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

Was it to ensure that no one followed us? We had been walking for quite a while.

I know that boats are slower than cars. However, there were a lot of stops along the way.

In fact, we were quite anxious for a long time.

We were escaping, but who knows what could happen on this boat?

The only people on the boat were three unfamiliar uncles, and the only women were me and Kagami.

It’s a bit suspicious to doubt the people helping us, but still, staying in the same place for too long can feel a little unsettling.

However, the three men always acted respectfully towards us. They know what kind of relationship Kagami has with Yamashita, and since I am Kagami’s daughter…

… or maybe there’s more to my birth than that.

But fortunately, as I mentioned a little while ago, we hadn’t just been on the boat the entire time.

We stopped at a small island once, and all five of us changed our clothes and even swapped out our bags. I stashed the large bag containing the Rando Cell and, with a bit of makeup that made Kagami look slightly older, stood next to one of the uncles.

That way, we really did look like a family on a trip. Not exactly the most harmonious family, considering there was one more man than women, but you know, it was fine.

On the boat, we ate food we had bought beforehand, and whenever we stopped by the beach, the uncles bought us meals. There were times when they got food I liked, and other times it felt more like the uncles’ taste, but overall, I managed to eat well.

It wasn’t just our bags and clothes that changed; the boats changed too. We switched between smaller boats and larger ones, giving a few thousand yen to someone and riding, and then got on a big ship to go further away.

“Was this plan always in place?”

Kagami once asked me while tightly holding me in the back of a shaking truck.

My body still lacked strength. Normally, I would have needed to go to the hospital due to the wounds, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

Perhaps it’s just luck, or maybe my body recovers unusually fast, but even so, I wasn’t burning with fever, though I still felt a bit hazy if the blood I bled was coming back.

… I can’t say this to Kagami, but to be honest, I was fine just sitting here.

I didn’t want to feel the anxiety I had right before getting on the boat. I didn’t want to feel the sensation of being alone like in that dream.

“There isn’t a detailed plan, is there?”

One of the uncles said as he chewed on dried squid. His skin was already somewhat tanned from the sun. He already had dark skin, but it looked even darker now.

My and Kagami’s skin had inevitably tanned a bit as well. However, it seemed that the uncles and Kagami thought this way was actually safer.

“However, we also have to run around here and there. Is it just here? We sometimes have to go overseas to hide as well.”

That was truly a Yakuza-like answer.

“The most important thing is preventing them from chasing us from behind. Despite what one might think, they have much less influence than if the state were after us, but still, it never hurts to be cautious.”

Kagami nodded while tightly holding me.

For about another two hours, we sat calmly in the back of the truck, moving forward.

It was just for a moment, but thoughts of my previous life crossed my mind. They were now fuzzy memories, yet some parts remained vividly clear.

I had seen plenty of large vehicles even in the military, and it was part of my job.

Just as I began to doze off, the vehicle stopped.

With Kagami’s support, as I got out of the car, I was startled.

The ground we stepped on was a completely unpaved dirt road. The weeds were growing tall because they hadn’t been cleared, almost to my waist.

And in the midst of all those weeds, there was a house.

In this world, there still weren’t any video streaming sites. Even if there were, they probably wouldn’t be as popular as they were in my time.

But if such a site existed, it would’ve been a place where some attention-seeking people would have come to take certification photos.

Windows were shattered here and there, and many roof tiles had fallen. The most serious problem was the yard inside the house; it was overgrown with grass.

In the distance, homes could be seen. But it was incredibly far to walk.

“… It has been a long time since it was used.”

The oldest of the uncles muttered, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

*

Preparations took all day.

It was now mid-May, so the sun was starting to get hot during the day. It wasn’t unbearable, but since I had wounds on my neck, I probably looked too weak to work.

Sitting in the passenger seat with the truck engine running and the air conditioner on, I stared blankly out the window.

Four adults were busily working hard. They were doing their best to make this abandoned house a place where people could live comfortably.

I wondered if the blankets inside were still okay.

“……”

I turned my body to look at the back seat.

That’s where our luggage was. The Rando Cell, which had been quite expensive when we bought it.

I reached out to pull it. It was heavy, but it was a familiar weight. I had used it continuously for the past few years.

When I opened it.

……

Inside was still a broken magic wand.

Knowing I had deliberately kept that, it seemed that Kagami picked it up and put it away. Still, it wasn’t stained with blood. It had been properly cleaned.

The tip was still sharp, but to think I intended to stab my neck with this.

The plastic tip was threatening, at least in theory, but to be honest, it couldn’t be called a weapon. I must have been desperate enough to inflict a wound on myself with it.

I couldn’t… throw it away.

After all, it was proof that I had a happy childhood.

I carefully put it back in my bag and returned it to the back seat.

While waiting in a daze, I hummed a little song. A nursery rhyme I sang during a school play, a drama OST whose chorus I memorized because Harumi hummed it so much beside me, and a few songs from new artists Yuuki had started listening to lately.

I decided to stop singing.

I once again gazed blankly out the window.

*

Kagami woke me again just as the sun was setting.

It would be more correct to say she accidentally woke me up while taking me out of the passenger seat, rather than waking me up on purpose.

The house was still messy. They had managed to remove at least most of the weeds in the yard, but there were still some plants left, and whether they had trimmed them with a mower or not, scraps of grass remained scattered throughout the yard.

However, it seemed like they had made an effort to clean inside the house. The interior looked much better than the outside. At least, it didn’t seem as if it had been targeted by abandoned house enthusiasts.

It seemed that the uncles had somewhat anticipated the situation, as they had brought clean bedding in the back of the truck. They spread blankets in the house and laid me down on top of them.

Then, while seated across from us, they instructed us to listen.

“First of all, I will be staying in this house for a while. During that time, Kurosawa-san will have to pretend to be my wife.”

“Understood.”

Kagami nodded with a serious expression.

It was logically too dangerous for a woman and her daughter to be alone in such a rural area where no one knows the situation.

“I’m basically an unknown person to your family.”

“And the two of us will come visit periodically. Of course, we won’t be directly passing through the Yamashita family. We’ve never been involved with anyone from Tokyo, so I think it should be safe.”

Kagami nodded again.

“Don’t worry too much. Even though we look like this, we know what kind of consequences come from doing unnecessary things. Personally, I owe a debt to Fukuda-san.”

I’m not sure why Harumi’s dad is being mentioned here, but…

“…… Thank you very much.”

Kagami earnestly bowed her head while kneeling.

“Thanks to you all, I can survive.”

“We owe you a lot too. Brother, Fukuda-san, and others, what can I say.”

The uncle responded somewhat awkwardly to Kagami’s formal gratitude.

“Well then… Let’s rest for now. I’ll go get some more essential items for the house.”

“…… Thank you.”

After receiving Kagami’s gratitude, the three uncles left us alone in the room.

Kagami sat in silence for a while and lay down beside me without even changing her clothes. Well, I hadn’t changed either.

Kagami silently hugged me.

There was a faint smell of sweat.

But still, knowing that smell meant Kagami was right next to me made me happy.

We both hugged each other in silence.

When I woke up again, it was the early hours of the next day.

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