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

It’s important not to give up in any situation.

…Sure, it sounds like one of those cliché phrases floating around the internet, but I thought it was important.

If Kagami had given up long ago, I wouldn’t have been able to live like this in the first place.

If there had been no one to help me, I don’t know what I would have been subjected to by that strange woman.

“……”

So, I felt a bit strange.

What lay before me was a gravestone.

The name written there was unfamiliar to me.

To be honest, I couldn’t quite remember that guy’s face. I had only seen him once, and it had been a chaotic moment filled with confusion.

But this person did their best for me.

I don’t even know where that feeling came from. According to ‘Dad,’ it seemed to be because I was simply a person who had received such kindness.

Maybe it’s the same reason as ‘Dad’. In terms of ensuring the safety of family, it might have seemed worth risking a life.

I silently put my hands together and bowed my head. Regardless of what kind of person this was in life, I was here thanks to them.

I decided not to dwell on any doubts.

As long as I was alive here, having questions would only be an insult to those who granted me this chance.

We stood quietly in front of the gravestone for a while.

*

Try hard, but don’t force it.

Kagami had almost perfectly grasped my personality over the past ten years. I could honestly call her ‘Mom.’

If I was feeling down or having a tough time, she would notice right away and ask what was wrong, even sitting beside me until I complained that I was hot.

In that case, if I tried too hard to find normalcy, Kagami would definitely be sad.

Then, there’s no need to awkwardly force myself to be normal.

I just have to go with the flow and do what feels right.

…In a way, it could be seen as just giving up, but still, shouldn’t I be living?

“I’m heading out.”

Before going to school, I greeted ‘Dad’ in the living room.

The two looked at me with a bit of surprise. Kagami stood up and followed me out.

“Mom, I’m going.”

I waved at Kagami.

“Ah, yes. Be careful.”

Kagami replied with a slightly dazed expression.

A little further back, ‘Dad’ came out and waved at me with a slightly embarrassed face.

I knew it was a bit strange for Kagami and that guy to be a couple. I wasn’t too keen on Kagami marrying anyone, and above all, it didn’t seem like she had any thoughts about it.

But still.

If this could be called normal, then it’s normal.

In the morning, there were a few kids passing in front of our house. I didn’t bother to engage them in conversation. They weren’t from my class.

I looked around, thinking that Sota might be among them, but he wasn’t. Maybe he left earlier or later than I did.

I wasn’t planning to alter my pace or wait for anyone, but still, if they were from my class, I could just have a light chat while heading to school.

“……”

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

Then, I headed toward school.

*

“Sota.”

After leaving the classroom and walking a bit, I approached Sota when our classmates were no longer in sight.

I didn’t mind talking in front of the others, but it seemed like Sota felt somewhat burdened by the group of girls. It looked like he also had his own friends on the side.

There was no big reason to start a conversation, but we ended up learning a little about each other’s situations while chatting about this and that.

Sota lived with his father. Given that he didn’t mention his mother, it seemed rude to ask about her.

It seemed like he had just returned from living abroad due to his father’s business trip a while ago, but for that, his Japanese was quite good. No, it wasn’t just fairly good; in fact, I wouldn’t have guessed he had lived abroad if I hadn’t heard about it.

“I only lived there for two years.”

And I nodded at Sota’s words.

Sota’s expression was somewhat dark when he mentioned having lived there for two years. He probably had trouble adapting. For people there, two years is a short amount of time to blend in.

The culture and language are different. Even if one learns the language in the first year, making close friends is nearly impossible without remarkable social skills.

In truth, after hearing this, I didn’t share too much about my own past. But thinking back, it seemed we both had far more unspoken parts.

Sota didn’t seem to have a particularly good relationship with his father.

As we continued chatting, we passed in front of my house.

Usually, I would just wave casually and head home. Sota wouldn’t bother to walk me all the way to my door, which I found convenient.

However, today felt a bit different.

“Oh, Koto Ne!”

It seemed that ‘Dad’ had come to enjoy me using the title. The uncle seemed to be warming up to me.

He didn’t fully see me as his own daughter and still kept some courtesy, but it appeared I was cute enough to be viewed as his niece.

Didn’t Yamashita call him ‘brother’? In that case, it made sense for me to appear as a niece.

For some reason, the uncle, who was returning much faster than usual, was coming from across the street holding a paper bag. Did he buy something tasty?

“Ugh.”

But the timing was off.

The uncle, who had been waving his hand over his head, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze shifted toward me.

…Had Sota not been seen last time?

Ah, right. He hadn’t seen him. The uncle usually returns around six-thirty in the evening.

A few months ago, he wouldn’t have paid any mind to such things. As long as my life wasn’t in danger, he had no reason to intervene.

But now…

“Koto Ne, who is this?”

The uncle’s expression, which had turned grim for a moment, softened instantly as he came to me and asked in a gentle voice.

That’s, like, way too soft.

So much so that it was evident he was acting. His face looked like a bad guy from a poorly made thriller who was trying too hard to feign gentleness, clearly revealing that his job is still with the Yakuza.

But that expression didn’t last for long.

As I glared at him, his eyebrows twitched, and he cleared his throat, returning to his usual self.

“Koto Ne, is he your boyfriend?”

“……”

I looked up at the uncle with my mouth agape.

And then I glared at him again. This time more openly.

The uncle seemed a bit hurt.

“Ah, no!”

Sota exclaimed quickly.

“Uh, he’s just a friend from my class!”

“Is that so?”

However, the uncle didn’t seem satisfied with that answer at all. This meant he hadn’t dismissed the idea that Sota was my boyfriend.

Doesn’t he think such a pretty boy wouldn’t like me?

That’s how it looked to me.

I became more and more dumbfounded.

I seriously thought about giving him a little kick as punishment, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t hurt him anyway, but still, I didn’t feel close enough for that.

“……Dad.”

When I called him that, the uncle blinked and cleared his throat again.

Seeing the atmosphere getting a little awkward, Sota quickly bowed toward the uncle.

“Nice to meet you!”

He then dashed off in a hurry.

The uncle and I watched Sota’s back as he ran away.

“……Dad.”

As I glared at the uncle again, he awkwardly laughed while scratching his head.

Letting out a small sigh, I turned my body toward home.

Should I apologize tomorrow?

But it doesn’t seem like it was my fault.

While contemplating that, I turned around and met Kagami’s eyes.

Maybe because it was the time I usually came home, Kagami had apparently stepped out to wait for me.

Seeing our reaction, Kagami covered her mouth and started shaking with laughter.

“……”

It had been a while since I saw Kagami smiling like that, so the uncle and I stood side by side for a moment, staring at her.

“Mom.”

Seeing Kagami calm down a bit, I went over to her.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back.”

Kagami said gently as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

The uncle also came over, wiping away a somewhat fierce expression unsuitable for showing to a child.

There wasn’t much conversation. We didn’t usually say much anyway.

It was a somewhat different form of—

…

But for now, that was okay.

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