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

No matter how energetic the little kids are, they can’t play in the current for too long when going in and out of the shore.

It’s already physically demanding to play in the water, and on top of that, they were splashing around non-stop, so it’s no surprise.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the adults played better than us.

Fukuda and Yamashita both looked slightly exhausted as they were pulled into the water by their daughters, and Kagami, after playing with my float, soon plopped down on the beach.

Looking around, I noticed other adults were mostly the same. The kids they came with were playing enthusiastically, while the adults were mostly sitting under the parasols, watching them.

Kagami being tired wasn’t just because they played with me.

While we were playing, Yuu had jumped in at some point, splashing around with us, and naturally, Harumi joined in.

Somehow, Kagami ended up playing with the kids, and while they had a pretty happy expression, it didn’t take long before they looked really worn out.

Seeing Kagami sitting on the beach with their feet in the water, staring off into space, made me chuckle a bit.

After seeing Harumi come our way, Fukuda quietly slipped away to sit on the beach and rest. The only adult still playing in the water was… well, Yamashita.

Even though Yamashita always looked tanned, when they were just in a swimsuit like this, they appeared a bit younger than usual.

They still seemed to have an age gap of about ten years with Kagami, but it meant they looked like they were barely in their early thirties.

Yamashita was splashing around with Miho, looking flustered as if they didn’t know how to react to the sudden attack.

If they pushed too hard, it might hurt, but playing water games with a much younger girl seemed a bit off too.

Thinking back, Yamashita and Mori had different last names. Does that mean they aren’t related? Though I hadn’t heard the whole story…

What can I say?

Um.

Thinking about Yamashita with a little girl felt oddly off.

But even so, the discomfort I felt earlier was overshadowed by Yamashita’s awkward expression and gestures. If Yamashita were really that kind of person, their vibe with Miho would seem a lot different.

And that thought changed when Yuu openly jumped in to splash around with them.

Yeah, no matter what, there’s no way a person would behave like that in front of their daughter… Well, it could happen, but somehow I felt like Yamashita wouldn’t do that.

Seeing Harumi seamlessly join Yuu, I hurriedly ran over with my float on my waist.

As one middle schooler and three elementary schoolers were splashing around, Yamashita truly looked flustered, caught in the crossfire—

“Hey, look, that’s not how to attack!”

Fukuda, who had been watching from a little distance, jumped in.

Fukuda grabbed Harumi around the waist with both hands and lifted her up.

“Wah!”

Harumi screamed but seemed to enjoy it, waving her arms and legs.

Then Fukuda shook Harumi up and down, lightly tossing her near the water’s surface. She wouldn’t get hurt because she had a float on, and it wasn’t from a height where she could get hurt anyway—No, but lifting her higher than her head is a fail. As someone who used to deal with safety-related stuff in my past life, I should know better.

What do they call it? Oh right. They say you shouldn’t leave a parent and child alone. It felt like one of those photos you see in a series.

“Hahaha!”

Harumi joyfully splashed down into the water and then ran back to Fukuda, shouting, “Daddy, again! Again! Higher!”

“Okay!”

After seeing that, Yuu, Miho, and I looked up at Yamashita simultaneously.

“Don’t worry. I’m not that reckless,” Yamashita said.

“Who’s reckless, you brat!” Fukuda shouted, seemingly incredulous, but to be honest, I was a little scared I might get caught by him.

As I shuffled backward, it seemed like Fukuda had set his sights on me as his next target.

Hehehe.

Fukuda approached, making a intentionally villainous laugh as he reached for my waist—

“Fukuda?”

A voice colder than ice rang out.

For just a moment, it felt like everyone around us who was playing fell silent. It felt like we could create icebergs in the sea on such a hot summer day.

Hearing Kagami’s voice, Fukuda immediately withdrew his hand that was reaching for me and laughed.

“Oh, just joking, of course. How could I do that to Princess Koto Ne?”

It looked like he was flustered and trying to make excuses.

After taking a short break and regaining some energy, Kagami slid their hand under my armpit and lifted me up. I was a bit too tall for a first grader to lift, but since Kagami was a bit taller, the balance didn’t seem too off.

“Haha, this is something,” Fukuda scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Daddy, Daddy.”

However, Harumi seemed completely unfazed by the atmosphere, grabbing the edge of Fukuda’s swimsuit and pulling.

“Again, again!”

Seeing Harumi raise her hands in excitement had Fukuda glancing at Kagami before he lifted her.

Swish—

Instead of lifting her high, he moved his hands like a jet plane, flying low near the water’s surface.

“Hahaha!”

Fortunately, it seemed like Harumi didn’t mind the height much.

“…Phew.”

Kagami shook their head as they looked at me.

Our eyes met, and we both smiled.

As I turned my gaze absentmindedly, I met Yuu’s eyes.

Yuu, with one finger to their mouth, looked up at me as if to express jealousy.

“….”

Without having done anything wrong, I felt an odd sense of guilt and turned my head, burying my face in Kagami’s shoulder.

Seeing Yuu looking up at Kagami, Kagami simply stroked my head in silence.

—

At lunch, we happily and deliciously devoured a large watermelon, and for dinner, we grilled meat. It wasn’t the usual Japanese yakiniku but rather a Western-style barbecue. Having a yard at the pension made it all possible.

Even though Yamashita and Fukuda debated how much salt to sprinkle on the meat, I found it pretty amusing, and overall, it was enjoyable and delicious.

As night fell, it wasn’t too cold even at midnight.

The kids who had been playing hard gradually began to doze off, and Yamashita and Fukuda each took their kids back to their rooms. Miho went to take another shower—

And somehow, that led to just me and Kagami being together.

We sat in the yard, looking up at the sky together. The weather was so clear that we could see the stars far out in the ocean.

“…Koto Ne.”

After staring at the sky for a while, Kagami slowly opened their mouth.

Their voice, calmer than it had been a moment ago, hinted that they had something to say.

“I hope you don’t hate Yuu too much.”

Hearing those words made my heart sink.

Was that how it looked to them? No, I wasn’t thinking that way.

Yuu was still just a kid.

Kagami seemed to sink into thought for a moment before speaking calmly.

“The person who is Yuu’s mother… is my sister.”

“….Ah.”

I let out a sigh without knowing it.

So that’s how it is.

Thinking about it that way, it makes some sense.

Yamashita’s respectful demeanor toward Kagami. Helping both me and Kagami.

And Yuu remembering his mother when he sees Kagami.

Even though it felt like Kagami hadn’t revealed everything, a corner of my heart felt a bit more at ease.

I trust Kagami.

If I didn’t trust them after all the dedication they’ve shown me until now, that would be a sin.

“…Yeah.”

I replied to Kagami, leaning against them as I sat beside them.

Kagami’s arm wrapped around my shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

What did that apology mean?

Was it because there was something they hadn’t told me? Or was it an apology for being in this situation?

I still don’t know. After all, Kagami hasn’t told me.

But still.

There’s still plenty of time. We have many days left to spend together.

Someday, a day will come when I can hear everything from Kagami.

That’s what I decided to believe.

---