Chapter 176: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (4)

’I hate people with righteous goals and lofty ideals...’

The thought crawled through Yuzuki’s mind like something rotten and festering, as he sat quietly inside the train while countless city lights bled past the window.

’...That included both of my parents.’

Ever since he was young, he could never understand people like that.

People who spoke proudly about protecting others, who carried around noble ideals as though those things alone could fill the emptiness inside someone’s heart.

His parents were exactly like that.

To everyone else, they were admirable awakeners, reliable and kind.

Heroes.

But to him, they were simply two people who were never there for him at home.

Not to mention the fact that they also divorced a few years later due to disagreement related to their works.

Because of that, he only stayed with his mother.

And that only made his loneliness worsen.

After divorce, his mother was even busier than ever and his father never came to visit him.

Every night, when the front door finally opened, his mother always looked exhausted. Then, she would apologize softly while patting his head and telling him she was sorry for being late again.

Sometimes, as a child, Yuzuki used to wonder what exactly strangers had that he didn’t.

Why were complete nobodies worth sacrificing everything for while he had to beg for scraps of attention from his own parents?

He tried so hard to understand.

Because everyone around him kept feeding him the same words over and over again

—"Your parents are amazing people."

—"You should be proud of them."

—"They’re protecting everyone."

Yuzuki hates those words. Even as a child, Yuzuki learned very quickly that hating those words made him a terrible person.

So he forced himself to smile.

Forced himself to pretend he understood why strangers deserved more of his parents’ time than he did.

But deep down, there was always a part of him that could never accept it.

Because whenever he got sick, they were not there. Whenever school events happened, their seats remained empty.

Always... never there.

And somehow, despite all of that, they still chose that life again and again.

Because of that, Yuzuki absolutely hates righteous people.

And the most absurd part of it all was that those strangers simply moved on with their lives afterward.

The world moved on, too.

And his parents?

What was left of them now?

After all this time, and after that incident... nobody remembered Kazuma and Haruna Nozomi anymore. The people they saved probably did not even know their names.

And still, the cruelest part of it all was that Yuzuki could not even properly hate them.

Because despite everything, despite all the loneliness and bitterness buried inside him, he still remembered how gentle his mother’s hands felt whenever she brushed his hair back while he pretended to be asleep on the couch.

He still remembered his father carrying him on his shoulders during the rare days they had time together.

Those small moments remained painfully vivid within him precisely because there were so few of them.

Sometimes Yuzuki wondered if things would have hurt less if his parents had simply been terrible people.

If they were cold, cruel and selfish.

Then maybe...

Maybe he could have hated them completely.

But no... they were good people.

His fingers slowly tightened against his sleeve as his gaze lowered toward the faint reflection staring back at him from the train window.

In the end, his parent’s righteousness took everything from him.

And the only thing he had now was just reading Webnovel.

Ding!

A soft chime echoed throughout the train carriage, gently pulling Yuzuki out of his thoughts.

"Next stop, Shakujii-Kōen Station. Doors will open on the left side."

The train gradually began slowing down, the lights outside smearing into long streaks across the window before finally settling into the familiar sight of the station platform ahead.

Yuzuki blinked slowly.

Only then did he realize how deeply he had sunk into his own thoughts again.

He dejectedly sighed before closing the tabs of his Webnovel on his phone.

’Well, my life is already fucked up anyway... being an awakener wouldn’t change a damn thing.’

His gaze drifted downward toward the plastic grocery bag resting beside his feet.

Inside were instant noodles, canned coffee, bread, and a few discounted bentos he bought earlier from a convenience store near the station.

Then, he stared at his phone for a while.

’Honestly, I guess.... I would rather be transmigrated into a novel instead of getting this stupid A-Rank awakening.’

A wistful smile appeared on his face.

’That would be a much better life.’

The train gave a low metallic rumble as it finally came to a complete stop.

The doors slid open with a soft mechanical sound, and cool evening air immediately flowed into the carriage.

Yuzuki reached down and grabbed the plastic bag before standing up from his seat.

The thin handles stretched slightly under the weight as he walked toward the exit alongside several exhausted office workers and students returning home for the night.

’Damn it... the station platform is surely crowded as always.’

Finally, Yuzuki stepped out of the train without expression.

*****

Right after he left the elevator, he was greeted by dim yellow lights illuminating the apartment corridor and the distant sound of traffic drifted faintly from outside through a half-open stairwell window.

Yuzuki stopped in front of Room 407 and let out a tired breath before pulling a thin black keycard from his pocket.

Beep.

The electronic lock clicked open.

He pushed the door slowly with one hand while the plastic grocery bag rustled lightly in the other.

Compared to the outside appearance of the apartment building, the interior was surprisingly decent.

The furniture was modern, the kitchen appliances expensive, and even the living room television was absurdly high-end for a seventeen-year-old living alone.

The only good thing his parents left behind was money.

Awakeners earned far more than ordinary people, especially B-Ranks like Kazuma and Haruna Nozomi.

Yuzuki stepped inside quietly.

"Although money is nice, it’s not exactly like it could replace them."

He muttered to himself with a faint laugh before closing the door behind him and slipping off his shoes near the entrance.

"I’m home."

He said, lacking energy, and as usually, no one answered.

Yuzuki reached toward the wall beside the entrance and casually flipped on the living room light.

Click.

The room lit up instantly.

But then...

There was a dark-haired woman sitting stiffly on the sofa.

Yuzuki froze.

"...Huh?"

The woman slowly turned her head toward him with a visibly irritated expression.

"So," she said coldly. "You’re finally home, huh?"

Yuzuki stared at her for a full second.

Then he calmly reached back toward the switch.

Click.

The room went dark again.

"...Sorry," he said while turning around toward the door.

"I think I entered the wrong apartment."

Though, as he did, he suddenly found another person standing directly behind him in the darkness.

"...Huh?" Yuzuki said quietly.

A tall muscular woman smiled awkwardly down at him.

"Sorry, kid," the woman said. "But you’re definitely at the right house."

The muscular woman placed a hand against the door before Yuzuki could escape.

"And you’re not going anywhere."

Before he could even utter a single curse, something suddenly wrapped around his body.

"Wha—!?"

A pair of strong, yet arms locked around him from behind while another hand immediately covered his mouth.

"MMPH!?"

’—What, what the hell is this!????’

’Am I going to get kidnapped!!??’

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[Chapter 176: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (4)]