Chapter 1: 1: Happy Family Get-Together

Tanaka family is a family that loves cats.

The dexterous father, Kazushi (65)

The great cook mother, Yoriko (65)

The natural airhead eldest son, Wataru (38)

The cheapskate eldest daughter, Minato (35)

The unfortunate second son, Heita (33)

Starting this year, both parents are living from pensions in one of Japan’s prominent rural areas.

The three siblings are singles, each living on their own.

The three of them are of suitable age to marry, but no one can get married.

The eldest son works at a construction site as a contractor, the eldest daughter is an office lady, the second son does part-time in a convenience store for livelihood.

Several times a year when the parents leave the rural area, the family will gather and have mother’s cooking.

The decided place for gathering is the relatively big condominium of the eldest daughter, Minato.

Today’s menu is a hot pot.

Without anyone being late, dinner started soon.

If it is the usual, what will the working guys do? Kou who works overtime and Heita who has a loose sense of time will usually come late. But today, we have rarely already gathered together and started eating dinner.

I opened a beer can for a ‘Kanpai’ to stop Kou who keep munching food deliciously, and right at that moment…

(T/N: Kanpai is a way to say ‘cheers!’ in Japan (you know that thing when you clink your glass while drinking with others). I believe you already know though…)

The earth started shaking like it was being pushed and tossed.

“Uehh? Earthquake?”

“It’s pretty big, huh!”

“Turn off the fire first!”

“Hurry! Run―”

“Watch out―!”

It was the Southern Sea great earthquake that had long been a concern.

The eldest daughter’s room on the first floor of the condominium was crushed that day by the earthquake and the entire family died.

…………………or they supposed to