Grandma’s Place

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn broke, Issei set out for his grandmother's place.

The first train from Kuoh to Fukushima departed at 6:30 AM, with a 55-minute travel time. Issei arrived at Fukushima station by 7:25, a bit earlier than expected. Trains in Japan rarely ran late, but it wasn't unheard of.

Luckily, today wasn't one of those exceptions.

By 7:40, he was on his way to his grandmother's house. Or at least, he thought he was.

An hour of walking later, and he still hadn't reached her place.

"Ugh, damn it!" Issei groaned, frustrated by how long it was taking him to cross the mountain range.

'Well, if you'd actually trained as a kid, you wouldn't be struggling so much now,' Ddraig teased, amused by Issei's struggle in the Oze mountain range.

"How does she even live up here?" Issei huffed, wiping sweat from his brow. "I can't imagine her getting around without breaking a hip."

'Not everyone's as weak as you, kid,' Ddraig chuckled. 'But if she really does have a cottage like you said, she probably doesn't need to move around much. People can bring her whatever she needs.'

Issei's grandmother ran one of the few cottages in the mountainous region, offering rest stops for hikers and travelers. It wasn't the most popular, but it earned enough to keep her busy.

"She stays busy up here," Issei said, "Old folks hate being idle."

'But why are you even here?' Ddraig asked, still confused about the significance of Issei's grandmother. He couldn't find any memory of her.

"Damn this mountain!" Issei muttered as he carefully crossed a rocky slope. 'Before my grandfather's death anniversary every year, I visit my grandmother. My parents come on the actual day, but I've always gone a day before. It's kind of a tradition now.'

After carefully crossing the risky terrain, Issei finally saw the lodges in the distance.

'And how does this help with your training?' Ddraig asked, still unsure.

Issei paused for a moment, taking in the view of the mountain landscape. 'Look around, Ddraig. What do you see?'

'Mountains…' Ddraig responded, starting to piece it together. 'You plan to train here?'

'Exactly,' Issei nodded, grinning. 'The lodges are right here, and beyond them is pretty much a no-man's zone. Not because it's off-limits, but because it's dangerous. If we head past the lodges, there's no one watching. It's perfect for training.'

'You can't expect to come here every day for training,' Ddraig reminded him.

'Who said anything about every day?' Issei laughed. 'It's just for now. And look, there's my grandmother's cottage.'

The cottage wasn't the prettiest nor was it ugly—it was a modest looking one. But there was something homely about it that made it stand out against the more polished lodges around it.

Once he finally set foot on solid ground, he dusted off his clothes. He hadn't brought much—just some persimmons and nashi pears his grandmother loved, along with some homemade snacks his mother had packed.

He noticed a few older guests wandering around, most likely seeking a cozy, simple stay rather than the luxury of the fancier lodges. Issei wondered if he'd still prefer comfort over luxury if he ever became rich.

'Who am I kidding? Comfort over everything,' he thought with a smirk.

As he greeted a few of the guests, he spotted his grandmother standing near the cottage's doorway, chatting with an older man.

"Grandma!" Issei called out, his voice carrying through the air.

It felt natural now to call strangers 'mom,' 'dad,' or 'grandma.' The memories he'd inherited had made it easier, and he was grateful for that. He wasn't sure how he would have handled so many unfamiliar people otherwise.

"Oh, Issei! My boy!" The old woman beamed, practically running toward him, despite her age.

"Careful, Grandma!" Issei hurried to meet her, worried she might trip in her excitement.

"You're early today!" she exclaimed, smiling wide at the sight of her grandson after such a long time.

Issei grinned back. "I've gotten bigger, so the climb was a piece of cake."

'Gahaha! A piece of cake, he says!' Ddraig laughed in the background.

Ignoring the dragon, Issei focused on his grandmother.

"How are you, Grandma?"

"Can't you tell?" She twirled her arms in the air, moving much faster than Issei expected. "Better than most people younger than me!"

"Careful now," the older man she'd been talking to stepped forward with a concerned look. "It's great to be active, but it's risky at your age."

Issei tried to recall who the man was, but his memory felt a bit foggy. He didn't remember seeing him the last time he visited.

"Don't worry so much, Hachiman," his grandmother teased, waving a hand dismissively. "It's your constant worrying that's causing your hair to thin. At this rate, you'll be losing your eyebrows too."

Issei glanced at the man, who was, in fact, bald. However, he didn't seem bothered by the comment.

The man sighed, shook his head, and stepped forward. He finally turned to Issei and gave him a warm smile.

"She's just excited to see you, Issei," he said kindly. "Your grandmother has mentioned you often."

Issei felt a flush of embarrassment, knowing full well he was her favorite grandchild—mostly because the rest of the family didn't visit as frequently.

"Of course," his grandmother chimed in, defending herself. "Who else would I talk about but my grandson?" She paused and then added, "Oh, and Issei, this is Hachiman. He's helping out in place of his son."

"His son?" Issei looked at the man again. Despite his baldness, there was something about his eyes that seemed familiar. "Wait… don't tell me…"

"He's Takumi's father," the old lady explained. "Takumi broke his arm falling down some stairs, so Hachiman decided to step in and help. These are the busy times, after all."

Hachiman chuckled. "That way, Takumi keeps his income, and I get to work these old bones a bit beyond just the nursery."

"Oh, whatever," his grandmother muttered, rolling her eyes. "You just want to ogle the women around here."

Hachiman feigned innocence. "Now, now, don't make me look bad in front of your grandson." He laughed, but Issei couldn't tell whether it was just a joke or something more serious.

'Hard to tell when you're supposed to be one too, huh?' Ddraig teased.

'Shut up.'

Ddraig's laughter filled his mind as his grandmother ushered him inside, eager to catch up. Hours flew by as they talked about his studies, family matters, and the condition of the cottage. Through their conversation, Issei realized that his grandmother and Hachiman weren't just casual acquaintances—they were close friends. He was relieved to see his grandmother had someone to spend time with when the rest of the family couldn't be there.

"Eat, eat!" His grandmother gestured to the spread of food on the table. "You're all bones, you need to eat more."

Issei said nothing, though he wasn't particularly thin—he'd even put on some muscle recently, which he considered an improvement. But his grandmother's comments stung nonetheless.

'Bones, huh? But even your bones are weak,' Ddraig couldn't resist adding.

"Boys your age need to eat meat," Hachiman interjected, his tone serious. "You need protein to grow strong. Look at me—even at my age, I can carry weight with ease."

It felt like the entire room had teamed up against him.

With a resigned sigh, Issei began to eat, one bite after another, as both his grandmother and Hachiman laughed at his struggle.

"When your father first came to meet me," his grandmother said, chuckling, "he tried to impress your grandfather and me by doing the same—eating a lot. You're doing better than he did, though. Just proves you're the son of both your parents."

Issei wasn't sure if he should be proud or embarrassed, but he nodded anyway.

"It's important to be strong these days," Hachiman added. "The cities have changed. They're far more dangerous now, full of people with bad intentions. It's always good to be in shape, at least to have the strength to escape if necessary."

"I agree," the old lady said, nodding in agreement. "There are too many rogue gangs these days who think they rule the world." She turned her chopsticks toward Hachiman. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't scare my grandchild like that."

Hachiman chuckled, unfazed. "I'm just stating the truth."

"Anyway, Issei," she shifted her attention back to her grandson, "will you be staying the weekend?"

Issei sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't, Grandma. I've got somewhere I need to be this weekend."

The old lady's smile softened into a wistful one. "That's unfortunate. At least your parents will be here."

Issei nodded. It was a family tradition to spend the anniversary with his grandmother, but if there was something important to attend to, exceptions were made. Similarly, if there were holidays following the anniversary, they were expected to stay longer and enjoy time with family.

Sadly, this time it wasn't possible for Issei.

"I hope you'll wake up early tomorrow to help me, Issei," she said, her smile returning. "You've always been good with handling guests."

"Of course!" Issei nodded enthusiastically.

They chatted for a while longer, almost until the sun began to dip into its second half.

As the evening drew near, Issei decided it was time to get up.

"If you're going for some fresh air, I'd like to walk with you, Issei," Hachiman offered.

At first, Issei hesitated—he had been hoping to use the time to train—but he couldn't bring himself to refuse the old man.

"Sure, let's go," Issei agreed.

His grandmother raised an eyebrow. "Want me to come along too?"

"No!" Both men responded at the same time, shaking their heads. "We don't want you to displace your hip."

"Oh, shut up!" his grandmother muttered, rolling her eyes as they left the room.

____________________________________________________________________________________

[[A/N: 25+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon + Other Stories: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog

]]