Chapter 330 – 330Th Episode – Relationship Counseling!
First, we went inside the house.
“Honey~ Rent and his colleagues are here!”
“Oh my, really?”
“Yeah! And it looks like there’s a new one too?”
Mom looked at Tikia, blinked, and said,
“Oh my, she’s adorable! Rent, who is she?”
“She’s Tikia. She’s our party’s mage, Mom. And for your information, she’s three years older than me.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Both Mom and Dad looked at Tikia in surprise.
Tikia bowed her head and said,
“Hello, Mother, Father, I’m Tikia.”
“Oh, oh. I, I see.”
“Ho, ho, ho. Yes. People can grow differently.”
After that, we sat down and talked.
I created the extra chairs with Mana Weapon.
Mom and Dad asked if we were okay during the flood.
They asked how the dungeons were these days.
They asked if we were getting along well.
And after some conversation, Mom and Dad glanced at Melissa.
Dad was the first to speak.
“So… Melissa?”
“Ah, yes. Sir.”
“Melissa, you’re with Rent in Platan now, right?”
“Yes. I work at the Adventurer’s Guild in Platan.”
“At the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“Yes. I’m a waitress.”
“I see, it’s good you found a job. But… I’m sorry. Rent suddenly took you away…”
“No, it’s more like… I wanted to go with him.”
“Huh? Is that so? Vice kept telling me that our Rent seduced Melissa and took her away…”
Melissa covered her face with her hands and sighed.
“Ugh… Dad…”
“Oh, you’re frustrating! Is that how it’s going to be? Son!”
“Ah, yes. Mom.”
“It was a bit difficult to bring up, so I didn’t say anything. But you know I can’t stand that, right?”
“Of course.”
Mom is the type to ask directly when she’s curious.
“Then I’ll ask… Taking Melissa away… does that mean? Are you two dating?”
“Ah…”
I can’t deny it here.
I already took Melissa to Platan.
If it wasn’t for that reason, they wouldn’t understand, and it’s the truth.
…This might be a good opportunity.
Originally, I was going to tell Mom and Dad about… me having a harem in a few months, but it might be good to say it all at once.
I scratched my cheek and said,
“Yeah, I’m dating Melissa. And of course… with the intention of marrying her.”
“Oh my, oh my oh my!”
Mom’s eyes, which were questioning me, widened and sparkled.
That’s the look she has when she’s having an interesting conversation with other women.
“I knew it! I knew it! Honey! We have a daughter-in-law!”
“Me, Melissa is dating Rent… I kind of expected it when he took her away… but hearing it like this is a bit confusing. Me, Melissa, do you… like our Rent?”
At Dad’s question, Melissa blushed and nodded.
“Yes… I love him.”
“Oh my oh my oh my! She says she loves him, honey!”
Thump thump thump!
Mom kept hitting Dad’s shoulder.
“I, I heard it too, honey. But it kind of hurts, so please stop.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry. I did it without realizing.”
“Ah… but Mom, Dad. There’s one more thing I need to reveal.”
“Huh? What is it? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me…”
Dad asked the question Mom was about to ask.
“Son? Don’t tell me you already have a baby?”
Of course, that question could come up.
But no.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that…”
Seeing my expression, Noah tilted her head and asked,
“Rent, are you going to say it now?”
“Ah… yeah. I think it’s better to say it now that it’s come to this. Ninya, how do you feel about it?”
“Hehe, I’m fine. Elsie and Tikia too, right?”
“Yes…”
“Huh? What? Oh… oh?! So, you haven’t told them yet?! And you’re revealing it now!?”
Come to think of it, Tikia didn’t know that I was hiding the fact that I had a harem from Mom and Dad.
But Tikia’s genius brain seemed to have grasped the situation right away.
“Yes, Tikia, how do you feel about it?”
“No, I came here thinking I would greet them from the beginning…”
So, she’s okay with it.
I composed myself and said to Mom and Dad,
“Mom, Dad.”
“Yes, son.”
“Yes, what do you want to say, our son?”
“I’m actually… dating everyone here.”
“”…Huh?””
Mom and Dad tilted their heads at the same time.
Mom and Dad looked at each other for a moment, then scanned everyone once, and finally looked at me.
“”Whaaaaaaaaaaat!?””
Yeah, I knew they’d react like this.
“Ho, ho, honey! Wh, wh, wh, what did our son just say?”
“Da, da, da, dating everyone? All the girls here?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, son, you’re amazing…”
Thanks, Dad.
“That’s not the point!”
Mom gave Dad a back smack.
Whack!
“Ouch!”
“Oh my, I can’t believe our son is a playboy!”
Mom, playboy is too much, isn’t it?
I love them all and I’m trying to take responsibility.
While I was wondering how to stop Mom from getting excited, Ninya approached her.
“Hehe, Mother. Please calm down for a moment.”
“Ah, no, this is calming…”
“I know what you’re worried about, Mother. You’re worried that Rent is just dating girls without a plan, right?”
“Uh… yeah. That’s right.”
“It’s okay. We all love Rent, and of course, Rent loves us too. Besides… you know, Mother, Rent is very wealthy, right? The money he gave you and Father is proof of that, isn’t it?”
“Th, that’s right.”
“So, Rent has the wealth to take responsibility for all of us, and he has the heart to love us without making us lonely. Of course, we know that, and we accept Rent having a harem.
It’s not like we have a bad relationship. If we did… we wouldn’t be in the same party, right?”
“Th, that’s true.”
“Hehe, then there’s no problem, right?”
“…Huh?”
After listening to Ninya’s words, Mom started to think deeply.
“That’s right?”
Mom was persuaded by Ninya.
Clearly, if I had said it, it would have had little effect, but because Ninya, one of my harem members, said it, Mom accepted it, right?
Mom looked at my lovers for a moment and said,
“You all… are accepting this?”
“”Yes.””
Everyone gave the same answer to this question.
“…Well, if the people involved are okay with it, then I have nothing to say.”
And Mom looked at me with a scolding look and said,
“Rent! Once you’ve decided to take responsibility, you have to see it through to the end! Got it!”
“Yes, Mom! I’ll make everyone happy!”
I gave a thumbs up and said to Mom.
Somehow, the harem reveal problem seems to be over.
“Oh, right, Mom.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Actually, I have two more lovers in Platan.”
And there’s one more woman I want to add.
“Oh my…”
Mom fell backward.
“Ho, honey!?”
“Mom!?”
I was relieved that Mom had allowed it, so I revealed it again… It seems I exceeded Mom’s tolerance.
I’m sorry, Mom.
◈
Dad laid Mom on the bed and came out to the living room.
“Dad, is Mom okay?”
“She’s fine. It’s similar to when she saw the gold last time, so she’ll wake up soon. More importantly…”
Dad looked at everyone once and then said to me,
“Son, shall we go out and talk for a bit?”
“Okay. Everyone, please wait for a moment.”
At my words, everyone nodded, and I went outside with Dad… and we walked along the forest path we always walked.
And after walking for a while, we stopped, and Dad looked at me…
“Son…”
He said with sparkling eyes.
“When did you start dating them?”
He had a very curious and expectant look.
“Uh… actually. When we all came to the village together for the first time? I was already… dating them then.”
“Really? That was only two weeks ago…”
“Yeah. And the… the two in Platan, I was already dating them too.”
“…Son, you’re really amazing. In two weeks, you have… one, two…”
Dad counted by unfolding his fingers one by one.
“You dated five people in two weeks?”
“…Yeah.”
Being confirmed by Dad like this makes me feel quite guilty.
“I thought you would have a girl in mind when you didn’t tell me, but you were already dating everyone…”
“…Yeah.”
“And you’re dating Melissa too?”
“Yes.”
“Son, as a man, I think you’re really amazing. I’m proud that you have the ability to take responsibility. But… dating seven women in two months is a bit much, I think.”
“Yeah… I understand how you feel, Dad.”
“Rent.”
“Yeah.”
“…Are you happy now?”
At Dad’s question, I answered confidently.
“Yeah, I’m very happy.”
“Then I won’t say anything more.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
“Of course, I would have been angry if you didn’t have the intention or ability to take responsibility, but our son is doing well.”
And Dad put his hand on my shoulder and said with a bright smile,
“You have to be happy, son?”
“Yeah!”
“Hmm, but I don’t know how Vice will take this… he’s still grinding his teeth that you took Melissa away.”
“Ah… Did Vice say anything to Mom or Dad?”
“I meet him at the bar sometimes, so he complains to me… but Telisha takes him away in the middle.”
It seems Aunt Telisha is taking good care of him.
“How about going to Melissa’s house before Mom wakes up?”
“Yeah, I will. Oh, right, Dad. Did you have breakfast?”
“Of course, I had the delicious stew your mom made.”
“Really? Then I’ll have the cream bread I bought in Platan later…”
Thump!
Dad put his hand on my shoulder again.
“Son, there’s a separate stomach for cream bread.”
Isn’t that what women often say, that there’s a separate stomach for snacks?
I took out one of the cream breads I bought in Platan from my inventory.
“Here, Dad. It’s the cream bread you like.”
“Oh oh! This is the cream bread they sell in Platan! Munch!”
As soon as Dad received the cream bread from me, he took a bite right away.
“Munch munch munch… Mmm!! It’s delicious! Our village’s cream bread is good too, but… the one from Platan is also very delicious!”
Dad ate the cream bread very deliciously, bite by bite.
I’m happy that Dad is happy.
Dad quickly finished the cream bread and wiped the cream from his mouth with his hand and licked it.
“Gulp! Slurp! Son! Thank you! It was very delicious.”
“I’m glad. Ah, I still have more cream bread, so I’ll give it to you when we get home.”
“Really!”
Dad’s eyes sparkled.
He must have really liked the cream bread I brought from Platan.
And Dad and I went back home.
Even after returning home, Mom was still lying in bed.
Dad brought a chair and sat next to the bed where Mom was lying.
“Son, I’ll watch over Mom, so go ahead.”
“Okay, Dad.”
I went to the living room and said to Melissa,
“Melissa, let’s go to your house first and say hello to your aunt and uncle.”
“Huh? Are we going now?”
“Yeah. Dad told me to talk to them before Mom wakes up.”
“Then we’ll wait at Rent’s house.”
“Okay, have a good trip, Rent, Melissa.”
“Have a good trip~.”
“Uh… huh? You haven’t told Melissa’s parents yet?”
“No. So, I’m going to talk to them. Tikia, please wait at home with everyone.”
“Okay. Rent, Melissa, have a good trip.”
“”Yes.””
And I left the house with Melissa… and arrived at Melissa’s house, which was right next door to our house, about 15 steps away.
I knocked on the door.
“Yes~.”
And Aunt Telisha opened the door.
“Oh my, Rent, Melissa. You’re back?”
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello, Mom.”
Melissa seems a bit shy, maybe because it’s been a while since she saw her.
That’s when it happened.
“What? Melissa?”
Uncle Vice appeared from behind Aunt Telisha with a whooshing sound.
“Melissa…”
“Ah, Dad, it’s been a while…”
“Melissaaaaaaaaa! My princessssssss!”
Uncle Vice was crying and tried to hug Melissa.