“Fukuda, about the marriage topic….”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
As Yamashita spoke softly with a troubled expression, Kagami clasped her hands and replied.
Was it really a slip of the tongue?
Since I came back to life, I often forget because of Kagami’s attitude towards me, but Kagami is basically the type who puts up walls against others.
It was the same when she first saw me and when she met other people. She even acted like a completely different person in front of my friends.
So it took me quite some time to notice Kagami’s true feelings.
Right now, Kagami’s demeanor appears warm at a glance, but in reality, she is merely pretending to be a sociable relative.
No, thinking back, it’s less about being a sociable relative and more about wearing a mask. Basically, ‘this demeanor’ was the same in front of everyone. It’s just that this demeanor looks somewhat sociable in front of others.
By adjusting the intensity depending on the time and situation, she can use it more effectively. Kagami has survived that way until now.
“Still, shouldn’t we start chatting a bit?”
Mori said as if she had found a good opportunity.
Her gaze was directed at Yamashita.
Mori is about the same height as Yuuki. There’s a reason they seem to be of similar age. Of course, since Yuuki has a model-like physique, Mori looks similar when next to him; he might appear a bit larger when next to me, I think.
But for some reason, the sight of Mori with rabbit ears on her head gave off an impression that she could eat up the much larger cat-like Yamashita.
I thought it looked different from what I had seen before, but then I recalled that the situations I met Mori in weren’t really great.
Once to pick up Yuuki.
And once when I was cursed.
Other than that, I hadn’t really talked long, even when visiting Yuuki’s family, we just exchanged greetings.
What I saw back then might be similar in some sense to the ‘mask’ Kagami shows. After all, all adults tend to wear masks in their first meetings.
“Since it’s been quite some time since you allowed it, hasn’t it?”
The softly persistent voice was a bit scary.
Even Koko seemed to have caught onto the atmosphere, wide-eyed as she looked at Mori.
Was it around this time when Yuuki’s mental state also went downhill?
If measured by the period, it has almost been a year, so it has dragged on for a while.
Based on dating duration, one could think it’s too short to get married, but Yamashita is getting older. Considering the age gap already makes them a couple with a significant difference, marrying before getting older doesn’t seem bad.
Yamashita shot a glance at Kagami, but Kagami was just happily nibbling on some cotton candy.
…So she just passed that on to someone else.
Just a moment ago, I was enjoying a trip with Koko, and suddenly ran into acquaintances. While we were helping each other, and we do have mingled blood relatives after all, these two families aren’t really that close. It’s more like a business relationship, I suppose.
If I had to say, only Yuuki and I are that close.
However, since we can’t get mad or scold the ones who provided us the reason to be here, I decided to shift the topic and divert the eyes to somewhere else.
“…”
I glanced at Kagami and then turned my gaze to Yuuki.
Yuuki had a very pouty expression.
Having known each other for quite a while, I tried to learn how to interpret Yuuki’s expressions. But ultimately, I failed.
If there is a reason, it’s simply that Yuuki only looks that way when he’s genuinely upset. So, there’s no room for interpretation since there aren’t any other emotions within it.
At a glance, he seems like he doesn’t express his feelings, but in reality, he’s more emotional than one might think. At least that’s how I feel when I’m beside him.
He just tries not to express it.
“…Um.”
I pondered for a moment.
To continue hanging around Kagami here or to leave with Yuuki.
However, it feels a bit sad to separate from Kagami, who made time to bring us all the way here.
Even though it hasn’t been long since we began living as ‘family’, it seems Kagami is still anxious. Probably for a few more years to come.
This means we still don’t completely trust each other.
It’s not about being afraid of being deceived, but rather whether this relationship will last a lifetime.
“Yuuki.”
As I spoke, Yuuki blinked.
He slowly turned his head to look at me.
And, even the adults. No, why? Just keep on with the conversation you were having.
Koko was the only one completely distracted by the cotton candy.
“Shall we play together?”
“Together?”
Yuuki tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand what I meant.
“Literally. Don’t you want to walk with us? What about you, Koko?”
“Wow?”
Koko, with cotton candy stuck to her face, lifted her head.
She glanced back and forth between Yuuki and me.
“Good!”
As if having more friends to play with is better, she smiled brightly.
I sneaked a glance at Kagami.
“…Is that okay?”
Kagami’s expression suddenly turned pouty. It was as if she were looking at Yuuki just a moment ago.
She seemed like she was about to grumble to herself at any moment, so I quickly spoke up.
“Mom?”
Her pouty expression widened, and there was a spark of life in her eyes.
Kagami nodded at me with sparkling eyes.
“Of course, dear.”
Then she smiled gently, nodding her head.
Kagami, who wants to be a mother.
Since Kagami probably wanted to show me a perfect mother, my suggestion likely couldn’t be turned down.
As I turned my head back, I found Yuuki with a rather complex expression on his face.
The sight of me calling Kagami ‘mom’ and Kagami calling me ‘daughter’ seems incredibly… strange to him.
Well, it would be.
Could it be that he sees himself in this? The situation is different, but it’s true that for him, calling Mori ‘mom’ is also rather awkward.
“…Kagami?”
Yamashita, with an extremely flustered expression, asked.
“Yamashita, is it okay if I take my niece with me? You two seem to have something to discuss.”
“Right, Yohei. It seems we have a few things to talk about.”
Maybe it’s because they have been holding back until now.
Mori’s eyes lit up as she spoke.
Is this a reverse situation?
I imagined something similar when I was younger, but this is scarier than I expected.
“…”
Ultimately, Yamashita closed his eyes and fell into thought before seriously nodding.
He probably didn’t expect such a situation to occur at an amusement park during the golden holiday. I didn’t foresee it either.
Mori was pleased, while Yamashita still wore a complicated expression.
No matter how I think about it, I really felt the headbands should switch sides.
*
“…”
“Are you worried about Yamashita?”
“Sorry, but I’m Yamashita too, you know?”
When I asked, Yuuki still had a complicated expression as he replied.
I bet his expression was caused by thoughts of his father and Mori being apart, and also some feelings about the title I use for referencing my father.
Well, if you think about it, it is also his last name after all.
“Anyway, we call each other by names, so it doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.”
Yuuki looked toward Kagami.
Since I had called her ‘mom’ several times, Kagami was walking around holding my hand and Koko’s hand with a very pleased expression.
This was probably a ‘great deal’ for Kagami.
“…That person calls me his niece. Yet, doesn’t it sound strange when you call him like that?”
So it seems he wants me to consider him as a relative.
Honestly, it was a bit of a puzzling situation.
Up until now, since we thought of each other as strangers, I didn’t really pay much attention to how I addressed my father, but it seems after knowing I’m his cousin, his attitude has slightly changed.
I still don’t fully understand that subtle difference. If he were Korean, he would probably think, ‘Because we’re cousins,’ and move on without much thought. Since, in my country, we treat relatives up to the eighth degree, and in reality, I’ve met cousins often during holidays. After all, our relationship was severed later, but psychologically, the distance wasn’t that far.
However… Japan is a bit different, isn’t it?
If it had to be called an international standard, Japan, like many other countries, allows marriages between cousins.
Also, there isn’t a complicated pronoun system like in my country to refer to relatives in terms of ‘degrees’. An uncle is “ojisan,” which means a middle-aged man, and an aunt is “obasan,” meaning a middle-aged woman.
So even words used can refer to someone who’s not even related by blood, meaning the sense of distance is quite different from what I have.
“…Then, should we refer to him as uncle?”
“Yeah.”
Yuuki nodded at my question.
That’s a bit of a tricky matter. Honestly, I feel a bit uncertain. Yamashita has a somewhat intimidating image.
“Koko too.”
“Uncle?”
When Koko tilted her head, Yuuki nodded.
“Yeah, uncle!”
…
If Koko calls him uncle, maybe I should ride on that wave.
I don’t think he’d be particularly mad hearing that, yet it still seems a bit scary.
“Please just call me by my name.”
Before Yuuki could even utter the word ‘obasan’, Kagami quickly interjected.
“…”
Yuuki, perhaps overwhelmed by that strange force, nodded slightly.
We walked without speaking for a few seconds.
“Well then… is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“…”
Yuuki thought for a moment before responding.
“I’m here for the first time too.”
“Is that so?”
Kagami interjected Yuuki’s words. She still held one hand each of mine and Koko.
“Then, I’ll guide you. As you can see, I studied up a bit beforehand.”
Did she perhaps buy a travel guide and read it?
For some reason, she seemed full of confidence as she wandered here and there.
“There are still many places I haven’t been to yet.”
Seeing Kagami’s bright expression, Yuuki looked at me with a still complicated expression.
I had only shrugged my shoulders as a reaction to that.
Right, I didn’t expect Kagami to change like this.
After seeing my expression, Yuuki seems to have given up on trying to understand.
Well, he would understand later.
In my opinion, someday if Yuuki starts referring to Mori as ‘mom’ instead of ‘sister’, I’m sure Mori will react in the same way as Kagami.
The situation differs, but the care is the same.
In some sense, she has been taking care of Yuuki longer than my relationship with Kagami.
…Biologically, it’s not a huge age difference that could potentially make her his daughter. But who cares?
Originally, family isn’t simply connected by blood.
Rather, shouldn’t we worry more about the possibility that ‘a younger sister who could biologically be really considered a daughter’ might appear instead?
“…Why are you looking like that?”
“Nothing.”
In contrast to earlier, as I looked at Yuuki with a complicated expression, Yuuki frowned and asked.
I simply shook my head without a response.
*
Yuuki enjoyed the amusement park more than I expected.
It seemed he decided to put aside his relationship with his father and Mori for now. Well, that was a wise choice. It would be too depressing to spend time here just worrying.
After playing for a few hours, Yuuki got a call on his phone.
“…Dad is calling.”
We exchanged glances.
When I looked up at Kagami, she looked down at me.
“…Mom?”
“Should we take you back then?”
As I cast another magical word, Kagami answered cheerfully.
Yuuki was starting to show a doubtful expression about the relationship between Kagami and me. It was almost like he was watching us perform a play.
I guess he’s recalling the time we acted out a case of abusive family.
I feel like I’m becoming a shepherd boy.
After all, no matter how much he learns later that it was all an act, that first impression isn’t easily erased.
I will probably have to keep showing it consistently in the future.
The place they called us to was where we sat when we first met.
“…Have you been here this whole time?”
When Yuuki asked Yamashita, it was Mori who answered instead.
“No, we enjoyed ourselves in our own way.”
“…I see.”
Yuuki wore an indescribable expression. The slightly frowning look seemed to convey, ‘I don’t know what to say.’
I thought for a moment to empathize with him.
What if Kagami said she was going to marry Fukuda…
“Why are you making that face?”
“Nothing.”
Hmm, that comparison doesn’t seem quite valid.
If Fukuda had even half the diligence of Mori, I might have thought it was worth supporting.
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
“I haven’t reached one yet.”
At Mori’s words, Yuuki’s expression turned a bit desolate.
“But still, it seems we have decided on a direction. Let’s not rush, but take things a bit slower.”
“I see.”
When Yuuki attempted to smile at those words…
“I plan to go all the way in about three years. Yuuki, you’ll be a student next year, so you need to have some leeway.”
“…”
Yuuki’s expression turned slightly dazed.
By the way.
I looked back and forth between Yamashita and Mori.
Do they fit well together?
Because usually, the ‘wives’ found in yakuza movies are often beautiful women in kimonos with an Oriental vibe.
If this person were to wear a kimono, she might look similar.
Still, I don’t know why I’m smitten.
Did I treat her well?
I feel like I will never be able to relate to that story even if I hear it directly.
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