📢 Support me on Patreon for access to 150+ chapters, exclusive artwork, and 30+ new chapters every week!
✨ Each chapter comes with 3+ unique illustrations to enhance your reading experience!
📚 All files are available in both PDF and EPUB formats, so you can easily download and read offline.
🔥 There are also Constant Collections and Mega Picture Collections available after every major arc!
Enjoy!
For those who can't join on Patreon, please support me by giving Power Stones — your support helps me bring you even more bonus chapters! 🎁
Chapter 95-96 – Summer Festival – 1
[MC POV]
Even though I had gotten an adult ID, nothing much changed in my daily life.
As usual, I spent my time collecting small amounts of money by playing various mini-games here and there.
"Nice!"
"Agh! Why did the heavens create Takuya and then me!"
For the record, this money wasn't for stocks or coin investments. It was simply for my personal snacks.
No matter what, I couldn't bring myself to use Miyuki's money just to buy something to eat.
Of course, the little kids who ended up giving me money were pitiful, but that wasn't my concern.
After pocketing the coins from those snot-nosed brats, I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me. With excitement still lingering, I was already eager to move on to the next game.
"Ah! I finally found you! Takuya!!"
That was until Sota appeared, right when I was about to catch my next prey. Because of him, the prey I had cornered quickly bolted away the moment he came running up.
'Damn it, I almost had him.'
I clicked my tongue in disappointment and turned toward Sota, who had called me out.
If he had come here for something pointless, I was going to make him pay for it.
I shot him a sharp, intense glare. However, Sota completely misunderstood and assumed I was happy to see him. He just smiled brightly and greeted me.
"Hi, Takuya!"
"Hi. Anyway, Sota, why did you look for me?"
"That's right! We have to go quickly!"
'Huh? Go?'
"Go where?"
At my question, Sota tilted his head as if I had forgotten something obvious. When I nodded in confusion, he carefully explained.
"Today is the day of the fighting game tournament!"
'Ah… right. That?'
It was the promise I had made while getting close to Sota, just so I could stir up a rivalry with Miyuki.
'Was it today?'
When I thought back carefully, it really was.
But after making Miyuki my personal slave, I hadn't paid any attention to the tournament at all. It had completely slipped my mind.
It might sound cold, but that was the way society worked.
'Society is cold.'
A child's innocence meant nothing when faced with that coldness. Adults could be cruel. That's the reality. So I wondered to myself… should I just not go? I was about to dismiss it altogether.
"Ah! And the prize money is…"
That was until Sota revealed the reward.
"It's 200,000 yen!"
"200,000 yen?"
"Yeah!"
That was quite a lot for a small-town tournament.
I paused for a moment, then turned to Sota, who suddenly seemed more valuable to me because of that prize money. His presence felt different, charged with a new significance.
"What are you doing? Let's go."
"Huh? Ah, yeah! Let's go!"
At my words, Sota quickly pointed out the direction. The two of us then began walking side by side.
And just like that, our small but arduous march toward the next town—where the tournament was being held—began.
…
…
[MC POV]
Actually, even though I called it an arduous march, the distance to the next town was only about thirty minutes on foot, so it wasn't all that far.
Thanks to that, we arrived at the bustling event venue without much trouble and immediately started playing the game. And so, we who had come all the way to the next town for the tournament, ironically…
"This is crazy."
"Takuya, no bad words!"
…were immediately eliminated in the preliminary round.
To be precise, I lost the final match that would have taken me to the main round, while Sota kept losing from the start and was wiped out.
'Didn't he sound so confident when we first talked about joining the tournament? Well… there was a time like that.'
-Tatata-tak!
That was before I encountered the 'real' deal.
I glanced over at the blonde woman with fair skin who was currently playing. Even though she was wearing sunglasses and a hat, her beauty still stood out.
No, she wasn't just any stunning beauty. She was someone very familiar to me. That was because…
-"As expected of my older sister!"
-"There's no one who can compete with her!"
-"Kuh… This younger brother is moved by my older sister's combo-kuh!"
-"I'm playing here. Stop spouting nonsense."
The person crushing the men who looked to be in their thirties was none other than Takuya's mom—no, wait. She was my mom now, wasn't she? Anyway, it was Yuka, one of my moms.
'She's definitely the real deal.'
According to what I had heard, Yuka had been known for her beautiful looks since she was young.
Yuka was undeniably pretty. No—Ayaka mom was also beautiful, but the type was different.
Yuka had the aura of an idol or celebrity, while Ayaka had an elegant charm, like a refined actress or model.
I sometimes wondered why someone like her had ever engaged in compensated dating, but the world was full of stories like that.
Anyway, I watched for a moment as my mom finished the game. She gave her opponent a light greeting before walking over to where Sota and I were standing.
"How was it? Your mom's game?"
"You were as impressive as the one who beat me."
At my reply, Yuka chuckled softly.
"Alright."
With that, she reached out and gently stroked my head.
My height was about the same as my mom's, so her posture looked a little awkward, but I didn't mind. I gladly accepted her touch.
For reference, Yuka told me she had recognized me the moment she entered the arcade.
I guess I stood out quite a bit.
On the other hand, Yuka was always naturally eye-catching, but today her style was different. That made her stand out less, making it harder for others to notice her.
Normally, she carried herself with that flashy gyaru vibe, but now she looked more like a gyaru who had gone a little rogue—a bit of a player.
And so, the reason my mom suddenly joined this tournament was…
"Ah, this is just my hobby."
She said it with a laugh. Just a hobby, apparently.
It seemed my mom had a rather unusual hobby. Well, unusual for most mothers, anyway. Though, deep down, I had the feeling she was hiding something more.
'Let's just let it go.'
I brushed off the thought and asked her, since she had already advanced to the finals.
"So, if you win, you'll buy us meat?"
"If it's at a family restaurant."
"Then let's pack some for Ayaka too."
"That's a good idea."
Yuka agreed easily. Then she told us to watch closely since the finals were about to begin and headed back toward the stage. A little while later—
"The winner of the ○○th ○○ Arcade Tournament is… Yuka!"
Just like that, my mom returned as the champion, defeating the enemy general before the sake had even cooled. Her victory was swift and decisive.
""Waaaaah!""
The moment her name was announced, the small arcade erupted in cheers.
Well, it was only natural. In an offline fighting game tournament with hardly any women, a woman with both skill and stunning beauty had won. If anything, it would've been strange if there weren't cheers.
Of course, that also meant…
"Hey, hey. Should I try talking to her?"
"With your face? Maybe you've got a shot?!"
There were plenty of guys with impure thoughts buzzing around. But I shut that down right away.
"Mom! You're awesome!"
I shouted loud enough for the whole arcade to hear. At my voice, Yuka flashed a bright smile and struck a V-sign with her fingers.
Naturally, that shout of mine caused the crowd to start murmuring all over again.
"She's married?"
"Well, it'd be strange if someone that pretty didn't have a boyfriend."
"Aww. Too bad."
"Possible."
"You, get out of here."
After a brief commotion, Yuka safely received the prize money and took me and Sota to a nice family restaurant nearby. We ate well and spent the time chatting happily.
After a while, as we enjoyed dessert—melon juice in my case—an interesting topic came up.
"Ah, come to think of it. I heard the summer festival is in two days. Will you go, Sota?"
"Ah! Yes, we're going together as a family this time!"
"Summer festival?"
"We talked about it during breakfast. They said the fireworks display will be huge this year."
So, the topic shifted to the upcoming summer festival.
'If it's a Japanese summer festival, then it should be like the ones I've seen in anime.'
The kind where you wear a yukata, eat squid, or snack on candied apples. If it really was the same as in anime—
'It'll be fun.'
It seemed like it would be very enjoyable.
The last festivals I'd experienced were my middle school festival and the military-style festivals. Of course, those confined, rigid events couldn't compare to festivals in the outside world.
Naturally, I was looking forward to the real thing.
While I was lost in thought, Yuka suggested.
"Then, shall we meet at the shrine in two days?"
"Ah, I'm going with Sota."
"With Sota?"
"Yeah. We're going to play games before heading over."
At that, my mom gave me a look that clearly said, "This guy…" but eventually allowed it with a sigh.
"But don't cause too much trouble."
"Where else is there someone who listens as well as I do?"
"This guy?"
After chatting like that for a while, we went home.
…
…
[POV Change]
Late that night.
Someone sat at the dining table, drinking alone in the quiet house where everyone else was asleep. That person was the owner of the house—Yuka, the biological mother of a certain Takuya.
She poured herself another drink, her face shadowed.
"Haa…"
The reason she was drinking was simple. It was because of her son—Takuya.
No. To be precise…
"Who the hell are you…"
It was because of someone who had taken over her son's body.