"Obviously because I graduated early, Dad."
Nao blinked, grinning. "Guess what my rank is now?"
"You graduated in just over a year…?"
Old Natsuya peered at him. "I remember you boasting in your last letter that you'd at least be a Lieutenant Commander upon graduation. You're acting so cocky now, you must have exceeded expectations. What, are you a Commander now?"
"Guess again?"
"More than Commander?" The old man's face showed surprise and uncertainty. "A Captain, then?"
"Your imagination is still too small, Dad."
"Commodore?"
Old Captain Natsuya finally couldn't maintain his aloof facade and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"How is that possible?! You brat, you're only nineteen years old…"
"It's Rear Admiral, Dad."
Nao figured it was time to stop playing coy and casually dropped the bomb—then immediately covered his ears.
Just in time.
"—Eh??? What?!?"
"R-R-R-R-Rear… Rear Admiral?!?"
A high-pitched shriek echoed through the living room like a startled prairie dog.
"You're too damn loud."
Yukika, who had been listening with a smile, immediately frowned and kicked her husband's butt.
"We're talking Rear Admiral, Yukika!"
The old man yelped, clutching his backside, wincing as he turned to Yukika.
"My reaction is normal, okay? But you, how can you be so calm? Do you even know what a Headquarters Rear Admiral means…?"
He was eight ranks higher than him, and a full five ranks higher than Captain Samor, the highest-ranking officer at Branch 16!
"Of course I know, it's a very impressive position," Yukika said calmly. "But that's my son. Even if he became a Fleet Admiral right after graduating, it wouldn't be surprising… Hey, hurry up and go out, buy some groceries."
As expected of my mom, she thinks even bigger than me. Nao couldn't help but smile and hugged her again.
"What groceries again?" Old Natsuya looked puzzled. "Haven't you almost finished preparing dinner? There's still some ingredients in the fridge…"
"Those are for feeding pigs, not for my son," Yukika kicked him again, grumbling. "Hurry up, buy twenty pounds of beef and ten pounds of potatoes. Go quickly and come back quickly."
What does that mean? So when you usually cook for me, you're feeding a pig? Do you have to make the special treatment so obvious?
Old Natsuya grumbled indignantly, but eventually changed his shoes, took an umbrella, and headed out.
Nao had just taken off his suit jacket and handed it to his mother, who had come to take it, when he heard a loud thud from outside the door, as if the old Captain had tripped over something.
"Whose damn dog is sleeping here… Huh? What the heck, why is this dog so big?!"
Hearing the confusion outside, Nao chuckled and sank into the couch. Yujin passed him a steaming cup of tea, which he drained in one go.
The fireplace crackled quietly. The old wooden ceiling above felt familiar and comforting. Nao leaned back, letting himself sink into that cozy stillness.
—Yeah… nothing beats being home.
Turning to look at Yukika, who was busy in the kitchen again, Nao smiled silently. Having a family… really is a blessing.
In his previous life, he lived alone in an orphanage for seventeen years, and before he even reached adulthood, he died from a serious illness due to malnutrition.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in swaddling clothes, looking up blankly at the joyful young couple playfully teasing him. At that moment, he felt as if he were in a dream.
Therefore, in this life, he cherished this hard-won family affection even more.
"Mom."
After quietly gazing at the ceiling for a long time, Nao suddenly spoke. "How about we call Bell-mère and invite her over for dinner too?"
"You still have the nerve to mention Bell-mère?"
Yukika, from the kitchen, glared at him and scoffed, "That girl sent you three full letters these past six months, and she even pleaded around to get the higher-ups to make an exception and allow her to use the base's official Transponder Snail. But when she called, you weren't at Headquarters, and you never even replied to a single letter. It's left that little girl feeling down lately, and she barely comes to our house anymore."
When the call came, I must have been interning at G-2 Branch, so it's normal that I didn't get it, but… she actually sent three full letters?
"That many?" Nao was bewildered. "I didn't receive any… Huh? Wait!"
He suddenly remembered the more than three thousand letters he had completely ignored and thrown into the attic without even looking. Could Bell-mère's letters have been mixed in there, directly overlooked by him?
Crap.
Nao shot up from the sofa, ready to head out, but before he could step out of the living room, he was blocked by a gleaming kitchen knife.
"What is it, Mom?"
"Oh my, she just finished a day of training, exhausted to death. She's probably lying in bed resting right now. It wouldn't be very appropriate for you to go over there now, you know."
Yukika smiled sweetly and softly said, "She has the day off tomorrow. She usually comes to the Tangerine Grove early in the morning to help me water and weed. You can prepare your apologies and gifts then, and go find her. It won't be too late to give her a surprise."
"Besides, the Tangerine Grove is where you two played the most when you were growing up. The environment there will also make it easier for her to recall pleasant memories, and forget the unpleasantness of being ignored by you."
This is the wisdom of experience, alright.
Nao looked at his mom admiringly and obediently sat back down on the sofa.
About half an hour later.
A limping old Captain Natsuya returned home. As soon as he entered, he was, unsurprisingly, met with a scolding from Yukika. "You just went to buy groceries. What took you so long? The market's just down the road; you could've crawled there and back twice!"
"…But it's snowing heavily outside, the roads are really difficult to walk on…"
His voice clearly lacked conviction.
"Nonsense! I know you too well! You must have been along the way, bragging to your cronies! By now, the news that the Natsuya family's son became a Rear Admiral has probably spread throughout the entire Branch 16, hasn't it?"
"No such thing!" The old man let out a dry laugh. "How can you simply accuse someone out of thin air…"
Nao, sitting quietly on the sofa, sipping his tea, didn't turn around, but he could roughly imagine his dad's sheepish expression at the moment. He couldn't help but chuckle.
He could deeply understand his dad's current state of mind.
Yes, a strong sense of déjà vu.
It was like when everyone in his past life was eagerly awaiting their college entrance exam results, and suddenly they found out their son got into a top university. Under such wild joy and excitement, it would be considered good if they didn't run around the world shouting it through a megaphone.
What parents don't wish for their children to succeed? Especially for older people, their children's achievements are the biggest talking point. When they chat with outsiders, they can't help but be excited, happier than if they had achieved something themselves.
And for himself, becoming stronger and having greater ability to protect his family, to bring them pride, wasn't that one of the biggest motivations for his hard work every day? Nao thought to himself, and without realizing it, his teacup was already empty.
Outside, the snow kept falling. Inside, the only sound was the firewood crackling in the hearth.
...
Dinner was very satisfying.
Yukika's beef stew with potatoes was still exceptional. Nao had been craving it for a long time and ate at least seven or eight pounds in one sitting, leaving the old man across the table wide-eyed in astonishment.
Afterward, a long chat after dinner was inevitable. His parents, who had been holding back for a long time, bombarded Nao with questions, though their focus was completely different.
Old Captain Natsuya was incredibly curious about the great battle with the Warlord of the Sea, William. He pulled up a small stool like a child, listening to Nao's narration with great relish. Yukika, on the other hand, was more concerned with Nao's daily life at Headquarters.
Because her son was noticeably more handsome than when he left home, she was especially interested in whether any girls at Headquarters were pursuing him, if there were any beautiful girls who caught her son's eye, how their relationships were developing, and so on.
Nao answered each question in detail.
Of course, some things didn't need to be explicitly stated just yet.
He wouldn't mention Gion and Shia's matters. It wouldn't be too late to do so when the time was right.
As for the other questions, Ermmm, he couldn't exactly brag to his mom that he was now a genuine heartthrob, and that girls who wanted to pursue him could line up from Marineford all the way to Mariejois, could he?
...
The next morning, at 5:30 AM.
Nao casually turned off his alarm and got up on time.
After a quick wash, he left the house feeling refreshed, following Yukika's reminder to go to the shopping street to pick out a gift for Bell-mère.
After all, this was his hometown, where he was born and raised. Even though he wore sunglasses and tried to keep a low profile, he was still recognized by many shop owners, who greeted him with surprised delight.
"Hey, look, it's Nao! Nao's back!"
"It's been almost two years! My goodness, he's grown so tall!"
The warmth from his hometown instantly enveloped Nao. Finally, when he walked out of the shopping street, bewildered, he found that not only had he not spent a single Berry, but his arms were piled high with gifts, like a small mountain…
It was utterly ridiculous.
Thankfully, many of them were things Bell-mère would also like. Nao picked out a few to keep with him, let Sadaharu carry the rest back home on his back, and then headed straight for his family's Tangerine Grove on the outskirts of town.
Winter was the season for tangerine harvest.
Within the vast tangerine grove, plump, vibrant fruits were everywhere, strikingly eye-catching. Nao had always been fond of tangerines. Seeing them, he couldn't help but pluck one off a branch.
It was sweetly delicious, with just the right touch of tang. He quickly finished the whole thing, smacking his lips with satisfaction and enjoyment.
Discarding the peeled tangerine, Nao was about to reach for a second when he heard an angry shout from behind him: "Hey! What are you doing, stranger! How dare you, in broad daylight, come here and steal my tangerines?!"
Such a familiar voice.
Nao's raised arm froze in place.
What a coincidence. He had just arrived, and she followed right into the Tangerine Grove?
"Long time no see, Bell…"
He took a deep breath, calming his racing heart, then turned around, a smile spreading across his face.
Whoosh!
But as he turned his head, he saw a hatchet whistling through the air, rapidly growing larger in his vision…