Chapter 102
Negligence, A Slack Atmoshpere
“Fuun fuun, fuun ♪”
Hiiragi-chan fluttered her legs back and forth while humming and lying on the couch . She was looking at a travel magazine .
“Seiji-kun, where should we go?”
With a sweet voice, she came crawling over to me while I was playing with my phone .
“Where should we go… There aren’t any consecutive holidays, are there?”
After munching on a senbei, Hiiragi-chan brushed off the crumbs from her magazine .
“There are . I can just take a paid vacation ♡”
“…”
I’m happy . I’m happy, but what is it, this uncertain feeling .
At Hiiragi-chan’s family’s house, Hiiragi Mama (her name is apparently Airi), after ending the meeting there… Hiiragi-chan seems to have somehow… started slacking . Slacking and slacking .
Is it because when I confronted Airi-san, I said that I was thinking of marriage and that Haruksan was a wonderful person whom I wanted to be with, or is it because we gained approval in the end, or maybe both?
The relieved Hiiragi-chan has started to slack off . It was as if she was a cat that forgot its instincts, and ended up in a harmless state .
It could be because Hiiragi-chan had defeated her strongest enemy… or maybe it should be called the last boss? After defeating the demon lord, even a hero would turn lazy and slack off .
However… Her room has turned into a mess, as all the clothes she takes off are just scattered everywhere . The kitchen sink is packed with unwashed cooking utensils and dishes . The refrigerator contains food past its expiration date and rotten fruits . There are ten cans of beer and shouchuu, and a bunch of cheese and ham that would be great for snacking .
Is this her true personality?
“What has been going on recently, Haruksan?”
“Nothing’s going on?”
Hiiragi-chan came hugging me from behind . She gave me kisses on my neck and cheek . Hiiragi-chan pampered me in every way .
On the other hand, for me… I really have to wonder . I do want to respond . I’m not one to be strict with her after all . Rather, Hiiragi-chan was perfect at so many things, that I didn’t have a reason to be strict with her .
“Ah, that’s right . I should drink some alcohol . ”
Hey hey, it’s still the middle of the day .
Excited, and with a spring in her step, Hiiragi-chan took out a can of beer from the refrigerator, and quickly opened it .
“Nnnnnnnnn~ tastes great ♡”
It was as if she was living the prime of her life…
“You’re drinking in the middle of the day…”
“It’s fine, right? I’m on break anyway . ”
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That’s true, it’s okay, there shouldn’t be anything wrong . A teacher’s job is quite tough and can cause a ton of stress . I get that .
“Haruksan, you’ve been strange recently, you know? Before, your house would be nice and clean, and you would also only drink during dinner . ”
“Is that so?”
This isn’t Hiiragi-chan—or is that just me pushing my ideals onto her? But still, I should be honest about it . This isn’t Hiiragi-chan .
“Is the reason… me? Is it because I’m great for self-control?”
“What’s wrong? Why are you making a troubled face like that?”
When I was in the present, I often heard my senpai’s complaints about his wife .
Before we married, it wasn’t like this—or something like that .
Is it possible that this slacking Hiiragi-chan is because she is in such a state? I tried to unravel Hiiragi-chan who continued to languidly entangle herself with me .
“W-what? What’s wrong?”
How can I return her back to normal? Shock therapy might work the best .
“I won’t come by your place for a while . ”
“Eh?”
Hiiragi-chan’s expression became stiff as she dropped the beer can that she was holding .
“Why!? T-the only place where we’re guaranteed to be able to see each other alone is at my house!”
That’s right . I completely understand it . It’s basically the same as me proclaiming that I won’t spend time with Hiiragi-chan over the weekends . Not spending time with her on weekends, means that I won’t spend time on weekdays . It’s basically the same as saying I won’t spend time with her .
“It’s just for a bit . Just for a bit . ”
“N-no way~”
Even I want to see her and spend time with her .
“Haruksan, you like to cook and clean, right? Do you still like it?”
“That’s right . ”
Looking at the state of the kitchen and her room, I don’t think she’s been doing that recently . Today, the first thing that I did after coming to this house, was not a kiss or anything like that, but to clean her room .
“You’re slacking off too much . I understand that your mother did accept us and you’re happy about that, but still . ”
“Uuu~ . Is Seiji-kun not happy?”
“I am happy, but that doesn’t mean we get to marry for sure, you know?”
“—It is decided, we can do it . Please don’t say stuff like that . ”
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Ah, she’s sulking .
Since I’ve come and gone from the future, I can’t be relieved at all . Of course, Hiiragi-chan doesn’t know that, so it’s not like I don’t understand her behavior .
Hiiragi-chan was looking at me with teary eyes . Those eyes are unfair, so I wish she would stop .
“Uuuuuuuuu…! I-is it because… y-y-you d-d-don’t love me anymooore!?”
“My feelings for you haven’t disappeared, I still love you . ”
“Then, it’s fine, right?”
She stretched out her feet and clung to me, asking to be pampered .
Kuu! This! She’s too cute!
Pun pun, I shook my head and hardened my heart . I peeled Hiiragi-chan off of me .
“It’s decided . After eating lunch, I’ll go home for today . ”
Hiiragi-chan, who couldn’t accept it, kept jumping at me saying, “Why? Why?”, to which I ignored as I ate the cup noodles Hiiragi-chan had prepared for lunch .
That’s right… cup noodles… I don’t have anything against cup noodles, but before she would make a lot of different things . The gap between the before and now is just too large, and so I still don’t understand how I should take this .
“Once Haruksan returns to normal, we can flirt as much as we want . Until then…”
“Eeeeehhhh…?”
As I was heading home, Hiiragi-chan couldn’t accept it as she bent her mouth into a frown .
If from the start, she already had this side of her, then I would have accepted this lazy Hiiragi-chan . However, she wasn’t like that . She wasn’t clumsy in that sense . Knowing what type of woman she was before, it is inevitable for me to tilt my head in confusion .
“Hmmm… am I just being close-minded…?”
I want to say that isn’t the case .
“No, but still…”
One week . I’ll just watch the situation for one week . I have already told her that I can’t accept her current slacking self .
And so, the week started and it became Monday . A clearly depressed Hiiragi-chan arrived at class .
“Sensei, what’s wrong? You don’t seem energetic?”
“Did she have a pet that died?”
“You don’t look so great either . ”
The girls all came around asking Hiiragi-chan, but all she did was give them a forced smile in return . Just by saying that I wouldn’t meet her over the weekends, seems to have given her quite the large shock .
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Even like this, we can see each other in class, and during lunch, we can eat our meals together with everyone in the home economics room . It’s not like we actually can’t see each other .
“Nii-san, Sensei was a little weird, right?”
Sana seemed to have also sensed this incongruity, as she asked me that on the way home . I passed it off with some random response .
Even during our customary nightly phone calls, Hiiragi-chan was unenergetic .
“I live only for the weekends… and yet, Seiji-kun isn’t going to even come and visit me…”
She sulked in an easily understandable way .
And then, just like that, days of seeing an unenergetic Hiiragi-chan continued . During that time, on a Friday night, a phone call came from Natsumi-chan .
“Hey, Thief-kun! What did you do to Haru-chan? She’s super depressed!”
“Wait, wait . Listen to what I have to say first . ”
“Yeah, what is it?”
Towards the Natsumi-chan that seemed to be in a bad mood, I explained the situation that has resulted in the few weeks after leaving the Hiiragi house .
“Haru-chan is like that? What’s with that? I don’t know a Haru-chan like that… That’s not Haru-chan at all! …So, that’s how it is . ”
Even for the siscon Natsumi-chan, it was a surprising change .
“And so, I thought maybe I could shock her back . ”
“I see . That seems like it would work the best . But it might work too well and backfire . ”
“Eh?”
I heard a chuckle from the other end of the phone .
“I mean, just think about it?Isn’t it terrible to declare that you won’t meet her just because she got a little lazy?”
“W-well… yeah… I thought that as well . ”
Her lazy behavior could probably not be encompassed by just a “little” .
“Because of that, even Haru-chan might get tired of a 100 year love . ”
Natsumi-chan’s voice seemed to be laughing a bit .
“……”
Well, that certainly seems like it would be the case .
To find out that Seiji-kun was this type of person!? I can’t continue on with this!
There is a possibility for that to happen . It’s not out of the question…!
While under distress, the day had turned into Saturday by the time I noticed it . During the nightly calls that we never missed, she was a little bit less cold, is it possible…?
“I-it’s been about a week, well, it should be fine…”
Well things won’t change whether I do or do not go . After I confirmed whether she was still awake at home, I headed towards Hiiragi-chan’s place . When I pressed the doorbell, Hiiragi-chan’s face popped out after the door opened a slight crack .
“Didn’t you say… that you wouldn’t come?”
“Well, it’s been a week . ”
“Then, you’ll come in?”
Since she opened it, I entered the room while being a little nervous . Hiiragi-chan’s place was back to how I knew it to be .
“I reflected on it a lot . I thought you were terrible, but when I complained to Natsumi, she told me, “He’ll get tired of you, you know?” and so I reflected some more . ”
Hiiragi-chan was sitting in seiza on the couch .
That’s right, Natsumi-chan did talk to Hiiragi-chan .
“I was also told the same thing by Natsumi-chan . ”
That girl… she was just trying to fan our sense of danger .
“I thought that maybe I had pushed my ideal version of Haruksan onto you, and so I was reflecting…”
“I-it’s okay . I won’t be lazy again! Because of everything with my mother, I started slacking a bit, and became a little soft on myself…”
“I-it’s okay . In times like that, I’ll do the chores . ”
Pun pun pun, Hiiragi-chan shook her head .
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I won’t do something like that again!”
“It’s fine . You can slack off a bit sometimes . ”
Finally understanding that we felt the same way, Hiiragi-chan and I laughed along with each other .
“I hadn’t had enough of Seiji-kun, and was going to die, you know?”
Hiiragi-chan opened her arms . She closed in on me and hugged me tight .
“I didn’t think that Haruksan would ever become like that, so I was really worried as well . ”
“Then, you should have said that sooner . ”
I lightly kissed the pouting Hiiragi-chan . It’s somehow gotten embarrassing .
Now that I think about it, Natsumi-chan was laughing right…? Was that because Hiiragi-chan and I had the same reaction?
I should give her my thanks later .