Mother's Love

TL NOTE: All caught up from my vacation.....

I enter the house and call out to announce my return. Only Teisha is home. I try to organize my belongings and head back to my room.

Suddenly, someone taps my shoulder, and I turn around to find my cheeks being gently squeezed.

Startled, I freeze, and Teisha peers into my face.

"Indeed. You look pale..." She furrows her brow, looking worried.

"I know you've been doing something at night." I thought I was being quiet, but did I wake her up? I get a bit flustered, but Teisha shakes her head.

"Boys have things they can't talk about, right?" She leans in closer, staring intently at my eyes.

"Even so, don't overdo it. There are things only you can do, but there are also things others can do for you..." She nods slightly.

"You're going to be my child, right? It's not good to worry me like this..." She gently shakes my cheeks.

"Take care, Akihiro. You're not alone." I recall the words my boss once said: "You shoulder too much on your own," and I feel a nostalgic warmth from my mother's face.

I nod slightly, still having my cheeks squeezed. "Alright."

She suddenly lets go and pats my shoulder. I feel sorry for worrying her.

"Yes, I'll try not to overdo it. Thank you."
"It's nothing special, just my concern." She smiles and heads back to the kitchen.

Watching her go, I think to myself, "She's the kind of person who would raise such a child."

I continue training in the garden.
Checking the range of my magic is crucial. It directly affects my reach.

Thanks to the movement of the water magic, I can now roughly gauge its range. Since I can specify coordinates, it's easier to understand. Using the simulator, I try floating slightly, and it seems the range is roughly a 20-meter sphere. In other words, I can one-sidedly attack anyone within about 20 meters.

Gradually improving my magical proficiency is frustrating at times, but I remember Teisha's words.

Sigh, getting frustrated won't help. Just like in the real world, I need to stay calm and focus on my goals.
My current goal is to gain the power to protect those two from being hurt.

I hear the call for dinner. I must have been deeply focused. It feels as if time has suddenly started moving again.

We gather together and enjoy a warm meal. Something inside me, which had been hard and cold, begins to soften. It's been a while since I've had a meal with someone like this. Being treated like someone's child is something I haven't experienced in a long time. Even when I got married, I kept my distance from my relatives. To be absolutely accepted like this is a rare feeling. The tension I'd been holding finally eases.

After dinner, I head back to the garden to train with the spear.

What if three or more enemies attack me? What if I'm ambushed from behind? I visualize how to handle these situations, inspired by movies, games, and FPS tactics—parrying, deflecting, and thrusting. My limit, which used to be around 50 minutes, has slightly exceeded an hour now. My physical abilities are steadily improving.

But when I look down, my belly hasn't changed. It seems like the muscles are developing, but the fat remains. This is the usual pattern.

Well, there's no point in being pessimistic. I sit down, drenched in sweat, and catch my breath.

Suddenly, I notice Riz standing right in front of me.

"Fu fu." She approaches me, wrapping her arms around my head.

"I'm sweaty."
"It doesn't matter."
I close my eyes and get drunk on her sweet scent.

"You're working hard. I know, but we're here for you, so don't worry." It seems everyone is worried about me. I feel a pang in my heart, thinking about how much I must have been focusing.

"I love you. Maybe when we first met, there was some ulterior motive, but now it's different. Hiro, you prioritize protecting us over everything, but we don't want to see you get hurt either." Ah, of course. I was unilaterally forcing my feelings on her. Love should be mutual.

"So don't get hurt. It's great that you're working hard, but it hurts to see your heart getting wounded." I look up at her moist eyes.

"Riz, I have something to say."

"What is it?"

"I love you more than anything. I can't put it into words, but I don't want to lose you, even if it means sacrificing everything in this world." I stand up and kiss her deeply, as if we could become one.

The moonlight illuminates the world in blue. The faint sounds of insects, the wind, and the whispers of the world seem to bless the two of us.