Nina looked at me expectantly. "How is it?"
"It's great. The salt is perfect."
Nina threw her hands up in a little victory cheer.
The miso soup was... yeah, it was perfect. It was the taste of home. I'd had it a thousand times, but there's a specific kind of security that only your mom's cooking can provide.
I focused on the meal, savoring every bite despite the rush. The food wasn't just fueling my body; it was warming my soul. Every bite reminded me of kindergarten field trips and middle-school lunches. My mom's cooking had made me the man I was today.
When I finished, I set my chopsticks down and pressed my hands together.
"Thanks for the food. It was delicious... really, truly delicious."
"Good," my mom said. "I'll make it for you again when you get back. It's a promise."
"Yeah. I'll hold you to it."
With a full stomach and a clear head, I headed to the front door. My dad, Nina, and Ophis came to see me off.
My mother wasn't there. I guess the reality of sending her son back to a war zone was more than she could stand. She had retreated to her room.
I could feel a presence waiting just outside the front door. I pulled it open and called out.
"Is it okay for you to be here, Tia? Shouldn't you be with Ajuka?"
Standing there in the sunlight was the beautiful, blue-haired Tiamat.
Tia let out a soft laugh. "Given the situation, Ajuka is busy with his own moves. I've been acting independently. Besides, I thought I should escort my Master. Even I should act like a familiar once in a while, shouldn't I?"
"Well, you're usually more like a big sister to me. Right, Tia-nee?"
Tia's face flushed a bright red. "U-um! Well, yes! I suppose so!"
I knew it—she really loves being called "Big Sis." It's pretty adorable.
"I'm counting on you, Tia-nee."
"Leave it to me, Master."
We shared a nod. I turned back to say a final goodbye to my dad and the others, but then I heard my mother running down the stairs. She was clutching a paper bag. Inside, I caught a glimpse of something bright red.
She reached the doorway, panting for breath.
"Phew... made it. I know you're in a hurry, Issei, but you're moving too fast."
"Sorry, Mom. What's that?" I pointed to the bag.
She smiled and pulled the item out. It was a haori—a traditional Japanese overcoat.
It looked familiar. More than familiar—it was nostalgic.
"Alice-san asked me to make this," my mother said softly. "Issei... this is the coat you wore back when you were called a Hero. It's your symbol, isn't it?"
It was the long haori I used to wear on the battlefields of Ast-Arde. Brilliant red fabric, with the crest of the Welsh Dragon embroidered on the back. The one I'd worn back then had been shredded and burned long ago... I never thought I'd see it again.
Nina chimed in, "Rossweisse-san and Big Sister Leisha applied a physical and magical resistant coating to it, so it's incredibly tough!"
I could feel the magical residue. Upon closer inspection, I could sense the mana of Miu, Alice, Rias, Asia, and all the others woven into the fabric.
They had put their hearts into this coat. They had believed in me. They knew I would stand up again.
When I took it from my mother, it felt heavy. Not the weight of the cloth, but the weight of the feelings imbued within it.
"Go," my mother said firmly. "And make sure every single one of you comes back. Understood?"
My father stepped up beside her. "We'll be waiting right here. This is your home. We'll always be waiting for you to come back."
I saw the worry in their eyes, but I also saw their strength. Is this what it means to be a parent?
I closed my eyes for a moment, then looked them both in the eye.
"I'll come back. I promise."
I turned my back to them and slid my arms into the sleeves of the crimson haori.
It was time to go.
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