult… I stumbled here too. Yoshino managed to clear the quota, but Steph failed the quota here.

“It suddenly got difficult!”

“Yeah, well, that’s how it is.”

Steph complained boo-boo, but please tell that to the manufacturer. Though I strongly agree. Yoshino entered a command to bring out ‘Oni (Demon/Rakshasa)’, which is even above ‘Hard’ posted on the cabinet, and seemed to challenge it. When the song started, a brutal number of hit marks flowed, making one want to say “What is this!?”. Ignoring me thinking “This is a bit…”, Yoshino was hitting the taiko rhythmically at incredible speed while laughing. Honestly speaking, I have no idea where she is hitting anymore. I might understand if I enhanced my vision with divine power. In the end, Yoshino cleared ‘Oni’ too.

“Father! This is fun! Buy it!”

“Oops, a sudden outrageous request came flying.”

She says ‘Buy it’ easily, but how much does this cost…? Can I even buy it in the first place? I searched on the net, and while buying new as an individual seems impossible, maybe I can buy used…? Even then, it costs four or five hundred thousand yen…? Or rather, even if I take it to the other world, it won’t work because there is no power source… No, if I ask the Professor and the others, I feel like they could manage somehow… Maybe I should just have them make it from scratch. If I explain it’s ‘this kind of thing’, those geniuses can probably make it. They even made a frame unit with a simulated combat system, after all. To explain to the Professor and the others, I decided to take a video of the children playing the taiko and the game screen. While I was at it, I also filmed Linne, Allis, and the others who started a racing game. Since there are magic powered cars (Ether Vehicles) over there, racing games might be easy to make. After that, I won stuffed animals for them at the crane game and played to my heart’s content with the children on a vintage pinball machine. Eventually, the game corner’s opening hours ended, and we decided to return to our room.

“Welcome back. Was it fun?”

When I returned to the room with Kuon, Dad, who was completely relaxed, called out while watching TV. Three futons were already laid out in the room.

“It was fun, but maybe a little tired.”

“In my time, it was just Touya-kun alone, but in Touya-kun’s case, there are many children.”

Since both Dad and Mom were busy, my memories of being played with as a child are overwhelmingly with Grandpa, but it’s not like there are none at all. I was taken to publisher parties, and taken to amusement parks and movie theaters too. Every time I saw Dad and Mom working hard to finish manuscripts early to make time, before I knew it, I stopped making unreasonable requests. It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel lonely about that, but thanks to that, I think I didn’t have a rebellious phase that could be called a rebellious phase. Or rather, seeing that mother up close, I didn’t feel like rebelling. The teaching that it is best not to offer futile resistance against women was learned from Dad. While we were talking about trivial things from the past, Kuon, sitting next to us, was nodding off, rowing a boat.

“Shall we sleep soon?”

“Yeah.”

Dad picked up Kuon and laid him on the middle futon. We turned off the TV and the lights, and crawled into our futons too. Haa… I’m tired from the first day of the trip (actually the third day already). Well, the travel was tough, but the hot spring felt good, and the food was delicious; isn’t it quite a good start?

“To think I can sleep side-by-side like the character ‘River’ (川) with my child and grandchild like this.”

Dad muttered something like that, but isn’t that usually the case with a couple and their child? Did I also sleep in the ‘River’ formation with Dad and Mom a long time ago…? I don’t remember much, but…

“Hey, Touya-kun.”

“Nn…?”

“Is it possible for us to go to the other world?”

“…Hmm, if you ask whether it is possible or impossible, it is possible, but…”

However, in that case, you won’t be able to return to the original world for at least a year. You would have to live over there. It’s one thing if you are legally dead like me, but if you lose contact for a year (sixteen months on Earth), various inconvenient problems like work will arise. Furthermore, if Dad and Mom come to the other world, there is a fear of getting caught in a time paradox. Kuon and the others had never met Dad and Mom until three days ago. That premise would collapse. After this, if Yakumo is born, Frei is born, and they meet Dad and the others during their growth, a contradiction will occur with the events of this time right now. If there is a just cause like ‘To save the world from collapse’, Grandma Tokie, the Space-Time God, and the time spirits might help and erase that contradiction, but this is a totally personal problem… So if you can go, it would be from the point in time when the children returned to the future. If it’s after Kuon and the others return to the future, there is no problem even if Dad and Mom cross over to the other world.

“How many years later would that be…?”

“Umm, since the eldest, Yakumo, is eleven, at least more than that…?”

“That’s long…”

It is, right… Even if Yakumo is born, we can’t bring her along on homecomings to Earth. Dad and the others cannot meet her until eleven years later. We could probably send or show photos and videos, though…

“…Well, maybe if the future me uses [Dimensional Transfer] to bring the children to this era…”

“Umm, meaning what?”

“Not the me here now, but the me in the future where the children returned to, just needs to bring the children to this era. Then Dad and Mom can meet the children immediately.”

Though I feel sorry that you can’t enjoy the grandchildren’s growth from babies. No, wait. Knowing the future me, those videos should be properly recorded. To show Dad and Mom, I think he probably edited them with enthusiasm. Because if it were me, I would definitely do that!

“Other world transfer and time travel… I thought those were only stories in manga.”

“Me too.”

“Well, thanks to that, we were able to meet Kuon-kun and the others… But I truly never expected to have nine grandchildren.”

” Regarding that, I can’t say anything…”

I groaned umumu inside the futon. Even I never thought I would take nine wives…

“But everyone is a good child. Surely it’s because Touya-kun and the others raised them properly with love.” “Far from raising them, they aren’t even actually born yet, so being praised is…”

I think they are good kids, but they also mess up in various ways. There are things I want to complain about to the future me. Regarding Kuon, he is a very good child, but apparently, Kohaku was the main one who raised him…

“But still, if we can go in ten-something years, I definitely want to visit the other world. If there is that much preparation time, I think I can manage work-related matters here too.”

No, you say you want to visit, but you intend to fully immigrate, don’t you… I saw through your intention to clear up work matters without loose ends and transition leisurely to a second life. Are you thinking of coming back to Earth once a year to see how things are? Hmmm, no matter what I say, I still think Earth is more convenient and easier to live in. There isn’t danger like in the other world. I managed because I received strange powers from God, but I think Dad and Mom wouldn’t even have a way to protect themselves. Ah, no, Mom is strong even normally… I’ve already formed various ties in the other world, so I have no intention of living here on Earth now. Well, if Dad and Mom intend to immigrate, I welcome it, and I’ll back them up with all my might. Either way, it’s a story more than ten years away. By that time, Fuyuka will be around a junior high student. She probably won’t say she wants to go even if it means parting with friends and quitting school. …She won’t, right? Unless she becomes a runaway daughter who is full of curiosity like Dad and acts immediately upon thinking like Mom… Wait, what? Why does imagining it feel incredibly fitting? I shouldn’t have future prediction abilities! While feeling a vague anxiety about Fuyuka’s future, I was invited to the world of sleep.