Walking out of the hospital, Rikuo began making his way home, with Toma once again perched on top of his head. The cat's presence was comforting, though he was still irritated by the conversation he had just had.
'What the hell was that guy thinking, saying something like that? That's a red flag if I've ever seen one.'
Taking a right turn and entering the neighborhood, Rikuo looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky.
*Sigh*
"He's getting too sentimental in his old age. But he's right. If anything were to happen to him, even I don't know what I would do."
As he continued through the quiet streets, he slowly drew closer to home.
'And he had to bring up my 'mom' and 'dad'. It's not like either of them are dead or anything. They're just divorced.'
'When I first woke up in this world, I couldn't really understand Japanese, but I could read a room. With years of experience from my previous life, a room filled with yelling, things being thrown, and crying made it pretty obvious what was happening.'
Rikuo took the final left turn and could finally see his home waiting at the end of the road.
'As I grew older and my Japanese improved, I finally understood what happened that day. From what I could piece together, it seemed my supposed father had an affair and my mother found out. After that fight, I never saw him again. I heard he has a new family now. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still alive considering his father-in-law was a former yakuza, but I guess he's just lucky. As for my mom, she stayed with me for a few months before leaving as well.'
'The last words she said to me—and the first words I could fully understand—were, "You look just like him." Then she left me with Gramps.'
'I don't know where she is or how she's doing, but I hope she's okay.'
'Even though both parents abandoned their child, I'm not really hurt by it. They were practically strangers to me from the beginning. If anything, I'm somewhat relieved. I could never truly think of them as my parents. Calling them Mom and Dad would have felt awkward. I couldn't even call my real parents Mommy and Daddy after turning fifteen, and now I was supposed to call complete strangers Mom and Dad?'
Reaching the large wooden gate, Rikuo pushed open the smaller door built into it and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, the true size of the Nura residence became apparent.
The estate occupied a large section of land, surrounded by high wooden walls that separated it from the rest of the neighborhood. A stone pathway stretched forward from the gate toward the main building, cutting through a well-maintained courtyard.
To the right was a small pond where colorful koi lazily swam beneath the moonlight. The surface of the water shimmered whenever a breeze disturbed it, creating ripples of silver light. Beyond the pond stood the storehouse, its wooden walls darkened by age.
To the left was a modest flower garden pressed against the estate wall. Various flowers bloomed there throughout the year, adding splashes of color to the otherwise traditional surroundings.
At the center of everything stood the main residence.
It was less of a house and more of an old noble estate. Built entirely from wood, the structure consisted of several connected sections surrounding a large open-air courtyard in the middle. Wooden walkways ran along the inner edges of the building, overlooking the open center where sunlight and rain could freely enter during the day.
The tiled roofs rose in layers above one another, giving the residence a dignified appearance despite its age. Supporting pillars lined the covered hallways, and the soft glow of moonlight illuminated parts of the inner courtyard.
Beside the main building stood a large cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Its pale petals drifted through the air whenever the wind blew, some landing upon the tiled roofs while others scattered across the courtyard below.
Even after living here for twelve years, Rikuo still felt happy when ever he saw this house.
'Am glad i transmigrated into a family of money though'
Walking up to the entrance, he slid open the door and stepped inside.
"We're finally home, Toma. You can get off now."
"Meow."
Jumping from his head, Toma immediately headed toward the kitchen.
"I'm eating over at Kana's house again today, so after I take a bath I'll leave some sardines out for you."
Not even bothering to acknowledge him, Toma continued walking.
'Arrogant much?'
Shaking his head, Rikuo made his way to his room. Sliding the door open, he stepped inside.
Compared to the rest of the estate, his room was surprisingly ordinary. A bed sat beside the window, allowing him to wake up to the morning sunlight whenever he forgot to close the curtains. Opposite it stood a study desk covered with schoolbooks, and to the right was a tv and console with a shelf of games.
Against one wall stood a dresser and closet filled with clothes, while a bookshelf beside them held the manga collection he had slowly built up using years of allowance money.
In the center of the room rested a small low table atop a mat, providing a place to read and eat snacks.
Throwing his school bag onto the chair, Rikuo grabbed a change of clothes from the dresser before heading toward the bathroom.
An hour later, Rikuo emerged from the bathroom, feeling much more refreshed. Making his way to the kitchen, he found Toma sleeping on a stool. Opening one of the cupboards, Rikuo pulled out a can of sardines and cracked it open.
The moment the lid popped, a pair of cat ears twitched. Toma immediately jumped down from the stool.
"Here you go, Bon Appétit."
Placing the sardines on the floor, Rikuo left the kitchen and headed toward the section of the house connected to the storehouse. Passing through the covered corridor linking the two buildings, he eventually arrived at his destination.
Sliding the wooden door open, Rikuo stepped inside. The storehouse was one of the oldest parts of the estate. The faint smell of wood and dust immediately greeted him.
Rows of shelves lined the walls, holding pottery, old boxes, and various items that had accumulated over the years. Moonlight streamed through a small window near the ceiling, illuminating countless particles of dust drifting lazily through the air.
The first thing that usually caught a visitor's attention when first entering was the small shrine resting near the back wall. A sacred shimenawa rope decorated its frame and resting at the center of the was a beautifully decorated tokkuri (sake vase). Intricate patterns covered its surface, depicting strange creatures dancing beneath swirling clouds.
Unfortunately, its contents were far less impressive.
When Rikuo first discovered it years ago, he had assumed it contained some legendary alcohol passed down through generations of the family. Perhaps some divine sake blessed by a shrine maiden or gifted by a deity.
Then he opened it. The smell that escaped had nearly knocked him unconscious. To this day, he remained convinced that whatever was inside could legally qualify as a biological weapon.
After barely managing to put the lid back on, he had immediately gone to tell Gramps about it, only for the old man to burst out laughing.
Apparently, he had made the exact same mistake when he was younger.
'It's been sitting there for years. Even I inherited it from from my father and his father before him.'
Rikuo had even attempted to use it to prank Toma once. But before he could open the bottle, the cat was already hissing and puffing up its fur.
It was as if Toma instinctively knew something horrible was sealed inside. Needless to say, Rikuo had wisely decided not to trouble Toma any further.
However, the tokkuri was not the reason he had come to the storehouse tonight. Instead, his gaze moved toward one of the many pottery pieces scattered around the room.
*****************
*Flashback* — Two Hours Ago
"Hey kid, since Miss Ienaga has been feeding you for the past few days, why don't you give her one of my pottery pieces as a thank-you gift from me?"
"Sure. Can I pick any of them?"
"Yeah. Just make sure to choose one she can put flowers in."
*Flashback Ends*
*****************
After spending a few minutes searching through the pottery, Rikuo eventually settled on a medium-sized vase decorated with the image of a poorly drawn tiger prowling through.
It wasn't too large, so it wouldn't take up much space, and compared to some of the other pottery pieces with even poorer drawings on it in the storehouse, it looked better.
Carrying the vase carefully under one arm, Rikuo left the storehouse and headed back toward the main residence. After making sure Toma had enough food for the night, he slipped on his shoes and headed back outside.
Kana's house was only a block away from his own. The short walk took barely a few minutes.
Walking up to the front door, Rikuo pressed the doorbell.
Ding Dong
A few moments later, the door opened.
"You're here."
Kana stood in the doorway wearing casual clothes with her hair tied back in a ponytail.
"Thanks for having me"
"Come in already."
As Rikuo walked into the Kana's home, a voice called out from deeper inside.
"Kana, who is it?"
"It's Rikuo."
"Oh? Rikuo-kun is finally here?"
A moment later, Miss Ienaga appeared from around the corner, wiping her hands on an apron.
"Good evening, Rikuo-kun."
"Good evening, Miss Ienaga. Thanks for inviting me over again."
"Of course. A growing boy shouldn't be eating cup noodles every day."
Miss Ienaga smiled before her eyes landed on the vase in his hands.
"Oh? What's that?"
"Gramps wanted me to give this to you as a thank-you gift for feeding me lately."
Carefully holding the vase with both hands, Rikuo presented it to her.
Miss Ienaga accepted it with a surprised expression.
"Oh my, you didn't have to do that."
Turning it slightly, she looked at the tiger doodle across its surface.
"It's unique."
"I'm glad you like it."
From beside him, Kana leaned over to inspect it.
"Your grandfather really can't draw can he "
"Kana don't say that its a gift after all. Alright, enough standing around. Dinner's ready."
The moment those words left her mouth, Rikuo heard footsteps descending the stairs.
A man appeared shortly afterward. His shirt was slightly wrinkled, and his tie was draped around his neck instead of being properly worn. He looked like someone who had just gotten home from work and immediately decided he was done being productive for the day.
"Ah, Rikuo-kun."
"Good evening, Mr. Ienaga."
"Good evening."
A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the dining table.
The food spread before them was far more impressive than anything Rikuo could make himself which wasn't saying much. Still, it smelled incredible. As they ate, conversation naturally drifted from one topic to another school, work events going on in the city and club activities.
"So, Rikuo-kun," Miss Ienaga said, "what do you usually eat for breakfast?"
"Fried eggs."
"Oh, that's all?"
"No. Scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and when I'm feeling adventurous, omelets too."
The room fell silent.
"So..." Kana slowly said.
"Yes?"
"It's just eggs, eggs, eggs, and eggs?"
"Eggs, eggs, eggs, and eggs."
Mr. Ienaga lowered his chopsticks.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the ceiling.
'Whoever ends up near this kid after he starts digesting all that has my deepest sympathies.'
Offering a silent prayer for that unfortunate soul, he resumed eating. Meanwhile, Miss Ienaga looked horrified.
"Maybe i should also pack some lunch for you as well"
"No its okay you are already making me dinner i will just buy something to eat for lunch"
The rest of dinner continued in much the same way.
By the time everyone had finished eating, the atmosphere around the table had become warm and relaxed. For a little while, Rikuo almost forgot that he was a guest they truly treated him like family.
After dinner, Mr. Ienaga claimed the television as his rightful territory and settled onto the couch. Miss Ienaga began washing with the aid of Kana. And before long, it was time for Rikuo to head home.
"I'll walk you out."
Whipping her wet hand from help washing the dishes with her mom, Kana headed for the front door as Rikuo followed behind. A few moments later, the two stepped outside. The night air was cool compared to the warmth of the house.
"Thanks again for dinner again."
"No prob you can come over and eat anytime after all you're family at this point."
"Okay but don't blame me if i eat all your snakes then"
The two stood in silence for a moment. Then Kana suddenly spoke with a smile on her face.
"If you did that i will kill "
Raising his hands to admit surrender cold sweat fell from his forehead
"Ok ok i will make sure to not touch your snacks "
"Good, see you tomorrow"
"I'll see you tomorrow Kana"
Waving goodbye, Rikuo turned and began the short walk back home. The lights of the Ienaga residence slowly faded behind him as he walked beneath the the light from the light posts with a full stomach and a content smile.
[A/N: another stereotype I want to break the dead parents in a iseaki/Transmigration story why is it that almost 90% of iseaki/Transmigration ff, the parent are dead i know its to give independence to the mc but there are probably over 9000 iseaki ff now yet only a small amount still have parent and if you are asking where i got this information i based it on my experience of reading thoes ff also why are all of them either not have parent or abusive parents
I also used ai a bit in this chapter and came to the conclusion its best to not use it unless to fix grammar because if you guys saw the draft every 5 sentence in a dialogue somebody is saying 'fair' or is acting sassy]