NOVEL WEB Chapter 72 - A Heart Unable to Catch Up
A Heart Unable to Catch Up
Calm down. Calm down. Calm down, Megu. My hands were trembling, and my vision was blurry, but I had to calm down.
Was it just this business card that fell into this world, or did the person who arrived here have it…? Did… Dad make it here?
My intuition already knew the answer, but I couldn’t help but to confirm. I forced the words out, desperately trying to hold back tears. My mouth was so dry it was getting flaky.
“This… um… could the losht person… wead this?”
“Of course. Because that person gave it to me. Apparently, it has their name on it. I like these characters, they feel mystical… He even wrote my name for me!”
Lasch-san said this happily, taking out a piece of ordinary paper, also encased in crystal. It had the name “裸亜呪 (Raashu),” written in kanji, Dad’s distinct handwriting.
Ahaha… I almost burst out laughing. Tears welled up. And what horrible kanji choices, Dad.
I couldn’t believe it. To think that Dad had been in this world. I remembered that day—
It was when I was about to enter university.
Both my grandparents had passed away by then, and it was just Dad and I. It was spring break, and I was preparing dinner at home, having finished my assignments early. And then, I received a call.
『Hello, this is the police. Is this the Hasegawa residence?』
“Eh…? Yes…”
Dad, who was in a taxi on his way home from a business trip, was involved in a multi-car collision, and the taxi plunged off a cliff. It was a cliff overlooking the ocean. When they pulled the taxi out of the water, they found the driver’s body and Dad’s suitcase. Dad was considered missing… but it was clear that he was…
It’d been almost ten years since then, and everyone assumed that he was dead, but I still didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to. Because…
I didn’t want to be alone.
I kept myself busy with schoolwork, part-time jobs, anything to avoid thinking about it. And after getting a job, I’d worked myself to the bone, becoming a corporate slave before I knew it. Thinking back, those were empty days.
But the thought that Dad might still be alive somewhere… never changed.
—Until Lasch-san’s next words.
“This is great, isn’t it? Time flies so quickly… It’s already been 200 years since he wrote this. There hasn’t been much progress with this research I was asked to do, and the client withdrew the request ages ago. But I plan to continue researching. We might find something revolutionary, like that mysterious pen!”
I thought my heart skipped a beat, “Dokun!” I could feel the blood drain from my face.
Eh… did he just say… 200 years…? I didn’t mishear, did I…? And the request had been withdrawn.
He had his business card, so Dad must have been transported to this world, not just his soul, like me. He’d come here in his original form. And that was… 200 years ago…
Demons were long-lived. But Dad… was just a human. A weak, ordinary human.
He’d been… dead for a long time—
My hands and feet were cold. No, I couldn’t feel them anymore.
Everything I’d been holding onto ever since Dad disappeared… suddenly snapped. …It’s strange, I knew there was no way I’d ever see him again, not after I came to this world, not after I ended up in this body, so why was I so shocked now?
But it seemed like… what mattered to me wasn’t whether I could see him, but whether he was alive.
…I see. He’d already… passed away. I wonder if he was happy, living in this world.
“Meg… !?”
I thought I heard Gil-san’s voice in the distance.
“Nnnn…?”
When I regained consciousness, I was in bed. My usual bed, in the infirmary. Uh, what happened?
Did I faint? Ugh, I’m so delicate. But the shock was real. Somewhere in my heart I wanted to believe that my father was still alive, but now his death has been confirmed. To think that a miraculous reunion would happen in this world, in this isekai! …Maybe because I was expecting something out of a story, the blow hit even harder.
I needed a little more time to process this. And then, when I finally calmed down, I’ll take the opportunity to ask Lasch-san about Dad. How he’d lived in this world, what he was like. Was he happy? Until then, until I could calmly listen to his stories, I’d keep this to myself.
“! You’re awake!”
Maryla-san, who emerged from the back of the infirmary, noticed I was awake and called out. These kinds of situations are becoming common here, I thought, chuckling wryly.
“I was so surprised when Gil-san came rushing in, carrying you! But don’t worry, you’re fine. We’ll have you eat something light, and then you can go back to sleep.”
“Gil-shan…?”
“He’s with Saura-san now. He’ll be back after your nap, so don’t worry!”
I see. I made everyone worry. I’m sorry.
Maryla-san then brought me a warm bowl of bread porridge. It was a milk-based porridge with soft-cooked vegetables and cheese. It was nutritious, easy to eat, and gentle on the stomach. Maybe it was one of Leo-jii’s creations? It had such a gentle flavor.
After I finished eating, Maryla-san cleaned up efficiently and then said, “Even if you can’t sleep, just close your eyes and lie down.”
“You’re exhausted, you’ll probably fall asleep soon. Sweet dreams, Meg-chan.”
“Okii. Thank you… vewwy much.”
Once Maryla-san left, the silence of the room felt… lonely. Come to think of it, I’d never been alone since coming to this world.
And my mind wouldn’t stop racing.
…I’ll deal with Dad… later. I’d wait until I calmed down. Time would heal this wound.
Right now, I had a more pressing matter. Why was Nemo targeting me? I’d have to leave this to Saura-san and the others. It would just cause trouble if I acted on my own. But I did want to know what was going on. I’d ask them later.
So, what could I do now?
“Shou-chan.”
『Yes! Master… are you alright?』
“Fuu-chan.”
『Yes! Master, I’m here!』
“Homura-kun.”
『Yeah! You’re okay, Master! I’m here too!』
My spirits (friends) came rushing over the moment I called their names. I smiled, overjoyed. Thank you for worrying about me. I’m happy.
“I… want to be able to… fight a little. Can you all lend me your strength?”
They readily agreed, as if my request was silly. I felt my heart being soothed by this scene of everyone getting along so well despite how noisy they are.
“Thank you, everyone. I wuv you! Well then… teach me some nature madgic!”
『Leave it to me!』
『Of course!』
『Got it! 』
I stroked them as they replied cheerfully, and they all squinted, seemingly enjoying it. So cute.
As I continued to stroke them, I could feel my eyelids getting heavy. It seemed like my body really was tired. I was still sleepy even after sleeping for days.
And so, as if to soothe my troubled heart, I fell asleep.