The sun hadn't even set yet.

After finishing lunch, my parents and I decided to go home early, and we are currently driving home.

There was no conversation between my parents and me during this time.

My parents seemed distant and anxious.

I don't know why they are acting this way.

Originally, the reason I had accepted their invitation was to find out their intentions.

They suddenly offered to buy me a toy, or suggested I buy something expensive at the food court, and so on.

We are not an overly strict family, but I have never been so spoiled without a reason.

There must be a reason.

But when I mention it, my mom and dad always give me a cryptic answer.

Is it really that hard to say?

Doubts and awkwardness swirled in the car, and only silence flowed.

After twenty minutes of this, we finally arrived home.

The 20 minutes that usually passed so quickly were as long as a whole day.

There was still no sign of my sister at home.

She was probably still playing with her friends.

At this rate, she would probably be back in the evening.

"I-I have to do some laundry..."

"I-I have to do some laundry, too..."

My mom and dad made excuses and tried to get away from me.

I need to continue my studies, and I haven't finished the running I was supposed to do during the day.

Personally, I wanted to go back to my room and go for a run as soon as possible.

But that's not going to happen right now.

"Wait."

I stopped them as they tried to quickly leave.

Of course, Mom and Dad would stop in their tracks if I stopped them.

"What's wrong?"

My mother replied with an awkward smile.

.........

"Are you hiding something from me...?"

"........."

The expressions on their faces indicated that they knew what they were doing.

... I can't go back to my room unless I can figure out their suspicious behavior.

I'm not so indifferent to my parents that I can continue to be unaware of their actions.

I won't stop mentioning them until they tell me why.

My parents must have sensed this because my mom slowly begins to open her mouth.

"Sho, you're the one who's hiding something from us..."

My heart jumped for a second.

Because I knew what she was talking about.

Of course, it's about time travel.

I've been hiding the fact from my parents that I'm here after inheriting memories from 22 years ago.

It's not that I'm hiding it maliciously.

I know that if I told them, they would just dismiss it as childish nonsense.

Then I decided that the best choice was to keep quiet and hide it from them, but I had no idea that I would have to pay the price for hiding something so serious from my parents.

"I'm not blaming, you know. Mom and Dad are worried that Sho has suddenly changed."

"... That's..."

It's true that lately, I have been behaving in a way that is not typical of a first grader.

I used to be an indoor person, but suddenly I started exercising.

I used to hate studying, but suddenly I started studying for junior high school.

Looking back on today's events, it's the same.

I said I didn't want a transformation belt, ordered vegetables at a restaurant that I probably didn't like as a child. I even gave job advice to the new part-timer.

Until now, I had assumed that my parents were insensitive to changes in people, but it was impossible not to notice the change when it was so obvious.

They must have taken me out today to make me believe that it was either my imagination or my conviction.

First of all, I don't remember what kind of kid I was in the first grade.

And I'm not good enough to play a first grader.

When I traveled back in time, I was no longer a first grader.

――No, that's just an excuse.

I'm sure I was oblivious to my surroundings.

I thought I was too dull to be okay, I resigned myself to the fact that I couldn't act like a first grader, and I gave up looking around for any reason.

This was because I was too preoccupied with my own growth.

I was so focused on my physical fitness to be popular with my classmates and studying for my future that I neglected my parents' feelings.

I'm so excited about being happy that I can't see what's going on around me, or I'm just as much of a kid as I look.

"Why don't you tell your dad?"

"......"

"Tell me what's going on."

"......"

My mom and dad get down on their knees to make eye contact with me and ask me sincerely.

All I can do is turn over and remain silent.

And that's why.

That's why I can't tell you, Mom.

My mom and dad are really worried about me, and they're telling me so.

That's why I can't tell them about the time travel.

How could I tell them that I traveled back in time when they were so worried and anxious about it that they were willing to pay to take me out of the house to find out?

Even if it were true, I couldn't say that.

If I were in the opposite position and someone said that to me, I'm sure I would be deeply hurt.

It would be like being told a joke in response to something serious.

That's why I don't open my mouth.

I can't open my mouth.

I don't have any excuse for my change other than the truth of time travel that would satisfy both of us.

Even if I did, it would still be a lie.

The most sincere thing I can say in this situation.

"... I think I've changed a lot. Changed too much maybe...

I was so focused on myself that I didn't even think about mom and dad, and I'm really sorry about that.

My hobbies and my approach to study and exercise have indeed changed, but it's not like I've become a different person or hit my head or anything.

... Well, what can I say?"

I was at a loss for words, but I told my parents exactly what I wanted to say.

"I'm mother and father's child. That's the only thing I can guarantee."

This is the only thing I can guarantee.

In the future, they may behave in ways that are not typical of elementary school children, or they may grow and change so rapidly that the two of them become suspicious.

But I can absolutely guarantee you this.

Even if I travel back in time, even if I'm 28 years old, I'll still be my mother and father's child.

That's what I want my parents to know, so that I don't change so much that they wonder if I'm really their child.

It's pathetic that I can only say such things.

This is the only thing I can say to my parents that makes me feel better.

"... Yes, that's right. You're right."

"Mmm, Sho is our son."

They hug me gently and tell me or themselves that.

They are not 100% convinced.

It was not an explanation or an excuse for anything.

―― But even so, I was able to convey my feelings.

Since that day, I've stopped trying to be too persistent in my studies and physical fitness.

This was partly because I needed to take breaks so that I wouldn't collapse from overwork, but most of all,

More than anything, it was because my mom and dad would be worried if I grew too fast.

I also occasionally report to my mom and dad on my progress in my studies and physical fitness.

Not knowing how much I was growing was another reason why Mom and Dad were worried, so I did this out of consideration for them.

On the contrary, it sometimes surprises me...

Unlike before, mom and dad are not only surprised but also happy to see me grow.

――And I forgot an important thing.

I decided to make an effort to interact with people for the second time in my life.

That's because, in my first life, I didn't interact with people.

I was acting out of a desire to make up for that.

This includes the existence of my parents, from whom I had become estranged in my first life.