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

When deciding on accommodations, I pondered a bit about how to do it, but it seemed better to gather together rather than staying in a hotel.

There was a place near the beach that rented out houses that had been suitably renovated. We decided to stay there.

Although there were a total of eight people, it wasn’t too difficult to divide the rooms since it was basically two families and two individuals who had come separately.

“I’ll sleep in the living room. It’s cool and nice here anyway.”

Yuka said she would give our family one room and sleep in the living room.

“If so, me too.”

Surprisingly, Nanami didn’t insist on sleeping next to Sota. Maybe it was because there weren’t any significant rivals like in the original story?

As for Kagami… well, she was married. Aside from me, Yuka, and Koko, everyone else probably saw Kagami as just an ordinary married woman. So, from Nanami’s perspective, Kagami wasn’t a competitor in the harem race. I somewhat agreed with that.

…If it ever seemed like Sota could really get involved with her, I’d do everything in my power to interfere. Thankfully, Kagami didn’t seem to be overly concerned about that.

Thus, Yuka and Nanami, who had come separately, ended up sleeping in the living room, and Koko, Kagami, Dad, and I shared one room, while Shii and Sota were in another room. It was a fair distribution.

Although Dad typically had his own room at home, I didn’t plan to make him uncomfortable here. After all, he wouldn’t get any strange ideas about us.

Still, it felt a bit embarrassing to sleep hugging Mom in front of Dad, so I thought I’d keep some distance tonight.

I contemplated that.

*

Dad and Kagami were watching us from a little distance, smiling, while we played together happily.

As it was in the novel, Nanami had always been quite popular among the other kids. Boys and girls alike. Maybe that was why she brought a lot of things for us to play together.

We sat together playing board games, shared stories about school, and chatted about dramas… you know, just the kind of things friends talk about when they gather. Then, when we got bored, we started playing cards again.

I don’t think anyone really paid attention to who won or lost.

It was distinctly different from hanging out as adults. When we finally managed to gather as busy adults, the story would inevitably turn to the difficult times we faced in reality. There would always be someone who’d step in to give advice and such.

Stuff like that didn’t happen among students. The joy of being able to stay up all night having fun together created a lively atmosphere filled with laughter.

…Yeah, I liked this kind of atmosphere.

I occasionally glanced over at Kagami, who smiled gently whenever our eyes met. Just that alone somehow put my mind at ease.

As we chatted for a while longer, Shii started dozing off a little after midnight. Being a good kid who usually kept a proper lifestyle, staying awake this late must have been a bit tough for her, especially after playing in the water during the day.

From then on, we began to prepare for bed and headed to our respective rooms.

Honestly, I was a bit tired too. After all, it was the first time in a while that I had been moving around just to play, not to fight Yōkai.

I didn’t snuggle up to Kagami as usual because of Dad’s presence but stayed close by her side.

“Koto Ne.”

Kagami whispered.

“Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah.”

I answered without hesitation.

Kagami smiled slightly at my response.

Soon, we didn’t extend the conversation much further and quietly drifted off to sleep.

*

I woke up due to a strange sense of unease.

At first, I simply thought I was thirsty. When I got up, I could see my family bathed in the soft moonlight spilling in through the window.

Dad was lying straight on the blanket, fast asleep, while Kagami was soundly hugging Koko tightly.

I had thought about how it was tough to sleep without Kagami, but seeing this, was it possible that Kagami also found it hard to be without Nanami or Koko?

She had lived that way for nearly her entire life.

“……”

The peaceful sight made me smile faintly at the corners of my mouth.

I tiptoed quietly toward the first floor. While the house was old, it had been well-maintained for a place that hosted guests, so there wasn’t much noise when I went down the stairs.

I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a water bottle.

“……Oh.”

As if she heard me, Yuka stirred in her sleep and slightly sat up.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked my way.

The Yuka I usually saw was always neatly put together. She looked like the model student, in a different way than Shii.

Of course, she wasn’t devoid of human qualities either.

At such an hour, she would naturally have messy hair and half-closed eyes.

I thought she’d drift back to sleep, but unexpectedly, Yuka got up and slowly walked toward me. I had seen her like this a few times before, both at her place and ours.

I took out another cup and poured myself some water.

Yuka mumbled a thank you and gulped it down.

“Ahhh.”

I also coolly drank my water and set the cup down.

We both stood silently for a moment.

That strange sense of unease still lingered.

Could it be because it had been so long since I last had a getaway like this?

Yuka also seemed to have a look on her face that suggested she was waking up too.

I walked slowly to the large glass door in the living room and quietly opened it to step outside.

The humid wind felt cool, but not too chilly.

It was summer.

For the first time in a while, it felt vivid.

I sat down on the small tatami mat right in front of the window and quietly gazed at the vast ocean stretching ahead. I could hear the sounds of several people on the beach, laughing and shouting. They must have been doing fireworks, as no one was swimming in the water.

Should we have brought some too?

“……I was a bit hesitant to bring this up.”

Yuka said, sitting down beside me and also facing the same direction.

“I felt a bit strange all day today.”

“Oh, really?”

I hadn’t noticed because we were laughing and having fun.

To be honest, she did occasionally show a slightly odd expression. It looked like she was deeply contemplating something.

“…I received a thank you from your mother.”

“Uh?”

From Kagami?

“Yeah.”

Yuka paused for a moment, then as if she had made up her mind, she spoke.

“She thanked me for not hurting Koko.”

I had no idea how to respond to that. I couldn’t even begin to grasp the emotions Yuka must have felt.

“Do you know? It’s not every day you get praised for something like that.”

“Yeah…”

I had sensed that somewhat.

When I was a firefighter, I received a good number of grateful remarks. Though, of course, I’d heard a fair share of grumbling too, and there were also many who said nothing at all. But still, I was certainly thanked.

However, when it came to Yōkai hunting… it was such a perilous task, even more than jumping into a fire, but I never received even a small token of gratitude for it.

The agents had no inclination to engage us in lengthy conversations, and the victims of Yōkai were… usually in situations where they simply couldn’t voice anything.

“But receiving thanks just for not hurting her feels a bit strange.”

Kagami likely wasn’t trying to be sarcastic; she was just being sincere. Kagami always had the bad habit of blaming herself for everything.

She must have thought it was her fault regarding Koko as well.

“There’s nothing weird about it.”

I said calmly.

“What you did also played a part in it.”

If it hadn’t been for Yuka, I wouldn’t have even made it there. Well, in truth, the outcome was such, but due to multitudes of intertwined variables, X led me to Y.

Still, if I hadn’t met Yuka, I wouldn’t have gone there in the first place. I wouldn’t have even known about Koko’s existence.

Yuka didn’t respond to my words at all.

Hmm.

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward.

Well, then, should I share my story instead?

Maybe because of the mood, it wouldn’t be strange to talk about my previous life. Japan has a fairly entrenched Buddhist culture, right? Moreover, the world we live in is close to fantasy.

Discussing my previous life shouldn’t come off as completely bizarre, right?

…Well, that was just a thought.

Once I spoke it out loud, things would undoubtedly get complicated and tangled up.

“It’s a bit scary.”

After a long silence, Yuka spoke up.

“I wasn’t afraid of swinging a sword until now. I was mainly afraid of the Yōkai. But now… the thought that what I’ve cut might have been beings like Koko has been creeping in.”

“No.”

I could state that firmly.

Not all Yōkai inherently despised humans. There were some that weren’t like that in the stories I read.

And Yuka knew most of that type.

Plus, with Koko…

“Koko couldn’t immediately recognize us as Yōkai—”

I paused halfway through.

“…Yuka.”

“……”

Yuka’s expression had stiffened.

The distant sounds of the people had stopped.

Why?

I finally realized the cause of the unease that had been lingering until now.

A chill crept down my back. Very subtly.

From a distance, something was slowly approaching us.

“The sea.”

Yuka said.

“It’s from the sea.”

I stood up from my seat.

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