Chapter 57 - Angelica, Who Ruins People
It happened quickly; it was already February 3rd.
I remember it feeling like the New Year mood was only just fading, yet it is already time for Setsubun.
Time flows faster as you get older, I think, as I stretch.
I am relaxing, but Angelica is quite something as well.
Pressing her prized blonde hair against the pillow, she is sprawled out on the bed. With her whole heart and soul, she was relaxing quite magnificently.
In contrast to us, Ayako-chan is busily washing the dishes.
It was a truly peaceful, off-day morning. Since it is Saturday, it coincides with the public holidays.
It has been one week today since I thoroughly crushed Kana in a way that threw human dignity out the window.
If I were to say what kind of impact that incident had on us, the biggest thing would be that our number of cohabitants increased by one.
Moreover, since she possesses a precious debuff, it is a blessing.
The next most important thing, I think, is that Angelica has become an extreme worrier.
As for what she worries about, she frets over my well-being.
According to her, I am an existence that seems to be the personification of "precariousness."
Perhaps because of that, she has started following me around constantly while we are at home.
If there is a gap, she hugs me from behind or wraps her arms around my waist.
It was as if her entire body was asserting that she would never, ever let go.
When night comes, she forces me to sleep with her.
At first, it was fine.
Because she would only act spoiled, saying,
"Father, I don't want you to go anywhere."
When I would pat her head and tell her I wasn't going to disappear on my own, she would narrow her eyes happily.
She reassures me by acting as if she is still at an age where childhood remains.
However, the moment Ayako-chan falls asleep, she immediately switches from "child" to "woman."
"I want Father's baby..."
She says, directing those moist eyes toward me.
Even though Ayako-chan was breathing steadily beside us, she had an unbelievable amount of nerve.
Isn't this obsession with making babies going a little too far?
Besides, you, you keep saying you want a child, but do you have a clear vision of what it's like after becoming a mother? What kind of parenting do you intend to do? When I asked her that,
"It's obvious I'll spoil you,"
she declared firmly.
...Is she aiming to be a kind mama?
"Of course, I'll spoil you too, Father. Do you understand? If a baby is made, Father, you'll become an older brother. I think if you don't practice being spoiled by me properly while you still can, you won't make it in time."
"No, I don't understand. What do you mean, becoming an older brother to a child?"
"You hear it sometimes, don't you? Like, 'You mustn't spoil your husband too much after marriage. He'll turn into a big eldest son.'"
"...That's a phrase from women's magazines that makes a man's heart ache. Do girls in other worlds worry about that kind of thing too?"
"To me, that is the ideal relationship. Father, you have to perform three roles: Papa, husband, and eldest son. Are you aware of that?"
"There's no way I am...?"
"What Father lacks is self-esteem. Please rest easy. I will raise you again from an infant and correct you into a healthy middle-aged man."
On top of impregnating my stepdaughter, I am being raised by my stepdaughter.
That guy is definitely a dangerous person. There isn't a single healthy element there.
Perhaps among the girls around me, Angelica might be the most dangerous.
Just last night, she gave me a Lap Pillow and was petting me, saying "there, there."
To be blunt, it has more destructive power than any mental interference I suffered during my time in the other world.
Even if it was only for a few seconds, my mental age was lowered by nearly twenty years.
Feeling a sense of crisis that my patriarchal authority would collapse at this rate, I hurriedly appealed to my masculinity by saying, "Despite how I look, my income is constantly rising."
A man with money. How about that? There's no element of treating me like a child anywhere, right?
While I was acting all high and mighty like that, Angelica blurted out, "If your salary increases, I feel like you'll go far away, and I'll hate that."
She said that if I were a useless father, other girls wouldn't approach me, and if possible, she wanted to support me.
She even went so far as to make an outrageous statement:
"When I start working, Father, please make sure to become unemployed."
...It's dangerous.
As I thought, Angelica has the talent for corrupting men.
I feel like if I let my guard down, I'll immediately become a kept man.
Right now, it's manageable because her ability to live independently is non-existent, but if the income were reversed, I would have been receiving an allowance long ago.
I would have been throwing tantrums, saying, "Angelica-mama, I want to spend money on social games!"
And Angelica would have said, "Oh, alright then," while handing me ten-thousand-yen bills.
I could almost visualize her running to the convenience store to buy prepaid cards.
I'm sure towards the end, Angelica would be the one going to buy them on my behalf.
I don't want that. The mere thought is terrifying.
And yet, I hate myself for being able to clearly imagine it.
Will I be okay...?
I'm starting to worry that my spirit might already be melting away.
Even though there is something I have to do from now on.
Right.
Today, I intend to ask Saeki Kana in detail about the origins of the other world.
Perhaps because she was in a dimension with a lower difficulty than me, she seems to know quite a lot about various things.
The relationship between Earthlings and people of the other world.
What exactly is a Summoned Hero?
Can I go back to that world again?
Can I ensure that Assassins are never sent from the other world again?
Even though I have to extract all sorts of information, I won't have any impact if my face is relaxed.
I peer into the mirror and try to make as imposing an expression as possible.
"...Alright."
I think I can do this.
I have a face that looks like I could exterminate goblins or eat a dragon raw.
I threw on my coat and headed for the entrance.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Angelica followed me.
I stopped my feet, spun around, and said,
"Sorry, but stay home and watch the house. You never know what might happen."
"...You're meeting Kana-san, right? You can just contact her via smartphone."
"That's what I thought too, but she says she has something she wants to give me."
"...You could just have her send it by mail."
"It seems you are steadily accumulating modern knowledge."
I emphasize that there is nothing to be wary of.
"Kana can't beat me. Nothing weird will happen."
"...But Kana-san has black hair, doesn't she?"
"...Huh? Are you worrying about that kind of thing?"
I spread my arms to defend myself, saying it's impossible.
"You know her personality, don't you? She's a dangerous brat who's gone completely crazy from her obsession with the Hero. Her face isn't even particularly cute. I think of her as nothing more than a source of information."
"...Even if that's what you think, Father, we don't know what she thinks."
Saying that, Angelica pulled up my coat.
"Ange?"
"You should thank Ayako. If it's Father's skin, which is weakened by the debuff, it should work."
"...Hey, what are you... Hey, hey, hey! That tickles! Ange!"
To my horror, Angelica pulled up my clothes and sucked directly on my chest.
The sensation of skin caught between teeth, the lukewarm temperature of another person.
"Ah... what on earth..."
Suction-induced subcutaneous hemorrhage. I was being branded with what is commonly known as a hickey.
It only lasted for a few dozen seconds, but my sense of guilt and itchiness exceeded their limits.
"Mm."
With a wet, popping sound, Angelica pulled her face away.
Whether she was satisfied with that, she wore a bright, lovely smile.
"There, it's okay now."
"...Was that intended as insect repellent?"
Well, in this state, I certainly can't take my clothes off in front of other girls.
Isn't she being a bit too cautious?
"You... I mean, you don't seem to mind much when Ayako-chan and I talk, but you hate it when it's other girls."
"Ayako is, well, like a comrade."
Is that how it is?
Before I knew it, she was calling her without honorifics.
I don't know what happened between those two, but Angelica seems to feel an immense debt of gratitude toward Ayako-chan.
There is an atmosphere suggesting she is grateful for something more pressing than just the debuff matter.
Did some friendship-deepening event occur while I was at work?
"I can still endure Ayako, but I hate it when other girls get close to Father."
"I said I won't."
"I especially hate Rio-san."
"Ha, huh? What are you talking about?"
"That person looks exactly like Elsa-san."
If Father were to fall for someone, I think it would be her, she said, staring at me with half-lidded eyes.
It was a piercing, sidelong glance.
"I haven't seen Rio lately, so there's nothing to worry about. Listen, okay? The person I'm meeting today is Kana, alright? I'm leaving now."
"...Take care."
Angelica waved both hands vigorously, seeing me off with a look of regret.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye as I stepped outside.
I closed the door and locked it.
As I put the key in my pocket, I let out a sigh.
"...That was too sharp."
In truth.
Rio is also scheduled to be present for the discussion with Kana.
When it comes to someone who is a mutual acquaintance of both me and Kana, and who knows that I possess special powers, there is no one else but this half-yankee girl.
The selection was for a convenient role, such as the idea that two people wouldn't be enough to fill the space, or that since two celebrities were meeting, we needed a watcher for ordinary people.
...And there was also the fact that she had been sending persistent messages saying she wanted to meet, so I finally gave in.
"No mistake will occur."
Rubbing the spot where Angelica had sucked, I began to walk.