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

What the heck does that sound like?

Yuuki suddenly asked me something weird, but I know it’s not just some kid’s strange talk. Well, to be fair, it is strange if we’re going to nitpick, but I get that he’s not trying to tease me or anything.

Yuuki probably asked that seriously. It wasn’t sarcasm or anything, but a genuine ‘question’ thrown at me.

Is Kagami really my mom?

Why?

What possible reason could Yuuki have to ask that?

“……”

I looked at Yuuki for a moment, dumbfounded, but he was just blinking at me, staring.

“She is our mom.”

I answered.

Yuuki tilted his head.

“Koto Ne’s mom.”

“Yeah, she’s our mom.”

I nodded, pondering seriously about why I’m having this conversation with a kid.

But even after hearing my answer, Yuuki’s expression didn’t change. It was like he just didn’t get the situation.

“I see.”

Well, Yuuki did answer that way.

After that, he didn’t ask me anything further; he just dozed off in his chair or occasionally came over to talk to us.

But even though Yuuki pretended like it was no big deal, the question he asked earlier kept swirling in my mind.

Could there be a story about Kagami’s past that I didn’t know?

Maybe there’s a deeper reason why Kagami shrank in front of Yamashita-san?

“……”

Feeling like I shouldn’t think too much about it, I eventually forced my gaze over to the window where Harumi was looking.

The blue sea was visible.

A cloudless, hot summer sun beaming down over the ocean.

*

Regardless of how I felt about Yuuki’s question, now that we were at the beach, my mood lifted.

“The sea—!”

Harumi shouted the typical line you hear when characters arrive at the beach in cartoons as she dashed forward.

“Harumi!?”

A little late, Miho-san chased after her—

“Haha!”

But Harumi had already leaped into the sea, clothes and all.

Miho-san somehow managed to grab Harumi and pulled her back out of the water, getting her own legs soaked in the process.

“Seriously, Harumi, how can you just jump in like that?”

“Hahaha!”

But Harumi didn’t seem to care at all that she was drenched from head to toe.

“I’ll take care of the stuff.”

Yamashita-san said to Fukuda-san.

“Oh, thanks.”

Fukuda-san quickly replied.

“Ah, I’ll help too—”

“No.”

Miho-san quickly interjected, stepping forward, but Yamashita-san shook his head and picked up the bag.

“Because we need to change the kids’ clothes.”

“Oh.”

Yamashita-san made a very valid point. There were three adults, and there was one person who could take care of themselves, but only two among us could head into the changing room with the three kids.

“I’m really sorry about this.”

Kagami said with a genuinely apologetic expression, but Yamashita-san simply shrugged it off.

“Then, can you at least take what you need out of the bag now? I’ll carry the rest back to the lodge.”

Even though Miho-san is a middle schooler, she still looks like a child who needs protection in the eyes of adults.

Leaving only Kagami behind with Miho-san and the three kids probably looked like putting all the kids in her charge.

In the end, Fukuda-san stayed behind, and Yamashita-san took care of the luggage.

Yamashita-san, with several backpacks on his back and pulling two suitcases with his hands, didn’t seem to find it heavy at all.

Honestly, I was a bit impressed looking up at him, and he playfully ruffled my hair.

“Ah.”

And seeing that, Yuuki let out a small sound.

Yamashita-san removed his hand from my head and then patted Yuuki’s head. To be honest, he hadn’t really patted me; it was more like he just casually touched my head—

Yuuki looked back and forth at me and Yamashita-san with a somewhat uneasy expression.

……
Could it be that I need to seriously ask him something?

While pondering that as I looked at Yuuki, I ultimately couldn’t react until Kagami and Miho-san pulled me into the changing room.

*

Yuuki is, basically, a shy kid.

Unlike Harumi, who would smile and approach anyone who seemed a bit friendly, Yuuki is the type who would keep his distance at first and only come closer when called, hesitant to approach. Well, there’s a slight difference compared to me, but still.

Yet here’s Yuuki, reaching out to Kagami for some reason.

He doesn’t say anything. More precisely, he wore a face that suggested he didn’t know how to start speaking. As if he didn’t know what title to address Kagami with, Yuuki, wearing his swimsuit, extended one hand towards her.

Kagami looked at Yuuki, somewhat flustered. Her gaze shifted between Yuuki and Miho-san. Miho-san, too, had a slightly uncomfortable look as she watched Yuuki.

In the end, Kagami hesitantly extended her left hand and took Yuuki’s hand.

“Hee.”

Yuuki’s expression brightened when he held Kagami’s hand, just as it had earlier on the train, and this time my head tilted slightly to the side.

Of course, Kagami was still holding my hand with her right hand.

I felt a bit uneasy… I didn’t think of it as losing Kagami, but more so it kept crossing my mind that there might be some sort of relationship between Kagami and Yamashita-san.

Since I was born, yeah, obviously, my father must exist. Considering I’ve never seen him once—and thinking about Kagami’s age when she gave birth to me, I also felt no one should disturb a Kagami like that.

There must be a reason they haven’t met, given they could have met due to proximity. Their very existence together could become that person’s flaw.

Not just any flaw, but one that’s very great socially.

……
However, at the same time, if there was ever such a thing, would Kagami have asked Yamashita-san that favor? Would it have been possible for Yamashita-san to grant such a request?

If needed, they could have just buried it.

I keep feeling like there’s more than meets the eye, but at the same time, I thought I should wait a little longer to see.

As Kagami’s gaze turned back toward the sea, I smiled at her.

It seemed Kagami noticed something was slightly off about my smile because she briefly took on a worried expression before struggling to smile again.

…… What am I thinking while on this trip?

The most annoying thing is that I couldn’t shake off that thought at all.

*

I was genuinely grateful that Harumi was along on this trip.

Without Harumi to drag me and Yuuki around, I wouldn’t have been able to talk so casually with Yuuki.

I’d have been overly conscious whenever Yuuki sat near Kagami or grabbed her hand.

He is still just seven years old.

I’m not entirely sure what it is that captivates Yuuki about Kagami—perhaps because he mentioned things reminiscent of ‘mom’, so at the very least, Yuuki might see Kagami and think of his own mother.

That’s also a strange thought. Yuuki and I are the same age. While there’s a slight difference in birthdays, we were born in the same year.

…… Yuuki might be a little taller than me, but that doesn’t mean he could register me as born first when I hadn’t even been born yet.

“Koto Ne!”

Oh no.

I’m getting strange thoughts again.

I looked at Harumi calling out to me.

Yuuki was also waving at me.

There was no hint of ill feelings toward me in his expression. Just the joyful face of a kid who’s glad to be playing with friends.

I guess both of them will get quite a sunburn. While Miho-san slathered sunscreen on them, playing in the water usually washes that off.

It goes for me too.

…….
So yeah, let’s just have fun right now. Without any thoughts. Like a child.

Am I not a child, too?

Surely, if it’s Kagami, she’ll definitely tell me someday.

If that’s not the case, I can just ask Kagami.

If there are unavoidable circumstances mixed in, then I’ll just have to accept it.

I turned around.

I could see adults sitting far away under a parasol, having laid out a mat underneath.

I waved energetically at Kagami.

Kagami also waved back at me with a smile.

The slightly awkward smile she had before was nowhere to be seen.

If I’m happy, Kagami’s happy too.

That’s enough for now.

I decided to think that way.

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