Chapter 5

After eating his mother's homemade curry to his heart's content, taking a hot bath, and snuggling into the warm futon, Natsume fell into a deep sleep until morning.

The alarm on his smartphone rang loudly, reminding him of its existence.

Since it was in the pocket of his school uniform jacket, which was hanging on a chair, he had to get out of bed to turn it off.

"Ugh... I don't want to get up."

However, the alarm was annoying, so Natsume reluctantly got up and turned it off.

"Hmm?"

There was a notification for a new message on his smartphone screen. When he opened it, he saw messages from many people, including Yuto, his childhood friend. Some of the senders were people whose names he couldn't even remember, but they were probably classmates.

"Have I ever received this many messages? No, I can't remember."

Sadly, while he had some friends, he wasn't close enough to receive many messages from them every day. Thanks to Yuto's antics during elementary school, his relationships with others had once been terrible, and since then, he had been careful not to get too deeply involved with friends.

"...This is unusual. I've received messages from Ichitō. Several of them. I wonder what's going on?"

Ichitō is Yuto's younger brother. He had more interactions with Ichitō than with Yuto, and personally, he wished Ichitō was his childhood friend. Ignoring the messages from other friends, he opened the ones from Ichitō.

"Is it true that your brother has a girlfriend?"

"That's impossible."

"To be honest, I got a call from Kaoru. She's very upset."

After staring at the messages for a while, Natsume tilted his head.

"Who is Kaoru?"

He understood that the issue Ichitō wanted to discuss was about his brother Yuto, but he didn't recognize the name Kaoru. He thought she might be someone Ichitō knew, but he couldn't recall, so he decided to reply.

"Sorry, I didn't notice the message. Hey, who is Kaoru?"

"Alright, that's done. I should get ready. ...Actually, I need to go somewhere out of sight to check my powers before going to school."

He put on his school uniform trousers, threw on a hoodie he had just received yesterday over his shirt, and then put on his jacket. He didn't bother buttoning it up, which used to be a problem with the upperclassmen, but now, as a third-year middle school student, no one glared at him for being impudent.

He grabbed his almost empty shoulder bag and put his smartphone in his pocket. He noticed the headphones on his desk, remembered how much he used to listen to music, and picked them up. He went downstairs from his room.

His mother was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast, and the smell of miso soup filled the air.

"Good morning."

"Oh, good morning. ...This is unusual. You're already getting ready?"

"Ah, yeah. Wait, didn't I always get ready?"

"You always wore your tracksuit until the last minute. But you're a third-year now. I'm glad you're being responsible. Go wash your face and brush your teeth. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Okay."

At the familiar sink, he looked at his 14-year-old self in the mirror. He chuckled, picked up his toothbrush, and started brushing his teeth with a generous amount of toothpaste.

(Mint is the best!)

The tingling sensation he used to dislike now felt endearing. In the other world, they had toothpaste, but it was just something like a toothbrush to scrub with. With the purification magic, he didn't have to worry about bad breath, and he could stay clean without a bath, but he often wanted to take a shower, especially after being drenched in blood. It goes without saying that he wanted to rinse off with a lot of water.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he sat down at the table.

"Is a light breakfast okay?"

"Please give me a super large serving!"

"...Didn't you usually eat lightly in the morning?"

"Breakfast is the foundation of the day. Besides, rice! I'm grateful for a full bowl of white rice!"

"...Did you hit your head? But it's good that you're eating a lot. Here you go."

"Itadakimasu!"

He clasped his hands, thanked his mother and the ingredients, and started eating. The miso soup, well-seasoned with white miso and dashi, soaked into his mouth. The ingredients were wakame and small pieces of tofu. The freshly cooked white rice was sweet with every bite. The side dishes were a fried egg, crispy bacon, and nori. He could use furikake freely. He never realized how wonderful this ordinary breakfast was.

"...Are you crying?"

"The food is so delicious, I couldn't help it."

"Should we go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine."

While receiving a strange look from his mother, he finished his meal quickly and drank some green tea, which he usually didn't drink. The slightly warm tea had a fragrant aroma, and the unique bitterness and sweetness were comforting.

"Oh, Japan, you're the best."

"What's wrong with this kid?"

Feeling full and refreshed by the tea, he wanted to go back to bed. However, he needed to understand his current abilities. Overconfidence was bad, but underestimating himself was also not good. It was important to have a clear understanding of his powers.

"Alright. I'll go a bit early."

"What's gotten into you? You used to say school was a hassle all the time."

"Boys have their reasons. Oh, by the way, do you know who Kaoru is?"

At Natsume's question, his mother looked a bit scared.

"Are you serious?"

"Ah, yeah. I got a message from Ichitō yesterday, and he mentioned someone named Kaoru, but I can't remember who she is."

His mother sighed deeply.

"You, of all people, should remember your step-sister!"

"---Ah!"

His mother's words made Natsume remember.

Aya Kaoru.

A second-year middle school student, one year younger than Natsume.

And, she was once his step-sister.

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