By Effugium January 10, 2024
A warrior’s morning comes early.
The man’s name is Morikuni Ittetsu, also known as Akajustice.
He was the leader of Japan’s first hero team, the Justice Five, and for the past 50 years had been at the forefront of keeping peace in Japan. His history is the history of the Hero Headquarters, and his body is filled with countless old wounds and the souls of those who have fallen, both friend and foe.
However, after 50 years, it is hard to get rid of ingrained habits. Even after announcing his retirement the other day, Morikuni continued to train early in the morning every day without fail.
「Kayoko, I’m off.」
「Take care, Ittetsu-san!」
It was still dark at 5:00 a.m. in February. Morikuni was at his front door, putting on his running shoes and exchanging a few words with his wife, Kayoko.
They had no children together. Morikuni was blessed with military fortune, but he was not blessed with children.
Morikuni believed that he was the reason for this.
For a hero, a family to protect is at the same time an irreplaceable Achilles heel. To start a family before retirement is to expose their beloved family to the threat of Mysterious Beings.
Therefore, when an ordinary hero starts a family, he announces his retirement in his mid-30s at the latest.
However, Morikuni, who carried the title of the first hero and had a strong sense of responsibility, remained active in the front lines until he was forty-eight years old.
After his retirement, Morikuni, who had been in a position of constant danger for 20 years as director of the Hero Headquarters, gave up on having his own children and began to love his subordinates as if they were his own children.
As a teacher and father, he had tried to train younger generations, sometimes harshly and sometimes gently.
「…… Should I try getting a dog next time?」
Morikuni muttered absentmindedly as he finished putting on his shoes.
Kayoko rolled her eyes at the words of the man who had devoted himself to his work and had never even considered keeping an animal until now.
「A big one that is worth training.」
「Ara ara, that would be nice. ……Fufufu」
「Is it weird for me to have a dog?」
「No, I just thought that Ittetsu-san’s eyes were cute and couldn’t help it.」
Morikuni scratched his head in embarrassment and coughed to cover it up. Although he had been with his wife for many years, the veteran warrior Morikuni Ittetsu continued to lose to his wife, Kayoko.
In a quieter voice than before, Morikuni simply said, “I’m off,” and opened the front door.
Then he saw a large hairy shadow hovering in front of him and quickly closed the door.
（What was that just now ……? Was it a Mysterious Being or……? No, it was too small for that……）
Morikuni had long been a member of the Hero Headquarters, and in the course of his duties, he had often been the target of Mysterious Beings. Nevertheless, in recent years, no Mysterious Being had been so brazen as to directly attack Morikuni’s home.
But stories of retired heroes being attacked, while rare in history, were not unheard of. Morikuni gently opened the door once more and peeked out through the small opening.
There it was, a big bear.
At about one and a half meters long, it was not a Mysterious Being, but a wild black bear.
But surprisingly, that wasn’t all.
Rabbits, foxes, raccoons, monkeys, deer, antelopes, and civets. A wide variety of wild animals, numbering more than a dozen, were hanging out in the courtyard of Morikuni’s house.
「What is thiiiiiiiiis!!」
「Ara ara, maa maa, You sure are cute. Sit.」
「No, Kayoko-san, no matter how you think about it, these guys aren’t animals from around here!」
Morikuni couldn’t hide his shock at the fact that his house has unknowingly turned into a safari park. In contrast to Morikuni, Kayoko had already tamed the animals.
「Sorry for coming so early in the morning, former Director Morikuni.」
「It’s been a while, Morikuni-san！」
A man and a woman saluted accompanied with the animals. Both were subordinates whom Morikuni had paid special attention to.
「Samejima Asaka, Kurenai Retto…Is this your doing…?」
「Yes, I, the unworthy Samejima Asaka, have a favor to ask former Director Morikuni, who has a big heart and garden.」
「I could already guess what you was going to ask for just from those words.」
「Then, that means you accept it right! Good for you guys!」
Morikuni placed his hand on his temple, where veins appeared, and took a deep breath.
「Of course no――」
「I think it’s fine.」
Morikuni’s words were interrupted by Kayoko. Morikuni looked at Kayoko incredulously with his mouth agape.
「Kayo- Kayoko-san?」
「Ittetsu-san, you said earlier that you wanted to get a dog.」
「Yes, I said that. I did say that, but look more closely, Kayoko-san, that’s a bear.」
「Yes, I think it’s worth training.」
Kayoko then patted the bear with a big smile. She is indeed bold, being the former first generation hero Momojustice, just like Morikuni. Kayoko treated all wild animals of this caliber as if they were hamsters.
「Thank you, Kayoko-san. It would be helpful if you could keep it for a while until we return them to Ondokozawa.」
「We’ll be coming back periodically to check on you, too! Be good, you guys! Especially you, Kumataro! Don’t try to eat Usataro again!」
「Oi, these guys were eating each other!?」
「That’s because they are wild animals, and when they are hungry, they eat! Isn’t that right, Kumataro!」
His subordinate said something frightening and unknowingly. Despite Morikuni’s misgivings, Kayoko was as happy as if her family had suddenly grown.
Seeing Kayoko smiling happily, Morikuni sighed in resignation.
（I knew we should have had kids……）
Morikuni ruffled his gray-haired head and let out a small smile that no one would notice. Secretly, Morikuni felt a strong attraction to the idea of having the two people he thought of as his own children visit his home on a regular basis. Of course, he never let on that he was thinking about it.
「Geez, they do whatever they want without telling me…… Well, I don’t mind a little liveliness.」
「Arara, If you look closely, Asaka-chan and Retto-chan are covered in mud, aren’t they. Come take a bath at our house」
「Kayoko-san, that’s my morning bath after training……」
「Even if you slack off for a day or so, you won’t get any punishment. Hurry, I have to prepare breakfast. It’s going to be busy today.」
As if to comfort the old man, many animals were staring at Morikuni.
By Effugium January 10, 2024
A warrior’s morning comes early.
The man’s name is Morikuni Ittetsu, also known as Akajustice.
He was the leader of Japan’s first hero team, the Justice Five, and for the past 50 years had been at the forefront of keeping peace in Japan. His history is the history of the Hero Headquarters, and his body is filled with countless old wounds and the souls of those who have fallen, both friend and foe.
However, after 50 years, it is hard to get rid of ingrained habits. Even after announcing his retirement the other day, Morikuni continued to train early in the morning every day without fail.
「Kayoko, I’m off.」
「Take care, Ittetsu-san!」
It was still dark at 5:00 a.m. in February. Morikuni was at his front door, putting on his running shoes and exchanging a few words with his wife, Kayoko.
They had no children together. Morikuni was blessed with military fortune, but he was not blessed with children.
Morikuni believed that he was the reason for this.
For a hero, a family to protect is at the same time an irreplaceable Achilles heel. To start a family before retirement is to expose their beloved family to the threat of Mysterious Beings.
Therefore, when an ordinary hero starts a family, he announces his retirement in his mid-30s at the latest.
However, Morikuni, who carried the title of the first hero and had a strong sense of responsibility, remained active in the front lines until he was forty-eight years old.
After his retirement, Morikuni, who had been in a position of constant danger for 20 years as director of the Hero Headquarters, gave up on having his own children and began to love his subordinates as if they were his own children.
As a teacher and father, he had tried to train younger generations, sometimes harshly and sometimes gently.
「…… Should I try getting a dog next time?」
Morikuni muttered absentmindedly as he finished putting on his shoes.
Kayoko rolled her eyes at the words of the man who had devoted himself to his work and had never even considered keeping an animal until now.
「A big one that is worth training.」
「Ara ara, that would be nice. ……Fufufu」
「Is it weird for me to have a dog?」
「No, I just thought that Ittetsu-san’s eyes were cute and couldn’t help it.」
Morikuni scratched his head in embarrassment and coughed to cover it up. Although he had been with his wife for many years, the veteran warrior Morikuni Ittetsu continued to lose to his wife, Kayoko.
In a quieter voice than before, Morikuni simply said, “I’m off,” and opened the front door.
Then he saw a large hairy shadow hovering in front of him and quickly closed the door.
（What was that just now ……? Was it a Mysterious Being or……? No, it was too small for that……）
Morikuni had long been a member of the Hero Headquarters, and in the course of his duties, he had often been the target of Mysterious Beings. Nevertheless, in recent years, no Mysterious Being had been so brazen as to directly attack Morikuni’s home.
But stories of retired heroes being attacked, while rare in history, were not unheard of. Morikuni gently opened the door once more and peeked out through the small opening.
There it was, a big bear.
At about one and a half meters long, it was not a Mysterious Being, but a wild black bear.
But surprisingly, that wasn’t all.
Rabbits, foxes, raccoons, monkeys, deer, antelopes, and civets. A wide variety of wild animals, numbering more than a dozen, were hanging out in the courtyard of Morikuni’s house.
「What is thiiiiiiiiis!!」
「Ara ara, maa maa, You sure are cute. Sit.」
「No, Kayoko-san, no matter how you think about it, these guys aren’t animals from around here!」
Morikuni couldn’t hide his shock at the fact that his house has unknowingly turned into a safari park. In contrast to Morikuni, Kayoko had already tamed the animals.
「Sorry for coming so early in the morning, former Director Morikuni.」
「It’s been a while, Morikuni-san！」
A man and a woman saluted accompanied with the animals. Both were subordinates whom Morikuni had paid special attention to.
「Samejima Asaka, Kurenai Retto…Is this your doing…?」
「Yes, I, the unworthy Samejima Asaka, have a favor to ask former Director Morikuni, who has a big heart and garden.」
「I could already guess what you was going to ask for just from those words.」
「Then, that means you accept it right! Good for you guys!」
Morikuni placed his hand on his temple, where veins appeared, and took a deep breath.
「Of course no――」
「I think it’s fine.」
Morikuni’s words were interrupted by Kayoko. Morikuni looked at Kayoko incredulously with his mouth agape.
「Kayo- Kayoko-san?」
「Ittetsu-san, you said earlier that you wanted to get a dog.」
「Yes, I said that. I did say that, but look more closely, Kayoko-san, that’s a bear.」
「Yes, I think it’s worth training.」
Kayoko then patted the bear with a big smile. She is indeed bold, being the former first generation hero Momojustice, just like Morikuni. Kayoko treated all wild animals of this caliber as if they were hamsters.
「Thank you, Kayoko-san. It would be helpful if you could keep it for a while until we return them to Ondokozawa.」
「We’ll be coming back periodically to check on you, too! Be good, you guys! Especially you, Kumataro! Don’t try to eat Usataro again!」
「Oi, these guys were eating each other!?」
「That’s because they are wild animals, and when they are hungry, they eat! Isn’t that right, Kumataro!」
His subordinate said something frightening and unknowingly. Despite Morikuni’s misgivings, Kayoko was as happy as if her family had suddenly grown.
Seeing Kayoko smiling happily, Morikuni sighed in resignation.
（I knew we should have had kids……）
Morikuni ruffled his gray-haired head and let out a small smile that no one would notice. Secretly, Morikuni felt a strong attraction to the idea of having the two people he thought of as his own children visit his home on a regular basis. Of course, he never let on that he was thinking about it.
「Geez, they do whatever they want without telling me…… Well, I don’t mind a little liveliness.」
「Arara, If you look closely, Asaka-chan and Retto-chan are covered in mud, aren’t they. Come take a bath at our house」
「Kayoko-san, that’s my morning bath after training……」
「Even if you slack off for a day or so, you won’t get any punishment. Hurry, I have to prepare breakfast. It’s going to be busy today.」
As if to comfort the old man, many animals were staring at Morikuni.
