I Became the Strongest With The Failure Frame【Abnormal State Skill】As I Devastated Everything

Chapter 464 - Shining, Glowing Within the Dim Light

The front door opened.

A woman appeared.

As if she had been waiting impatiently, the woman smiled.

[You must be Hijiri-san, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Mimori Suzuna, Touka’s aunt.]

Her voice was calm and refreshing, yet carried a firm core, soft and pleasant at the same time.

[Nice to meet you. I’m Takao Hijiri.]

Right now, Itsuki was killing time at a nearby traditional-style café.

Unlike Hijiri, Itsuki wasn’t very good at maintaining a lie.

She herself was aware of it and had opted not to attend.

However, she still insisted on accompanying them partway, just in case.

She said she would wait until everything was over at the café she had picked out nearby.

[What a lovely young lady…… fufu, that boy really can’t be underestimated. And that outfit suits you perfectly.]

[———-Thank you very much.]

Today, Hijiri was in casual clothes.

Her overall style leaned slightly more toward a subdued, chic tone than usual.

However, she avoided anything too funeral-like.

After all, he was still officially considered missing.

That consideration had gone into her choice…… or so she thought, but her sister had said otherwise.

“Eh? I don’t think you look that different from usual though? If anything, Big Sis, you’ve got amazing material to work with, so I think you could be a bit more adventurous. You know, you always score a perfect 100, right? But objectively, that’s more like 150. So I think you could aim for S-rank or something too.”

It wasn’t even scores anymore, it had become rankings.

Hijiri had instinctively retorted at the time.

But Itsuki had continued:

“Right, right, I want you to try a different style! ……Ehh? No way, no way! I want to see Big Sis’s different outfits~~ not just sometimes, but at least twice a week~~”

Just what did that girl think her twin sister was?

Moreover, just leave those rankings when they were heroes.

The man standing behind Suzuna spoke up.

[Welcome, Hijiri-san.]

(This person is……)

[I’m Mimori Sousuke, Touka’s uncle. I apologize for calling you here on such short notice due to our circumstances……]

[Now, now, Sousuke-san, it’s rude to keep her standing in the entryway.]

[Ahh——– right.]

Suzuna smiled gently and, with a friendly gesture, invited Hijiri inside.

Hijiri bowed slightly, and saying “Excuse my intrusion”, she removed her shoes and slipped into the house slippers.

[Ah, please have a seat over there.]

She was guided into the living room and prompted to sit on the sofa.

The room carried a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

It wasn’t cluttered.

And yet, it held a definite sense of lived-in comfort.

It wasn’t the kind of neatness that came from stripping a space down to minimalism.

Rather, it was cleanliness born from careful, natural attention to tidying and upkeep.

(I see…… so this is the kind of environment Mimori-kun was raised in……)

Though they had only exchanged a few words so far, she felt she had already come to understand a part of him.

[Hijiri-san, sorry, just a moment.]

From behind the counter in the kitchen, Suzuna beckoned her over.

[ ? ]

Hijiri moved and stood in front of the open refrigerator.

Suzuna pointed at several bottled drinks lined up inside.

[Which one would you like?]

[……Then I’ll have this one.]

[Alright, got it!]

Hijiri chose rooibos tea.

She thought it was a rather unusual approach.

To call someone over to the fridge and let them choose for themselves.

[Then please go back to the sofa and wait a moment, okay? Sousuke-san, you’re having your usual?]

[Suzu, want me to help with anything?]

[I’m fine. But in return, don’t neglect our important guest until everything’s ready, okay?]

Sousuke let out a wry smile.

[Understood.]

It seems he calls his wife “Suzu”.

The sofa was arranged face-to-face with a low table in between.

To the side stood a fairly large television placed atop a stand.

Facing Sousuke across the table, Hijiri lowered herself onto the seat, holding down her skirt as she sat.

It was Sousuke who began the conversation.

[It must have been rough.]

He was referring to the incident that occurred during the school trip.

[Yes…… I never imagined I’d get caught up in something like that.]

He was talking about being caught in a landslide.

But what Hijiri recalled was something else as well, a summoning to another world.

A brief silence followed.

Sousuke lowered his brows slightly and spoke with a tone of impressed surprise.

[Even so, I was quite shocked. To think Touka had such a cute girlfriend.]

[So people still do say that word?]

[Eh?]

[“Boyfriend” and “girlfriend”, people still use those terms, right?]

[……Eh? What do you think, Suzu?]

Suzuna set a glass from the tray onto its saucer.

[I- I wonder……? Well…… you don’t really hear it much these days…… maybe?]

Her tone was modest, but it implicitly suggested “Isn’t that outdated?”.

After thanking her for the drink, Hijiri instinctively exchanged a glance with Sousuke……

“So, what’s the truth of the matter?”

———-as if silently asking the same question.

[Well, isn’t it fine, you two?]

Suzuna placed a wooden deep dish filled with baked sweets on the table and smiled softly, innocently.

[As long as the meaning gets across, it doesn’t matter what words you use…… It’s not like it’s forbidden by law, right?]

[That’s true, but……]

Sitting beside him, Suzuna lightly nudged Sousuke.

[Alright, Sousuke-san, scooch over a bit.]

The way she playfully pushed her husband was somehow adorable.

They really are a close couple, Hijiri thought.

(Moreover……)

Somehow, she felt they resembled someone.

Suzu’s expression……especially the way she smiled, reminded her of “her”.

Not in personality or manner of speaking, but in atmosphere———– the air she carried felt similar.

That person———— Seras Ashrain.

Suzuna straightened her posture and spoke.

She carried a dignified air, yet her eyes were gentle.

[Hijiri-san. Once again, thank you for coming today.]

The Mimori couple were both cheerful.

Their demeanor wasn’t dark or heavy.

But……

(Their eyes are swollen, and there are faint dark circles beneath them……)

Suzuna had probably concealed hers with concealer or something.

Even so, their lack of sleep was obvious at a glance.

It seemed they hadn’t been sleeping well.

Most likely———– because they were worried about him, who was still missing.

And yet, perhaps out of consideration for Hijiri, they were making an effort to stay bright, so as not to cast a shadow over the mood.

[On the contrary, I’m the one who should thank you for responding so kindly to my sudden call.]

As Hijiri bowed her head, Sousuke gave a wry smile.

[I don’t usually answer calls from unknown numbers…… but after listening to the voicemail you left, I thought “I have to meet you”. Still, the relationship between you and Touka really came out of nowhere for us…… maybe there’s still a lot about him we don’t know……]

[————–]

[……Hijiri-san?]

[No——— yes, you’re right. In the same way, I’m sure there are still sides of Mimori-kun that even I don’t know.]

(Just now……)

He hadn’t said “there was”.

He had said “there is”.

Because he believed that somewhere———- Touka was still alive.

He didn’t see him as someone of the past.

Suzuna murmured, her gaze drifting slightly upward as if searching through her memories.

[Indeed. I really had no idea either……] 

[My family is actually quite strict about that sort of thing……]

[Ah, I see……]

Suzuna gave a look of understanding.

[Yes. So not only did I keep it from my family, I also hid it from those around me at school. We both agreed to it, but it was more my request than anything. I did tell my twin sister, with Mimori-kun’s consent, but that was much later…… I think only the three of us knew about our relationship.]

Suzuna smiled.

That sounds like him, she seemed to say.

[I think Touka faithfully kept his promise to you, Hijiri-san. That’s why he kept it hidden from us too. Of course, it’s not like I didn’t feel a little lonely that he didn’t tell us, but…… he always did have that oddly strong sense of obligation, didn’t he?]

[That’s true.]

Indeed.

Still smiling, Suzuna lowered her gaze to the cup in her hands.

[……It’s strange, isn’t it? They say that for students who go missing, survival is already considered unlikely…… but for some reason…… I feel like Touka is still alive somewhere, living a life different from this one……]

She let out a soft laugh, a faint smile on her lips.

[But that’s odd, right? If that were the case, he’d at least send some kind of message…… wouldn’t he? So maybe it’s not that I don’t feel like he’s dead, but rather, it feels like he’s still alive.]

She just hasn’t accepted reality yet.

Normally, that’s what people would say.

That’s what they would think.

But———– That wasn’t it.

Hijiri thought.

If only she could tell them the truth here and now.

No———- should she go ahead and tell them?

For a moment, she nearly gave in to that temptation.

After a brief silence and inner hesitation, Hijiri finally spoke.

[Mimori-kun…… told me many things about the two of you. I thought it was unusual. He rarely talked about other people like that…… so I realized just how special you must be to him. And today…… I feel like I finally understand why.]

[Hijiri-san……]

[Perhaps he already told you this himself before…… but how he felt about you both, and how deeply grateful he was…… may I share that with you?]

Almost at the same time, both Sousuke and Suzuna straightened their posture.

[……Please.]

Sousuke said.

▽

[———-And…… that’s what he said.]

Before her return, Mimori Touka had entrusted her with a message, “Please tell this to the two of them”.

Hijiri conveyed it in full to his uncle and aunt.

The moment she finished———– Suzuna rose slightly from the sofa and gave a deeply apologetic, strained smile.

[Um, I’m sorry…… I might have had a bit too much to drink. Excuse me, I’ll just step away to the restroom for a moment.]

With hurried steps, Suzuna left the living room.

The sound of her slippers gradually faded into the distance.

[……………………]

She had said she drank too much.

But her glass was still on its first serving, and it wasn’t even that empty.

Watching over her as she left, Sousuke then turned back toward Hijiri.

[Would you like a refill? You’ve been talking for a while, your throat must be dry.]

[No…… I’m alright.]

[I see.]

Sousuke replied gently.

He cast a brief glance down the hallway where Suzuna had gone.

[……It might take a little while for Suzu to come back.]

As he said this, Sousuke lifted his cup and took a small sip.

Then, he met Hijiri’s gaze.

Directly.

[Thank you, Hijiri-san. For reaching out…… and for coming all this way to see us.]

Sousuke set his cup back onto the saucer and lowered his gaze to his hands.

[Even so…… Touka really is unfair, isn’t he?]

[……Unfair?]

[Unn.]

As if feeling a gentle warmth brush against his cheek, Sousuke closed his eyes.

[We still have so many things we want to tell Touka…… so many things we need to tell him.]

▽

Before long, Suzuna returned, her eyes slightly red, and they shifted into light conversation.

She was probably trying to keep things from becoming too heavy.

[We need some cheerful topics too, right?]

With that, Suzuna smiled and began sharing fond memories of Touka.

Hijiri, too, spoke of her own memories with him, carefully embellishing her stories from the other world.

Of course, she kept hidden the sides of Touka that would differ from the one the couple knew.

During their conversation, she also learned that the couple had once undergone fertility treatment.

[At first…… I struggled with the thought that maybe we took Touka in for our own selfish reasons…… that we used the excuse that we couldn’t leave him with my missing brother-in-law and his wife as a shield. But in the end, I’ve also thought that maybe…… we just wanted to make Touka into a substitute for our own child……]

Suzuna spoke with her gaze lowered.

[No…… I think that’s exactly what it was…… But in the end———- he never became a substitute.]

[You’re right.]

Sousuke agreed beside her.

Suzuna gave her husband a soft, gentle smile before lowering her gaze to her lap.

[Touka is Touka, he’s not a replacement for anyone. He’s simply precious…… irreplaceable…… our own dear Touka.]

[And when it comes to Touka…… it’s not like we had no complaints either.]

Sousuke clasped his hands together on the table.

With the pad of his right thumb, he rubbed his left thumb twice.

[I think Touka could’ve been a bit more selfish with us. How should I put it…… he was too good of a kid. Or rather, he tried too hard to be the “good kid” we wanted him to be…… maybe. And maybe we relied on that side of him more than we should have.]

[That’s true…… Maybe he was always trying to be a child who didn’t cause trouble…… truly easy to raise…… cheerful, lovable———- an ideal child. But…… maybe our consideration made him feel some kind of burden instead…… That’s something I can’t help but think now…… Because that child……]

As if savoring the weight of her feelings, Suzuna spoke.

[He’s such a kind child.]

Inside, Hijiri was deeply impressed.

(……I give up. I understand now…… I can see why Mimori-kun spoke of them the way he did……)

Perhaps Touka had tried too hard to become the kind of person they wished him to be———

That was what the couple now recognized as something to reflect on.

Suzuna gently placed her hand over the one resting on Sousuke’s knee.

With eyes that looked firmly toward the future, she smiled and said to him:

[That’s why———– when he comes back, we’ll tell him properly, alright? From now on…… it’s okay if he becomes a little more selfish…… even a bit of a bad kid.]

▽

Eventually, evening approached, and Hijiri decided it was time to take her leave.

The couple once again expressed their heartfelt gratitude for her visit.

Hijiri, in turn, thanked them for their hospitality and said she was glad they had been able to talk.

They saw her off all the way to the entrance.

Suzuna smiled and tilted her head slightly, as if asking a question.

[Hijiri-san…… will you come see us again?]

[Yes, of course.]

With that reply, Hijiri left the Mimori residence.

Suzuna stood outside the gate, waving gently, while Sousuke stood beside her, leaning close as if supporting her presence.

At the corner of the street, Hijiri turned fully around and bowed once more.

Then she turned the corner and sent a short message to Itsuki, telling her it’s done.

She put her phone away and exhaled.

(Honestly, Mimori-kun…… “just normal, good people” huh? Calling that normal is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think……)

She walked along the evening road lined with street trees.

(I didn’t really hear much about his biological parents…… but they probably felt that wasn’t something they should tell me. Something they weren’t allowed to speak of on their own…… something that should be left to Mimori-kun himself——— that’s likely what they thought……)

The only thing she had learned was that Sousuke had once cut ties with his older brother, Touka’s father.

So, as for clues regarding Touka’s current biological parents, she had gained nothing.

But that was fine.

That Aoshima Mitsuru was already on the move.

When it came to information networks, she could be called Aoshima’s Number One without exaggeration.

After crossing the pedestrian crossing, she spotted her younger sister in the distance.

It seemed she had already stepped outside the traditional house café.

Itsuki noticed her as well.

She put away her smartphone and hurried over happily.

Hijiri gave a small wave in response to her sister calling her name.

That said……

(Geez, Itsuki…… there’s cream from a cake or something at the corner of her mouth…… How long has she had that on there……)

Hijiri stopped walking and looked up at the sky, shifting toward dusk.

That in-between time where day and night overlap, the boundary……

(At this point…… I suppose I’ll have to get Loqierra-san and Erika-san to figure out a way to travel between this world and the other one……)

In the dimming sky, the evening star shimmered.