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

“Koto Ne.”

“Uh?”

“What’s wrong?”

Night.

Kagami asked me, who couldn’t easily fall asleep.

I always slept in Kagami’s room. My room was filled with Shii during sleep time.

I wasn’t particularly dissatisfied. In fact, I would gladly lend it if nothing unusual happened. Well, anyway, I went to Kagami’s room during my sleep time.

Kagami’s room was decorated more than I expected.

Even if someone else came, they probably wouldn’t enter so far; the vanity and its mirror seemed to be arranged with care.

Perhaps this was Kagami’s first personal room in her life. If she decorated it according to her tastes, it seemed that Kagami liked something a bit more extravagant than I thought.

“Koto Ne?”

As I sank into thoughts without any answer, Kagami slowly lay next to me and asked.

I felt the bed sink on her side with her weight.

“Did something happen today?”

Even though she followed me with Dad and watched from afar, she asked like this. Well, she probably didn’t hear us talking.

“No, nothing happened.”

“Really?”

Kagami asked with a hint of surprise.

I kind of hesitated and burrowed into Kagami’s embrace.

The weather had become a bit colder. Japanese houses are honestly built without much consideration for ‘warmth’, so it was gradually becoming chilly at night.

Lying together in the fluffy bed, wrapped in the warm cotton blanket with Kagami was nice. In fact, that subtle chill might have made this moment feel even cozier.

I held onto Kagami’s warm body tightly and buried my face in it, and I could smell her.

Warm, a scent that calms you down when you smell it quietly.

“……”

Kagami didn’t ask anything further. She just gently stroked my hair.

Perhaps she figured I was lost in thoughts about seeing Shii. It wouldn’t be wrong.

Because I had found out about the identity of the Sasaki siblings.

Tokyo Slayers. That was probably the title.

I didn’t clearly remember the details of the story. The ten years in this world impacted me more than I thought. I still often dreamt of family when Kagami wasn’t around, so I hadn’t forgotten their faces, but the contents of the novel I read for hobby couldn’t have remained entirely in my head for that long.

Still, what was certain was that the story involved hunting Yōkai.

And up until now, the friends I had made did not appear separately.

…The character named Kurosawa Koto Ne had also appeared at all.

I didn’t know why that was.

Maybe because that world was only similar and I was an outsider in the novel? Or perhaps I was a new character who would show up later in the part I had read?

But there was some kind of ‘feeling’.

The character named Kurosawa Koto Ne must have appeared in the novel for sure. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be experiencing all this.

It was a Yōkai.

The bear that chased after me must have been such a being.

Mako’s father was a person who dealt with such beings.

…Kagami, and the person chasing after Kagami was.

“……”

Someday, I would have to hear that story after all.

What kind of being I was. How Kagami gave birth to me. What kind of person Kagami is.

Kagami wanted me to live a normal life, but if the world was really like one in a novel—

This world wouldn’t leave me alone.

It hadn’t so far.

Still, I didn’t want to rush Kagami for now.

After all, I had finally obtained this ordinary time.

I wanted this peaceful time just as much as Kagami did.

If possible, I wished this time could last for a lifetime.

I fell deeply asleep in Kagami’s arms, just like any other time.

*

It took almost a month for Shii to fully adapt to our home.

In other words, it lasted until mid-winter.

Shii was still a Sasaki, and Kagami didn’t seem to have any intention of changing Shii’s surname. Because Shii was more like Sota’s family than ours.

It wasn’t that she was treated as a stranger; it was more that they didn’t want to take her away. Kagami probably felt that way about me too.

She was still a guest, but our family treated Shii without hesitation.

After not being bullied for a month, Shii completely let her guard down around us. Though we didn’t hug or hold hands, she became able to stay close to our family.

We bought Shii winter clothes. We went out into the city together, ate delicious food, and Shii gradually started to talk more.

“Koto Ne.”

Shii called me like that.

There’s nothing strange about that. Everyone in our house called me that.

…But then, she calls my brother “Oni” while calling me Koto Ne. Still, she uses honorifics, which seems natural since this is a place that takes care of her.

The problem regarding Shii’s school was resolved as well.

After a long time of switching between Sota’s father and the woman who had been his wife… After demonstrating tremendous patience, Kagami and Dad finally made it possible for Shii to attend school.

I thought maybe Mako’s father helped out a little too. The reason why we could keep Shii without problems was likely because of that.

I didn’t know what that uncle wanted from me.

“What school do you want to attend, Shii-chan?”

“Oh, Oni.”

As Kagami gently asked, Shii immediately said.

“I want to attend the same school as Oni…”

At that cute response, Kagami gently stroked Shii’s head.

She didn’t stroke it as generously as she did with me. She was much more careful when treating Shii.

As time passed, I sometimes slept in the same place as Shii.

Not in the same bed, but I spread my sleeping mat under the bed while Shii slept on the bed. After starting to find emotional stability, I hoped she would learn how to interact with people.

…Honestly, it was a bit troubling. I still preferred being in Kagami’s arms.

This too might be one of my issues. There were things I had thought of changing a bit.

Kagami—well, she accepted it. After all, she was the one who said I should sleep alone in the first place.

Instead, whenever she saw me in the morning, Kagami would hold me tightly.

Much stronger than usual. Like a compensation for not feeling my body temperature all night.

I liked that embrace. Really.

*

It was nice to have people to walk with in the morning.

Though I already met friends on the way to school, walking together from the start was quite new.

And it wasn’t just Shii. Sota also came to our house early in the morning and walked with Shii because he was thinking about her.

Sota’s father seemed to dislike that—well, what could be done about it.

A person who prioritized face wouldn’t beat his own child.

Besides, Sota was the type not to bow to such things.

After all, he is the protagonist.

The three of us walked side by side, and as we got closer to school, we slightly drifted apart. Shii seemed a little sad to be away from me, but as soon as she saw friends gather around me, she quickly distanced herself.

I had grown closer to Kagami and Dad, but I still seemed to struggle a bit with making new friends.

That said, it didn’t feel like bullying, but I thought I need to observe this carefully.

*

Christmas.

Japan doesn’t particularly take a break on Christmas, but the school holidays almost fell around that time, so students had almost the whole break.

Dad went out to work, but Kagami stayed home.

It was Dad’s request. To rest at home for a while. Kagami seemed to feel bad about it, insisting she would go to work, but eventually, she decided to follow Dad’s words to reconsider our situation.

She would probably rest for a while and then go back to work when things calmed down a little more.

…Even though I was a child, sometimes living like this while only receiving help felt a bit uncomfortable.

Shii had a bewildered expression from the morning.

There was a Christmas tree in the living room, and beneath it were gift boxes.

Even if Shii had received Christmas gifts before, it was probably just a memory from her very early childhood.

“Koto Ne, Shii! Come on!”

Kagami said with a cheerful expression, pushing the gift boxes toward the two of us.

I smiled while watching Shii open the box with a puzzled expression.

Inside was—clothes.

A sweater that seemed to have been made by Kagami herself.

“I made one for Sota-kun too.”

Kagami said with a genuinely joyful smile.

Shii took out the sweater with a slightly dazed expression.

Honestly, it wasn’t anything that expensive compared to what Kagami gave Shii before. You could say it was just a gift that wasn’t much different than usual.

But—well, it is Christmas.

Shii burst into tears right there, immensely surprising Kagami.

I also opened my present box.

It contained a sweater similar to Shii’s, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Crying voices, laughter, and confused voices.

Somehow, I thought that lively atmosphere suited Christmas very well.

And so, my year 1999 passed.

Without world destruction or alien invasion.

This eventful year ended, at least in a normal way.

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