Chapter 114: 114

“So, what was that thing the neighborhood association’s president’s wife talked about?”

I asked my dad.

We’re taking a break after lunch.

Shouhei headed off to wash the pots and pans, while Yuri-san and Rouge were taken away by the other kids.

Jaja and Nana, who had their bellies full of milk, were napping comfortably under a thin blanket with Aoi.

Aoi, Nana, and Jaja were sleeping side by side, and I was sitting next to Jaja, smiling and being comforted by the sleeping faces of the twins.

Aoi, who should have been awake a while ago, seemed to have fallen asleep while she was putting her hand on Nana’s stomach.

That felt good, didn’t it? I could understand how Aoi felt when she fell asleep.

Why is a baby’s stomach so exquisitely soft and pleasantly warm?

“You didn’t forget about it even though you’re an idiot.”

My dad responded with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Will you stop calling your own son an idiot without hesitation? Do you know that your eldest son is hurting more than you think?”

“Haha, no way.”

I am, idiot!

Why are you trying to make light of this?

My dad, who had been lying next to the wall, got up and scratched his cheek.

“Hm, is Aoi-chan asleep?”

“Oh, should I wake her up?”

If I’m going to be shocked, then it must be a big deal, right?

Aoi and I are the ones involved, so we should know.

“No, let her sleep. That’s what I said earlier. It’s probably more hurtful to Aoi than you. Well, there’s nothing she can do about it.”

“What? I don’t see what you’re getting to at all.”

Is this a complaint or a grievance?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I don’t know about me, but I’m sure Aoi is doing her best.

That’s what Aoi, who is concerned with her position as the wife of the Kazmachi family, is going through in this shelter life as well.

When she helped other mothers, she was praised for being a great wife, which made her very happy, and she takes the initiative to go here and there to help whenever she can.

If I do my best, the neighbors will trust the Kazamachi family!

She said with much fervor.

I’m sure that of all the young girls in this shelter, Aoi is the one who works harder than anyone else.

“… ah. Is it something to do with Aoi?”

“No, no. Aoi’s popularity here is increasing day by day. From the very young to the very old, men and women of all ages love Aoi-chan.”

Huh?

“Then what?”

“It’s you. The person who’s probably the most worried about that is Aoi-chan.”

What’s that?

“I’m not bragging, but I’m so used to people talking behind my back that I’m fine with it after a night’s sleep. I’m sure Aoi knows that, so she wouldn’t be heartbroken by my bad reputation.”

I’ve experienced criticism due to untrue rumors and unwelcoming treatment from my bad reputation countless number of times.

I’ll feel down the day I hear it, but I’ll bounce back the next day.

I don’t want to hear it as much as possible, though, because I’ll still be depressed!

“I’m not really proud of it, it’s embarrassing.”

Hey, don’t let out that deep sigh.

It’s real, I know.

“Ah… this is our fault too.”

My dad scratched his head and looked at Aoi and the twins.

“Aoi’s setting, huh? It wasn’t really that detailed, was it?”

Setting?

”Yeah, I’ve told people around us that she’s a child of the demon race and related to Rouge-chan, and we just glossed over the rest of it. Well, it was because if I went into too much detail, it would get exposed when confronted.”

That’s because they’re hiding the fact that they’re dragons.

I’m glad they haven’t been prying too deeply into it.

Aoi herself is careless in some ways, so there’s a chance she’ll do something careless if she’s grilled too much.

I heard that she used to go out a few times a year when she lived at Tusk Crag, and it would be tricky if her face was remembered at that time.

Then let’s just decide on the general framework, and the rest is the result of consulting with Shouhei and Mikuma.

“What about it? Did I do something wrong?”

That would be unpleasant.

I thought about it in an idiotic way, and I was proud of myself for having gotten away with it so well.

“Nope. The problem is the part you glossed over.”

“Huh?”

My dad picked up a paper cup next to the wall and drank the tea inside in a single breath.

While I’m waiting for it, I was trying my best to digest the talk and understand it.

‘You know what? No matter how idyllic the atmosphere is around here, it’s still a rural area with little entertainment. Think about it. A family moved in a hurry in the spring to a small country town, a young mother with babies, and twins, too. Furthermore, the eldest son is a Yankee-looking high school student. And they are a motherless family. At first, Aoi-chan didn’t go out much, either. They’ve all had a lot of suspicions about it until now.”

Yes, indeed.

In the countryside where the number of inhabitants is small, the Kazamachi family stood out.

In the beginning, Shouhei and I were ridiculed as unbalanced siblings even before we moved here.

It’s not uncommon for people to look at us in a strange way.

“Then this happened, we were forced to evacuate and get out of the house. And Aoi-chan is in high spirits about helping out, right? It’s unavoidably noticeable. That kind of thing.”

“But Aoi’s impression is favorable, isn’t it?”

What’s wrong with that?

“Ah, with all the different races living alongside each other these days, young mothers themselves are not that uncommon. Each race has a different definition of adulthood. That’s why Aoi herself is making a good impression the harder she tries. So it’s you.”

Huh?

“Okay? Think again with your unimaginative mind? You’re going to have to work hard on this one, because I feel sorry for Aoi-chan, okay?”

“W-what?”

Hey, stop putting on airs!

This is starting to freak me out.

I thought about what I was told, pressured by my father’s intimidating air as he looked at me with a serious face.

We are a motherless family.

Us two sons have been living with our father since our mother died of illness seven years ago.

We moved to this town around spring, and I’m sure Shouhei and I were in a bit of a hurry for the new school year.

I met Aoi on the first day we moved here.

It would look like we moved in with Aoi from the start. The same goes for Jaja and Nana.

I haven’t let her go out much until recently.

I was afraid of running into the treasure hunters, and more importantly, I was worried about the little guys.

We’ve been able to move more freely in this refuge than before after making sure that the Gasara and the Paradise siblings have no intentions of confronting each other.

That’s why Aoi has become friends with other mothers, and Jaja and Nana have friends of the same age.

… Huh?

What about me?

Shouhei is adored by the adults at the shelter for his all-around housekeeping skills, and even my dad is relied upon as the main force of the tree removal process.

Ah, it’s me.

I’m the only one who’s impression hasn’t changed.

“You know what I mean? The image that the neighbors have of Aoi now. How it’s perceived by the public that a girl with young children is away from her parents and in an all male household? This is a serious problem for you.”

“A-ah… aaah.”

That’s right.

If I can’t explain it in detail, that means I can’t make excuses for it either.

So the images of me and Aoi are supplemented by the neighbors’ imaginations.

“In other words…”

My dad’s face gets even more serious.

What is this unusual thirst?

I tried to swallow my spit, but it didn’t moisten my throat at all.

“A young demon girl impregnated by a bad man, kicked out of her home by her parents for one reason or another, is praiseworthy for trying her best to work hard in a different land. The man who impregnated her is a Yankee with a mean expression. A relative’s older sister is worried about her and moves in with her, but she must be struggling with two children. The adults around her make use of the unique network in the country town to help. It’s time for the husband, the eldest son, to get a sense of responsibility and try his best.”

Ugh, uwah.

Wow!

“That sums up what the neighborhood association’s president’s wife said to me earlier. It’s a lot of work, but we can always count on you. All I could do was smile with a stiff expression.”

Oh, no.

That’s not good!

I’m not the only one who’s been wronged!

It may look like that to others, but it’s too much!

No, the problem is when the story reaches Aoi’s ears.

Yes, the damage was severe, but it wasn’t unbearable for me.

I’d just have to grit my teeth and endure it.

But it would be unbearable for Aoi, who likes me and is also always worried that she’s causing us trouble.

She’ll fret that my bad reputation is spreading because of her presence!

“D-dad! What to do! What should we do!”

“Calm down, you idiot. There’s nothing immediate you can do about this.”

Yeah, you’re right.

I can’t even tell you what’s really going on.

“That means you.”

Yes, it’s me.

“Kazamachi Kunpei, as the father of the twins and husband of Aoi-chan. All you can do is increase the reputation of that name.”

Ah, that…

“Your actions could determine the future of the kids and Aoi-chan. You know that, right?”

I know…