Volume 2 - CH 4.1

The 26th finally arrived.

According to the plan, Sandai would go to Shino’s home today, but… since today was also the payday of his part-time job, he checked the balance of his bank account first.

“…It’s in.”

The start of his work had been at the start of the month, and the payroll cutoff at the 15th of the month. It was several ten thousand yen, about half a month worth of part-time job earning, but still, an odd sense of accomplishment welled up.

He felt the first money that he had earned from working out of his own wish of wanting to have more fun days with his girlfriend was somewhat special.

With light-hearted steps, Sandai got into the train and got rocked around for about an hour. After that, I think it’s this station, he got off at the station near Shino’s home.

Compared to when he had come here previously, the atmosphere in front of the station seemed just a little different, but that was probably because of the different time of the day.

It is not uncommon for sceneries to feel differently at day and night.

Returning to the topic, Shino’s home was a tofu seller in the shopping district, which was located close by.

When thinking that he really would have to greet them, his restlessness wouldn’t stop. He started to feel nervous.

Humans, in a time when their mind isn’t in its usual, they are one to make mistakes.

Slipping of the tongue, ending up acting suspiciously, and getting into trouble when they realized it.

At a time like this, it is best to take a deep breath and calm your mind.

Sandai bought a sugarless coffee at the vending machine, sat on a chair in front of the station, and slurped it. He reflexively went, “Uwh,” at its bitterness, but his nervousness lessened, and he started to calm down a little.

He casually looked up, and the sky was clear blue. Standing before that vastness, the nervousness he was holding seemed tiny.

It wasn’t a big deal.

He would simply have a talk with them for one or two hours.

Having regained his usual state of mind the next thing he knew, Sandai said, “Guess It’s time to go,” and got up. And he aimed and threw the finished-up, empty coffee can at the trash can for empty cans… and it completely missed and hit the ground, so he picked it up and put it in by hand.

He was seen and got heartily laughed at by a senior lady who happened to pass by, but he decided to not mind it. However, he felt like ignoring it would make him seem like a rude person, so he casually gave a slight bow.

With that happening, he walked for several minutes, and Shino’s home came into sight.

Seeing it once more, it seemed like a fairly old building. It wasn’t the house of someone rich; Shino herself had mentioned it before, so it was whatever to Sandai, though.

For the time being, Sandai thought of getting into the store and calling out. However, the store’s entrance had been shut tight.

In this situation, what would be the best way to notify his visit?

When he had walked Shino home before, Shino had used the key and entered from the store’s entrance. That said, although obvious, Sandai didn’t have the store’s key and the like.

Shout?

Bang bang the entrance?

He thought of those too, but it was rejected as to be expected. It was simply an annoyance to the neighborhood, and it was a crude, without-any-manners way of doing it.

Well, even though it was a store, it was also used as a dwelling, so there should at least be a bell somewhere.

Sandai began the aimless search for the bell, but he couldn’t really find it even after giving his utmost.

There was a postbox beside the store’s entrance, but that was about it.

Wondering what to do, Sandai groaned.

It was then.

From a small path on the side of the store, he could hear the sound of a sliding door being opened. From there Shino appeared.

Apparently there was an entrance for the residence in the back of the building. Sandai also hadn’t looked that far.

“Sandai sure is late… He’s not getting into an accident or something is he? I wonder if he’s okay… Hmm?”

He made eye contact with Shino.

“…”

“…”

“…What’re you doing in front of the store?”

“What am I doing? Umm, I’ve been looking for the bell, you see. I see. So there’s an entrance there.”

“Could it be that you’ve been loitering around in front of the store?”

“…Right.”

“C’mon, you’re like a completely suspicious person.”

“Well, I mean, look, you entered through the store’s entrance, so I thought the store’s entrance is also the front door for sure…”

“The door there’s got a bad fitting and would make a sound, so it’ll echo at night. I’m just using the store’s entrance since it won’t make much sound… Actually, you could’ve just sent me a chat rather than feeling troubled here.”

Sandai’s mouth curved sulkily at the unopposable sound argument. Although Shino sighed at him, she pulled his hand and led him in.

“Geez… you’re making me worried. I thought you’re getting into an accident or something.”

“My bad…”

“If you’re sorry then good… Like I said the day before yesterday, I told everything about you to my mom and dad yesterday.”

“Yesterday… you did say you were having a family dinner. At that time?”

“Yeah. They got a bit surprised, but I also talked about the trip, and I also told them that you’re a boyfriend who would like to properly greet them before that.”

“What was their reaction like…?”

“My mom was like, ‘Sure, why not?’ but my dad got a little, ‘Hmrrg,’ I think? But it was fine!” so Shino said, but Sandai started to feel a little worried.

It seemed there wasn’t a problem with her mother, but the problem lied on her father who had apparently become hmrrg. Sandai had difficulty guessing to what degree the hmrrg that Shino had said was.

Had it been a strong objection or refusal, he felt that Shino wouldn’t have said it so lightly like this, however…

Precisely because it hadn’t turned into a huge issue, it was also possible that she was being light and non-serious about it to not work Sandai up.

Shino unexpectedly got a considerate personality like that, so Sandai felt a bit of an iffy.

However, he didn’t think of saying that he was feeling rather anxious and scurrying back to his apartment at this stage either. He was ready from the beginning.

Shino stopped in front of a sliding door at the corner of the hallway.

Sandai gulped down his saliva.

“Your dad and mom1 are… in here?”

“Miki is also there while at it, but… yeah, they are, too. I’ll open it, okay?”

“All right.”

Sandai gave a strong nod, and the sliding door was pulled. Inside was a tatami room, and three people were sitting there in a row.

Sitting on the right side was Miki whom he was familiar with.

Sitting on the left side was a woman around her mid thirties wearing an apron. She should be Shino’s mother.

Sitting in the middle was a man wearing a samue… whose face for some reason all swollen up, but… should be Shino’s father.

It was hard to come up with any distinction in regards to the looks of her father, but in regards to her mother, she was a woman whom everyone for certain would call a beauty.

She had a contour like that of a doll, and a perfectly smooth and straight nose bridge. The eyes in her small face were big, round, and like that of a gem, and the texture of her skin was so fine like white porcelain.

And then, her chest was incredibly big. It was so big that it wouldn’t be weird even if it were to make a boing sound effect.

Shino previously had said something like her chest had gotten big maybe because of tofu, but could it be that the cause wasn’t that but genetics?

No, something like that didn’t matter.

What he must think right now was simply about properly introducing himself.