Chapter 8 – Mother’s homecoming (8)
Translator – Vodka
“Mom! Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to tell that to Nii-san?”
Kaede urged mom in a loud voice which bordered on being filled with anger .
Wait, what?
It was supposed to be about me, but my sister was in the possession of the information, while no one had communicated to me about something so important .
Could I get a hint here, guys?
“Th-that’s right, Kotone-san! Didn’t I say that it would fine if Minato-kun and I got married?”
Strangely, even Shizuku couldn’t stay quiet in this situation .
“Let’s say that after you have gotten the acknowledgement of all the parties concerned, ok?……This is the first time I am hearing this”
From the looks of it, she didn’t hear what I said . She was completely concentrated on my mom .
But I must say mom’s words had too much of an impact .
“I am not interested in a divorcee……I prefer fresh goods”
You’re already assuming that I am going to get divorced, hah……Don’t say ‘fresh goods’! Say ‘unmarried’”
Was she messing around? Was she being serious?
Lacking somewhat on the reaction front was very much like her .
The bustling dining table had an amicable environment going for it . It had lasted until the moment of the big revelation . When mom had brought up the topic of my marriage interview, it had immediately become noisy .
Mom too had a bitter smile on her face as she tried to calm the three girls down . It looked tough .
To refrain from saying anything unnecessary, I was silently immersing myself in the food . However, Shizuku continued .
“That being the case, Minato-kun’s marriage interview is still only a possibility, right?”
Shizuku listened to mom’s explanation and then went on to comment on behalf of me on how things stood at this moment .
This marriage interview was something my dad and the dad of the other party had decided upon . Surely, they were too excited to have made such a ridiculous decision .
They still haven’t gotten their children to agree to this union, so at this stage, it was still just a hope that their kids could agree to this arrangement they had put in place and get married .
I was a little relieved .
If I really had to go through this marriage interview, I might have had to remain on the run every night .
I suddenly felt tired . Mom turned to look at me and said this .
“I too think that parents shouldn’t get to decide the future of their children . So, I too will try hard to convince your dad!”
She put on an extremely gentle smile .
It was a smile so wonderful that I thought that the corners of my mouth would inadvertently curl up .
Kaede too seemed like she was a bit satisfied with mom’s words, as she reluctantly withdrew herself to her seat .
As expected, it would seem that she couldn’t stay silent when she heard about the possibility of her brother having to go through a marriage interview .
Good grief! She loves her Onii-chan too much . It can’t be helped……
“Even if Nii-san wen to a marriage interview, isn’t it like decided that he would get rejected? It’s a waste of time! Since I would be looking after him for a while, there is no need for a marriage interview!”
Something pierced my heart .
The sharpness belonged to that of a katana even .
What she said at the end made me happy, but my dignity as the elder brother has become a nullity at this point .
Onii-chan is lonely .
Honestly, when I suddenly heard them talking about my marriage interview, it sounded unreal . I could only see it as someone else’s affair . Besides, the three girls were panicking in my stead anyways . I didn’t even feel like panicking anymore .
Anyways, mom was unable to receive my acknowledgement regarding this matter . After she has gone back to where dad was, she would talk to him about this matter, and communicate to us about how things went down .
[TN – probably the author will cover the “things went down” part later]
If would be the most satisfactory outcome if this topic came to an end after that .
Time went by, slowly, but certainly . Dinner was over and things had calmed down . The clock showed us the time . It was already past nine .
“Thank you for the meal! I am happy that I could meet you like this, Kotone-san” (Shizuku)
“I am happy to have met you too . Thank you for even inviting us to dinner” (Kirasaka)
The girls stood at the entrance and extended their greetings to mom .
It would be a while before the girls would be able to meet her again .
Well, it was going to be the same for Kaede and me . When she would have gone back to where dad was, we too wouldn’t be able to meet her for a while .
Mom gently patted their heads and said this .
“Please take care of Minato-chan for me . When left alone, he couldn’t make any friends . He would always be by himself”
“Yes!”
“Please leave it to me”
“I am more worried about them……”
On the contrary, it was me who should be worried, because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it through school safely .
Nonetheless, mom must have been simply happy at the fact that there were students who would approach me .
As a parent, she must have been worried that her son was alone, friendless .
I am sorry, mother . Sorry for making you worry all the time .
Shizuku and Kirasaka departed from the entrance . We saw them off, and with this, the day had finally come to an end .
It felt like a long day .
It was still the same old twenty-four hours, but it felt like three days had passed .
Suddenly, I was overcome by fatigue . I washed off the sweat in the bathroom and threw myself down onto the bed in my room .
“Can mom sleep here too?”
Mom was peeking into my room from the entrance and asking me this . She was holding a futon and a pillow in her hands .
“……Yes, you can”
Ordinarily, I would have had refused, but……
Isn’t it fine? It is going to be only for today, after all .
I too wasn’t a kid . I wouldn’t treat my mother with cruelty, whom I have met after a long time .
Mom laid down the futon on the floor next to my bed . Then, she laid down on it while smilingly looking up at me .
Kaede’s futon had also been smartly laid down next to her .
Kaede was washing the dishes right now . She would probably come over after she took her bath .
For the three of us to be sleeping next to each other like this would be a first in a long time, wouldn’t it?
It wasn’t bad once in a while .
After a while, Kaede made her appearance . Her hair was wet from the bath, and so, as usual, I helped her dry her hair . Then the three of us retired to bed .
A day was twenty fours . Nothing could change that .
However, depending on how a person was feeling, a day carried the impression of being longer or shorter . It was truly a strange thing .
Today was something similar . The former half of the day went by fast, whereas the latter half took forever .
Even then, when I thought about Kaede’s happy face, or how the girls and mom had fun, it didn’t feel bad .
In the dark room, I was staring at the ceiling and thinking about all these things . A small voice emanated from my side and entered my ears .
“Good night Minato-chan . Tomorrow, mom will wake you for the first time in a while”
“Thanks……good night”
It would seem that today, I would be able to sleep more peacefully than usual .
I didn’t need the alarm either .
I operated the smartphone and switched off the alarm . Then, I looked at the two family members of mine lying next to me with a fleeting glance and closed my eyes too .
Strangely, it seemed like today I would be able to sleep well .