I am a Peerless Hero without equal! (WC/Currently in FGO Part 1)

Chapter 78: Grand Acculturation



"""Dear Lord, thank you for this food we are about to eat. We are grateful for Your provision. We ask that You bless this food and continue to guide our family along Your path. In the name of Your son Jesus, amen."""

The whole family, except Ritsuka and Mash, repeated Charlie's prayers. Of the chorus of voices, only Mary's seemed to stand out, as the others blended together.

The dinner was a loud affair as everyone talked about their day. Close to a dozen people sat around two tables, each with two benches. The benches themselves were smooth, with any sharp edges gone after what must've been years of usage.

Charlie went first, as befitting his position as head of the household. He sat by the table where most of the older people sat, with the younger kids having their own.

"—And then Willas over there said how he's sure to find a diamond today at the mine, only to find more coal!" Charlie spoke between chuckles. After finishing, he ate several spoonfuls of the cabbage stew.

Willas, who sat next to Charlie, simply smiled. His face spoke of tiredness just like Charlie's, "Well, I did have a dream about it yesterday."

It was completely different from a Japanese family dinner, where the sound louder than a whisper is rarely heard and even then, it persists for scantily more than a few seconds. In Japan, meals are often for appreciation rather than a medium for social interaction.

Ritsuka's gaze changed from Charlie to the next person talking: James. Ritsuka's stew remained mostly untouched, unlike the others.

Frankly, the stew was terrible. It consisted mostly of soft cabbage leaves, some root vegetables, and water. There was no spice or anything. Ritsuka's tongue could taste just the barest hint of salt diluted within the bowl of stew. It was so subtle that the teen questioned whether it existed.

"Today at the factory we managed to pass a day without anyone getting hurt."

Such a morbid statement sent Ritsuka into a frenzy. Before his thoughts could catch up, he felt his mouth move. "... how often do workers get injured?"

James faced Ritsuka. His blue eyes grew distant as his spoon settled within his bowl, "I'm not great at math, but I heard yesterday some poor sod lost his left hand by the lathe machine. Heh."

James ended with a smirk at the corner of his mouth. It was as though the whole idea of someone losing a body part greatly amused him. Ritsuka figured it was probably gallows humor for the sake of his sanity. He doesn't want to think ill of the sons of his hosts.

"That is most heartening to hear. Perhaps you shall at last manage a full week without mishap." Willas remarked. He took another sip of the mug next to him.

Seeing this, Ritsuka was reminded of his own mug.

And the mugs of all the other kids. All of them had mugs next to their bowl of soup, filled to the brim with beer from that casket. All of the kids- from the youngest who could barely enter elementary school to the oldest— drank from their mugs.

"Do you guys not drink water?" Ritsuka had to ask, his brows furrowing, the jarring scene becoming unbearable to his modern sensibilities.

Children should not drink alcohol. It was something he knew about for as long as his memories reached back.

"Ah, you mustn't trust the water, Ritsuka. Only last month, the Bloody Flux struck down many who drank from a nearby pump, leaving some to perish in a most dreadful state, shitting blood and filth alike." Charlie replied crudely. He took a spoonful of the soup and swallowed it.

Mary continued, "It's why wine is the Son's blood during the Last Supper."

Though Ritsuka has no idea what the Bloody Flux is, he did recall that for most of the world's history, most humans drank alcohol since water was often deadly and full of pathogens. Drinking water often caused one to gain dysentery, which must be what the Bloody Flux was referring to.

Nonetheless, Ritsuka's lips thinned until they couldn't be seen anymore. Seeing kids drinking alcohol was distasteful.

"Why don't you tell us a bit about Japan, then?" Mary asked tilting her head, her cheeks resting atop her right hand as the other held a spoon. "Being so far from home, you two must be feelin' lonely."

Ritsuka was about to object to Mary's assessment, before thinking about how he decorated his room with Zvednyy's help. The girl took several art supplies and started creating a painting of his home street on the outskirts of Tokyo. She listened as he talked about details such as an old abandoned house nearby, his mother having dinner ready after he returned home, and his knees dirtied from falling during a soccer match. His mother rushed to get a band-aid around his wounds.

Every bit of info he talked about caused Zvezdnyy to add further details to the painting. By the time she was done, Ritsuka was surprised at how accurate it was. An almost photo-realistic painting of a house. Not his own, but it was close.

"Japan is an island of contrasts." Ritsuka started, "It is a place where tradition and modernity walk hand in hand. There, you'll find shrines framed by wooden gates painted red. Nearby, you could find yourself in the hustle of a city full of neon lights. In Akihabara, you'll find the center of anime culture. There, small statues of all your favorite characters exist behind the windows of innumerable shops." Speaking of Akihabara, Ritsuka was reminded of the shopping street of London.

"What are neons? And what's anime?" John asked. Everyone else also paid attention, gazing at Ritsuka like he was some exotic animal at a zoo they'd never seen before.

This time Mash answered as Ritsuka struggled to find words to describe the gas, "Neon is the second noble has of the periodic table. It is often used in lighting, as neon can create a very vibrant glow."

Like a tree sprouting more branches as it grows, Mash's answer only resulted in more questions. John asked Mash what a noble gas was, followed by what a periodic table was.

"A noble gas is an air that's very unreactive. And a periodic table is a catalog of all atomic elements in the world created in 1869 by Dmitri Mendeleev."

"What do you mean by unreactive? And who is Dmitri Mendeleev?" John further questioned as he stared into Mash's eyes with an intensity never seen before.

Such an act caused Ritsuka's senses to be on edge.

"Reactivity describes how proficient a material could undergo transformation. And Dmitri Mendeleev is a chemist from Russia. He is well-known for predicting future, as of yet discovered elements," Mash said.

John nodded slowly as his gaze returned to his soup. Was John flirting with Mash? Ritsuka quickly dismissed that thought.

"Well, ain't you right learned for someone in your station." Mary spoke with a bit of a frosty tone, "All I need to know's already been given to me. Ain't no need to learn nothin' more."

'In her station'? Ritsuka glanced at Mash, wondering what Mary could mean by that.

Mash seemed embarrassed, saying, "Um, it's just facts Doctor Romani taught me. He always made sure I have a proper education."

"Is everyone in Japan so well-learned? Even the womenfolk?" Mary asked with an indiscernible look on her face.

"Yes." Ritsuka affirmed, taking Mash's place, "In Japan, it is required by law that every child must go to school up until the age of 18. Afterward, pretty much everyone pursues universities and colleges. In Japan, a child cannot work if they're under 15. In Japan, we can drink water straight from the pump since the chances of disease outbreaks are next to nonexistent. In Japan, women can walk at night without the worry of being accosted by thugs. In Japan, the streets are clean and without filth."

Ritsuka's tone was one of veiled disdain. He told them how much better Japan was compared to this place. Why he was essentially flexing modern amenities Ritsuka doesn't know. It just felt right. He felt like he had just taken a breath of fresh air after being suffocated.

"Yours must be a land of plenty then, oh how much I wish to visit," Richard said, "My dream is to one day travel the world. I will save up enough money that I can travel and see Egypt and its famous pyramids, the British Raj and its famous monuments, the Forbidden City in China, and finally end with Japan, the land of plenty."

Charlie looked at Richard with a sad expression—the same look a parent might give when their child says something outrageous like they want to be a unicorn when they grow up.

"Can't you see those on postcards?" Wyatt asked from the other table.

"I wish to see them with my own eyes, not through the eyes of an artist. Every night I go to sleep, I dream of an angel giving me wings, permitting me to fly across the world, and venturing deep into the jungles of the Congo Free States. I want to find the cryptids."

Hearing of Richard's aspiration, only now did it sink in how friendly everyone was. Compared to the racist police reception, none of the present ever remarked on Ritsuka's race in a negative light.

"You will do no such things, Richard." Mary said harshly, "You'll get yourself a job in a factory, marry a good girl, have plenty of children, and grow old with her, surrounded by your family. That's the greatest joy a man or woman can know, far better than gallivantin' round the world and endin' up dead like your older brothers."

Mary's rejection plugged Richard's mouth, causing frustration to flare up in the boy's eyes. Seeing how frosty the table suddenly became, Mary's eyes flickered from one to another, until she stopped at Chloe.

"Chloe, why don't you share your dream with Ritsuka?"

The girl paused, she scratched her face as if thinking how to reply, "I, uh, I wish I could work as a maid at a noble's mansion. I want to worm my way into his heart, being the ever-diligent maid and taking care of him even as he's sick. I want to marry him."

Mary and Charlie nodded in approval while Richard looked even more frustrated.

Ritsuka could sympathize. Chloe just described something straight out of a romance novel from the perspective of a maid as she slowly seduces the lord of the mansion. It was something only a little bit more realistic than Richard's own dream of traveling the world.

"What about you, Ritsuka? What's your dream?" James asked.

James's words immediately made Ritsuka think of the home he grew up in. That suburban house on the outskirts of Tokyo. His parents were waiting for him by the door, smiling, and waving as he returned from Chaldea. Then they would embrace, a long overdue hug for over a year now.

"I wish to return home."

Mary had an indiscernible look on her face. James faced Mash, "And yours Mash? Do you also wish to return home?"

"Yes, I…" Mash trailed off, her posture screamed of uncertainty, "I do wish to return home as well."

It was understandable. Mash only knows of Chaldea. She doesn't know of the outside world. She's like Zvezdnyy in that case, which makes it all the more surprising when the two didn't bond as much as Zvezdnyy bonded with Ritsuka.

"I just wish I could live another day," Willas said frankly as he placed his empty mug down on the table, "God has already taken my family. The longer I live, the longer I can spite him."

That caused Ritsuka to stare at Willas with one that spoke of bewilderment.

Mary's lips thinned, "The Lord always takes the loveliest flowers from His garden first."

Willas stared into his empty mug with a forlong expression, "Yeah well this flower has thorns. And those thorns grow longer day by day."

Mary sighed, "What's happened to you, Willas? You were more devout than I ever was. But now look at you, turnin' your back on God's love?"

"I turned my back when I discovered my wife and son's piles of ashes. Spontaneous Human Combustion they call it. Hah! Fuck that explanation. God has something out for me."

"Alright come on," Charlie said as he got up, "You're drunk Willas. Let's get you to bed."

"I am not!" He protested. Charlie tapped on Willas's shoulder and his resistance collapsed faster than a popping balloon, "... Maybe I am."

Willas followed Charlie up to the second floor. With his departure, the room fell into silence, which was quickly replaced by Mary's voice: "Ritsuka, might you be a noble in Japan?"

"Oh, we don't have those anymore. The nobility was abolished long before I was born."

"Oh, I see, so Japan's like France—a republic, is it?" Mary mumbled to herself, before asking, "How'd the pair of you manage to get all the way to Britain from Japan? Must've cost a pretty penny, eh?"

It was here that Ritsuka realized he couldn't share much more information. Telling her something as ridiculous as 'him being from the future' would only cause doubts, and not sharing anything at all would tell Mary Ritsuka doesn't trust her very much.

"I'm part of a Company. We wish to establish a foothold here in London. I'm one of their scouts."

Mary nodded slowly.

The meal concluded with everyone retiring to bed. As Ritsuka was guided to his bed, he thought about everything that happened so far today. And he felt just tired. So even when the 'bed' he was guided to was nothing more than some sheets and blankets resting on the floor, no mattress anywhere in sight, the teen didn't react much and merely slipped in, with his Mystic Code and all.

"Wait. You can't sleep in armor. Fortunately, I work as a needleworker."

Mash chose to change her clothing into the ones Mary gave her. Mary was truly a kind woman, as her other children all slept in the same outfits they ate dinner in. However, it seemed there was no divide between genders. Everyone just slept on the third floor of this house.

It was sad that no one bothered bathing. Nor did anyone brush their teeth. Such was this age, or perhaps such was the living circumstances of this poor family.

As Ritsuka tucked into bed, his blanket right next to James and Richard, the teen's ears suddenly picked up the faintest sound of… someone crying. The barely audible sound hovered on the periphery, resting on the precipice of non-existence. It was like someone trying really hard not to be noticed.

Ritsuka stopped, as still as a statue. His head slowly rotated around like an owl, trying to find the direction of that crying.

He stopped at a corner, where William slept facing the wall away from the rest of the room.

"Hey Ritsuka," Richard whispered to him, halting any thoughts of the older teen taking action about this situation, "Did you guys have something similar to the Chittering in your place?"

"The what?" Ritsuka whispered back as his legs slid into the blankets.

"The Chittering. When the Chittering comes, the Rat King is sure to follow."

Though Richard may not be able to see Ritsuka's blank stare in this lightless place, he must've felt it with the teen's silence. The confused silence. So he elaborated, "It's just something that happens every now and then here in the slums. When the night's darkness is cast in full, a flood of chittering noises come and everyone must stay indoors."

"Uh-huh," Ritsuka replied, sounding unconvinced. What Richard said sounded like a horror story parents would tell their kids to get them to behave. It was like the bogeyman in America. While he has summoned people from myth and legends, those who lived fantastical lives and created an empire that spanned the known world, Ritsuka simply chalked this 'Rat King' to be the bogeyman of this era, something that faded from memories as time passes.

And yet… there's just something in Richard's tone that makes Ritsuka want to believe him.

"It does happen! I've lived through it myself." Richard whispered, much louder this time to show how serious he was.

"Of course you have."

"When you hear the Chittering, a flood of noises would come. It would devour all who stay in darkness. It is fearful of the light. My mama explained how it's because they fear the light of God. As all vermins do."

And that's when Ritsuka knew for sure it was a tale Mary came up with. "We don't have the Chittering."

"Oh. How lucky…"

With that, Ritsuka lay his head on the pillow and slept. He dreamed of the times before Chaldea, a simpler time back in high school.

_____

AN: Did you guys know Acculturation is actually a word? I sure didn't.

Anyway, more comments pls.

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