CH 97

I’m back home after a long and tedious day.

Rin had something to do after making dinner, so she left early and I’m all alone this evening.

Well, even so, I’m just going back to my old life since I was originally alone at this time once school started…….

I guess it’s inevitable that once you get into the habit, you feel lonely like a hole has opened up in your life.

“Familiarity is a scary thing…….”

I feel thirsty, and when I go to get it, a drink is placed in front of me …….

If I feel hungry, a light meal is offered.

Perhaps it was because of this state of affairs that I felt strangely absent-minded.

Living together for a month…… or in this case, caregiving.

I felt like the effects of that were making me an even worse person.

It’s very pathetic…….

“Well, I’m going to review today’s lesson and go to bed early.”

I gave a big sigh and glanced at the clock.

It’s now 11:00, and I’ll have to pick up the pace to finish.

I roll my shoulders slowly and exhale with a huff.

Alright. Good luck studying….

“I need to talk to you!!”

As soon as the door to the apartment opens, I hear a voice that puts me on the edge of my seat.　

The timing is both good and bad, exquisite timing.

Come to think of it, I had left a key for her.

“What’s the matter, Rin …… so late at night?”

When Rin appeared, she was dressed in indoor clothes …… or rather, in a rough outfit that was more like a nightgown, and had big tears in her eyes.

In her hands she was holding a school bag and a travel carry-on case, and it was obvious from the luggage she had brought what she was …… doing here.

“I ran away from home.”

“I bet, by the looks of it…..”

It clearly didn’t look prepared.

A cloth-like object protruded from the case, and her hair was a mess, perhaps from running.

It was clear that Rin, a firm person, had packed things in a messy way.

So it was probably not a premeditated act.

Unusually for her, I could tell she was emotional.

“I’ll hear what you have to say inside. Well, come on in.”

“……Excuse me.”

I invited Rin, whose face was clouded in shame, into the apartment.

For a moment when Rin showed up, I thought it was Lisa, Rin’s mother, who put her here, but it really doesn’t look like it.

She’s clearly angry …….

“Look, just drink some lemon tea for now and calm down.”

“Thank you, ……. Towa-kun, you’ve learned how to make tea.”

“I can do this much myself.”

Seeing Rin admire me as if she were impressed, I shrug my shoulders.

Rin sighs loudly as she takes a sip of the lemon tea she was handed.

“So, what’s going on? Tell me what happened.”

“….. Yes. I don’t want to talk about it too much, but ……. To put it simply, I had an argument with my father.”

“I think it’s a bit premature to say that you ran away from home because of a quarrel ……, but was there something that was non-negotiable for you?”

“…… In case you’re interested……. Yes. Something like that.”

Rin’s face looks complicated.

She doesn’t seem to want to say exactly why.

It must have been a quarrel that they could not pull out of.

If you don’t know where to pull out, the quarrel will just end up in a conflict, and in the end, you will only be left with a lot of wounds.

Both sides curse at each other, hurt each other ….. and then regret it.

That is what a quarrel is.

You say what you want to say to each other, and if you can make up, that’s good enough.

Some may see that as part of compromise, but it is a double-edged sword.

It is not always possible for both parties to come to an understanding and settle the matter after revealing their feelings.

It is possible for one side to feel relieved, but the other side may be left hurt or feels discomfort.

That is probably why Rin has a complicated expression on her face.

Feelings of wanting to say something.

Feelings of not being satisfied.

Feelings of regret …… after saying something.

I wish I could give her some advice here…..

The best I can do is to tell her the outcome based on my own experience of what will happen in the future in the matter of quarrels.

If this happens, it will happen like that.

That’s all I can do.

My parents and I don’t really quarrel.

“You’ve worked up a sweat. Why don’t you go take a bath? I think you’ll feel better afterwards…….”

“I will.”

Rin muttered and disappeared into the bathroom.

This is the least I can do.

I can only change her mood and help her vent…….

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling in a daze.

It is at times like this that you realize how helpless you really are…….

With this thought in mind, I suddenly shifted my gaze to the glowing screen of my phone.

Tilting my head at the number, which I did not recognize, I picked up the phone.

“Ummm……. hello.”

“Oh, thank goodness you answered! How are you, Pon-chan~?”

“Eh, …… Lisa-san?”

My face pulls back at the unexpected and sudden call.

I mean, how did she get my number ……?

Did I give it to her?

I immediately dismissed the question from my mind, thinking, “Well, I guess it’s possible for her to have my number.”

I was more than grateful for the timing of the call.

I listened carefully to the sounds in the bathroom.

….It seems that she is currently taking a shower.

“I’m sorry for bothering you. We didn’t take a step back from each other, so this is what happened~.”

“Rin is taking a shower right now. May I ask what happened? Rin said it was an argument…….”

“That’s right~. Dad got angry too, which is rare. …… She has been staying over at Towa’s house every day for a long time. That’s what worries him…….”

“Well, from a father’s point of view, it is normal to think that she is being deceived by a bad guy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes~. Normally, Rin would say, “It’s okay because it’s Towa-kun”. But today, he didn’t back down. I think he was a little concerned about the changes in his daughter that he had never seen before…….”

“So that’s what it was about…….”

Daughter’s boyfriend. Or a romantic interest.

Either way, it is inevitable that Rin would think so from her side, as she has put in more than she could ever imagine …….

Parental concern that is why.\

I don’t know what happened to them in the past, but judging by the way she was at school today, she must have been rather salty about many things.

It’s easy to imagine that.

But…

“If that was all, I don’t think Rin would have been upset either……?”

“Let’s see……”

It’s rare for Rin to get angry.

I’ve almost never seen it either, and I’ve never heard of anything like that at school.

If I remember from what I saw, I was ambushed in front of my …… house before summer vacation, trying to keep my distance ……..Oh.

“Did he say anything about me, by any chance?”

I had somewhat guessed.

Rin gets angry because it’s about other people, not when it’s about her…….

“Porotto ……, Porotto, that’s right. Dad said, “A man who is just a pimp for Rin to take care of him is just a punk as far as I’m concerned.”

“…There’s not much room for argument, sadly.”

There is no room for complaints.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say she’s taking care of a punk of sorts.

Seeing his daughter like that day in and day out, he must be worried.

Is she being deceived?

Is she being forced?

It is not surprising that such questions would come to mind.

I’ve seen the way he’s been acting. I can understand Dad’s anxiety. But that doesn’t mean he should make assumptions. He himself always told Rin-chan, “See for yourself and decide for yourself”. That’s why Rin-chan said, “I didn’t expect such words from my father……….”

“So it was her father’s teaching that she should decide for herself …..”

Rin’s words that she told me in the past…….

I still vividly remember that time.

The first time I saw Rin’s angry appearance.

‘I decide who I am going to associate with. There is no room for and no influence from the evaluations and reputations of those around me. I am here like this because I genuinely want to be with you, to talk with you, and to watch you with my own eyes.’

I was so happy to hear these words, I felt like I was saved …… but I didn’t want to admit it.

But for sure Rin’s feelings at that time are strongly rooted in my heart.

That line is probably Rin’s true feelings and policy.

So ……, she wouldn’t have wanted …… to deny it even more…….

There was a pause in the call, and then, I heard a gentle laugh from Lisa.

“After that, you probably don’t need me to tell you. They argued and she said, “I’m going to elope!” and she left.”

“What do you mean, eloping? ……. And you didn’t stop it, Lisa-san?”

“It happened while I was out of the room~. So, what you just heard is also what Dad told me.”

“I see……. Then I’ll try to quiet Rin down and convince her to talk to her father.”

“I’m so glad you’re so quick to respond. Both of them are so stubborn that it will be difficult to persuade them.”

I heard her voice sounding satisfied, as if she had been waiting for my reply.

I couldn’t deny the feeling that I was being played with, but I guess there was no point in worrying about it.

“No, I’m the cause and ……. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it.”

“Oh my goodness~”

A surprised but lively voice came over the phone.

I was strangely embarrassed by that, so I had to say bluntly, “What is it?”

“Fufu. Nothing. It’s nothing. But your voice is so much better.”

“What are you talking about? My voice hasn’t changed at all.”

‘Yes, yes, yes~. Let’s leave it at that.”

I chuckle at Lisa’s treatment of me as a child.

I feel like I’m being read through even more than Rin, and I can’t say I like it.

“Then, Pon-chan, I’ll be counting on you. Please take good care of her.”

Her tone of voice was firm, rather than the usual slow and gentle.

But there was a certain gentleness in her voice.

“Yes.”

I replied shortly and hung up the phone.

Then, thinking about Rin, I waited for her.