DGA: The snake sheds its skin

New DGA OVA starring Mio. Canon.
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“Careful with those boxes, Dori!”

Mio grimaces slightly as the lumbering henchman almost topples over a box full of eggs. A nice but dimwitted man, Dori's been with her family ever since she was a child. Mio's always had a great deal of affection for the man, considering him a kind of uncle... but his lack of smarts can prove stressful at times.

“I don't get it boss,” Dori grunts as he hauls boxes from the back of the van. “This ain't what we usually do here?”

Mio turns her head and looks over at the grocers they're currently stocking, before turning her attention back to Dori. “And what is it you usually do at this fine establishment, Dori?”

“Well, usually we just go in and threaten to break the owner's legs if he doesn't give us a cut of his money.”

Mio tuts as she crosses her arms. “Well, we won't be doing that anymore. Instead, he'll be buying eggs and meat from us.”

“... Why?”

“Well,” Mio explains with a wide smile on her face. “I was looking into how much my father was making from this extortion-”

“Your pa told us to call it negotiations.”

“That's neat,” Mio replies. “Anyway, I was looking into how much dad made from this extortion... then I looked into where the supplies from this store came from. Turns out, it's from a humble farm just out of town, that supplies just about all the grocers in the area. I realised that with a small investment, it would a lot more profitable for us to simply buy out the farm and start selling to local stores! It's quicker, easier, more profitable... and not a single law needs to be broken or person hurt!”

Dori stares at Mio for a moment, then lets out a grunt. “Huh... am I still getting paid?”

“Of course!” Mio explains. “Plus, since all you need to do is unload the goods to a few spots, you'll be working less hours. So, you can go home earlier, enjoy one your wife's delicious pies, and play with your new baby tonight!”

“Huh... well, you're the superwoman,” Dori shrugs. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Mio still hasn't gotten used to hearing the word boss in reference to her. She also figures that she never will. Regardless, her work here is done, and now was the time to head home. She had accomplished all her tasks today, the morning visit to her mother and sister's headstones, her orientation of her father's more... thuggish employees, and her instruction on the unloading of the new goods. She knows she likely won't receive much praise for her efforts, but it certainly left a good feeling in her stomach.

The people of Hebi stop and stare at Mio as she makes her way down the street. Understandable. After all... her big secret is out of the bag. Dark Gate Academy... the demons attacking cities... she was able to defend her home, while her friends took part in a larger battle. All eyes have been on the school lately, with every single news station running a story on them at all times. Earlier in the morning, Mio was even able to catch a brief glimpse of Kazuma on the news. With a camera shoved in his face asking questions, he was just as awkward and bumbling of a speaker as Mio imagined. It made her laugh... she made note to give him lessons on public speaking when she comes back... if she comes back.

Mio takes a deep breath at her front door, as she always did. Hesitating to pull that handle and step through that threshold every single time.

Mere seconds into stepping through the doorway, Mio is lambasted by a yelling, screaming, all-too-familiar angry voice.

“Where the hell have you been?!” her step-mother Okiku yells, a permanent scowl on her face. “Huh? Enjoying your time as a celebrity? Basking in the limelight with all the village boys, you runaway tart?”

“No, I was-” Mio begins, but is quick to be cut off.

“While you were out gallivanting in the streets, your father's been dying!” Okiku explains.

Mio pauses. “He... what?”

“He doesn't have much time left,” Okiku snarls. “If you're not to busy, maybe you'd like to speak to him before he bites it.”

Mio drops her bags, and rushes to her father's room. Sure enough, no exaggeration from Okiku, no lies from the woman at all. Mio's father had been sick for a long time, and his condition had been terrible for ages, constantly nearing the end of his days... but judging by how he now rests in his bed, the dryness of his skin, the paleness in his face and the heavy look in his eyes, that final day has finally come. And yet... Mio was surprised. He was moving and eating at the breakfast table this morning... how could he deteriorate this quickly? How?

“D-dad?” Mio mutters, a look of concern on her face.

“Mio...” her fathers voice calls out, raspier and weaker than ever. “Is... is that you my dear? I can't see...”

It had been a long time since Mio's father called her “my dear”. The fearsome Giichi Tanaka hadn't shown her the slightest amount of affection since that day...

“Yes, dad... it's me,” Mio replies. “I'm here.”

Giichi groans in pain and frustration in his bed. Something in him feels off. Not just the illness. His demeanour, his face... it all seems much softer to Mio. Nothing like it had been the years prior.

“I... I had hoped you wouldn't be here...” Giichi explains. “You already watched your mother and your sister die... that's already too much for a young girl like you. But perhaps... you'd be happy to see me off.”

“I...” Mio mutters, her eyes widening in shock at the comment.

“It's alright...” her father assures her. “I wouldn't blame you. All these years... I haven't been your father. Your father wouldn't hurt you, call you a runt... no, those are the actions of a monster.”

“He's delirious,” Okiku scowls. “Stop talking, tramp. You're confusing him-”

“Okiku, please give us a moment alone,” Giichi requests.

“But-”

“Now.”

Even in his condition, Giichi Tanaka's commands are strong, and Okiku soon scampers out of the room.

“Keep her in check when I go,” Giichi mutters. “She cannot be trusted with the business.”

“Dad...” Mio mutters, her eyes becoming misty by impulse. The sight alone of her father in his last moments has begun to set her off. “I... I don't want to see you die... I don't want you to die... daddy, please-”

“Don't call me that,” Giichi replies. “I lost all right to be called your father long ago... and I'm sorry. Nothing can change what I did, what I became... but I'm sorry. My biggest... regret in life, as that I realised this too late to make it up to you.”

“It... it's okay-”

“No, it's not.” Giichi pauses to cough up blood, which Mio quickly cleans with a tissue from the bedside table. “Mio... tell me the truth. Tell me you hate me.”

“I...” Mio begins. “I hate you... but you're my father. You're the only family I have left...”

Mio hunkers down, and places her father's hand in her own.

“When... when we lost your mother and your sister... I was filled with anger, with rage. In many ways I died with them that day... but every time... every time I would look at you, and I would see little Io's face staring back at me... I couldn't handle it. I never saw my living daughter, the last ray of light in my life... no, I was too much of a fool for that. Instead, all I could see in my blind eyes was a ghost of the family I lost, lingering around. You... you never deserved that. You deserved a better life than what I gave you...”

“I forgive you...” Mio replies, clutching his hand tighter. “I forgive you, dad.”

“You shouldn't...” Giichi replies. “I'm not speaking because I seek forgiveness. I'm speaking to tell you that... I was wrong. The way I treated you was wrong... there was never anything wrong with who you were. There was nothing wrong with being Mio Tanaka... it's a lot better than whatever the hell I was.”

Mio feels the sting of a hot tear running down her face. “Why... why are you only saying all this now?”

“I was blind, Mio...” Giichi mutters, before coughing again. “But the beauty of death has this way of making everything clear. When I go... take care of the business. Run it, fix it, tear it to the ground... I don't care anymore. Just do what's best for you... that's all that's ever mattered to me. I want my daughter to smile again. Now... I'll be going soon. I can feel it... I've always felt these kinds of things. I hope that you go on and forget me after this... I'm not worth being remembered.”

“Dad... I can never forget you,” Mio explains. “For better or worse... you, mom and Io... the three of you will always be with me.”

It's then that Mio sees it. The slight smile on her father's face. So weak... but it's there.

“Hmm... and I hope that in the next life I can be... reunited with them. Arashio... Io... but I know I don't deserve that.”

Giichi turns his head to face his daughter, and looks her deep into the eyes. “I... I don't think I've ever told you the story of how your mother and I met.”

“No, you haven't...” Mio smiles warmly. “I've had to make up a new story for it all the time.”

“Well then...” her father replies. “It's about time you heard the truth. It all started back when I was your age, and there was this girl who... who... who...”

As Mio's father speaks, his eyes begin to close, and his grip on Mio's hand loosens... and soon, his breath stops, and his heart stops beating.

“D-dad? Dad... daddy?” Mio sobs as she watches her father slip away, before she loses control and begins to blubber and cry uncontrollably. “Daddy, please! Please wake up! I... I-I'm n-n-not ready to... to... AAAAAAAAH!”

“What's going on?” Okiku burst into the room, and quickly goes silent as she sees the events in the room, Mio holding her father close, tears streaming down her face as she screams in a pain kept in for years and years.

When the dust settles, and Mio is finally able to calm herself, she rises to her feet and passes by Okiku in the doorway.

“Where are you going?” Okiku asks.

Mio gives no answer, instead pressing on to the door, grabbing her bags, and stepping outside.

Mio takes the short walk up the hill by her house, to the beautiful graveyard plot. She stops by the headstones of Arashio and Io Tanaka, and begins to speak.

“Hey mom... hey sis... I, uhh... I'm very sorry about this. But... I'm gonna be going away for a while, and I won't be able to visit every day like I used to. But... it's okay, because dad will be coming, and he'll be able to give you guys company while I'm away. When he gets here... tell him I love him, and I'm sorry I couldn't get to hear his story. I... I'll be back soon enough, there's just... another family I've been neglecting. And right now... I could use some time at home.”

END