Episode 56 – Talking with Kana’s Parents (Middle)


I, Who Was Reincarnated as an Evil Character With Cheat-Level Stats in an Eroge, Will Live Freely in This Life


โ€œIs that trueโ€ฆ If it’s okay with you, could you tell me a little more about it?โ€

โ€œYeah. If it’s alright with you, Seito-kun, I’d like to hear a bit more tooโ€ฆ Like the reason you changed or what happened to make you feel differentlyโ€ฆโ€

Kazuki-san and Natsumi-san said that.

Apparently, Kana did mention that I’d changed from how I used to be, but she hadn’t gone into the details.

Like why I was so troubled back then, or why I changedโ€ฆ

Of course, I expected this question, and I never intended to hide anything from Kana’s parents.

โ€œWellโ€ฆ I figured I’d have to talk about that eventually. It might take a while, but is that okay?โ€

โ€œIt’s fine.โ€

โ€œOf course.โ€

โ€œAlright then, first about my pastโ€ฆโ€

โ—‡

I then told them everything about my past.

What I shared was mostly the same as what I’d told Kana.

About my family, why I felt I had to change, what I wanted to do going forwardโ€ฆ It’d be hard for them to understand everything on first meeting, thoughโ€ฆ

And the two of them listened to my story in silence.

That said, this time they didn’t seem completely expressionless.

When they heard I had no parents, no one to rely on, they looked genuinely shocked. I think Natsumi even looked like she might cry a little.

Amidst that, I continued speaking.

โ€œEven so, after meeting Kana-san, I felt a happiness that surprised even meโ€ฆ I felt a warmth I’d never known before, and seeing Kana-san’s smile made me smile tooโ€ฆ I’m fully aware that what I did up until middle school wasn’t goodโ€ฆโ€

It wasn’t my past, but it was definitely about me.

I’d decided to live carrying that burden, but maybe somewhere deep down, I still harbored anxiety.

Maybe I was just telling myself that the past would be okayโ€ฆ

Proof of that came when I actually spoke to Kana’s parents. Anxiety welled up inside me.

Would they accept meโ€ฆ? If they didn’t, what would I doโ€ฆ?

I could feel my voice trembling slightly. If I let my guard down, I’d probably start crying.

I never thought I’d become this timid myself.

The lines I’d rehearsed beforehand had vanished somewhere.

I’d told Kana how I felt several times already, but there were still things left unsaid.

I had to convey all my feelings nowโ€ฆ

โ€œI don’t want to leave Kana with a man like thatโ€ฆ It’s only natural you feel that wayโ€ฆ It might be selfish, but even soโ€ฆ Even so, I want to make Kana happyโ€ฆ I want to be happy with Kanaโ€ฆโ€

I conveyed what I was thinking in that moment.

Normally, I wouldn’t speak so emotionally; I’d have planned to think more calmly and speak carefully.

I’d spent the whole week thinking about it, figuring out how to express everything honestly and skillfully, and I’d planned to say it exactly like that.

But I couldn’t. I was surprised at myselfโ€”I simply didn’t have the composure.

I could hear Kana sniffling beside me.

As if drawn by her, I found myself looking down, tears falling.

I hadn’t intended to cry at allโ€ฆ

Then, seeing me like that, Kana squeezed my hand tightly.

After about a minute of silence, Kazuki-san spoke.

โ€œYeah. Honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave Kana with someone rumored to be like that. Or rather, I shouldn’t have wanted toโ€ฆ But hearing your story, that’s changed.โ€

Kazuki-san’s expression was calmer than before.

Following that, Natsumi-san spoke too.

โ€œThat pastโ€ฆ You must have suffered alone for so longโ€ฆโ€

Natsumi looked a little sad.

โ€œHuh, you twoโ€ฆ What do you mean by thatโ€ฆโ€

Kana, who had been silent the whole time, sniffed and asked that.

โ€œEven though I knew it would be fine since Kana and Mikuchan trust him so much, I was still worried at first. But after hearing Seito-kun talk, I realized it would be okay. It didn’t seem like he was lying at all, and most importantly, I could tell he genuinely likes Kanaโ€ฆ Right, Dad?โ€

Natsumi asked Kazuki.

โ€œWell, yeah. I don’t know everything about Seito-kun yetโ€ฆ But from talking to him, I thought he seemed like a really good kid.โ€

โ€œTh-thenโ€ฆโ€

โ€œYeah. Please take good care of Kana from now on, Seito-kunโ€ฆโ€

โ€œSame hereโ€ฆโ€

โ€œI-is that okayโ€ฆโ€

Of course I’m happy, really happy, but I barely got to talk to either of them.

Actually, I don’t even know how long it was, but I was just rambling on about the past and saying what I thought, and unlike earlier, I was a bit surprised. Until just now, they both had serious expressions and seemed a little uneasy.

Plus, some of the things I was thinking midway just flew out of my head, so my explanation might have been clumsy, and I had no idea how much of it they’d believe anywayโ€ฆ

โ€œYeah. Because we already understood. And above all, it really came across how much you care about Kana. That was probably the deciding factor.โ€

โ€œYeahโ€ฆ I felt that too. It definitely felt like we could trust you with Kana.โ€

โ€œAnd more than anything, your wordsโ€”not just that you’d make Kana happy, but that you wanted to be happy with herโ€”really resonated with meโ€ฆ I could feel how sincere you were.โ€

They both gave me such affirming words.

โ€œI’m so relievedโ€ฆ Ah, thank you bothโ€ฆโ€

Hearing their words, all the tension drained out of my body at once.

It hadn’t been that long, but I’d been tense the whole time since arriving at Kana’s house. I’d been anxious. All that feeling was released in an instant.

โ€œAh, thank you both so much!!! Thank you, Seito-senpai!!!โ€

Then, after thanking her parents, Kana hugged me tightly while saying it to me too.

She was definitely happy, but Kana was still crying.

Just like me, she must have been anxious.

With Kana’s parents watching, I gently stroked her head and said.

โ€œI’m the one who should thank you, Kana. Let’s take care of each other from now on.โ€

โ€œY-yesโ€ฆ I’ll do my bestโ€ฆ Please take care of me tooโ€ฆโ€

Then, she said she’d come back when Kana and I had calmed down, and stepped out into the hallway.

โ—‡

โ—Nanami Natsumi (side)

โ€œHe’s such a good kidโ€ฆโ€

โ€œI can’t say for sure yet, but I kind of felt that tooโ€ฆโ€

โ€œBut still, his feelings for Kanaโ€ฆ no, their feelings for each otherโ€ฆ they’re definitely real, right?โ€

โ€œYeah. I guess there’s no doubt about thatโ€ฆโ€

Despite saying that, he sounded a bit complicated.
Well, I know the reason, so I won’t bring it up, but it’s probably because he’s lonely now that Kana has a boyfriend.

Honestly, when Kana talked about Seito-kun, she was truly desperate, her eyes more earnest than I’d ever seen before. Kazuki-san said it tooโ€”it was the first time Kana had ever tried so desperately to convey something to us. So there was no doubt about Kana’s feelings.

For Kana, it was painfully obvious she loved him from the bottom of her heart. Even if Seito-kun was a bad boy, I don’t know if I could have opposed it.

Of course, as parents, we probably had to oppose it, but Kana was so head over heels that it made me think that.

And then there’s Seito-kun. I was really shocked to learn he has no family.

And no relatives eitherโ€ฆ that he had to be alone since he was littleโ€ฆ What I felt for him wasn’t pity, just pure worryโ€ฆ That’s how I felt. Sure, it’s in the past, but still.

Even so, I honestly thought Seito-kun was amazing for trying to pull himself together on his own. If I were in the same position, could I have recovered? No, it would be tough. Honestly, I doubt I’d even have survived that long.

Kana must have wanted to help him after hearing about his past. Truthfully, once I heard about it, the fact that he’d been acting out became pretty irrelevant to me. If he’s changed, that’s good, right? If he’s trying to change, that’s good, right? I even started thinking I wanted to support him.

Kana really is my daughterโ€ฆ

That’s what I think, but what about Kazuki?ใ€€

โ€œWhat do you think about Seito acting out?โ€

“I’m not sure. What Seito was doingโ€ฆ well, he admitted it himself, and it definitely wasn’t good. But knowing his background and seeing him now, I can’t bring myself to condemn himโ€ฆ At least, I felt sure he’d be okay now. And anyway, like I said before, just looking into Seito’s eyes, you can see how much he loves Kana. As a guy myself, I can tell that’s genuine.”

Honestly, you didn’t have to be a guy to see it.

More than anything, the way Seito-kun looks at Kana reminds me of Kazuki-san when we first started dating. I’m sure that’s part of why I believe Seito-kun really cares about Kana.

Remembering the past, I felt a wave of nostalgia and happiness wash over me, and I smiled as I said,

โ€œHehe, well, that sounds reassuring.โ€

โ€œFor now, anyway. Of course, if anyone ever makes Kana sad, I won’t forgive them.โ€

โ€œWell then, we should probably head back soon. We haven’t properly entertained Seito-kun yet.โ€

โ€œYou’re right.โ€

And so, we returned to the room where Seito-kun and Kana were.


Maiban


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