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DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 36
🕑 Added 2024-08-09 20:16:47 +0000 UTCChapter 36: My Son, My Pride.
[Evening — Takeda Residence]
{Aya Takeda}
Preparing food and dozing off have become a habit now.
Maybe it’s a sign of me growing older.
And it has been a while.
Just a few days ago, I was playing with Reo, carrying him around in my arms or going out shopping with him on my back.
But now, it feels like he is carrying me.
All I do is cook and clean the house.
He does the shopping, saying he doesn’t want me to go out in the heat or carry heavy things.
He handles the accounting and manages the finances.
And it hurts to see him like that, Ryu.
I know how much we get, but he handles the pension money.
The pension is good enough for us to live on, but it is not enough for everything.
I know that if you were here, you would have made sure Reo didn’t have to bear these responsibilities.
And what wouldn’t I give to see you sit near us, eat the food I cook, and listen to Reo talk about his school.
But it won’t happen.
And it’s my fault.
If I hadn’t asked you to drive that day.
If I had asked you not to go out.
You would have been with us today.
It is my fault.
“Mom?”
No.
I cannot show these emotions before Reo.
He has already been going through a lot—tending to his friend, going out at night, managing everything else, and still finding time to have dinner with me.
Don’t worry, Ryu.
As long as I am here, I won’t let Reo be alone.
I cannot give him anything else, but I will give him the love of a mother that he deserves.
“You’re early today, Reo.” Luckily, I had the food prepared on time.
I’m glad he could come back soon.
“You can freshen up; the food is ready!”
I placed the lid over the curry, not letting the steam escape.
A good curry is always a warm one.
With everything well covered and properly arranged on the table, I walked to greet my boy.
The boy who was growing up faster than I would have liked.
“You can leave your bag in the corner. I noticed it’s getting a little dirty, so I’m thinking of washing it—”
But just as I walked near the door, expecting my son to change into his slippers, I saw people.
Unknown people.
“Reo?”
Reo was talking to a man at the doorway—a man with oddly dyed hair, blonde over black.
And two women, both dressed in maid uniforms, standing a little awkwardly behind them.
“My friend was feeling better, so I came back early instead of going to the hospital.”
“Oh?”
It was good that his friend was better, but I was still curious.
Reo noticed this.
“And he is—”
So did the man.
“I am Azuma.” The man stepped forward. “Azai Azuma.”
Azai? That’s a name I don’t hear often.
And his given name is Azuma? This is the first time I’ve heard someone with the first name Azuma, rather than it being their family name.
“O-Oh?”
I was so confused that I didn’t even see him hand me his business card.
The confusion made me make him wait for a few seconds before I even looked at the card.
`Azuma Azai, Gabriel Tech.`
A businessman?
A technology company?
There were also his contact details under the name—both company and personal numbers.
But why is a businessman with my son?
“I’ve heard a lot about you, ma’am.” He said, putting on a smile.
He was good-looking; the neighborhood ladies would gawk at this type of man while their husbands slave away at their jobs to provide for them.
But I couldn’t pay attention to any of his physical features.
He seemed suspicious to me.
A middle-aged man walking to our home with my son and two women in maid clothing behind them.
“He is a boy who easily opens up to people, Mr. Azuma.” I wanted to know why this man was with Reo. “But I wonder why he brought a businessman to our house?”
I didn’t want to offend him, but I was curious and worried.
Reo was still young, and people could trick him.
“I wanted this to be a surprise, Mom.” Reo said. “But you wouldn’t have allowed me or thought it suspicious if I hadn’t asked Mr. Azuma to come with me.”
What does he mean by that?
“What do you mean, Reo?”
“Let me explain, ma’am.” The man took the lead again. “I run a company that provides technical support, mostly software to other companies—whether they are larger or smaller than us.”
They were a service provider?
That still didn’t answer my question.
“But that’s the main part of our company; however, it is not the entire part.” He continued, “Our parent company is a massive conglomerate called Gabriel Enterprises.”
I don’t think I’ve heard of Gabriel Enterprises before.
“We are primarily based in the West—the United States and the United Kingdom.”
Oh, maybe that’s why.
I’m not very knowledgeable about the Western Hemisphere.
“And one of our recent focuses has been the gaming industry.” He smiled and looked at Reo. “In the past year and a half, our company has produced two games, one of which has done exceptionally well.”
“Oh?”
“And that is all thanks to your son, ma’am.”
This surprised me.
Reo? He helped a company?
He can, I know. He is very capable.
But how could just a boy help a massive company?
“Mom, do you remember that I was spending quite a lot of time on the internet, searching for things and also playing games?” Reo walked closer, a happy smile on his face.
“I wouldn’t call it wasting time…”
He didn’t play games excessively like the neighbors complained about their kids being addicted.
Reo always did all his work and then played for half an hour to relax or have fun.
And that was normal; in fact, I was happy that he was spending time on himself.
“And during that time, I started playing a game that I enjoyed a lot and played it for over a month.” He explained. “But after a while, I realized that the game had quite a few issues, so… so I tried fixing them.”
“You fixed a game?” I was amazed.
I knew he was studying a bit of computer science in his free time and had mentioned that technology would evolve a lot in the upcoming ten years or even less.
But I didn’t expect him to study the workings of games and even try fixing them.
“And he did an amazing job, ma’am.” The man said. “He fixed the bugs that our developers had difficulty figuring out. And not only that, he even added features that weren’t in the game.”
Reo did all that?
“I was playing the game and having fun, but then one day I heard people complaining about bugs on the internet,” Reo said, sighing a bit. “So I decided to share the game that I had fixed.”
That...
Don't tell me.
“And the game he shared became popular and even reached us, the original creators,” the man laughed, but this made me nervous.
Games are usually controlled by companies. They own them, and I don't know how sharing games actually works.
But if it's like a typical object owned by a company, then altering and sharing it could be considered a crime.
Were they... trying to sue us?
It can't be, right?
Reo said it was a surprise, and they look cheerful.
It cannot be a negative thing.
“A-And?” I asked nervously.
“And we were amazed by the sheer quality of the additions he made,” the man continued. “It changed the game so much that his version was played more than our original.”
Oh no...
They were incurring a loss.
I was worried, and maybe Reo noticed it.
“Don't worry, Mom,” he laughed, reassuring me. “It's nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s good news.”
Oh?
“Yes, ma’am,” the man smiled. “Because of him, we figured out the issues and realized what it takes to make a game popular among the masses.”
They weren’t angry with him.
That... was good.
“So, we contacted Reo through his profile, which he used to share the game.” The man appeared happy as he said that. “He was quick to apologize for sharing the game.”
He should have.
It was risky to have a game owned by a company changed and shared.
“But after clearing up that issue and assuring him that we weren’t here to sue him, we discussed his views on the game, the fixes he made, and the features he would like to see.” The man turned to look at Reo again. “Needless to say, his suggestions were some of the best we had heard. Nothing less from a boy who fixed our game overnight.”
“It wasn't an overnight process...” Reo said, embarrassed.
“No need to be so humble, Reo. You saved our game, made it popular, and helped us map out future ideas,” the man praised. He then looked at me. “That’s why, ma’am, we’ve offered Reo a job.”
This made me freeze, not from fear but from surprise.
“He has done what our experienced developers couldn’t,” he said. “So it was only right to ask him to join our company.”
“W-Wait, he’s still a student. What will happen to his studies?”
I didn’t want my son to work while he was still in school. He still had his education to complete.
“He will continue his studies as he is now,” the man assured. “We’re not asking him to quit anything or change his lifestyle.”
That... seemed too generous to be true.
“His help has revived this part of our enterprise. He did something that a larger group couldn’t,” he said. “He is a thousand times the developer, someone who can do more for a company than many people combined.”
“They don’t want me to change anything, Mom,” Reo said, reassuring me. “They just want me to spend an hour or two daily on this game, find bugs, and be part of their community.”
“We would be happy to have him with us, ma’am,” the man sighed. “While any boy would jump at this offer, and any grown man would jump at the chance to be part of Gabriel Tech and Gabriel Enterprises, Reo... Reo, however, says he cannot.”
This surprised and confused me again.
“Why?” I had to ask.
“Because I cannot make this decision without asking you, Mom,” Reo said, taking a deep breath. “Taking a job, no matter how many hours, is a decision I need to make with your support.”
He... was a kind son.
“And that’s why we’re here, ma’am,” Azuma said. “I’m here to request your permission for your son to join our company. We need someone as talented as him, and finding such talent is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
That...
It was true.
Boys like Reo, kind, humble, and hardworking, were rare.
“I assure you again, it will not affect his studies. He will get his degree and continue his life, enjoying himself and not slaving away like most workers,” the man gave a respectful bow. “So, ma’am, please let him work for us.”
I had to stand here, look at them—look at Reo.
Think about what they said, be amazed and happy.
My son was helping others, making a name for himself.
“Do you enjoy working on this game, son?” I asked.
“I love it,” Reo answered immediately. “When I play it and see that people are happy with what I did, it brings me joy.”
I see.
He felt the same way.
He felt the same joy I feel when someone praises him.
I couldn’t take that away from him.
His happiness, his joy, and his pride.
“Then…”
They all looked at me, awaiting an answer.
“Then I cannot stop you from doing what you love, son,” I finally gave in. “You can accept this job. You... make me proud.”
I barely stopped my tears from rolling out.
I couldn't show how happy I was.
If I did, the man might take advantage of Reo and pay him less than others.
I couldn’t show any weakness, even tears of joy.
For Reo, I had to act strong and serious.
“Really, Mom!” He gasped, happy and surprised.
“As long as you continue your studies and don’t take on pressure you can’t handle.”
I didn’t mind if he stopped his studies one day if he truly wanted it or felt overwhelmed by them.
But I wanted him to have a way to secure himself in the future.
And at least having a minimal educational qualification would help him in some way.
“Thank you, Mom!” Reo was overjoyed, almost rushing to hug me.
“T-There, there,” a chuckle escaped my mouth, seeing how happy my son was. “Just keep in mind what I said.”
“Of course!” He promised, hugging me tighter.
It was nice to see him happy and moving toward something he enjoyed rather than something he felt forced to do.
However, I still had some questions.
“But... who are the two women behind you?” I finally asked. “And why are they dressed as maids?”
“About that...” Reo looked back but couldn’t say anything.
However, just as before, the man spoke.
And maybe that's why he was in this position, leading a major branch of a conglomerate.
“He told me he was worried about you,” he smiled. “He said you always work from day to night, take care of him, and do all the chores alone.”
That... was the least I could do as a mother.
“So these two women were his second demand for joining our company—two maids specifically.”
Maids?
“Why?” I looked at Reo.
“Because you work so much.”
“Because he is worried about you, ma’am. He wants you to have time for yourself, go out like your friends and neighbors do, and relax more than you are able to at the moment.”
That...
He— He was worried that much about me?
Oh, Reo.
“And please don’t decline having maids to help you, ma’am,” the man said. “He threatened to not join if you didn’t have maids.”
I couldn’t see Reo threatening anyone.
He never raised his voice or even frowned at anyone.
A very sweet boy.
But... if he was worried about me and wanted this...
“This is too much, Reo,” I said. “Having maids is expensive.”
“They will work for free, ma’am,” the man said. “What I mean is that we will pay them, and you don’t have to. This is part of the terms and conditions we finalized.”
This... was real?
“Reo...” I looked at him.
I...
I was happy.
I was proud.
Ryu, do you see this?
Our son has found a job, helped people, and now found maids to ease my workload.
Our son has grown up, Ryu. Our son has grown up.
I couldn’t be prouder as a mother.
As a mother, he was my pride.
Reo was this mother's pride.
“This is too much, but I cannot have Reo not follow his passion,” I finally gave in. “Okay, they can work here.”
This made the man laugh. “See, I told you,” he said. “You are too persuasive. Anyone would give in to you.”
That was true; that’s just how precious Reo was.
My son, my pride.
Comments
Wilfrid Calixte killian
Excellente histoire
