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Neither quiet nor loud
When we returned to the Tsutsukakushi Household, the sun was still high.
“I’m going on an adventure!” I quickly took off my shoes at the entrance and left everyone behind me.
“Ah, hey—” Tsukasa-san called after me, but I ignored her.
Men need guts to be benevolent, and that is their key to victory! I stepped out into the passageway leading to the back of the main house. A cold breeze hit me, and the sky filled with grey clouds.
The moon was hidden behind the cloudy sky. Standing tall, looking like it was going to pierce the moon in the sky, was the storehouse, as always. The last boss must be located in there! The root of evil. Defeat the Cat God! Send your punches flying, your kicks soaring! I might have the body of a child and the brains of an adult, but I have the passionate and righteous blood of a hero flowing through my body! It’s time to redo my life, for the sake of the future!
Thanks to me being able to recharge my manly energy at the women’s bath, I can do anything. With a triple jump, I pushed the heavy door open—or at least I tried to, but it didn’t open a bit. I tried pulling on it, which didn’t do anything either, nor did it move no matter my blood, sweat, and tears.
“Is this really possible?”
A bolt had been put on the door, locking it down tightly. Maybe it wasn’t being used during this time? Well, I guess that makes sense. This world isn’t kind enough to let me handle everything just by getting in here.
It’s the same with all the gal games I love. No matter how kind-hearted and easy the childhood friend might seem to act, you have to raise flags through certain events to conquer her. Red flags would be everywhere if you could get her without doing anything, because then she could easily be won over by other guys, which enables NTR and reverse-NTR scenarios, which is too much for a grade school student like me…
I walked back the way I came and entered a random tatami room. I sat down and started thinking. Using the back of an ad brochure and a pen I found laying around, I wrote down what I needed to do.
First: Find a way to cure Steel-san’s sickness.
This is my most important goal, and the main reason why I went back to the past anyway. I have to make it so that Steel-san can live as a high school student, as a 20-year-old Onee-san, as a 40-year-old lady, and even as a Grandma. She has to be able to enjoy the long life she wished for to the fullest. If possible, I’d like her to marry someone except Yokodera-kun, too… But that’s probably too difficult to achieve for now.
Second: Destroy the old curse associated with the Cat God bloodline.
This is a continuation of the previous problem. Steel-san’s sickness, at its most basic form, is a problem that has long remained within the Tsutsukakushi Family. If I can’t deal with Steel-san’s problem, then I can’t ever hope to win against the Cat God. I’m already used to fighting, so I’ll take anything down, even if it’s a god or whatever.
Third—Help Tsukasa-san have a long life.
I don’t know if I can really make this a goal, but I at least want to write it down. If the cursed Cat God bloodline is the root cause of everything, then I might be able to save Tsukasa-san as well. I need to remove all problems and enable a bright future for everyone.
And then, and then… I grew excited as I kept writing on and on. I felt like a student who was excited to see their exam schedule. Never forget your studies, okay?
This is a warning for my future self, and for Emi’s suspicious Papa, as well as for the Tsutsukakushi Household and Italy. Now that I’ve gone back in time, I can resolve all of this.
Though there’s some things that I had started to forget. Like Tsukiko-chan’s smile. Now that I’ve regained my shame, that means that there’s a fairly high chance she’s gotten her smile back already. That would take care of the problem naturally. But what will happen once I go back to the present? How do I even get back? Maybe I just have to cancel my wish. But is the Cat God in this time different than the Cat God in that time? Is the Cat God-chan here cute?
There’s too many things to think about. Eventually, I ended up lying on my belly, having written until the entire paper turned pitch black. I didn’t even notice someone leaning over me until they spoke.
“What are you doing?”
“Waaaaaaaaah!?” Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I jolted upright in shock.
When I turned around, Tsukasa-san was looking down at me.
“I thought you got lost, so I came to look for you. Should I not have?”
“No no! I was just keeping a dream diary!” I shook my head left and right, trying to hide the paper behind my back.
“Dream diary, huh? That sounds just fine for a child like you.”
Tsukasa-san took out an object shaped like a cigarette, put it between her fingers, and stuffed it into her mouth as she let out a cynical sigh. It was a cool gesture, but the fact that she was just eating candy ruined everything. I tried to laugh it off, but I couldn’t. Only my cheeks twitched as her sharp gaze ran along my body.
“You have good grades in Japanese, right?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“You’re not half bad for being able to write all these complicated words.”
“You saw!?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just saw a few glimpses. Something about a spouse or an old custom. Those are words even adults don’t use often.” Tsukasa-san laughed heartily.
But—the depths of her eyes made it seem like she wasn’t smiling at all.
“What have you been studying at school?”
“Eh, ah, well… we’re reading stuff like… The Great Turnip!” I gave a vague answer.
The line-up you use to learn Japanese doesn’t really change, even over time. In the first year of grade school, it’s The Great Turnip, in the second year, it’s Swimmy, in the third year it’s Buying Mittens, in the fifth year it’s Gon, the Little Fox, in the sixth year it’s The Restaurant of Many Orders, and in the sixth year it’s Paper Balloon.
We learn about effort in the first year, wisdom in the second, kindness in the third, how kindness can become your enemy in the fourth, the world’s evil in the fifth, how to believe in the world in the sixth. To be honest, it’s a great system. This is standard knowledge for every Japanwide Lolicon Preservation Agency member. It’s a good thing we’ve devoted ourselves, fellow Loliconists! It is my duty to become a grade school graduate teacher and teach everyone the true beauty of this world!
“…Didn’t you finish that last summer?”
“Huh!? Ah, right! We had classes where we reread it lately!”
This isn’t good. I didn’t remember the exact seasons everything was taught! As a member of the Japanwide Lolicon the rest omitted, I have to increase my knowledge of a typical grade school student!
“Hm…” Tsukasa-san looked at me, running her gaze up and down my face.
Her mouth was still working on the candy.
“Brat. Don’t you have something to tell me?”
“…What exactly would that be?”
“Like hell I know.” A vague answer.
Maybe she was suspicious of me. That I’m not me… well, I actually am, but that I wasn’t acting like how I used to. The more Tsukasa-san glared at me, the faster my heart started to race.
Question.
How come a person who has suddenly turned into a child can’t confront their surroundings for help?
Answer.
Because nobody would believe me—is quite incorrect.
It was more that if she were to believe me, then that would put me in a disadvantageous situation. How can I explain the fact that I used my childish body to enter the women’s bath!? Don’t you all remember the scene in Detective Conan when Kudou Shiniichi is almost found out by Ran-neechan and almost gets killed by her!? That’s why we keep quiet! So I decided to stay quiet myself.
“That’s right! I was copying the words I found difficult! I really love The Great Turnip, so I wanted to look up the words I didn’t understand, so I was hoping you could look over it when you have the time!”
What do a dream diary and copying a book have in common? The excuse I came up with made me feel really stupid, and a cold sweat ran down my back.
“Hmm?” Tsukasa-san shrugged, and her questioning ended there.
When I looked up, she had already torn her gaze away from me. She was gazing up at the ceiling, scratching her cheek.
“…Well, either way’s fine. Food’s ready, so come eat.” She left these words behind as left the room.
I waited until her footsteps had vanished into the distance and flopped down onto the ground.
“That was too close for comfort…” I wiped away the sweat from my brow and formed a fist.
I can’t bother anybody in this world. Especially Tsukasa-san. I will bring this story to a good end all by myself.
*
But I need to prepare before I can fight. Just loitering at this place from time to time is highly inefficient, so I have to make sure that I can stay over. I feel like I tend to stay over a lot no matter my body size, huh? Maybe I should have my own room made, maybe inside the ceiling above my cute Tsukiko-chan’s room.
For now, in order for me to stay over longer, I need to head home and work it out before dinner. I told Tsukasa-san I was leaving and headed home. I took the bus at the nearby bus stop and headed down from the western city district to the east. After getting off and walking down the road for a bit, I found a familiar nameplate with four names written next to our family name Yokodera. I took the key out from the usual place.
“I’m back.” I muttered and walked inside.
Light from the setting sun shone in from the windows, creating light and shadows in the hallway. I carefully moved forwards and snuck inside the living room.
“…Same as always, huh?”
I don’t know if that’s even the right expression, but I’ll leave it at that. You could barely see any traces of people living here in the Yokodera Household. On top of the table, I found a short note addressed to me, a letter addressed to Tsukasa-san, and some money.
From the kitchen of the neighbouring house, I heard happy talking of a family cooking together. I heard these sorts of sounds all the time. This is what average families do around sunset. The mother prepares the food, the Onee-chan washes the dishes, the father takes a shower, and they’d all sleep in a warm bed. They’d run around from morning until evening, just being alive. That is a family. Families like that exist. The family on the other side of the wall might be like that.
I stood in the center of the Yokodera Family’s house. Inside the stifling silence of the living room, a single family picture stood on top of a dusty piano. Shown in the picture were four people. Two adults and two children. Everyone was smiling happily.
I looked at it with no expression whatsoever like Fukuzawa Yukichi-san. No matter what object something is, it holds some shade of truth. I might just have an unfair subjective view now that I’ve come back to my home during this time. I don’t even remember all of my family’s circumstances anyway.
That’s why I won’t give any evaluation at all. I let my head stay blank and emptied my heart. That’s right. This is fine. Don’t think about anything, Yokodera Youto. You can’t blame anyone for this. That would be selfish.
And yet…
“…Sorry, Yotsuba-oneechan.”
I couldn’t hold back a mutter that came to mind. I went up the stairs to the second floor and opened the door to her room. I ran my fingers across the nameplate with her name on it, as well as the design of the four-leaved clover1, as I let out a sigh unbefitting of a six-year old.
*
Well, it’s not like it matters. It doesn’t matter at all. Nobody cares about my family anyway! Nobody is happy about it, and nothing good comes out of it. You won’t gain anything if I explain it all here—Yeah, why do I make lies like some kind of businessman?
Thinking about it in more simple terms, I should be happy that I haven’t met any misfortune. There’s no reason to worry about something that will be taken care of in the future. More importantly, I want to talk about the Tsutsukakushi Household! About the healthy Tsukasa-san, the knowledgeable Steel-san, and the puffy Tsukiko-chan. None of them have fallen ill, and none of them have lost their expressions. Everyone is still alive and brimming with energy.
Nobody has to carry any burdens or guilt. There’s almost too many things I have to do now, in this miraculous time. I don’t even know where to start, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, it’s like diving into the age-restricted contents on a new video site. You’re able to experience so many new things. The world is wide, time is endless, the door has a lock, music has rock, I put on my camouflage headset, ahh, I’m so excited!
“…I’m really excited!” I raised my voice, saying it one more time.
I left my home and took a deep breath. The cold air filled my chest. The sun was to my west, and a long shadow stretched along the street. I didn’t even dare to look back. I hopped and jumped along the street, carrying my change of clothes and school tools as I walked down the path.
The bus home from the business district was mostly empty. It’s great that I barely have to pay anything. Children have it really great. I’d love to stay a child forever. If I can’t, then I’d at least want to be a bus driver in the future… No, I want to be the rearview mirror inside the car so I can look at the Onee-sans inside!
I sat on the bus seat, kicking my legs up and down in excitement. I directed my gaze outside the window and stared at the light of the billboards outside. By the time I got back to the Tsutsukakushi Household, it was already time for dinner. Sitting at the dining table were the three little Tsutsukakushi piglets—Not quite, but the mother and her two children. They must have gone out shopping at the nearby supermarket while I was gone. How nice!
The udon katsudon oyakodon bowl menu had barely any nutritional value, but it was probably the perfect kind of food for this family.
“Tsukiko, you sure are eating a lot today. I mean, you always eat a lot, but this is more than usual.”
“Hmm? Half of my bowl disappeared the second I looked away…?”
“…Nom…”
Although they were talking during dinner, Tsukasa-san was never the talkative type, Steel-san still maintained a certain distance between her and her mother, and Tsukiko-chan was busy eating.
Can’t you all talk some more!? Then again, the weekend is golden time. In other words, it’s Saturday Night Fever. They should be dancing and partying like John Travolta! When I told them that, Tsukasa-san put her katsudon down, and gave me an annoyed glance.
“That’s a hell of an old movie. How old are you?”
Right back at you. What are those clothes you’re wearing, Tsukasa-san? How old are you? You’re wearing a hedgehog costume that’s still wet from the laundry while eating udon. You’re not that young! Gosh, she’s so cute!
I told her as much0, and the hedgehog gave me a punch to the gut, so I acted like a child.
“No no, I made a mistake. I wanted to save Fever Time. There’s a game like that, right?”
I’ve never played it, but I think it was about making girls fall asleep using some kind of medicine. Fire! Fire Storm!
“Haaah…” Tsukasa-san shrugged her shoulders as she let out a sigh. “Ever since you came back, you’ve only talked about superficial stuff.”
“—Eh?”
“It’s annoying.” She said, like she was spitting at me.
My, how scary. This is a misunderstanding. I’m just trying to create a natural situation!
“Well, not like it’s any of my business.” Tsukasa-san didn’t even bother to look at me.
She began cleaning up after the dinner—namely, throwing the plastic bowls and cutlery into the trash.
“Also, how many days are you planning on staying over, Brat? I haven’t heard anything from you, but you can’t just ignore our opinion, right?”
“Ah, yeah… I’m sorry…”
She took the plastic bowl from my hand, which still had a bit of rice in it, and clicked her tongue.
“It said two to three days in the letter, but that’s a bit selfish, ain’t it…? Well, if it’s just a single brat, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Yeah… Huh?”
“Just stay until you get tired of it.” Tsukasa-san rubbed my head, making me shed a tear from the pain because it was so rough.
In the end, Tsukasa-san is still Tsukasa-san.
“…Mmm…” Tsukiko-chan must have gotten tired after finishing her dinner. She closed her eyes, rubbing them.
She grabbed the hem of my clothes and leaned against my body.
“…Mufun…”
She must have had trouble sleeping, as she rubbed her head against me, entering my clothes, and let out soft sleeping breaths right against my stomach. Neither calm nor too loud, that’s the typical rhythm of the Tsutsukakushi Household. With my head and stomach full and cozy, I let out a sigh. It felt like I could almost see this warm sigh escape into the darkness of the night.
—But, when you think about it, this is a strange story.
To be perfectly honest, Tsukasa-san had pointed out the correct thing. I was trying to hide the shock from what I had seen at my home. Yokodera Yotsuba and everything related to the Yokodera Household had all been resolved in the past, and yet when I found myself back in this very time, it made my heart feel nervous.
From my point of view, since I’m still alive in the future, there should be nothing to worry about. But a high school student in the body of a grade school boy is still worried about it. Why?
I can’t really put it into words, but… It felt uncomfortable.
*
As a side note, while I was being comforted, what was Steel-san doing, you ask?
“Hmm…” Her arms were crossed, and she let out a groan as she glared at me. “…Mmmm…”
I thought her hands were moving awkwardly, but then she stood up and looked down at me. I’d love to confirm just what emotion was in her eyes. I just looked up at her. What was she thinking about? Maybe she felt like I was going to steal this family away from her, like she was sandwiched between Tsukasa-san and Tsukiko-chan…? Or maybe she feels sympathy towards me, and she wants to pat me on the head as well? Which one will it be? Heaven or hell? If you think about it, either one would be a reward! Girls are invincible!
Suddenly, Steel-san averted her gaze. Did she not have any business with me after all?
“…I see. So you will be staying at our home, attending school from here…” Steel-san muttered to herself.
Judging from that reaction, I figured we were going down the jealousy route. Maybe with a bit of violence mixed in! However, she completely ignored my desire to be beaten to a pulp, and instead she folded her arms.
“Hmm, I am not interested at all, but… since the topic was brought up already, I might as well ask… although I really don’t care too much about it.”
“Um, what are you talking about?”
“I was just wondering about the school you attend. What is the average grade compared to the area? How many graduates are aiming to pass the entrance exam at a prestigious university? How are their graduates ranked on a national level? How many students are there? How many second-years? What’s the boy to girl ratio?” For how hesitant she seemed at first, she sure riddled me with a wave of questions.
There was no more room for her to be angry at me or try to console me. There was no glimmer of jealousy inside of her, and it felt like she didn’t even care about me.
“…Are you interested in my school, by any chance?”
“I-I would never be interested in such a thing! I was just thinking things through, and thinking what I would do if I continued to live over here. I was wondering if there was any school worthy of me. It’s all necessary for me to take into careful consideration. Right, Mom?”
Tsukasa-san’s expression tightened when her daughter turned to her for confirmation.
“There’s still a lot of problems… the family over in Italy is constantly complaining, too. They don’t seem like the type of people to just overlook it all because we maintain the status quo.”
I felt like she had said something crucial with half of a breath. That aside, Steel-san turned towards me with a very suggestive gaze.
“Let me give you my blessing. You shall show me around tomorrow.”
“Wait, me…?”
“My Mother is still not back to full health, and I don’t know anybody else here. Or are you telling me that you have a reason why you can’t show me around?”
“No, um…” Cornered, I fumbled over my words.
I mean, I’d rather not. I haven’t met my classmates and teachers for years, so that’s already big enough of a problem.
“I have some business to attend to, so…”
“You wouldn’t dare reject my request, right? Hm?” She glared down at me, making me sweat profusely.
Steel-san is only seven years old. My real age is almost twice hers. Yet my instincts were still screaming at me to not reject her request.
“…I understand…”
“Very well!” Steel-san nodded happily.
That gesture of hers made me feel like I had been of use, and it left me happy. W-Well, taking one day off should be fine, right?! I gave a wry smile and mentally changed my schedule for the next day.
*
I had no way of knowing. Mind and body are always connected. The heart and its condition can influence the human body to a staggering degree.
—It was already too late for us, is what I’m trying to say.
1 Yotsuba in English
CClaw Translations 