Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818622176103511635
“Thank you very much for today, Nishimiya-senpai.”
The setting sun bounced off the asphalt. The clouds in the sky and the gentle breeze were beautiful, but also a little sad.
We were standing in the square in front of the station.
“Shiramine-tan. Did you have fun today…?”
“Yes, of course. I had a lot of fun.”
“Oh, I see… Well, then next time…”
Nishimiya was acting like someone asking their crush out on a date… Wait, what? Seriously? Is that what she’s doing?
“Let’s play again! With me!”
Phew… I was honestly a little relieved by the words that burst out of Nishimiya’s mouth.
“Sure. Maybe we can go to an amusement park next time.”
“Y-yeah!”
This way, I can’t tell who’s the senior. Just as I thought that, Nishimiya looked at me.
“Hayami… um, thanks for today. For hanging out with me.”
“Sure. Don’t catch a cold.”
“What’s that? That’s weird. … See you later, Shiramine-tan. Hayami.”
Nishimiya headed back to her apartment. As she watched her leave, Shiramine opened her mouth.
“Why did you tell her not to catch a cold?”
“Huh? Well, just because. Living alone seems hard.”
“… I live alone too.”
That was true.
“If something happens to you, Shiramine, I’ll be there for you, but Nishimiya won’t be able to do the same, right?”
I was hospitalized twice, once when I was five years old with a summer cold, and once when I was in my second year of junior high school with a knee injury.
To be honest, neither of those memories are very good ones. I don’t remember much about the former, though.
Huh? Now that I’ve said it, I realize that I may have said something embarrassing. It sounds like I’m acting like her boyfriend.
“Shiramine-san. What I just said…”
Realizing this, I immediately look at Shiramine to explain myself. However…
“…Hahe?”
Shiramine stares at me blankly, her mouth agape. Gradually, her neck turns bright red.
“Shiramine-san?”
“Senpai… I… I can’t hold back anymore.”
“W-What?”
“All kinds of things.”
Her eyes were dreamy, as if she were in a fever. Her expression made my heart flutter.
“Um, well, that is…”
“Today. Why don’t you come to my place? If anything happens, you’ll protect me, right?”
Wait, it’s her house, isn’t it…? What’s going to happen?
“I did say that, but…”
“It’s settled then! Let’s go!”
“Huh!?”
She grabbed my hand and forced me to walk with her.
What am I going to be made to do?
“Excuse me…”
“We’re still at the front desk. Shouldn’t you say that after you enter the room?”
Shiramine inserted the key into the keyhole next to the visitor monitor, and the automatic door slowly opened.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Shiramine was in such a good mood that she looked like she was about to start skipping, and seeing her made me happy too.
“My room is on the 7th floor. It’s the third door on the left when you get off.”
“Oh, I see.”
The elevator carried Shiramine and me in no time. The machine’s voice echoed, and we slipped through the door.
“Hmm, it looks like someone’s here?”
The third door on the left. There was someone standing in front of what must have been Shiramine’s room.
“…Why are you here?”
“Oh, Hisui! You’re back! …Um, is that your boyfriend next to you? Oh my, well, well!”
The person noticed us and approached us quickly.
I recognized her immediately when I saw her face.
Although her hair color was different, she was a beautiful woman with a charming appearance.
“Shiramine’s… mother?”
“Yes, I am her mother, Midori. My daughter is always a nuisance for you.”
It was not Shiramine who answered my question, but her mother.
“N-Nice to meet you. Thank you. I’m Hayami Ren.”
“..Hayami Ren?”
Suddenly, Shiramine’s mother’s expression became serious.
Was there a problem?
“So, you’re Hayami kun… I see, I see.”
Her eyes went beyond observation and began to scrutinize me.
“Oh, Mom. Wait a minute…”
“Yes, yes. He’s quite handsome. Hisui is crazy about him…”
“Stop! Let’s not stand here talking. Let’s talk in my room.”
Shiramine grabbed Midori’s hand and forced her into his room.
“Please come in, Senpai.”
“Eh, it’s a rare chance for us to be alone together…”
“Mm, it’s fine. Senpai is in a different category.”
What kind of category is that… Is it like a pet?
Well, if that’s how she feels, then it’s fine, I thought, and I also entered the entrance.
“Mom. Wait in the living room. Senpai, can you help me make some tea?”
“Got it.”
I thought it was a sparsely furnished room. There was a desk and a TV in the living room. There was also a chest of drawers with glass doors.
It was a calm room that didn’t seem like a high school student’s room.
“Hayami-kun, how far did you and Hisui go?”
“Huh!?”
“Hey! Mom!”
“Fufufu, just kidding.”
I thought my heart was going to stop. What a terrifying mother. A devilish mother is also a devilish person, I suppose.
“Why did you come today?”
“I just came to check on my daughter who lives alone. Actually, your father wanted to come too, but he couldn’t because of work.”
“Please have some tea.”
“Oh, thank you, Hayami-kun.”
I poured tea into the cups and placed them on the table. Three cups, one for me, one for Shiramine, and one for Midori san.
“Hisui. How’s school?”
“It’s fun. I have friends.”
“I’m glad. I’m really glad.”
She said it with a deep sense of conviction. It was as if she was moved by this small happiness.
Perhaps my thoughts were evident on my face, because Midori san glanced at me and then spoke again.
“Hisui used to be in poor health. She was in and out of the hospital all the time… So…”
“Mom, please don’t say any more.”
There must have been hardships and struggles that only her family could understand. They supported each other and overcame them. I was sure that was the case.
“Hayami-kun, please continue to take care of Hisui. She can be difficult to handle at times, but she’s a very good girl.”
“Mom… I’m embarrassed.”
Shiramine looked down, her face bright red. She looked like a borrowed cat.
However, when asked like this, I couldn’t give a half-hearted answer.
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, what a nice answer. Oh, did you know, Hayami-kun? You and this girl, actually…”
“Mom. I’m going to go shopping for dinner now, okay?”
She interrupted her. Shiramine seemed to openly dislike Midori san’s words and was avoiding them.
“Eh? Why don’t we just order takeout today…”
“No. I called him here so we could cook together. So please go home today.”
“Oh, okay. I understand.”
“Hey, Shiramine-san?”
It was as if she was chasing her away. Is that okay? She came all this way… When I asked her with my eyes, Shiramine whispered.
“My parents’ house is three stations away from here. So if I want to come, I can come anytime. Actually…”
Wow. Three stations away, so it’s only about fifteen minutes.
“Plus, she calls every night, so it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.”
“Oh, I see.”
Overprotective to the extreme. That’s amazing.
“Yeah. You two are really close. Well, I got to see something nice, so I’ll head home. Hayami-kun. See you later?”
Just as she finished her tea, Midori san stood up.
“Make sure you lock the door, Hisui.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll walk you to the station.”
“It’s okay. I know my way around here.”
Still, I’ll walk you to the front door. I thought, but Shiramine gently grabbed my sleeve.
“Senpai.”
“Well, thank you for your hospitality.”
At the end of the hallway, the front door slammed shut. It seemed that she had really left.
“Well, now we’re alone.”
“Yes, that’s right…”
The living room felt unusually quiet. And above all, Shiramine leaned her shoulder against mine.
“Um, what’s wrong?”
“Senpai. Even I want to be pampered sometimes, okay?”
The chairs stuck together, and Shiramine rested her head on my shoulder… Huh?
That’s when I realized it.
“Shiramine-san?”
“What is it?”
“Um, it’s a trap.”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
Then she finally realized.
“Arara you’re burning up.”
Yes, pretending to have left, Midori san was peeking at us through the crack in the hallway door.
“!!!!!!..?! Mom!”
Needless to say, Shiramine turned bright red with anger.
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