“First of all, the graphics card…”
“……..”
I did say it was fine, but…
Recently, Corbin’s focus had been entirely on one thing.
That was, of course, decorating his new room.
He was really engrossed in it.
So into it that it was honestly quite funny.
“8090…”
“Is it fun?”
“Huh?”
“…No.”
Well, I was the one who encouraged him to decorate the room, and I was planning to let him have it for personal use anyway.
I wasn’t really angry or discontent.
Just… it was a bit amusing to see a grown man looking up nothing but computer-related stuff after work like this.
Every single day after work, Corbin was obsessively searching for computers and room decoration ideas.
From desks to chairs and lighting…
He truly seemed to be putting a lot of thought into it.
“Ugh… Charlotte, your dad is acting more like a baby than you. What should I do?”
“Babbe?”
“…You don’t mean that, right?”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“…Lindera allowed it.”
“Well… that’s true, but I didn’t expect him to get this carried away.”
Seriously.
I never thought he’d like it this much.
There’s a saying that men never grow up, and it felt like it was true.
“Charlotte shouldn’t get too into gaming like that, I’m worried about who she’s taking after.”
“…It’s probably fine?”
“Why the question mark?”
“…Hmm.”
Right.
It made sense to worry.
Honestly, I didn’t think a girl would avoid gaming entirely.
It’s more like her parents were Corbin and me.
So, I was more worried about that.
Corbin really loved gaming, and I occasionally played together with him.
I thought that once Charlotte grows up, we’d all be gaming together.
Because of that… I was concerned that Charlotte might get too obsessed with it.
“Hmm.”
“Anyone seeing this would think I’m a gaming addict dad.”
“That’s not the case, but Charlotte could pick up some bad habits, right…?”
“…That’s true.”
Honestly, I had to admit that.
Of course, I had to keep things balanced to prevent that.
There’s a saying that kids are reflections of their parents.
It would probably be fine.
Yeah.
“So what will you order?”
“Um… first, the computer is a must… and maybe some softer lighting…”
Corbin started showing me a rough list he’d put together.
There was quite a lot, but since I allowed it…
I just praised him saying it looked good and gave him positive feedback.
“It seems fine. It’s better to get something good this time…”
Yep.
Hmm.
That should be right?
Wouldn’t it be bad if I got him a good computer and he became a total couch potato later?
Honestly, I was a bit… worried.
“How about a chair with a bit more cushion? Something expensive and good for the back.”
“Should I? Yeah, I guess an expensive chair is better if I’ll be sitting for long… Oh, but I was also planning to buy a sofa…”
Well.
I was really glad to see him in such a good mood.
It had turned out that I kind of allowed it, but I didn’t mind at all.
After all, having a computer at home was necessary, and it was just decorating the spare room, or something along those lines.
I was just excitedly discussing how to decorate with him.
“But why do you need lighting? The room isn’t without lights.”
“Huh? Um… it’s better to darken the room a bit when watching movies, right? But if it’s too dark, it’s bad for the eyes…?”
“So for lighting?”
“More or less. There are lights that connect to the monitor and illuminate in similar colors. Variety of options, it’s quite a dilemma.”
“Hmm…”
There seems to be more to it than I thought.
Honestly, I didn’t know much about it, but it was nice to see him talking so enthusiastically.
I just kept nodding along, giving positive reactions.
He looked very happy discussing his hobby, which was nice to witness.
*
“How’s Charlotte doing these days? Is she well?”
“Of course. During the weekdays, she plays and has fun with the colleagues in the office.”
“Hehe, that’s a relief. Your son isn’t up to mischief or trouble, right?”
“Of course not.”
It had been a while since I visited Corbin’s mom.
She was supposed to return to her original place, but she stayed to help with Charlotte’s birth and caring for her.
Well… I was grateful for that.
“How have you been, Mother? It must be much warmer than your usual zone.”
“Hehe, the weather is a little warm, but I think I’m fine. I personally really enjoy warm weather.”
“In that case… that’s a relief.”
Corbin and I honestly didn’t like the weather in Zone 07 that much.
It was just too hot.
It wasn’t extremely humid, but the heat was definitely… well, not great.
Every single day was hot enough to break a sweat, even if it wasn’t suffocating.
On top of that, we felt heat more acutely than the agents.
We couldn’t comfortably spend time in that heat, and we were living through it every day.
“If Charlotte and Lindera are doing well too, that’s a comfort. I’ve been really worried about our son.”
“These days, they’re doing really well. You don’t have to worry too much.”
“…That’s a relief.”
“Ah, and that recipe you told me about? I’ve been using it well.”
It had been a while since we’d met, but you have to say what needs to be said.
Anyway, I was having that conversation with her.
Charlotte and Corbin were in the office, and it was just me out here talking.
Initially, I had planned on bringing Charlotte as well, but Corbin told me to take care of it.
So, it ended up being just me out here.
Well, it was comfortable for me.
“The reason I called you isn’t just for a friendly chat; I’m planning to head back soon.”
“Are you leaving already?”
“It’s already been over six months. It’s not that living here is a problem, but it feels like time to head back.”
“Oh…”
It was a bit sudden.
But then again, she had been here for a long time.
As she said, over six months… it really was quite a while.
“Hehe, I’ll come back now and then, so you don’t have to be too surprised.”
“That’s… true.”
“I was planning to tell Corbin today, but I guess I’ll have to wait until the weekend now.”
“So that’s why you wanted to meet today?”
“Exactly. I could’ve texted, but I figured it’d be nicer to talk in person.”
Hmm… if I had known this was the topic, I should’ve just brought Corbin along.
To be honest, she didn’t mention it was important, so I had no choice.
But still… it would have been better to hear it all together.
“I’ll make time over the weekend.”
“Would you do that for me?”
“Yes, I’ll set it aside. But I think it’ll have to be Sunday. On Saturday… I plan to take Charlotte to the aquarium.”
I had already made a reservation, so there was no way around it.
It wouldn’t be great to suddenly cancel either.
“To the aquarium?”
“Yes. I figured since Charlotte hasn’t seen much aside from people, it’d be nice to show her some animals. But the zoo… the weather is quite hot, you know?”
“So, the aquarium?”
“Yes.”
Anyway, I had that conversation with her.
The news of her going back felt quite abrupt, but it was bound to happen at some point, right?
“You’re making a room for gaming?”
“Yes, it was a spare room anyway. That’s pretty much his only hobby.”
While we were talking about that, the subject of Corbin decorating his new room came up.
Out of nowhere.
“Hmm… that’s right. Even as a kid, after finishing his studies, he’d only game.”
“He did that as a child?”
“He was even worse as a kid. The worst was when he just turned into an adult.”
“Oh…”
We were clearly discussing the room when suddenly we were talking about Corbin’s childhood.
It felt like the direction of the conversation kept changing but they were all intriguing topics.
“After his birthday, once he became a full adult, man… it was exhausting.”
“How was it exhausting…?”
“Suddenly playing games from morning till night, and even when I was sleeping, he kept the lights on, really… he played until dawn.”
“Yeah?”
“And even during the night, there were all these clicking sounds, and the light was on…”
“………”
“Every night I had to endure those clicking sounds and sleepless nights.”
Hmm.
Even now…
“So I’d tell him to keep it down around dawn. He used his allowance to buy quieter controllers and keyboards…”
“Um…”
“And he’d turn off the lights and keep the door closed… and kept playing like that. Right after becoming an adult, he’d stay up late and sleep in the morning, then wake up for dinner all the time…”
“Ugh…”
Hearing about Corbin decorating a room made me somewhat fearful.
Just from what his mother said, he sounded like quite the hermit.
…But no way he’d be like that with a baby around.
…Right? It shouldn’t be like that…
“…It’ll probably be fine. Maybe…?”
“Well, he’s older now. With a baby, he wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“That’s definitely true.”
“Well, they do say men remain children at heart.”
“………”
…It should be okay.
Probably?
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