I Don’t Want to Die as a Mob in My Second Life! ～A Story Where I Kept Training from Inside the Womb and Ended Up Being Mistaken for a Monster～ - Chapter 45: A New Daily Life and the Eighth Special-Rank Reisoushi

Chapter 45: A New Daily Life and the Eighth Special-Rank Reisoushi

—Two days after the exam.

The Soranaki family breakfast table looked very different.

First off, Setsuna, who had been stuck doing housekeeper duty for a week as punishment, had finally gone home.

No more of her weird squeaky tantrums echoing through the house… kinda lonely, honestly.

But just as she left—

“Here, Dear~! Say aahhh~♡”

“H-Hey, Hinako! The kids and Mr. Maro are watching—!”

“Aww, are you shy~? Then Kanata, aahhh~!”

My mother aggressively pressed a sausage against my lips.

Yes. Mom was back.

Since Mom was a Reisoushi, her postnatal recovery and medical checkups had finished ridiculously fast—

And just like that, she was home.

“Here you go, Kanata~! Open wide, sweetie~!”

My mom was as bright and fluffy as ever.

Well—except for when she gets weirdly slimy.

“Or would you prefer… mommy’s milk instead~?♡”

“No, Mother, solid food is perfectly fine…”

“Then—Aahhh~!♡”

“A-Aahhh…!”

With zero way to escape, I reluctantly opened my mouth and ate the sausage.

God. This was so embarrassing.

Inside, I was still a grown-ass man in his twenties.

I kept my face neutral, but if I didn’t, I swear my entire head would be steaming right now.

“Fufu~ you’re eating so well. I’m so glad you’re doing okay.”

…That’s supposed to be my line.

“Munch, munch… (Man, I really overdid it with my training. Ended up causing Mom a lot of trouble.)”

She probably got called a monster’s mother behind her back.

But on the day I was born—she still worried about me more than anything else.

I really owed her for that.

“Ufufu~ And next up…”

After smiling at me, Mom turned to two other people at the table.

“Should I feed Michio and Hinami too~? Aahhh~!”

“”ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!””

To my surprise—Michio and Hinami were home.

“I refuse to be treated like a child! I am destined to become the main character of the Spirit Conductor world! There is no way I’m doing an aahhh—!!!”

“Exactly! A girl is a lady once she turns ten! Are you mocking me or something!?!?”

Hinami and Michio both flared up in indignation.

But honestly, just seeing them pouting at home was already a miracle.

In my past life, they never came back to this house.

I never thought I’d see the day where we’d all sit at the same table.

“Oh my, oh my~ But you two were so adorable, crying like little kids that day…”

“”DON’T SAY THAT IN FRONT OF OUR LITTLE BROTHER (KANATA)!!!””

Both of them turned bright red and desperately tried to shut her up.

…I had no idea what exactly happened,

But at the very least, it looked like things between them had finally been settled.

Now that I think about it—on the day of the exam, Dad slapped the hell out of them before stepping away to make a phone call.

…Maybe he was calling Mom to come clean up the mess.

“Hohoho! Your wife is quite the lively one, Sir Michitaka.”

“Ah—apologies for the noise, Mr. Maro…!”

Dad scratched his cheek awkwardly as he spoke to Maro.

Well, considering he respected the hell out of him, that made sense.

“No need to fret. Maro quite enjoys watching bratty kids get put in their place, after all.”

…Yeah. Maro was still as openly rotten as ever.

At this point, his attitude was almost refreshing.

“But if it’s really too much, I’ll make sure they settle down—!”

“Did I not say it was fine? Nothing makes white rice taste better than the sound of whiny little brats crying. Lady Hinako has provided me with an excellent meal today.”

“Mr. Maro…! You’re so considerate to say that…!”

…Maro, I highly doubt you were being considerate.

“Ufufufu. Dear, I already thought you’d become an even more wonderful husband, but now it seems you’ve also gained a wonderful mentor in life—Mr. Maro!”

“M-Mentor!? H-Hinako, that’s rude! Mr. Maro is a high-ranking authority in the Spirit Conductor world, while I’m still just an inexperienced, weak little head of household—!”

Dad flailed in panic, but Maro just let out a booming laugh.

“Ooooohhh~~! A mentor in life, you say!? Oooohhh—what a magnificent title! Very well, Sir Michitaka! I shall be your mentor as much as you desire!”

“Wha—!?”

“Hohoho! You may now revere Maro as much as you like!”

“Mr. Maro…! What an incredibly generous soul…!”

…Yeah, no. He just wanted to be pampered.

“Fufufu~ It really feels like a dream… such a bright, lively breakfast table.”

Mom looked around at everyone with a gentle smile.

Then, she turned to me and said—

“And it’s all thanks to you, Kanata, for being born, isn’t it?”

“Mmph—!“

I nearly choked on my 100th sausage.

…Wait, wait, wait, what!?

Thanks to me!? 

No, no, absolutely not—!?

“I really haven’t done anything…(If anything, I’ve only made things worse…!)”

I heard that because I overtrained myself to avoid dying, my dad almost got arrested.

Rouga was a forced creation—a man-made demi-human.

From an outsider’s perspective, I was basically the same thing—a bioweapon.

The entire Soranaki family almost got wiped out because of me.

“Hmph. You’ve been nothing but a massive inconvenience, Kanata! Because I lost to you, I might not be able to strut around the academy like I own the place anymore…!? GIVE ME BACK MY STATUS AS TOP DOG!!!”

“Seriously! Because you made Sharo Kirisame strong, I ended up ranking below her!? Give me back my position as someone who talks shit instead of gets shit-talked!!!”

Michio and Hinami started chewing me out for the dumbest reasons.

Whimper.

Yeah, these two haven’t changed at all…

But just as they ran their mouths—

“—That’s enough, Hinami. Michio.”

“”!?!””

Dad’s voice rang out—calm, but firm.

Michio and Hinami snapped their heads toward him, stiff as boards.

Dad was smiling…

But his eyes weren’t.

“Blaming the strong for your own losses and insulting them because of it… That’s a little pathetic, don’t you think?”

“T-That’s…!”

“And this whole ‘top of the social ladder’ nonsense… clinging to the idea of being the ones who insult instead of getting insulted—”

He tilted his head slightly.

“—Is that really so important to you?”

“”N-N-NO, NOT AT ALL, SIR!!!””

They immediately answered, eyes teary.

Looks like their “education” had already been completed.

“Good. I’m not telling you to be soft, but don’t go around hurting people for no reason.”

“”…Yessir…””

“Because if you do—”

Dad smiled.

“—I’ll just stab you in the back during a mission.”

“”DAD!?!?!?””

…Well. At the very least, they’d probably mellow out a bit.

In my last life, these two were strong, beautiful, and basically treated like idols—

But they were so rotten they had to be banned from social media.

Meanwhile, Dad… Yeah, he was evolving into something completely new.

“Ufufu~ My, my, you’ve become so reliable, haven’t you~?♡”

Well… Mom seemed happy, so I guess it was fine.

In my first life… I ended up making her miserable.

Michio and Hinami looked down on their family, never once coming home.

Dad, too weak-willed to fight back, was forced to hold the rear guard for a noble family—and died because of it.

And me?

I didn’t even make it past twenty-three before getting slaughtered by the Supreme-Class Conceptual Spirit [Regression].

Yeah. That’s how things went down.

“You look happy, Mother.”

“Oh, of course~”

That’s good. Really good.

Because I have no intention of making my parents cry a second time.

I might be just a mob character, but I’ll do everything I can.

“Awww~! What’s wrong, Dear~!? Are you worrying about Mommyyy~!? That’s too cute—come here, Mama’s gonna squeeze youuu~!♡”

“Please stop treating me like a baby…! (But for that to happen—)”

As Mom smothered me in a death hug, I started thinking.

One month from now—

The Supreme-Class Conceptual Spirit [Erasure] is going to manifest.

I need to start seriously preparing my forces for that battle.

“Mmm~ Kanataa, you smell soooo sweet~! Fruity~! Milky~! That newborn secretion (Nonanal) scent is so addictive!!!♡ Huuufff huuuffff!”

“Hmm… (The [Erasure] manifestation site—Gunkanjima, Nagasaki. A now-abandoned, heavily restricted island.)”

Thanks to that, civilian casualties were kept to a minimum.

However—

To stop [Erasure] from advancing toward mainland Nagasaki, nearly a hundred Reisoushis lost their lives in battle.

That was a massive loss.

After all, the Reisoushi forces were already dwindling, having barely recovered since they were nearly wiped out in the war thirty years ago.

“Kanataaa, you’re sooo cute with that blank expression~! Smoosh smoosh~!”

“Uyuyu… (With fewer numbers, the remaining Reisoushis will be forced into even harsher workloads. That means more missions for my parents, too…)”

As Mom rubbed her cheek against mine, I came to a conclusion—

I need to save as many Reisoushis as I can.

I still had to prepare for the inevitable battle against [Regression], too.

And on top of that—there were plenty of other nightmares on the horizon.

-The inevitable Ouma vs. Libertalia Army clash.

-Various incidents that could cripple the nation’s power.

If there were people I could save, then—I would.

Especially after hearing some very interesting rumors at the qualification exam.

“Hohoho. Watching this little brat get doted on is highly entertaining. Makes my tea taste even better.”

Maro chuckled before shifting the topic.

“Now then, Sir Michitaka, Lady Hinako. It’s about time we discuss the future with the children, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Indeed, Mr Maro.”

Maro was bringing something serious up.

What’s this about?

“First off, Kanata. As you know, I am currently stationed here to monitor you.”

Okay…?

“However—by Lord Ouma’s orders, we’ve decided to loosen that surveillance de ozaru.”

“Hn—(Wait, WHAT!?)”

You’re kidding!?

After that huge clash with Rouga, I was sure they’d be watching me even more closely—

But they’re actually easing up!?

“And… why, exactly?”

“Who knows. Anyway, I no longer need to monitor you full-time. I’ll just be checking in from time to time, de ozaru.”

…Seriously? I’d completely adjusted to Maro’s blatantly rotten personality—so much so that it had become weirdly refreshing.

And now he’s leaving?

Even though his food is amazing?

Even though this morning’s Special Pork-Chicken Mixed Minced Meat Pepper Sausage was a masterpiece?

Even though the diced gizzards mixed into it gave it an unbelievably satisfying crunch!?!?

(Finishing sausage #151… complete.)

“Mr. Maro… what am I supposed to eat from now on…?”

“Like I’d care! Also, you eat way too much, de ozaru!”

Maro… you’re really leaving me…?

This heartbreak is almost as bad as when I unleashed my full power against [Regression], only to not even scratch it, realize how completely outclassed I was, and then promptly get murdered.

“Hmph~ Well, if my cooking has impressed you that much, I’ll make something for you whenever I drop by. Anyway, we’re about to discuss what comes next, so relax, de ozaru.”

As Maro wrapped up, my father—Michitaka—was the next to speak.

“As for me and Hinako… Commander Ouma has issued a recommendation for us to stay at the Spirit Conductor Agency’s Tokyo Headquarters for a while.”

Hmmmm.

“…Are they suspecting you of another crime again?”

“No, no. Quite the opposite, actually. It’s for our own protection.”

…What?

That was… unexpected.

What exactly was going on?

“Kanata, I need you to stay calm and listen carefully. The combat abilities you displayed the other day—were more than enough to shake nations and organizations across the world.” 

…Ahhh. Yeah. That makes sense.

 I get it.

I was pretty hyped up back then. I even came up with and executed something as ridiculous as [Phantom Particle Destruction Beam].

That thing was an ultra-high-tier technique—one that should have been impossible to pull off.

Even with the support of my spirit gear, it still required divine-level precision in spiritual power control.

Oh man, that moment felt so good.

So free.

…Wait, hold up.

“Apologies, I spaced out for a moment. (Shit—my thoughts were starting to spiral again!)”

“It’s understandable. This is a lot to take in. But regardless—from now on, plenty of factions will be reaching out to you. Some will try to recruit you—”

“—And others will try to kill me, right?”

Dad’s expression tensed as he gave a slow, reluctant nod.

“That’s right. Before you grow any stronger, they might try smuggling an entire army into the country to take you out.”

“I see. In that case, it makes perfect sense for you and Mother to stay at the agency’s headquarters.”

That place was the epicenter of the Reisoushi world.

With Ouma and other top-tier figures coming and going all the time, it was the safest place they could be.

“I think it’s the best decision. If a fight breaks out because of me, you and Mother might get caught in the crossfire.”

“…It’s frustrating, though. Right now, Hinako and I would only hold you back. As parents, we want to stay by your side and protect you, but…”

Dad lowered his head. Mom, too, looked gloomy as she murmured—“I’m sorry for being so weak, Kanata.” 

That was more than enough. 

They could have easily said, “This is all your fault.” 

And they wouldn’t have been wrong.

“Please don’t worry about it. After all, you two gave birth to someone strong, didn’t you? (Yeah… I’m starting to piece things together.)”

The timing of Hinosuke’s new spirit gear delivery.

The sudden permission for the televised broadcast.

And now—my surveillance being loosened, despite everything that happened.

I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

“Once again, I’m truly sorry, Kanata.”

Dad bowed his head deeply, his tone sincere.

“Also… Unless the situation gets desperate, we’ve been given permission to turn down most missions. However—“

Dad and Mom exchanged a firm nod before he continued, his gaze steely—

“Kanata. We’re not going to just sit around doing nothing. The Spirit Conductor Agency’s headquarters is filled with powerful individuals—so we’ll take this as an opportunity to train!”

“Mama’s gonna do her best too~! It’d be embarrassing if a Special-Class Reisoushi’s family still had a low-rank Fourth-Class tagging along!”

The fire in their eyes was unmistakable. 

Even if they couldn’t say it outright—

They had no intention of letting themselves be dead weight.

They wouldn’t let me stand alone.

And honestly—

I was grateful.

It was a great decision.

A person’s spirit is simple—

The higher their motivation, the faster they grow.

Now that they’d repaired their bond with Michio and Hinami, they were in high spirits.

If they kept this momentum going, they just might surpass themselves.

“…Wait, huh?”

Something about what Mom just said caught my attention.

“A Special-Class Reisoushi… in this family? Since when?”

Dad let out a small chuckle.

Michio and Hinami’s heads snapped toward me in sync—

“”Wait, WHAT!?””

Meanwhile, Maro just huffed through his nose.

“Hmph. Of course, de ozaru. You did manage to defeat me, after all.”

Then, Dad handed me a few high-quality sheets of paper.

“The exam results just came in. Kanata, this is your official evaluation, your pass/fail status—and your new rank.”

I took the documents and scanned them.

There it was.

In bold, unmistakable lettering—[PASS]

And in the rank section…

“Congratulations—Kanata Soranaki, the Eighth Special-Class Reisoushi—Today marks your official debut!”

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[Tips]

Plkyuu~:

Setsuna Kirisame’s signature shriek.

According to Kanata, that’s exactly what her voice sounds like.

Plkyuuuu~!

[Neonatal Secretion]:

A type of scent compound that has a fruity, milky aroma.

It’s especially prominent in newborns, and those who inhale it often feel a deep sense of calm and relaxation.

It’s also secreted around the mammary glands of postpartum women.

Which means…

The reason [Hihiirokane] started screaming “Mama!” at Kanata after being tortured—

Was probably instinctual.

…Still creepy, though.

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