A foreign-made sedan cruised down the coastal highway, all of the windows rolled down to let the fresh ocean breeze flow in.
“I always love driving down this highway.” the driver, a man in his mid-forties, said. His hair whipped behind him in the wind, and despite his age, he looked quite handsome and young enough to be mistaken as thirty.
This man was Tomoichi Shirasaki, Kaori’s father.
“He he, it does feel nice,” the woman in the front passenger seat said. She was Kaoruko Shirasaki, Kaori’s mother.
The resemblance between the two of them was so strong that it was clear Kaori would look just like her mother when she grew older. Much like Tomoichi, Kaoruko didn’t look at all like she was in her forties.
“Y-You think so too, right, Kaori?” Tomoichi asked, glancing at his daughter through the rearview mirror. He’d been looking back at her constantly, much to the chagrin of his wife, who wanted him to focus on the road.
“......” Kaori said nothing in response. She was wearing a white dress under a thick cardigan. With her hands neatly in her lap, she looked like the daughter of some rich family. The way she stared out of the window at the ocean was so picturesque that it belonged in a Hollywood movie. Unfortunately, her expression ruined the otherwise perfect image. It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard her father, but she was purposely ignoring him. That much was clear from the frown on her face.
Tomoichi cleared his throat and once more tried to catch his daughter’s attention.
“I’ve always wanted a beachfront house. Maybe we should move—”
“Over my dead body,” Kaori said, and Tomoichi let out a small groan. Still, he refused to give up.
“Y-You’re the one who always complained that you didn’t want to go back every time we came here. You’ll be able to live closer to Sakura-oneechan too. Don’t you think—?”
“If you want to move, then you can do it. I’m staying.”
“That’s too cruel, Kaori!” Tomoichi exclaimed, turning back to Kaori. Naturally, the car started to swerve, and Kaoruko slapped him, forcing him to look back at the road in front of him.
In a stern voice, she said, “Dear?” and Tomoichi immediately apologized. He knew how terrifying his wife’s wrath could be. Much like Kaori, Kaoruko’s rage was a sight to behold.
“Come now, dear, there’s no way Kaori would want to move, especially since Shizuku-chan isn’t going anywhere.”
“Y-You have a point, but...I still think it’s a good idea...” Tomoichi grumbled to himself.
Right now, the Shirasaki family was heading to the house where Tomoichi’s parents and older brother lived. His older brother had a daughter named Sakura, who was four years older than Kaori. She’d always been a very mature girl, and Kaori had always looked up to her like an older sister. As an only child, Kaori had always wanted siblings, and Sakura had been the closest thing to one.
Tch, I thought if I brought up Sakura-chan, I might be able to change Kaori’s mind... Tomoichi thought to himself. He was truly desperate right now. His beloved daughter had miraculously returned to him, only to tell him that she’d fallen in love. Now the mere mention of Hajime’s name soured his mood.
“Besides, Kaori’s never going to leave the city Hajime-kun lives in,” Kaoruko said with a chuckle, knowing that saying Hajime’s name would set Tomoichi off.
“Please don’t, Kaoruko! We finally get to have a proper family gathering, so don’t bring up that miserable brat and ruin the—”
“Dad?” Kaori said in a chilly voice, and Tomoichi shivered. He knew that if he turned around he’d see a demonic mask floating above Kaori’s head. But even so, he couldn’t back down here. His beloved daughter was being deceived by this villainous man (or so he thought) and he had to bring her back to her senses!
“K-Kaori, calm down. I’m sorry, I should have chosen my words more carefully. Still, I think that shitty philanderer shouldn’t—”
“Fine, I’m going home. Bye, dad.”
“Nooo! Listen to me, Kaori! I’m saying this to protect you!”
“You’re insulting people for my sake? I didn’t know you were such a horrible person, dad.”
“You’ve got it all wrong, Kaori! I don’t want to say such horrible things about H-Ha-that guy! I’m grateful to him too!”
“Really?” Kaori said, finally turning to face her father, a dubious look on her face.
“Yes, really. If not for that bast—I mean, that guy, you wouldn’t have made it back home, right? And while I still can’t believe it, he even...”
“Yep, he saved my life.”
After getting back home, Kaori had told Tomoichi and Kaoruko about everything she’d been through in Tortus. Like Hajime’s parents, they hadn’t believed her at first, but after seeing her use magic, they’d had no choice but to.
With the amount of proof they’d seen, Tomoichi and Kaoruko fully believed that Kaori had been sent to a different world for a whole year. As a result, it had been quite chilling to learn that Kaori had died once, had her soul transferred to a different body, and even had to fight against a god’s army. She’d come close to dying for good countless times, so it was only natural that they’d be worried.
“It really is a miracle that you returned to us, and it seems he’s the one who brought you all back. I owe him everything.”
“Dad...” Kaori mumbled, her expression finally softening. She could tell her dad wasn’t lying. Kaoruko nodded along in agreement.
Indeed, the first time both of them had met Hajime, they’d hugged him and professed their heartfelt thanks with tears in their eyes. But even so, Tomoichi couldn’t accept that the two of them were in a relationship. Not because he disapproved of the two of them going out, but rather because he disapproved of Hajime’s harem.
“But still, how can that bastard cheat on you with all those other women when he already has such a perfect girlfriend, Kaori? He doesn’t even feel guilty about it. Instead, he’s openly flaunting his harem! Only a scumbag would do that!”
“Forget it. I hate you, dad.”
“Gah!”
That was the last thing Tomoichi wanted to hear, so he nearly started coughing up blood. Tears welled up in his eyes, he wailed, “Please don’t hate me, Kaori, my beautiful angel!”
“Oh dear, please just accept it already. Kaori had a crush on Hajime-kun even before they got summoned away. Isn’t it wonderful that her love finally bore fruit in the harsh climate of another world?”
“No one told me she had a crush on him for that long!”