Merry Xmas~
Part 2 coming soon.
Chapter 9 – Farewell, Thank you, h.e.l.lo (part 1)
TL: Januva
Editor: Puissansa
First Published on Ainushi
Is it because I can clearly feel the contractions? The pain seems to be getting worse.
Nevertheless, I"m grateful for the brief rest I got in between the waves of pain.
Without minding my current attire, I made haste to leave while enduring the pain.
I pa.s.sed by Maid-san who was still at the height of confusion and left behind Mimozchan who was still crying.
It might sound like a horrible thing to do, but I currently did not have the composure to care for them. I had my hands full withstanding the chills and cold sweat I"m currently experiencing.
It would honestly be better to have a sister or a midwife here, but at the very least I want to go somewhere where I can deliver in peace.
That"s why I had to do my best to keep moving, even if it"s a little tough….
「Haa…haa…」
My breathing had become loud enough to be heard.
In any case, I must remain calm.
I might be rather calm now thanks to Maid-san and Mimozchan, but it felt like I"m skating on thin ice.
The moment I lost focus, the ice will break and I shall descend into the depths.
That would be the end for me.
I am still 『young』 after all. Unlike usual mothers that give birth, my body will take more "damage" from labour.
The least I can do is to compose myself.
I suppressed my pain and unease – all the while cursing the lolicon king repeatedly in my heart to preserve my sanity – and desperately headed towards the church.
When I slipped on my shoes and stumbled out, Maid-san and Mimozchan finally rebooted and and grabbed my arms to support me.
I think it"d be better if Maid-san went on ahead to the church to make preparations for the childbirth but… the pain that flared up again had me struggling to even remain conscious.
I lacked the energy to even make the request.
「Nee-sama! Hang in there! We"re almost there!!」
「Eeerrrm! S-s-someone!! S-she"s gonna give birth! C-call a si-sister please!!」
Mimozchan and Maid-san seemed to be saying something. Though since I was gritting my teeth to bear with the pain, I could hear nothing. Rather, I did not have the composure to mind it.
Even so, I could feel Mimozchan"s small hands wrapping around mine, giving me strength.
I intentionally leaned on her and depended on this cute friend of mine.
Feeling the warmth from our bodies in contact, I felt the pain ease a little. This is so pathetic.
While we might seem to be of similar ages on the outside, our mental ages are vastly different.
That went for Maid-san too – if you consider her actual age, you can"t help but think that she"s hopeless.
But it"s different for Mimozchan. Even if you don"t count my age from my previous life, I"m still older than her.
That"s why this is truly deplorable. Once I thought as such, the pain returned in greater intensity.
*Zukun zukun*
The surge of pain brought tears to my eyes.
「I-it…it hurts…」
The words that unintentionally leaked out of my mouth were the true feelings of my heart.
It really did hurt after all. I wanted to scream and cry.
It"s commonly said that males can"t withstand the pain of childbirth. Boy is that true.
I was a guy in my past life, so I still have a guy"s mentality.
It"s possible that I might not be able to endure the pain… my clothes were already drenched in cold sweat, my vision distorted by pain, and the fear made my knees go weak. My steps were no longer steady.
Anxiety engulfed me. Is this it for me? As the thought crossed my mind, I bit my lips.
The sting sobered me up and the taste of iron rekindled my spirit.
「Sorry for getting timid. It"s alright… I"ll… properly give birth… to you, so… cheer for me… my baby…」
I"m not alone.
My baby is here with me.
If I collapse here, my baby will go down with me.
This is not funny! Don"t mess with me!
I forced my knees up and stepped firmly upon the ground.
Keep going! Keep going!
I encouraged myself repeatedly.
Keep going! Keep going!
With Mimozchan"s support, I head out one step at a time.
The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step.
This painful struggle and tough journey will come to an end in due time if I keep going.
With each step, I moved forward slowly but surely. Before I knew it, a huge white building is before me.
The building is the church of Cenovis, the only religion in this world, and also something like a branch office of Holy Kingdom Carina.
With a well right next to it, the greedy church also secretly controls the water source of this town, but the inhabitants of this town merely treat it as a place of rest.
Realize it, please. Letting the church control the water source will only lead to troublesome matters in the future, you know?
An elderly woman rushed out of the church. She"s the sister dispatched to this town by the Holy Kingdom Carina.
The moment she saw me, she ran over in a panic.
「The real thing begins from here on, okay?」
She greeted me with a smile and said so.
「That"s why, rest a little for now.」
Her hand glowed with a bluish-white light.
What is this? Before I could finish the thought, the overwhelming comfort brought forth by the light relaxed my tense body and I collapsed to my knees.
The sister hugged me tenderly. A scent that reminded me of mothers wafted to my nose.
It felt pleasant. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
As I did so repeatedly, my eyelids had gotten heavy. Before I realized it, they shut themselves naturally.
Just before my consciousness had cut off, I dreamt of the person I had been hoping to meet.
*Ching ching*
I hear windchimes.
「How nostalgic…」
I murmured softly and grinned unconsciously.
As I faced the source of the chimes, I could see a familiar-looking house.
My feet began moving naturally towards the backyard.
It is probably obvious, but this is the first time I"ve laid my eyes on a j.a.panese residence since I reincarnated.
I boldly intruded upon the verandah and stepped into the house.
The moment I entered the house, a scent tickled my nose – the scent of home.
「How nostalgic.」
I murmured once more.
The warm and humid wind flowing in reminded me of the summers in j.a.pan.
The wind also brought a stench, one that is bad for health, but is an essential part of modern society – the smell of exhaust fumes.
Yet, bad as it may be for my body, it"s strange that it gave me a feeling of comfort.
Aah, so this is what homesickness is, isn"t it?
I could feel it clearly – that something that I wished for, hoped for and yearned for from the depths of my heart.
「Help yourself.」
Hearing the voice from behind me, I suppressed the feelings I lost myself in and turned around particularly slowly.
I might just break into tears if I had turned around as it is.
I took some time to regain my composure before facing the speaker.
On top of the square table was a cup of brown beverage, with droplets of water condensing and dripping down its sides. An elderly woman was at the table as she smiled tenderly at me.
She placed a cup of the dark brown beverage – barley tea – opposite her, at where I"m likely supposed to sit. She used her gaze to urge me to take a seat while maintaining a proper seating posture on the floor cushion.
I meekly sat down before her and brought the cup to my lips.
*Glug*
The barley tea went down my throat. It"s very cold, very fragrant, and above all else, extremely….
「Tasty.」
「Is that so? It"s just cheap tea I bought from a 100 yen shop though?」
She had a somewhat surprised tone.
「Even so, it"s tasty.」
I shook my head and replied with a smile.
How long has it been since I last smiled at her?
At the very least, I don"t think I"ve smiled at her like this since junior high.
(TL note: he was 29 when he died in his previous life.)
What an unfilial child I am.
「How"s Tou-san?」
「He"s reached retirement age and I don"t know what"s so interesting about it but he seems to have gotten into golf. Whenever he has free time, he goes off to play it. That idiot.」
She pouted. The act, seemingly unbefitting her age, felt somewhat cute.
This too, is something that had never crossed my mind in my previous life.
This is just conjecture on my part, but perhaps this is something I only became aware of because I became a girl.
「Even though you finally showed up with such a cute appearance.」
She continued while trying to hold back her laughter.
「I didn"t turn into this by choice.」
This time, it"s my turn to pout.
Our appearances might not be similar in any way, but our behaviour is definitely identical. If someone else were to see this, they would definitely burst out in laughter.
She laughed even harder as she watched me.
「Sorry my bad, do you want another cup?」
Before I could even reply, she began pouring more barley tea into the cup that I had emptied.
The ice let out a clear clink sound. The cup that was now filled to the brim with barley tea reflected the sun"s rays that came in through the window.
Squinting at the dazzling light, I brought the second cup of barley tea to my lips.
By this time, I was no longer pouting. As expected, I can"t win against her.
It"s probably impossible to win against her unless I became a 『parent』like her.
….Wrong. As her child, I would never be able to win since『I*』died.
(TL note: "Ore" masculine p.r.o.noun)
It was somewhat regrettable. I put down the half empty cup.
「I"m sorry, Kasan.」
Saying so, I lowered my head.