The young man who appeared have some resemblance to his mother.
“….Are you really Naoki?”
“That’s right.”
I reached out to get closer to Naoki but I quickly retracted my hand.
Why is my son who disappeared with his mother here?
First of all, I didn’t know if the Naoki in front of me was real. Naoki answered the question in my head as if he had read my mind.
“It’s understandable that you would think that, Dad. A son who disappeared with his mother suddenly reappeared decades later. In another world, at that. But I have something to prove that I’m Tanaka Shinichi’s son.”
“You have proof that you are indeed my son?”
“Yes. Dad, do you remember the day I went to the amusement park for the first time with you and mom?”
I’ll never forget it. It was the first day we went out together as a family.
On the way home, Naoki started whining that he didn’t want to leave. I convinced him to go home by saying that I would buy him one thing he wanted. After a lot of trouble, Naoki bought a dolphin key chain. At that time, I was still the president of a large company, and I had more money than most fathers. If my son had wanted it, I could have bought the souvenir corner of the amusement park. However, Naoki only wanted something less than 1,000 yen. At that time, I was so happy that I stroked my son’s head many times.
“I still keep the keychain.”
Naoki hands the dolphin keychain to me. It is definitely old and grimy and had loose threads in places. Still, I knew right away that it was the dolphin that my son cherished. The label on the back has the name “Naoki” written in clumsy handwriting. That’s right. Naoki had a habit of writing his name on his belongings.
“So you’re still Naoki?”
“Yes, I’m Dad’s son. You may wonder why I have come to see you only now. But still, I want you to listen to what I’m about to tell you first.”
“That has something to do with why you guys disappeared and why you are here, right?”
“Yes. I have to tell Dad about Mom.”
My heart contracted as if it had been grabbed. My wife. The woman who disappeared with our son. The woman I loved the most in the world. She was the one I wanted to hate many times, but I couldn’t.
When I turned around, my comrades were looking at me with anxious faces.
They should already know. That I was reincarnated from a different world. That I had a wife and child, and once lived a happy life. Pero looks down, depressed. He must have mixed feelings. After all, a real son suddenly appeared. I would have asked out loud if I were in his place.
I stroke Pero’s head.
“Father?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve always been your father and I will always be. So there’s no need to be depressed.”
“But I’m not Father’s real child.”
“It’s not always about blood connection. Family is connected by the heart. You should be more confident as Pero Tanaka.”
“……Un!”
Pero’s face lit up slightly. However, it will take a little longer for him to come to terms with the fact that he has an older brother who is not related by blood.
I faced Naoki and made up my mind. I don’t know what the story will be about, but I’m going to take it all as it is. The question that has been bothering me for a long time will finally be resolved.
Naoki slowly opened his mouth.
“Both me and Mom are of God race.”
That statement has shaken me. In the back of my mind, the days I spent with my wife replayed.
My wife is…… a God? That’s so absurd!
“It’s a given that you’ll be surprised. But Mom kept it a secret so that Dad wouldn’t find out. She’d been making careful preparations even before you two started dating.”
“W-What do you mean? Please explain it in detail so I can understand.”
Naoki smiles at me and then nods slightly.
“There was once a goddess who fell in love with a human at first sight, but it was a forbidden love. This is because it was strictly forbidden to be united with others by the laws of the gods. But the goddess couldn’t give up. She piled disguise upon disguise, deceiving even the gods. And as a result, the love came to fruition.”
He continues.
“The goddess had a male child with the man, and every day was happy, and it was the best time of her long life. But that didn’t last long. The goddess had to return to the heavenly realm. If she was absent for a long time, the gods would be suspicious, and she had to make a decision.”
Naoki looked up at the sky. His eyes had the gaze of a son who thinks of his mother.
“The goddess decided to take the child back to heaven. Because the child is both a mortal and a god, it was possible to welcome him into the heavenly realm. However, this is not the case with her husband, who is just a human. In the end, with a heart-rending pain, she separated from her husband and returned to heaven with her child.”
“W-wait a second. Is that the only reason why Miyuki disappeared!? What else!? M-maybe she hated me, or… she was tired of a mortal life, right!?”
“Mom never thought of something like that. On the contrary, she wanted to be with you forever. She loved you so much Dad, more than anyone else.”
Tears spilled from my eyes. I always thought that I was betrayed by Miyuki. I thought that her love had cooled. But it wasn’t. The family bond had not been broken. I’ve been blaming myself for decades. I cursed myself for not noticing Miyuki’s feelings and just prioritizing work. I told myself over and over again that the loss of Naoki was a well-deserved retribution.
“After that, the son became a full-fledged god in the heavenly realm, and the goddess and her father rejoiced greatly. Although of mysterious origin, he was a very capable god. Many gods whispered that he would be the next chief god.”
He continues,
“But on the other hand, there were some gods who were not pleased about it. Gohma, the chief god was amongst them. He was scared that his current position would be threatened by a young man who appeared out of nowhere. Therefore, he put into practice the plan that he had been thinking about for a long time. It’s a plot to assassinate the Creator God. If he reigns supreme among the gods, no one can knock him down his position anymore. In fact, he thought that no one would even dare to oppose him.”
“I see…… so he was provoked in a bad way huh.”
“That’s right. Eventually, he succeeded in assassinating the Creator God. The gods are confused by the sudden death of the ruler. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he rebelled and began to conquer the heaven by force. On the other hand, the goddess, who had been suspicious of his words and deeds for a long time, had already fled with her son with the proof of the Creator God before the Creator God was killed. Gohma was furious when he realizes that the proof is missing.”
I organized the information while listening to Naoki’s story. There is no doubt that the goddess is my ex-wife, Miyuki. That son is Naoki. They returned to the heavenly realm where the gods lived and seemed to be enjoying a peaceful life. However, Naoki began to threaten Gohma’s position because he was too good. And feeling threatened, Gohma hastened the execution of his plan to assassinate the Creator God.
This raises the question.
How could Miyuki bring out the proof of the Creator God, which even Gohma could not take away? I don’t know much about the gods, but if it was something that could be easily stolen, Gohma would have already done so. What’s more, she even realized that Gohma is plotting a rebellion. Miyuki seemed to have been able to get close to Gohma then. What kind of status does a person who can hover near the Prime Minister have?
“Dad’s doubt is valid. Even with Gods, the position is never equal. Furthermore, a god without any status would not be allowed to approach someone of higher status, especially the chief god.”
“If that’s the case, Miyuki is….…”
“As Dad have thought, Mom is the daughter of the Creator God.”
How many times have I been shocked? If that’s the case, did I marry a princess of the god race? That’s so ridiculous…..
……Wait a minute, then Naoki is the grandson of the Creator God?
It is understandable why Gohma felt a strong sense of crisis then. It was almost certain that he would be knocked out of his position.
“The Creator God wanted me to be his successor, and if that happens, Gohma will be demoted, then he won’t be able to get close to the Creator God anymore.”
“He needed the status of the chief god to assassinate him.”
“Yes. That’s why he rushed to execute his hidden agenda, but his plan wasn’t a real success. He didn’t get the proof of the Creator God. After that, the chief god, Gohma, begins to search for the goddess and her son, who have taken the proof.”
Miyuki and Naoki’s life on the run seems to have lasted for ten years. They traveled around the universe to hide, and each time, Gohma attacked the planet they went into by sending an army of angels. Still, Miyuki didn’t dare to set foot on Earth.
“Then Mom was deeply wounded by an angel and was left to lie on the floor.”
I understood everything from Naoki’s expression. That’s why Miyuki isn’t here.
“Mom was apologizing to Dad until the very end. She said that she was sorry that we couldn’t be together. After all, she has been watching Dad for a long time. From Dad losing his position to becoming a homeless. Mom watched all of it. That’s why Mom asked me to make Dad happy in his new life.”
“………”
“I was the one who reincarnated Dad on this planet.”
My tears wouldn’t stop.
I…… I have…….
Someone hugged me tightly from behind. I turned around and saw Erna crying as well.
“I can really understand how she feels. Not being able to live with the person she loved must have been so sad she wanted to die. And yet, it’s so cruel that she never got to see him again until the very end.”
“…………”
Miyuki…… I’m sorry. I…… it’s all because I couldn’t do anything.
“Dad, Mom didn’t die sad for sure.”
“……What do you mean?”
“Mom told me just before she died that she was glad to marry Dad. Sure, she might not have been always happy. But she wasn’t unhappy either. That’s why Dad don’t have anything to carry on his back.”
“But I….…”
“Mom also told me that she wouldn’t accept it so easily, so she wanted you to live and be happy for her sake. That’s her final selfish wish.”
Before I knew it, I was breaking down in tears. Punching the ground, I scratched my chest with helpless emotions. She’s a really terrible woman. She told me to leave and die on my own and be happy.
Don’t be ridiculous. Shinichi Tanaka was happy. It was my greatest happiness to be married to you. So, that’s why I…… I will never forget you until I die. Especially those days when we were together.
“Oniichan, here….…”
“Sorry for this.”
Liz offered me a handkerchief. I wiped my eyes and corrected my posture. Naoki’s story isn’t over yet.
“Have you calmed down?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, I lost composure.”
“Okay, let’s continue then.”
Naoki continued the story. The content was far beyond our imagination.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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