I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

After wandering a bit, the place we found was a bench in front of the station.

There were quite a few people passing by, but nobody would really care about our conversation. And it was a good thing that there were enough people around to feel safe.

Going to the park at night just with two teenage girls feels a bit off, right? Not that I’m assuming something terrible is going to happen.

The sun had already set, and it was getting just dark enough.

It was the perfect time to bring out our true feelings.

First, I sat Shii down and handed her a can of drink. It was just a regular soda. Drinking coffee at this time could ruin my sleep, after all.

Then I sat next to Shii and asked.

“What’s going on?”

It felt like something similar had happened before.

Last time, Shii was worried about her older brother’s romantic escapades.

And it seems like this time too, it’s about family problems.

“Ah, um, well…”

I observed Shii’s face as I thought.

She might just find it uncomfortable to talk about it, and perhaps she’s worried about burdening me with my own issues.

If I were in her position, I think I wouldn’t want to speak either for the former reason.

Having lost my family, the reason I spoke less around colleagues and friends was that I didn’t want them to bring up family matters unnecessarily.

Sasaki and Shii haven’t experienced losing their parents yet, but it’s still not an easy story to share in front of others.

“……”

Shii pondered for a moment and nodded to herself.

Then she looked down and said.

“Actually, it’s about my family…”

Good.

At least it’s not something so difficult that she doesn’t even want to bring it up.

She probably wanted to confide in someone but couldn’t find the right person.

With her older brother Sasaki… well, it’s understandable that it’d be harder to talk to him precisely because he’s her brother.

“…If it’s a family matter, I can relate.”

When I said that, Shii looked at me in surprise and then forced a smile.

It’s not so much that it was funny; the situation itself probably felt bizarre to her.

I could hear the sounds of cars and the shuffle of people outside.

Yet strangely, it felt quiet around us. That’s how nights are. Even though the world is full, it creates a sense of solitude.

So, it makes sense that the only person nearby would feel like the only one who could listen to my story.

“……”

Shii, lost in thought without taking a sip of her drink, eventually nodded and continued.

“Actually, my parents… got divorced.”

I already knew that.

I learned it through ways that shouldn’t ordinarily provide that kind of information. To be exact, I’d woken up in this world already knowing that.

“My father took my older brother, and I went with my mother.”

I quietly listened to her story.

“My mother… honestly, she isn’t the most positive person. She started dating another man who doesn’t see me as his daughter.”

“……”

“I know my mother is receiving money from my father. I also know he hates me. Because I look like my mother.”

That was news to me. Though Shii’s mother wasn’t described with much detail in the story. There weren’t any illustrations either.

I’m not sure if [Tokyo Slayers] got an anime adaptation, but if it did happen, they might have drawn her somewhat resembling Shii.

To say that the father just took the son could happen, but to convince readers, they would usually stick in a more plausible setting. Shii saying she resembled her mother was probably one of those methods.

Thinking that way, it makes even more sense why Shii would want to present herself differently. She probably didn’t want to be seen as similar to her mother.

“But… my mother doesn’t spend the money she receives on me. I understand, of course. It’s probably just living expenses. My mother…”

She wouldn’t have spent it on living expenses.

The man they call her stepfather only plays games. I think he was said to be at the pachinko parlor all day.

Even if he won money, he’d never bring it back home. If something great happened, he’d probably want to celebrate with a drink and women.

When he returns home, he would fight with Shii’s mother.

A very typical example of dysfunctional parenting.

“Still, something has happened this time, hasn’t it?”

When I said that, Shii paused for a moment.

Then suddenly, she gulped down the drink she was holding.

What was inside was just a normal cola, but somehow the way she did it resembled someone downing alcohol.

Thanks to that, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as she sighed and said.

“They’re demanding money.”

“……”

They say the money given by the father isn’t enough.

“……I see.”

“They knew we lived there, and they even had my number. I don’t know how they found out, but it seems they assumed we would have money since they knew where we lived. I haven’t met my brother in ages, and he hasn’t said much positively about my mother, so perhaps that’s why I was told…”

“…Was there a condition? Did they say they’d do something if you didn’t give them money?”

Shii looked conflicted for a moment about whether to say that or not.

“…They said they’d take me back.”

“Take you back?”

“Yes. Because I’m supposedly living with my mother.”

Oh.

Custody.

Fighting over that isn’t rare during divorces, but the case with the Sasaki siblings is a bit different.

Sasaki’s father said, “I’ll only take the son,” and Shii’s mother just agreed. Of course, it’s easy to assume that the process wasn’t smooth, but quickly deducing why a woman who decided to live with another man would take Shii with her is straightforward.

Child support.

Honestly, I have almost no common sense regarding this part. I wasn’t a lawyer in my previous life.

When one parent takes all the children, it’s only natural for the other side to bear the child support costs, but what happens when they share custody?

Well, the actual laws don’t really matter. Either way, in this world, that’s how things turned out, and it continues that way.

Whether it was agreed upon or ruled by the court, until now, Sasaki’s father had been sending child support to the mother’s side.

“Because I’m supposed to be raised by my mother, technically, I’m in a runaway status. Even the one who took me is my older brother, so in a way, this could be seen as kidnapping…”

That doesn’t make sense.

If anything, Shii’s mother’s parenting environment was heavily flawed, and Shii just escaped from it.

In the story, Shii’s mother’s boyfriend seemed to really dislike her, but… well, that might just be how Shii perceived him.

In a setting like this, Shii wouldn’t just be neglected; she might also become a target for sexual crimes.

So…

That’s how it is.

The reason why Shii’s mother was portrayed as such a deranged character was so readers wouldn’t feel sorry when she dies. It’s kind of like a tragic device.

And showing the Sasaki siblings grieving over the death of such a person would emphasize how kind they are.

They hunted Yōkai and removed the worst hindrance from the siblings’ perspective.

But I just dealt with that.

“……”

That doesn’t mean I think I did something wrong. It’s not my place to decide who lives or dies.

I didn’t want Shii to suffer either.

“I don’t want to go back there.”

Seeing Shii say that, I looked at her face.

It looked as if she was about to burst into tears.

I wondered how much she had thought about it. How long had she kept it all bottled up because there was no one to talk to?

“…I see.”

I’m not foolish enough to suggest meaningless solutions here.

Shii didn’t come to me asking for a resolution.

She just wanted to unload the burden in her heart and share it with someone.

She knew it couldn’t be resolved. She also knew someone only a few years older than her wouldn’t come up with a profound conclusion.

But the frustration just wanted to be released, a burden of feeling like she wanted to tell someone.

For a while, Shii and I sat in silence, not saying anything.

“Phew.”

The first to speak was Shii.

“But after talking about it like this, I feel a bit lighter.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, but, um…”

“It’s okay.”

Seeing Shii hesitating as she spoke, I replied simply.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Even my older brother…”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you…”

After thanking me, Shii looked puzzled for a moment before quickly getting up from the bench.

“Ah, um, then, I’ll… be going! My older brother is waiting at home, and if I come back too late, he’ll worry!”

Even if she says that, shouting something like “older brother” will at least catch someone’s attention, even if nobody was interested in us.

And sure enough, a passing working woman glanced our way.

Well, she wouldn’t remember our faces by tomorrow morning.

As I waved my hand, Shii bowed deeply toward me again and scurried off.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she left.

Exactly.

When you step outside at night with a friend, you end up chatting about things you wouldn’t normally discuss. And afterward, there’s always regret.

That friend isn’t likely to share those conversations with anyone else, and I know full well that just a few days later, I’ll hardly remember what we talked about. Yet, it always feels so embarrassing to reveal that hidden side of myself.

Shii probably feels the same way.

“Hmm.”

I sat back down on the bench and stretched my legs.

Then I momentarily fell into thought.

In the end, I ended up saving Shii’s mother, but I don’t particularly regret it. At least Shii didn’t get hurt, and it could also mean that other people who could have died in the meantime were saved.

However, not regretting something doesn’t mean I don’t need to handle the aftermath.

While it’s something I could just overlook, I still wanted to help Shii. After all, she is one of my friends now.

As I finally took a sip from the drink I almost hadn’t touched, the person who popped into my mind was Yamashita.

Yamashita’s father.

…Though they didn’t part on good terms, I am still Yamashita Yuuki’s cousin. So based on Yamashita, I’d be considered a nephew.

Even if the relationship with Kosuzu is broken, it seems the relationship with Kagami is still decent, and mine isn’t particularly bad either. Not to mention, I helped Yamashita’s wife… or rather Ms. Mori a while back.

If there’s a problem, using this situation to resolve it as a ‘Yakuza’ could just unnecessarily concern the Sasaki siblings.

Even if I really dislike that person, they are still family connected by blood. Hearing that someone got beaten somewhere wouldn’t feel good.

It would only complicate our relationship, with me at the center of it.

…I’m not particularly a fan of educational ‘punishments’ through illegal means.

If that’s the case…

Hmm, perhaps that method is the only option.

*

“Koko.”

“Yeah?”

At my call, Koko, who had been lying on the floor reading a picture book, looked up at me.

Now Koko could read well even without me. Still, she sometimes insisted on me reading to her, but on days I went out, she had to be alone at home. She must be gradually learning how to occupy her time.

Given that she doesn’t show much interest in long books, I don’t think she particularly likes reading.

Well, anyway, that’s not what’s important.

I asked Koko, who had stood up and faced me after hearing my tone.

“I’ll need to go out alone sometime next week. Can you keep an eye on the house?”

“When?”

Koko blinked at me.

“Probably around Monday.”

“Hmm…”

Her expression suddenly darkened at my answer.

Even though we lived in the same house and saw each other every day, my giving Koko personal time had its limits.

I hadn’t even thought about her taking a part-time job yet, so I was the only one making an effort to earn money.

The days I could spend fully with Koko were only my days off, and even on those days, I spent more than half of it at school. Lately, Koko could distinguish what could and couldn’t be said in public, so she wouldn’t say anything too casual around me.

…Thinking about the conversation I had with Kagami last time, I could have asked the cult for money, but I was a bit hesitant about that.

The relationship with the cult had already deepened from our last conversation, and if I were to ask for support for living expenses, it would be clear that I wouldn’t be able to back out anymore.

I don’t mind. After all, I’m planning on dying soon anyway.

But I didn’t want Koko to live a life trapped in that organization again, similar to how it was when she was sealed in this house.

“I have some things I need to take care of.”

“Is it necessary?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you have to?”

“……”

Hmm…

Looking at her like that gives me a bit of guilt.

I still haven’t grasped Koko’s mental age.

While her appearance is similar to mine and her academic performance might be equal to or better than mine, her mental age… well, who knows.

It’s unreasonable to expect a child who’s been exceptionally academically successful and skipped grades to have the same mental maturity as classmates.

From the circumstances, it seems Koko has been around longer than I have in this world, but due to various reasons, she hasn’t had the chance to grow mentally.

“Do you have to go?”

Do I have to?

I think it does fall under the category of necessary tasks…

“Can’t I take you with me?”

“……”

While I was pondering, Kuro, who had come over and sat down near us, piped up.

Her eyes were directed at me.

“……”

I stared at Kuro thoughtfully for a while.

She somehow seems to understand the conversation we are having.

Well, that might just be my imagination.

“How difficult can it be?”

I contemplated.

If Koko were to tag along…

Ah.

Then I might have a way for Koko to help.

Besides, the Sasaki siblings’ parents haven’t been involved with Yōkai or anything. If they had been, such important elements would have come up earlier in the story.

So…

“Koko.”

“Yeah.”

“With that hair of yours, what can you mimic?”

“Mimic?”

“Like shapes and stuff.”

In fact, if it were Koko, she could probably create all kinds of shapes with other parts of her body without having to rely on her hair at all.

But that doesn’t particularly please me. It’s just my selfish desire, but I want her to live in her current form.

“Shapes? Like this?”

The ends of Koko’s hair lifted slightly and shaped into a pen.

It looked exactly like a pen attached to the end of her hair.

I shook my head.

“Keep the ‘appearance’ of your hair as it is. I mean, let the slim black look stay, but what shapes can you create?”

“Hmm?”

Koko tilted her head, confused about the intent behind my question.

Then moving the ends of her hair to squirm around as if thinking, she said,

“How about this?”

She created a heart shape with her hair.

I barely suppressed a laugh that almost escaped me.

“That’s perfect.”

Yeah, I think I just came up with one solution.

With such flexible and pliable hair…

Well, as long as no one gets hurt, it might not be a bad idea to move together.

*

Finding Shii’s parents without mentioning her story was quite a difficult task.

However, fortunately, I do know the Sasaki siblings’ house. If Shii’s mother were to come looking for her, she would surely show up nearby.

Although I have no idea what Shii’s mom looks like. I guess I’ll find out by following Shii.

“Just don’t get caught. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

Koko nodded at my words.

Shii knows what Koko is. She had seen her in that form last summer.

But seeing Koko potentially scare her mother with that ability is a different matter entirely.

If I can scare Shii’s mother without her knowing it was Koko, she can just drive her away.

While wandering a little further away from Shii’s house.

“Oh.”

For a brief moment, I felt an unpleasant sense of familiarity seeing someone’s face.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t stare unabashedly.

Ah, wasn’t it said that Shii resembled her?

It might not be as similar to how Koko and I look, or even Kosuzu and Kagami, but—

I saw someone with a similar aura passing by us.

…Of course, her clothes were completely different from Shii’s.

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