Isekai Kaeri no Ossan wa, Fusei Sukiru de Fathercon Musume-tachi o Tororori ni

Chapter 33: Inflation

“…I see.”

I’ve roughly understood the situation.

If she’s facing that sort of situation, it’s no wonder she’s feeling so shaken emotionally.

I also wouldn’t say that I don’t understand why she wants to jump in front of a running train.

But there were no evidence to her claim.

I felt bad for doubting her, but I have to make sure.

“What’s the other Ayako-chan doing right now?”

“She should be at school right now…we didn’t want anything to happen, so we agreed that she live normally.”

Ayako-chan is weakened, but the other Ayako-chan is level-headed.

Humans are truly a strange creature.

“…Um…”

“Hm?”

“You must’ve thought that the other me is a terrible person…right? I understand you. I hate myself the most, so that’s why I can be so cold to myself.”

Please don’t hate the other me, Nakamoto-san. She’s not a bad person, she said, justifying herself to the very end.

The two of the same persons are competing against each other, yet the victim is covering for the aggressor.

Of course she would. The aggressor is also herself after all.

I got more confused the more I listen to her.

“Can I ask for your phone number? Your other self has your phone, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

With this, if I can call out to the other Ayako-chan, I can confirm the fact that she did get cloned.

Modern tools are truly convenient. When I had gotten good at using it, I can even identify that “whisper voice” or something.

“…but probably she won’t answer.”

“Ah.”

Would a girl in her second year of high school answer a sudden call from a number she doesn’t know?

Moreover, a girl with a shy personality like her?

“Not possible, huh.”

Then what should I do? I can just go and check her up at her school, but it was such a pain in the ass.

“Hm…oh, right.”

Suddenly, Rio’s face floats on my mind.

If I’m not mistaken, judging by the uniform she’s wearing, she should be going to the same school as Ayako-chan.

Her uniform had some differences with Rio’s brother the King Leo, so perhaps Ayako-chan and the siblings had quite a difference in their academic ability.

…Just by having entered the high school, even the elder brother had a higher academic achievement than me.

“Can you tell me which class you are in?”

“It’s Class 2-1”

I started the SNS application and moved my fingers to write a message to Rio.

I have a request, is that okay with you? I asked as if begging, and then I stopped my hand.

This won’t do. If I ask her like this, her response would be unfavorable.

Because she had been raised by a mother who had a bad interest in men, she have had various father figures since she was small.

Furthermore, she was a beauty to boot, so her foster fathers had even flirted with her.

After middle school, she attracted even more people with ulterior motives.

Because of this background of hers, she said that she abhors old men that tried to curry her favor.

She wouldn’t have obeyed anything if it’s not from a resolute, stubborn, and strong father figure.

Which means, the appropriate message I should send is—

“Go to the toilet and send me an embarrassing picture of you there. Now. You have two minutes.”

Fuu.

Now that’s done.

Even though there are some people within a hundred meter radius around me, but what a mad lad I am.

By the way, this is only a form of greeting. It’s not like I want any indecent selfies or anything.

With this exchange, her attitude would soften.

That was it.

I’ll erase whatever she sends later anyways.

Or rather, she kept sending me those things selfishly every day anyways.

Feeling satisfied after a job well done, I leaned back on the sofa.

Two minutes are short.

I stretched a bit and took a short break. In a daze, my mind drifts into nothingness.

Perhaps getting swallowed by my relaxed attitude, Ayako-chan finally started drinking.

And then, in the midst of the comfortable mood, there was a ring; “you’ve got mail!”

I silently tapped on it.

“Nakamoto-san, you’re amazing. How did you know what I wanted to do?”

With the message filled with heart emojis, it seems like the message is well accepted.

If I follow the link she sent after the message, it leads to the selfie of her sticking out her middle finger towards a written mundane rule.

She’s giving the impression of Eh? You’re going to go that far just with your necktie? I mean, she only had two minutes to be creative, so a high school girl is truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Go to class 2-1 and confirm if a student named Ootsuki Ayako is present. It’ll be great if you can attach a picture.”

I concisely delivered my instructions.

“What is she to you?”

What a reply. It’s too quick that it’s scary.

“She’s a child of an acquaintance.”

“Hmm. Did she pretend to go to school but turns out she went somewhere? Are you asking me to keep watch of her?”

“Something like that.”

The fact that she can naturally think of such behavior pattern makes me think that she’s a bit of a delinquent herself, and so I saw her in a new light.

She had black hair, yeah, but her heart is like a gyaru…or rather, a Sukeban would fit her better. Perhaps this too is already a dead language though.

“But getting to an upperclassman’s class is hard. And it’s the folks of Class 1 who’s on a university entrance course. If I go it’ll be a riot.”

“Do something about it.”

“I can have some compensation later, right? Go somewhere with me. Can’t you?”

“Do it quickly. Are you not going to listen to me?”

“…I love that…”

“Do it.”

“Yes.”

I’m actually a type of person who like to be sat on by girls though…and so it ended up with that unspeakable feeling.

I took a deep breath and turned back toward Ayako-chan.

This bookstore’s lone (or maybe not anymore?) daughter who had single-handedly messed up my schedule is slurping down her drink with the straw.

For a moment, our eyes met.

But she immediately averted hers, and her cheeks slightly turned red.

Now that I see her like this, she’s no more than a bashful girl.

One that couldn’t even look at me in the eye.

Perhaps she’s truly a very cute girl. If I can just turn a blind eye on her weirdness and her disposition…

Can I describe her as cute if I ignore those two facts? I got a feeling that she could be considered a honey trap.

“…It’s embarrassing if you look at me like that…”

Regardless, as far as I know, Ayako-chan hasn’t stained her hands with crime.

In the end, she was only thinking of such dangerous thoughts to herself, so she was no different than an ordinary person trying to live her normal life.

If a harmless person is in need of help, then you should help them.

It’s not because I was a hero or anything. I was just lashing out in that world and in this world because I couldn’t save enough people.

You won’t be able to lend a hand to everyone, so in return, I want to save as many people as possible.

And with that, I felt like I was soaking in the memories of the past.

Long story short, it was only for my self-satisfaction.

“Nakamoto-san, you…”

“Hm?”

“Recently you have been working as a magician, haven’t you?”

“Aah, true.”

“I was surprised.”

Well, I understand that people would get surprised if they suddenly see a familiar face in the television.

I know I would.

“…I’m watching you every day.”

“Thanks.”

“You appeared in three channels for a total of forty two minutes and nineteen seconds, right?”

“T-Thanks.”

Ayako-chan put her straw in her mouth and slurped loudly.

“Nakamoto-san, are you the type that would be interested in your reputation in the internet?”

“I made sure not to see it. They’re probably just trolling anyways.”

“……It’s okay. If I see anyone trolling you on the anonymous online forum, I’ll send them a link full of virus……”

What happened, she talks quite a lot today.

Usually Ayako-chan feign innocence in front of me, but right now for some reason her way of talking is in tatters.

“U-Um…”

“What is it?”

I feigned composure, but I really don’t want to hear anything scary, and that was my true feeling.

“……I love you.”

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s favorability point increased by 9999】

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s emotion of “Obsession” and “Desire to Collect” toward Nakamoto Keisuke has been changed to “Love” and “Desire to Collect“】

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s favorability point has reached a point where Sexual Relations or Marriage is possible】

【Will you name Ootsuki Ayako as your spouse?】

Hey, System Message-san…or rather, hey, Elza.

Are you seriously trying to put this girl in the position of a second wife?

First of all, that Desire to collect doesn’t make any sense.

What do you mean, collecting me? Nakamoto Collection? What a repulsive phrase that is.

“What kind of “love” do you mean?”

“…I love you as a man.”

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s favorability point increased by 9999】

Is it seriously 9999? Is it rising by 9999 every time? It’s too high, it’s scary!

“Haha. What do you mean?”

“…today…you were so kind to me…”

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s favorability point increased by 9999】

“…Even though I’m like this…I thought…I would like to continue living…”

“T-Then that’s great.”

【Party Member: Ootsuki Ayako‘s favorability point increased by 9999】

My phone displayed an incoming message

It was Rio.

As I tapped it, a short phrase saying “she’s there” was displayed.

Attached to it was the picture of the stiff-faced Ayako-chan whose arm was being held by Rio.

It couldn’t look like anything else but a delinquent girl shaking down an honor student, but it was a very good evidence.

“Well done.“

I sent a short reply and looked up to the ceiling.

There is the Ayako-chan drinking right in front of me and there’s Ayako-chan that Rio just captured.

Two Ayako-chans exist right now.

The cloning was a reality.

“But why?”

I couldn’t figure out why it happened to these victims.

The first two cases happened to well-known geniuses, but why does it suddenly happen to an ordinary high school girl?

The mystery is just getting deeper and deeper.