Jiro Tanaka, 28, Married.
Wife: Suella Handelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 9 (Quasi Demon Lord Class)
Rank: Warrior
“Seriously, that was too sudden.”
Even though they are my parents, they are truly too unrestrained.
I, who was unexpectedly visited by my parents, hurried down the company corridor, putting off tasks like paperwork.
My hand naturally went to the back of my head, scratching it vigorously.
“Yo, Jiro! Going to see the wife?”
“It’s fine to whisper sweet nothings, but get your work done properly. Our overtime hours will increase.”
“Shut up, you singletons. Come back after you’ve won.”
” ‘Alright, show us your face at the training hall for a bit.’ ”
“You bet! If I have time.”
Even as I did that, I exchanged jokes with a familiar pair of ogres amongst the fantasy employees I now see every day.
This has recently become a routine.
Dealing with these guys is now a common thing, I exchange a knowing grin and then we part ways.
For me, it served as a good change of pace, and I arrived at my destination feeling a little lighter.
“Keiri-san, is Suella here?”
“Yes, yes, just a moment. Suella, your husband has come to see you.”
I entered the room with a plate that read “Tester Division” and called out for Suella. Keiri-san immediately notified me that Suella was sitting at the section chief’s desk in the back.
Suella, who was called in this manner, had been processing the documents on her desk with familiar body reinforcement magic at the speed of a printing machine until just a moment ago, but now her hands had stopped.
I assumed she had noticed my presence the moment I entered.
She stopped her work and smiled at me even before Keiri-san spoke.
By the way, I still can’t perform that high-speed document processing method.
It requires body reinforcement to move at high speed, as well as precise control of strength so as not to break the paper and pens.
The last time I tried, I snapped a ballpoint pen.
When I tried to write by reinforcing a ballpoint pen with the same method as an Ore Tree, I cut through the paper. And the desk beneath it.
And then, when I thought about reinforcing the desk and documents to write on them.
The reinforced paper repelled the ink.
I often think about how much I still have wastefully processed magic and body movements when I watch their movements.
“What’s wrong, Jiro-san? Is there a problem?”
“Hey, hey, the way you say that makes it sound like I’m always causing trouble.”
“Was I wrong?”
“I’m involved in half of it.”
“Then what about the other half?”
“I’m involved, but I’m not the main cause.”
As Suella teased me while chuckling, I shrugged my shoulders, asking for forgiveness. Her smile deepened further.
My thoughts were about to stray, but I mustn’t forget the main topic.
It wasn’t because Keiri-san, who was heckling me about being lovey-dovey at work, provoked me.
“Fufu, so what is your business?”
“Ah, regarding that… can you handle the facility entry procedures for an external person?”
“Yes, but is it someone you newly scouted?”
“No, it’s my parents. I wanted Suella and the others to meet them.”
“…”
“…”
It’s understandable that there was a slight time lag in bringing up the matter.
I was embarrassed to ask if it was okay to invite my parents to the company.
Suella, too, showed a pensive expression and remained silent for a few seconds.
Waiting for permission, I naturally followed suit and fell silent.
“Fuu, well then, I suppose I’ll have to have a dress made.”
“My parents are ordinary people.”
Suella sometimes has some strange ideas when she’s caught off guard, and this time was no exception.
She was about to use telepathic communication to connect somewhere without panicking, but I gently stopped her.
My parents are so unrestrained that they are more “extraordinary” than ordinary people, let alone nobles from another world.
They prefer normal attire over formal wear.
They prefer ramen stalls under the railway bridge to high-class restaurants.
There’s no need to get that worked up… or, perhaps, there is a need to get worked up in a different sense.
Mainly in a mental aspect.
I would also like to see Suella in a dress, but I’ll save that for later.
For now, it’s about letting Suella and Memoria meet my parents.
“But, but, they’re Jiro-san’s parents, aren’t they? What if they disapprove of the marriage and object?”
“Ah, I don’t think you need to worry about that. They’re so unrestrained, they’ll probably just tell me to do as I please since I’m the one who chose my partner.”
“Is that so?”
“In fact, they’re so unrestrained that they might easily approve of the marriage and then want to travel to another world.”
“They sound like fun parents.”
“The motto I heard when I was little was that life is a competition to have fun, which is not a motto you should tell your children.”
I say with a laugh that I’ve heard it so many times it’s drilled into my ears, and Suella laughs, finding it amusing.
“So, can you get permission?”
“Yes, given the circumstances, a certain level of suggestion would be necessary, but it will be alright.”
“Suggestion, huh… I wonder if it will work on Mom, though Dad might be susceptible.”
“Even considering you’re Jiro-san’s parents, you worry too much. It will be fine unless they have the power of a Demon Lord or Evia-sama.”
“I hope so. For now, I’m counting on you. When should it be? It’s probably best to do it on my day off, right?”
I have a feeling my mother would breach the suggestion the very next day, even if it was applied.
I try not to think about it further, telling myself I’m worrying too much.
“Let me see, I need to coordinate with Memoria’s schedule.”
“Ah, in that case, I’ll go talk to Memoria later and let her know. Shall we decide on the exact time tonight then?”
“Yes, then I will prepare the procedures and necessary documents.”
“Sorry, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes.”
With that, we exchange a light smile, and the conversation is over.
“Huh? Is the lovey-dovey time over?”
“You can have plenty of time to be lovey-dovey tonight, so why don’t you find someone too, Keiri-san?”
“To suggest that to a Dark Elf woman, Jiro, you seem to want to make Suella a widow.”
“Oh, scary! Before I get kicked by a Dark Elf, I should make my exit.”
“Wait, that quarrel… “Suella!! Wait!! “Right now, I have to deliver the angry fist of all Dark Elf women to this man!!” “Eh, wait, you’re joking, right? That amount is no laughing matter!!” “—Ah, that’s right, Suella, I received contact from over there earlier.”
Dodging Keiri-san, who was teasing me, I quickly made my escape.
As I left the room, I gave Suella a quick wave, and she waved back while piling documents onto Keiri-san’s desk.
I ignored Keiri-san’s scream, which sounded like a death rattle, and started walking towards my next destination.
I felt like I heard something I shouldn’t have missed, but oh well.
“So, that’s the situation. Memoria, are you free?”
“Do you understand, Jiro-san, that as someone about to get married, I can’t say I’m not available?”
“I see.”
From the noisy office, I moved to the quiet, deserted store.
Thanks to the recent Event, it seems that some Testers have started visiting this store as well, ever since then.
However, due to the small number of Testers overall, there are still many idle times like this.
Memoria’s response to the same explanation I gave Suella was the usual, listening while reading a book.
However, I’ve noticed.
Her gaze is fixed on the book, but she hasn’t turned a single page for a while.
She’s probably flustered in her own way too.
I’m truly sorry about my parents.
However, seeing Memoria’s rare expression is a bonus for me.
“Honestly, I wish I could have visited like Suella after I got pregnant.”
“These things happen when they happen.”
I apologize for the suddenness, but I can only let out a wry smile.
“So, when do you think it will be?”
“I’ll discuss the details with Suella tonight, but it will probably be next Saturday or so.”
“I see. I’ll take that day off then.”
“That helps.”
“No, I’m already looking forward to meeting the parents you described.”
“Let me tell you, we’re not meeting at a place with a dress code, so you don’t need to prepare a dress or anything, okay?”
“That’s unfortunate. Was it that obvious on my face?”
“Suella said the same thing.”
“I see, is that so?”
Only our voices echoed in the quiet store.
As time passed, I thought…
The store’s door suddenly burst open with a bang.
Thinking another Tester had arrived, I sat up from the counter and looked in that direction.
“Memoria-chan!! I heard you were getting married, and I couldn’t wait, so I came to meet my son-in-law!!”
“?”
However, what entered my field of vision was not a Tester dressed for adventure, but a girl dressed in completely opposite attire.
Yes, she was like a resident of a dreamland who had somehow wandered in.
The girl standing at the entrance was smiling brightly, waving both her hands up and down as if to show how energetic she was.
I looked at such a girl from top to bottom.
The girl with long, light golden hair resembled Memoria, except for her eyes.
Dressed in a gothic lolita outfit with a bright color scheme based on pink, she was even smaller than Memoria.
The girl’s sudden appearance made me wonder if we had such an employee, but I couldn’t recall anyone fitting the description.
Besides, what did this girl just say?
“Mother.”
“Mother!?”
“I’m your mother!”
Memoria stood up from her chair with a surprised expression, her eyes wide open.
The words she let out about the girl’s existence made me shout as if to confirm.
No, in my case, will she be my mother-in-law?
No, it’s too early to say since I haven’t received permission.
Completely unconcerned by my confused internal conflict, she slowly brought the hands she had been waving vigorously to her cheeks.
Then, pointing with her index finger, she smiled and declared herself to be my mother, leaving me unable to hide my surprise.
She looks like a girl, and moreover, a primary school student with her height and attire. If she stood next to Memoria, they would look like sisters with a significant age gap, a high school student and a primary school student.
However, considering her statement earlier, her age and position should be reversed.
Furthermore, if she is Memoria’s mother, she must also be a vampire. Yet, this girl maintains such a bright expression that she looks like a sparkling, non-vampire.
Her demeanor makes it hard to believe she’s a vampire, but the fangs visible when she smiles tell me she is.
Facing such a girl, the word “legal loli?” crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it as a fleeting thought.
In the midst of this confusion, Memoria hurried out from behind the counter towards me.
“Why are you here?”
“Oh, Memoria-chan, Mother just told you. I came to meet the groom-to-be when I heard you were getting married.”
“I thought I wrote in the letter that I would be coming over.”
“Oh, Memoria-chan. A letter from your daughter after a long time saying, ‘I’m getting married, so please wait for me’— do you think Mother could just wait? — ESPECIALLY since my daughter, whom I’ve encouraged to get married countless times, has finally found someone, Mother was so surprised and delighted, and of course, Father was too? So, I was curious to know what kind of person he was.”
“No way.”
When they stood side-by-side, they truly looked like sisters, and yet their conversation seemed like a parent worried about their child and a child flustered by a parent who suddenly appeared.
Despite the strangeness of the contrasting scene, I gradually calmed down.
Then, Memoria’s gaze shifted from the girl who appeared to be her mother to the open entrance, and I followed her gaze. Suddenly, a gentleman wearing a black mantle, like a vampire, with his purple-silver hair combed back like Memoria’s, entered.
And, when you hear “mother,” the next person to appear is…
“I came with Father.”
“Father.”
…the father.
They say dark clouds gather, but is this what they refer to?
Ah, and Memoria’s eyes resemble her father’s.
Jiro Tanaka, 28, Married.
Wife: Suella Handelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 9 (Quasi Demon Lord Class)
Rank: Warrior
Today’s Word:
It’s precisely because it’s a surprise inspection that it becomes an emergency inspection.
This concludes this installment.
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