“I know there’s still so many things you don’t understand yet, but for now, let’s think about how you’re going to survive from now on. I will help you as much as I can, so you can leave all your food and shelter needs to me for now and focus on learning the language and knowledge of this world.” Rio pulled together the biggest smile he could muster.
“A-Are you sure?” Miharu asked timidly. She carefully watched Rio’s face.
No matter how optimistic she tried to be, it was impossible for them to live in this world without knowing the language. In order to survive, they had to rely on Rio. Miharu had actually planned on requesting his assistance herself, but she was more than aware of how shameless the proposal to raise three strangers was, so she had been finding it difficult to approach the topic and bring it up.
“Yes. There is one condition I’d like you to follow, though, so as long as you abide by that...” Rio said in a light tone to avoid making them feel wary.
“A condition?”
“There’s no need to be nervous about it. It’s just that I’m a bit of a peculiar individual, with my memories of my previous life and all. You’ll see and hear a lot of absurdities about me as we live together, and I’d like you to keep all of that secret from outsiders, unless you have my permission. For example, the existence of this house. However, if it seems like your safety will be put in danger, I won’t mind if you divulge any information. What do you think?”
Miharu was rather taken aback. “E-Erm, is that all? Are you sure? You’d be looking after three people.”
All the burden would be on Rio this way, with practically nothing asked of Miharu, Aki, and Masato. The proposal was far beyond anything Miharu and the others could have hoped for, when they had no other choice than to rely on Rio. The one-sidedness of Rio’s charity made a seeping feeling of shame crawl over them.
“Correct. Do you promise to abide by my condition?”
“...Y-Yes. We swear it. I will do everything I can to return this debt one day, so please take us into your care. Thank you very much,” Miharu said with a pained expression, bowing her head low before Rio.
“P-Please.” Beside her, Aki and Masato followed her lead and lowered their heads, too.
Rio shook his head. “Then, it’s been decided. Please raise your heads. I’m sure we must all be getting hungry by now, right? Let’s leave the details for later and have some food first. I’ll prepare it now — does anyone have any requests?” he said brightly, wanting to move beyond the heavy atmosphere.
“U-Umm, I can help! I know the favorites of the other two, and I’m pretty good at cooking, so I’d like you to leave the cooking to me from here on out!” Miharu offered without missing a beat.
“Then, could you please?” Rio asked hesitantly.
“Yes, I’ll do my best!” Miharu clenched both her fists, fired up with motivation.
“Ah, then I’ll help, too!” Aki offered in a fluster.
Masato interrupted her. “S-Stop it, Aki. Didn’t you turn the hamburg steak last time into ash?”
“S-Shut up! That was just a coincidence. And anyway, brother said it was delicious,” Aki objected with a sullen pout.
“Yeah, no. No way that wasn’t just flattery — bro was just being polite,” Masato stated firmly with a grimace.
The fact that Miharu wasn’t particularly jumping to Aki’s defense showed that Aki’s cooking really was terrible.
“Miharu and I can handle cooking for four people between the two of us, I think. I’ll need to explain how to use the kitchen, too, so the two of you can go take a bath in the meantime,” Rio suggested, hoping to appease the two that were noisily bickering away at each other.
“This house even has a bath?” Aki’s eyes widened, impressed. She had been prepared to camp outside just a short while ago, so hearing that there was a bath made a young girl her age extremely elated.
“First, you use the magic tool... the artifact, it’s called. I’ll have to explain how to use the one in the bathroom first, so follow me, everyone.” Thus, the party made their way to the bathroom.
“Here we are.” Rio opened the door that led from the changing area into the bathing area and invited Miharu, Aki, and Masato inside.
“Excuse me,” they said, hesitantly entering the bathroom.
“Wow...” Aki murmured in surprise and astonishment without thinking at the peculiar facilities.
Rio’s playful spirit as a former Japanese person caused him to choose a warm brick at the door of the changing room, giving the illusion of a hot springs entrance. The actual interior of the bathroom was installed in what undeniably mimicked the design of a hot springs.
The changing room was spacious, but the bathroom was even more so; over half the room was occupied by a washing space made of tiled stone, while the remaining area was utilized by a splendid stone bathtub that could easily fit several adults in the water at the same time.
Magical spouts that constantly supplied fresh bath water were set along the stone surface. Thanks to the magic artifacts in the middle of the stone bath, other than regular maintenance, there was no need to change the water or frequently clean the space.
The water in the stone bath was clear, and a white steam was dancing off its surface.
“You can touch the round stones set in the washing area when you’re washing your hair and body. It’ll absorb essence proportionate to how long you touch it, then produce water from that spout. The right stone is for the higher spout, and the left stone is for the lower spout.”
Rio approached the wall of the washing area and showed them the artifacts as he spoke. At a glance, the amount of essence flowing from the three of them was fairly substantial, so they wouldn’t have had a problem using it.
“C-Can I touch it?” Masato asked, brimming with curiosity.
“Sure. The water comes out pretty fast, so be careful.”
With Rio’s permission, Masato triumphantly reached for the round stone on the left with the formula carved. The lower water spout immediately started bubbling forth with water.
“Wow! That’s amazing!” Masato exclaimed, bursting with pure excitement.
“There are four types of soap in those metal containers over there. Starting from the right, there’s shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and body wash. The towels are on the shelf in the changing room — feel free to take one each.”
“O-Okay.” Miharu and Aki nodded timidly. They couldn’t help but feel bewildered at how substantial the bathing facilities were.
“So, that’s how you use the bath. Who wants to get in first?” Rio asked. Aki and Masato looked at each other.
“I’m going first!”
“I wanna go first!”
Their words effortlessly overlapped with each other’s.
◇◇◇
After an intense round of rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that Aki would bathe first. Masato agreed to explore the rest of the house in order to relieve his boredom. In the meantime, Rio and Miharu would work together to prepare dinner for everyone.
Miharu put on an apron that she borrowed from Rio over the top of her uniform, making her look very domestic and cute. Rio became nervous, which was something out of character for him.
“Okay, shall we start cooking?” he said with an uncomfortable smile. He had already explained where the cookware was placed, where the seasoning was stored, the ingredients in the refrigerator, and how to use the artifacts for fire and water. They had also decided on a Japanese menu.
“Yes. I’ll make the miso soup and chopped burdock root, as well as the steamed dish.” Miharu nodded with a carefree smile as she began to prepare the miso soup first. Her movements showed no sign of hesitation, making it clear that she was used to cooking.
...She really is good at cooking.
As Rio prepared to boil the rice, he admired Miharu’s movements, even captivated by them. Before him was a Miharu that he didn’t know. It was refreshing.
“U-Umm, is there something
wrong with how I’m cooking?” Miharu asked hesitantly, noticing Rio’s gaze.
Rio flinched. “N-No, I’m sorry. I was just impressed with how well you cook,” he replied awkwardly.
“Ahaha, thank you very much. It’s all thanks to my mother. She taught me how to cook a lot of things when I was little.” Miharu grinned with embarrassment, but never stopped moving her busy hands.
“Your mother... I see.”
Rio — no, Amakawa Haruto within Rio — had no idea that Miharu learned to cook from her mother. She probably began learning after she became distanced from Haruto.
“Do you cook often, Haruto?” Miharu asked.
“Yes, I do. I’m traveling alone, so it’s a bit of a hobby for me.” Rio shrugged his shoulders, Miharu smiled with some embarrassment.
“I’ve actually never eaten a man’s cooking before, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“...I don’t think you’ll find anything different about my cooking, but I’ll do my best.”
Rio was a little — no, a lot more motivated than usual, but he couldn’t stay elated forever, so he reigned in his emotions.
After that, the two of them worked together in a strangely harmonious way, synchronizing with each other efficiently as they cooked. They both praised each other’s skills and responded humbly, taste-testing and exchanging opinions, and overall spending a peaceful time together.
◇◇◇
Just as Rio and Miharu were starting to cook, Aki was sinking into the water of the stone bath; looking up at the ceiling in a daze, she thought back on the various events that occurred today.
So many surprising things happened. They came to a world that wasn’t Earth, found themselves in a disastrous situation, finally stumbled upon some strangers — only to be unable to communicate with them — and were nearly made into slaves. However, they were immediately saved by another stranger, who agreed to shelter them and thus resulted in her leisurely relaxing in a bathtub.
We really are so indebted to Haruto... Haruto... Haruto...
In the back of Aki’s mind, Haruto... Rio’s face came to mind, eventually morphing into the painful memories of someone else, and her expression changed to one that was bitter and sour.
Hmph... Haruto’s different from that guy, but he keeps coming to mind anyway.
“He” was Amakawa Haruto — the person who had been Aki’s older brother.
Aki hated him — not for a logical reason, but an emotional one. Haruto and their father had chosen to abandon Aki and their mother, and Haruto was a liar that didn’t keep his promises.
However, Aki loved her mother from the bottom of her heart, as her mother had raised her with great care. After the divorce, her mother should have been rife with pain, yet she showed no weakness in front of Aki and selflessly poured all her love into her daughter.
Aki’s parents had divorced when she was still four years old, so she only had vague memories of those times, but she remembered living quite happily until the divorce. Now that she was looking back on it, Aki could admit it: she had really loved her family back then.
In particular, she had loved her older brother, and was extremely attached to him. She was just as attached to Miharu, the older girl living in the house next door.
Back then, both of their parents in the Amakawa house worked full time, so they were often left in the care of Miharu’s family. Aki was constantly looked after by Haruto and Miharu. She was always by their side, which was why she knew better than anyone that Haruto and Miharu were very close, and really suited each other, in her opinion.
At the time, the two were so close that they often created spaces where they were the only two that existed. For Aki, however, they were her ideal older brother and sister. When the two of them were happy, Aki was happy, too. What made her the happiest of all was when the two of them doted on her.
Being spoiled by Haruto and Miharu had been a special privilege limited to only Aki, and she was the only one unconditionally permitted into the unique space the two of them made for each other.
Aki was the only one who was treated specially by the two of them, making her feel special in turn. It made her truly happy.
And so, Aki had begged Haruto and Miharu, that the three of them would always stay together, and the two of them swore to keep Aki by their sides even when they grew up. Haruto promised to not only protect Miharu, but Aki, too. Despite this, it was like he had changed his mind when Haruto left with the man who had once been Aki’s father.
“Liar,” Aki murmured involuntarily, echoing with the sound of the water bubbling from the spout.
The only one who kept their promise and kept Aki close to her was her beloved Miharu. She continued to treat Aki as her own precious little sister, even now.
Forget it... Who cares about that guy. I haven’t thought about him in so long... Aki’s face twisted horribly at the indescribable and complicated feelings within her. She shook her head.
Until now, there had been no mention of Haruto in her house, so Aki had never expressed her hatred for Haruto in front of her family before. The stepfather her mother remarried aside, her older stepbrother Takahisa and younger stepbrother Masato probably didn’t even know Haruto’s name.
However, there was one person who knew of the hatred Aki held toward Haruto — Miharu. Once, Aki had shown great anger in front of Miharu in saying that she didn’t care about someone like Haruto.
Aki knew her mother had raised her singlehandedly, that her mother was secretly in so much pain about Haruto and her father, so much so that her mother cried alone late at night... Because of those things, Aki couldn’t forgive them. Before she knew it, she detested them.
That was why it happened, all those years ago...
One day, Miharu had mentioned Haruto while reminiscing about something, and Aki had reacted with rejection. At the time, Miharu had apologized with sadness.
“I’m sorry,” she had said. Ever since then, Miharu never brought up Haruto before Aki ever again.
Today, upon hearing Haruto’s name, she had involuntarily thought of their Haruto. When Aki had accidentally showed an odd attitude in front of Haruto and the others, Miharu had called Aki’s name as though she had seen right through her.
Ever since Aki let her anger toward Haruto be known, Miharu had continued to treat her like a little sister. However, Aki wondered what kind of feelings she had right now.
Aah, geez! I don’t even want to think about him!
The more she wanted to erase her past, the harder it was to stop the memories from flowing out once she remembered something. Splash! Aki writhed about the bathtub in shame.
Let’s think about something else. That’s right... Onii-chan. I should think about Onii-chan. Satsuki, too.
Aki decided to think about the older brother that wasn’t Amakawa Haruto — Sendo Takahisa, as well as the upperclassman of Miharu and Takahisa, Sumeragi Satsuki.
Sendo Takahisa was a child from Aki’s stepfather’s previous marriage, and Masato’s older brother. He was turning sixteen years old this year — the same age as Miharu. Through Aki’s connection, he was introduced to Miharu and fell in love with her at first sight, and had felt strongly for her ever since. He could be a bit unreliable at times, but he was sociable and kind, accomplished in both his studies and sports, and handsome enough to be quite popular with the girls. Only a few years had passed since her mother remarried, but Aki was already proud to call him her brother.
Sumeragi Satsuki was an upperclassman from Miharu and Takahisa’s middle school days, and was the president of the student council they were a part of. Miharu and Takahisa had just entered high school and reunited with Satsuki at the opening ceremony before coming to this world, but Aki was acquainted with her, too.
Satsuki was the charismatic daughter of a famous company’s president. Aki secretly admired her, seeing her as a perfect superhuman with no weaknesses at all.
“Onii-chan, Satsuki... I hope the two of them are all right,” Aki m
uttered worriedly.
The two of them were far more reliable than herself and Masato, but when she looked back upon the events that she experienced since coming to this world, she couldn’t help but feel excessively anxious. Especially when she considered the parts where her brother Takahisa was lacking.
When she thought about it calmly, it was possible they had run into a similar situation to hers. As worst case scenarios flashed through the back of her mind, uneasiness endlessly surged within her.
Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do about it. She wouldn’t even be able to live in this world if it weren’t for Haruto, so she couldn’t pointlessly make a fuss over it for nothing. Aki had enough foresight to know that much.
“All I can do now is learn as much as I can so that I can adjust to this world as quickly as possible. Then, we’ll all go home together, to where Mom and Dad are, on Earth.” Aki might’ve been averting her eyes from the reality of the situation, but it was better than running away from it; this was what she told herself. She hadn’t given up hope, at least.
...I wonder if Haruto’s ever thought about returning to Earth. He said he was a university student in his previous life... Is that the thing they call “rebirth”? I guess such a thing actually exists...
She began thinking about the guardian who would have to look out for her in the near future. There was something fleeting about him, and he had many unknown sides of himself that were surrounded in mystery, but she definitely didn’t think he was a bad person. If anything, he was too good of a person.
His personality was calm and polite, his face was pretty and well-refined, and he was very reliable; she couldn’t see any faults in him so far.
Ah... I should get up soon.
Aki’s head began to spin as she realized she was suddenly getting dizzy. While it was partly because she had stayed in the water for too long because it felt so good, the fact she had been thinking so hard played a large part in it as well.
She stood up slowly and placed a hand against the stone surface as she supported her staggering body. Once her dizziness waned, Aki slowly headed toward the changing room, where the cool air inside felt good.
Eternal You (Premium) Page 8