Volume 2 - CH 4.3

“Did I… say something weird? I didn’t get thought of as an outrageous guy or something, did I?”

When Sandai began talking, Shino started.

“Eh? Ah, about my dad? No, It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Dad’s unexpectedly a serious one, so he’s worried about, like, whether you’re a good guy and stuff, but… after actually meeting you, I think he got that you’re not a suspicious guy, and afterwards I think he’s overwhelmed on the contrary after knowing you’re the son of some amazing professor.”

“I-I see.”

“Yeah yeah. Actually, I guess it’s also my first time knowing what kind of work your dad has.”

“Did I never tell you before?”

“I remember giving you advice when you told me you’re troubled with what to reply when getting a message from your dad, but at that time I also didn’t ask what his work was, and I felt like it’s not needed to ask either.”

“…You weren’t that curious about my parents?”

“I was curious, you know? I mean I’m also thinking like actually meeting and greeting them. But, the one I love is you, like, the occupation of your father’s got nothing to do with it, right? …There’s probably also girls who’re interested in that kinda stuff when falling in love with someone, but do you think I’m clever enough to decide my preferences based on something like that?”

“Now that you say that to me…”

“It would be impossible for my brain to handle if I give this and that reason to my feelings of love, so I’m not thinking of unnecessary stuff. Nooope!”

It also sounded like she was being defiant, but that wasn’t the case. Those words were precisely because she simply knew herself well.

He would tend to think about this and that, and at times that would make him seem like a horrible person when looking at Shino.

At times, he would suddenly feel worried, wondering whether someone like him would be okay to be her boyfriend. At times he would also think, wondering if there wasn’t a man more worthy of Shino.

However, Sandai would not speak those out.

The one who had created the spark for them to be dating and the one who had confessed was Shino, but now Sandai also completely loved Shino.

That was why he wouldn’t want to let her go, and was getting rid of the possibility that it might turn that way.

Sandai often acted like a grown up, but in fact, he held troubling inner thoughts different from Shino who would tend to let her feelings run wild.

Sandai was aware of such a troublesome side of himself. However, he pretended to have not noticed it and looked the other way.

If he ended up admitting that, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

Humans are multifaceted creatures—the words Nakaoka had said before only now did it hit him so deeply. He himself was precisely so.

“What’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt?”

“My stomach doesn’t hurt, but… do I look like that?”

“You do. If I compare it with something… what was it again… look, there’s that bronze statue sitting with its hand on its jaw, right? That one that I feel like I learned in fine arts or something.”

“Is it Rodin’s The Thinker?”

“That! If there’s something in your mind, while at it, try making it look like The Thinker more for a bit.”

“Isn’t it too random?”

“Do it.”

“I have to?”

“You have to.”

It seemed he would have to, so reluctantly, Sandai took the same pose as The Thinker.

“Is it like this?”

“I feel like the one I saw in the textbook had its eyes closed.”

Even Sandai didn’t remember that detailedly whether Rodin’s The Thinker had its eyes closed.

Probably the number of people who would remember to that extent was also small.

That said, it wasn’t a place to get worked up and refuse it either, so Sandai obediently closed his eyes.

Immediately after—chu—he got kissed on the lips.

“…You tricked me, huh?”

Sandai slowly opened his eyes, and found Shino smiling with her tongue stuck out.

“Thinking normally, there’s no way someone like me who doesn’t pay attention to textbooks is gonna remember if it’s eyes closed or not, right?”

That was completely the case, and besides, Sansai had had a hunch that Shino seemed like she would do something like this. He had obediently listened to her on top of that, so in other words, deep down he had been anticipating it.

“Your cheeks kinda red! Were you happy?”

When Sandai gave a brief nod, Shino grinned as if saying she had been waiting for that reaction.

He was resigning himself to being led by the nose in this kind of area, but despite being the first girlfriend and boyfriend of one another, why was there such a difference in the art of coaxing?

It was making Sandai want to sigh.

However, it was no more than the feelings from Sandai’s perspective. If we were to look at Sandai from Shino’s perspective, it would also look differently.

Seizing the initiative with a composed look, casually charming her by doing stuff that would make her heart pitter-patter—when looked from Shino’s perspective, Sandai would also come off as that kind of guy.

To sum it up, it was the so-called: the feelings are mutual.

“Just what’s she doing… that Shino. Dad does remember you’re usually saying like ‘I’m not good with guys,’ though?”

“Miki thinks Onee-chan is still not good with guys, you know? It’s just that Onii-chan is ‘special’.”

“It’s also my first time seeing Shino being all over a boy so much.”

“…”

“What are you keeping silent for, Daigo-san? Is it about Fujiwara-kun’s dad? I was also surprised, but you also thought ‘she’s got the son of an amazing person as a boyfriend, huh,’ aren’t you?”

“…That is.”

“It’s much better than some weird delinquent introducing and calling himself her ‘boyfriend’ to us. At least I’m relieved. If the type who would go like ‘I’m her BF! Nice–to–meet-cha~’ introduces himself as her boyfriend to us, I’m confident I’d collapse with my mouth foaming bubbles.”

“The feeling’s the same… but Dad’s feeling sho lonely. Shino stopped eating tofu, too… Dad’s feeling sho lonely.”

“Daigo-san, can you stop suddenly talking so grossly?”

“Dad, it’s all right. Miki’s here even if Onee-chan becomes an adult, you know? That’s why pocket money please.”

Now then, not sure what kind of family meeting the Yuizaki family minus Shino had gone through, but the three came back.

“Err… Fujiwara-kun.” Daigo folded his arms, sat down, “Hrm,” and groaned.

Sandai reflexively straightened up his spine.

“I’m going back to the topic. We were talking about you going on a trip with Shino, weren’t we?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Hmmm.”

Daigo stroked his chin once. And then for the second time. And then for the third time—though when he was about to, he got smacked in the head by Neko.

“Oh gosh! I’ve been patient but I’m at my limit! What’s with that attitude towards your daughter’s boyfriend since earlier!? The reply was out since yesterday, so stop pretending and quickly tell Fujiwara-kun!”

“Ouch…”

“What’d you mean ‘ouch’!? The one getting ‘ouch’ is Fujiwara-kun’s heart who’s waiting for the reply that keeps needlessly being drawn out by you—I’m sorry Fujiwara-kun. Sorry that such a man-child old man has to be your girlfriend’s father.”

“N-No, it’s all right…”

“Really geez, this weirdo old man is so…”

Being called a weirdo old man by Neko, Daigo simply and only became smaller without even rebutting.

Apparently, he was needlessly drawing out the answer that was already out.

Perhaps, this was the part where Sandai should get angry, but when he thought that Daigo probably also had all sorts of stuff in his mind as a father, Sandai wasn’t able to say anything.

Instead it was making Sandai want to cover up for him.

“To get called a weirdo old man is… umm, I can imagine for a father to have his mind occupied. Is he not a wonderful dad?”

“Thanks, for putting it like that. Look Daigo-san, you’ve been thoroughly doing something like harassment, and yet Fujiwara-kun called you ‘a wonderful dad’ with a refreshing look there.”

Neko had suddenly turned rough, but Sandai had felt from the start that she had been acting nice, so he wasn’t especially surprised.

I knew it, was his honest impression.

Nevertheless, when he saw Neko complaining to her own husband without reservation, he sensed similarity to Shino in some way.

And then, precisely because Sandai sensed that, there was something he somehow understood.

Probably… what gets her into a bad mood is probably similar to Shino, isn’t it?

Shino would also sometimes come telling Sandai this and that, but even so, there would be a surplus feeling of love clearly being directed.

And Neko was probably similar.

There was an extremely high probability for her personality to be such that she wouldn’t allow anyone but herself to bad-mouth the person she loved.

In that sense, complimenting Daigo was the right choice.

If he were to follow suit with the words weirdo old man, there was a possibility it would’ve turned out horribly.

“Since Daigo-san doesn’t seem he can say it with his own mouth, I’ll say it instead. We are not opposed to your relationship, and for the trip as well; if you go on one with your own money, you can do whatever you like.” Neko continued, “That’s our reply.”

Sandai patted his chest in relief, and seeing that, Shino chuckled.

“I told you it’s fine and you didn’t have to get worried like that, didn’t I?”

“Still even if you say that.”

“Actually, for some time you’ve been like rigid and polite, but if you end up being like that to my parents the first time, I think it’s gonna make you have to continue being like that all the time and just makes you tired, though. I do think being like that’s still fine if it’s with someone you don’t see often, though”

“…Wait, hold up, that way of putting it, I will be seeing your parents often?”

“You will, don’t you think? I mean, you don’t have to fuss over coming to my house anymore, so when seeing me off you can do it openly all the way to my home, right?”

That was exactly so. Excluding finals period, Sandai had always seen Shino off until the station, but after finishing the greeting today, he could now walk her all the way home without shying away.

Somehow, he had a feeling of having crossed a large mountain.

Even so… Sandai had also thought about it when seeing her off during finals, but to him, the atmosphere of the Yuizaki family looked awfully dazzling.

It wasn’t like Sandai was on bad terms with his parents either, and they would be contacting one another although once in a while. Though, it wasn’t like there was an enjoyable feel to it like the Yuizaki family.

Of course, Sandai also understood that nothing could be helped with that. When thinking of the details of his parents’ work, let alone at home, even frequently not being in Japan was a natural thing.

It would be simple to face and say to his parents that he would like them to treasure their family relationship, but his parents’ work was also related to disasters. If he was told that it was a work that could save people from all over the world, he wouldn’t be able to say it strongly.

Even the game console Sandai had asked his parents to buy with the reason of wanting to have friends as well, now he felt that that might not have been the only reason.

He felt like deep down there had also been the feelings of wanting to be pampered by his parents.

“…There, there.”

When Sandai hung his head down, Shino reached out to pat his head.

“…What’s up suddenly?”

“Because somehow you seem like you wanna get pampered.”

At a time like this, “That’s not true,” Sandai would deny it like so if it was the usual. However, his mental state was currently slightly different.

“Seem wanna get pampered… that’s not… not true either, huh.”

“Eh? …A rare response.”

“Even I become like this sometimes.”

“You become a big baby? Goo-goo ga-ga.”

“…Goo-goo ga-ga.”

“H-Hey~.”

“I’m just joking. It’s just, umm, I don’t really get what a family is like… I can’t put it into words well, but I’d think, ‘that’s nice,’ when I see your family…” Sandai said with a bitter smile, and Shino opened her big, round eyes wide.

And then, she patted Sandai’s head once again.

“…There, there.”

Sandai didn’t know what Shino was thinking right now. He would be able to at least come to a guess usually, but only now that that was also impossible for him.

However, the only feeling that got across was kindness.

…I’m pathetic, aren’t I.

Sandai had thought that he had been the one supporting.

He could come to an understanding and handle things to a certain extent, he could also do various stuff rather flawlessly, so he had thought that he had been the side to match up with Shino, who had an intense human emotions and a lot she wasn’t good with.

That was why he hadn’t noticed.

That Shino would like to support him, like how he would like to support her.

“…Have you calmed down?”

Maybe the reason Shino could talk soothingly was because it was something that had developed over the course of looking after her little sister Miki ever since she had been much younger.

Their position was in a complete reversal from the usual, but when seeing it like this, unexpectedly Shino was starting to also seem more of a grown up than Sandai.

Well anyway, a large event of coming to greet her parents ended without any particular problem happening.

The rest would be just to wait for the day of the trip.

“What’s with that mood…”

“Somehow it’s like ‘their own world.’ It’s like being made to eat a mass of sugar, now Miki’s feeling like puking.”

“It’s like the mood in a drama, isn’t it?”

“…It’s a bit off-topic, but as a dad I’d have loved if Shino’s boyfriend was a guy who could complain even if it’s just a little. That way I could get mad at—Owowow, that hurts! Please don’t pull my ear!”

“Stop trying to meddle with your daughter’s love. Children will eventually leave their parents, so support them instead. Yesterday you also kept saying, ‘No you can’t, no you can’t,’ and then Shino cried and got angry… and what did you get, Daigo-san?”

“…I got punched in the face by Shino.”

“And then so your face bulged up like that.”

“…I mean, I felt sho lonely.”

“Even if our daughters leave us I’m here, aren’t I? Now I’m feeling like punching you, too.”