Yuzuki Eba and grandparents.
Done with the sparring!
Izumi returned to his room after taking a bath. As he left his room, he was dressed neatly and had a new appearance, both of which had been ordered by his mother. Izumi was reminded of Chihiro's earlier insistence that he dress nicely for a date and how his mother was now repeating that behavior.
[Training Mission Activating.]
[Downloading The Resource: Estimated Time: 7 hours and 23 minutes.]
[During the training mission, real-world time will come to a stop.]
Izumi was startled when he heard the notification as soon as he left the dorm because he wondered why the system was setting up the training mission. However, it appeared that he was unable to reject it and could only agree with it.
"I sure am curious about what kind of mission I will be getting from the system, as well as training, but why it was launched today."
Izumi was thinking when the system's voice resounded in his head and said that, even though Kiriya did not release her energies during the fight, it could feel that she was carrying a significant amount of energy inside of her.
'So, it is my estimation but I am sure Kiriya had only fought you with around 5% of total power during that spar.' Hearing that made Izumi uneasy because he understood what the system meant by it and realized how little power he actually possessed in this world.
If the real deal decided to target Izumi, he was confident that Izumi would perish without being able to explain how he died.
So, what Izumi needed at this particular time was a boost. Izumi did not know it, but his grandparents were also real people in this world.
They had been avoiding their own children for some time due to their influence, but now that they had some control over the people who worked for them, they finally made the decision to visit and meet their grandchild, which also attracted the attention of those in positions of authority over Izumi.
Although the system was certain that Izumi's grandfather and grandmother would make every effort to protect him, he and Izumi have never liked to leave their fate in the hands of strangers, so he agreed with the system for the training program.
"Izumi!" Izumi's father and mother came with their car and were waiting on the roadside, where Izumi was called over to meet them.
He ordered some juice for his mother and father from the vending machine next to him after buying some for himself because he was a little thirsty.
They thanked him and told him to hurry up and go inside because they were meeting his grandparents.
"Don't think badly of them, Yuu-chan; they had their own things to do and could not meet us for such a long time."
Motoka was concerned that Yuu might be upset with them, but Izumi's response made them smile instead, as they realized that despite his unfortunate circumstances, he had grown into a mature young man.
"I am happy to know they are okay and happy, so that is all that matters; plus, I am finally getting to meet them today after such a long time."
At the same time.
Asuna was waiting for Chihiro at the hotel when she finally received the message.
After reading what was written there, she smiled a little because she assumed Chihiro-san was playing with her, and she then began to consider all the men she had encountered over the previous three days.
'No way! It can't be him, right?' A simple image of the boy's face flashed through her mind, and she muttered as she shook those ideas from her mind.
She then looked at her cell phone and sighed, thinking that Chihiro-san was once quite crafty.
'I only said that I will let you meet him, but never said that I will introduce him to her; plus, I would like to see the surprised expression on either face.'
Chihiro, who was wearing a black party gown and was holding the wine glass with a smile on her face, muttered.
She sipped the wine and smiled as she did so, taking pleasure in the flavor as she watched those around him make small talk with the woman sitting next to her.
"You sure are popular as ever!" After hearing Chihiro speak to her, the girl became silent and nodded as she turned to face the male guests at the hotel who were occasionally glancing at her and stopping for a brief moment to catch a glimpse of her.
The lady did not appear to be particularly happy at all.
"Eba-chan, do you not think you should continue to move on, given that they are already gone and have been living away for such a long time? I think you can find happiness around those beside you right now."
Chihiro felt a little bitter for the girl in front of her, as she was one of the most popular girls in her school.
But because of a complication, she wound up dating a man who is only a few days away from passing away because she was conflicted about it for her own reasons and missed the previous man she had dated.
She was very saddened by the fact that the boy she was dating later underwent a difficult procedure and passed away without being able to continue living with her.
Since then, three months have passed since she began to feel better. She was still thinking about the boy she had initially dated, but she was reluctant to admit it.
"Ahh! Idiot..." As she gave Yuzuki Eba the orange wine, which Chihiro had purchased for the girl and had a low alcohol content, she patted her shoulder and urged her to smile.
"Chihiro-nee..." Izumi called her over at that point, as Izumi's father joined him and turned to look at Chihiro from the side.
"Izumi!" Izumi was asked to wait with Chihiro, and they would be called over once Izumi father's work was finished.
Chihiro grinned and called them there, where Izumi father decided to go up.
'Father is acting rather suspicious, but given that my grandfather and mother are truly not simple, I can understand why there is such a big change in him.'
Izumi gave the decision some internal thought before deciding not to give such trivial matters too much thought and moving toward the seat.
'She is hurt by something.' Izumi had an uneasy feeling when he first saw the girl standing next to Chihiro-nee, but as soon as she greeted him politely with a smile, he realized that he had seen a smile very similar to hers in a previous existence.
"Umm! Sorry if I am impolite, but Miss did not need to force a smile like that. I think you should talk with others more; it will definitely help you lessen the burden in your heart."
Izumi's words were courteous, but they struck a chord with Eba because she was both shocked that it was coming from a young boy in front of her and really uncomfortable.
"Do I look that out of a smile?" Eba could not help but ask as she looked at the mysterious young man, who held that experienced smile and only kept that silent smile on his face without answering her question.
"One must first convince themselves that they are lying to themselves before they can convince others with a forced smile like that. However, I can tell that Miss has experienced some sort of trauma, and you are in need of care right now."
Izumi responded to Chihiro's words with information he remembered from the previous evening, and Chihiro, who was seated behind her, simply smiled and said nothing more.
Chihiro was thinking about how resourceful Izumi was at the moment and wished he could assist her friend.
"Who will console a big girl like me?" A genuine smile spread across Suzuki's face as she pondered how the young child in front of her could be more mature than she is right now. While Chihiro only laughed since she could tell what Eba could be thinking at the moment.
"Senior! You have friends, so try to rely on them occasionally. I will also listen to you if necessary, despite the fact that I am younger than the senior." Izumi spoke as he got a call from his father and stood up. Eba Yuzuki also felt amused as she smiled and spoke to Izumi.
"I don't think that I will need to be consoled by a kid, but I will remember your words. Izumi-Kun, my name is Eba Yuzuki; you can call me Yuzuki-sensei."
Saying that, Eba thought about how Chihiro and her family are truly unique as their own and also felt that Izumi's words did carry some weight. Also curious about what kind of upbringing he had to have in order to think this way at such a young age.
"Eba! Don't worry, that kid has his own rough life from his childhood; that is why I think he turned out to be like this." Chihiro did not address the specific detail and instead left it up to Yuzuki to consider as she received the call, bid her farewell, and left, leaving Yuzuki behind as she considered getting a drink before leaving.
Izumi, on the other hand, reached the top floor of the hotel. As he entered the room where his father was waiting for him, he discovered an elderly couple—one in kimonos, the other in a similar outfit—sitting with Izumi's mother and having a conversation with his father.
"Mom! Dad!" Izumi's father turned to look at Izumi and called his father and mother.
Izumi discovered that his grandmother looked like a real shrine maiden in her dress as she smiled at him, and that his grandfather did not appear to be as old as he had imagined.
Izumi walked over to them and sat down before he could react. Motoka, Izumi's mother, noticed Izumi's brief silence and smiled, realizing that he must have been feeling uncomfortable at the time.
"Look at this—how handsome he has grown up to be." Haruko, the grandmother of Izumi, had a calm demeanor that was reminiscent of his father and had maintained the enduring gentle smile that put him at ease.
"Grandma!" Izumi called her out as she drew him close to her and gave him a bear hug after he felt the warm hand patting his head. "Thank goodness! He resembles what Akisada and Motoka have described to us."