NCCnovel Chapter 592 - 592
Chapter 592 - 592
Eiji yawned as he descended the stairs, dark circles heavy under his eyes."Brother, have you been overworking yourself lately?"
His stunning yet still youthful younger sister sat at the dining table, dressed in the blue sailor uniform of her middle school, reminiscent of azure ocean waves, her youthful energy palpable.
"What time did you get home last night?"
She looked at him with concerned eyes.
"It's fine, just around midnight."
Eiji rubbed his sleepy eyes, giving Okita Souji a perfunctory answer.
"At this rate, won't you die from overwork?"
"Want me to flick your forehead?"
Eiji raised his hand playfully.
"No!"
Okita Souji covered her forehead and stuck out her pink tongue at him.
"Eiji, is something going on lately?"
Their mother emerged from the kitchen carrying breakfast, having entered earlier upon hearing footsteps.
Overhearing their conversation, Minamoto no Raikou looked at him with undisguised worry in her eyes.
"Mom's heard about it—you've been skipping almost all your classes at school, often not coming home at night, and when you do, it's past midnight... Eiji, you're not turning into a delinquent, are you?"
The maternal woman paled at the thought of her son sporting a pompadour, wielding a baseball bat, and shouting "Yoroshiku" like a stereotypical delinquent, even clutching her head as she swayed unsteadily.
"Mom?"
Okita Souji instinctively stood up.
"I'm really fine."
Eiji had already steadied Minamoto no Raikou, his expression full of resignation.
"And I'm not turning into a delinquent. If I did, this city would be in chaos long ago."
One of Type-Moon Academy's Seven Mysteries—if you see the smile of a god, you'll be mercilessly turned gay.
"That's true."
Minamoto no Raikou nodded in agreement.
"Then why have you been away so much lately?"
"Just... a lot of things happening recently."
Eiji's tone was evasive, clearly unwilling to elaborate.
According to Scáthach's explanation over a month ago, the closer one got to supernatural events, the more likely it was to trigger an "awakening" in Servants.
And if the awakening went wrong, they could lose their sanity, becoming hollow remnants like Medea had—driven solely by destruction.
Eiji didn't want Minamoto no Raikou or Okita Souji getting involved in the supernatural events unfolding in Kinojo City, so he did everything he could to keep the truth from them.
"Anyway, don't ask too much. I know exactly what I'm doing right now."
Eiji tried to steer the conversation away, accepting the breakfast Minamoto no Raikou handed him and taking a seat at the table.
The meal consisted of three dishes and a soup—ample fuel for half a day's activities.
"How can we not worry if we don't ask?"
Okita Souji disagreed vehemently, staring intently at Eiji.
"That's fine then! If Eiji says so, it must be true. Mom won't pry anymore!"
Minamoto no Raikou, on the other hand, relaxed, clasping her hands together with a radiant smile.
"Are you sure?"
Okita Souji was taken aback.
"It's fine, it's fine! Your father always said Eiji takes after him, so everything will be alright!"
Happiness overflowed from her face.
Raikou held the utmost tolerance and trust for Eiji, who resembled her father in every way.
"Can we not talk about that scumbag anymore?"
But Eiji looked displeased.
He truly couldn't understand what kind of spell that man had cast on his mother.
Or perhaps this Singularity had simply conjured up a perfect man who looked exactly like him and handed him to her?
"Didn't that man leave shortly after you got married? Then you had to endure ten months of pregnancy alone, raise us by yourself—after all these years of hardship, has that man ever shown up or sent even a single penny?"
Eiji was extremely irritated. He had strong opinions about that so-called father.
Giving a promise that he'd definitely return someday before vanishing without a trace—wasn't that just the behavior of a scumbag who'd run off after having his fun?
To say he looked exactly like him—that was absolutely unacceptable!
Didn't that imply he was a scumbag too?
Ridiculous!
If the me in the Failed World is a scumbag, what does that have to do with the me in the Type-Moon World?
"A-Li, really, why do you always have such strong opinions about Dad? He was truly a wonderful person!"
Raikou gave him a helpless look before rambling on about all the virtues of the children's father.
Eiji didn't listen to a single word of it. Breakfast passed by with him staring blankly, his dead-fish eyes twitching incessantly.
After breakfast, the time was around 7:30.
Morning classes started at 8:00, and a thirty-minute walk would be enough to reach the school.
"Don't forget your lunchboxes."
Raikou handed two silk-wrapped bento boxes to the siblings.
"Only one box?"
Eiji took the bento and gave it a light shake.
What could this tiny amount possibly do?
"Brother, you sound like a glutton saying that."
Okita Souji placed her bento into her bag and couldn't help but tease him.
"Thunk!"
Eiji flicked her forehead with his knuckle, satisfied to see her glare at him fiercely.
"By the way, A-Li, I didn't get a chance to ask earlier..."
Raikou took off her apron, her ample figure hidden beneath a white sweater, her expression slightly puzzled.
"What did you mean earlier when you mentioned 'ten months of pregnancy'?"
"?"
Eiji froze.
"Of course, it refers to the ten-month gestation period!"
What was there to ask about that?
Wasn't that how it worked for everyone?
Well, except for Nezha's mother.
"Pregnancy lasts ten months?"
Raikou looked genuinely shocked, as if her worldview had just been shattered.
Wait, what was so strange about that?
Eiji and Souji exchanged glances, but all he saw in her eyes was pure confusion.
"Isn't that common knowledge?"
Okita Souji asked, utterly perplexed.
"So... ten months of pregnancy is the common knowledge?"
Raikou seemed even more astonished now.
Seriously, she was a woman in her thirties—even if most of her memories weren't exactly real, how could she not know something like this, no matter how sheltered she was?
"What's wrong?"
"N-no, it's nothing..."
Raikou averted her eyes, her expression uneasy.
"Morning classes are about to start—you two should hurry to school so you're not late!"
"Alright."
Eiji and Souji exchanged another glance before leaving the house, utterly baffled.
Only after the two had left did Raikou return to the living room in a daze, her face filled with confusion.
"Does having a baby really take ten months? Isn't it overnight?"
Though somewhat strange, it wasn't anything major.
The siblings had long been aware that Raikou was different from ordinary mothers, so her odd behavior didn't linger in their minds. After leaving the residential area, they passed through the shopping district and headed toward the mountainous northern outskirts.
The only school in Kinoko City was located halfway up the small mountain in the suburbs.