Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 82: Reina and Sieg’s Past (1/2)
“I… I remembered. I remembered everything…”
Reina had recovered all of her lost memories.
That her real father was Sieg.
And that her mother was Japanese.
“I… not even once… Even though I loved you so much, Papa… not even once!”
Reina wept, burying her face against Kenya’s chest.
Her father had always felt distant.
She’d thought it was because she was adopted.
But she had been wrong.
“Reina, there’s somewhere I want to take you.”
“Huh?”
She had cried so much, she’d lost track of time.
Eventually, though, her heart had calmed a little, enough for the two of them to speak.
“Earlier, Tanaka-san gave me this. He said, if anything ever happened to Sieg, to come here.”
Kenya unfolded a single letter.
It listed an address in Osaka, Japan, and the code: “A-23-124.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m certain it’s important. That’s why we need to go — to Japan. I’ll take you there. Tanaka-san said he’d help us. Now that the two countries have severed diplomatic ties, the only way to cross is using a KOG. But if I’m with you, I’ll get you there safely. No matter who comes after us, I’ll protect you.”
Reina nodded quietly.
With Tanaka’s help, Kenya boarded the Take-Mikazuchi (a KOG-class machine) and set off toward Japan.
…
Osaka. Once one of Japan’s great cities.
Now, all that remained were ruins, devoid of human life.
There were still slums here and there, but at a glance, the place looked deserted.
“The address… looks like it’s over there. A mountain, huh?”
Kenya guided them to the address listed in the letter.
Sure enough, it was a mountain.
Thick trees covered the slopes, and at a clearing in the forest, man-made structures came into view.
They landed and carefully hid the KOG in the shade, out of sight.
As they walked closer, it became clear.
“…This is a graveyard.”
Before them stretched a vast expanse of graves, carved out of the mountain.
The rows seemed endless, and all the gravestones looked relatively new.
“Kenya-kun… is this…”
“I’m guessing these are the graves of soldiers who died in the war against Asgard. Otherwise they wouldn’t all be so uniform and so new.”
All around them, the freshly made gravestones stretched as far as the eye could see.
“I wonder what we’re supposed to find here…”
Kenya recalled the code: A-23-124.
It represented a section number.
The spot they were standing at now was marked on the gravestones as “U-13-670.”
“Let’s go, Reina.”
Kenya took Reina’s hand and led her toward their destination.
And finally, they arrived.
A grave, identical to all the others.
But the moment she read the inscription, Reina fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
“No… this is…”
“Reina, what’s wr— Kurokami… Sakiko… This is…”
Right before their eyes was a grave.
Carved into the stone was the name: Kurokami Sakiko.
A name that shared the same surname as Kenya’s old friend, Kaguya.
“This grave… it’s my mother’s. My mother’s name is written here…”
“Your mother…? This is her grave? Kurokami… It can’t be. What’s going on…”
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“This is my mother’s grave. I remember it clearly now. My mother’s name was Kurokami Sakiko. And my father’s name is Sieg Sylphid. I am their real, biological child.”
(Kurokami… No way. Could Reina and Kaguya be blood relatives?)
Kenya couldn’t help but picture Kaguya — who also bore the Kurokami name — and wondered about the connection.
But there was no clear answer.
At that moment, he noticed a package sitting at the foot of the grave.
A neatly wrapped box, recently placed.
Exchanging a glance with Reina, Kenya nodded and opened it.
Inside was a single tablet-like device.
“…A video file?”
Kenya powered it on.
On the screen was one video file.
He opened it —
“Papa!”
It was Sieg Sylphid.
…
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Sometime before, right after Sieg had left Asgard for Japan.
On the night the World Union was scheduled to arrive.
Sieg had come to this grave.
“Sakiko… I’m sorry. As an Asgardian, I have no choice but to fight the Japanese for Lord’s sake.”
Standing alone before the grave, Sieg had placed a small box there and quietly walked away.
“That’s… the only way I can atone for failing to save you.”
…
“Papa!”
“Sieg-san!?”
Kenya and Reina stared at the video, voices trembling as they reacted.
But the man in the recording, Sieg, of course, gave no reply.
“…A recording, huh. So this is what Sieg left behind.”
“Ah— can you hear me? It’s me, Sieg. The ones watching this must be Reina and Mitsurugi. I left this with Tanaka, in case I died.”
“Papa… I’m watching!”
“Reina, there was something I planned to tell you once your memories returned. I’ve recorded it here. If you haven’t remembered your mother, or if you don’t want to hear about her, turn this off. But if your memories have returned…”
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“Reina…”
“I’ll listen. If these are the last words Papa left me, I want to hear them.”
Reina and Kenya sat quietly, staring straight at the screen.
“…I see. Then I’ll begin. About your mother, Kurokami Sakiko. And about my sins.”
◇
The scene rewound to the past — to the time when Japan had fallen to Asgard.
“Why!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”
Sieg, who had fought on the front lines of the EU War, grabbed his superior officer by the collar, shouting in rage.
He had spent over a year at the front lines, completely unaware that Japan had gone to war with Asgard.
Unaware that Japan had been defeated. Unaware that the war was already over.
Or rather — to be precise:
“It was an order from His Majesty the Emperor. No one was to tell you. In fact, not just you — the entire front line was kept in the dark.”
It had all been hidden.
Information control was absolute. In a world where media outside of the imperial broadcasts had never developed, even something as enormous as a war could be kept a secret, so long as you were far enough away.
“Wh… why?”
“Because they couldn’t have you leaving the front lines. And probably because there was a chance you’d turn against us.”
“My wife and daughter! They’re in Japan!”
“Exactly, Sieg.”
“No… it can’t be…”
“But now, His Majesty has fallen ill. The EU War is over. That’s why I’ve chosen to tell you — on my own authority.”
“…”
Sieg lowered his head.
“…Understood. Excuse me, sir.”
And with that, Sieg turned and set off — heading straight for Japan.
(Please, Sakiko, Reina… be alive.)
…
Sieg searched.
He scoured Japan, which had been occupied by Asgard after the war’s end.
Using his own legs, calling in every favor from former comrades, subordinates, anyone who could help — he searched, desperate to find his beloved family.
But the Japan he arrived in bore no resemblance to the beautiful country etched in his memories.
“This can’t be… Reina, Sakiko…”
The longer the search dragged on, the harder it became.
It was painfully clear that hope for their survival had grown slim. The once-beautiful Japan had been utterly ravaged.
The cherry blossoms were long dead. Buildings reduced to rubble. The land no longer fit for people to live.
After a full year of occupation, the country had been left in ruins.
And still, Sieg kept searching.
Every time he saw the body of a Japanese civilian, his heart felt like it would break.
“Sakiko… Reina…”
With hollow eyes, an unshaven face, he wandered endlessly — clinging to the memories of the places they’d once shared.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
At last, Sieg dropped to his knees, collapsing in tears.
“What was the point… if I couldn’t protect you… what was the point of it all…”
All that remained within him were regret and hatred.
Regret for failing to protect the ones he loved.
Hatred for the emperor who had kept him chained to the front lines.
And deep down, Sieg already knew.
Half a year had passed. His wife and daughter were probably long dead.
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But even so, he couldn’t give up.
And so he wandered, aimless, unable to stop.
Then one day, he heard a rumor.
That in Osaka, there was a graveyard for the war dead.
Sieg made his way to Osaka.
And there, one by one, he checked every single grave.
Until finally, he found it.
“Kurokami Sakiko.”
The name of his wife.
“Uwaaaaahhhhh!!”
Seeing those carved letters erased the very last shred of hope that Sieg had been clinging to, deep inside his heart.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Sakiko!! I’m so sorry!! Reina!!”
All Sieg could do was kneel before the grave and apologize over and over.
The gravestone stood there silently, gazing at him, yet offering no reply.
That night, as the moonlight illuminated the cemetery, Sieg remained there, crying at the foot of the grave.
“What am I supposed to do now…? What would make you two happy? Even if I died right here, it wouldn’t bring me to you, would it?”
But of course, no answer came.
Just then, a message arrived on Sieg’s device.
It was from a subordinate who had been helping him.
“We’ve just rescued a war orphan — a half-Asgardian girl — from the slums we were clearing. She has silver hair. There’s a chance it might be…”
As soon as Sieg read the message, he leaped to his feet, rushing away from the grave.
He sprinted, desperate, until he reached his subordinate.
“Haa… haa…! Where is she!?”
“This way, Sieg-san.”
And then Sieg saw her.
There was no mistaking it.
Her body was covered in bruises, her once-beautiful hair now ragged and unkempt.
Her eyes were empty, devoid of emotion, as if she had long since given up on living.
“A… a… Reina… Reina!”
“I’m glad we found her, Sieg-san.”
“Ah… Thank you! Truly! Reina — can you hear me? Reina!”
But the girl didn’t respond to his voice.
“She seems to have lost her memory, and she can’t speak. No matter what we say, there’s no reaction. She was treated terribly in the slums… Being half-Japanese, half-Asgardian.”
“I see…”
Sieg gently wrapped the girl in his arms.
“It’s all right now. It’s me — Papa. Reina. You’re safe now, I swear.”
But even then, the girl said nothing, her expression unchanged.
Seeing this, the subordinate quietly bowed his head and left the room.
Leaving only Sieg and Reina there, together.
“I’ll never let you go again. I swear I’ll protect you, no matter what.”