Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330648759167052/episodes/16817330648870981589
The young lady fell asleep, probably drained of energy from this incident, so I tucked her into bed.
As I lay on the sofa, I forgot to have dinner, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
Birds chirping and sunlight streaming into the room.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary day, but when I saw her red eyes looking at me at such a close distance that our lips were almost touching, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of terror.
There was the face of the young lady staring at me without blinking.
“Ah, you’re up. Good morning.”
“Hii….what are you doing?”
“nn…… sorry about last night. It was a great morning! I’m sure it’s thanks to Akane’s warmth that I’ve made so much progress. ……?”
The time was seven o’clock. The lady was observing my sleeping face until I woke up. When I asked her what time she woke up, she said around 4:00 a.m.
I wanted to ask her what she was doing during that time, but decided not to. My instincts were telling me that it was dangerous to look into the abyss any further.
I tried to wake myself up to prepare breakfast, but the smell of something savory wafted through the air.
Toast, salad, and milk are already prepared for the two of us.
I sit down with the lady’s hand in mine. For some reason, I feel uncomfortable sitting next to her instead of facing her, and we say “Itadakimasu”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to use the kitchen without permission.”
“That’s okay, I don’t mind.”
She poured maple syrup on her toast and ate it. The young lady stares at me with a smile on her face.
Ignoring her gaze, as if expecting my reaction, I take a sip of milk.
“Newlyweds ……”
Unable to cope with the unexpected blow, the milk enters my windpipe and I cough.
The lady wipes my mouth with a cloth, as if to say, “mouu”
I ignore her words, say thank you, and put my hand out for the salad.
“These are the fresh vegetables I bought at the grocery the day before yesterday. ‘That beautiful lady over there. Even your beautiful and busy husband would have great energy if he ate this.’ So I bought it without thinking. Fufufu, that old man is very good.”
The day before yesterday, she didn’t time leap, did she?
I don’t ask the young lady who is making crazy nonsense and concentrates on eating.
“What do you want to eat tonight? A-na-ta (Darling)…?”
The young lady whispers as she pokes me on the cheek. Just eat, you too.
“T-That ……! I can’t believe you want me to eat ……! M-mou,…… I don’t have a choice,……! How about me tonight, [Just eat me] mmm! Hnn……!”
I force my way into the young lady’s mouth to cover her noisy mouth.
I can see that my spirit is getting more and more exhausted as she continues with this troublesome behavior, so I patiently decide to shove it in.
“What’s the matter, young lady? You’re suddenly acting like you’re insane. Have you lost your mind?”
“Wait, insane ……are you just behavingving badly towards me ……? It’s fine, I wanted to do the newlywed moves! Akane’s mean! Petty! You’re a seductress!”
“And in exchange, what are you going to tell me this time?”
“Eh, ……, you’re going to charge me for that now? Oh well, I’m satisfied. ……”
The young lady continues to growl as she chews her toast with her little mouth.
“I heard that lovers who confess their love under a big tree in the mountains behind the school can get married in the future.”
“What’s with that romantic comic setting?”
“It’s a backstory, but there are many human bones buried under that tree. It is said that those who confess their feelings and are rejected will enjoy a life of singlehood for generations to come, thanks to the curse of the bones.”
“Isn’t the cost of being rejected too great?”
Quietly, the young lady breaks off the conversation and returns to the main topic.
“So what do you want for dinner?”
“Are you going to stay again this time?”
“Eh?”
“”………””
There seems to be a difference in perception between us.
The young lady looked sincerely curious, as if she had no idea what she was talking about.
“My house is here you know, ……?
“As the only daughter of the Izumi family, it would be bad for you to leave your home unattended. You stayed over yesterday for various reasons, but you should go home today and get ready for tomorrow.”
“A married couple separates so soon after being newlyweds…! Is Akane a demon!? I am a lonely, fleeting beautiful girl who has traveled through time and is pushed off a cliff!?”
It hurts my ears to hear you say that.
But I try my best to warn the selfish adult inside.
“It is not like we are going to be separated for the rest of our lives. I’ll go to Izumi’s house tomorrow and pick you up.”
“No, I’m an Akane dependent person, even if I can’t replenish my supply of Akane for 0.1 second, I’ll have withdrawal symptoms…… Izumi family──I understand. I’m going to leave quietly today.”
I feel a mysterious sense of crisis from the young lady who is unusually quick to understand. She is a clever woman, so she must have come up with something unnecessary.
After finishing breakfast and washing dishes together, the young lady asks me to accompany her on an outing.
The place was a neighborhood park where she used to take me. Her answer, which is so unlike the woman who is steeped in darkness, is that she wants to return to her childhood and play in the old-fashioned park, which makes me wonder if she has an ulterior motive, but I am sure she means it.
I agreed and decided to go along with the young lady on her date or some mysterious event.
We changed into light, workout clothes and arrived at the park, although the young lady made a lot of detours and we often strayed from our destination.
The young lady looked at the playground equipment, the children playing and their parents with an indescribable expression on her face.
Judging by her fragile expression, she was probably basking in the memories of playing in this park.
“They’re playing happily …… because they’ve bonded with someone they love.”
“Can you please stop demonstrating your darkness in front of the pure and innocent children?”
“I wonder if our children will play like that, too.”
“Can you give me a break?”
Speaking of nostalgia, I’m a bit like that myself.
The young lady, a wild and active young woman, kidnapped me and we played together in this park.
That swing set, yes, I did the thing where I had to fetch the shoe that the young lady had made a giant leap by flying off the swing set.
The slide was to see how far she could push me by kicking me, who was waiting at the end of the slide, as I accelerated on the slide.
That sandbox, yes, the one where she buried me neck-deep in the sand and tried to time it to see if I could escape by the end of the evening.
“That brings back memories. ……”
“Well, I’m sorry ……”
Is this something a little girl does ……?
At the time, I, an innocent person, didn’t suspect a thing and went with her playful behavior, which could have been considered a bullying issue if it were discovered.
And the young lady is the first to run up to the swing and start paddling.
“Akane, too, come!”
While I was waiting in a remote location, knowing the young lady’s training, she asked me to ride with her.
She sits and paddles while I stand and paddle.
She seemed to be very annoyed, but understanding my intention, she did not say anything.
After enjoying the seesaw, slide, and sandbox, we sat on a bench and took a break.
I handed the young lady the drink I had bought from the vending machine, and she said, “Thank you,” in her usual uncharacteristic way.
“Oshiruko ……? They sell this kind of thing too?”
“You like oshiruko, don’t you?”
“…………”
Oshiruko is the young lady’s favorite food. She loves all things sweet, and I’ve heard from the team that giving her something sweet is usually enough to put her in a good mood.
She is not in a particularly bad mood, but because of a long-standing habit, she chose Oshiruko without thinking about it.
“I like it…….”
“I see you haven’t changed your favorite food. I am relieved.”
─ ─ I wonder what made you feel relieved, I thought for a moment.
“The person I like …… hasn’t changed too.”
“You are quite single-minded, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m a stubborn woman. If I want something, I’ll get it.”
I put the oshiruko I bought in my mouth. It is not my favorite taste.
“It’s sweet.”
“Is it? This one is not so sweet you know”
The young lady hands me the same oshiruko. I don’t hesitate to put her oshiruko in my mouth.
“…… sweet.”
I thought it was the same kind of sweetness, but I felt hers was sweeter.
As I was ignoring the smiling young lady who was about to say something, a girl who was playing fell down.
When the young lady saw this, she immediately ran up to the girl, washed her knee with practiced hands, and applied the bandage I gave her yesterday.
Am I hallucinating? Is that young lady helping people ……?
How can a young lady who exploits people rather than helps them act like a compassionate ……?
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Y-yes,…… thank you onee chan.”
“That’s great of you to say thank you. Be careful next time.”
—Who is this person?
The young lady is thanked by the girl and her mother and returns to me, embarrassed.
“How is it? Have you in love with me?”
“One word is superfluous, …… I’m impressed. That ruthless, heartless, immovable person like that has grown …… to take such actions.”
“…… though I feel like I’m being made fun of. Well, I’m an adult now.”
“Growing up is a sad thing.”
“Can I get angry now?”
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