Chapter 230 - I Quit Being Japanese
It seemed the luggage had finished being loaded, and Hayasaka-san and Kato-san returned to the car.
Both of them looked curiously at Sugitani-san, who had no energy, but when I made up the story that "it seems she got carsick," they believed it easily.
Sugitani-san was still staring out the window with vacant eyes.
"A returnee from another world... to think it would be this..."
I could hear her muttering something, but perhaps because of the dire situation, no one paid it any mind.
"What do we do from here?"
Hayasaka-san asked, turning only her head as she gripped the steering wheel.
"I don't think just securing his person will stop the research. I think we need to bring him to our side, even if it means getting a little rough."
Why do these people always jump to such bloody methods?
That's way too dangerous.
Holding a thought that didn't seem to come from a man who had just passed off his own blood as menstrual blood, I opened my mouth.
"Could you leave this to me? Fortunately, I have some connection with the professor's daughter, so if things go well, I think I can persuade him without using violence."
"...His daughter? Then, by any chance, does Professor Otsuki's daughter happen to be among the creators of those confiscated Butt Tap Tickets and Butt Tap Tickets?"
"Just drive. To my apartment, please."
When the conversation starts heading in a direction inconvenient for me, I give them some task to do and change the subject.
This is a skill I naturally acquired while fooling around with countless underage girls. For example, when the atmosphere gets too sweet and I'm asked to go all the way, I ask them to "brew me some tea?" to get through it. For a man living with a girl who's fully intent on bearing his child, you could call it an essential skill.
If I let my guard down, I'd become a dad instantly — that's my daily life, you know.
Man, this is seriously messed up, I thought, feeling my own unhealthiness anew, when I felt a tap on my left shoulder.
It was Angelica.
"Are you going to negotiate with Ayako now?"
Yeah, I replied.
"Fathers are weak to their daughters. Of course, I'll also prepare some materials from my side to make the discussion go smoothly."
"You're not going to take Ayako hostage and threaten him... or anything, right?"
"What do you take me for?"
"R-right, of course. After all, your father is the Hero of Sex Techniques. He would never make a girl cry, only please her."
"You said 'righteous Hero' just now, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
I felt like she might have used a different character for the "righteous" part, but that's a minor detail.
While this was going on, the car started moving.
As I played around with Angelica, stroked Erin who was in my arms, and was glared at by Sugitani-san, the police car steadily advanced towards the suburbs.
After about several tens of minutes, the scenery flowing past the window changed to a familiar cityscape.
My apartment was now right before my eyes.
"Stop here."
When I signaled, Hayasaka-san silently applied the brakes. Whether the car stopped with almost no vibration was due to the car's performance or the driver's skill, I didn't know.
I got out of the car and first set Erin down on the ground.
After that, I dragged the sleeping Professor Otsuki out of the trunk. ...Looking at his face again, I was reminded of how much this man resembles me.
Could he actually be a distant relative?
If so, that would mean I'm distantly related to Ayako-chan too, which would make what I'm about to do a bit problematic... but I want to believe it's just a case of unrelated people looking alike.
"Well then, I'll go have a little talk. ...Oh, right, Sugitani-san, could you come with me?"
"Hmph."
"If it's me, I'll help as much as you want," Sugitani-san said, getting out of the car.
The remaining members were to stay and watch the place.
"And, I guess it's about time to cancel the Concealment."
Otherwise, it would look like the sleeping Professor Otsuki was floating in mid-air.
...The sight of a middle-aged man carrying another middle-aged man who looks just like him would probably be chaotic for any witnesses, but it should be better than a supernatural phenomenon.
I hoisted Professor Otsuki onto my back and, accompanied by Sugitani-san, headed towards my room.
"There's something I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
We arrived in front of the elevator, and I brought up the main topic.
"How much authority does the Public Security Bureau have? For example, is it possible to change my nationality?"
"...Are you thinking of fleeing overseas?"
"No, I intend to stay in Japan from now on, but it seems like Japanese nationality will be a hindrance."
"Hmm? You want to go into hiding? Well, if you want to, it can be done anytime. Though it would be difficult with a country that has no diplomatic relations."
"Would the difficulty increase if I changed the nationality of someone other than myself?"
"I see. To protect Professor Otsuki, you want to make him a different person on paper. That's an easy task. I'll say it's possible."
It seemed he had misunderstood quite a bit, but just knowing that I could change nationalities at will with state power was enough.
We stepped into the elevator car and waited for the doors to close.
The elevator started moving.
"...I don't want anyone to die."
As the operating sound echoed, clang..., I spoke briefly.
"So I want you, Sugitani-san, to fully cooperate with what I'm about to do."
"You have some plan in mind?"
"Yes. I thought about it a lot... but to make Professor Otsuki willingly lend us a hand, there's no other way. If the other party is a father with a daughter of marriageable age, I think this will work best. Especially since he's the kind of person who was researching treatments because he was troubled by his daughter's father complex. And on top of that, since he has a face that looks so much like mine, there's room to exploit that."
"...So you are going to use Ayako Otsuki to intimidate him after all."
"I'm not threatening him. I'm begging him."
"What do you mean by that?"
A ding sound rang out, and the elevator stopped.
Sugitani-san and I silently stepped out and headed straight for the room at the end of the hall.
To that room where I lived, and where Ayako-chan and the others were still holding down the fort.
"I'm home."
I inserted the key into the doorknob and slowly unlocked it.
"...Welcome... back... ...Father..."
The one who greeted us was Ayako-chan.
Her gaze passed over me and fixed on her real father, whom she was seeing after a long time.
"...You really... brought him here."
"Yeah. This time, he's the one involved."
"..."
"When he wakes up, you two can take your time and have a good talk, just the two of you."
As I stepped into the entrance, Sugitani-san also stepped in with gentlemanly movements. "Excuse me," he said, taking off his shoes with a dashing motion.
"...I'll bring some tea."
I followed Ayako-chan with my eyes as she pattered off to the kitchen.
Under her elegant knee-length skirt was a slightly large rear.
Combined with the cream-colored vertical sweater, she was already exuding a young wife vibe.
...Does she know I'm weak to that kind of clothing and is doing it on purpose?
Damn it, she's always provocatively showing off the lines of her body.
Fine, I'll take that bait.
I set Professor Otsuki down on the sofa and walked over to Ayako-chan.
"...Nakamoto-san? What's wrong?"
I gently embraced her back as she boiled the electric kettle. Wrapping my arms around her neck, I whispered.
"Let's get married, Ayako-chan."
The answer was "yes."
It was an immediate reply.