Turning back to the present...
I walked beside Juno, my wife of many years, carrying a laundry basket as I reminisced about those days. Hearing that Febral, who once seemed so put off by the idea of marriage, was finally settling down made me realize how quickly time had passed.
“By the way, Souma. Do you remember?”
Juno’s voice brought me back to my senses.
“Hmm? Remember what?”
“On the day I first learned who you really were, I said something to you on the castle balcony.”
The balcony? Which thing does she mean? As I puzzled over it, Juno chuckled.
“I told you, didn’t I? ‘If you ever get tired of life in the castle, tell me. I’ll take you on an adventure.’”
“Ohh. Yeah, you did say that.”
“Don’t you think our life now is sort of keeping that promise? I give you a place to rest when you’re worn out from the castle. Well...maybe it’s not exactly an adventure,” Juno said bashfully. The sight was so cute I shifted the basket under one arm and pulled her into a hug with the other.
“That’s true. But you should remember I said something too. ‘If you want to settle down somewhere, tell me,’ and, ‘I can set you up with work.’”
“Heh heh. Well, you could say I settled down here. You did set me up with work...and gave me something even more important.”
Just then, the side door of the house swung open.
“Ah, daddy!”
A three-year-old boy with green hair came rushing over.
I set down the laundry basket and scooped him up. “I’m home, Luka.”
This boy’s name was Luka Minazuki. My son with Juno. He had my brown eyes, but his green hair and rambunctious energy came straight from his mother. At that moment, he was waving his arms around wildly before tilting his head.
“You’re home? But you’re always here, Daddy.”
“Ahh... I guess I am.”
In Luka’s mind, I was always inside the Little Musashibo who did chores around the house, and sometimes I just stepped out of the costume. When he was younger, he’d actually thought Little Musashibo was his real father, and whenever I showed up once a week, he’d cry because a “stranger” had appeared in his home. After much desperate persuasion, he’d finally settled on the idea that both I and Little Musashibo were “Daddy.” A more thorough explanation would have to wait until he was older.
“Okay, Luka. What do you want for lunch? I’ll make anything.”
“Slurpy slurps!”
“Udon, huh. All right, udon it is.”
Luka loved udon, and he asked for it whenever he got the chance. I even made sure to keep the ingredients with me. As I picked him up and played with him, Juno suddenly called out my name. I turned to her, wondering what she wanted, and...
Mmf. Her lips pressed against mine.
“You’re kissing!” Luka announced, clapping his hands. He saw everything, which made it all the more embarrassing. Juno pulled back, a faint blush on her cheeks as she let out a playful snicker.
“Don’t just pay attention to Luka. Pay attention to me too, darling.”
Hearing her call me that brought a smile to my face.