Toasteful: Chapter 156, Part 1

[Part 1/5]

Everywhere in my hometown was a deserted village. The village is filled with cold colors, and rundown huts are sparsely scattered. The plants are withered from the cold, and the sky is always cloudy. The ground is covered with frost, making a crunchy sound with every step. Even the rice in the fields is small and thin.

Abandoned by the spiritual energy, the frozen ground makes it difficult to even drive a hoe into it...

"..."

I was in such a place. I stood in front of an abandoned old hut, and something was left on the ground.

"...Fish?"

It was fish. Five dying ayu sweetfish. Two adult fish and three young ones. They wriggled on the ground, crushing the frost, gasping for breath, opening their mouths, with an unreadable expression on their faces, only their eyes wide open as if they were about to pop out...

"..."

It made me uncomfortable, so I hurriedly passed by. The foul stench was also a reason. The indescribable air made me choose to leave this place.

I want to go home as soon as possible...

'Ah, ahh... where, where are you going?'

"!!?"

In the cursed, eerie voice leaking from a single ayu fish, I involuntarily stopped in my tracks as the curse called out me. I stopped, and slowly turned my gaze towards the ayu.

'Wh-what are you doing? Are you trying to deceive me?'

The gaze of the adult ayu's eyes met mine. No, it was more like a stare. It was oppressive. No, more than that...

"Home?"

In response to the ayu's plea, I looked at the abandoned shack. Indeed, its structure seemed familiar. It was the rundown shack that had been rebuilt and repaired countless times, full of gaps... the end result of its existence.

"Why..."

'Why, you say!? It's because of your selfishness, isn't it!?'

In response to my muttering, the ayu shouted angrily. Perhaps due to forcibly speaking human language, the pitch and scale of its voice were like the discordant notes of a broken instrument... it began to curse me.

'■■…!? How the hell are you still alive...!!?'

A gruesome voice pursues, interrogates me.

"Well, that's because..."

'How the hell did you survive!? How the hell are you still standing...!? It's because of you!! It's because of you!! How the hell are you still alive!!?'

Before answering, the furious voice of a woman resonates in a frenzy. Like scratching glass, like shattering glass, the deranged screams of a woman filled with madness. Rage and madness take over.

'How are you still alive...? Why are you, of all people, unscathed? You should be dead...'

Another grudge-filled Ayu resents. The tailless Ayu wriggles. With lifeless eyes, she relentlessly spews cursed words at me.

"Why, you say..."

'It's because of you, isn't it? Are you some kind of plague like you? We, us, we...!'

'We should have been better off without giving birth to you! But you... you ruined everything!! It's all your fault!!'

'Even though we wanted to die!! Why couldn't we, huh?!'

'Tell me, you damn bastard. Who the hell are you?'

"!!?"

The scary curse suddenly turned into a clear and emotionless call. The fish turned its head towards me and asked about my true identity.

Quietly, the black eyeballs stared at me.

"I, I..."

I tried to say the names of my beloved parents, to declare that I am their son, to introduce myself as ■■, but the words I tried to say inexplicably stopped short.

...It was as if there was a fishbone stuck in my throat, making it difficult to say.

'Nii-chan?'

As I fell silent, three young fish successively raised their voices. They gazed at me with innocent, even lovely eyes.

'Is Nii-chan our big brother?'

'Is Nii-chan our family?'

'Nii-chan is not our family?'

"What..."

I tried to immediately deny it, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. I couldn't speak. I desperately tried to explain, but like a fish out of water, only gasps, not words, echoed.

'Nii-chan?'

'What's wrong?'

'Why aren't you answering?'

The younger siblings of Ayu ask with pure curiosity and relentless persistence. Their eyes, unreadable in terms of emotions, pierce through me.

'Nii-chan?'

They keep questioning. Gradually, their mouths start to open and close, as if struggling, saying 'Kai'. However, even in their parched voices, they clearly plead and appeal.

'Nii-chan?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'N' 'Chan' 'N' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' '?' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Nii' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' 'Chan' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'N' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?' 'Chan' '?' 'Nii' 'Nii' 'Chan' '?'

The echoing cries for help from the young siblings resound endlessly, infinitely, and eternally. I try to respond quickly, but I still can't provide any answers. I press my hand against my throat, exhale, and even try sticking my finger deep into my throat, as if something is lodged there, but still, for some reason, my voice won't come out. My feet are as if they're stuck to the ground, unable to move.

I can't do anything for my younger siblings...

'Nii-chan, it's painful! I can't go on!'

'Nii-chan, answer me! You're not part of this family!'

'Nii-chan! Why are you just watching!?'

"Ah, ah...!!?"

I desperately struggle to respond to the intense calls. I strive to answer the pleas of my younger siblings. I writhe in an attempt to move my motionless feet.

Please wait. Just wait a little longer. I'll answer right away. I'll come to help right away. I will absolutely protect you.

Because I'm the big brother. Because I'm the oldest son. Because I have to take care of and protect my younger siblings. That's my job. That's my responsibility.

That might be the only way to make up for not really being my brother, maybe not being the true owner of this body, so...

'Have you been tricking our family and stealing from us all this time? You outsiders.'

"Hi...!?"

The cold, stern voices that had lost their childishness mercilessly criticized me.

'Do you think you can make up for your mistakes so easily? You are ungrateful.'

The two of them criticized my actions with voices full of contempt.

"Ah..."

Five ayu sweetfish look this way.

"Ahh..."

Five people look this way.

"Ah, ahh...!?"

Five heads look this way.

And...

...

"Um, Household Member Coordinator-sama... could you please step back from there?"

"Hi. Huh...?"

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