Chapter 88

"Old man, so what’s the reason you called me here specially?"

After taking another sip of the sake and savoring it, I asked straightforwardly. If it was just to welcome me, he would have done something similar yesterday. There must be something special he wants to talk about.

The old man put a pickled vegetable in his mouth, chewed it, and then gulped down the sake as if to wash it down.

"I wonder where to start."

His face looked as tired as it did when he returned here in the evening, and he had a complicated expression, as if he was carrying something heavy.

"…Is it about Takero?"

I recalled the two of us sitting face-to-face here this morning when I said this.

"Yes, let’s start with that."

The old man straightened his posture slowly and continued speaking.

"Takero told me this morning that he had killed someone."

"Well, I figured as much. What did you say to him, old man?"

"I couldn’t say anything when I learned it was to save my beloved granddaughter. I couldn’t even scold him, let alone thank him… How could I say, ‘Thank you for killing someone to save Momo’?"

That night, I told Takero, ‘Well done.’ I thought that in this world, that experience would be a source of strength and not a bad thing.

"If I had to say something, it would have been an apology, but I couldn’t even say that. I didn’t know what to say."

But the old man didn’t say anything. Perhaps because Momo was his granddaughter, he felt a similar responsibility and couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Thinking about it, I wondered if my words of praise were really appropriate. Even though the world has changed, killing someone is generally not a good thing. However, Takero’s expression that day seemed relieved and clear. Perhaps he wanted the old man to say the same thing.

"I can understand how you feel, old man. I don’t know if Takero told you, but I affirmed him. I said it from the heart. What do you really think, old man?"

When Takero was sitting face-to-face with the old man at the dojo, his cloudy expression might have been because the old man didn’t say anything. He just wanted to be affirmed, but he wasn’t.

"In a world like this, there are times when it’s unavoidable. But Takero is still a child. I don’t want him to think it’s normal."

"True, that’s a valid point. But precisely because of this world, the way we think about children might have changed."

…Like in a different world where someone his age would set out as a full-fledged adventurer.

"Maybe it’s a strange thing for me to say, but I hope you can affirm Takero. He’s probably still struggling with it. Regardless of whether killing someone was right or wrong—I believe it was right—affirming him will help him feel a bit better. It will help Momo too."

The old man remained silent, looking down and touching the glass on the floor. A slight ripple appeared in the clear liquid when he touched it. He stared at it for a moment, then picked up the glass and took a sip. After drinking, he placed it back on the floor with a soft click.

"…Yanagi-kun, you’re kind."

Then, the old man said softly.

Hearing those words that didn’t seem to fit him, I felt a mix of irritation and embarrassment. To hide it, I took a sip of the sake, just as the old man had. Seeing that my glass was almost empty, the old man tried to pour more, but I stopped him and placed the glass back on the floor before speaking.

"That’s a misunderstanding. Let me make it clear: I brought those two here by chance. I’m just taking responsibility for helping them."

"That’s kind… No, never mind. But I understand. I’ll talk to Takero again."

"Thanks, do that."

As he said the same thing again, I sighed and put a pickled vegetable in my mouth to pass the time.

Even if the old man affirms him, I think it will take a long time for Takero and Momo to resolve this issue. Each time they have to kill someone in the future, it will come up again. If they don’t have to kill again, it might haunt them even more.

I can’t say anything more to Takero. He’ll have to come to terms with it gradually, with affirmation from others. Well, Takero seems strong both mentally and physically, so he might handle it well and find a way to reconcile with it.

"So, is there something else?"

When I said this and looked at the old man, he seemed reluctant to say something. His face changed from a moment ago, looking as if he had bitten into a bitter pill. I couldn’t quite imagine what it was, but I soon found out.

"…I hate to say this to you, Yanagi-kun."

The old man covered his mouth with his hand, stroked his chin, and continued.

"I want you to leave this place, Yanagi-kun."