22nd Piece — MINE

This chapter had the most aneurysm inducing sentence yet. I have included a screenshot of what pain looks like at the end for those curious.

Also coming in early, as I have some stuff to take care of in the evening, so enjoy the early update!

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Saying one thing or another, finally I arrived at home a little past eight o’clock.

I concealed my mood with my 「I’m home」 voice, and opened the front door entrance.
From the living room, I feel the hint of a person there. Only the sound of the television can be heard.
It’s my mother, who certainly is always lying down on the sofa, gazing at the TV, it seems.

I start to take off the heels I bought at “hidamari”, while humming which is something I usually don’t do.
Here, it was a little regrettable to take them off when I thought of Oshio-kun’s compliment, but…… yes, it’s important to take care of them for a crucial moment. 

I think that kind of thing while grinning—from the darkness of the inner part of the hallway, with brown dyed hair in a bob cut, the wrinkled face of a woman popped out.
Maa, simply put, this is my mother.
However, it was extremely abrupt that I let out a 「Dooou!?」, screaming improperly like a usual female high school student would.

「(……Koharu, Koharu!)」 [T/N: She’s whispering.]

「W, whwhwh, what is it, mother!? Ahhh, you surprised me……!」

「(How, you just left for a recent phone call!)」

「Phone call……? ……Ah!」

So finally, I remember the reason I left “hidamari”, was a call from my mother.
At that time, there were so many various things that happened, that I forgot to call her back, however……

「I’m sorry, it was crowded, was it something important? ……Or rather, why the whispered voice?」

「(……Ah, who do you honestly take after, it’s embarrassing or rather the point is it’s bad, or more precisely…..)」

「?」

「In any case, it’s because you can’t follow-up, isn’t it?」

「……??」

What is mother saying? Completely unable to understand, I tilt my head to the side a little—suddenly, I notice a certain thing.

Huh…..?
Come to think of it, right now my mother arrived from the hallway, but, then what about the presence I felt of the person from the living room?
In addition, if you try to listen carefully, what the television is playing—it’s a news program.
Mother likes variety shows, to watch the news at this prime-time television hour, was unlikely.
No way—

At almost the same time I was in the middle of my thoughts, the living room door opened.
Then, appearing from the other side of the door, with a sharp glint in the eye, at that time, I of course, and even my mother, certainly felt like our spines froze up.

「—welcome home, Koharu, it’s late, isn’t it?」

「F, father……?」

My father, Kitou Kazuharu’s figure was there.
Moreover, it’s especially dreadful, it’s not offset.

His hair is blacker than black, in a 7 to 3 ratio. [T/N: Yes the 「7:3」 hair ratio is a thing, if you want to look it up.]
Without one wrinkle in his shirt, and with a tightly fastened blue necktie.
However one way or another, even if things appear like this, from the sharp glasses frames, wrinkles of nervousness are sticking out.
It was my father’s perfect job mode.

Then, always after returning home my father would take a shower, even now he is continuing to be in job mode meaning…… it’s decided.
—It’s time to scold me.

「To, today, you’re early, you know…… did you not have overtime……?」

Haha, I tried such a thing like changing the subject while giving an insincere smile, but, father’s sour look was the same as ever……

「I am asking why you are returning home so late, in addition, why are you wearing casual clothing, and what happened to your uniform.」

Being pressed by each detachedly asked question, drop by drop, an unpleasant sweat was forming on the back of my neck.
If I know it’s my parents, it’s more frightening than a teacher.

Being subordinate to father, every day I bear something like this, it seems……

「Today,」

I forcibly open my dry and parched throat to answer.

「Today, I went with my cousin Rinka-chan after-school to buy clothes…… because I liked them, I immediately changed into them…… haha.」

「With two girls of your age, until such a time, moreover if my memory serves me correct, Rinka-chan is a third year middle-school student, and yet.」

「Y, yes…… you have a good memory.」

I wasn’t able to meet father’s gaze.
In front of my father, even though until now I haven’t done anything in particular, even if in my head I understand that,  in the end my body won’t do what it’s told.
In that manner, dropping my gaze downward and my mouth, father……

「—Come.」

Saying that, I was guided into the living room.
Walking heavily, I obeyed.

At that time, from the news program on the TV came 「One after another with the SNS scandals, moral panic!」, with Minstagram taken up under that theme.
I hear a student of a certain major family restaurant company, during their job, uploaded an extremely inappropriate and rash picture onto Minsta, and with that as the cause, various people got angry.

Father looks at that,

「A stray dog is much better in this case.」

and said that.
That, that cold manner of speaking, caused me to unconsciously shiver.

「Koharu, any time now you’ll be at a good age, so I’m going to teach you. First of all, do you understand why people get an education?」

At the abrupt question, I shiver while answering,

「To get into a good college……?」

「That’s wrong, if people did not receive an adequate education, they can’t mature.」

Saying that, father sat down on the sofa.

「Humans, after all, are animals. Always tempted by desires, always following the comfortable ways, so in the beginning adults with good sense should take the lead, receiving an education is necessary. Freedom or independence, that sort of thing, is only because humans completed it—the boy the TV picked up today, he’s a prime example, it seems, the consequence of a dog who didn’t finish sufficient training. The result is a stray dog that will bite at anyone, and I have to say that his parents neglected their duties as parents.」

Saying that, father sighed deeply……

「……after that, that boy will be discharged from work, and his family will talk about it behind it back, it seems. The family who hired him will also have trust in them questioned, and videos on the net are permanent…… only one animal, an unacceptably undisciplined stray dog will disappear, but countless people will be troubled…… that’s what I wanted to say, do you understand?」 [T/N: Low key sounds like this dude was a whistleblower or something lol]

In the middle of feeling like I was choking from the sense of urgency, I am at a loss for words, and father clearly declared.

「—Koharu, you aren’t an adult yet, so at least, don’t try to imitate taking the lead.」

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

「Haaaa~~~~……」

My deep…… very deep sigh, echoed in the narrow bathroom.
That high tension is now the lowest.

「I’m really tired……」

I sink little by little into the bathtub.
Mentally and physically, I’m exhausted.

In the end, father’s sermon continued for an hour.
Something grandiose for arriving home a little late……I had a small kind of rebellious thought in the corner of my head for the first ten minutes.
The remaining fifty minutes, it was only getting smaller.

After all, father’s words were absolutely the truth.
Even though I don’t have a curfew, returning home late was my mistake.
But, in addition……

「It would be good if he could say it more gently……」

Father was too cold.
Calling him a dog to his daughter! He wasn’t a person!
That way of speaking can be poetic, I understand that, but, it was too frightening that I honestly was on the brink of tears, so please think about how to say it……

「I want for you to emulate Oshio-kun, you know, honestly……」

If it’s him, he’ll almost certainly not hurt my dainty heart, instead he would gently admonish me.
……with that kind of thought, realizing I naturally monologued about comparisons to Oshio-kun, I blushed.

Uu…… for me, these days, at all times, 「Oshio-kun this, Oshio-kun that」, it’s rather disagreeable, isn’t it!?
Ahh, geez……! If this kind of situation continues, before long I won’t be able to live without Oshio-kun!
Occasionally, I’ll forget about Oshio-kun, and think of something else!
Alright! Let’s do it! [T/N: If Sato’s case of Oshio Fever is this bad, I worry for Rinka.]

I nod to myself, saying 「Yes, yes」, as I go surfing on the net, picking up the waterproofed smartphone next to the bathtub……

……yet, I feel.

…………I can assuredly say that I feel.

「……I want Oshio-kun to comfort me.」

Those kinds of words are what came out of my mouth, and I sank my head into the bathtub.
Geez, already I’ve become a person who can’t live without Oshio-kun, I can’t, I can’t.

While I was admonishing myself, the MINE app opened.
Then, opening Oshio-kun’s chat room, that day I sent it,

「After school, would you like to go together to drink tapioca milk tea?」

with that sentence, a shy Pommerarian stamp was displayed. [T/N: If you aren’t familiar with LINE, you can send preset images called stamps/stickers (I’ve seen both terms be used), usually meant to express something.]
Ultimately, from then, I haven’t used MINE to send anything to Oshio-kun……

「What should I send……!」

I stared at the talk room, but my heart started to beat fast, going bakubakubaku.
Everyone, when it’s time to send a MINE to your friends, what do you say……!?
Because, at any rate, I only send MINE to Rinka-chan or my mother……!

Is “Good evening” safe?
Isn’t that a little too polite?

“Thanks, Oshio-kun!”
……Ha, sending an abrupt MINE in advance, it feels a little too shameless, and wouldn’t it be misjudging the sense of distance between us?

Once more.
Something like “Oshio-kun, the date this time was fun, right”……

「Date!!」

Once again, I sank my head into the bathtub. Something noisy is the best.

……or perhaps I should say, the first sentence had been decided!
“Oshio-kun, thank you for today with Rinka-chan, sorry for the trouble”
Receiving comfort is presumptuous! First of all, I should be giving my thanks, right!?

While spitting out foam from bubbles in the bathtub, I’m thinking about that sort of thing—somehow, father’s recent sermon crossed my mind.

「At the very least, don’t try to imitate taking the lead.」

I lifted my face from the bathtub and laughed self-deprecatingly.

「That sort of, it’s not especially like I’m confessing from here……」

While my laughter changes into something dry, I turn back to the smartphone’s display.

「……huh?」

It’s a certain uncomfortable feeling.
—it’s an embarrassing story, but up until now several times, like this time, I would try to send Oshio-kun a MINE, but on countless occasions wouldn’t have the courage to send it, and with that being the case, my eyes were drawn to Oshio-kun’s chat room.
So, I noticed an unusual event.

Underneath the Pommeranian stamp.
There, a short message to “Sato-san”.

「Eh, a message from Oshio-kun……」

Rather than understanding the situation, my smartphone’s pokon notification sound rang out, so

「—」

I see the newly sent message, and then I, honestly, I think my heart stopped.
No, I don’t think it stopped, it did stop, this time honestly, it stopped.
After all, Oshio-kun’s sent message—

“I like Sato-san.”

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So when I did my usual scroll through of this chapter, I blazed through it because I saw that last line and knew I had to know all the events leading up to it. Here we goooooo!

(Above: Sato’s father’s monologue) Also I have never felt so much pain in my brain. You have no idea how heartbreaking it was to just see that as I scrolled through lmao. But in hindsight it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Either way, not a lot to say about this chapter! But, I realized that we’ve actually reached just over the point I’ve made it 6 months without missing a bi-weekly update. Whew, it’s been a wild ride, huh? Doing pretty well in my Japanese classes as well, as I’ve moved onto Genki II, and doing his has definitely opened my eyes up to a lot of vocab and whatnot.

Look forward to next chapter though! See you guys then!

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