Chikasugiru Karera no, Juunanasai no Tooi Kankei [LN] V2 Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2 - End Of Summer

Izumi's mother is going back to Japan. A few days after the summer festival, my mother told me about it. Izumi's mother was going to stay in Tokyo for a week during the Obon season for a vacation, and she and Izumi were going to travel together during that time, but before that, she was going to come to our house to say hello and stay overnight.

The week leading up to that day passed peacefully and quickly. I went to club activities, and Izumi followed her daily routine exactly: studying in the library in the morning, eating lunch in the living room, spending the afternoon in her room (she said she was making her own accessories), and going for a walk in the evening around 4 pm.

Then, as planned, Izumi's mother came to our house on the evening of August 8. I was studying in my room when my mother, who had gone to the station to pick her up, and Izumi returned, and I suddenly felt a noise at the front door.

I thought I should at least say hello, so when the tone of the conversation coming from downstairs had calmed down, I went downstairs to find a slender woman sitting in the living room with my mother and Izumi.

The three of them were having tea. Tea utensils and a tray of sweets were placed on the table. When I entered the living room, my eyes immediately met Izumi's mother's. "Oh," Izumi's mother murmured, as if she were trying to bow to me. I bowed lightly, too.

My mother noticed me, too,

"This is my younger son, Kenichi," she said, introducing me to Izumi's mother. 

"Nice to meet you. I am Sakamoto Kenichi."

When I said that, she looked at me fixedly and said, "Oh my, oh my, oh my."  

"You must be the Kenichi I've heard so much about. I am Izumi Tomoko. Nice to meet you."

She spoke a little too quickly. I bowed my head again. 

Aunt Tomoko had a face similar to Izumi's, but the atmosphere was quite different. Her hair was light brown with a loose perm at the ends. She was dressed in white three-quarter-length pants and a sleeveless yellow shirt, which gave her a clean, active look and a very youthful impression.

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"I'm sorry, this time we suddenly got into this kind of conversation. Rina, did she give you any trouble?"

Aunt said with a friendly smile.

"No, not at all."

When I shook my head,

"She was a very nice girl. I'd like to have her in this house," my mother interjected from the side.

"Really? She's like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It seems you haven't exposed your true colors yet, Rina?"

When Izumi's mother said that, "Hey, that's not true," Izumi said, annoyed.

"Rina is actually quite selfish. Whenever there is a movie she wants to see or an outfit she wants, she takes me shopping as if she's dragging me along."

"What's that? I'm so jealous!" said my mother, who seems to be quite fond of Izumi, saying that she was seriously envious.

Nevertheless, I was a little surprised to hear that Izumi was selfish. I could not imagine her like that at all. As I thought, the real Izumi might be a little different from Izumi in my home. I felt lonely when I thought so, and I felt bad for making her feel uncomfortable.

As I was watching Izumi's profile as she protested to aunt, imagining her being selfish, she suddenly looked at me and our eyes met. She was a little bit sullen.

"Mom's stories are always exaggerated. Don't listen to them too much."

"Oh my, you say that," aunt said, and Izumi continued with a pout.

"It's true that mom is exaggerating."

Whether Izumi was wearing sheep's clothing or not, I could tell that she and aunt were getting along very well anyway. I was afraid to sit at the table where the three of them were sitting, and I felt somewhat out of place, so I decided to go back to my room.

"Umm, I'm going back to my room. I just wanted to say hello."

As I turned on my heel saying that, my mother stopped me.

"Ah, wait a minute. I'll prepare the meal soon, so you should help me."

"I bought some side dishes on the way home."

Saying that, Izumi glanced at the refrigerator.

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