Chikasugiru Karera no, Juunanasai no Tooi Kankei [LN] V1 Chapter 5.3

Chapter 5 - The Taste Of Rain And Sweat

"So that's what happened."

I explained the situation to Izumi at dinner.

I was going to refuse the suggestion if she gave me a reaction that she was bothered, but her eyes lit up when she heard that Yuriko and another friend were coming to study with us. 

"Then, I have to prepare."

"Eh? Prepare for what?"

"Making snacks and other things."

Surprisingly, Izumi was eager to participate. She looked as if she was looking forward to it.

"I don't think you have to go that far. I mean, aren't we bothering Izumi's study?"

When I said this, Izumi shook her head.

"I also want to see Mori-san again. I also want to thank her for the gifts she brought me the other day. "

"I see......You guys were getting along so well."

Izumi nodded, carefully pouring the tea into my mother's empty teacup. On this day, my mother came home early after a while, and the three of us had dinner together.

My mother sipped the tea Izumi had poured for her and quietly placed the teacup on the table.

"Yuriko-chan, she's gonna come?"

"Apparently."

"It has been a long time since I've seen her. I saw her at the supermarket the other day, and she looked so cute with her hair styled up."

"Yeah, well, I guess so," I replied.

Yuriko hadn't been to my house since we were in the sixth grade.

She used to come over to my house a lot. Most of the time, it was just a gathering to play video games with the boys of the same grade who were on the same soccer team and my big brother who played with us, but my mother, who said she wanted a daughter, was so happy when Yuriko came. They used to talk in the living room, leaving me, my big brother, and other friends to play video games and have tea together, and they used to make snacks at home together. Many years have passed since then. 

"Kenichi-kun, I'm totally fine, so please tell Mori-san and your friends so."

Izumi said this as she finished her meal and put down her chopsticks. She had only met Yuriko once, and it was her first time meeting Nagai, but she didn't seem to have any particular hesitation.

What's that, I thought. Maybe I'm the only one who's think it too much.

"Thanks for the food."

I sat up, cleaned my own tableware, and went back to my room. As I lay on my bed, I contacted Yuriko on the SNS app.

《Izumi, she said you can come. She said she wanted to see you too.》

I lay on my back with the phone still in my hand and stared at the ceiling. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs from downstairs. Izumi, I thought. The sound of my mother and Izumi going up the stairs was slightly different. Izumi's footsteps were calmer, and whether it was because of her lighter weight or her calm personality, the sounds were more subdued. It had only been less than a month, but I had already become so used to having Izumi at home that I was able to discern such a thing.

The phone vibrated briefly in my hand.

The screen of the SNS application I displayed said, 《Got it. Give my regards to Izumi-san,》 was all that was written on the screen.

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At lunchtime the next day, as if trying to blend in with the hustle and bustle, I said to Nagai in a slightly quieter voice, "You know,". "Hm?" he asked as he sat down across from me and stuck a straw in his juice pack.

"The relative I mentioned yesterday is the girl who came to watch our practice match the other day."

Nagai stopped moving for a moment and then looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

"For real?"

I nodded. Then Nagai, too, lowered his voice and asked,

"Do you live with her?"

I nodded again in response to his questions.

"......Since last month. It's kind of hard to say."

For a moment, Nagai opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but after a pause, as if swallowing his words,

"--- I bet," He said, with a sympathetic nuance. I felt a bit relieved at his words. Nagai is not that kind of guy, but I wondered what I would do if he were to make fun of me or tease me.

"But, are you sure? I'm going to your place under those circumstances. Doesn't she also have to study for a test or something?"

"Yeah. We talked about it yesterday. She said she's totally fine with it. Besides, she went to a prestigious school that sends a lot of students to Tokyo University every year, so she can probably teach you even the hard parts. She will be a great help."

"Really? That would be very helpful."

Nagai laughed as he said that.

"Besides, I was a little curious about her."

Nagai's words and cheerful expression made my heart ache a little.

"Can I ask you how it happened, what's going on? I don't want to step on any landmines when I go to your place."

"Her parents are away on a long business trip."

When I replied shortly, Nagai was taken aback.

"Eh? Is that all?"

Yeah, I nodded my head.

"She came to my house because we were the only place within her school zone where she could be taken care of. There were no landmines or anything."

"I see. But you must be getting along well with her since she comes to see your club activities. I also have some relatives close to my age, but I don't talk to them much because I don't have much of a relationship with them."

"No. That time I forgot my lunch box, so she brought it to me. It was Yuriko who invited her to watch the game."

"I see. I was surprised at that time because I thought she was Sakamoto's girlfriend, you know."

I couldn't respond well to that remark. I just smiled bitterly and replied, " Of course not,". Nagai, and the words I said, brought up some mysterious and complicated feelings.

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