Life After Death: The Strength Of Suffering

"Thank you for having us!" I chuckled lightly as I gestured for the two young ladies to enter my home. As they stepped in, Misato bowed politely.

"Thank you again, Umemura-san."

I waved her off with a smile. "It's quite alright. You both bring life to this place—"

Before I could finish, Amanai's voice rang out as she dashed down the hallway and bolted up the stairs.

"I pick the room nearest to Ojii-san's!"

Raising an eyebrow, I shrugged and called after her. "That's fine, Amanai-san!"

Turning to Misato, who let out a soft sigh, I smiled. "Hope she doesn't mind snoring."

She laughed lightly, then picked up one of the bags. I fell into step beside her as we moved through the house.

"I hope you haven't already prepared anything to eat, Umemura-san." she said. "Riko-san and I are planning to make a feast as a thank you."

I laughed softly, running a hand through my beard. Shaking my head, I reassured her.

"No, I haven't made anything."

She nodded in approval as we reached the bottom of the stairs. "I see. Well, once we've settled in, we'll get started on the meal."

"Take your time." I replied with a wave of my hand.

I watched as she turned to head upstairs, then I made my way to Kaede's shrine.

Entering the quiet room that housed her shrine and nothing else, I knelt down, my eyes locking onto the portrait that resembled her.

'I'm sorry I wasn't able to get a photo of us.'

Bowing my head to the shrine, I closed my eyes.

'I've met a young child who reminds me so much of you.' Though I didn't expect an answer, the cold unyielding silence weighed heavily on me.

'She has a maid who's a Sorcerer, and I fear they might be in danger'.

Clenching my fists, a sharp pain radiated through my left leg.

'I've fallen so far from my former strength that I can hardly recognize the man I see in the mirror each morning.'

A month after my first encounter with a "Modern Curse" I'd woken in the night to a dull pain running through my leg. I'd brushed it off as arthritis, nothing I couldn't endure.

'I wish we could've grown old together, Kaede.'

A faint smile crossed my lips as I opened my eyes, gazing at the photo.

"Please watch over me, Kaede."

With a suppressed groan, I rose to my feet and made my way out of the room. In the hallway, I noticed Amanai leaning against the wall to my right.

"Everything okay, Amanai-san?"

She looked down at the floor, her small frown catching my attention. I raised an eyebrow as she hesitated before looking up, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Riko."

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion. Her timid demeanor shifted into a sharp glare.

"Riko!"

Holding up my hands, I responded calmly. "Do you want me to call you by your first name?"

She gave a firm nod. Sighing, I relented.

"Very well, Riko-chan. You can call me—"

Before I could finish, she spun around to face the other end of the hallway leading to the kitchen.

"Come on, Ojii-san!"

My eye twitched as I watched her retreating figure. With a sigh, I muttered to myself.

"Youth..."

~Scene Change~

Two months had passed since Misato and Riko moved in with me, and it had been a joy to say the least.

I didn't have to worry about cleaning the house anymore. Misato took care of it most of the time, with Riko and me pitching in every now and then. Riko and I also often spent time gardening or chatting about her school life.

However, not everything was perfect. My left leg had worsened to the point where I now relied on painkillers to manage the discomfort.

'If it gets worse after another month or two, I'll see a doctor.'

On top of that, I had lost both small amounts height and muscle mass, which I chalked up to my body adjusting somehow.

'I need to read more books.' I mused, rolling my shoulders as I descended the stairs.

The aroma of something delicious hit me as I reached the bottom step, and I was greeted by Riko's cheerful voice.

"Good morning, Ojii-san!"

Yawning, I turned the corner into the living room where Riko and Misato were busy preparing breakfast. I waved with a smile.

"Good morning, Riko-chan, Misato-san."

I made my way to the table, sitting down as the two young women finished their preparations. Soon, they joined me with a spread of breakfast dishes.

"Your cooking has improved, Riko-chan." I remarked, noticing the omurice on my plate was only slightly charred this time.

Riko beamed with pride. "Thanks, Ojii-san!"

I glanced at Misato, who looked on with fondness, before we all said our thanks and began eating.

For a moment, the room was filled with only the sounds of breakfast, until Riko broke the silence with a question I wasn't particularly eager to answer.

"Ojii-san?"

I hummed in acknowledgment, keeping my focus on my plate.

"When was the last time you went to the doctor?"

I paused, considering my response before calmly replying, "Just before you two moved in. My doctor told me I was still as strong as an ox!"

To emphasize my point, I flexed my left arm with a confident grin.

'Not a complete lie, anyway.'

While the part about the doctor was fabricated, I wasn't lying about the ox comparison. Riko, however, narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously before humming in acknowledgment.

"If you say so. Also, can you walk me to school today?"

I chuckled lightly and nodded. "Of course, Riko-chan. But I'm curious, why bring up the doctor?"

She looked down at her plate, gripping her chopsticks tightly, before letting out a soft sigh.

"Don't old people need to see doctors more often?"

I felt an arrow pierce my heart at the sheer bluntness.

"Riko! Umemura-san isn't that old," Misato interjected, though her words weren't exactly reassuring.

'Was that supposed to make me feel better?'

Riko glanced between Misato and me with a curious tilt of her head.

"How old are you, Ojii-san?"

My eye twitched at the question before I threw my hands up dramatically.

"I'm not old, you brat!"

What followed was a lively exchange of banter, everyone wearing smiles as breakfast carried on.

'I could get used to this.'

~Scene Change~

"See you later, Ojii-san!"

I waved to Riko as she dashed into the school grounds, watching her disappear into the crowd of students before letting out a quiet sigh.

'I wish we could've had moments like that, Kaede.'

Turning away from the school entrance, I strolled along the pavement, my thoughts drifting back to my time sealed away.

'If it wasn't for a strong mind, I would've gone insane.'

While I hadn't been fully conscious of the outside world during my imprisonment, I'd been trapped within my own mind a place I had always tried to avoid. In that solitude, I was forced to accept that Kaede, along with my newborns had long since left this world. Even decades later, the thought remained sobering.

'Though, if I were in my prime, I would've shown this world pain.'

I snorted at the thought, a faint memory of a life once lived briefly resurfacing before fading into the haze of my other memories. The weight of those memories brought another sigh.

'Memories are just that, Ryou—'

My train of thought halted as I detected the faintest trace of Cursed Energy.

'That's not a fight... or is it?'

Eyes narrowing, I kept my senses sharp, feeling the lingering energy just beyond the edge of my perception.

'Could this be tied to why Riko and Misato had to move?'

As I walked past a shop window, my reflection caught my eye, causing me to pause.

'Why am I so worried about this?'

Sure, I cared for the two young ladies, but if a decent Sorcerer were to attack I'd be more of a liability than an asset in my current state.

'Maybe it's just someone patrolling.'

Shaking off my unease, I continued on my way home, where the faint scent of freshly brewed tea greeted me.

'Misato's been cleaning again.'

A smile crept onto my face as I approached the house.

'That woman's a workaholic.'

But as the comforting aroma filled my senses, I found myself thinking:

'I guess it doesn't really matter.'

~Scene Change~

Gardening had unexpectedly become a shared hobby between Riko and I. It all began when Riko insisted my backyard needed more colour, and I'd casually told her she could do whatever she wanted to improve it. If I'd known that would lead to me digging holes and planting flowers, I still wouldn't have changed a thing, especially not the day we planted our first Azalea together.

"Ojii-san, how's your side coming along?"

With our backs to each other, I replied while carefully digging a small hole for a Hydrangea. "Almost done on my side, Riko-chan. How about you?"

Instead of a verbal response, cold water splashed against the back of my neck, sending a shiver up my spine. I froze for a moment before slowly turning to see Riko standing behind me, a mischievous grin plastered across her face. She wore her tracksuit and held a bucket of water in one hand, clearly the culprit.

"Riko—"

Before I could finish, she dipped her free hand into the bucket and flicked more water at me.

"Oh, it's on, Riko-chan!"

Her eyes widened in surprise as I quickly rolled away toward my secret weapon, a water gun I had stashed nearby for days like this.

"W-wait, Ojii-san! I was just joking!"

I stood up, aiming the water gun at her with a serene smile. "Riko-chan?"

She backed up until her shoulders pressed against a tree, clutching her bucket as if it were a shield.

"Ha!" She laughed nervously before reaching behind the tree and pulling out a water gun of her own.

"It's on, Ojii-san!"

And with that, the battle began.

~Scene Change~

"How many times do I have to tell you both that Umemura-san cannot roughhouse?" Misato's sharp voice cut through the quiet car as Riko and I sat in the backseat. My left leg rested on the console, and Riko clutched my hand tightly.

I offered Misato a weary smile. "I'm alright, Misato-san. I'm sure it's just a sprain."

During our water war, my leg had flared up unexpectedly causing me to trip and fall. Now, I was headed to the doctor sooner than I'd planned. 'Though I suppose I would've had to go eventually.'

"Still, it was irresponsible! What if you had—"

I cut her off, my tone calm as I tried to ease both her frustration and Riko's guilt. "I don't fear the 'what ifs' Misato-san. We only have one life, so what's the point in worrying about things that didn't happen? And anyway, it's not like Riko started it."

I gave Riko's hand a reassuring squeeze. She looked up at me with guilt ridden eyes just as we arrived at the doctor's office. With Riko and Misato's help, I climbed out of the car, and we walked into the waiting room, where the receptionist greeted us.

"Do you have an appointment?"

I nodded and provided my name. As she checked her computer, her gaze flicked up toward Riko and Misato.

"Are they relatives?"

Before I could answer, Riko blurted out. "I'm his granddaughter!"

I glanced down to see her ears burning red and gently patted her head, making her dip slightly in embarrassment. Turning back to the receptionist, I spoke firmly but politely. "They're both related to me. Is that a problem?"

She quickly shook her head and handed me a form to sign. Once I was done, she gestured to the hallway on my left. "The doctor is already waiting for you, sir."

I nodded in thanks. With Riko still gripping my hand and Misato walking alongside us, we headed down the hall.

At the end of the hallway, the doctor stood waiting outside his office. When he saw us, he waved us in. "Please, come in."

Inside, the three of us took seats on one side of the table while the doctor settled on the other. He glanced at his computer before addressing me. "What seems to be the issue today, Umemura-san?"

'How does he—oh, right. Computer records.'

I paused briefly, then answered truthfully knowing full well the ride home might feel tense. "For the past six or seven months, my left leg has been flaring with pain. At first, it wasn't too bad something I could handle, but today was the worst it's been. Sometimes the pain makes it hard to walk."

The doctor hummed thoughtfully as Riko's grip on my hand tightened.

"Well." he said. "We'll need to run some tests. It might take a month or so to get all the results, but I'll start with the tests we can do today and go from there."

I nodded in agreement, and the testing began.-

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{Author here,

As I mentioned in previous chapters that once I started the next arc I would change my schedule, so here it is:

--

Week One:

🥩 Life After Death: Strength of Suffering

Week Two:

🥩 My Journey in One Piece!

Chapter Release Schedule:

Monday: Chapter 1 - Tier 1

Tuesday: Chapter 2 - Tier 1

Wednesday: Chapter 1 - Free / Chapter 3 - Tier 1

Thursday: Chapter 2 - Free / Chapter 4 - Tier 1 <- Today

Friday: Chapter 5 - Tier 1

--