Chapter 20: Parent and Child

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Translator: Soafp

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I looked up at Hiiragi's house.

It was a stylish three-story concrete designer home. Within the stone-walled property was a lawn-covered yard. When I opened the tall front door and stepped into the spacious entrance hall, a fresh scent drifted through the air.

Apparently, Hiiragi came from a fairly wealthy family.

“I'm home! Oh, Hatsukade, use those slippers.”

“Got it.”

“Come to think of it, this might be the first time I've invited a boy into my house. My heart's pounding—this is totally an event, right!? You're nervous too, aren't you, Hatsukade?”

“Yeah.”

My chest really was making an obnoxious amount of noise.

And then the moment came.

“Woof!”

“Rooney-kun!”

Rooney, the Siberian husky, came running from deeper in the house and launched himself full-speed into my chest.

Ah, so fluffy… How could he be this cute?

Hiiragi tilted her head.

“Your reaction isn't what I expected.”

Whether it was a boy's house or a girl's house, a house was just a house.

Why would I get excited about that?

“Rooney-kun! I missed you so much!”

“Hatsukade, aren't you acting totally out of character?”

Rooney pulled away from me, then ran down the long hallway and back like he was doing shuttle runs before jumping on me again.

Huskies had faces like wolves but were somehow unbelievably goofy.

That was what made them great.

“Phew.”

After thoroughly enjoying his coat and satisfying myself, I followed Hiiragi into the living room.

“Mom, I'm home!”

“Welcome back, Sakura—ara, well, well, well!”

The woman who greeted us was so beautiful she could have been an actress.

She looked far too young to have a daughter in high school.

Hiiragi's mother looked at me and covered her mouth.

“Could you be Sakura's boyfriend!?”

“No, I'm not.”

“You look wonderful together! I'm so happy for you, Sakura!”

“I said we're not—”

“Honey! Sakura brought home a boyfriend!”

Her mother shouted joyfully. From upstairs came a cry of, “What!?” followed by the sound of someone charging down the stairs at incredible speed.

“Sakura's boyfriend, you say!?”

The man who burst into the room was a tall, handsome guy.

His eyes widened behind round glasses, and without hesitation, Hiiragi's father put both hands on my shoulders.

“Welcome. You're a fine young man—I'm moved. Welcome; you're my son now!”

If there had ever been a school open day, I was confident I could identify Hiiragi's parents instantly with no hints.

---

Sitting on the sofa, I smiled as Rooney bounced and played at my feet. I carefully drank the herbal tea I had been served so it would not spill on him. It was aromatic and clearly high quality.

Afterward, I explained that I was not her boyfriend and cleared up the misunderstanding completely.

Then both of them dropped their shoulders in disappointment.

“Just when I thought our daughter had finally woken up from her foolish fantasy and taken an interest in a real boy.”

“I'm worried about Sakura's future. Is she going to keep clinging to a childhood romance forever?”

Apparently, Hiiragi's fairy-tale-like love was a real concern for her parents.

Hiiragi crossed her arms in open annoyance.

“Come on! You both know he's my hero!”

“That may be true, but he's still someone you have little hope of seeing again. At this rate, I'll never get to see my grandchildren!”

“Exactly. Say, Hatsukade-kun, would you consider taking our daughter off our hands? She's just a little silly—she isn't a bad child.”

That was quite a way to speak about her, like they were trying to foist oversized trash on someone.

“If it's Rooney-kun, I'd welcome him anytime.”

Hiiragi's mother laughed softly as though I had made an amusing joke.

“No, Rooney is our child.”

Hiiragi, what exactly was your position in this household…?

Hiiragi puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.

“I can't talk to Hatsukade because of you two! Come on, Hatsukade. We'll talk while walking Rooney!”

At the word walk, Rooney instantly sprang up.

Without realizing it, I had risen too.

The three of us walked through a residential neighborhood colored by the evening sunset.

“Hehe, sorry about my parents. They surprised you, didn't they?”

“Did they?”

If anything, their strong resemblance to Hiiragi made complete sense.

Perhaps a more mature Hiiragi would become like them.

“So, about Shi-chan… I think she still believes Nakina hasn't forgiven her.”

“Why do you think that?”

Hiiragi glanced at me, warning, “I'm only saying this because it's you. Don't tell anyone else.”

“Shi-chan messages me a lot every day. And every message is about Nakina. She asks whether Nakina likes someone, or whether there's anyone she seems interested in.”

“Did you tell her?”

“Of course not! I've learned after messing up so much. I'm never making a basic mistake like that again.”

I did not trust her at all, but she at least seemed to believe she had reflected on things.

“So why does Shinonome want to know all that?”

“She says she wants to support Nakina. She caused her so much trouble, so she wants to do something for her.”

“…”

“I feel the same way, you know? I want to support my friends with everything I've got, and I want them to be happy. But I don't think doing it out of guilt is right. I don't know what I should say to Shi-chan, so I wanted your advice, Hatsukade.”

It sounded exactly like something Shinonome would think.

This was why romance never led anywhere good.

“What would you think if you were in the reverse position, Hiiragi?”

“Huh?”

“If someone supported your love life out of guilt.”

“Obviously I'd hate it. I love my darling honestly and head-on!”

“Right…”

I hesitated over whether to say it, but figured she would probably be fine.

“What if Amanatsu and Shinonome liked the same person?”

Hiiragi burst out laughing.

“Ahaha! Hatsukade, that's way too conceited. Shi-chan would never be into someone like you.”

“I said hypothetically.”

“Why ask something so pointless?”

“I want your opinion. You understand that Shinonome, feeling guilty toward Amanatsu, might step aside and try to support Amanatsu, right?”

“Sure.”

“In that case, which one would you support?”

If she chose Amanatsu, Shinonome would probably withdraw.

If she told Shinonome not to do that, Amanatsu might give up instead.

Whichever choice she made, one of them would get hurt.

Whichever one she chose, things would become awkward.

Would those two still be able to remain friends?

I looked into Hiiragi's eyes.

She smiled as brightly as a clear sky.

“Obviously I'd support both! I want both Shi-chan's love and Nakina's love to come true!”

“That's impossible.”

“But liking someone means that, doesn't it? Being mutually in love isn't the only kind of romance.”

Hiiragi, who seemed as though she had not thought deeply about it at all, added, “Though I'll spend my entire life trying to end up with my darling.”

Maybe I had asked the wrong person.

If I encouraged both girls, they would eventually clash, and it would become a disaster.

But even so…

It was such a typically Hiiragi answer that I could not help smiling.

“Yeah.”

“Oh? So you get it, Hatsukade.”

I still had trouble dealing with Sakura Hiiragi.

But I felt like I understood, if only a little, why the people around her cared for her.

At an intersection, we reached the crosswalk.

The pedestrian signal began flashing just as I stepped on the first white stripe.

Holding Rooney's leash, Hiiragi turned around with a broad smile.

“Right, right—this is where my darli—”

“That takes me back.”

Looking around, I muttered without thinking.

The scenery was full of memories.

“Do you have some connection to this place?”

“Yeah, from elementary school. My childhood friend wanted to go on an adventure on her bike, so I followed after her. Then she got lost and ended up all the way here, far from home.”

“Oh?”

“She started crying at the intersection. While I was trying to cheer her up, there was a Chihuahua without a leash.”

“…Huh?”

“It must have escaped from someone's house. Then a girl around our age walked toward the excited Chihuahua without thinking.”

“…Wait a second.”

“I jumped in at the last moment, and the Chihuahua bit me hard on the butt. Ever since then, I've been nervous around dogs I meet for the first time.”

“…No way.”

After crossing the street, I noticed Hiiragi was no longer beside me.

When I looked back, she was standing there with a pale face.

The light had changed to red.

“Hey!”

She did not react when I called out.

I looked to the right in alarm—and a truck was racing toward her, horn blaring.