Ch.218Epilogue. The Flame (1)

A mother’s existence is truly remarkable.

People say times have changed, that individualistic tendencies have led to more family breakdowns, but the meaning of being a parent doesn’t easily become trivial.

Of course, I’m not saying Kagami was my parent from the beginning. At first, she didn’t even consider taking on the role of a parent.

But perhaps because she realized she was a mother so late…

Kagami developed a somewhat overprotective side toward me.

“……”

“……”

Koko and I knelt side by side before Kagami, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Even the usually cheerful Koko seemed to read Kagami’s mood and remained silent, just rolling her eyes.

“…So.”

Kagami slowly opened her mouth.

“So, you’re telling me you met a ghost.”

“Well, that…”

“And this ghost might have been a sex offender.”

“…No, that’s. It might not be the case.”

It seems Yuka had relayed all that information to Kagami during their phone call.

“But there was a possibility, right?”

“……”

Wait, did I do something wrong?

A sex offender might target me, but that’s not my fault. I wasn’t even wearing provocative clothes when I went there.

Perhaps my feelings of injustice showed clearly on my face. Kagami rubbed her face.

“I’m sorry. I got a bit emotional…”

“No, well. I do have a history with this sort of thing.”

Though that wasn’t my fault either.

Kagami thought seriously for a moment, then said:

“Perhaps it might be Nirlas’s fault.”

“Nirlas?”

Why mention the name of someone already sent to another world?

“When I wasn’t yet Kotone’s mother—”

I wondered if she really needed to phrase it that way, but Kagami seemed to hold those times close to her heart. Since I doubted she’d change her wording if I pointed it out, I just listened quietly.

“I once pondered the reasons for Kotone’s misfortune. …I wasn’t trying to help, just thinking about how that unusual situation affected reality.”

“……”

I suppose that makes sense.

Nirlas greatly enjoyed tormenting me. When I appeared in this world last year, I suffered under Nirlas for the entire year.

“That’s not right, is it?”

But we’ve already had this conversation. And the conclusion we reached was that Nirlas didn’t intend it.

Nirlas didn’t know why I appeared in this world.

Neither did Kagami. We could only speculate about whoever might exist above us.

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Kagami said.

“It’s more about what happened later. Nirlas eventually came to this world. And this world, for better or worse, was influenced by Nirlas’s existence.”

“…Right?”

“And while the body you’re using now isn’t Nirlas’s body…”

Kagami paused in thought before continuing.

“You did share a body with Nirlas at one point.”

“…Ah.”

“You know what beings Nirlas brought from the afterlife, right? You also saw what Kosuzu did with Nirlas’s power.”

She brought countless souls. Some even temporarily gained physical form and came back to life. Though we sent them all back.

“If Kosuzu could use that power by possessing Nirlas’s body, I wonder if Kotone, who briefly shared a body with Nirlas, might still be affected.”

“So you’re saying they were after me not because of my appearance, but because of my current state.”

“I can’t be certain, but yes.”

If that’s the case, I’ve been remarkably good at avoiding ghosts until now.

It means something like that incident could happen again at any time.

I couldn’t help but turn pale.

“…So, do I have to live like this from now on?”

Kagami looked at my face, appeared momentarily dazed, then suddenly broke into a bright smile.

Then she abruptly pulled Koko and me into a tight embrace.

“Don’t worry too much, my daughters! Your mother will help you somehow!”

“……”

Well, um.

I understand she’s happy to be able to help, but her reaction to my story makes me wonder how sincerely I should take it.

“So about that.”

Kagami, who had been hugging Koko and me tightly, suddenly released me and spoke.

Her expression was very serious.

Could this be related to the Kurosawa family? Do we need to go to the main house and do something?

But the next words out of Kagami’s mouth were completely different.

“I’ll have to come with you to the fireworks festival.”

“…Huh?”

“We don’t know what might happen. It’s a place where many people gather, right? There will surely be tons of ghosts.”

“Tons? Really?”

“Absolutely tons.”

But I’ve never encountered any at such places before now.

However, Kagami’s expression was so serious that I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her.

*

“……”

Yuu narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kagami.

Kagami’s attire was impeccable.

She was dressed in a yukata suitable for a fireworks festival. It wasn’t a formal kimono, but it suited Kagami, an Asian beauty, so well that her presence here didn’t feel out of place at all.

Not out of place, but…

…and everyone here was wearing yukatas anyway…!

“Hello.”

Kagami said with a gentle smile on her face.

“I’m truly grateful to all of you for always taking care of my daughter.”

Yuka, standing next to Yuu, stared blankly at me.

I gave Yuka a slight glare.

This happened because you called her.

I didn’t think my mother would come along.

No matter what, following us to hang out with friends is a bit…

It makes me look like I’m living under my mother’s wing. Though in this case, it was Kagami who eagerly spread that wing and followed me.

For reference, Harumi and Mako also looked like they couldn’t find the right words.

They’d all seen what kind of relationship Kagami and I had. They knew we’d suddenly become close recently, but the change in our relationship was too extreme to accept right away.

The same went for her appearance. Yuka and Yuu might not know, but the last time Mako and Harumi saw Kagami, she was wearing clothes that clearly showed off her figure. Not this incredibly modest version of Kagami.

And to see Kagami looking so excited on top of that.

“Um…”

After pondering what to say, I finally opened my mouth.

“…Please take care of my mother.”

At my words, the children’s gazes all turned toward me. Each face showed shock.

“Woo?”

Koko tilted her head.

I turned to look at my “mother.”

Kagami was smiling brightly at me.

She looked incredibly excited no matter how I looked at her.

…She’s here to help me, right? That’s genuinely the only reason, right?

She’s not just wanting to experience something she couldn’t when she was younger?

I wanted to believe that, but—

“So, where should we go first?”

Thump-thump, pitter-patter.

Such sound effects would suit the current Kagami perfectly.

…I see. Kagami doesn’t have any friends left. Or perhaps she never properly made any to begin with.

She probably enjoys spending time with just Koko and me, but maybe she wanted to feel satisfaction in a different way by watching me interact with my friends.

Or perhaps she wanted to experience the joy a parent feels when buying things for their child.

Who knows? Only Kagami herself would know.

“There’s still plenty of time before the fireworks, right?”

“There is, but…”

Yuka said that while looking at my friends.

Mako, Harumi, and Yuu looked at each other and fell into thought for a moment.

But that thought didn’t last very long.

“Um…”

Mako carefully opened her mouth.

“You are definitely Kotone and Koko’s mother now, right?”

That question had multiple meanings. True to Mako’s kind nature, she was asking in the most roundabout way possible.

The fact that she had to ask so indirectly also suggested how extreme Kagami’s behavior had been back then.

“Of course. I am definitely a ‘mother’ now. Right, Kotone?”

“…Yes.”

Having no intention of denying it, I nodded.

“Koko?”

“Yes!”

Koko responded with a bright smile to Kagami’s question. Kagami showed a somewhat touched expression.

Harumi and Yuu’s expressions became even more complex.

All three of them had stayed overnight at our house after my relationship with Kagami improved.

But apparently one day wasn’t enough time to accept everything.

“Yes, I understand.”

Mako said with a gentle smile, then slightly bowed toward Kagami.

“Then, we’ll be in your care.”

“Yes, I look forward to spending the day with you all.”

Mako greeted her, and Kagami returned the greeting.

Harumi, Yuu, and Yuka looked at each other and let out small sighs.

My face was burning with embarrassment, but what could I do?

Kagami is my mother.

My mother came all this way to protect her daughter…

…That is the reason, right?

I seriously pondered once more, but ultimately failed to perfectly interpret Kagami’s smiling face.