As Long as You Have the [Shop] Skill, the Dungeonized World Is a Breeze ~The Bullied Youth’s Payback

Chapter 105 – Parent’s Tomb

“Nice to meet you. I’m Bouchi Hiiro.”
“….?! With Ma-chan…?” (Ior)
“Huh? With… Ma-chan?” (Bouchi)
I tilted my head, unsure of why Mahina’s name was coming up here.

“Bouchi-kun, you understand what this child is saying?” (Totoki)
Ah, crap. I forgot that they can’t understand Yofel and Ior’s words.

“Eheheh~ that’s right, Ii-chan! Onii-chan is with Ma-chan!” (Mahina)
“….Ma-chan?” (Bouchi)
“You see, Ma-chan understands what Ii-chan is saying!” (Mahina)
“Eh…?” (Bouchi)
What? How…?

Even I didn’t understand them at first, since Yofel and Ior were people from another world. It was natural for them to speak a different language, and it was precisely for that reason that I bought the [Translation Earring].

But why was Mahina, who was someone from Earth, able to understand them…?

“Ma-chan, do you really understand what Yofel… er, this onee-san is saying?” (Bouchi)
“Yeah! I understand her!” (Mahina)
“……” (Bouchi)
What does this mean? Yofel looked surprised as well.

“Ahahah, looks like you’re shocked too, Bouchi-kun. But we were surprised that you could converse with them as well.” (Koine)
“…Well, that’s none of your business.” (Bouchi)
“…I see. That’s right… I’m sorry.” (Koine)
In response, Totoki’s eyes swam around, avoiding my gaze. Then, her older sister spoke up, as if to smooth over the situation.

“By the way, this is Ior-chan’s older sister, right?” (Aika)
“…Yes, that’s right. This is Ior’s older sister, Yofel.” (Bouchi)
“I see. It’s good that you managed to find Ior’s sister. Right, Koine?” (Aika)
“Y-Yeah!” (Koine)
It was a good thing that the first people Ior met were Totoki and her sisters. From what I’d heard, Ior came out of an unfamiliar-looking flower bud in the garden of their house.

The sisters probably already understood that Ior and Yofel were not ordinary people. Besides, they had apparently gotten caught up in one of Ior’s outbursts already. When Yofel heard about this, she frantically bowed her head to the girls.

Typically, not many people would still choose to protect Ior after going through something like that. So it really was lucky that the ones who had found Ior initially were Totoki and her sisters.

“Bouchi-kun… Umm… you came here to find Ior-chan, is that right?” (Koine)
“Yeah. Are you guys… here to visit a grave?” (Bouchi)
“Yes. Our father’s….” (Koine)
To think that we even both had parents buried here at the same cemetery. It seemed that we were bound by a fate a lot deeper than I’d imagined.

""

“Koine, Mahina. It’ll be dangerous if more monsters show up, so let’s call off the grave visit for today.” (Aika)
“Ah, it’ll be fine now. There won’t be any more monsters around here.” (Bouchi)
“Eh? Is that true, Bouchi-kun? Could it be, you…?” (Aika)
“Yes, this place had been turned into a dungeon. But it’s safe now.” (Bouchi)
“…You’re really amazing, aren’t you?” (Aika)
It sounded like she was admiring me, but I could also sense that she was wary of me. But the fact that Mahina really liked me probably meant to her that she could trust me to some degree.

Well, the reason why she was wary of me was probably because of what I said earlier.

“Since we’re here, let’s finish up the grave visit while we can, you two. Hey… Bouchi-kun, if you don’t mind, it’d be nice if you could escort us in the meantime.” (Aika)
….It would have been a simple matter to retort that I didn’t have any obligation to do so, but…

“Onii-chan is coming with us too! Yaaay!” (Mahina)
It was difficult for me to turn down the little girl celebrating in my arms.

“Sigh… Actually, both of my parents’ gravestones are here. I’ll pay them a visit, too.” (Bouchi)
The anniversary of their deaths was still a long way off, but since I had already come here, I should at least polish their gravestones and remove the weeds.

I borrowed a bucket and ladle from the ruined gravekeeper building and filled it with water from the well beside it. Totoki and the others did the same.

Then, we each began to head towards our own respective graves, but…

“No, no way. That’s enough…” (Bouchi)
“…? What’s the matter, Bouchi-kun? Did something happen?” Totoki asked, responding to my involuntary muttering.

“But it’s really such a coincidence. I didn’t think that even the graves that we were looking for were right next to each other.” (Koine)
Right. That was exactly what it was. I was about to say that we had more than enough coincidences by this point.

….Sigh.

No. I should stop letting it bother me. I feel like it’s pointless to keep worrying about it.

Totoki handed me some incense sticks and told me to use them, so I took them gratefully.

Yofel and Ior also helped me clean up the area around my family’s tomb. After the cleaning was done, I lit the incense and put my hands together.

…Mother, Father. You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but this world has gone to ruin.

As I was saying this to them in my mind, I realized that it was the first time I was reporting something like this to them.

But luckily, I have a strange ability that has allowed me to live a leisurely, happy life.

A smile appeared on my face as I thought of Sol, Shiki, and the others. It felt like they had saved me by being by my side.

Father… I managed to stay true to my beliefs, as you told me. I never turned my back on the things I didn’t agree with, and I’ve managed to avoid living a lame, regretful life. That was exactly why I never gave in even when I was bullied, no matter the adversity I faced.

Mother, I seem to be becoming a bit of a big spender, but I hope you’ll forgive me for that. It’s for the sake of my lifestyle.

Before she died, my mother was a person who was strict about exercising moderation in life. She was especially particular when it came to money. She saved money for the future and made sure we didn’t have to live on a tight budget.

I respected my parents and was more proud of them than anyone else.

Both of my parents had a strong sense of justice and would never abandon people in need, so they would probably be angry if they found out how I lived now.

I would never be able to live the way my parents did. But I would at least keep in mind what my parents had taught me so that I could live a life avoiding those mistakes.

In any case, I will live my life to the fullest. I know I may always just be your foolish son, but please watch over me until the end.

""

I looked over and saw that Yofel was also holding her hands together in prayer.

“Yofel?” (Bouchi)
“Mm…? I was just thanking your parents for giving birth to you, Bouchi. It’s because of you that I was able to protect Ior.” (Yofel)
“….I see.” (Bouchi)
When I looked behind me, I could see Ior and Mahina holding hands, chatting harmoniously.

She seriously can converse with him…

“Well then, it’s about time to head back.” (Aika)
After Totoki’s older sister said that, we went towards the car with them.

But…

“No! Come with us, Ii-chan, Onii-chan!” (Mahina)
Mahina started to throw a tantrum when we were about to go our separate ways. She was holding onto me and Ior’s hands tightly, as if she would never let go.

Ior seemed fine, but Yofel looked a bit troubled.

“Come on, Mahina! You’re making trouble for your two onii-chans!” (Aika)
Totoki’s older sister tried to pull Mahina away, but she was screaming ‘no, no, no!’ while making a big fuss.

“….H-Hey, Bouchi-kun?” (Koine)
“Huh? What’s up, Totoki?” (Bouchi)
“E-Err… I want to thank you for saving us, so… how about you come over to our place?” (Koine)
“….No, I just happened to be here this time. You don’t need to thank me.” (Bouchi)
“…Actually, I… have something I want to talk to you about.” (Koine)
“Is it about saving Ma-chan that time? If it is, that was a coincidence, too. I told you before. I heard that Ohsaka was there, so I went there for revenge. Ma-chan just happened to be there.” (Bouchi)
“That’s… Yeah, I get that. But I wanted to talk to you about something else.” (Koine)
…Something else? What else could she have to say to me?

I didn’t have any obligation to hear her out, and I didn’t want to waste my time like that.

“Koine, you too. Don’t go asking too much of him.” (Aika)
“…! Onee-chan…?” (Koine)
Receiving her warning, Totoki looked at her sister with a hint of confusion. Maybe her older sister thought she was going to ask me to protect them.

But her older sister seemed to be more sensible, which was a big help for me.