I formally introduced myself to Shigenobu Okura, whom I had run into in such an unlikely place.
"I know you’ve probably heard already, but I’m Kaito Miyama."
"Right. Mind if I just call you Kaito? I’ve picked up the habit of using first names since I moved to this world."
"Ah, yes. That’s fine with me."
"Feel free to call me whatever you like, too. Shigenobu is fine, or just Shige, like Kaori-chan does."
Calling him Shige-san right off the bat felt a bit overly familiar, so I decided to stick with Shigenobu-san for now. Once my introduction was out of the way, Shigenobu-san turned toward Aoi and Hina.
"I assume you girls are Japanese too? If I recall, there was some kind of summoning accident..."
"Ah, yes. I’m Aoi Kusunoki."
"I’m Hina Yuzuki."
"Wait—!?"
When the two of them introduced themselves, Shigenobu-san’s eyes suddenly widened in shock. While I tilted my head, wondering what had caused such a reaction, he remained silent for a moment before speaking with an expression of pure astonishment.
"Are you... from the Kusunoki Group? I see... what a strange twist of fate."
"Um..."
"Ah, sorry. You’ve grown quite a bit, and since decades have passed for me, I didn’t recognize you immediately. I just never expected to meet someone I actually knew."
"Do you... know who I am?"
It seemed Shigenobu-san’s surprise was specifically directed at Aoi. Judging by his tone, he was familiar with her identity. As Aoi asked him for clarification with a bewildered look, a somewhat lonely expression crossed Shigenobu-san’s face.
"I met you a few times back then. But I suppose it makes sense you wouldn’t remember. The moment I decided to move to this world, my existence back on Earth was erased from the start. It’s only natural you wouldn’t know me... And even if it weren't for that, I’ve aged so much you probably wouldn't recognize me anyway."
"Wait, does that mean you met Aoi before you were summoned here?" I asked.
"Yeah. I was the eldest son of a certain company... Well, compared to the Kusunoki Group, it was a tiny firm, but I met her at parties I attended as a prospective heir. Though we only really exchanged greetings... I was only in my teens myself back then. Good grief, even if I understand the time dilation in theory, seeing it firsthand like this... I feel like I’ve become Urashima Taro."
I see. Time in this world moved nearly ten times faster than on Earth. Ten years here was only one year there. Re-encountering Aoi—who likely hadn't even been ten years apart from him in age back then—only to see a multi-decade age gap now must have been a massive shock, even if he understood why it was happening.
"My memories are a bit hazy, but you seem quite different from how I remember. Back then, you had... well, you had such cold eyes."
"No, I’m probably still like that at parties. I despise that family more than anything," Aoi replied flatly.
"Hahaha, I see..."
Aoi truly loathed the Kusunoki Group. She had already made a serious declaration that she would sever all ties with them the moment she reached adulthood. According to her, she had only met them a handful of times anyway, so she had practically forgotten what her parents even looked like.
Given her personality, I didn't doubt she would go through with it, but I had been worried about the potential fallout. However, it turned out she had already secured a promise from Eden to assist her when the time came. It was basically a guaranteed victory at this point. She really didn't mess around.
After giving a wry smile at Aoi’s genuinely disgusted tone, Shigenobu-san spoke with a serious expression.
"Can I ask just one thing? Do you know... what’s become of a company called Okura Heavy Industries?"
"Okura Heavy Industries? If I remember correctly, the president stepped down to become chairman a few years ago, and his 'only son' took over. It was a bit chaotic right after the transition, but the company is stable now and seems to be growing steadily."
"I see... So the kid’s doing all right for himself."
The weight in his words, the name of the company, and the fact that he was officially recorded as having never existed... it all clicked.
"So, Shigenobu-san, was Okura Heavy Industries your family’s company?"
"Yeah. My childhood home. And that new president is my younger brother... or the person who used to be my brother, anyway. There was a lot of family drama. I practically ran away to this world to escape it. I don’t regret my choice, but I always had a lingering worry about what happened to the company and my brother. Thank you. I’m glad I could find out."
"Ah, no, don't mention it..."
After bowing deeply, Shigenobu-san laughed brightly, looking as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Sorry for getting sidetracked. I’d love to sit and chat more, but you’ve got an award ceremony to get to. Oh, that’s right. You probably have an after-party today so it might be tough, but if you have the chance, please come visit my place. My wife heard about you from a friend and has been dying to meet you."
"That sounds great. We have plenty we want to talk about too, so we'll definitely come by another time."
"Right... Oh, do you have a Hummingbird? Let's exchange contact info."
"Sure."
We promised to meet up with Shigenobu-san for a proper chat at a later date, exchanged contact information, and then headed off toward the award ceremony.
Serious-senpai: "For a split second, I wondered if it was okay for a God to show such blatant favoritism by helping a single individual cut ties with their family, but then I remembered this protagonist is practically made of favoritism."
Machina: "Equality is a myth among Gods, anyway. As long as there's a will involved, personal discretion is going to play a part to some degree. I mean, sure, I love all my children, but I’m obviously going to show special favoritism to My Beloved Child and those close to him."