Chapter 18: Family Time

“Make sure to spend time with your family”

With that final comment, Kirishima-san left.

I didn’t have time to relax at home either. I immediately went to the supermarket. I had already told everyone the new address, and they had even come to see it. But I was the only one who had the key.
Sena and Seika would be home after four. I had to be home by then.

I finished shopping quickly and returned home. It seemed I made it in time. As I unpacked and decided on furniture placement, the doorbell rang. The new house had a monitor to confirm who was at the door.

On the screen, two small visitors smiled brightly.

“Is Ikkun home?”
“I’m opening it now. It’s on the third floor.”

“Okay!”

The new house had an elevator. I hadn’t put up a nameplate, so I opened the front door to greet them so they wouldn’t get lost.

The elevator opened, and two girls emerged. They spun their red backpacks around and faced me.

“It’s Ikkun.”
“Ikkun’s here.”

“Come on in.”

They pattered over to me. When I beckoned, they cautiously entered the house.

“Excuse us for intruding.”
“Should be ‘we’re home.”

“We’re hooome!”

They took off their shoes and stepped inside. Walking down the creak-free wooden hallway, the kitchen was on the left, and the living-dining room was straight ahead. Seina and Seika stopped in front of the orange light streaming in from the large French windows.

I gently placed my hands on their heads.

“This is our new home.”

“It’s sparkling!”
“It’s glittering!”

“Let’s keep it clean.”
“Okay!”

We resumed unpacking with the two of them after they washed their hands and gargled. Soon after, Mitsuki, Mitsuru, and Nina also returned.

Mutsuki was exhausted and sleeping on Mitsuru’s back.

“He’s been hyped since yesterday, so it can’t be helped. Bro, do we have futons?”
“I’ll get them ready right away.”

I untied the strings and spread them out. For now, I decided to make the tatami room the bedroom. Laying futons directly on the wooden floor would be too hard.

I laid Mitsuki on the futon, and Mitsuru lay down next to him. Now that he was in middle school, he suddenly had more of a big brother vibe. Big brother’s big brother was happy.

Nina immediately started unpacking with Sena and Seika. Nina is better at handling the twins than I am, so the work was progressing faster than before. I’m no good. I spoil them too easily.

“I’ll cook, can I leave that to you?”
“Yeah! Leave it to us!”

Reliable Nina. Behind her, Sena and Seika mimicked her, patting their chests. With three cute ones gathered, the Isshiki household was peaceful today. Of course, Mitsuki and Mitsuru, lying side by side on the futon, were also subjects of cuteness. The eldest brother’s “cute” judgment applied to everything.

The first meal in our new home was something I’d thought about, inspired by Kirishima-san’s words.

After cutting vegetables and tofu, I melted beef fat in a pot. Today, we’re using beef. In the Isshiki household, it was considered a mythical meat. Although, mythical meat does occasionally show up in school lunches.

I quickly cooked the green onions and beef, seasoned them appropriately, and then added the other ingredients. I covered and uncovered the pot, removed the scum, and let the flavors soak in.

A wonderful aroma rose and spread throughout the house.

“This smell… could it be…?”
“Bro… did you finally do it…?”

The two middle schoolers looked terrified, while the two elementary schoolers looked enchanted.

“It smells delicious!”
“It’s legal. Legal sukiyaki.”

Nina and Mitsuru instinctively grabbed each other’s hands and huddled together. Both of them started trembling, staring at me.

“Huh? Huh? Mitsuru, did I hear that wrong?”
“N-no, calm down, sis. It’s that, it’s that. We’re tired too. See? Once we sleep, this will turn back into a block of okara.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. Definitely right.”
“Alright, let’s sleep, let’s sleep…”

I brought the finished hot pot to the two of them, who had tightly closed their eyes, trying to avert reality.

“Sukiyaki.”
“Why?!”

“We just moved, and the rent must have gone up…?”
“Bro, it’s okay now. You don’t have to do bad things for us anymore.”

“I’m not. Rest assured, it’s all legal.”

Well, it’s true, if you suddenly move into a nice house and a dish you’ve never seen before appears, it would be surprising… I think I’d faint too.

“Sis, what was it called…? When you eat something super luxurious at the end.”
“Last supper?”

“That’s it!”
“That’s not it.”

I lightly chopped Mitsuru’s head, who was happily pointing a finger. I set down the sukiyaki.

“Things are going well. Honestly, it’s scary even for me.”

Mitsuru stared at my face, then his eyes widened.

“You’re amazing, Big Bro.”

Beside him, Nina also slumped her shoulders.

“Seriously, Itsuki-nii, you’re bad for my heart.”

Sorry about that.

We woke Mitsuki and ate sukiyaki.
The taste of sukiyaki?
It tasted expensive. Beef, I was too nervous to savor it.

Hamburgers are also beef, apparently, but that’s a different story. Maybe junk food is just right for me for now.

Soon after taking a bath, the three younger ones got sleepy. The stress of the new house probably played a part. When I put them to bed, they immediately fell asleep.

The remaining three of us sat at the dining table, facing each other.
After taking a bath, Nina and Mitsuru seemed to have largely accepted reality.

“Itsuki-nii, you’re not going to be home the night after tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. So, I’m counting on you to take care of the house.”

“Leave it to us. Mitsuru and I will manage somehow. Right, Mitsuru?”
“Hmm… Oh.”

“What’s with the gloomy face? Something on your mind?”

At Nina’s words, Mitsuru fell silent. After a moment, he looked at me.

“Bro, about the dungeon… Is it fun?”
“Eh, it’s normal.”

“What do you mean ‘normal’? What’s normal?”
“There are fun times, and times I feel it’s tough. There are days I feel like working hard, and days I feel lazy. It’s not a job everyone aspires to, but I think it suits me. So, whether it’s fun or not isn’t really that important.”

“It is important, whether it’s fun or not.”
“Well, having fun is the best, but…”

I looked at the ceiling.

The red shadow I could still vividly recall. The swarm of monsters surrounding me. The human ears that fell with a thud. The despair of being lost. Being choked and losing consciousness.
I knew people who had lost their comrades. I, too, would probably lose something eventually. The dungeon was that kind of place.

“From now on, no matter how much I dislike it, I’ll keep being an adventurer. Even if it’s not fun, I can probably keep going.”

It wasn’t a sense of mission or responsibility either. It was simply that I could exist there without doubt.
Perhaps people would call that being well-suited for it.

Mitsuru and Nina looked puzzled, but I couldn’t explain it any further.

“Well, it depends on the person.”
“You’re weird, Big Bro.”

“Just a little. Just a little.”

At this point, I’d accept being a little weird; the challenge now was how well I could maintain that line. That’s what I’ve been thinking lately.

I took a breath and looked at their faces.

“Nina, Mitsuru.”
“Hmm?”

“Nina, decide which high school you want to go to, and Mitsuru, decide which club you want to join.”
“……”

They both stared at each other’s faces.
At the same time, they leaned across the table and looked at my face from both sides.

“Can I really go?”
“Can I really join?”

“You’ll still have to help out with things at home, but I think we can manage financially.”
“……”

“It won’t be possible right away, but keep it in mind.”

They both nodded vigorously.
Seeing a faint glimmer of tears in Nina’s eyes, Mitsuru also hastily wiped his eyes.

“Hah, you’re crying, Sis.”
“Quiet. You’re crying too, Mitsuru.”

“B-b-b-but I’m not, you idiot.”
“Don’t call me an idiot, idiot.”

“Don’t fight!”

I placed my hands on their heads and ruffled their hair.
They worked hard as the older siblings in our family, but they were still just middle schoolers. To me, they were my precious younger sister and brother.

“While I’m gone, I’m counting on you two.”
“Okay.”

They both sniffled and nodded in unison.