Makoto saw his mother's shocked reaction but she remained silent. Then he spoke,
"Selena was the first person I met after I went to another world. You could say she's a kind-hearted person and has helped me a lot. But Selena is a bit too serious when it comes to work. Even now, she can't come with me because there are several projects still in progress. Even though she could hand them over to her subordinates, she said that if she doesn't supervise them directly, she feels uneasy," Makoto explained.
"Hmm, she sounds like a very serious woman," Yukiko said.
"Nee-chan, could you go with them to buy clothes? What they're wearing right now isn't really suitable for everyday use," Makoto said.
"Leave it to nee-chan. I'll pick clothes that suit them," Yukiko replied.
"Then I'll leave everything to you, nee-chan," Makoto said as he handed her a black card.
"Hm, Makoto, this isn't the kind of card I'm thinking of, is it?" Yukiko asked.
"Of course it's exactly the one you're thinking of, nee-chan. You can use this card to pay for all their shopping. And if you see something you want, you can buy it too. Don't hesitate," Makoto said.
"Alright, deal. Don't cry later if I end up spending all your money," Yukiko joked.
"All of you, go shopping with nee-chan. And don't forget to use magic to hide your tails and ears," Makoto said while looking at Koyuki and Hakuren.
"Yes, waka / waka-sama," Tomoe, Mio, Shiki, Koyuki, and Hakuren replied.
"Lime," Makoto called.
"Ha!" Lime appeared in front of Makoto.
"You go with nee-chan as well, and while you're at it, find us a place to stay," Makoto ordered.
"Understood, waka-sama," Lime replied before disappearing.
"Who was that, Makoto?" Yukiko asked.
"That was Lime, the leader of the ninja unit under Tomoe," Makoto answered.
"You even have a ninja unit!?" Yukiko exclaimed in surprise.
"That was Tomoe's idea. If you have questions, you can ask Tomoe, Mio, or Shiki," Makoto said.
"Alright everyone, let's go shopping!" Yukiko said enthusiastically.
After everyone left, only Makoto and his mother remained in the living room.
"So, Mom, is there anything you want to ask?" Makoto said.
"Is it true that Selena used to be an orc? I'm not asking because I discriminate against other races, but… do you really like her?" his mother asked.
"Mom, for me right now, race doesn't matter anymore. As long as they have a good personality and I like them, I can even make them a higher race. Maybe you don't know this yet, but you must have heard Tomoe's and Mio's former names," Makoto said.
"Their former names?" his mother asked, slightly confused.
"Tomoe's former name was Shin, the invincible dragon. And Mio was the calamity black spider," Makoto replied.
His mother was completely shocked. "You're not lying, are you?"
"Of course not, Mom. I've realized that I should value the people who appreciate me more than worrying about their race," Makoto said sincerely.
"Well then, if that's your decision, Mom will support whatever you do," his mother said.
After that, they chatted about Makoto's daily life—whether he ate properly and things like that. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, evening had come.
"Mom! Do we have a guest?" Mari, Makoto's younger sister, asked as she came home from school.
"Mari, come here and see who's arrived," their mother called from the living room.
When Mari walked into the living room, she saw someone she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Onii-chan! Is that really you!?" Mari shouted.
"How have you been, Mari? Do you still play games a lot?" Makoto asked.
"It really is onii-chan… I almost didn't recognize you. You look so much more handsome now," Mari said as she hugged him.
"Onii-chan, when did you come back? Are you staying here? Is the other world fun? Did you come back alone?" Mari fired off questions.
"Stop, stop. How am I supposed to answer if you keep asking nonstop?" Makoto said.
"Then… when did you come back, onii-chan?" Mari asked.
"I arrived this afternoon," Makoto replied.
"And will you stay in this world forever?" Mari asked.
"I'll only be staying for a few days," Makoto said.
"Why?" Mari asked.
"There are many things I have to take care of in the other world, so I can't stay too long," Makoto explained.
"Oh… I see," Mari said sadly.
Seeing her sadness, Makoto said, "If you want, you can go to the other world tomorrow—Saturday and Sunday—since there's no school."
"Really, onii-chan!?" Mari exclaimed happily.
"Of course. Mom, how about the whole family goes to the other world? We can think of it as a family vacation," Makoto said casually.
"We can talk about it later. It's already evening, and I need to prepare dinner for everyone," his mother said.
Not long after that, Yukiko returned with Tomoe, Mio, Shiki, Koyuki, and Hakuren.
"We're home!" Yukiko said as they entered.
"Mari, you're already home? You usually come back pretty late," Yukiko said.
"The school club is on break, so I came home early. Nee-chan, who are they?" Mari asked.
"Hasn't Makoto told you yet?" Yukiko asked.
"I just got home too. I haven't asked onii-chan much yet," Mari replied.
"Then I'll introduce them," Yukiko said.
"First, these are Tomoe, Mio, Shiki, Koyuki, and Hakuren. Tomoe and Mio are Makoto's lovers."
"What!? Onii-chan, who used to think only about archery, has lovers!? And two of them!?" Mari exclaimed.
"No, no, Mari, you're mistaken. Makoto has three lovers!" Yukiko corrected her.
"Haa!?" Mari was left speechless.
Mio noticed Makoto's mother in the kitchen and went to help her.
"Okaa-sama, please let me help," Mio said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Mio. That helps a lot. I heard from Makoto that you're the one in charge of cooking for him," his mother said.
"Yes, okaa-sama. I'm very happy when I cook for waka-sama," Mio replied brightly.
Makoto's mother smiled when she heard that.
Meanwhile, Makoto was watching Mari chatting with Koyuki when he heard the front door open.
"I'm home," Makoto's father said as he walked into the living room.
Makoto and his father looked at each other.
"I'm home, Dad," Makoto said.
"Oh, welcome back, Makoto. You look like you're doing well," his father replied calmly.
Not long after that, dinner was almost ready. Since the dining table at home was too small, Makoto took out a large dining table from his storage space.
"Oh, so you have an ability like an item box, Makoto?" his father asked.
"Yes, Dad," Makoto replied.
"You know, Mom, when we went shopping, Tomoe-san and everyone else also had storage abilities, so we didn't have to worry about carrying all the bags," Yukiko said.
"What!? Nee-chan, why didn't you take me shopping too!" Mari protested.
"Weren't you at school, Mari?" Yukiko said.
"But… but I want to go shopping too," Mari complained.
"How about tomorrow after school you come shopping with us? You can choose whatever you want—I'll pay," Makoto said.
"Really, onii-chan!? You're the best!" Mari exclaimed.
"Makoto, you just arrived. Do you really have enough money?" his father asked.
"No need to worry, Dad. I have this," Makoto said as he took out a black card.
"Hm? Makoto, didn't you give me a black card earlier too?" Yukiko said as she pulled one out of her wallet.
"Why do you have two, onii-chan?" Mari asked in confusion.
"That's an adult secret, Mari. And you can keep that card, nee-chan," Makoto said.
"Looks like you don't have any financial problems," his father remarked.
"By the way, Dad, if I remember correctly, you and Mom were originally a noble and a priestess from the Kingdom of Kaleneon, right?" Makoto asked.
"So you already know," his father said.
"What!? Dad, you were a noble!?" Mari exclaimed.
"Didn't I ever tell you?" his father asked.
"You only told us that you and Mom were from another world. We didn't know you were a noble and a priestess," Mari said.
"Hahaha, looks like I forgot," his father laughed.
"Dinner is ready," Makoto's mother announced.
After everyone sat at the table Makoto had taken out, she asked, "Where are Lime and the others?"
"Okaa-sama, I ordered them to stay at a hotel for now," Tomoe replied.
"Lime? Who's that?" Makoto's father asked.
"Lime is the leader of the ninja unit that came with us, otou-sama," Tomoe explained.
"It seems you've become quite successful in the other world, Makoto—having a special unit like ninjas," his father said.
"Stop chatting and eat while it's still warm," his mother said.
They ate dinner together, chatting lightly now and then.
After dinner, they stayed at the table to listen to Makoto's story. After Mio and Makoto's mother served tea, Makoto began to talk. First, he explained how he regained memories of his past life a year ago, when he suffered severe headaches and was rushed to the hospital. He also told them about the seed of the World Tree that carried his soul to this world.
Then Makoto talked about his journey in the other world. He didn't mention meeting the goddess, only explaining it vaguely up to the point where he met Ema, who was now called Selena.
Makoto told them everything—how he gained followers, how he became the ruler of the world of Eryndal, and how he traveled to another world with Erin's help.
When he finished, he saw the shocked expressions on his family's faces.
"I never imagined your journey would be even more amazing than mine," his father said.
"I'm just grateful that you're safe, Makoto," his mother said.
"Makoto, can I visit your world? I'm a little curious about the city you built," Yukiko said.
"Onii-chan, be honest with me. You're the protagonist of a light novel, aren't you? You can't fool me," Mari said.
After that, Makoto and his followers prepared to go to the hotel they had booked.
"Why not stay here?" his mother asked.
"This house is too small for all of them to stay," his father replied.
"Then Dad, Mom, nee-chan, Mari—see you tomorrow," Makoto said.
"Take care," his father, mother, Yukiko, and Mari replied.
Makoto and the group headed to the hotel.
"The technology in this world is far more advanced than ours," Tomoe said.
"If you want, you can buy books from this world. But it's better to buy e-books—they're easier," Makoto said.
Not long after, they arrived at a five-star hotel. After getting their keys, they went to their respective rooms.
After a full night's sleep, Makoto woke up refreshed. He found Mio already awake, gazing at his face.
"Good morning, waka-sama," Mio said.
"Good morning, Mio," Makoto replied, then got up and prepared with Mio's help.
After they were ready, they went for breakfast. Makoto met Tomoe, Shiki, Koyuki, Hakuren, Lime, and nine other ninjas. They weren't wearing their old outfits, but the new clothes they had bought the day before.
"Good morning, everyone. Seeing you all gathered like this makes me think there's a model audition happening here," Makoto joked.
"Good morning, waka / waka-sama," they all replied.
"Let's go get breakfast," Makoto said.
After taking their food, they ate together.
"What are you all going to do today?" Makoto asked.
"I and the ninjas will gather information about weapons in this world, waka," Tomoe said.
"Do as you like, but be careful. There's a lot of detection technology in this world that I don't fully understand," Makoto warned.
"I've already made plans with okaa-sama to go shopping," Mio said.
"I'll be going to the library, waka-sama," Shiki said.
"Yesterday, ojou-sama invited me to go to a place called an amusement park today, waka-sama," Koyuki said cheerfully.
"Waka-sama, I'll go to the library with Shiki-sama," Hakuren added.
"Looks like you've all decided where to go. I also have somewhere I want to visit, so let's gather again at my house for dinner," Makoto said.
"Yes, waka / waka-sama," they all replied.