“Do you like this?”
“… Yes.”
“Hmm… Right. Your young eyes must be accurate.”
Dad, nodding happily, immediately grabbed the phone and went to the order page.
The ring wasn’t that expensive.
But it was still a bit of a burden for students.
An ambiguous price for a ring.
“You’d prefer a ring fully filled, right?”
“It’s super expensive…”
“If we’re doing this, we might as well go for something nice.”
Patting my shoulder as if it was fine, Dad moved on to the order page without hesitation.
After a moment.
Dad’s finger suddenly stopped.
“… Noah. But… what size is Mom’s hand?”
“… I don’t know? Didn’t you try feeling it just a while ago?”
“How would I know by just feeling it? I’ve never ordered a ring before…”
“Ugh… Wait a sec.”
I quickly took out my phone and searched for how to measure ring sizes.
“Hmm… It says, this is how.”
Dad, staring at the screen, suddenly jumped up and pulled out a ruler from the bookshelf.
Then, carefully brought his finger down.
“Size 9.”
“… Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Nodding confidently, Dad sat back down and continued with the ordering process.
Then he stopped again.
“Birthstone… what’s this?”
We entered a new phase.
“That’s, um… the cubic that matches your birthday.”
But wasn’t it supposed to be blue?
Seems like that was just a representative image…
“Is that so? Then, Mom’s is in January, garnet. It’s bright red. And mine is in July, ruby. Oh wow, that’s even redder.”
Dad, tilting his head as if wondering if it suited me, mumbled as he tapped on my ring selection option.
“Our Noah is… March. Aquamarine. Blue.”
“… Really?”
“Yep. Look. March, aquamarine. Blue.”
I stared at the phone screen that Dad showed me.
A white-silver background with a blue cubic.
Rubia.
“… It’s pretty.”
Dad chuckled at my expression, quickly snatched the phone away, and nodded with satisfaction.
“There are sizes available, so you can come pick it up tomorrow.”
“Should I go?”
“Nope. Just pick it up on your way home from work.”
Then he looked at the picture frame on the side table with a pure smile.
Mom in a pure white dress.
And Dad in a sharp tuxedo from their wedding photo.
And next to it, lined up.
The family photo.
“We promised to take a picture together on our anniversary. You remember, right?”
“Yeah… You’re changing the photo in Dad’s wallet.”
“Change? What change? I’m going to put a new one in. I was thinking about getting it coated so it lasts longer. What do you think?”
“Oh… that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah. I’ll take Mom’s and Noah’s photos to coat, so we need a total of three.”
While searching for coating methods, Dad suddenly ruffled my hair with a playful smile.
“I can’t wait for Mom’s reaction. Right?”
“Yeah… she won’t cry, will she?”
“Who knows. I hope not. Hehehehe.”
But in Dad’s eyes.
Tears were already brimming.
“Haah… I hope it’s not too late.”
“Hey… they say when you think it’s late, that’s actually the earliest time… you know?”
“That’s all nonsense. When you think it’s late, it really is late.”
“… Dad, that doesn’t seem like something you should say to your kid.”
“Tsk.”
Smack-!
“Ah! You… you hit me again…!”
Crash-
“What are you two whispering about?”
Suddenly, Mom appeared through the open door with a mysterious smile, looking between us.
“Hmm? Uh? No, it’s nothing.”
“Uh… Mom… Dad keeps hitting me…”
I quickly stood up and rushed into Mom’s arms.
“Dear! Why are you hitting our Noah?”
“Hey, Noah. Is that how you behave?”
“Mom, look! Doesn’t it… hurt? Ow…”
“Oh dear… it’s all red and swollen. Let’s leave that heartless Dad and play together, shall we?”
Unlike Dad’s rough hands.
Mom’s warm touch flowed through my hair.
“Yeah…”
“Hehe, let’s go eat some tangerines. I’ll peel them for you.”
Nodding enthusiastically, I stuck my tongue out at Dad.
“What… sigh. How am I going to live with this…”
Shaking his head, Dad stood up and gently grabbed Mom’s hand as they walked out.
“Okay, honey, I’ll peel the tangerines.”
“Oh? Really? Hehehehe.”
“… Then I’ll peel Dad’s tangerines.”
“No way. I don’t need tangerines from a traitor.”
“Really?”
Pause-
“If you insist on peeling them, I won’t stop you.”
Then he walked back into the living room and plopped down in front of the tangerine basket.
Dad’s lips curved into a big smile.
*
“That… is this how kids should act? Sigh, it’s driving me crazy.”
Watching TV, Dad clicked his tongue gracefully as he popped a peeled tangerine into Mom’s mouth.
“Come to think of it, honey, wasn’t the house you were in charge of with such kids as well?”
Chew-chew- swallowing the tangerine, Mom nodded.
“Yeah, it was similar… Grandma raised the kids alone and when she got dementia, they all… didn’t show their faces for more than a month… When we went there for Chuseok, the whole house was… sigh, they shouldn’t behave like that; why do they?”
With a moist voice, Mom paused, lifting Dad’s hand to stuff the remaining tangerine into her mouth and chew it.
“Still, our Noah is too nice to abandon Mom, right?”
“Of course…”
I was busy feeding Dad a freshly peeled tangerine that fit in my palm.
And without chewing much, I swallowed and shouted in a voice full of anger.
“The neighbors are the same! Those brats! They earn a lot of money but don’t ever send any pocket money!”
“Oh dear, honey. You’re being too loud.”
“Uh… Is that so? Coughs. Anyway… I sold some greens and fish-shaped bread to send you to med school, and look at these people abandoning their parents. Ugh, it makes me furious.”
Then he carefully lifted my wrist and popped a peeled tangerine into my mouth.
Crunch-crunch-
“Huh, the peel…”
“It’s fine for Dad to eat stuff like this.”
It’s not that it’s fine; it’s because it doesn’t taste good…
“Noah, even if I don’t, make sure to take care of your mom later, okay?”
“… What do you mean? Dad will also take care of you.”
“Dad is superhuman, so he won’t age. So just worry about Mom.”
With a playful smile again, he neatly divided the peeled tangerine in half.
One into Mom’s mouth.
One into mine.
“Even if Dad doesn’t say, I’m sure our Noah will do a great job, right? Hehehe.”
With my mouth full of tangerine, I could only nod my head.
Mom’s gentle touch wrapped around my arm.
And Dad’s rough hands messed up my hair.
The tangerine in my mouth was sweet.
Very, very sweet.
And the aftertaste was sour.
“AAAH! Our family! A happy family! Let’s stay happy for a long time! I’ll protect you forever!!”
“Yeah. I’ll only believe in you. Let’s live happily together forever. Hehe.”
My face wrinkled.
My nose felt tight.
Someday, I would swallow and the sourness would disappear.
But for now, I wanted to feel it longer.
“Yeah…”
Forever.
Forever.
Forever to be protected.
Such a lie…
*
“■■■. Can I help you?”
“How so?”
“Just beat up the people trying to take ■■■.”
“Noah?”
“Do you think I can’t do it? Ugh… I’ll beat up any scum like them.”
“Scum… Sob… Hahaha! You called them scum?”
“Of course! You don’t believe me?!”
“I do. Of course I trust you. If I can’t trust Noah, who can I trust?”
“See? Then you can trust ■■■ and relax.”
“Okay. I’ll depend on you, Noah. Please protect me.”
“How long?”
“… Forever.”
“Alright. Just trust me.”
I’ll protect you forever.
■■■.
*
“Today I’ll be a bit late getting off work.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have some overtime to wrap up.”
Huh… Dad seems off today.
“Hmm… I understand. Be careful on your way back.”
“See you later.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you. Noah, just play games moderately.”
“… Okay.”
Dad carefully nodded at me and opened the front door with a bright smile before heading out to work.
“Noah, doesn’t Dad seem suspicious?”
“… What do you mean?”
“Could he be planning to get a ring or something?”
“A ring? Why all of a sudden?!”
How did he know?
No, this can’t be happening.
I need to calm down.
“Just… a woman’s instinct? Hehe.”
Mom flicked my nose and giggled as she headed for the living room.
“Is there any side dish you want? I’m going to make some for the neighbor grandma. Let’s make it together.”
“Umm… scrambled eggs?”
“With onions?”
“A lot!”
“If I put in too much, it’ll look funny; are you sure?”
“Yep. I don’t mind. As long as it tastes good. Hehe.”
“Alright. You stay in your room. Come out when I call you.”
“Okay.”
Humming a tune, I slipped into my room right next to the entrance.
Today is a very busy day; I need to go on a raid.
Time to use my time wisely…!
I quickly stretched my toes to reach the computer power button.
The power button…
Why can’t I reach it…?
“Huh…?”
Leaving my chair, I pressed the power button.
Then I threw myself back onto the chair.
With legs that didn’t reach the ground, I waved them around and logged into the dark sun.
“Today, should I first… do the character-!”
Wiggling my butt, I scanned through eight characters.
Then.
“… Great Sword.”
I clicked on a character holding a great sword as if possessed.
“Isn’t this supposed to be the hardest character to play?”
But why do I want to play it first?
This feels weird.
I tilted my head and immediately clicked the mouse to pull out the great sword.
Suddenly, a white line started appearing on the completely black screen.
“This is a special property of Giga-.”
Wiggling my butt again, I started humming a nonsensical song.
And familiarized myself with the teleportation spell.
Not the Eastern Ruins… but.
Cartia.
Cartia?
Was there such a name?
Uh… whatever.
What’s in a name?
It’s all the same when defeating Carpen anyway.
As usual.
I moved the mouse.
Summoned Carpen.
And skillfully ended the subjugation.
Next up, Kara Han.
Defeated Tylant.
Next up, the Temple of the Moon… or rather, Cartia.
Took out Valoran.
Next, Heading into the Catacombs.
Defeated Brunhilde.
Heading into the Imperial Capital.
Defeated Laila.
Going into the dimensional rift.
Defeated the sealed ancient dragon.
Went to Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
Erden.
End.
Shaman.
■■■.
■■■.
Rubia.
Knock-knock-
“Noah! I’m going to bring some side dishes from the neighbor grandma, could you please help me carry them? They’re super heavy.”
Along with Mom’s strained voice, the computer screen turned off with a thud.
“… Ah!”
“Noah?”
“Ugh… I was so close to finishing… Ugh… Let’s go together.”
Regretting the turned-off computer, I sprang out of my chair.
Then quickly looked in the mirror, roughly tidying my hair before stepping outside.
And on the way out.
Out of the corner of my eye.
In the mirror, I saw.
Unrecognizable.
Words.
Flashing.
