Premise: A failed father apologizes to his daughter for his shortcomings.
They had done it. Kazuma had managed to defeat the Demon King and now the entire country was celebrating his defeat. The fact that the party to do it was from the beginner town of Axel made headlines in the newspapers. Of course, with the confirmation of the feat coming from the royal family, everyone stopped doubting.
Megumin could say she truly felt happy at the moment. She was with a man she loved, evil was thwarted, and they still had many adventures ahead of them. However, during the night of celebration at the guild which Kazuma offered to pay for everything, Megumin had been approached by Luna, the resident guild manager, about a letter she had received in the mail. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary, adventurers usually moved locations often so it was more convenient for the guild to hold mail for them all.
Megumin had written a few times back to the Crimson Demon Village, sometimes to her little sister or parents. In return, her parents would send one or she might even get some from her old classmates like Arue, but those were usually drafts of a story she wanted to publish—typical meaningless rubbish.
She got up from her table with Aqua, Darkness, and Yunyun and went to inform Kazuma that she would be stepping out briefly to read the letter but he was too busy with the men using steal on one of Chris who looked mortified. She stepped out and looked at the gravel path that led back to the city's heart. The wind nicked at her shoulders which caused her to shiver. Electing to ignore the cold temperature, Megumin sat on the top step and opened the parchment. It read:
Megumin, it's your father, Hyoizaburo.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he didn't introduce himself with any of the usual Crimson Demon theatrics. Aside from Yunyun, they all enjoyed participating in it.
Your mother and I heard about your party's success as of late, the Demon King's defeat being the catalyst for why I am writing this letter. Komekko's been bragging to all the townsfolk that her big sister beat the Demon King, which as you can imagine, has made everyone else jealous. It's only natural, you're our daughter after all!
Megumin smiled at her sister's antics. Of course, she would brag, Komekko adored her big sister. Her heart felt lighter after reading that part. It was nice to know that news spread quickly, even to a more remote village like the Crimson Demons.
Alas, that's not why I'm writing to you today. I haven't run this by your mother, the shame of what I'm going to say is something I don't want her to see.
If there was something Megumin understood about her father it was that he wasn't the most emotional man. To think there was something he would admit to feeling shameful about made her worry.
With all you have accomplished, it truly dawned on me how I have failed you as a father. I thought it was right to chase my dreams with craftmanship, even if I didn't possess the most skill, because I wanted you and Komekko to do the same. I had wished to set a good example.
Megumin's frown deepened with this. She admired her father's willpower to keep trying even if he wasn't gifted at his job. Heck, that's how she learned to be stubborn in learning only one spell! No matter the negatives, keep trying! Still, she heard the hushed whispers behind open hands in an attempt to conceal their voices. Megumin tried not to let them bother her and she never brought it up to her father. She should have known he heard the gossip himself, though.
She did want to say something to all those people.
I failed in that regard. You kids went hungry because I couldn't provide as the man of the house and that's unacceptable. I convinced myself that these things were necessary and normal, that it was to be expected that we go a few times with a little hunger to improve myself. But then, a few times became more frequent. Once a month became once a week, once a week became a few days a week. At first, it was just me and your mother. Then, you came along and as you grew up, your needs increased. Komekko was just the icing on the cake. We couldn't afford one child, let alone two. Did you know your mother had wanted more kids? She loves children. Before you were born, she had helped in the Red Prison school in town because she just wanted to be around them. Do you know how it felt to tell her that if we had another kid, they might die because her body wouldn't have the nourishment it needs to carry it to term?
Her eyes watered at the thought of her mother's dreams crushed like that. She had heard about her mother's volunteer work at the Red Prison, but she had thought it was a simple one and done. Not something that she consistently did. But it was without question that she loved her two children. She couldn't feed them the food they wanted, or buy them the clothes they asked for, but she tried her hardest to make them forget about their poverty in whatever way she could.
"Mom..." Megumin muttered to herself. The cold breeze was her only companion in the night.
Even through all the crap I put her through, all the broken promises, she still stood by me. Megumin, if there's anything I hope you inherit from your mother, it's her unwavering loyalty. If I didn't have her by my side, I would only be half the man I am now.
And she did. Megumin looked back toward the slightly ajar door with yellow light peering from it, the raucous laughter even making its way outside. She smiled softly, she loved her friends. She loved Axel, too. Megumin couldn't imagine herself with any other people in her party. Darkness and Aqua were the older sisters she never had and Kazuma... he was the only boy to give her the time of day and encourage her dreams. He could have dumped her by the curb whenever he wanted, but he didn't. For all of the bad rumors spread around about him, he was a good man.
But even then, that's not the end of it. I never trained with you on your magic and I never picked you up from school. Worse off, I never did get better at craftsmanship. Do you remember how you felt bad about how the village treated you when they found out you only learned the Explosion spell? Well, let's just say you're not the only one whom the village considers a joke. It's hard to sell a product when you have to admit to all the issues they have. But unlike me, you managed to shed that ridicule with amazing magical prowess and feats. Unfortunately for me, I never did and I don't think I ever will. Look at me, a man in his late 30s who still can't get it right. Perhaps it's time to do something else.
"Dad.. you don't have to change for me." The mage said out loud as if the message could somehow reach him.
Maybe if I had learned this lesson earlier, I could have bought you that dress you always pestered us to get you. I could have taken you to a nice restaurant as a family. We could have gone on a trip or two outside the village. Too many what-ifs, if you ask me. With all that said, I hope you can forgive your failure of a father. I hope that Kazuma boy is treating you well and I pray that he can provide for you in a way that I never could.
- Your Father, Hyoizaburo
She read the letter over and over as she tried to make heads or tails of it. True, Megumin hadn't had the best childhood compared to most, but she never felt resentful of her father for any of it. He tried and that's all she could ask for. She wanted him to know that. Megumin thought back to all the time that had passed since she started as an adventurer and almost sobbed at the idea that her father was holding all those thoughts to himself. He didn't show it but that was par for the course for him. The man could be loud and eccentric when he wanted to and completely serious the next, but he was never one to open up as far as she knew. Wiping her eyes and steeling herself, she went back inside the Guild Hall to find Yunyun. She was the main person she knew who had learned the Teleport spell.
Hyoizaburo sat alone during the night of the celebration as Yuiyui and Komekko went to the local festival in town. It was a nice night to go out, but he couldn't find it in himself to leave the house. Yuiyui had tried to persuade him to go with them, but he refused her every time. Finally, she let her fake smile drop, took Komekko's hand, and walked away. He felt bad about rejecting the offer, but he didn't have the heart to fake it the entire night. Just another mess-up to add to the collection.
He sat by the window and stared out of it, thinking about where everything went wrong. The front of the house was just a trail and some boring grassland, nothing exceptionally pretty to look at. The only companions he had tonight were the bugs making noises further away. His eyes widened, however, when he saw his eldest daughter running toward the house, almost frantic.
Immediately, he went to open the door to let her in. She stopped in the doorway and bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. The poor girl never had the best stamina.
"Megumin! What are you doing here?" He asked her in confusion. She should be celebrating with her friends, not worrying about him of all people. "Actually, how did you even get here so fast?"
"Your letter!" She forced out, ignoring his last question, as she slowly stood upright once again. "I had to come set things straight."
Oh. Had she perhaps come to put him in his place, or maybe she had even more to add to the list? Megumin would be justified, of course, he would listen to whatever she had to say.
Hyoizaburo wanted to offer her something to drink, but he couldn't because the last of the water had been given to Komekko after they had eaten their rice porridge. The guilt of not being able to offer the simplest of things ate at him. This just proved it again!
Megumin took a deep breath before beginning. "I'll just come out and say it. Dad, I don't want you to change."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You don't? Why not?"
She sighed and looked toward the ground. "I know that growing up things were tough for us, but I accepted that a long time ago. I won't lie, at first, I hated it. It bothered me that the other girls could get all the nice clothes and get food whenever they wanted." Determined, she looked back up towards her father. "But if it means that you get to keep trying to achieve your dreams, then I was willing to bear it. The only reason I could stick to explosion magic was because I modeled myself after you!"
"You did?" Hyoizaburo wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Megumin nodded with a smile, "Of course I did! What was the point of being successful with the status quo if it meant being miserable that I didn't get to achieve what I wanted? I would never be happy with normal spells, and I don't think you would be happy doing anything else either."
Hyoizaburo shook his head. "That's a nice sentiment, but as your father, if it meant the difference between you girls going hungry or not, I should have done whatever I could to make sure you all could eat." He closed his eyes in resignation. "I was never able to throw you a birthday party, never let you go out with your friends around town, and.. and-" He was silenced with a small hand on his arm.
"Just stop, I know everything you're gonna mention." Megumin walked past him with a sad look. She sat down at their small floor table in the middle of the 'dining room', indicating for her father to do the same. Taking the hint, he sat across from her with his arms crossed, the same as he always did during family time.
"I can't say that what you said isn't true, Dad. Parents make sacrifices to make sure their kids are happy. I learned as much taking care of Komekko. Maybe you should have." Her father let out a sigh but said nothing in return. "But the past is the past. There's no point in crying over spilled milk. I'm an adult now, so you can't take anything back but... Komekko is still small. You can still do something for her and I'm still going to send money back here to help out."
Hyoizaburo's eyes softened. "I can?" He asked tentatively, hesitatingly, as if he could hardly believe it himself.
Megumin smiled. "Komekko hasn't even started school yet. If you want to be there for her more often, then you can start right now. I saw both Mom and Komekko at the festival. You should be there with them, you know."
Hyoizaburo was torn between feeling unending gratefulness for his daughter's patience, and mortification that he needed a pep talk from his daughter. Embarrassment could wait until later, though. His family still needed him. He managed a smile for her, "I don't deserve you."
Megumin rolled her eyes and got up to approach him around the table. The height difference made it so her father's head was as high as her neck. She put her arms out and wrapped them around his head in a hug.
"I wouldn't want anyone else as my dad. I love you."
Hyoizaburo leaned his head into her as a lump formed in his throat. He couldn't have gotten any luckier with his eldest daughter. They stayed in that position for a little while, with Megumin rubbing his head softly. Eventually, they parted with a smile in each other's direction.
Making a small noise of effort, her father rose from his position on the floor, "Well, I guess I better catch up to your mother and sister, huh?"
With a grin, Megumin held his hand in hers. "Can I come with you this time?"
Hyoizaburo then had a genuine smile on his face. "Of course, let's go!"
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Crimson Demon Village, sat Yunyun on an old log.
"Megumin sure is taking a while..."