Chapter 49 – Episode 49. Summer Festival (1)
Even though I got an adult ID, it didn’t change my daily life.
As usual, I was collecting small amounts of money by playing various mini-games.
“Nice!”
“Agh! Why did the heavens create Takuya and then me!”
For reference, this small amount wasn’t for stock or coin investment, but for my personal snacks.
No matter what, I couldn’t use Miyuki’s money for my snacks.
Of course, the little kids who gave me money were pitiful, but that’s none of my business.
After getting the money from those snot-nosed kids, I was about to move on to the next game, feeling excited.
“Ah! I finally found you! Takuya!!”
That was until Souta found me while I was teasing my next prey.
The prey I had almost caught quickly ran away when Souta approached.
‘Damn it, I almost had him.’
Watching that, I clicked my tongue in disappointment and looked at Souta, who had called me.
If he had called me for something trivial, he would pay the price.
I stared at Souta with intense eyes, but Souta, perhaps thinking that I was happy to see him, just greeted me cheerfully.
“Hi, Takuya!”
“Hi. Anyway, Souta, why did you look for me?”
“That’s right! We have to go quickly!”
Huh? Go?
“Where?”
At my question, Souta spoke to me as if I had forgotten.
When I nodded, Souta explained it to me in an easy-to-understand way.
“Today is the day of the fighting game tournament!”
Ah. Right, that?
It was definitely a promise I made while getting close to Souta to create a rivalry with Miyuki.
‘Was it today?’
When I slowly recalled, it was true.
After making Miyuki my personal slave, I hadn’t paid any attention to it, and I had forgotten.
It might seem a bit too much, but society is cold.
‘Society is cold.’
A child’s innocence is nothing to my cold society… Saying it like this sounds a bit strange. Anyway, adults are cruel.
So, I thought to myself, should I just not go? I secretly thought that.
“Ah. And the prize money is…”
That was until I heard the amount of the prize money.
“It’s 200,000 yen!”
“200,000 yen?”
“Yeah!”
That’s quite a lot for a small town tournament.
I thought to myself and said to Souta, who was worth the prize money to me.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Huh? Ah, yeah! Let’s go!”
At my words, Souta hurriedly told me which way to go and started walking next to me.
And so, we began our arduous march to the next town where the tournament was held.
***
Actually, even though I said it was an arduous march, the distance to the next town was only about 30 minutes on foot, so it wasn’t that far.
Thanks to that, we arrived at the bustling event venue and immediately started playing the game.
And so, we who had come all the way to the next town for the tournament, ironically…
“This is crazy.”
“Takuya, no bad words!”
We were immediately eliminated in the preliminary round.
To be precise, I lost the last match to go to the main round, and Souta just lost continuously and was eliminated.
Didn’t you seem confident when we first talked about the tournament?
There was a time like that…
-Tatata-tak!
That was before I met the ‘real’ deal.
I glanced over at the blonde woman with fair skin who was currently playing the game.
Even though she was wearing sunglasses and a hat, she was a stunning beauty, enough to tell.
No. Actually, she was someone very familiar to me.
That’s because…
“As expected of my older sister!”
“There’s no one to compete with her!”
“Kuh… This younger brother is moved by my older sister’s combo-kuh!”
“I’m playing a game. Shut up with the nonsense.”
The person who was beating up the men who looked like they were in their 30s was Takuya’s mom, no. Is she my mom now? Anyway, it was Yuka, one of my moms.
‘She’s definitely a person who is a person.’
According to Yuka’s mom, she was famous for her beautiful looks in the neighborhood since she was young.
Yuka’s mom was definitely pretty. No. Ayaka’s mom was also pretty, but they were different.
Yuka’s mom was a beauty with the aura of an idol or celebrity, while Ayaka’s mom was a person whose elegant appearance, like a model or actress, was charming.
I wondered why such a person had engaged in compensated dating, but there are many stories in the world.
Anyway, as I was watching my mom for a while, my mom, who had finished the game, greeted her opponent lightly and then came over to where Souta and I were and asked.
“How was it? Your mom’s game?”
“You were as impressive as the person who beat me.”
At my words, Yuka’s mom chuckled and said.
“Alright.”
As she said that, she stroked my head.
My height was similar to my mom’s, so her posture was a bit awkward, but I willingly accepted my mom’s touch.
For reference, Yuka’s mom said that she knew it was me the moment she entered the arcade.
I guess it was because I had a striking appearance.
In comparison, Yuka’s mom was noticeable, but she looked different from her usual style, so it seemed difficult for other people to recognize her.
Usually, she had an outgoing gyaru vibe, but now she looked like a gyaru who was a bit of a player.
So, the reason why my mom was suddenly participating in this game tournament was…
“Ah. This is just my hobby.”
She said it was just a hobby.
It seemed like she was a mother with a rather unique hobby.
Well, it seemed like she was hiding something more…
‘Let’s just let it go.’
I agreed to that and then asked my mom, who had advanced to the finals.
“So, if you win, you’ll buy us meat?”
“If it’s a family restaurant.”
“Then, let’s pack some for Ayaka’s mom too.”
“That’s a good idea.”
At my words, Yuka’s mom agreed and told us to watch her well since it was almost time for the finals, and then she left.
And a little while later.
“The winner of the ○○th ○○ Arcade Tournament is Yuka!”
My mom quickly returned after taking the enemy general’s head before the sake had time to cool.
““Waaaaah!””
When the winner’s name was announced, the small arcade echoed with loud cheers.
Well, it was only natural.
They had held an offline fighting game tournament where there were few women, and a woman with great skills and outstanding beauty had won.
It would have been strange if there were no cheers.
Of course, because of that.
“Hey, hey. Should I try talking to her?”
“With your face, maybe you can?!”
There were people with such impure thoughts, but I easily dealt with them.
“Mom! You’re awesome!”
I shouted loudly towards Yuka’s mom, and at my shout, Yuka’s mom made a V sign with her hand and was happy.
Of course, people murmured at that sound.
“She’s married?”
“Well, it’s strange if someone that pretty doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“Aww. Too bad.”
“Possible.”
“You get out of here.”
After a brief commotion, Yuka’s mom, who had safely received the prize money, took me and Souta to a pretty nice family restaurant nearby.
We had a good meal there and chatted happily.
After chatting for a while.
While drinking melon juice for dessert, an interesting topic came up during the conversation.
“Ah. Come to think of it. I heard that the summer festival is in two days. Will you go, Souta?”
“Ah! Yes, we’re going together as a family this time!”
“Summer festival?”
“We talked about it while eating breakfast. They said they’re going to have a pretty big fireworks display this time.”
It was about the summer festival that was going to be held this time.
‘If it’s a Japanese summer festival, is it like the one that often appears in anime?’
The one where you wear a yukata and eat squid or candied apples.
If it’s the same as what I saw in anime.
‘It’ll be fun.’
It seemed like it would be quite fun.
The last festival I experienced was the festival I had in middle school and the military-style festival.
Of course, the festivals held in closed and narrow societies were worse than those held in the civilian world.
It was only natural that I, who had only experienced pseudo-festivals, was looking forward to it.
While I was thinking that, Yuka’s mom said.
“Then, shall we meet at the shrine in two days?”
“Ah. I’m going with Souta.”
“With Souta?”
“Yeah. I’m going to play games before going.”
At my words, my mom made a face as if to say, ‘This guy?’ but then reluctantly allowed it.
“But don’t cause too much trouble.”
“Where else is there someone who listens as well as I do?”
“This guy?”
We chatted for a while and then went home.
***
Late at night.
There was a person sitting at the dining table, drinking, in the house where everyone was asleep.
That person was the owner of this house and Yuka, the biological mother of a certain Takuya.
She was drinking late at night.
“Haa…”
The reason she was drinking was simple.
It was because of her son, Takuya.
No. To be precise.
“Who the hell are you…”
It was because of someone in her son’s body.
