Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, married.
Wife: Suella Hendelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 9 (Quasi Demon Lord Class)
Position: Warrior
Invited by Suella’s voice, I opened the door and entered, then stepped aside to let my parents in.
“Nice to meet you, I am Suella Hendelberg.”
“My name is Memoria Tris. I am very happy to meet you all.”
“…Ahhahaha!! So that’s how it is, Jiro. You actually brought two wives with you, I never expected that, not even from me!!”
At the door’s entrance, Suella and Memoria stood side-by-side and bowed to my mother.
My mother, after a few seconds of silence observing their gesture, understood everything and began to enthusiastically pat my back while laughing.
As for my father, he looked at Suella and the Hendelberg family, clenched his right fist, and expressed his joy and admiration at them being Elves.
To be precise, they are Dark Elves, but I have no intention of correcting him now.
“Well, from the looks of company, I didn’t expect you to bring ordinary girls, but I certainly didn’t expect this. My son is quite something. It looks like we’ll be seeing grandchildren soon enough.”
My mother didn’t particularly scold me about dating two women; instead, she nodded in agreement.
She showed a slightly relieved expression, but I wished she could have held that relief a little longer.
“Well, we already have one.”
After all, I was about to report that in addition to dating two women, there was already a child.
I moved from my mother’s side to stand between Suella and Memoria, and gently patted Suella’s shoulder. Suella, with a blush, softly placed a hand on her stomach.
“What is it, what is it, is today a day to surprise me? I’ve been surprised constantly since I got here. If you say this is all a joke, Jiro, you know what’s coming, right?”
My mother, who usually has a somewhat detached air, was showing an expression of surprise unlike anything seen before.
Then, her expression changed dramatically, becoming serious.
Seeing her face, I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I knew I couldn’t lie any further.
Finally, I was able to say these words.
“Ah, I know. Mother, I am going to marry both of them.”
“Is that so? Then I have nothing more to say. Be happy.”
Our conversations as mother and son might be few, but this is enough for us.
Her expression softened into one of relief and kindness.
“Well now! Enough with the gloomy talk! I have daughters now, even if they are through marriage. Let’s drink, Jiro!! Won’t you join us?”
She instantly returned to her usual cheerful demeanor.
She then made a gesture as if pouring a drink for herself, and it was clear what that meant.
“Ooh, that’s nice~!”
“Oh my, it’s a celebration, isn’t it? It might be a good time for the parents to deepen their acquaintance.”
I thought the men would be the first to jump in, but surprisingly, the women responded first.
Seeing that, the men showed a gesture of relief, followed by happy expressions. I felt a strange emotion, thinking that in any family, women are always the stronger ones.
And my mother, once she sets her mind to something, doesn’t back down.
“Jiro! Do you have a place where we can drink?”
“I knew you’d say that…”
It was predictable.
But I pondered what to do.
I didn’t have permission to enter the underground facility.
This conference room was also a company facility where drinking parties were not allowed.
And inviting them to my bachelor apartment wouldn’t work either; if it were just my parents, it might be manageable, but with other members joining, it would be too cramped.
Even considering the party room, I thought it might be a bit small, and was pondering what to do when…
“If that’s the case, I know a good place.”
Suella smiled and saved me from my dilemma.
Isn’t alcohol a universal tool for communication?
I’ve seen many people use that as a pretext to drink, but now I can understand it to some extent.
Although my mother’s sudden, nonsensical suggestion kicked things off, Suella and Memoria’s parents agreed, and the plan surprisingly came together smoothly.
Laughter echoed in the prepared room, various dishes and drinks spread across the table, and a small feast was held in the living room.
The participants’ faces were all smiles, showing that they were enjoying themselves.
“I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
“Yes, it was originally intended for family rooms, but since we don’t have any married testers, all the rooms are vacant. This is within the dormitory, so it’s easier to get permission.”
“I see. And thank you, Memoria, for arranging the furniture and things.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
“My son-in-law! Won’t you entertain this old man and not just your wife!!”
“Father, please keep your voice down a bit! Ah, Mr. Gray, Mr. Ichiro, I apologize for my father’s boisterousness.”
“It’s fine.”
“Ah, I don’t mind at all.”
A table was placed in the spacious living room, about ten tatami mats, unlike what you’d expect in individual rooms. Everyone was eating and drinking as they pleased.
“Here, try this stir-fried mushroom dish that we often eat in our village. You, please serve some to the others too.”
“I was waiting for this. Yes, the meat dish we had earlier was also delicious, but this one really brings out the flavor of the ingredients too. It’s delicious!”
“Thanks~! It’s been a while since I’ve had Dark Elf cuisine, but it’s still as good as ever~!”
Unlike the men who were just eating and drinking, the mothers were taking turns in the kitchen.
After quickly splitting up the cooking tasks at the beginning, they were now replenishing the dishes with drinks in hand. Their skillful preparation was truly motherly.
Without any waste, they would leave their seats for a moment and then return to join the conversation.
“It seems I’ve been summoned. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Yes, then we’ll talk with your mother-in-law.”
“Oh, come, come! Let’s have a secret talk just between the women!”
“Mother, take it easy. My apologies, mother-in-law, please look after my mother.”
“Understood!”
“Yes, we will.”
Although Suella prepared the venue for us, who were the guests of honor, we didn’t help with other food or drink arrangements.
So, I kept going back and forth between the mothers and fathers, enjoying myself.
“Welcome, welcome! Here, son-in-law, have a drink first.”
“Thank you.”
Although he doesn’t look it, Suella’s grandfather, who claims to be one, greeted me with a smile and offered me a bottle of wine.
I poured some into a cup, a wine with a lower alcohol content than what I drank with the instructors, and took a sip.
His cheerful disposition also contributed to the preparation of this feast.
As soon as the feast began, he slapped me on the back.
“You’ve done wonderfully, son-in-law!! With this, the Hendelberg family is secure!”
He praised me for Suella being pregnant.
Muil-san’s open-mindedness, which didn’t mind him being a child born from a human, eased my tension about my unplanned pregnancy.
Thanks to him, our conversation flowed smoothly.
“I’m glad to see your parents are enjoying themselves too.”
“Ah, Jiro-kun, I heard this wine was good, and it really is.”
“Indeed, it’s addictive.”
“Personally, I’d love to recommend Japanese sake~ Please do try it.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Indeed.”
Several bottles had already been emptied, and my father, who could only handle alcohol at an average level, was already drunk.
The others seemed to be holding up fine, but no one seemed to mind my father’s state.
“Speaking of which, that rock-paper-scissors game earlier was amazing. From where I was watching, it looked like he had multiple arms growing out.”
“Hahaha, with a bit of magic reinforcement, anyone in this world can do that much.”
“Indeed.”
“That’s great, Jiro. Can I really not use magic?”
And drunks tend to change the subject suddenly.
My father brought up the topic of who would be called “father-in-law” first, which had been a point of contention earlier.
When the topic came up again, I was about to worry about what to do, but my mother’s voice, not a word of authority but a decisive one, settled it with rock-paper-scissors.
Mr. Gray, my father-in-law, who was enthusiastic from the start, readily agreed, and surprisingly, Suella’s father, Mait-san, was also keen.
I didn’t comment on his full-power magic reinforcement, but I was honestly impressed by how quickly he changed his hand’s form.
And it was my father-in-law, Mait, who emerged victorious.
He was probably the son of Muil-san, who, despite looking polite, was a sprightly old man. He triumphantly made a fist-pump.
Gray-san, standing next to him, feigned dejection without showing it on his face and was comforted by his wife, Miruru-san.
They tried to resolve the “mother-in-law” title with the same method, but it seemed that matter had already been settled; they graciously conceded to Suella, who would be having a child, in celebration.
Well, even so, Miruru-san would eventually be called “Mother-in-law,” and calling someone who looked younger than me “Mother-in-law” felt strange…
Following this series of events, my father’s attention was drawn to magic.
He originally became a photographer out of curiosity to see the unknown.
That curiosity continued from childhood into adulthood, and now he has become a mass of curiosity who fearlessly explores even unexplored jungles.
It’s no wonder such a father would be interested in magic.
“We won’t know unless we measure your magic aptitude… But since you were repelled by this company’s barrier, it means it’s not that high. Shall we try measuring it?”
“You can measure it!?”
“Ah, I believe there’s paper in the room that can measure magic aptitude.”
“Here you go, Jiro-san.”
“Ah, thank you, Suella. But where did you get that from?”
“I overheard you saying you needed it, so I retrieved it from the Tester department’s storage.”
“Teleportation Magic, as convenient as ever.”
I interrupted my conversation with my mother and thanked Suella again for preparing it, then handed the paper to my father.
“So, Jiro, what happens to this blank paper?”
“If you have aptitude, letters will appear, turning it into a job advertisement.”
“And then, and then?”
“A number will appear in the upper right corner indicating your approximate magic aptitude.”
“Um, how long does this test take?”
“A moment.”
“What?”
“I said, a moment.”
“Jiro, it’s still blank.”
“In other words, you have no magic aptitude. You can’t use magic.”
“Waaaaah, Kirikaaa!”
“Ah, really, stop crying now, you’re an adult. It’s just a piece of paper.”
“Uuu, but, but, it’s magic?”
I had predicted my aptitude to be around 2, but to my surprise, it was none.
After a moment of silence, my father, tears welling up, leaped towards my mother.
My mother, unfazed, expertly avoided her glass and caught him, showing more backbone than any ordinary man.
Gray-san, Mait-san, and Muil-san looked at my father with concern, but my mother laughed it off, waving her hand dismissively as if it were a regular occurrence.
Then, she smoothly slipped the crumpled paper from my father’s grip and peered at it.
“Yes, yes, be content just to have encountered magic. My, you actually get paid quite a bit, Jiro.”
“It’s not the exact amount written there, but… Mother, you can read it? What’s your aptitude? It’s written in the upper right corner, isn’t it?”
“Hmm? It says ten. Is that low?”
” ” ” “Ten!?” ” ” ”
Ignorance can sometimes lead to utterly surprising statements.
Those of us who understood the meaning of magic aptitude, including myself, cried out in surprise at my mother’s casual words, which indicated the highest possible score.
“Jiro, let me see that!!”
“What is it? Is there something that surprising?”
My mother, who didn’t understand the situation, asked me with a blank stare, but I was anything but calm now.
After all, her magic aptitude of ten was said to be rarer than winning the lottery.
I apologize for snatching the paper from her, but I reached out from across the table and grabbed it.
Then, as if to confirm I wasn’t mistaken, I looked at the paper, and there was indeed the number ten.
“Seriously?”
My words, which were a mere slip from facing reality, were short.
So, my high magic aptitude inherited it from my mother.
Whether my father’s influence or a degradation of my genes caused it to be slightly lower than my mother’s, I couldn’t tell.
However, this solved a piece of the puzzle regarding my unconventional mother’s capabilities.
With abilities on par with a Demon Lord, truly Heroic Class, her intuition made sense.
“Sniffle, you know, Kirika said she was chased by a ghost when she was a student and managed to escape. Was it because Kirika could use magic that she could see ghosts?”
The atmosphere, which had been joyful just moments ago, suddenly became chaotic as my father, who was still unaware of the full situation, interjected.
“Is that so, Jiro?”
“No, Earth generally has no magic, so even with magic aptitude, it’s not related to whether you can see ghosts.”
Still not catching up with reality myself, I stared at the paper and simply answered the question.
Memoria and Suella also peered from my sides, their eyes widening at the numbers, rendering them speechless.
The same was true for my father-in-law and mother-in-law, who were peeking from behind them.
“Is that so? Then I’m relieved. I’ve only seen one like that myself, and I’ve had enough of such experiences.”
We were too preoccupied with what to do about these numbers to fully listen to my mother’s story. However, without any regard for our state, my mother, reminiscing about the past, tilted her beer glass and began to recall a memory.
“Still, that was strange for a ghost. I suddenly had a bad premonition, and then the ground lit up! At that moment, I got goosebumps all over. I instinctively dodged, but then it turned into a large ball of light and chased me. That alone was strange, but then it started talking to me, saying ‘Your powers are needed!’ I thought, ‘This is dangerous,’ and ran away. Then it shouted, ‘Enter this light!’ and persistently pursued me.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it many times too; it’s a strange story.”
“Right, right. As a result, I ran around all day, and managed to shake it off by sunset. But I thought it would be bad if a ghost possessed me, so I purified myself in the waterfall behind our house all night. To ward off evil spirits! Of course, I caught a cold the next day and was bedridden!! What’s wrong, everyone? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No, Mother, that sounds like…”
As our mother cheerfully and animatedly recounted an ordinary anecdote, we, who had been surprised by her magic aptitude moments ago, were now captivated by what was undeniably an important story. Our eyes were drawn to her.
Recognizing the familiar scene, I understood what had happened to my mother.
And I spoke on behalf of everyone.
“Could it be Hero Summoning?”
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, married.
Wife: Suella Hendelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 9 (Quasi Demon Lord Class)
Position: Warrior
Quote of the day:
I realized my own mother was more amazing than I had thought.
Ah, far more than I expected.
This concludes this installment.
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