CH 39

A few days after the incident the other day, I was at the mall again.

The other day, I had to work a lot of overtime due to my work at the company, and as a result, I caused Mashiro a lot of trouble.

Mashiro told me that it was unavoidable because it was my job, but it was indeed something that I needed to reflect on.

Even if I had been sure it was due to work, if I had been able to tell her in advance, it wouldn’t have been such a big problem.

And it was my fault for not being able to foresee that this would happen, and for not having established a way to communicate with Mashiro.

I’m sure Mashiro herself didn’t care about such things, but there was no guarantee that something like this wouldn’t happen in the future.

Since she supported me for most of my life, I want to fill in all the gaps for a better life in the future.

And above all, I want to make sure that if anything happened to Mashiro at home, she could contact me immediately.

With Mashiro’s living ability, there is nothing to worry about in her personal life.

However, there are a lot of external factors such as burglary and disasters, and the risks that being the only girl in the house can pose.

I mean, she looked like a normal high school girl. It was only natural that I, as her guardian, would take care of her.

“There’s something I want to give to Mashiro.”

When I got home from the mall, I immediately called her and told her so.

I took out the box containing “thing” from the paper bag I had brought home and placed it in front of her.

Mashiro asked me, “May I open it?” I nodded my head, a little nervous inside.

Mashiro carefully unpacked the box and slowly opened the lid to take a peek inside.

Then she rolled her eyes when she saw what was in it.

“W-What is this…”

What she was staring at was a white thing with a black display, an electronic device the size of a human hand.

It was a mobile device, a so-called smart phone, that every modern person would have.

“Yeah, it’s the same as mine.”

Except for the color, I chose the same size and model as myself so that it would be easy to recognize.

It would be enough for me to teach her how to use it.

“T-That’s not it. This is…a smart phone right?”

“Yes, it is.”

I nodded my head as I replied to Mashiro, who was asking me something quite obvious.

She had seen me with it and seemed to know about the phone itself, but she couldn’t believe that she had a new phone in front of her.

“Maybe you didn’t want to use the same one as me?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

When I made a little joke to Mashiro, who had fallen silent for some reason, she raised her voice to deny it, which was rare.

I could somehow tell from the tone of her voice that this was not a response to my joke.

She gently touched the phone in the box with her fingertips.

“…Satou-san gave me so many things. It’s more than I can ever repay.”

“It’s nothing of that sort…”

Mashiro traced the display as if recalling a memory, then removed her fingertips from the phone.

“It’s that way. And yet…I can’t accept something this expensive.

Mashiro gave me a serious look.

The expression on her face showed that she had no intention of not accepting it due to simple discomfort, and that Mashiro had her own sense of pride.

It was true that I’ve given Mashiro many things in the past.

From my point of view, I think I’ve gotten more from Mashiro than she has from me, but since she says so, I can’t say anything.

But this time, I’d rather give the phone to Mashiro for my own use.

“There’s one thing I want to apologize to you about first.”

Thinking that she probably didn’t think that far ahead, I took a chance and grabbed Mashiro’s hand.

She lets out a small “eh” and stares at her hand being held.

Her hand was warm, yet soft, and I shook off my slight hesitation to continue speaking.

“You know the other day when I had to work late and had to come home late? That’s what this is for…

“…I really don’t mind, then. Even cooking was originally something I did on my own.”

“Even if that’s the case, that’s not good enough for me. Besides…after all this time, I’m worried that I won’t be able to contact Mashiro if something happens to you.

She sighed in exasperation. Perhaps I’m being too overprotective.

But if I’m thinking about Mashiro’s safety, isn’t it normal to do something like this when you’re in a position like a guardian?

“Anyway, I want you to keep this as a means of communication, not just for dinner, but for the future. It’s not a gift, it’s a favor for me.”

I grabbed Mashiro’s still unconvinced hand again and bowed to her.

I can understand her humility, as I am the one who is always getting things from her.

…But this is my request, although a selfish one. I know it was selfish of me, but this was the one time I can’t give in.

I’m not sure if my feelings were conveyed, but suddenly my hand that was holding Mashiro’s hand was squeezed back by hers.

As if on cue, I looked up and saw her face, smiling gently but with a slightly resigned expression on her face.

“…I understand. I’ll take that as a thank you, if you say so.”

“Well…thank you, Mashiro.”

I held Mashiro’s hand and stroked her head with my other hand as I thanked her.

She looked at me with an indescribably itchy look and then looked away.