Parents Part 4

Erika's mom respectfully introduces herself to Shoyo and shows him the way to their dining room. As they were walking, Shoyo noticed something quite intriguing.

'Is that... A CAPYBARA?'

One of God's finest creations. Shoyo couldn't help but get hyped in his own head. In normal circumstances, he would've ran over to the capybara and bowed to it as if it was some almighty religious figure. But he was at the Tohska household for a serious matter, so he had to toss aside his current delight.

Capybaras have become a rare species, so having one as a pet is extremely unlikely, but not unheard of. To serve as a reminder, the world has a population of 901 million. There aren't any countries or states. Shioto is the only continent that is split up into 31 districts which can also be called supercities. There are dozens of islands spread across the ocean as well.

A poll was taken 9 years ago asking what the most popular animals were. 280 million people participated in it and it was an arduous task to tally all the votes. Anyway, Capybaras placed in the top 3 so they are very much appreciated.

Shoyo could easily get one as a pet, but being able to see one every day might take something important away. Capybaras are something that people desire, not as a pet, but as an object of worship. The joy in appreciating capybaras doesn't come from owning them, but from simply seeing them in moderation. They give humans courage, the strength to beat any impossible undertaking.

Humans to capybaras are like introverted high school boys to their crush. They yearn for them and enjoy some time with them, but their feelings will never be 100% reciprocated. But that's fine. That's how it should be.

"I'll call you Ms. Tohska if that's okay."

"Of course, and I'll address you by Mr. Kusakabe."

The two sit down at the dining table, waiting for Erika to come down. When she does, they begin their talk.

"I won't change my mind, Erika will not go to this Hunter Training Academy."

Her mom spoke first, with a stern statement.

"I understand how you feel at the moment. If possible, I'd like to know why you're against it. Most parents don't let their children become hunters because of the risks that come with the job. Those naturally being any type of injury incurred on duty and even death."

"Of course I don't want my daughter doing anything that could put her in harm's way. We have enough hunters to protect us."

Erika sits there silently facing down. If her mom says no, that's the end of the story. But Shoyo wants to back her up.

"Erika, how determined are you to become a hunter?"

There's a moment of silence in the conversation. Erika's mom looks at her awaiting her response.

"I'm ready to put my all into this!"

"Erika, your determination doesn't mean anything against an otherworldly monster. I won't allow you to throw your life away."

"Mom, you've had faith in my studies when I showed you I could get straight As if I put my all into it. If I dedicate myself to something, I have confidence I'll be one of the best at it!"

"I believe you, but the Hunter world isn't the same as ours. If u make a mistake here, no matter how big you can still come back from it. But in a fight against monsters, if you make a mistake, you may lose something precious."

"So no amount of convincing is going to get through to you."

"I trust you, which is why I can't let you do this."

"..."

"I have a proposal."

"What might that be?"

"Erika said if she puts her all into something, she'll be one of the best at it. If she becomes a 1st Rank or Special Rank Hunter, the chances of her losing in battle will be very low."

"That may be true."

"So I'll recommend an instructor who was a Special Rank Hunter before he retired to personally train Erika alongside her normal studies and training at the Academy."

"Why would you do that?"

"As you know, her friend Chifuyu will also be training to become a Hunter. He has rather special circumstances. Since a friend is willing to become a Hunter alongside him, I believe she also deserves special treatment. But don't think she's the only one, multiple students have special training on the side as well."

"I..."

"You have nothing to worry about mom, I promise I'll be able to protect myself!"

"What do you say, Ms. Tohska?"

Another moment of brief silence.

"I still will not change my answer."

An unaffected reply.

"Wh- mom?!"

Shoyo understands a parent not sending their child away for a career that could potentially end in them losing their life, but he felt there was something else she wasn't saying.

"Is there another reason you don't want Erika becoming a Hunter?"

"What?"

Erika was also confused, she had no idea what Shoyo could be implying.

"Of course there isn't."

Erika's mom starts biting her thumb nail, she's clearly frustrated.

"Wait, is this about my father who was a hunter."

"Sigh."

"Cat's out of the bag huh?"

Looks like Erika was right, her mom slouched back on her seat with her hand covering her forehead.

"Do you mind if you tell me about it?"

"My father died on duty when I was 8, she must think I'll end up with the same fate."

"Erika, please!"

Slam!

"..."

Her fist slammed onto the table, shaking the objects on it.

"You probably haven't told anybody this, but at the very least I'll listen if you can tell me what happened."

A few more seconds of silence fogs the dining room, until someone eventually speaks.

"I can tell you."

"I appreciate it."

She takes a deep breath in and out, removing her hands that were previously covering her face.

"I don't want to talk about this long, so I'll make it as short as possible."

"That's fine."

"I met Erika's dad in my early twenties. I was still full of youth, and like most young women, I thought of Hunters as cool and admirable. I found out we were the same age and wanted to go out with him. After a few months, I found out not only was he a strong hunter but a genuinely great guy. After about a year, I got pregnant and he up and vanished. I never got to talk to him again after that. I guess in the end, I never really knew much about him."

"It seems you were able to raise your daughter perfectly."

"Yeah. I have a son who I adopted as well, he's staying the night with a friend right now. Anyway, I filed for child support and he had no problem paying, especially since he was a hunter. When Erika was 8 years old, I was informed he lost his life to a vampire. I was given everything on his life support as well as his everything in his savings which he had apparently left for me. His only relative was his uncle, I met with him and paid for his burial."

"You have my gratitude for sharing this with me. Does Erika's late fathers passing have an influence on your decision for not letting her pursue the same path?"

"...Yes. I simply don't want my baby going off on a career where she could lose her life. Especially since her father did."

"I completely understand. Sorry Erika, looks like you can't go."

"Thank you for coming Shoyo."

"Hey, be respectful!"

"Haha, it's fine Ms. Tohska. If it's ok, could you tell me Erika's fathers name? I'd like to pay my respects."

"Of course. It's Earl Reed."

"Earl... Reed?"

Erika and her mom look at him in confusion.

"Yes, that was his name."

"I knew him!"

"What..."

"I saw him frequently when I was still in training. He came to the Academy often to give remedial lessons to students who needed it. And I had to take those cuz I skipped class a lot. Just to make sure we're talking about the same guy, he had a slim but well built body, was over 6 feet, and had long blonde hair he always slicked back, right?"

"Yes, that's definitely him."

Erika's mom has her hand covering her mouth, taken aback knowing the current strongest Hunter knew the man she fell in love with.

"This really is a small world. So he was giving lessons to other kids instead of being there for his own daughter."

"Mom..."

"I'm surprised Earl had a kid that he just left. He was a great man."

"I thought so too."

"No seriously, he was a role model for us. I spend a lot of time with him outside of the Academy. He never told me he had a kid, but..."

"What is it Shoyo?"

"...he did tell me he wanted to spend a little of his time to get to know how kids are. All of us got along with him quite well."

"Well I'm glad to hear that."

Shoyo ponders something for a few seconds, as though he's figured something out.

"Ms. Tohska."

"Yes?"

"This probably holds no meaning anymore, but what if Earl wanted to come back."

"Huh?"

"Like I said, we looked up to him. But he was the irresponsible type."

"Ha! Yeah, him not being there for me or his child is definitely way more than irresponsible!"

She scoffs at Shoyo's remark.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to upset you. But I believe he still did care for you. He left you his life insurance and savings after all. But that's not it, there was definitely something always at the back of his mind. He started giving students lessons so he could get an idea on how kids are. Unless he was hiding his real personality, I doubt any of his actions had bad intentions. His case wouldn't be different from a lot of fathers, they ran away because the thought of raising a child scared him."

"So what? Are you saying that's fine?"

"Of course not."

"Hmph. Maybe he did actually care about me and Erika. There's still no excuse for him leaving us. And I won't be sending off my child to become like her father!"

"I didn't bring this up in hopes of getting you to change your mind about Erika, I thought you'd be able to get a little closure knowing Earl was still trying to live doing something he could be proud of."

"..."

"Mom, I agree with Shoyo. Maybe he wanted to come back, but needed some time."

"Well he died before he could. These are just assumptions anyway, what matters is that he didn't come back."

"Ms. Tohska, may I ask what your name is?"

"Emily."

"Emily, this may be harsh, but I think you should put all your faith in the possibility that Earl wanted to eventually return. I know it was selfish, he left you to take care of Erika on your own, but I believe he wanted the best for the two of you."

Emily doesn't want to say it aloud, but a small part of her also believes this.

"He was a good man."

Shoyo turns around heading for the door. As he does, a singular tear runs down Emily's face, but she quickly wipes it away.

"Thank you for allowing me over."

"Wait!"

Shoyo halts.

"Erika, you said you'll dedicate yourself to training so you'll become a strong Hunter. But what's your actual motive? It can't simply be because your friend who you've known for a while chose to become a Hunter."

"Well..."

Erika starts blushing.

"I want to be alongside Chifuyu, because... I'm in love with him!"

Emily's jaw drops. Shoyo starts laughing.

"My little Erika is in love?! When? When did it happen? What made you have feelings for him?"

"Mom, come on... We can talk about that later."

"I suppose so. Ha... Haha... Hahahahahaha! My daughter's in love!"

Shoyo begins clapping in the back.

"I'm happy for you."

"Oh Shoyo, please don't tell Chifuyu!"

"Your secret's safe with me."

"Mom, please give me a chance!"

"Erika..."

"Like I did with studying, I'll prove myself to you! I'll train my butt off, and become a... 1st Rank Hunter 2 years after graduating!"

"That's too long."

"A year and a half!"

"A year."

"Nobody's ever become a 1st Rank Hunter in under a year, the fastest someone has risen to that rank took about 2 years."

"Well if I'm going to send my baby off to the world of Hunters, I want her to become the strongest there is!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, I'm the strongest after all."

"I'm not a baby anymore mom! I want you to put your trust in me."

Shoyo's genuine sentiment has swayed Emily's feelings ever so slightly, as well as Erika's true feelings.

"I guess falling for Hunters runs in the family, huh?"

"Hehe, maybe so."

"I'll give you two years after graduating to become a 1st Rank Hunter. If you don't accomplish that by then, you're going to college!"

"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am!"

"Knock that off."

Erika bows formally to express her gratitude but earns a slap on the head by her mom.

"I'm glad it all worked out."

"Thank you Mr. Kusakabe."

Emily was able to forgive Earl, even if it was just a little.