Volume 1 Chapter 12 Family, Dining Table, and Mother's Taste
"...Did we arrive?"
I got off the bus and slowly walked home with heavy steps.
It was at that moment.
Bzzz...!
My smartphone vibrated.
When I looked, it was a call from my little sister, the eldest daughter, Ami.
"What should I do..."
I was unsure whether to answer the call.
Should I answer it before going home?
In the end, my choice was,
to ignore it.
"Oh no! I messed uppp!"
I didn't answer Ami's call.
After that, I checked my call history.
Bzzzzzzzt... 43 missed calls.
Out of those, 32 were from Ami and 11 were from my other little sister, Yumi.
It seems I was getting called a lot while I was in the dungeon.
Looking at the times, the calls came while I was in the dungeon... especially when I encountered a goblin and didn't understand the 'ability inheritance from another world.'
At that moment, I was also being attacked by a goblin, so I really didn't notice my phone ringing in silent mode.
Still, from their side, they probably think I'm refusing to answer.
And now, I didn't answer again...
"Ugh... not answering the call was a mistake."
My already heavy steps felt even heavier.
However, after about 5 minutes of walking, I finally reached home.
"Phew... well then"
I stopped in front of the door and thought about many things.
"Here we go. But what kind of face should I make when I go in..."
I could feel my mouth drying from nervousness.
I could hear sounds from inside through the door.
It seemed like my sisters were cooking in the kitchen.
"Alright, here I go"
Click.
As I opened the door and was about to say "I'm home,"
""O-Oniichan!?""
"Ugh!"
Right there at the door, I unexpectedly ran into my twin sisters, Ami and Yumi, who were near the hallway.
"Ah, um, no, that..."
I stumbled over my words, caught off guard by the surprise.
Then,
"Hey! Answer the phone!"
"Pick up the phone!"
"Whoa!?"
And Ami and Yumi jumped in and hugged me.
"Come on! Seriously... Pick up the phone, Takeru-nii! I was really worried!"
"Oh, Ami..."
Ami says this, tears flowing as she looks at me.
"Takeru-nii, please... Answer the phone properly. I was worried..."
Yumi is crying too, but she presses her face into my chest to hide it.
"I-I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, both of you... I'm so, so sorry."
I always thought they disliked me, so I never imagined they would worry about me this much and even cry. I felt a bit emotional too.
As the 3 of us hug in front of the entrance,
"Come on, Ami and Yumi, let it go now. Your brother is tired too... okay?"
Mom calls out to us with a smile from the kitchen.
"M-Mom... well... I..."
"Welcome back, Takeru. We can talk later. Dinner is ready now."
"Okay, Mom... I understand."
Saying this, I take off my shoes and step inside the house.
"Welcome back, Takeru-nii!"
"Welcome home, Takeru-nii!"
"Ami, Yumi... I'm home."
When I greeted them again, they smiled and took my hands.
I felt a little less tense after hearing their words and actions.
* * *
"Here comes your favorite hamburger steak today."
"...Mom"
When I entered the living room, my mom, who was just bringing food to the table, called out to me.
"Ah, well, before that... I've been a nuisance to everyone up until now..."
I was about to open my mouth to apologize.
However,
"Come on, let's eat before the food gets cold"
"Look, look, I'm sitting, I'm sitting!"
"⋯⋯The food is getting cold, Takeru-nii, sit down! Go to your place!"
The 3 of them completely ignored my words, and my 2 little sisters forced me to sit in a chair.
"Everyone is here! Okay, let's eat!"
"Let's eat!"
"Y-yes, let's eat..."
* * *
"Thank you for the meal..."
"Yes, it was a simple meal."
I casually said "thank you" to my mom, but I was really moved by her cooking.
For my family, it might seem like just another day since summer vacation, but for me, it was my first time back home in 5 years, and it was my mom's home-cooked meal.
Honestly, it was really delicious, and more than anything, I felt my mom's special touch in the hamburgers made just for me.
So, as a result,
"Ugh..."
"Wha──!? T-Takeru, what's wrong, all of a sudden!"
"Takeru-nii!"
"Takeru-nii...!"
I couldn't help but burst into tears.
"S-sorry!? I didn't mean to suddenly..."
I tried to apologize to the 3 of them for crying out of the blue.
But,
"It's okay, Takeru."
"M-mom?"
"I'm happy. Takeru is here again, eating with everyone in the living room."
"W-well... I..."
"It's okay. It's okay, Takeru. Your mom and these kids are on your side. We will definitely protect you, so you don't have to worry or feel anxious about anything."
"M-mom...!"
I never thought my mom was thinking like this...
Even though I had thrown hurtful words at her and pushed her away many times during the summer vacation.
"That's right, Takeru-nii! I will protect you!"
"A-Ami..."
"Yeah. Those who did terrible things to Takeru-nii will never be... forgiven."
"Y-Yumi...?"
Ami and Yumi also said they would protect me, just like mom.
Ah, well, one person (Yumi) seemed to have a slightly different tone, but...
Is it just my imagination?
"Anyway, seeing Takeru like this now makes me feel relieved."
"Huh? Relieved?"
"Yes. Honestly, until yesterday, you seemed so hopeless and determined to keep everyone away, like you had a strong barrier around you. But now, for some reason, I feel like you have really grown. Both in mind and body."
"! Is that so...?"
So sharp.
Parents really do watch their children closely.
"I felt it too! You're so different from yesterday, Takeru-nii!"
"Ami... I see."
"...I feel it too. And, I don't know why, but I feel like Takeru-nii has become really strong."
"Y, Yumi...?!"
Surprisingly, my little sister Yumi made an even sharper comment than Mom.
"S, strong...? Haha, there's no way that's true! I was bullied, you know?"
I said that, trying to cover it up.
Then,
"Bullied...? Takeru-nii, why are you talking about it in the past tense?"
"Ah...!"
Oh no!?
I panicked and accidentally spoke about the past.
"S, sorry, sorry, I misspoke. I was being bullied... I mean, I am being bullied. Hahaha."
I desperately tried to fix my mistake.
"...Oh, I see, just a slip of the tongue. Well, that's okay then."
Phew.
I managed to cover it up.
Still, Yumi has always had this strange '6th sense' about her.
I had forgotten about that.
Really, she always seems so spaced out and not listening to others.
Well, that aside.
I suddenly noticed something about Yumi.
Did she always have such a big chest?
Thinking about it, I hadn't seen my sisters at all since summer vacation started, so maybe she grew a lot during that time?
Ah, but Ami is still the same small-chested girl... As I was thinking this,
"Takeru-nii? Were you just thinking something really rude about me?"
"Huh!? W, what are you talking about, Ami!? N, no way that's true!?"
I desperately denied Ami's words.
Phew, somehow I managed to cover it up...
"Not at all, you didn't cover it up, okay?"
"Ugh!"
I really didn't manage to cover it up at all.
By the way, the two of them are my twin sisters, one year younger than me. The older one, Ami (Yuki Ami), is lively and cheerful.
In class, she often takes the lead and is good at bringing everyone together.
She's like the "typical popular girl" in Japan and has a 'cherry blossom hairpin' as her trademark.
Also, she has small breasts.
The younger sister, Yumi (Yuki Yumi), is the opposite of Ami; she's gentle and not really one to chat a lot with classmates.
For some reason, everyone in class treats her like a 'mascot' and she seems to be very popular.
By the way, this summer she has grown into a busty girl, my family's rising star (Is it strange to say 'rising star'?).
She wears the same 'cherry blossom hairpin' as Ami, but she wears it on the right side, unlike Ami.
These twin sisters, who are a year younger than me, caught the attention of everyone from the very beginning, not just the first-year classmates but also the upperclassmen, as 'beautiful girl sisters'.
That's why Sagawa and the others bothered me almost every day with "Introduce us to your twin sisters!"
I was bullied a lot, but I stood my ground on this.
I insisted and didn't give in.
Well, because of that, their bullying escalated even more from that point on.
But even now, I am proud of myself for not giving in at that time.
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