My mother was a short woman…… and a very bad cook.

  “G- Gununu…… The kitchen is too high and too difficult to use. Hah!? Maybe the reason why my cooking isn’t turning well is that the kitchen doesn’t match my height……”


  “No, isn’t it because…… Mother’s cooking is really sloppy?”


  “Dear?”


  “W- Well~~ I’m looking forward to dinner…… Ahaha~~”


  Moreover, it wasn’t just her cooking. How should I say this…… Not only is she clumsy, she’s also a klutz sometimes, so that’s why I think she often made mistakes.

  However, she always had a bright smile on her face and she really cared about me.

  “Kaito! The athletic meet is coming soon, right? I’ll cheer for you a lot, okay? Dear?”


  “Yeah, leave the camera to me! I’ll buy the latest model with my bonus!!!”


  “……Y- You can just….. bring a normal camera, you know?”


  I remembered how she and Dad used to match with each other in exaggerating things……


  And about how you were more positive than anyone else…… More hopeful about the future than anyone else.

  “……Mom. What’s in that notebook?”


  “Fufufu, this notebook, you see. This is where I wrote down the dreams that I wanted to fulfill.”


  “Dreams you want to fulfill?”


  “Unnn! You only live once, so I wanted my heart to be filled with dreams. Well, of course I couldn’t make everything come true…… but there are some of them that were finally fulfilled.”


  The notebook Mom used to carry around with her…… After Mom died, it was handed down to me, and that was the first time I saw its contents.

  Written in that notebook were the numerous dreams that Mom had had since she was a child, and those that had come true were marked.

  There were dreams that didn’t come true, such as “I want to be a stewardess”, and there were also dreams marked with a flower circled upon it, such as “I want to have a wonderful love life”.

  And the newest entry on the notebook…… It was something along the lines of “I want my darling Kaito to become a fine adult that I can be proud of (This will definitely come true)”…… When I saw it, tears welled up in my eyes.

  Mom was always there to support me. Truly, she has always, always been supporting me…… That’s why I really love my Mom.

  “……Mom, why are you that supportive of me?”


  “Whoa there, I would obviously still scold Kaito when you’re doing something wrong, you know? But if it isn’t anything wrong, there’s no reason not to support my cute son.”


  “…………………”


  “There’s still a long way to go in Kaito’s life, so remember this. I will always support you…… I will always be your greatest ally forever…… Understand?”


  Mom always had my back. She would always, always be cheering for me……


  Yes, even just before she passed away……


  “Kai…… to…… Do your best…… Help will…… come soon…… So…… even if…… it’s just…… you……”


  That was…… the last time I heard Mom’s voice in my fading consciousness.

  [……to…… Kaito?]

  [Eh? Ahh…… I- I’m sorry.]

  [……Are you alright?]

  [Y- Yes, I’m alright.]

  [……But…… you haven’t touched…… your ice cream…… since a while ago.]

  Seeing Isis-san looking at my face with concern, I finally came back to my senses.

  The shock of seeing a woman who looked exactly like Mom was just so great that I just haven’t been able to keep my mind off it.

  [……Did something…… happen?]

  [……That is……]

  [……I won’t force you…… if you don’t want to tell me…… but…… if Kaito’s fine with it…… I’d like you to tell me.]

  [……I don’t know if I can explain it well but……]

  Isis-san looked genuinely worried about me, but unsure if it was alright for her to step in. Looking at her expression, I felt a bit calmer.

  Thereupon, I began to slowly speak about it. The situation that had just happened…… Looking at it from Isis-san’s perspective though, I was talking about someone she hadn’t seen beforehand I had been keeping secret about……


  The story itself was simple. I saw someone who looked exactly like my dead mother, and it had shaken me…… That’s all there was to it.

  However, it was difficult to express the emotions swirling around me, after all, even I don’t have the answer to this question……


  [……I know…… that she was a different person. But even so, the “what-ifs” were just popping into my mind…… That there’s a chance that this may have happened…… That perhaps……]

  [……I think…… that what you saw…… is another person…… Kaito’s mother…… “died in another world”……]

  [………………….]

  [……However…… I don’t really know much…… about raising the dead either…… so I think it would be better…… to ask this to Kuromueina.]

  [……Yes.]

  I knew that. There was a strong possibility that it was someone else…… No, that’s almost certainly was the case…… After all, if Mom had really came back to life, she would have approached me there.

  But there’s a difference between knowing and understanding…… I just couldn’t get the thought of the possibility that my mother was still alive out of my head.

  There was no way I could get an answer just by thinking about it, but I still couldn’t help but think. As I was feeling so helplessly shaken, my body was suddenly pulled…… and I felt a soft touch next to my face.

  [……Eh?]

  I immediately understood that Isis-san had pulled me close and held me to her chest. The softness of her breasts, her slightly cool body, and her pleasant scent that tickled my nostrils.

  [……Kaito…… look…… at me.]

  [……Isis-san?]

  [……Unnn.]

  When I raised my gaze as I was told, I found myself eye to eye with Isis-san, who had a gentle expression on her face.

  [……I’m not going to tell you…… to forget about it…… After all…… I think this is something…… important to Kaito.]

  [………………..]

  [……However…… You also shouldn’t think about it too much…… That is…… very exhausting……]

  [……Isis…… -san?]

  Hugging my head, Isis-san told me in a voice as soothing as a lullaby.

  [……”I’m here”.]

  [……Eh?]

  [……Kaito…… might not be able to see your mother…… but Kaito…… has me.]

  [……………….]

  [……I can’t…… erase the feeling…… of pain that Kaito is feeling…… but…… I will always be with you…… and I won’t…… let Kaito feel lonely…… Even in painful times…… I will always…… be with you.]

  That’s what I once said to Isis-san.

  “I can’t erase all suffering, but I will always be with her……”, Hugging Isis-san who was quivering in loneliness, I told her that…… And using her own words, Isis-san returned it back to me.

  I felt warmth spreading in my chest. And then, I found myself hugging Isis-san with my hand against her back.

  [……That’s why…… for now…… I want you…… to only look at me.]

  [……Yes. Ummm, thank you. I guess I became a bit sensitive with what suddenly occurred.]

  [……I’m glad…… that Kaito…… is feeling better.]

  [Yes…… Errr, that’s why, ummm…… if it’s not too much trouble, could we stay like this for a bit longer?]

  [……It’s fine with me…… to spoil you…… a whole lot though?]

  [……Unnn…… Thank you.]

  After expressing my gratitude, I gently closed my eyes and entrusted my body to Isis-san.

  Come to think of it, since I came to this world…… Other than the times when I was with Kuro, this might be the first time I’ve been pampered like this, and the first time I’ve felt comfortable and relieved.

  Dear Mom, Dad————- It was a shock to see someone who looked exactly like Mom, and I couldn’t recover from the shock for a while. However, thanks to Isis-san…… my beloved lover, before I knew it————— My depressed heart was cleared up.

  **********