A Dreamlike New Family
―β Timeline―
When we got home, a strange burnt smell filled the air. Panicked, I rushed to the kitchen, fearing a fire, only to find Misato looking up at me with teary eyes.
“Sorry, Onii-chan. Club activities ended early today, so I thought I’d try cooking… but I messed up.”
It seemed she had attempted stir-fried vegetables but burned them. She had used an old frying pan with barely any oil, causing the food to stick and char.
“Jeez, you scared me. Are you hurt? Any burns?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Misato, usually so cheerful and full of energy, looked completely dejected. I felt a little bad for her.
“It’s okay, Misato-chan. Everyone messes up when they’re learning to cook; failures are normal. The more you fail, the better you’ll get.”
Rika encouraged her with those words, but this particular failure had significantly reduced the ingredients in the fridge. There was no way we could eat the charred stir-fry…
The only usable ingredients left were cabbage and the 300g pack of pork we had bought on sale for 350 yen. Speaking of which, there was a time when a single head of cabbage cost 1,000 yen. I remember craving cabbage so much back then.
I once saw a documentary about people working in Antarctica who considered vegetables a luxury. Since they could only receive supplies once a year, their food options were extremely limited. I heard that when a discolored cabbage occasionally arrived, it was treated as a feast, turning into a full-blown celebration.
Apparently, the reason the cabbage discolored was that it took an entire month to transport it from Australia to Antarctica. I also heard that many expedition members longed for shredded cabbage once they returned to Japan. To prevent spoilage during transport, lime powder was applied to the core as a preservation method.
To combat vegetable shortages, Showa Station in Antarctica apparently has a greenhouse for cultivation.
If people could survive and thrive in such a restricted environment, then our situation wasn’t even hardship in comparison. Thinking about their resilience, I felt a renewed sense of appreciation. We should savor this cabbage properly. Thank you, everyone in Antarctica.
Now, what should we make?
“Misato, do you want Hoikoro or Mille-Feuille Nabe?”
The moment she heard those delicious dish names, Misato’s face lit up. “Nabe!” she immediately declared, her earlier gloom completely forgotten. In an instant, she was chanting happily, “Nabe, nabe, Mille-Feuille Nabe!” with boundless enthusiasm.
Mille-Feuille Nabe is a hotpot dish where whole cabbage leaves and meat are layered alternately and cooked in a broth of your choice.
Personally, I like tonkotsu soup, but making it from scratch is tough, and we don’t have any ready-made broth. So, I decided to use canned tomatoes instead. By adding consomme and adjusting the flavor with ketchup, we could create a hearty, minestrone-style Mille-Feuille Nabe.
For the finishing touch, adding rice and cheese would turn it into a delicious risotto. Alternatively, tossing in pasta and butter could give it a Napolitan-style twist. By the way, tomatoes are great for blood pressure management. Their balance of acidity and sweetness reduces the need for strong seasonings, allowing for lower sodium intake without sacrificing flavor. I figured this could help prevent Kaede-san’s health issues in the future.
Rika helped me with the cooking. Then, with a soft smile, she leaned close and whispered,
“You know, doing this together really makes us feel like a family, doesn’t it?”
She smiled more blissfully than I had ever seen before. For a moment, I found myself wondering if our relationship would go beyond dating and straight to marriage. I chuckled at my own ridiculous thought. What a hopelessly romantic old man I am.
But then, I realized—this kind of happiness was exactly what I had always wanted. Had I ever truly recognized these everyday moments as happiness? If I had cherished them, maybe I could have lived my first life without regrets.
As I deeply appreciated the simple joys I had once taken for granted, I made up my mind—I would treasure my family.
The Mille-Feuille Nabe was almost ready.
―α Timeline (Airi’s Perspective)―
Today, I went to Disneyland with Aunt Misato and Uncle.
It wasn’t just me—both of them were just as excited. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I had wandered into a dream world, leaving all the sadness behind.
“Since we’re here, let’s buy some ear headbands!”
Uncle, looking oddly cheerful, ended up buying a bear-shaped headband.
Aunt Misato scolded him a little for wasting money, but she was smiling as she bought a matching set with me and put them on right away.
“Airi-chan, hurry, hurry!!” Urged on by their excitement, I quickly put mine on too. Then we took commemorative photos with the characters. When Aunt Misato said we’d get the photos printed to show my dad, I felt truly happy.
After riding a few attractions, we had lunch at a burger shop.
I shared some chicken nuggets with Aunt Misato, watched the midday character show, then went on as many rides as we could before heading to the nighttime parade.
While watching the parade, we ate delicious waffles shaped like the faces of different characters—Uncle had bought them for us. It felt just like the happy days of the past had returned.
As we were about to leave, the fireworks started. I told myself not to cry, but I couldn’t help it. This dreamland had always been a symbol of happiness, just like when I came here with my dad.
Seeing me cry, both Aunt Misato and Uncle gently embraced me.
“I’m sorry… I know this was supposed to be a fun trip, but I ended up crying. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it—if anything, it was just too happy…”
As I tried to explain myself, Aunt Misato reassured me. “It’s okay.”
“Yeah. We know you had fun, Airi-chan. So let’s keep making more wonderful memories—enough that you can tell your dad all about them. I’d love to go camping this summer. What about you, Misato?”
“Hmm… I think I’d like to make a feast with Airi-chan for Christmas and have a big party. What about you, Airi-chan?”
“I want the three of us to watch a funny movie together.”
Hearing that, they both smiled at me warmly.
Slowly but surely, we were becoming a family. And that made me unbelievably happy.
Soon, this dream would end. But the memories I made in this dreamland with my new family would live on inside me forever. That thought filled me with happiness—so much that I found myself crying again.
I had another dream. A story from my previous life, after I had died.
Katsuya had joined forces with the dissenters within that man’s company and started working toward revenge. Thanks to his plan, the profits gained from the hostile takeover were properly returned to Airi and the employees.
Meanwhile, Miyabi and that man drowned in enormous debt, losing everything except for my old house. Their wealth, power, reputation, and even their family—all gone.
In the end, that man became an alcoholic, spending his days drunkenly abusing Miyabi. Drinking from morning till night, he claimed to see my ghost and trembled in fear. He lashed out violently, trying to drive me away, but in his rampage, the house slowly fell apart. I realized then that it was all just a facade—he refused to admit that he had lost everything.
Eventually, Miyabi and that man had a falling out. And it happened at the worst possible moment. While they were arguing in the car, that man grabbed the wheel, causing Miyabi to crash into a guardrail. The car was totaled—it was a miracle they even survived.
The only fortunate thing was that no other cars or pedestrians were involved. If they had dragged innocent people into their self-destructive mess, it would have been too tragic. It surprised me a little that I no longer felt even a shred of concern for Miyabi, the woman I once loved.
But of course, I didn’t. Not after she had taken my life, and certainly not after she had let my beloved daughter suffer under that man’s violence. In a strange way, I felt like my heart had finally found some peace.
Both of them suffered severe injuries. Though they barely clung to life, their wounds left them almost bedridden. Just looking at them was painful.
Then, the scene shifted.
In Misato’s home, Airi knelt in front of the family altar, pressing her hands together in prayer. It seemed like they had gone to Disneyland yesterday. Misato was there beside her.
“Dad, Disneyland was so much fun! They’re both being really kind to me, so don’t worry, okay? Here, this is a photo for you. Aunt Misato had it printed.” Airi said, placing the picture in front of the altar.
Misato, still wearing her Minnie Mouse headband, smiled blissfully. Just watching her was enough to make me feel happy. She and Airi stood side by side, holding both of her hands as if she were their own child.
“Oh, and this is a surprise present. I printed out the photos left on Onii-chan’s phone of him and Airi-chan together. We’ll put some in Airi-chan’s room, but you should have some too.”
Misato placed a precious two-shot of me and Airi on the altar—a photo of us holding hands and smiling so happily. The warmth of that picture filled the room with a gentle glow, and even my own heart felt lighter.
I have to keep pushing forward too. With that resolve, I opened my eyes.