Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330668994179192/episodes/16818023212686979662
I found a pair of underwear that I thought belonged to Kohime hanging out to dry on the balcony.
Well, it was definitely her underwear, because she was the only one living in the house.
I could have pretended to be unaware of the fact that I had found the underwear, but I did not tell her.
However, I was not confident that I could hide the fact that her underwear was drying on the balcony.
Once I knew that underwear was on the balcony, I would try to avert my eyes from the balcony where the underwear was.
If that happened, there was a possibility that Kohime, who felt uncomfortable that my gaze was not directed to the balcony, would notice the underwear hanging out to dry by itself.
If that were to happen, I would risk losing her trust by asking, [Why didn’t you tell me when you noticed that my underwear was hanging out to dry?]
Above all, my heart tightened that I couldn’t hide the fact that I had found the underwear, so I told her honestly.
“I’m really sorry ! I completely forgot to hang up the laundry in the morning…”
“There’s no need to apologize. I’m sure you’re the one who feels uncomfortable about your underwear being seen. You should be careful when you invite your friends and family over, not just me.”
As expected, I couldn’t say, [Seeing Kohime’s underwear is a reward for me.]
And earlier I said something about how if I looked away from the balcony for too long, it would make Kohime feel uncomfortable, but I think it was more likely that my gaze would be glued to the balcony.
“Y-you’re right…….. I’ll be careful.
“……?”
For some reason, Kohime gave me a curt response after hearing my words.
I wonder if it was just my imagination that I thought there was a gloomy expression on her face.
I don’t think I’ve misspoken anything in particular…….
“Just be careful next time and there’s no need to be discouraged.”
“Y-yes……. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize. The room was so spacious and clean that I couldn’t help but stare at it. It’s not polite to stare at someone’s house, so I’ll be careful next time.”
“No no ! It was my fault for not tidying up, so don’t worry about it. …… Well, Eita san, do you like women’s underwear?”
I desperately refuted this abrupt question from Kohime.
“It’s not that I like them !? It’s just that I happened to see them when I was looking around your room……”
I really just happened to see it, and I wasn’t looking around to see if there was any underwear anywhere.
……Well, I’m a healthy high school boy myself, so it’s true that I was slightly excited to see underwear worn by a girl as beautiful as Kohime.
“I told you before, I don’t care how you play with my body if you ask me to. In reality, I might have died, so it’s natural for me to offer my body to you in return.”
Kohime said that with a serious face, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Even if you say that……. Why are you being so extreme? It’s true that you were crossing the crosswalk in a daze, but you should take better care of yourself, you know? I only want to do that with people I really like. If Kohime were to do something like that, it would be best to do it with someone she fell in love with, right?”
“Well, that’s…..true, but……”
Deciding that it would be dangerous to continue this topic for too long, I quickly decided to change the subject.
“Oh, I was just looking around the room earlier, and I noticed one more thing–”
“Do I still have underwear left somewhere !?”
No, it would be too bad to have a bunch of underwear lying around in the living room with your friends in it.
If it was on the balcony, I could understand, but if it was in the living room, it would be too careless.
“No, it’s not underwear, but….. What’s that little navy box?”
As I looked around the room, I noticed a small box on the top of a wooden rack in the corner.
The shape and texture of that box, it looks like a box that contains a ring……
“Inside that box is an engagement ring.”
……Engagement ring?
I knew there must be a ring in there, but who exactly does the engagement ring belong to?
If an engagement ring is placed in the box, does that mean that Kohime has a fiancée?
In this day and age, it is rare to hear of someone having a fiancée, but if the family is as wealthy as Kohime, such a story may exist.
If she has a fiancée, it’s not a very good idea for me to be in her house, where she lives alone, is it?
“Engagement ring? Does that mean you have a fiancée?”
“No, I don’t have a fiancée. That ring was not given to me by a man, but was an engagement ring that my father gave to my mother.”
I see, so it wasn’t given to her by her fiancé, but by her father to her mother.
……I wonder why I was a little relieved to hear that she didn’t have a fiancée.
My feelings for Sumika haven’t completely disappeared yet, so I don’t think I have any feelings of love for Kohime.
“I see, so that’s what the engagement ring belongs to. By the way, why is that engagement ring in this house? Isn’t it normal to keep it at your parents’ house?”
“Well, um….my father gave it to me as a good-luck charm ! He thought it would be reassuring to know that I was with my mother if I lived alone.”
I felt a little uncomfortable with her impatient reply, but I continued the conversation.
“It would certainly be reassuring to have it at home as a good-luck charm.”
If the engagement ring that Taketsugu san gave to Kohime’s mother was kept at home, Kohime would be less likely to feel lonely even if she lived alone, and Taketsugu san would probably feel more at ease as well.
Despite his scary appearance, he may in fact be an extremely doting parent.
“Right. That engagement ring is not just an engagement ring, but an engagement ring filled with memories of the night my father gave it to my mother on Christmas Eve, pledging his undying love. It’s such a comfort to have an engagement ring filled with those memories in the house.”
“That’s a lovely story.”
“I didn’t ask because I thought it would be better not to, but you don’t have a father either, do you, Eita san?”
Kohime must have heard from my mother that I don’t have a father, and also when she came to my house with Taketsugu san, but she still never asked me why.
I think she did so out of concern, but I think it is necessary to talk to her in order to get to know her better in the future, and I think she asked me because she wanted to deepen her relationship with me.
When I thought about it, I felt like I should tell Kohime openly, even though it would be a pain to tell someone normally.
“…Ah. Apparently cancer was found in his lungs when I was little. I heard that by the time it was found, it was already too late and he passed away. In my case, he passed away when I was little, so I don’t have much memory of him, and I’m not sad or anything.”
“So that’s what happened…… I’m sure it must have been very hard for Eita san, who was still very young, to not have a father, even though you said you had no memory of him.
My eyes widened when Kohime said that to me.
In the past, when I have told someone about my father’s absence, I have always said, [I don’t feel sad because I don’t remember him] but that was half true and half false.
I have always been afraid that people would see me as inferior to others or feel sorry for me because of my father’s absence, so I have been strong and said that I don’t miss him.
In reality, however, I can’t count the number of times I have wondered what my life would be like if I had a father, and I have envied the people whom their fathers visit at athletic meets and class visits.
Even now, I work part-time to support my mother, even though I don’t want to, and it would be a lie to say that I don’t feel pain or sadness.
I hid my feelings, and when I said, [I don’t feel sad because I don’t remember] the only people who vaguely sympathized with me were those who said, [If you don’t remember, then you certainly don’t feel sad.]
But Kohime understood and sympathized with my pain.
…It seems like Kohime’s words have the power to loosen my tear glands.
However, I couldn’t cry so easily, so I tried my best to hold back the tears.
“……Well, I guess so. It was honestly painful and I wished I had a father many times. Thanks for sympathizing with me.”
“No, it’s the least I can do for you.”
“I know the pain of not having a parent, so I think I can understand Kohime’s pain. So if you need anything, you can always rely on me.”
“If we could have a relationship in which I can help Eita san with his sadness and Eita san can help me with mine, there would be nothing so wonderful.”
Smiling as she said this, Kohime looked like an angel who had come to rescue me after all the suffering I had been through.
“……I think you’re right. I will do my best to become a person who can heal Kohime’s pain.”
Kohime, who thought of me and said kind words for me, seems to shine so brightly that it’s almost too bright.
I want to be with the dazzling Kohime from now on, and I felt happier during the time I was eating Daifuku with her than during any other time I spent with Sumika.
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