Nothing ventured, nothing gained

When I woke up was still dark, but I did get up of the bed to make my breakfast and take a quick shower, I went to the vending machine and purchase a black coffee, then I head to area of groceries and grab instant noodles, fired cheese and a cold tea, I pay for them and return to the room I had to start eating.

While I miss the flavor, I didn’t enjoy the food as much, I was eating just because my body needed, for instants the flavor really hit me but the majority of time I just taste plain flavors, like if I was just eating water with tame flavors on it, even the coffee and tea taste just as plain, even with the strong flavor or coffee I could just taste the bitter and not the rest.

“Maybe I got used to eating in the other world already… it doesn’t taste like the same… even though we don’t have this food in there”

After I finished my meals, I went to the showers and took a quick bath. After I got out dried and dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror that was on the wall outside the dressing room, I looked at my beard and my hair, I knew they had grown but I didn’t even recognize myself.

“No wonder why Miss Ayane didn’t recognize me…”

My hair reached my neck, and my beard was covering my mouth, I touched the mirror and looked at my eye bags, they were almost gone, even though I felt like I was doing so much more, it was like I deaged and aged at the same time.

Healthy and natural meals, constantly moving, I even looked at my muscles and I smiled, I never thought I would ever get to this point in my physique, now that I think about it, I walk a ton and don't get tired.

I shook my head and returned to my room to take the stuff I had in there. After paying and grabbing a nutritional bar I left the place and started to walk towards my parent’s house, the sun was still rising so the entire place was covered in that dark blueish color.

I could hear the birds singing as I walked, the weather was quite cold, I think autumn was around the corner, I didn’t see the date to be honest so I am lost in the time, at least my internal clock didn’t mess up since I got transported at the same time that I left the other world.

As the time passed I could hear how the cars leave the houses, motorcycles around, the place started to woke up, people going to work or school, or just going out in general, I forgot how that was, one's I got used to living in there, I mostly saw other drivers going in carriages

Alexander stopped from time to time to help give directions to other drivers or to help the ones that were stuck or had problems with their vehicles, that guy really is too much of a good guy for his own good, aside from his mouth that it seems that it needs to say something, or he would explode, the other parties didn’t see him shine…

I kept walking, and then I saw some children walking around until one of them hit himself with me.

“Ah! Sorry, sir!”

The kid looked scared, I ducked and petted his head.

“Are you ok?”

The kid nodded with his head and he saw my sword, his eyes shining bright and I took it out.

“Cool, right? Let me tell you a secret kid, can you save it?”

The two of them nodded hard and they bowed to me.

“Please!”

“I am actually a warrior from another world, this sword, is real”

I unsheathe my sword and let them see the shine, the kids were just amazed by it and then their mom came in.

“Hey! What are you two doing outside?!”

“Sorry mom!”

“And you sir?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just distracting them; I saw you from far away and I knew they would love this”

“Then what you said was a lie?!”

“Of course, it was”

“What do you say to my kids?”

“He said he was a warrior from another time, he even has a sword!”

“This is just cosplay ma'am, sorry for the trouble”

“Is okay, you stopped this two from getting far away, thank you”

I nodded and I took my stuff to continue walking. The kid looked at me while his mother was scolding him and I wink at him. He got excited but his mom immediately shut down his joy, I couldn’t help but laugh about it.

I’m sure Elizabeth would love to play with them, she has excellent instincts when it comes to children, Beatrice didn’t have that so she would have been the toy of those kids.

I started to laugh thinking of the scene, Beatrice angry and the kids running in circles.

Elizabeth is so sweet the kids would be blushing around her, not like I would let them touch her, my beloved Elizabeth…

I touched my lips and I looked down; I took a deep breath and I continued my path; the place was getting more and more brighter as the sun came out of the place, but it was not at its full potential, it was a bit cloudy so the entire light of the sun didn’t hit me.

As I got close to my parent’s house, I started to get nervous, I couldn’t help but shake around, my breathing became irregular too, I was breathing without noticing and then I had problems trying to do it, and then I needed to stop.

I was in front of my parents’ house, a lot of feelings were rushing me in that instant and each time I took a step forward I felt like if electricity was being shot at me from the ground, I managed to get to the door but I couldn’t raise my hand.

A minute passed and I just couldn't say what I was supposed to say to my family? Hey it’s me, you miss me, it’s been a while since you thought I had disappeared but I am here!

I sighed and peek in the window, there was no one inside but something caught my attention, something that made me feel unwell but relax at the same time, Butsudan with a picture of me, tears started to coming out of my eyes and I lean against the wall, putting my hand in my mouth.

I was crying but I tried to not make any noises.

They remember me, even though they didn’t have anything to make a Butsudan they still made me one, just to remember me… they did… mom… dad… sorry… I’m so sorry…

I look at the sky with clouds and see the grass, the same I used to play around when I was a kid, I try to control myself but the tears didn’t stop to come out, but I was thinking in my next move, I could either knock or entered at the house if nobody responded, or I could leave.

I was trying to picture what would happen if I appeared in front of my parents, and two more options appeared in my imagination, I could stay in here, or I could tell them that I’ll go back to the other world without telling them about the portal.

But they would probably be trying to keep contact, and if something happens, if I tell them the truth… is not that I don’t trust the process but a snowball can be made, and I don’t want that to happen but… if we keep it as low as I want…

I sighed and before I knew it, someone was staring at me, it was my dad. I looked him in the eyes and tears started to come out of his sockets, words weren’t necessary, he recognized instantly, and got up and he slowly went with me with his arms open.

”Son?...”

The voice crack was enough to made me cry, I tried to smile but my mouth couldn’t help itself but go down, I went into my dad’s arms and he started to stroke my hair.

“Hey dad…”

“Oh!...”

My dad hugged me tightly and my mom was at the door.

“Didn’t I tell you to not let the… door… open… Ryu? Is that you, love?”

“Hey mom”

My mom put her hands in her mouth and ran towards us, hugging me and crying ugly while she hugged me tight.

“Welcome back, son…”

“Yeah… I’m back…”

Whatever the result was going to be, I made my decision at the final instant before I saw my dad, I was tired of running away, of not telling what was happening to the ones I appreciate, I won’t be a coward forever, I’d changed.