Volume 4 Chapter 1

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♥

I’m Ayako Katsuragi, 3X years old.

It’s been 10 years since I started taking care of the daughter of my sister and her husband, who died in an accident.

I spent my days thinking about how happy I’d be if my daughter married our neighbor, Takkun, in the future… but one day all of a sudden, he confessed his feelings for me.

He said he loved me, not my daughter.

That was surprising.

Like a lightning bolt had suddenly struck the ground out of nowhere.

After his confession, our relationship changed entirely.

We couldn’t keep being simple neighbors.

This caused me to have several internal conflicts and I came up with the pathetic decision to “postpone” my reply to his confession, but the kind Takkun willingly accepted my proposition.

After that, we went through some events.

I took care of him when he got a cold, we had a date and we even spent a night in a love hotel due to unavoidable circumstances.

I was more and more conscious of him as a man as time passed and was attracted to him as a member of the opposite sex.

And then Miu declared war on me for him… though the intentions she had for declaring it were good.

Thanks to my daughter, I could finally realize what my own feelings were.

I like Takkun.

I love him.

I simply can’t think of him as just the boy next door.

Once I admitted it, I felt my heart being freed.

As if the worries I was carrying had never been there to begin with.

What was I afraid of?

The age difference?

Having a daughter?

What nonsense.

He knew all of that and said high and loud that he loved me.

If there ever was an obstacle in our way, it was my own imagination.

There’s nothing to fear.

No reason to doubt.

He loves me and I love him.

Then, there can only be one course of action.

If I follow my passionate feelings, everything will be all right.

No problem.

There’s nothing to worry about.

We don’t need any more words.

And then.

Well.

I succumbed to my feelings.

After returning from our family trip.

Two days before the Obon holidays.

I kissed Takkun in the doorway when he came to give tutoring lessons to Miu.

Completely out of nowhere, without saying a single word.

If you’d allow me to explain, I understood my feelings and accepted them… Which made me feel as if everything came to its conclusion. I felt an overwhelming feeling of freedom, as if I had just completed all the work I had accumulated and went out to have a long vacation.

My repressed until now feelings exploded, and I expressed excessive affection.

Although, we still had one more important step to take.

After the tutoring from today ended and Takkun left…

“…Hey, mom.” Said Miu, coming into the living room. “Takkun behaved kinda weird today… He was daydreaming all the time and no matter how much I talked to him, he was still absent minded.” She said, while I was in the kitchen.

I was in a good mood, humming to myself while washing the dishes.

“Did something happen between you two?”

“Hmm, well.” I answered vaguely.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“You could say that.”

“W-Why are you being secretive now?”

“Ufufu. Well, it’s probably a bit hard for you to understand. It’s an grown-ups thing.”

“…You know, it really annoys me how you say it.” She said displeased but couldn’t hide her interest. “So… what happened?”

She tried to act indifferently, but her curiosity was visible.

“Hmm, well… Something happened. Something memorable.”

I couldn’t say it!

I was too embarrassed to tell my daughter about my first kiss with the boy I like.

But I actually… really want to tell her!

I want to brag a little!

“D-Don’t tell me…” Miu, who seemed to have guessed something based on my behavior, asked, “Mom, did you finally start dating Taku-nii?”

“…Yes, that’s what it seems.” I answered shyly and Miu’s eyes sparkled.

Yes!

Takkun and I are finally in a relationship!

We’re dating!

We’re a couple!

A lot of things happened, but now everything’s in the past. All the incidents and obstacles only strengthened our forbidden love. Like Romeo and Juliet!

Ah, I feel invincible!

As if I could do anything!

I may even cosplay as Hyumin after such a long time!

“Heh… Heh. I see, I see. Mhm.” Miu nodded very exaggeratedly.

There was surprise and joy mixed in her face.

“Finally, huh… So someone’s finally taken your hand.”

“W-Wait a moment, what do you mean by that…? You say it as if I was going to marry him. Don’t hurry things up so much.”

“Oh, well, you do look pretty happy.”

I felt embarrassed, but Miu looked at me in amazement.

“Well, I am pretty surprised actually. I thought you were still going to keep hesitating for a while, but once you set your mind to something, you go all out, huh? I see you in a better light now, mom.”

“Ehehe.”

“Well, I guess everything went according to my perfect plan.”

“That’s… yes, I thank you for that. Everything is thanks to my splendid daughter who gave me the little push I needed.”

“Mhm, you’re welcome.”

After a cheerful exchange:

“But, really… I’m happy for you.” Miu smiled and said in relief. “Congratulations, mom.”

“Miu… thank you. Thanks a lot.”

Miu and I smiled.

Ah, such bliss.

It’s as if the entire world was dyed pink.

My daughter encouraged me to be happy… The two of us, as family, desired the same happiness. It was something really exultant and wonderful.

Well… soon enough, we may be 3 in the house, rather than 2.

Just kidding!

It’s still too soon for that!

“Hey, mom.” Miu, who seemed to be insatiably curious, asked, “What did you tell Taku-nii when you started to date?”

“…Huh?”

What?

What did I tell him?

“What do you mean ‘huh’? You must have told him something, right? Like a confession or something like that.”

“Oh, so that’s what you mean.”

I nodded exaggeratedly and started to laugh.

“You’re young… too young, Miu. What need is there for declarations and such things? Listen, adult love… doesn’t need words.”

Yes.

Adult love doesn’t need words.

Most adults don’t say anything. Bothering to make a love confession to start dating… is something you only do when you’re a high schooler!

That kiss must have been enough to express my passionate feelings!

A kiss is a better expression of love than a million words!

Such was my logic for adult love, but…

“No, it doesn’t work like that.” Miu denied it completely.

Geez, youngsters nowadays have no appreciation for passion.

“You didn’t ask him to date or anything? Something like ‘Sorry for taking so long replying to your confession’ or ‘please treat me well from now on’.”

“Well… Uhm… I didn’t say anything like that…”

“…Hmmm?”

The happiness on Miu’s face disappeared and changed to that of suspicion.

“Huh? You didn’t say anything?”

“No, nothing…”

“Then… Did Taku-nii confess again?”

“…No, actually no… Takkun didn’t say anything either…”

“…Hmm?”

Her suspicion then became confusion.

As if she had just been lied to by a fox.

“Hey, mom…” She asked in anxiety. “Are you sure you’re dating Taku-nii?”

“…”

Huh?

“No, you’re not dating.”

The next day.

Holding on to the last string of hope I had, I decided to consult with Oinomori-san, but she denied it completely.

By the way, since the matter I wanted to consult her on was really embarrassing, I used the ‘it’s a friend’ excuse, but it didn’t work at all.

Although, well, I had already talked many things with Oinomori-san, so there was no need to get embarrassed now… but this time was a bit different.

I was very embarrassed to consult her about this.

That I impulsively kissed the boy that confessed to me and was wondering if we were dating now…

“W-We aren’t dating…?”

“No.”

“R-Really…?”

“Yes really.”

“A-Are you sure…?”

“One hundred percent.”

It seemed to be absolute.

She said she was one hundred percent sure… that Takkun and I weren’t dating.

“E-Eeeeehhhh?! No way…”

I fell to my knees and almost dropped the phone.

“Honestly, that’s my line.” Said Oinomori-san complete amazed. “Rather, I want to ask you, why did you even think you two were dating?”

“W-Well, because… I, uhm, how to say… Takkun confessed to me. And I was prolonging my answer…”

“Because you’re a complicated woman who didn’t stop beating around the bush.”

“That’s not true!”

Well it is… That really is what happened in the end…

But… even if it’s true, that doesn’t mean she can call me whatever she wants!

“In short, I made him wait for my answer and then I… k-kissed him. That’s the same as accepting his confession, right? Isn’t that a more eloquent answer than anything I could say?”

“Ah… I get it now.” Said Oinomori-san in a complicated voice. “I think I understand what you’re trying to say. Basically, the kiss was your way of saying yes, right, Katsuragi-kun?”

“T-That’s right.”

Of course it means yes.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have kissed him.

Well… I really didn’t think much about it, but my emotions took ahold of me and I let myself get carried away.

“B-Because in adult relationships, you don’t confess your feelings before you start dating someone, right…? It’s more about the mood, and atmosphere… and uhm… somehow, the relationship forms itself naturally, right…?”

I think that’s how it is.

Books and the internet also say that.

“Well, yes… It’s true that we don’t tend to confess formally, the way high schoolers do… But that doesn’t mean you have to suddenly kiss him, right…? In the first place, I’m not sure that your romance can be considered an adult one.” Oinomori-san continued in a hesitant tone. “And in the end, what matters most is Ateraza-kun’s reaction itself, isn’t it?”

“Takkun’s reaction…?”

“If he understood the message well, then you’re good. Although, replying to his confession with a kiss is quite shitty—Ah, I mean, I think it’s quite romantic.”

“…It’s too late to correct yourself.”

I could clearly listen a ‘quite shitty.’

Though she probably wanted me to hear it.

“In the end, romance is a matter between the involved parties. There isn’t a clear-cut way to do things, so while you two are happy, it’s okay. Yes, you two.”

“…”

“Tell me more about what happened. What did you talk about when you kissed? Be as specific as you can without acting like a teenager in love.”

“…Uhm.”

After taking a deep breath, I started to remember what had happened.

I tried to remember as objective as possible the happy memories dyed pink and the exchange we had when I was drunk on love.

Our lips touched for about 10 seconds.

Takkun was completely rigid, probably due to the shock.

As for me, I took advantage of him staying still to do as I pleased. I put my arms around his neck and hugged him, pressing my lips against his.

With passion, momentum and fierceness.

I enjoyed his soft lips as if I were devouring them.

Eventually, that wonderful moment came to an end.

Slowly, I separated my lips from his as if I was forced to let them go.

“A-Ayako-san…?”

While I was rejoicing in the aftertaste, Takkun raised his voice, terribly confused.

“Uh… W-What was that…” He asked with his entire face painted a bright red.

And I… Put my index finger on his mouth.

This time, I used my finger to touch a place I had never touched with my lips.

As if telling him to not ask such trivial things.

“…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything, Takkun.” I said with a calm voice, as if I understood everything in the universe.

I thought I didn’t need words.

I thought I could never express these passionate feelings with just words.

With a passionate kiss, I thought I could express him everything.

That the two of us were finally connected…

“Uh… U-Uhm…”

“Come on. Miu is waiting for you. Do your best tutoring her.”

“…Y-Yes.”

Takkun’s face remained bewildered from beginning to end, and seemed like he wanted to say or ask something, but in the ended up not saying anything and went up the second floor where Miu was waiting for him.

We didn’t discuss anything specific about our relationship…

“…What?! We’re not dating?!” I exclaimed with a surprised voice when I finished assessing my memories objectively.

“Huh? Huh?

We’re not dating at all!

In fact, we didn’t even speak about the matter!

One side had the impression that everything had concluded, while the other didn’t understand anything and nothing had concluded for him.

It’s weird… In the world from my point of view, the flame of passion calmly burned and thought everything had been settled romantically, like the climax from a black and white movie, but in the objective world, nothing had been settled.

Rather, we haven’t communicated properly!

“I see, looks like Aterazawa-kun had a very normal reaction to the situation. He tried to ask a natural question about the sudden kiss. Normally, that would have led to talks about whether you’d date or not.” Oiomori-san continued. “But you, Katsuragi-kun… didn’t let that conversation begin.”

“…?!”

Noooo!

W-What did I do?!

Why?!

Why didn’t I let Takkun talk?!

Why did I interrupt him as if telling him not to ask trivial questions?!

It wasn’t trivial at all! It was very necessary!

‘It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything, Takkun.’… As if!

Why did you behave as if you were a damn love expert?!

“My god… the hell are you doing?” Said Oinomori-san exasperated.

It was rare for her, who usually spoke sarcastically and teasingly, say something in a voice of pure exasperation.

I guess that’s just how bad my situation was.

“It’s… It’s not like that, Oinomori-san… I-I had no ill intent, I was just excited and extremely happy at the time… I felt like I had overcome all obstacles and reached the finish line…”

“Well… I get that.” Said Oinomori-san. “It must not have been easy for you to admit your feelings for Aterazawa-kun. The age difference, your daughter, changing your perception and seeing him as a man and think about a future life with him… You had to think a lot of things, so I understand it took you some time and bravery to make a choice.”

“…”

“Thanks to Miu-chan’s push, you managed to make a choice… But since you short-circuited your brain so badly before that, now that you finally made up your mind, you got too excited and thought everything was set and done…”

“Y-Yes…”

Yes, it’s just as she says.

My love story with Takkun.

All the obstacles on the way were created by me, or to be more specific, everything could be solved if I made up my mind.

And I did make up my mind.

I reached the conclusion that I loved him.

To be more accurate… I was so willing to date him that I was willing to steal him from my daughter, though it turned out she also supported me.

I felt so liberated.

I was so excited for getting a happy ending.

But in the end… I kissed him impulsively, and then told him he didn’t need to say anything, acting like a mysterious woman who is telling him to guess my intentions.

“How to explain it… it’s as if a recent graduate had just landed a job in the company he wanted, but then went out to party in order to celebrate, and caused a ruckus, which resulted in him getting fired.”

“…That sounds horrible.”

It’s too cruel.

It’s a catastrophe that can change your life drastically.

Losing all the hard work you had done so far.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped that you act rashly. For you, this is your first boyfriend in 10 years, isn’t it? Since you started taking care of Miu-chan 10 years ago, you haven’t dated anyone. If you suddenly start a car that has been abandoned for 10 years, it’s not strange that an accident happens.”

“…What 10 years, I’ve never…”

“Huh…?”

“Ah, wait.”

“Katsuragi-kun… Don’t tell me you…”

“…T-That’s right! Do you have a problem with that?! I’ve never had a boyfriend in my life!” I yelled, throwing a tantrum before she said anything. “…I-I’m not at fault that a chance never showed up for me. I went to a high school and university that had more girls than boys… And I didn’t have time for those things after I started taking care of Miu…”

“So that’s how it was.” Said Oinomori-san understandingly. “I’m sorry for being so surprised. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t think it’s even than unusual nowadays. I guess that’s way you’re so pure.”

…I don’t think that’s a good thing, though.

And it’s not like there never was an opportunity, I simply didn’t try to do anything by myself.

“I see, I now understand that this isn’t your first in 10 years, but the first in your entire life. I understand now why you were so hesitant and scatterbrained.” And then she added. “So… Katsuragi-kun, given that you’ve never had a boyfriend… was your kiss with Aterazawa-kun your first kiss?”

“…T-That’s right.”

“Haah… I see. I don’t know what to tell you… You went all out on your first kiss.”

“U-Uuh…”

Uwaa, geez, what the hell was I doing?!

That was my memorable first kiss!

Why did I lose all self-control?!

“W-What should I do now…?”

“Explain everything with words.” Said Oinomori-san with a sigh. “I love you, please go out with me. You have to express it with words.”

“…I guess so.”

It’s the only way.

I have no choice but to express it with words.

I was so excited that I thought I didn’t need to say anything, but that wasn’t the case.

Looks like words are necessary after all.

I get it.

I get it in my head.

But…

“…Um, err… Uuh… What kind of face should I make when I say that…?”

I mean, we kissed already.

And I now have to turn back and confirm if we’re dating or not?

S-So embarrassing… It’s entirely my fault, but still, it’s embarrassing.

“I guess you’ll have to do your best explaining it from zero. Tell him you got so excited that you decided to reply to his confession with a kiss.”

“…”

…Isn’t that a bit hard?

It’s like having to explain your own jokes.

“I know it’s embarrassing, but I’d feel bad for Aterazawa-kun if you didn’t do it soon enough.”

“…Uuh… Y-You’re right.”

I’m only thinking about myself, but the one having the hardest time here is Takkun.

From my point of view, I felt I had settled everything with a romantic reply to his confession, but from Takkun’s point of view…

I suddenly kissed him, and when he tried to ask why, I interrupted him, telling him he didn’t have to say anything.

Uwaa… Uwaaaaaaaa!

“Takkun is probably really confused, isn’t he…?”

“I’d bet that’s the case…”

“…D-Do you think I’m being too cruel here?”

“Not cruel per se… I’d say repulsive.” Said Oinomori-san with slight disgust. “If you look objectively at the facts… A woman on her 30s kissed the boy who lives next door, without his consent… You should be thankful Aterazawa-kun is 20 years old, because if he was underaged… What you did would essentially be a crime.”

“…”

I felt like my soul was about to leave my body.

I was so ecstatic because our feelings were mutual that I completely renounced the need for communication and got excited by myself… But looks like I had almost committed a crime.  

I have to do something.

But what?

The next day, I kept thinking about this nonstop.

Of course, I understand there’s only one thing to do.

But… It’s really embarrassing for some reason.

It’s unusually embarrassing.

I don’t know what face to make when I see him.

Ah, geez, why did I have to kiss him? If it hadn’t been for that kiss, I feel like I wouldn’t have as many problems. I feel like I can’t do anything but make things worse, despite how well things were aligning for a happy ending.

It’s as if the straight road had turned into a labyrinth…

But I can’t give myself the luxury of worrying about this forever.

Because even in this moment, I’m sure that Takkun is having a hard time.

I need to clear things up soon… But it’s embarrassing. Saying it directly is impossible, so I need a plan… Argh, I better not. If I do that, I’ll definitely make things even more complicated. It would be better to get carried away and… No, well, I’m the type of woman that if she gets carried away, will kiss him without asking or explaining anything. Be it a well thought out plan or a direct attack, everything leads to my own destruction… What kind of woman am I? Ah, geez, what should I do…?

I had spent some time worrying and agonizing just like this.

And apparently, God wasn’t kind enough to give a miserable woman a lot of time to worry.

“Huh…?”

“Ah.”

Suddenly, I met with Takkun in front of my house.

Because he and I are neighbors.

Even without trying to, we ended up seeing each other coincidentally at least once a week.

We crossed each other right as I was about to go buy groceries for dinner.

He was wearing a sports shirt and carried a bag over his shoulder, which made me think he was heading to a club meeting at his university.

“Ayako-san…” His face showed a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.

On the other hand, I… wasn’t worried about the awkwardness anymore.

“Uhm… about yesterday…”

“…~~~~?!”

Turn.

I turned my head as hard as I could.

Uh? What? Why?

Why… did I turn my head? No, I can’t do that. But although I understand that in my head… my body isn’t obeying me.

I can’t look at him in the face.

Extreme tension, embarrassment, anxiety and guilt for yesterday’s incident… and a renewed feeling of love.

Too many emotions surged all at once and my head went blank.

I felt overwhelmed.

“…Ayako-san…”

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

I extended my arms to prevent him from coming any closer.

I acted as if I was rejecting him on reflex.

“W-Wait… P-Please, minute a minute…”

I was panicking quite hard.

I didn’t know what to say.

My brain wasn’t working at all

But… I had to say something.

I had to explain to him the embarrassing action I took to reply to his feelings, the kiss, was just momentaneous madness…

“I-It’s not what you think… What happened yesterday, well, how to say it… I wasn’t thinking right! So, if possible, could you please forget it happened…?”

“Huh…?”

While I was desperately trying to make excuses, Takkun raised his voices, dumbstruck.

It was a clearly shocked ‘huh.’

“You weren’t thinking straight…?”

“Y-Yes. I wasn’t thinking straight, or rather, an outburst of the moment…”

“Outburst of the moment…?”

Takkun said with a deeply despaired voice… Hm?

Huh?

Wait a second…

What I just said… Isn’t that as if I just said that the kiss was just something I did on a whim?!

No, no, it’s not like that!

What I meant to say with that was that I was feeling ecstatic and used the kiss as an answer to his confession!

That’s what I want you to forget!

I kissed you… because I wanted to kiss you. It wasn’t an error or a whim.

T-This is bad…

I had to properly tell him my feelings.

Otherwise, I’ll turn into the worst kind of woman who kisses for fun and then immediately tells the person to forget it.

I’ll become a villainess who seduces and plays with pure-hearted boys!

And that was probably also Takkun’s first kiss…!

“Then it wasn’t that important for you…”

“Y-You’re wrong! It’s not like that… It’s not like that.”

I desperately thought about how to explain everything, but my head wasn’t working.

I was started to get impatient because I couldn’t talk and think clearly.

“It’s not like it wasn’t important to me… but there’s a part of me who got carried away… that’s why I didn’t like it… Ah, but that doesn’t mean I regret it… No, maybe a little… But… Argh, it’s not like that, it’s not like that… Uuh…”

I couldn’t believe the tangled mess of words that was coming out of my mouth.

And my thoughts were even worse.

My head and feelings were in a complete chaos, and I didn’t know what to say at all.

Regret, disappointment, tension, guilt, embarrassment… I felt overwhelmed by a lot of different feelings.

I wanted to run away from here right now… But.

I couldn’t leave now.

If I did, I would only make the misunderstanding worse.

And more importantly… I would deeply hurt Takkun.

I had already confused him enough with the kiss.

I’m sure that he must have been very confused and bewildered.

I definitely wanted to avoid prolonging this and confusing him any longer.

“W-Wait a moment, Takkun… Fuu, Haa. Fuu, haa.”

I breathed deeply to recover myself mentally.

Okay.

I can do it.

I’ll explain everything right here, right now.

No matter how embarrassing it may be, I’ll tell him everything.

I’ll explain how this happened and about my own feelings.

Words are not needed… I’ll let go of those silly presumptions and tell him everything with words.

“L-Listen, Takkun…”

I finally made up my mind and opened my mouth.

However, God felt like giving me one more trial.

For some reason, God didn’t like me at all.

I wonder if this was some sort of punishment God was giving me for making him wait for so long.

“Oh, you two.”

“…?!”

I got startled.

My breathing, that I had regulated with deep breaths, suddenly went haywire again.

The person who showed up was Tomomi Aterazawa-san.

Takkun’s mother.

She walked to us with a reusable bag in her hand.

It was pure coincidence.

Since… we’re neighbors!

We’re neighbors!

I meet up with them by chance at least once a week.

Both Takkun and her mother.

Besides, it was about time to make dinner, so, just like me, many were on their way home after doing their respective grocery shopping.

That’s why… There was nothing weird with meeting with Tomomi-san, who also was returning from dinner shopping, outside my house.

It was just a coincidence, but one that had a high likelihood of happening.

But even then.

Why did it have to be right now…?!

“What are you two doing here?” She asked us.

“No, we’re not doing anything in particular.”

“U-Uhm…”

And of course, we both panicked.

We both looked away from Tomomi-san and the mood turned very awkward.

And then.

“…Huh? Oh, could it be that…” Her eyes widened for a moment and then smiled wryly, “am I interrupting something?”

“…”

“M-Mom…”

We both shuddered.

It looked like Tomomi-san, who already knew a little about our relationship, had guessed and imagined things in this indescribable mood.

“Oh, my… I’m so sorry. I saw you two and couldn’t help but greet you. I don’t want to third wheel you two, so I’ll leave right now. Please keep goi—”

“I-It’s nothing!” I was so embarrassed and nervous that I couldn’t help but scream. “It’s really nothing! We simply met up by chance and decided to talk a bit… Uhm, well… I need to make dinner, so if you’d excuse me!” I said and got away from that place as if I were escaping.

In the end, I never managed to give Takkun a proper explanation.

My chest was full of guilt… But I couldn’t do it!

It was impossible!

I had made up my mind and prepared for it.

I did breathing exercises and gathered all my courage.

 I didn’t want cause Takkun any more trouble, so I decided to give it my all.

But it was impossible!

I don’t have the courage to confess to him in front of his mom!

After that.

The relationship between us… became even more awkward.

Well… that’s entirely my fault.

It’s not Takkun’s fault at all.

Everything is my fault.

And to make things worse, the Obon holidays started the following day.

I was planning to return to my hometown with Miu.

I’d be physically away from home for 2 days, where the encounter rate with the neighbors was very high.

“Miu, did you forget anything?”

“Nope.”

Early morning…

After getting our luggage in the trunk, Miu and I got in the car.

“Did you finish all your summer homework?”

“I haven’t, but it’s fine.”

“…What do you mean it’s fine? Miu, you haven’t done any of your homework at all, haven’t you?”

As a mother, I couldn’t help but express my worries.

I’ve seen her doing the homework Takkun gave her, but I think she hasn’t done many of her high school’s.

So, what was ‘fine’ here?

We’re halfway through summer already.

“I’ve been regressively planning everything from the last day, so I’m fine. If I get serious after Obon, I’m sure I can do it. There are no errors in my calculations.”

“…If you had the time to plan everything out, why didn’t you just do them instead?”

Why wait until the last day to do them?

It’s a dangerous planning that, if you get sick even for a day, you’re done for.

Well… there are some writers working for me who say ‘I can’t get motivated unless I’m cornered.’ That kind of people… show a tremendous momentum trying to finish everything on time, though they sometimes don’t make it for the first delivery term.

“Well, let’s forget about me. How about you, mom? Aren’t you forgetting anything?”

“Me? I’m fine. I have my laptop on me. By the way, Miu, I may have a meeting later, so can you and your grandparents—”

“I’m not talking about that.” Said Miu, without letting me finish. “I don’t mean anything physical, but rather psychological.”

“Psychological…?” I repeated like a parrot, not understanding her.

And then I looked out the passenger seat’s window.

I looked at the house next door, meaning, the Aterazawa family household.

“Oh, it’s Taku-nii.”

“~~~~~?!”

I hid on reflex on the driver’s seat.

I desperately crouched as much as possible so my head wouldn’t be visible from outside.

And after a few seconds…

“Just kidding.” Said Miu happily.

“…Huh? I-It was a lie…?”

“Looks like you did forget something important after all.”

Seeing my so startled, Miu let out a big sigh.

Forgot something psychological.

I finally understood the meaning of those words.

“Geez, why are you hiding?”

“B-Because… No reason in particular, it’s just awkward for me to look at his face right now.”

It’s not like I want to avoid him.

But… It’s awkward for me.

I don’t know what face to make when I see him.

Until I’m mentally prepared, I won’t know what to say.

And due to that anguish and conflict, I hid on reflex.

“Haah… I can’t believe this.” Said Miu, completely dumbstruck. “I thought you two were finally dating, but it was in fact, just you getting excited on your own and misunderstanding everything and you two are actually not dating yet. How are you so talented in making everything much more complicated than it needs to be?”

“…S-Shut up…”

“Yesterday you met up with Taku-nii and didn’t make any progress either, right?”

“Well, that’s because… I-I couldn’t help it. When his mother showed up… it became impossible to continue talking about that, so… Uuh…”

“And you plan on starting your Obon holidays leaving things awkward, right?” Miu said and then shrugged her shoulders. “Why don’t you just fix everything right now?”

“Huh? N-Now…?”

“Taku-nii is probably at home. Fix everything before we leave.”

“W-Wait a moment, Miu…” I said, hurriedly trying to oppose her suggestion. “I can’t just get in and do that, you know?”

Fix everything before we leave?

It’s not as simple as going to the bathroom.

“F-For starters… this is really important for both of us, so we need to wait for the right time when we’re calm and then discuss everything in private…”

“Don’t you keep overcomplicating everything because you always say things like that?”

“Ugh…”

Miu looked at me coldly.

“Think about Takkun’s feelings a little bit more, will you? Right now, he must be on limbo without knowing what to do.”

“…I know.” I nodded, bearing her reproachful gaze. “I know I’m causing harm to Takkun. That’s why I don’t want to make him wait any longer.”

I made up my mind.

“When we return… I’ll speak to him properly.”

I’ll do it when we return from my parents’ house.

When the Obon holidays are over.

In other words, in three days… I’ll confess my feelings to Takkun.

I’ll reply to his confession, which I’ve been prolonging for so long, and tell him exactly what I feel about him.

“You mean it?”

“I-I mean it. I won’t prolong this any longer. I’ll contact Takkun right now.”

I took out my phone and started to write a message to Takkun.

First, I started by apologizing for yesterday’s incident.

Then, I informed him we were visiting my parents’ house.

And lastly…

‘When I return, I want to talk with you.

It’s something important.

That’s why… please, just give me some more time.’

The moment I was about to press the send button, I was still hesitating.

But… I pressed it anyways.

There was no other option but to press it.

I know that what I’m doing is pathetic. Asking him for more time at this stage. That’s why, I at least wanted to contact him. If I was going to make him wait more, I wanted to make sure I would tell him right after.

“…Sent.”

“Hmm.” Miu nodded indifferently.

I turned on the car.

And, taking a look at the Aterazawa family house, we passed by it.

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I’d like to thank my ISP for being so terrible it forced me to delay this chapter 2 days.