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

That’s how I endured another year.

I don’t really know. Is it okay to think I endured it? With so many people around me who like and help me, I thought that itself might be a kind of rudeness, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

To be honest, I hate fighting. I don’t want to risk my life either.

The reason I dislike fighting is probably that my mind is ultimately ordinary. Back in middle school and high school, while reading light novels, I sometimes thought that if I were the main character, I would just tear everything apart and win, but reality isn’t like that.

Adult imagination tends to be much more cowardly than that of children, and even the powers I want come with additional conditions.

If possible, I want it to be the kind that doesn’t hurt me. Also, that doesn’t hurt my close ones. Back in my teenage delusions, I was at least holding a knife, but once I became an adult, I just hoped the world would revolve as I thought.

It’s quite absurd, though I actually had a job where I risked my life.

My last memory is hazy. I think I went into the fire, but I can’t remember clearly. I probably died there.

I hated going in every time. I guess I won’t have that kind of job in this life.

Unintentionally, I ended up having a job that risks my life in a different sense.

Looking down at my hands, not a single scar remained. After seeing how Koko’s body was made, I could understand that reason a bit. It means I’m not fundamentally different from Koko.

“……”

I thought there was a possibility that I could be the heroine, but in reality, wasn’t I just one of the youkai being hunted? One that couldn’t even appear in the main story and got hunted down by someone like Yuka, thus never even having a chance to appear?

“……What do you think of Koko?”

I was blankly staring at my hands when Yuka asked me.

“Um, what.”

She noticed too accurately, and I ended up feeling a bit embarrassed.

That day, Yuka also saw what kind of being Koko was. She listened to what that woman said from the side.

She has already seen my wounds healing in an instant several times.

Would Yuka see me as a youkai? At first, she didn’t realize it, but now wouldn’t she think she knows that identity?

“You said back then, didn’t you?”

“Yeah?”

“When we first met Koko.”

“……Yeah.”

Since she couldn’t feel the energy of the youkai, she wondered if I wasn’t a youkai. If I hadn’t stopped that day, Koko might not have become Koko. She would have just died as nothing more than a lump without even properly taking on the shape of a person.

“I’ve never felt those kinds of chills while I’m with you.”

Yuka quietly said.

“I’ve never felt creeped out once.”

“……”

“So, well, you must just be someone who has a bit of a special ability. Just like me. Koko too.”

Was she saying that just to comfort me?

But at least for now, Yuka didn’t seem to have any plans to be hostile towards me.

Yuka tidied her hair that was blowing in the wind a bit. I could see the thin red ribbon she tied her hair with. It was a Christmas gift I had given her.

On the day after New Year, Yuka came out with her hair tied like that to meet me.

“What are you looking at?”

“Uh, nothing.”

I pondered whether I should compliment her that it suits her, but I decided not to say anything. Somehow I felt like Yuka would be really embarrassed.

We walked in silence for a moment.

The place we met today wasn’t Akihabara. For some reason, every time we went to such places, I thought Yuka would really think I’m a hopeless otaku.

Just a moderately busy street. But if you veered off to the side a bit, you’d find small and pretty shops here and there.

Even though it was the day after the New Year, it was still a time when it wouldn’t feel weird to call it the new year.

Excited people were wandering around on the street.

I felt a bit uplifted too.

“Yuka.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“……”

At my random question, Yuka looked at me again with a face that seemed to ask why I was asking something like that.

“……”

But just because of that, Yuka didn’t immediately answer. For some reason, she stammered, looking a bit embarrassed, and said,

“Yeah, I guess.”

That was enough.

*

After wandering outside, I invited Yuka to my house.

Last time, I had gone to Yuka’s house to sleep, so this time I told her to come over. At first, Yuka refused.

“My mom said she’s preparing sukiyaki.”

When I put pressure on her like that, Yuka got a bit flustered.

The menu isn’t what’s important. In fact, since I ate that sukiyaki, it was correct that Kagami prepared the menu intentionally. I don’t know if it was to repay what she received or if she was inspired because I said it was delicious.

Rather, it’s probably that Yuka was just flustered by the statement “I prepared dinner for Yuka.”

That must be it. If Yuka doesn’t come over for dinner, the dinner Kagami prepared would become useless.

Since I had brought up the dinner before Yuka could say she would prepare it at her house, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“……Then, I’ll just eat dinner and go.”

Well, I guessed she would respond like that.

But that was enough.

After all, if we come and take our time eating, it would get dark, and then the suggestion to sleep over would come up.

I had some preparations on hand as well. With the money I saved.

“……”

Seeing my smiling face, Yuka seemed to feel something was strange and took a step away from me.

“Why are you running away?”

“Uh, no, just.”

As I followed Yuka and spoke, she awkwardly answered a bit.

As I jumped towards her with a smile, Yuka was startled and ran away.

For a while, we navigated among people and caused a bit of trouble.

Well, in the end, we both managed to laugh a lot.

*

“Yuka?”

“Yeah. It’s Yuka.”

At the news of my return home, Koko ran to the entrance, tilting her head, and I introduced Yuka again.

Thinking back to Koko’s first meeting, Yuka did try to bite Koko.

In the end, she listened to me and restrained herself.

Perhaps because of that, Yuka looked a bit awkward while looking at Koko.

“Welcome.”

Seeing Koko being accepted as a daughter by Kagami, Yuka made an even more awkward expression.

“Come this way.”

“Well, I apologize for intruding…….”

At Kagami’s words, Yuka cautiously entered, saying it very politely. After greeting my dad and spending a little time in the living room, Kagami finished the meal preparations.

Before Koko arrived, the TV programs we were watching were quite adult-themed. Like the news, things like that.

Anyway, since there was a small TV in my room, I went to my room to watch videos, but the living room TV was usually dad’s domain.

But once Koko came, the atmosphere changed a bit.

Koko preferred being with everybody in the living room rather than alone in her room. She didn’t particularly enjoy having many people around, but still, she liked our family and friends.

Whether it was because of Koko’s personality or because she hadn’t learned the language long ago. She liked flashy and funny animations.

We had to pull her back several times when she seemed like she was going to dive into the TV, and even now, that habit hasn’t fully changed.

The only fortunate thing is that she still seems to enjoy eating.

When the meal is ready, she runs straight to the front of the TV.

The sukiyaki was delicious. Both Koko and I were satisfied, and my dad and Yuka also said it was good.

The flavor was a bit different from what I ate at Yuka’s house.

Today wasn’t like Christmas when we all gathered in a party atmosphere, so Koko and Yuka came up to my room together.

“A game console?”

“Yeah. I bought one.”

A slightly old, second-hand game console by today’s standards.

But it was still capable of playing 3D games. The games were in cartridge form, not CDs.

If I had stayed an only child, I wouldn’t have bought this game console, but since there were people to play with, it made a difference. Koko was smart. She understood the game rules better than I expected. Her skills were ordinary, so we always had close matches.

I crouched down, rummaging through the cartridges, and pulled out a racing game and a fighting game that could be played with four people.

“Wanna play?”

I showed the games with a confident smile, and Yuka burst into laughter.

“Sure! Let’s do it! Koko will play too, right?”

“Yeah!”

The three of us sat side by side on the bed.

In the end, Yuka held the controller until it was time to sleep. It didn’t really matter who won more. That wasn’t what was important.

*

In the middle of the night.

After putting Koko and Kotoné to bed on the bed, Yuka was lying on the floor on a blanket.

For some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep. The two seemed to be deeply asleep with even breaths.

I got up from my spot and looked at the bed, only to see Kotoné snugged up against Koko. Both had their hair down, and the room was dark, but it was easy to tell who was who just by looking at who they were cuddled with.

Just standing there changed the atmosphere.

“……”

I almost ended up taking one of them out.

Yuka felt a pang of regret.

For some reason, feeling parched, Yuka got up and went downstairs.

And by chance, she ran into Kotoné’s mother, who was holding a cup and a water bottle for the same reason in the kitchen.

“Oh.”

Kagami smiled slightly at Yuka.

“It seems like you stayed up late. Did the two of them fall asleep?”

“Ah, yes.”

Kagami, with her hair loose and wearing comfortable clothes for sleeping, looked quite breathtaking even to Yuka, who is also a woman.

Kagami took out another cup and poured water into it.

“Thank you.”

Yuka said cautiously as she received the cup.

Kagami looked at Yuka for a moment. Did she possibly do something wrong? Maybe she had heard stories about Koko.

Yuka couldn’t comprehend how that person came to be. She just thought that the Kurosawa family was far from normal, more than she expected.

If that child was given birth by someone—

“Thank you.”

Kagami suddenly said, interrupting Yuka’s thoughts.

“Excuse me?”

“Thank you. For not hurting my daughter at that moment.”

“Ah, no, I…….”

Yuka fumbled for words as she didn’t know how to respond.

“Thanks to you, I was able to meet my daughter again.”

“……”

Kagami lightly bowed her head to Yuka again and silently passed by her.

For a while, Yuka stood there blankly, pondering what that feeling she just felt was.

If we were to specify it, it would be ‘confusion’ but—

Nevertheless, the strongest feeling she felt was relief, gratitude.

Yuka exhaled deeply.

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