Chapter 4: Natsuki Family's Day To Day Life
Naoko knocked at the bathroom door. "Subaru! Is everything alright?"
Subaru dried his wet hands by shaking them and came out, using his best poker face. "Nothing Mom."
Naoko narrowed her eyes. "Could it be that my adorable son is lying?"
Subaru shook his head vehemently. "No. Mom."
"Ok. Ok. Now come quickly your father has already started eating." Naoko said.
Subaru walked towards the kitchen, remembering he forgot to tell Naoko about not wanting to eat peas. "Wait... I forgot to tell mom about not wanting to eat peas. Dad will not be happy." He thought.
As he entered the kitchen, Kenichi's pleading gaze met him. "Subaru come eat before I finish everything." Kenichi said, faking a stern tone. "You need to eat more peas if you want to grow up healthy."
Subaru chuckled and sat down at the table. Naoko had made his favorite dish, omurice. He looked at Kenichi's plate and saw a small mountain made up of peas.
"Hey Dad!" Subaru called out in a hushed voice.
Kenichi leaned closer. "Humm?"
"Did you make Mom angry?" Subaru asked innocently.
"Well Daddy was being kind of a meanie to you so your mom got a little angry with me. But don't tell her that. I know you are a smart kid and are aware of what will happen right." Kenichi said.
"Dad..." Subaru was not looking at his father but at the one behind him.
"Your mother is behind me, isn't she?" Kenichi said with a straight face, as if he had already accepted his fate.
"Kenichi!" Naoko's stern voice echoed through the house. "Could you tell me what you were telling my cute Subaru."
Kenichi remained silent, not wanting to lie in front of his son.
Subaru understood their gestures, speech patterns, and underlying words. If it was any other child, they might have thought their parents were fighting, but Subaru knew better.
"They look so cute together." he thought, laughing at Kenichi trying to appease Naoko's wrath. "Dammit! I am acting like an old man who just saw a couple having a healthy banter. Wait... Aren't I mentally older than both of them combined?" He decided to act mature and let his dad have a break.
"Why are... Sniff... Mommy and Daddy fighting?" This made both parents worry.
Naoko bent down and patted Subaru on the head. "No worries. Daddy and I were just having a little disagreement." She glared back at Kenichi as she emphasized the word Daddy.
Kenichi could only let out a tiny sigh.
"So is everything okay now?" Subaru still acted like a scared child.
Naoko lifted him and spun in a circle. "Yes. Everything's fine my son." This lightened everyone's mood.
As he spun, Subaru tried to push the memories of his past lives to the back of his mind and determined to make the most of this new opportunity.
"Heh! Now I know why Beako didn't like getting spun. Gonna have to do this once I get back there." He didn't cry this time, knowing despair was not a commodity he could afford. He was determined. One way or another, he will be back here with them. If not then what would be the point of this
Rewind.
Subaru ate his omurice, enjoying the warm and comforting flavors. His parents chattered on about their day and Subaru listened, feeling grateful for the normalcy of their conversation.
But as he went to bed that night, his thoughts once again drifted to his past lives and the horrors he had experienced. He closed his eyes, determined to push them aside and focus on the present.
"I will not let this cycle of death and despair continue. I will save my friends and protect my families, no matter what it takes." Subaru whispered to himself before drifting off to sleep.
The next day, Subaru woke up with a new determination. He was going to be the best son and student he could be, all while secretly preparing himself for the inevitable showdown with Pandora.
"I won't give up. I'll keep trying until I succeed." Subaru thought with a determined glint in his eye.
And with that, he set out to live his life with purpose, always keeping one eye on his ultimate goal of defeating Pandora and saving his friends.
But as days passed, the weight of his mission weighed heavily on him. The memories of his past lives haunted him, the image of his friends' gruesome deaths never far from his mind.
Despite this, he pushed on, his resolve only growing stronger with each passing day. He trained his body and honed his skills, always striving to be better, always striving to be ready for the battle to come.
"Ha! If Pandora thinks she can beat me, she's got another thing coming," Subaru said with a snarky smirk.
After the breakfast, Kenichi prepared himself for office.
"Take care honey. You too Subaru. Protect your mother while i am away." Joked Kenichi.
"Sure dad. Mom's knight will protect her from all the evils of the world."
Naoko ruffled Subaru's hair. "Sure you will."
After saying their goodbyes, Kenichi went off to work.
"Ah! I forgot to tell him to buy groceries. Subaru i have to go and by some things from the store. Will you act like a good kid while i am away?"
"Don't worry mom i will keep the house safe."
"... Sometimes i forget that he is just a child." Thought Naoko.
"I will be back in 5 minutes. Don't worry I know that my knight is a dependable son too."
Subaru was alone at home as he watched Naoko grab her keys and leave for the grocery store. He rubbed his hands together, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. This was his chance to use the [System].
"I guess the basement would be a good place to open the [System]. No light or sound will escape to the outside. Though i need to hurry Mom will be returning as quickly as she can."
He hurried to the basement, and stood in the middle. With a mental command, the same blue screen appeared infront of him.
"My name and level are alright. [Loved] must be from that silver haired elf witch. I sure hope not." Subaru was still angry at the one who was responsible for making him suffer.
"Though without her, i wouldn't have been able to experience such a life." This train of thought was enough to make his unknown lover's existence somewhat less unbearable.
"[Job Levels] are self explanatory. What makes me wonder is the [Racial Levels] part. [System] What are [Racial Levels]."
[Racial Levels Refer To The Latent Potential Of The User Or In Other Words A Level Cap.]
"And how do i gain these levels?"
[Currently, User Can Only Gain Levels Through Quests.]
"That explains a lot. I was worried that my level was low even though i had been training like hell. I hope the quests are easy. Show me the Quests i have right now."
[Currently User Has Only 1 Quest]
[Quest: Training]
- Run 1 kilometer 0/1
- Jump 0/10
- Basic Jabs 0/10
Reward: 1 Racial Level in [Human]
Would You Like To Accept The Quest? (Y/N)
"Yes!"
The screen minimized and moved to the top right corner of his eyes.
"That's oddly convinient. I should start from the easiest one." With that, Subaru started hopping like a rabbit. Thankfully his parents weren't there otherwise he would have died of shame.
"Ok now that's done, i should practice jabs. Clind did taught me about how to improve my stance." Subaru straightened his back. "Now spread the feets equal to the distance between shoulder blades, right feet infront of the left. This much shoild be enough right?"
After having perfected his stance as much as he could, Subaru punched the air. No technique or style. Not even strength. "I am so bad at this." Subaru tried to wallow but stopped himself. "No remain focused." He tried 9 times more until he heard the second ping.
"Now running 1 kilometer seems to be the problem. I don't want to burden mom and dad just because of my selfishness. Looks like i will have to run along the basement wall."
After 15 minutes, Subaru laid on the ground panting heavily. "I am spent. This body is really squishy. I will have to work like madman if i want to surpass my limits. On the bright side, the quest is finally completed." Subaru said as looked at the screen.
[Quest Completed]
"Subaru I am home. Help me carry all of the groceries." He heard his mother's. Without thinking, he ran towards the door.
"Welcome back, Mom!" he said with a smile.
"Did you have a good time?" she asked, returning the smile.
"It was great," he replied.
"Well, let's get dinner started then," she said, heading to the kitchen.
"Your knight shall help you cut the vegetables." Subaru followed behind as he pushed the [System] back into the depths of his mind. Becuase for him, his family will always be the first priority.