An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"Why, why are you suddenly saying something like that—"

"Is that even a question? He's our benefactor. It's only natural that he'd want to meet him formally and express his gratitude."

"Ah, yeah, yes."

Seeing Aiko's visibly shaken expression and then relieved, Akiko couldn't help but smile bitterly and mutter inwardly, "You're such a bad boy at hiding things."

Incidentally, the Hatayama family is also a member of the "Family Association," so Akiko has also met Sou and Sumire.

However, the Hatayama family lived far away and had family business to take care of, so they couldn't stay in Hajime's town all year round.

Because it could be used as a base for the investigation, the Hatayama family renewed the lease of the apartment where Aiko had lived before her disappearance and continued to clean it regularly. However, when Hajime and the others returned, the Hatayama family was at their hometown, so they had not yet met.

"Since this is a rare opportunity, why not try to invite him over? Didn't you use that 'Space Gate' when you came back? With that, distance wouldn't matter, right?"

“No, this… shouldn’t be that easy… He, he’s busy too…”

Glancing at her daughter's hesitant expression, Akiko recalled what happened when Aiko had just returned.

The so-called earth-shattering event must have been something like that. A vortex of light suddenly erupted in the living room, and then the long-lost daughter unexpectedly appeared from it.

In order to allow his son to reunite with his family immediately, Hajime connected the "Space Gate" from the top floor of the school.

Naturally, the Hatayama household was thrown into a state of panic. Living there were Aiko's parents and grandparents, and of the four of them, Akiko was frozen in shock; she was the only one who remained relatively normal. Her grandfather choked on a snack, her grandmother passed out, and her father rolled on the ground after scalding tea spilled on his crotch.

Faced with this situation, Aiko had no time to have a touching reunion with her family. Instead, she loudly protested to the other side of the gradually disappearing "space door": "Why did you let me appear in the living room!?"

"In that case, it would be more reasonable for us to pay a visit. Okay, when you go back there, we'll follow you."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, right? The commotion has died down, so there's no reason why we can't go, right?"

“Uh… yeah, that’s right…”

After Aiko explained the events of her disappearance to her family, she did not have time to properly reunite with them at home, and the next day she rushed to see Shi and the others.

After all, she was the only adult involved in the mass disappearance, and everyone's teacher. She felt it was her responsibility to be the first to explain the situation and answer all questions. When her family tried to keep her, she used this as an excuse to resolutely leave.

There's no need to elaborate on what happened next. Seeing their daughter become the target of public and media criticism, the Hatayama family was naturally worried. However, Aiko insisted on not allowing her family to accompany her.

This is to prevent family members from being treated as toys and looked at with curious eyes by the world.

If Aiko really couldn't stand it, Akiko would ignore her refusal and rush to accompany her. However, her daughter's tone on the phone was always full of determination, and she always maintained a resolute demeanor when appearing in the media.

To be honest, the Hatayama family was shocked by their daughter's expression.

It was even shocking that my daughter had become so strong without me noticing.

On TV, she is undoubtedly an independent adult and a real teacher.

Therefore, Akiko and the others always believed their daughter's words and did not act without authorization, patiently waiting for the day when she would return on her own. No matter how the situation developed, the home where their daughter could return must be well protected.

Because of this, the Hatayama family has never met Hajime.

He had saved his daughter's life and reunited her with her family. Somehow, he had even managed to protect her from the currents of the world. Every day, the Hatayama family yearned to see this benefactor, their longing growing stronger.

However, it wasn't just because Hajime was her daughter's benefactor. Judging from her daughter's words and actions, Akiko was also very interested in Hajime in other ways.

"Dad and grandpa and grandma also really want to see him."

"Wow, I think so..."

"Everyone said they wanted to see what kind of person Aiko's Prince Charming is."

“Hmm… No! Who, who are you saying is my Prince Charming? He, he’s the Demon King! Yes, Hajime is everyone’s Demon King!”

Aiko was easily tricked into revealing something by her mother. She looked completely different from the person she had appeared on TV. And—

"And he even manipulated the entire world's consciousness for my sake. What kind of person is he? Seriously, what a troublesome person... No, I should say, a cunning one."

She seemed to think she had managed to keep it a secret. She probably didn't realize she was smiling a gentle smile that even her family had never seen.

Her face was as red as a rose, and she hugged her thighs and sat on the floor, rocking. Even if she wasn't a mother, she could tell she was doing this.

“Hehehe~ He also said, ‘You can’t leave for the irresponsible trend of the world’… Really…!”

Knowing that Hajime had brainwashed the entire world, Aiko naturally wanted to blame him. But after he said that, the thought of blaming her was instantly thrown out of her mind.

Recalling Hajime's strong eyes and words at that time, Aiko even jumped up and down a little, not noticing the loving gaze of her mother beside her.

In addition, everyone in the Hatayama family was aware of the relationship between Aiko and Hajime, but due to the reasons mentioned above, they had not been able to greet each other formally.

Because when Aiko first started talking about the other world, her expression was always full of admiration and love, showing her deep affection, which was fully revealed on her face.

And since Aiko returned this time, she'd often chuckle at the ring she wore as a necklace. Sometimes, she'd stare at her phone and chuckle. She'd even smirk when she was hiding and talking on the phone. Sometimes, even when she hadn't done anything, she'd suddenly become coy, as if remembering something.

Even though it was so obvious, Aiko still refused to introduce Hajime to her family, citing the world's opinion as an excuse, and even seemed to be deliberately avoiding their contact.

"Alas, even I find my own daughter troublesome."

"Eh? What did you say?"

For some reason, it seemed as if this daughter had completely stopped growing in middle school, and she had never heard of any progress in her love life. Akiko and the others had always been a little worried about this daughter.

My daughter has finally found a boyfriend, and everyone in the family is eager to meet him.

Even his family members are losing patience with his current ambivalent attitude.

"I'm saying, if you keep going like this, even if you get a boyfriend, he'll run away in no time."

“Huh!?”

The mother's words, coupled with the things that had been worrying him for a while, hit the son hard, and he fell to the ground, holding his chest.

"...Oh, forget it. It's up to you to introduce us whenever you want. We won't force you. But please don't keep us waiting too long. You don't want us to be thought of as ignorant of etiquette, do you?"

"Um……"

"Also, don't forget, anyone you choose is welcome."

"Hmm... Eh? Eh?"

Only then did Aizi realize that his mother had already seen through many things, and his face suddenly turned red.

Akiko didn't want to waste her energy listening to her daughter's unnecessary excuses, so she brought up a new topic without paying attention to her daughter who was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly in confusion.

"By the way, there's a harvest festival this fall too. Since you're back at this time of year, why don't you enjoy the festival before leaving? You haven't been in years, and you love old man Yamashiro's marshmallows, don't you?"

“Eh? Ah, um, so… has it already come to this point…”

Aiko's face was still flushed, but he didn't have the courage to ask his mother about it, so he had to continue the conversation with a new topic.

"By the way... So, Mr. Yamashiro is still alive..."

"You're being rude."

"Because... when I was in high school, he was already 90 years old..."

"Yes. I'm one hundred and two years old this year."

"Are you still going to be a vendor at this age? Is that really okay? Will you suddenly ascend to heaven while making cotton candy?"

"You're being very rude, kid. He's still alive and kicking. He said he wants to work for another 30 years."

"Are you trying to challenge the Guinness World Record?"

Even as she chatted with her mother, Aiko felt a pang of sadness deep down inside. She was worried about how to deal with her relationship with Hajime and how to tell her family.

After much thought, there is still no answer.

Finally, Aiko decided to give herself some time to calm down and decided to stay and attend the festival.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

It is the time when the beautiful evening scenery of autumn is gradually covered by the night.

Aiko was wearing a light pink yukata, walking on the familiar country road, holding a cute cloth bag in one hand, swinging it slightly unintentionally.

It was late autumn, and the temperature was a bit chilly after nightfall. Aiko hadn't been to a festival in her hometown in ages, so she decided to endure the chill a bit today. So, she skipped socks and wore straw sandals instead. The yukata naturally gave her a more charming look, perhaps due to the natural physique of the Japanese.

"Will he find me beautiful like this?"

Walking alone on the road like this, my heart naturally thinks of my beloved. And those fateful memories of my previous experience in the other world are so strange that they seem unreal.

A miraculous reunion in a lakeside town. A tragic end. And a kiss that brought him back to life.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Oh, and he rescued me from being imprisoned on the top of a tower. Back then, I felt like a princess in a fairy tale. I desperately wanted to help him, who was fighting tooth and nail, but faced with the consequences I had caused, I was powerless and filled with shame.

“Hah…”

After that, Aiko would never forget the words he gave her beside the memorial tablet.

By that time, Aiko was exhausted, both physically and mentally. By the way, from that moment on, a passion for him had been ignited in my heart, and I could no longer ignore it.

“Ah…”

I had been feeling this way for a long time, and after experiencing the final battle and luckily surviving, I finally realized what I was thinking.

Even though reason and common sense opposed it, she still wanted to be with him. She had a strong desire to support him along with the other girls who admired him. To achieve this, Aiko was willing to face all kinds of obstacles. She was determined and mentally prepared.

So, she pursued Hajime so aggressively that she couldn't believe it herself. In the end, he looked troubled and surrendered, and gave Aiko the answer she wanted.

Aiko's hand reached up to her chest, feeling beneath her yukata, feeling the firmness. Dangling there from the chain was a ring, proof of her status as the Demon King's wife.

Then, I thought of the sweet night I, born as a child, would never have the chance to experience. My face flushed at the mere thought.

Those experiences were overly stimulating in every way.

“Ahhhhhh…”

Aiko was panicking and at a loss walking alone on the road at night, looking like a completely suspicious person.

Even after all this, she was still worried about what happened between her and Hajime. No wonder even her family felt helpless.

This teacher, who is hailed as a goddess in another world, skillfully incites the masses, and bravely stands up to the king and the Pope of the largest religion for her students, is actually a troublesome woman who is extremely clumsy in love.

This man, behaving suspiciously on the country road, was suddenly accosted.

"Love? What are you doing?"

"Oh hey!?"

Aiko jumped up in fright, making strange noises.

This time, her face flushed for a different reason than before, and she turned to look at the corner leading to the shrine, which she had unknowingly reached. Standing there was a tall, muscular young man.

"Ah... Taishi, it's you. Don't scare me."

"Ai, you're walking alone on the street at night with your expression changing all the time. It's really scary."

Taishi Furukawa attended the same school as Aiko from kindergarten through high school, making them childhood sweethearts. His family's farmland borders Aiko's hometown, and the two families have long interacted, making them close friends.

During middle school and high school, Taichi deliberately distanced himself from Aiko due to the inherent complexities of adolescence, leading to a period of estrangement between the two. However, now that they are both mature adults, Aiko maintains a close relationship with him, spending time with his family and sharing their latest news whenever she returns home.

This childhood sweetheart, now scratching her cheek in front of Aiko, with an indescribable expression on her face, made Aiko feel so embarrassed that she couldn't sit still. Aiko decided to smile and pretend to be stupid for the time being.

"Uh... Taishi, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Ah~ No, I don't know if my uncle and the others told you that I'm going to help with the festival this year. Because I heard you were coming this year... You know, on days like this, there are bound to be idiots who cause trouble."

It seems that Taiji came to pick her up because he was worried about Aiko's safety.

Aiko's disappearance also shocked the Furukawa family, who were deeply concerned about her safety. It was said that when the Hatayama family was away from home to participate in the search, it was the Furukawa family who took care of the farm.

Perhaps Furukawa's mother had asked Taishi to come and greet him. Aiko's heart warmed at the thought of her neighbor's unwavering kindness.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up."

Aiko thanked him like this, a smile appearing naturally on her face.

For some reason, Taichi quickly turned his head away, covering his mouth with one hand. If it were bright enough, you would be able to see his face flushing.

"Oh, by the way, this yukata suits you perfectly. It looks great."

Taichi said, his voice cracking a little as he pointed to the path leading to the shrine and told Aiko to keep going.

"Really? Thanks." Aiko thanked him, but her attitude was quite natural, not shy at all.

This meant that Aiko's heart was no longer fluctuating because of a childhood sweetheart. If it was someone else, Aiko's reaction would probably be completely different. After all, she had been thinking about him just now.

Seeing Taichi's shoulders slump slightly, Aiko didn't seem to mind, chatting with him casually as they walked. Before long, they arrived at their destination. The crowds and the vibrant atmosphere of the festival filled their sights and ears.

"Ahahaha, so many people I recognize."

Aiko narrowed her eyes with a hint of emotion. Taishi also narrowed his eyes as he watched her. He was truly delighted to see Aiko at the festival in his hometown. His expression clearly showed his joy.