35-Return




 It was completely late at night, and Yuto returned to the house that had only just become home. However, that Yuto's steps and expression were heavy.

''Oh, I guess no one will remember me for this again. It's good that I got my rank, but my high school life will have to start all over again from scratch, already.......

 Yuto was somewhat blank, and reached out to the large gate of his home to go inside, blurting to himself. Honestly, I'm tired of a lot of things.
 For all the people involved in that rookie exam, he had to fight off the vampires, and once he was outside, his face had already been forgotten by both the staff of the Ability Agency and the candidates. Of course, the head of the branch, Hisae Omine, was no exception.
 Let's go to bed immediately without thinking about anything today. When Yuto thought about it, there was a slight feeling of desolation in his heart, even though this should be a situation that he was used to in the Demon World.

''Yuto! Too late! Why is it so late?!

What?

 No way, Yuto was surprised to be stopped in front of his house late on a holiday night like this.

''You're finally here~. I thought you wouldn't come home already. I took the liberty of asking my parents for a sleepover.

Exactly. You're living on your own. You should at least have a cell phone.

'Oh! Mari! Ichigo and Mito! Why are you here?

 Yuto was truly surprised by the appearance of his three childhood friends and classmates, but that's not what he really wanted to ask.

'No, more importantly, why? I.....

 You remember me? He started to say, and Yuto kept his mouth shut.

''What? I didn't celebrate Yuto's move in, so I went to ask Master Sumazo for the location of his house! It's a holiday and you should invite Shizuka and Hakamada-kun too.

''Pfft. Hakamada-kun and I gave up and tried to leave more than once, you know? But Mari wants a little more.

'Oh yeah, I'm not the one who said my parents would be mad at me if I went home. To see Shirasawa-san pleading like that...that alone made it worth coming. Phew!

'Hey! Wrong! I just wanted to celebrate with you guys, and it's the holidays...

'It was hard to tell my parents because they asked me out today? I managed to make it okay since I mentioned Mari's name, though.

'I'm always welcome. I'm not a man to turn down a night with a girl.

'Wow, I'm sorry.... But I thought it was the only day...

"I know, I know. Today is your only chance.

 Shizuka and Ichigo join their voices together. Indignant and reluctant Mari turns the brunt of it to Masato.

'How long are you going to stay here, Yuto! Let me in, now! ........say, Yuto?

 Yuto was there, watching the exchange between Mari, Ichigo, Shizuka and the others in a daze.

'Yuto. Wait, what are you crying about? What's going on? What's going on?

 It was only at this point that Yuto realized that he was crying for the first time when it was pointed out to him.

''What? Huh? Hey, it's nothing! I just stuttered a bit...

You really have a weak teardrop gland these days, don't you?

'You must have really missed living on your own, crying when we came over. Look, I bought some candy and juice to celebrate, so let's have a party.

Oh, um, yeah! Thank you! Really.

 Yuto hurriedly wiped the tears away with his arm and opened the big gate, which was old but must have been magnificent in the past, and invited everyone inside.
 While they were waiting for Yuto, they wondered if this house was really Yuto's new home? Marari and the others followed with curiosity, surprised.

'Wow! The yard is huge!

The place is a wreck! Do you really live here?

'Oh! I forgot! Wait a minute!

'Yuto what is that tent?

'It is! That ... that ... that ... that ... that was actually ...

 At Mari's cold question, Masato couldn't help himself and told the three of them what happened when they moved in.



''Gee-ha! It's too much! You're too good! Tent! Ha, my stomach hurts! Hee!

'Pfft! Hakamada-kun. Pfft! Wow, I'm sorry for laughing.......oh, my stomach hurts!

...Yuto!

Yes!

"If you're in trouble! Talk to me properly....you're going to worry....

 Yuto straightened his back, expecting Mari to be angry with him, but he was a bit surprised by Mari's slightly sad face, and had mixed feelings of shame and embarrassment.
 But...........it made Masato's heart warm.
 And at this time........Masato remembered something important.
 Always, at all times, no matter what time, even when Yuto wielded that ability.......
 Only this chestnut-haired girl in front of him now has never forgotten about him.

 Yuto remembered the indigo-haired girl who had never forgotten him at any time as well.
 That's what Mari, who is now looking at him with concern, and the smiling indigo-haired girl...........Lieserotte overlaps with him.
 To be honest, they didn't look alike in appearance.
 However, at this moment, Yuto is convinced.
 The girl in front of him right now is a person who is irreplaceable to him.
 And the same goes for the friends who are here now....

''Oh, this tent is surprisingly big!

'It's true! I can easily fit about four people in this one. Then we'll celebrate inside the tent!

 Before they know it, Ichigo and Shizuka are looking into the tent and are about to bring their shopping bags containing the snacks and juice they purchased into the tent.

''Ah! Wait a minute. I'll put it away!

I'm ready for it. I've had enough of this shit. Let's just get on with it.

 And then Ichigo and Shizuka walked into the tent on their own.

'Right. Let's get started on the housewarming. That sounds great, Yuto.''

Uh-huh.

 Masato had no choice but to obey Mari's words, and together they went inside the tent and lit the light with the bulb.

''Ooh, that sounds good! Sometimes it's nice! Sometimes!

'Yes! This kind of stuff is nice sometimes! Fun! Sometimes, though!

 Yuto's lips twitched at a huffy Ichigo and Shizuka.

'I'm sorry! I do it every day! But that's only until we can afford to fix the house!

 When Yuto refuted the way these two said it, Mari asked him as if she had noticed something.

''Oh, come to think of it, Yuto. You said it was a qualification exam, but did you get the qualification? You don't think he fell, do you?

'What? No, that's not....

''Um~ I'm sorry to interrupt you, but........ Yuuto's husband?

 An unseen voice suddenly emanated from outside the tent.

'Whoa!'

"Crap!

'What? Gringo?

 Then a tall foreigner appears at the entrance of the tent, which surprises everyone.

'Ah! You followed me here!

What? You know Yuji? Who is it?

 Yuto is upset, and Mari, surprised, asks who this gaijin is. Yuto is troubled, wondering how to explain it.

''Ah~ I had a lot of problems with the qualification exam........ I kind of missed it........

 Then a tall, carved-eyed, silver-haired man came into the tent, bowing his head in a heckling manner and smiling affectionately.

'Hi, my name is Gaston, and I'm the one who was saved by Yuto's husband, yes.

 Gaston had only said it so that his identity would not be suspected, but Mito Shizuka, who loved interesting topics of conversation, had a glint in her eye.

''Eh! What's that! Let me hear it. Let me hear it! Sit here. Isn't that nice, Du-kun?

What, Yuto? Do foreigners also come to take the certification exam? What the hell was the qualification?

Eugene, explain.

'Oh, no, so... this... this... this... this... well... how do you say it...'

 For Yuto, it was impossible to explain.
 He wouldn't believe me if I told him about the ability agency's rookie test, and even if he did, it would be revealing his identity as a person with abilities.
 Gaston smiled and sat beside the completely tempestuous Yuto, dripping with cold sweat as he received all three of their eyes on him. Gaston seemed to understand Yuto's position in this situation.

 And in a whisper.

''It's okay, Yuto's husband. ........Leave it to me.

 Is it true what Gaston said? When Yuto looks at Gaston with a look of "I'm sorry, but I'm not old enough", Gaston reliably nods widely and begins to talk about what everyone has asked Yuto to explain.
 After all, he's not old enough to be Datei. I've been alive for one thousand and five hundred years, that's no surprise. Yuto thought that, and reliably turned his attention to Gaston's profile.

''To put it simply, this qualification is like a qualification exam to become an exclusive for a certain dispatch company, something like that. That's where I met Yuto's husband, and I happened to ask him for life advice, and somehow it all worked out, so he's like a lifesaver to me.


 What? This joke of an explanation.


 When Yuto tried to raise his voice in dismay at Gaston's unapologetic explanation, he

I see......... Yuto, you........have grown up.......

"Mr. Du Du! That's amazing. Unexpectedly~

'I finally understand after hearing this. Explain it to me from the beginning like this, Yuto.

'What?'

 What makes you think that? And with a curious look on his face, Yuto looked at Gaston, and Gaston grinned.

''Ah, you did something...''

 A slightly teary-eyed Shizuka approached to close in on Yuto and Gaston with a touched face.

''So you two are already best friends! It's called a miracle meeting! This is exactly what it is!

 Shizuka's emotional state of mind made Masato think that Gaston was overdoing it, but the result was okay.
 Yuto exhales with a sense of resignation and turns to face Gaston with a serious face.

 Gaston makes a goofy face and that's good, right? The expression on his face.
 If you look closely at Gaston's, it looks like he's happy as long as his own husband is happy.

 Yuto says to Gaston with a serious face.

''........that's right. Gaston, we are already friends. As soon as we met, we were able to get to know each other in a way that we didn't like. Well, what can I say, it's good to see you, Gaston.

What...?

 Gaston stiffened at the words of Yuto.
 Then, his shoulders shook and he stared back at Yuto.
 Maybe it was my imagination. But Gaston could see it.

 Just for a moment........Sophia Sutherland's smile.

 Something hot runs down Gaston's cheek and spills out of his sturdy-looking chin in a flop.

'Wah! Why are you crying, Gaston?

 Yuto was surprised and hurriedly put his hand on Gaston's shoulder.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry ... sir. So.........please don't give me a break now.......

 Mari, Ichigo and Shizuka all watch Gaston in silence.
 They all don't know Gaston. But now, Gaston is showing raw emotion.
 It was clear to all of them that there were no lies or falsehoods there.

'Yes! Then so does Mr. Gaston! Let's celebrate together!

'Yes! Yuto's housewarming gift and.......

 Shizuka and Ichigo shouted brightly. Then Mari smiled at Gaston.

''A commemoration of the five ... friends you've made in your life, Gaston-san ... right?

 Gaston looks up in surprise at Mari's words.

'Huh?'

 I can't get a handle on what's going on. Also, the meaning of those words.

''If you're Yujin's friend, then you're also our friend, right? My name is Mari Shirasawa. I look forward to working with you in the future.

'I'm Shizuka Mito! I needed a foreign friend! It's just Shizuka. Nice to meet you!

My name is Ichigo Hakamada. I'm a rotten friend of Yuto's, but it's nice to meet you, brother Gaston!

 Gaston introduced himself and nodded several times in small increments, impressed with the surprise of not believing the three men's offer.

'Ha, yes..... My name is Gaston. I'm from France and I'm from London. It's nice to meet you all.

 Yuto's eyes grew hot at the scene in front of him.
 This is how we are connected........
 Even though we didn't know each other until just a few minutes ago.

 Yuto thinks.
 So, I won't give up.
 Even if we are forgotten many times, I want to connect with everyone again.
 This is a great way to get to know these wonderful friends and the friends you will meet in the future.
 This was Masato's quiet but firm decision.

'Why are you crying, Yuto?'

Pfft, it's true.

You know, your crying habit I think you might want to fix that.

No!

'It's true, sir. Men don't cry that easily.

You don't say that!

 Mari, Shizuka, and Ichigo also smiled at Gaston, who had already wiped away his tears and had a sullen face.
 Then, as I remembered, Shizuka stepped forward.

''Ah, Doudou-kun! Mari wants to talk to you about something important! Fufu, about Katayama-senpai.

Hey! Shizuka!

What? Did something happen to you, Mari?

'Oh! What's that? Let me hear it!

'Well, that's ... that's ... er ... well, yeah! Actually!

'What! Mari broke up with Katayama-senpai! Why? Why?

 Masato is surprised as he jumps up and down, but beside him Shizuka and Ichigo are laughing dryly, half-eyed.

''Hohoho, such a thing.......is that what you call adolescence?''

 Ichigo and Shizuka make eye contact with a surprised Yuto, changing from a dry laugh to a grin. Gaston is also following the topic for some reason.

'We weren't even officially dating yet! It's just........this time I hurt my senpai with my immaturity....... So I wanted to take a look at myself again...

 What's that? And Ichigo and Shizuka laugh.
 Yuto listens to Mari's story seriously and calls out to her seriously.

''I know it's selfish of me, but I thought I'd put myself at ease if I told everyone...''

'Yeah......... But I'm sure Mari will find someone good in no time! Ouch! Why are you hitting me?

'You should take a look at yourself too! What the hell, what was that confession about? You think that's going to make a girl happy! Today, which is today, I'm going to say something I've never been able to say before! Brace yourself!

Huh? Why would I do that? Besides, it's way past time to...

Shut up and listen! For the most part, Yuto is........

 The two of them joined Shizuka and Ichigo with Gaston to discuss the situation in a whisper, face to face.

''Eh~. What is this, everyone? Yuto's husband is shapeless.

'No! Brother Gaston. These two are complicated in many ways, in the past, you know...

'Hoho, that's what happened to my husband. But in your husband's mind...

 Gaston was about to say, and he thought this was not a good idea, so he shut his mouth. As expected, he couldn't talk about Yuto's past in the demon world. Moreover, it was something he saw directly from Yuto's mind and not something he heard through Yuto's mouth. I can't talk about it.
 But Shizuka is not the kind of person who would miss such subtleties.

''What, what? Mr. Gaston, do you know anything about Mr. Du Du's female relationships?

'I want to know too! He's not even telling me about it!

 The immortal slips out of his mouth in a cold sweat of annoyance as Shizuka's eyes twinkle and Ichigo glares at him.
 Gaston, who hasn't had an almost friend-like friend in a thousand and five hundred years, is disconcerted by the situation. Anyway, after trying to somehow deflect this topic........

'Oh...no. Um, oh! Come to think of it, you seemed to get along well with two very beautiful young ladies during the exam...

'Really? 

What? You can't do that to me! What kind of girls are they! What are your three sizes?

 Gaston couldn't stop sweating, astonished that his intention to digress and defuse the situation had made his two newly made friends more heated.
 Actually, Gaston is not using his satori ability. He thought about it and decided not to use this ability for the time being.
 But now, for Gaston, it feels like piloting a strange vehicle without an instruction manual. And at breakneck speed.

'Aww ... er ... yes. One was a young lady with glossy black hair and the other one with silky blonde hair. Er, from what I could tell, they both seemed to like their husbands, not a little bit. Their names, as I recall, were....

''Heh, you can't put yourself in the corner anymore, can you, Doudou-kun! It's hard for Mari too.

'Hey, hey, Yuto! Meet the ladies I met during the exam!

 Finally, Ichigo couldn't hold back anymore and grabbed both of Yuto's shoulders, who was still being lectured by Mari.

''Ugh! What does that mean? Suddenly,

'Your brother Gaston told me about this! Awesome, you must have gotten along with these beautiful girls, right?

Hakamada-kun, what is it? That story....

'Mari, Mr. Gaston just told me. How......

 Mari's face turns angry as she receives an explanation from Shizuka.

''Yuto! Explain it to me! Who is it? Those girls!

Gaston! That's not my business! No! Shitenji-san and Marion-san just happened to meet and talk to each other there! Maybe ... they don't remember me anymore.

 Yuto is surprised to be suddenly pressed by Ichigo, but the second half of the story is a bit lonely.

'Sir, I'm sorry........ I had no choice but to say this already.''

 Unconvinced by Yuto's explanation, Ichigo gripped both of Yuto's shoulders even tighter.

''Fool! I told you on the first day of school! Yuto. You can contact us now! You know it's not coming from the other side!

Not this time! I don't even have his contact information! And they don't remember him either!

''Yes, Yuto can't do it. It wouldn't have worked anyway! But more importantly, you need to take a better look at yourself and try again...

''Haha. Mari, you're kind of desperate~. Just like I said, you've got a bad bug on you, Dawu-kun~

Oh, no, it's not like that! As a fellow dojo member, I'll take you as a fellow dojo member! I'm just saying that so those girls don't have to deal with it!

'Something about my husband is complicated about everything! As for me, I'm glad that my husband is popular with me as a friend. And I think it's a good way to see that you're in love with your husband. Those beautiful ladies didn't seem to be going easy on him either.......what do you think? Why don't you take care of the two of them together here. I'm sure those girls will remember your husband right away, don't you think?

No, you can't! We're going to fail anyway!

No! But first, introduce me!

'Haha! Du Du, bring those kids over next time!

'Oh my God! Gaston! Don't stir it up any more!



 The small party for "Yuto's housewarming and the anniversary of Gaston's five friends in his life" continues to be a lively affair.
 Talking with friends is fun. The conversation about Yuto's relationships with women settles down, and the five of them continue to talk about school, the future, and Gaston's past experiences until late at night.

 Through all of this, Masato can see his own difficult high school life ahead. He thinks that he will have a hard time with it, both in terms of his life and his schoolwork.
 And this life itself, including the house called "Du Du" that he carried on his back.......

 But........that's not all.
 The current Yuto knows that.

 Right now, Yuto is surrounded by good friends who know him, and he is immersed in a happy feeling.

(Even if you start from scratch. Let everyone in the school get to know me again.

 That expression on Yuto's face.............was something that everyone could see was bright.

(Let everyone know who you are so that no one will ever forget you.)