A Life Once More-Chapter 64: Please Leave My Mom Alone

"Come on, boys!"

"Yeah, you slowpokes!"

Mom and Euphi rushed into the candy store like excited children. The moment they passed through the automatic doors, a blast of cold air hit us—crisp and cool, laced with the sugary aroma of syrup, chocolate, and artificial fruit.

It was a long ass walk to get here, so stepping into the air-conditioned haven felt like entering paradise. Outside, the sun had been relentless, blazing like it had a personal grudge against us. I probably should've brought a water bottle, but hey, there was a fridge cooler right at the entrance.

I grabbed four waters from the cooler, condensation already forming on the plastic, and checked them out quickly. Honestly, I didn't even process the cashier. I was too focused on rehydrating, too out of it from the walk. To whoever rang me up my bad, but you'll never be remembered.

"You three!"

I passed them the bottles, the cool plastic a welcome contrast against their sun-warmed fingers. What I got in return were some strange looks.

"What? Shouldn't I get a thank you?" I asked, genuinely confused at their expressions.

"Why does he seem like a dad..."

"You're right, my little Cain."

"Big Sis definitely did something!"

'What the? What does Kate have to do with this?! And why the hell am I suddenly a dad figure?!' I couldn't understand any of their logic. I was just being considerate, right? That's normal behavior, Right?!

We wandered further into the store, and holy hell—it was massive. Just one sprawling floor, but it felt like a candy convention. The lighting above glowed a soft yellow, casting golden hues across rows and rows of colorful confections. Bright pink, neon blue, sharp citrus orange—this place was practically a painting. The scent was intoxicating, a layered cocktail of caramel, marshmallow, bubblegum, and something sour enough to tickle your nose.

There were towering displays of candy bars stacked like edible skyscrapers, open bins overflowing with rainbow gummies, and walls lined with jars that looked like old-school apothecary containers—except instead of potions, they were filled with jawbreakers and licorice sticks. Every aisle had a soft, almost sticky sound as your shoes peeled off the polished linoleum floor.

'This place is basically a sugar factory disguised as a store.'

The faint whirr of candy machines buzzed from the back, and there was even a cotton candy spinner tucked beside a chocolate fountain. The air had this faint warmth to it, like the whole store was designed to be just cozy enough to keep people in, but not enough to melt the goods.

'I wonder what the candy shops in Asakaze look like, then...'

If this random store had this much going for it, and it wasn't known for its sweets, I could only imagine what the actual candy capital of the world had in store.

I took a picture of the place and sent it to Kate just to show her. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I continued roaming this place. All of this candy was making me hungry and since I knew I wasn't restrained by monetary means that wasn't good.

"Oh!" I stopped at the mountain before me. A mountain of Sweet Fish! That's right, the candy that mom and Kate love the most was before me.

I grabbed a sample from one of the plastic containers since I've never tried even after all this time. The color I grabbed was blue much similar to my eyes as it stuck out to me the most.

[I kind of want some.]

Hearing Ezryn, I kept chewing on the candy, the soft squish between my teeth almost rhythmic. It was chewy, just the right amount—not rubbery, not sticky—and the flavor hit hard. Sweet, a little tangy, and way better than I expected. Honestly, this shit was absolutely delicious. Like, addictively good.

"I'm sorry, dude."

[Hah~ it's fine.]

I actually felt bad.

Ding~

My phone went off, but I wasn't in a rush to pick it up. I had to go find my family first and show them this glorious mountain! Mt. Fish, I call it!

[Never name a mountain in your life.]

"It's already too late, my friend. I will climb Mt. Fish and bring back the ultimate fish!"

[Uh huh. Gonna become a fish too?]

"If it is necessary, then I will shed my human clothing for the peak of candy!"

[...]

Joking aside, I searched this place from left to right and front to back, but didn't see my people. Getting my phone out, I saw the text message from earlier.

[Mom: Come outside, we will be waiting.]

"Ah."

I rushed outside, and there they were, sitting on a bench, happily chatting. Walking toward them, I called out, and they got up, meeting me halfway.

"So, what's next?" I asked.

"Cain wants proper food, so we're going to do that."

"Where are we going to eat?"

"There's that place across the street."

Looking across the street, I spotted a building that gave off the same cozy, welcoming vibe as the candy shop. It was only one floor, but it stretched wide—long enough that I could tell it had way more space than it let on. The exterior was lined with soft amber lighting that made the windows glow like they were holding warmth itself. I couldn't read the sign above the entrance—some flowing script in the local language but the way it was styled gave it a clean, high-quality feel.

There was also a bunch of people entering and exiting so it seemed this place was a hot spot.

As we crossed the street and before entering the restaurant something annoying happened.

"Hey, miss, would you join us?" A male voice with clear lustful intentions called out to us. I snapped my head back and gave the douchebag a long stare. His blonde hair was wavy, and he did, in fact, have a decent face—which was better than him being a slob—but still, his words pissed me off.

"Please leave my mom alone," I said coldly. Colder than I ever had before. If this bastard did anything, I was honestly ready to go to prison.

He looked at me, angered.

"Why don't you be a good boy and shut the hell up when adults are talking?" At the same time saying this, he reached out to touch mom.

'You know...'

[Don't do it—ah.]

Pah~!

My fist made contact with his face before I even realized what I was doing. His body hit the ground from the unexpected force, and I looked down at him.

"Leave my mom alone." That's all I said, and all I needed to say. I didn't necessarily care about the insult toward me, but if I gave him leeway, he'd take it as a sign to keep pestering her. The consequences? Well, I could care less about them.

"Serves him right," Euphi said with a huff, crossing her arms like she'd been rooting for it all along.

"Eiz..." Mom's voice held a mix of concern and something like... pride?

"Holy shit," Cain muttered under his breath, eyes wide. "That was so cool..."

I turned back around looking at Cain, "So, you decided to pick up Euphi's habits huh?"

Cain jumped and hid behind mom.

"It's actually mom's habits!"

"Hey?!" Mom flicked Cain on the forehead making me and Euphi giggle.

[Quest: Beat the hell of Sir Douchealot]

- Accept: Fighting Skills +2 and Fitness skill unlocked.

- Decline: Your mom gets upset and the trip is ruined.

The quest prompt made me sidestep in fear. If it was popping up, that meant he was about to get serious. A white fist struck right where I had been standing but missed by a long shot. He looked at me, bewildered, but still charged in.

"Take this, you bastard!" He swung with his right, but before he could strike, I pushed up toward him, grabbed his wrist, pulled it down, and kneed him in the gut. I felt it wasn't powerful enough given my current physical abilities, so I followed up by pushing him away, then delivered a full kick with my left foot.

This douche recovered quickly, though. Grabbing my foot, he twisted it, and pain shot up my leg. He twisted so far, in fact, that I was pretty sure I'd need to go to a hospital—but I didn't let the pain get to me.

"Tch." Clicking my tongue, I yanked my foot back, which hurt like a bitch—and you could even hear the bones reacting.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

'Fuck! This hurts!'

[Dodge.]

Ezryn's warning came at the perfect time, and I connected an uppercut to this fucking douche. I didn't hold back, and once again, the bastard was on the floor but thankfully knocked out this time.