I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 180
Tbh, I really don’t like how the author sudden change povin most of the chapter. Should I stick with his style or force them to 1st or 3rd pov next time? probably gonna stick with 1st or 3rd pov, rather than 1st and 3rd pov.
6-17. Reunion
*
I walked with Ouren-san and Amariaz towards the direction my father had run off in.
They were also coming towards us, so we were able to meet up quickly.
“Ha ha. He looks like he’s having fun,” Ouren-san remarked.
“Indeed,” I nodded in agreement.
I might be seeing my mother with such a joyful expression for the first time. She had always raised me on her own.
***
In the distance, Reizen was lifting Karna and spinning her around playfully. Both looked genuinely happy, seemingly oblivious to the people around them. Since Reizen had been asleep, the time until their reunion probably didn’t feel long. However, for Karna, it was a reunion after seventeen years. Even Uchikage, who had always been there to support her quietly, had never seen her smile so broadly in these seventeen years.
Uchikage approached them, standing beside Ouren, and watched the two of them.
“I have experienced many farewells, but I’ve never witnessed such joy in reuniting,” Uchikage said.
“Oh, really? Come to think of it, Uchikage, have you always been alone?” Ouren asked.
“No, I had a companion.”
“Well, that’s natural. But I guess they didn’t stay with you for four hundred years, right?”
“That’s true,” Uchikage nodded.
Ouren fell silent, causing Uchikage to tilt his head in curiosity.
“Oh, you’re not curious about my partner?”
“I am, but I don’t want to pry…”
“It was Alena.”
“…What!? Huuuh!!!”
“We didn’t have children since it’s difficult for humans to bear Oni offspring.”
“No way!!!”
Ouren yelled so loudly that Amariaz covered one ear in annoyance, then glanced at Yuuzen.
Yuuzen, standing at a distance, watched contentedly.
*
“Is it fun just watching?”
“Better not to interfere, right?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
I wouldn’t have the courage to step into that circle either. But watching them made me realize that my mother could trust him so deeply. He really must be my father.
A warm breeze blew from behind. I turned to see Houen-san descending towards us. As he landed softly, Lize-san returned to our side and stopped nearby.
“Wow! What’s going on? Looks like a good atmosphere here,” Lize-san exclaimed.
“You ruined it,” Houen-san replied.
“Why!”
“It’s like an old man making fun of such moments.”
“An old-…!? What did you say!?”
I kind of understood what Houen-san meant. At weddings in the Oni village, there were often Oni like that. It was amusing, but probably embarrassing for those involved.
Then Houen-san looked at me, tilting his head and placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, Reizen!”
“Haha! Oh? Houen, isn’t it?”
“How about turning your attention to this one soon?”
“Whoa! Houen-san!?”
“Hm? What?”
“I-I’m not ready yet…”
Lize-san smacked Houen on the head.
“Ouch!”
“Why are you so insensitive!”
“Did you just hit me with ice!?”
“Don’t talk back!”
“Oough!”
***
Watching them, Reizen turned to look at Karna. Tilting his head, he seemed not to understand yet. Seeing this, Karna smiled mischievously.
“Do you recognize him?”
“Huh? …? Eh? What!?”
It took some time, but gradually understanding dawned on him, and finally, he seemed to be sure. With a look of astonishment, he glanced back and forth between Karna and Yuuzen.
“Really!?”
“Really.”
*
Letting go of Karna, he slowly made his way towards us. Amariaz nudged me with her elbow, urging me to go. Nervously, I stepped forward to finally face him.
“Um…”
“…”
A quiet silence settled between us. I still didn’t know what to say. But I was now certain that he was my father. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come.
It seemed Father felt the same way. Faced with his son, he hesitated. He fidgeted awkwardly before glancing at Mom. I looked over at Ouren-san.
“K-Karna…”
“Ouren-san.”
Ouren gave a wry smile, as if to say, “Don’t look for help here.” Mom also smiled awkwardly.
“We don’t know how to act…”
“You two are definitely parent and child! Honestly, you’re a handful!”
Ouren-san strode forward, grabbing both our heads. He pulled them into a headlock, laughing as he did.
“Hey, Reizen! Start by calling his name!”
“Oh, right! Yuuzen! Uh, do you remember…?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yuuzen, you don’t need to be so formal. I’m your father, after all.”
“Oh, okay. But, um, Ouren-san… this is uncomfortable.”
“Get used to it!”
Thanks to his ‘Defense Piercing’ skill, the sensation of skin contact was unnervingly clear. I wasn’t used to it, and it felt unpleasant. But Father seemed unfazed.
“Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you two!”
He released us with a hearty slap on our backs. I stumbled, and my father caught me. When I looked up, he was smiling warmly at me.
“You’ve grown so much! The last time I saw you, you were this big…”
“You mean like a bean? That’s tiny.”
“Haha, true. I never thought the day would come when I could talk to my son…”
“D-don’t cry, Father.”
“Wow, that might be the first time someone called me Father!”
“Stop crying!”
But his tears started flowing uncontrollably. As I tried to console him, it only made things worse.
The scene was so amusing that everyone around us started laughing. Regardless, the bond between father and son was undoubtedly reestablished. We would have some time to spend together, so we could take things slowly.
“Well, everyone, it’s about time we returned to Oni Village,” Uchikage-Ojiichan said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, the angels seem to have retreated. Let’s take it easy for a while,” Ouren-san agreed.
“I agree.”
With the angels gone, there was no need to stay here any longer. The surroundings were already in ruins, but for now, I decided not to worry about it.