Chapter 139 - ＊Extra Chapter: Father's Day Commemorative Short Story
＊Since it's Father's Day, here's an extra chapter.The main story's season is still spring, so this takes place a few months in the future.
＊ ＊ ＊
After finishing breakfast, I lazed around in the bedroom, and before I knew it, it was nearly ten o'clock.Time flies. I feel like I just saw the sunrise, but the air is already shifting from morning to midday.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but the days feel short somehow.Anyway, the perceived speed is fast, and a year just flies by.
It's already June, huh.
The accident where a witch from another world messed around with my head probably contributed, but May passed by like the wind.Before I knew it, more than half the year had been consumed, which is surprising.
Today is June 17th.Father's Day.
That said, Angelica, being born in another world, probably has no clue about such a custom, and it's questionable whether Ayako-chan even recognizes me as a father. I feel like that girl only sees me as a reproductive target.And as for Philia, she's not even sane.
Rio is... right, so this maso-yankee is the most promising one. She's from the modern world, and when she's going crazy she sometimes calls me Papa, so she might even give me roses for Father's Day.
Well, even if nothing happens, that's fine too.It's a precious day off, and spending it lounging around the house isn't bad either.
For that reason, I decided to spend the entire day in bed playing smartphone games.Sprawled out on the fluffy bedding, in my sleepwear, indulging in games.
It makes me look like a total failure of a human being, but I'm not fully recovered yet, so I'd like to be cut some slack.My head feels kind of hazy, and I have this lethargy all over my body.It's probably an aftereffect of the brainwashing magic I took the other day.I really don't want to face that kind of enemy ever again... I thought, shuddering, while staring intently at the team formation screen of an idol game, when I heard a knock on the door.
"Father? Is it okay to come in?"
It was Angelica's voice.I placed my smartphone by the pillow and answered, "Sure."
Then, the door opened with almost rude speed, and Angelica, wearing only a light blue camisole, strode right in.Maybe because it's gotten warmer, this one's attire is becoming more and more defenseless.Her lower half is just a pair of panties, too.
"Pardon the intrusion. ...Huh? Why aren't you in the middle of changing?"
"If I were in the middle of changing, I wouldn't have answered 'Sure.'"
"I think you should show a more defenseless appearance, Father."
It's precisely because I can tell you all are watching my body with those gleaming eyes that I'm careful not to expose a defenseless appearance.Lately, I really don't know what might be done to me, so I try to hide my skin when Angelica and the others are nearby.Even now, I'm desperately in the middle of buttoning up my chest.Because the moment she entered the room, she stared intently at my chest.
Normally, this kind of thing is the other way around between men and women...
"Did you need something?"
To escape her gaze, I spoke while leaning back slightly.Knowing Angelica, it's probably either "Play with me," "Let's go somewhere!", or "Do lewd things." If it's the first two, I wouldn't mind granting her request.
"Well, you see, I heard that today is Father's Day. That's correct, right?"
"Oh... seriously? I didn't expect that word to come out of your mouth, Ange."
She seems to be hiding something behind her back; could it be she brought me a present?
"This world has all sorts of anniversaries, but I never imagined there would be such a wonderful day."
"Right? By the way, the second Sunday of October is apparently Father-Daughter Day, so I'm looking forward to that one too."
"Eh... Father ✕ Daughter Day...?"
【Angelica's Sexual Arousal has reached 70%】
"...There are such indecent holidays in this world..."
"It's probably not the kind of event you're imagining, Ange."
Her psychological state is pretty much an open book thanks to the system messages, but Angelica, unaware of that circumstance, was carefreely getting turned on.Honestly, I wish she'd stop, because being informed of it every single time makes me feel weird too.But it's probably not a problem that can be solved by saying something.
She's sixteen, after all.It's an age where it's not unreasonable for her head to be full of romantic entanglements.I, who have lived twice as long, just have to endure it single-mindedly.Being the stepfather of a beautiful girl means every day is a battle against earthly desires.
"So, what are you going to do for me, now that you know about Father's Day?"
"Ah, right, right."
Angelica, finally returning from her delusions, brought the hands she had behind her back forward,
"Here!"
and cheerfully presented a bouquet.
"Oh...!"
A small bouquet of yellow roses wrapped with a light blue ribbon. What an utterly adorable gift.
"You send yellow roses for Father's Day, right?"
"Yeah, did you look it up?"
I did, Angelica said, puffing out her chest.Normally, my gaze would be drawn to her swaying twin hills, but right now, I've transformed into a wholesome papa, pressing my inner eye corners while gazing at the petals.What the hell, I'm this happy.
"I'm super happy. Thank you. This kinda makes me emotional."
"Really?"
"It's the ultimate reward for a father... And besides, these flowers kind of resemble you, Ange."
"...Me?"
"Yellow flowers and a light blue ribbon, right? They look just like you with your blonde hair and blue eyes. Even how it's small but has a high-class feel is just like you."
It was an impression that came out naturally, but Angelica seems to be embarrassed.
"Th-That kind of thing is embarrassing..."
She's blushing, fidgeting with strange movements.Was that really such a pretentious thing to say?
"Are you okay? If you get affected by every little thing like this, you'll get caught by a bad man someday."
"I wouldn't get caught by any man other than Father."
Just before she finished saying that, Angelica pounced on me with a lunge.Honestly, what a spoiled daughter. To send herself over after the flowers.
"Hey, hey, the bouquet I just got is going to fall."
"Ehehe."
Angelica rubs her cheek against my chest, narrowing her eyes comfortably.She's kind of like a kitten. She's so adorable, I ended up petting her head all over.
"...Father, I love you."
"I know. Me too."
"Thank you for always working so hard."
"Ange, you've been doing the dishes and stuff lately too. Thank you for that."
"...Father."
"What is it?"
A sweet atmosphere. I know from experience that she'll probably demand more extreme acts after this.But I have to refuse that, at least. No matter how cute she is, how good her figure is, or how much she sees me as a man, Angelica is my stepdaughter...
"Well, it's something I did because I love Father so much, so I'd like you to overlook it..."
"I'm kind of scared to ask. What happened?"
Angelica said, her jade-colored eyes moistening, looking up at me.
"I was messing with Father's computer earlier, and messages saying 'Please transfer money immediately' started popping up like crazy..."
"Alright, get off me right now."
Could it be that she didn't come to express gratitude for Father's Day, but to get on my good side because she has a guilty conscience?
"...Don't tell me you rushed out to buy these roses in a panic after the PC started acting weird."
"N-No, that's not true! I had this prepared since yesterday evening! I even have the receipt!"
"Okay, okay, I believe you. ...Jeez, what a pain."
Anyway, I have to check on the PC.I sluggishly got up from the bed and headed to the living room.In my right hand, the roses; on my left, Angelica, clinging to me nervously.
"Are you still mad?"
"I don't really mind you touching the PC, but accessing weird sites is not okay."
She probably looked at porn sites anyway.She's learned enough about modern civilization to surf the net on her own, so I wish she'd learn some IT literacy too.
And we had such a sweet atmosphere going on.Are my days off always like this? I thought, exasperated, as I walked down the hallway.I let out a sigh, opened the door, and arrived at the living room.
"I see. It's covered in pop-ups."
Let's see, I said, operating the laptop placed on the table.I deleted the incomprehensible warning messages and launched the security software.I don't use it for work, and I don't have a credit card, so no critical information should have been leaked. Probably.Probably.
While telling myself that, I started gathering information to borrow some wisdom.Searching for "how to remove pop-ups."The internet is a convenient thing. You sometimes catch weird stuff, but you can also get a lot of useful information.
"...Ah, it's fine. Looks like this will be an easy fix."
"Really?"
It seems some foreign object that displays pop-ups on its own has gotten mixed into the browser's extensions.If that's the case, it's a quick fix. Delete it with one click and it's over. I hit the enter key forcefully, finishing with a loud thwack!
"Amazing...! Father is a super hacker...!"
"What are you, an old lady? You're too impressed just because my typing is a little fast. ...Actually, wouldn't it have been better to ask Ayako-chan instead of me? She knows more about this kind of thing."
"Ayako is out right now. She went on the High Priest's walk."
"It's not a walk with the High Priest, but the High Priest's walk? The way Philia is treated lately is just like a large dog."
Since lack of exercise isn't good, she's taken on regular walks, a state unbecoming of someone who rose to the top of the religious world at a young age.Since her malevolent aura disappeared, she seems happy in a way, but knowing the Philia who was like a jackknife before, I have mixed feelings.
"By the way, Ange, there's one thing I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Those kinds of pop-ups usually appear when you're looking at shady sites. What kind of site were you looking at?"
"Eh... Economics and international news..."
"There's no way. Fine, I'll look at your search history."
"Ah, ah, no, I said no!"
While sending a mean-spirited smile at Angelica, who turned pale and grabbed my shoulder, I delved into my beloved daughter's privacy.This much moxibustion is necessary.
"...Hoooh. So you were searching for images of me. 'Keisuke Nakamoto muscles,' 'Keisuke Nakamoto program,' 'Keisuke Nakamoto stripped collage'... There's no site that caters to such niche demand. I'm not even a handsome actor or anything."
"U, uuu..."
"...And so, you searched desperately but couldn't find any... and ended up accessing a foreign 18+ site. You're browsing videos with combinations of Asian men and white teens, but this is... what? Are you interested in men's bodies other than mine?"
"That's not it! I properly searched for a pair of a man who looks like Father and a girl who looks like me!"
"Why would you look for something like that?"
"...That's..."
Angelica gripped the hem of her skirt, her cheeks dyed bright red.Her tearful eyes were darting around like a middle school boy whose porn magazine was found by his mother.
"Come to think of it, there's a box of tissues set up next to the PC. Did you..."
"...Isn't it Father's fault...! Because Father won't lay a hand on me easily, I...! I...!"
"Wait, stop the real tears, I'm sorry, it was my fault."
I pat her head and begin the work of soothing her.When my daughter seriously starts bawling, I have no choice but to give in. It's the sad karma of a male parent.
"There you go touching me again... patting my head and stuff...!"
"Huh, is this no good? Is it sexual harassment?"
"Because Father makes my heart pound unconsciously like that, I'm on the verge of becoming the women's singles champion, you know...? I want to play doubles with Father soon... and yet..."
"If I played doubles with you, I'd get arrested. At least wait until you're an adult. No, even as an adult, it's no good between a father and daughter."
Telling myself this is strictly a topic about sports, surely it is, I frolic with Angelica.The mood has become quite jocular, but a Father's Day like this isn't so bad.
"Father is a super sadist. I actually like a kind papa, you know."
Pouting with a "hmph," Angelica sat on my lap.Since I'm sitting cross-legged right now, she probably thought it would be easy to rest her butt there.It's exactly the action of a girl spoiling a man; her words and actions are completely inconsistent.
"I thought I could flirt with Father more today, but you're not doing it at all. Jeez."
A sulky, puffed-up face. Did I tease her too much, considering she's the daughter who celebrated Father's Day for me?Reflecting a little, I pet her head all over.
"No, my bad, my bad. Teasing you is just fun."
"...You really are a sadist, aren't you."
As she says that, I use my fingers like a comb to fix her bedhead. Angelica's hair is silky smooth blonde hair, slipping right through my fingers.It's a texture that could make me lose track of time.Angelica seems to feel good too, letting out a "Fwahh..."
How should I put it, this girl really feels like a cat with a nice coat.As I was savoring my daughter's texture, the entranceway suddenly became noisy.
"Crap, Ayako-chan and the others are back. If we don't separate, it'll turn into a bloodbath."
"But it was just getting good."
Just as Angelica reluctantly stood up, the front door opened.When I turned my gaze, I met eyes with Ayako-chan, who was carrying a plastic bag.
"Welcome back. Was it shopping, not a walk?"
"This is a bag for putting Philia-san's droppings in."
"...It's reached that level, huh..."
"It's a joke. ...I stopped by a flower shop on the way back from the walk."
I couldn't say that it's scary because Ayako-chan might actually do it.This girl's mysterious intensity only grows stronger day by day, and lately, I'm often overwhelmed by it.She seems to have gained an awful lot of confidence since we encountered the other Ayako-chan a few months ago.
...What exactly happened back then?Since then, Ayako-chan has had this attitude like "I am the legal wife."To be honest, my feelings lean towards Angelica, so why is she so confident?It's a mystery.
But it doesn't feel bad to be adored by girls, and I should be far more blessed than I was a year ago when I was alone.Exactly. Worrying about being liked too much by girls is the height of luxury.
"Here, Nakamoto-san. ...This is with gratitude for your daily efforts."
Ayako-chan took a small bouquet out of the shopping bag. Yellow roses.
"...Thank you."
When I looked at the smartphone screen with blurred vision, the words 'You have a new message' were displayed.Hoping it might be what I thought, I tapped it, and a selfie of Rio holding her Coloring Book, with 'Thanks Papa' scrawled on it, was displayed.
Philia is... while going "Uhh-ahh," she took off her panties and handed them to me.I don't really get it, but I'll decide it's a feeling of gratitude. It's a yellowish cloth, so I'll just accept it as a Father's Day commemorative rose. She definitely just got hot and took them off, but since they're the freshly removed underwear of a woman I once loved, I'll overlook it.Damn it, giving me a weird punchline.
But, it's fine.I'm this happy, so at least for today, I'll let my head melt into a gooey mess and enjoy my time with my dutiful daughters.