Volume 5 Chapter 5 Unexpected Visitor
We couldn't continue like this, so we both got up and started wiping off the foam.
We had been lying in the bathtub together, so we were both covered in foam. After we finished wiping it off silently, Toxy said,
"I'll go out now."
Behind her cheerful smile, I could see a hidden anger.
"Alright."
"I'll be back."
Toxy walked out quickly, got dressed in the changing room, and headed towards the front door. I muttered, "What terrible timing...", and stared at the ground, my brow furrowed.
Then, I heard a shout.
"Hey! I know you're in there! Come out here!"
I opened my eyes and looked up. Then, I got out of the bathtub, the changing room, and approached the front door.
Toxy came back. She looked confused and found me, telling me,
"Um, well, that... there's a man here who claims to be your father, Wade."
"..."
I felt the expression disappear from my face. Toxy took a step back as if she was scared.
"...Sorry for scaring you. I'll go out."
I squeezed past Toxy and went to the front door.
Standing at the door was a face I would never forget, a face full of disgust. A face that looked like it belonged in a slum. A lazy body with unnecessary flab. A short man covered in cheap clothes.
It was my father. The shitty father whose existence I wanted to forget was standing there.
"...What do you want?"
When I asked, the shitty father shouted back.
"What!? You're the owner here? Hey, get Wade out here! Hurry!"
"Huh...?"
I covered my face with one hand. Seriously, doesn't he even recognize his own son's face?
"...So, what do you want?"
"It's none of your business! Don't dare step into our family matters!"
In response to my exasperated question, the shitty father spat foam from his mouth and bit back. With a bored expression, I said,
"I told you, shitty father. What do you want from me?"
"Huh? What... what?"
The damn old man finally seemed to understand the situation and looked up at me with a bewildered expression.
"...Wade, right?"
"Yeah, it's me, your only son, Wade. What do you want?"
When I glared at him, the damn old man hesitantly looked at me from head to toe.
"You've grown big... even bigger than me."
"I ate a lot at the training camp."
"Well, that's to be expected... but are you eating properly now?"
"Yeah, I am. ...Now, will you answer my question? What are you here for?"
"Oh, oh, ...no"
The old man looked confused and seemed to be searching for words. I waited impatiently as he did so.
The damn old man asked,
"Have you become an adventurer since then?"
"Yes."
"Being an adventurer must be tough. You probably can't earn a decent living as an Iron-rank adventurer. Living in such a big house and having debts..."
"..."
I frowned and took out my gold torch adventurer's badge.
"I'm earning enough. Don't worry about it."
"...You"
The damn old man was speechless for a moment, then he spoke in a strong tone.
"Wade, don't make enemies with the Guild. I haven't lived a righteous life either, but they're a large organization with bases all over the world. It's not the same as committing petty crimes."
"Huh?"
"In particular, forging adventurer's badges is the worst way to make enemies with the Guild. I'm not saying this to be mean, but just don't do it."
The damn old man looked at me seriously and warned me. I sighed deeply and said,
"That's enough. You don't have any business here, do you? Go home. We're not going to get anywhere."
"Hey, hey, don't say that. I finally got a job back, so I came to pick you up."
He got a job? ――No, that's irrelevant.
"...Oh, okay. Congratulations. I don't need a ride, so go home. I have a life here."
"How can you be so stubborn? This kind of forced lifestyle won't last. You'll get into trouble someday. Let your father help you. Do what I say."
I grabbed the damn old man by the collar and pulled him closer.
"Didn't I say I don't need it? Couldn't you hear me? Well, I'll say it as many times as necessary, you damn old man. I don't need your pick-up. Go home quickly."
From a close distance, I stared into the eyes of the damn old man and said that. And he was at a loss for words.
"Uh... w-wait, Wade. ――Just show your face occasionally, even if it's just occasionally."
"G-Get lost!"
"...I see. Sorry for the bother."
The damn old man left this place with an attitude I had never seen before. I was not satisfied with that and felt frustrated, clicking my tongue and closing the door.
When I returned to the living room, Toxy, with a worried look on her face, was waiting for me. I sat down next to Toxy and bit my lower lip.
"That, that was your dad, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Were you... not on good terms?"
"Just as you heard, Toxy."
"I see..."
I was desperate not to involve Toxy in the tension that arose from just a minute-long exchange. I was frustrated beyond measure. Unresolved anger swirled within me.
But that anger was mine alone. It belonged to me.
The moment I take it out on someone, I will have fallen to the same level as that damn old man.
"Phew..."
I let out a deep breath, forcibly regaining my composure.
"Well... um, if you're okay with it, can we talk...?"
Toxy said that with a drooping eyebrow. I didn't feel like calmly talking about him, so I said with a wry smile, "I give up."
"Oh, it's totally fine! If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
"...If you want me to complain about that damn old man, one day won't be enough. It might turn into a long conversation, you know?"
"Sure."
Seeing Toxy nod, I started to speak hesitantly.
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