For the next few days, we maintained the same sleeping arrangements and Kurosawa-san never argued over it again. However, every morning when I woke up, I discovered that I had been magically transported to the bedroom. Surely, Yumi-chan wasn’t the one doing this so that only left Kurosawa-san.
I was very grateful for his attentiveness, but I never said anything aloud. I just silently acknowledged everything that was happening. Kurosawa-san too, never told me anything upfront. He simply took my silence as approval and continued to do things his way.
Every morning, I would find a simple breakfast, usually omelet with rice, scrambled eggs or sandwiches, waiting for me on the table. There would always be a little note sticking next to it, saying ‘Enjoy the food’. At noon, Kurosawa-san would drop by to have lunch with me and prepare something for when Yumi-chan would come back from school. And for dinner, we would either order takeout or prepare some quick dishes. Afterwards, we each would go about our own business until it was time for bed.
I tried to keep my previous writing schedule, but I guess all the activity during the day tired me out more than I had expected. Suddenly having two people around took a toll on me and I always ended up falling asleep soon after midnight. In those few days I didn’t get to see the dawn, which was a novelty for me.
In this manner the days passed by steadily, until it was the last day Yumi-chan would spend at my place. It was a Saturday. Kurosawa-san didn’t have to go to work and, luckily, Yumi-chan didn’t have classes either.
That morning he received a call from Amami-chan letting him know that her husband will arrive around 5 p.m. to pick up Yumi-chan.
“Alright. We’ll be waiting for him. I will send him the address.” I heard Kurosawa-san saying. Probably Amami-chan asked something about the location because a moment later he continued with “We’re at Masato-sensei’s apartment. En, yes, it ended up that way.” Kurosawa-san stopped for a moment, then I saw him wrinkling his brows and pushing the phone a bit further away from his ear. “Sis, would you stop squealing and yelling. Won’t the people over there think you’ve gone batshit crazy by now? Alright. I have to go now. Talk to you later.”
I was puzzled by the conversation. Could it be that Kurosawa-san hadn’t told Amami-chan that he was staying with Yumi-chan at my place? Would she be upset if she knew? Well, either way, the days have already been spent like that so there was no need to cry over spilled milk. My intentions were good and honorable. If I find out she is upset, I will deal with it then.
Looking at the time I saw it was still quite early. Since it was barely 10 a.m. when Amami-chan called, that left us with several hours to kill until the afternoon.
“Should we go somewhere?” Kurosawa-san asked after hanging up.
Hearing his question, I glanced outside. The weather was truly marvelous. The rainy season had just begun, but outside the sky was clear and the sun was shining with a dazzling light. The air was warm and not humid enough to cause discomfort. In short, it was the perfect weather to go for a walk in the park or hiking.
“Yumi-chan, do you want to go out and play?” I turned to ask her. Indeed, children her age would most likely prefer going out on such a beautiful day instead of being cooped up in an apartment.
Being addressed so suddenly startled Yumi-chan. But she soon began smiling and pointed at the sky through the window.
“It’s a beautiful day so I want to go to the park.” She said smiling widely.
Sure enough, I was right. Then, the park it is.
We all got dressed and left the apartment. The park was a ten minutes’ drive away from my place. This was one of the reasons I loved the location of my apartment. All the things I needed were relatively close.
Because it was the weekend, the park was packed with people who came out to enjoy the nice weather. There were families having a picnic, young people on bicycles, older people slowly walking along the lanes; everyone coming here with the sole purpose of refreshing their bodies and clearing their tired minds. Even I had to admit that I began to feel lighter the moment I started walking under the trees, breathing in the fresh air and watching the sun glittering like pieces of jewels through the leaves. Nature was beautiful, and just like animals, it gave me peace of mind and allowed me to unwind. Whenever I was in this type of scenery, I would always be able to let everything go, not think about anything; simply breathing was enough.
Not long after we started walking, Yumi-chan noticed a person selling animal-shaped balloons. I saw her looking longingly at the colorful shapes and thought she was going to head over there. But a second later she stopped in her tracks. Could it be that I misinterpreted her look? At that moment it just so happened that I touched her shoulder and received the answer to my question.
Those are sooo cute. I wanted one, but… but I don’t want to trouble Masato-sensei.
Me? What about your uncle Rin, then? This train of thought made me curious, hence I decided to carefully place my hand on her shoulder. At that time, I didn’t even realize that I was beginning to actively reach to hear someone’s thoughts, something that would have been inconceivable until a few weeks ago.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Uncle Rin told me that Masato-sensei doesn’t like crowded places. Maybe if I find a moment to tell just uncle Rin about the balloons…
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“Kurosawa-san, how about you go over there and buy us some balloons? One for each. What do you think, Yumi-chan?” I glanced down at the girl and gave her a wink.
She blinked at me a few times, her mouth opening slightly but not saying anything. Yumi-chan’s surprised face was really cute and it caused me to smile from the bottom of my heart. I covered my mouth with a hand and let out a chuckle.
When I turned my head to look at Kurosawa-san it was my turn to be surprised. He was gaping at me unblinkingly, his eyes staring so intensely that it made my face feel hot. Could it be that my words have startled him silly? What was so shocking about wanting to buy balloons for Yumi-chan?
“Ah, yes. Of course.” Kurosawa-san finally came back to life after a second. He smiled at Yumi-chan, then at me. “What shapes do you want?”
“Cat.” Yumi-chan and I both replied at the same time. We all looked at each other, then began laughing heartily.
Thus, we each got a balloon, two cats flanking an orange dog. Of course, the dog-shaped balloon was Kurosawa-san’s. I have to say, he chose something quite fitting for him.
Later, we saw a vendor selling cotton candy. The sweet smell wafted towards us, making even adults drool. Pink and blue fluffy clouds came out of the machine, looking like delicate cotton spheres on a stick.
I decided to try my luck again and touched Yumi-chan’s arm as if by coincidence. Just as expected, she was all hyped up inside her head.
Whaaaa… cotton candy! So yummy… it looks so yummy. I want one too.
Thus, the order has been placed and Masato-sensei stepped forward before she even got a chance to express her wishes aloud.
“Kurosawa-san. I think I want some cotton candy. What about you, Yumi-chan?”
For the second time that day this pair of uncle and niece goggled at me like I was some kind of bizarre creature. I honestly began to wonder; was it so weird for a grownup to feel like having a balloon or eating cotton candy? It’s not like I did that every day. This was a special occasion after all.
With laughter in his eyes, Kurosawa-san went and bought three sticks of cotton candy.
“Weren’t there blue ones as well?” I asked dejectedly, staring at the pink fluffy cloud in front of my eyes.
“I’m sorry. The vendor had already made the second one pink as well. By the time I got to tell him, it was already too late.” Kurosawa-san said sheepishly. Though, the wide grin he displayed didn’t make him appear too apologetic.
Meanwhile, Yumi-chan was eating her own pink cotton candy, giggling and looking lively.
Uncle Rin is so funny, teasing Masato-sensei like this. I heard her say inside her head.
Ah, yes. Right, my hand accidentally touched Yumi-chan’s side. Curious as to what more she had to say, I stuck close to her for a little while longer.
Masato-sensei too, doesn’t look like he dislikes it. He is always very kind and attentive with uncle Rin and me. And the way he smiles is so beautiful… his entire face goes sparkly.
For some reason, her innocent thoughts made me blush. I averted my eyes and tried not to let my emotions show on my face. It’s true that I have been showing these two quite a preferential treatment as of late. But I didn’t realize it was so obvious. I have tried too hard to stay away from people that when I finally got close to someone, I didn’t know the value or the impact my actions would have on that person. For Yumi-chan to think these things, was it a good thing or a bad thing?
Before I could reach a conclusion, Yumi-chan’s inner voice rang again.
Today I got everything I wanted without having to ask for it. Could it be that Masato-sensei can read my mind?
This scared me out of my wits and I hurried to step away from Yumi-chan. Due to my fluster, though, I accidentally smacked some cotton candy on my face. It felt sticky to the touch and the more I tried to clean it, the worse it got. My movements eventually attracted Kurosawa-san’s attention and he came closer.
“Masato-sensei, let me help you with that.” I heard him say.
In one swift motion he pulled out a wet-nap from who knows where and proceeded to clean my cheek. Before I could react and say I could do it myself, he had already finished and pocketed the napkin away.
However, instead of moving away, he got even closer. He raised his hand again and brushed his thumb across my cheek, from the cheekbone to the corner of my lips. Baffled by the sudden gesture, I looked up and saw him staring at me quite fixedly. His eyes were bright with a touch of tenderness I had never seen before in him. His finger moved gently until all the moisture had dried away. Only then did he move away, leaving me some space to breathe.
Aah, such a pity. I thought he was going to kiss him.
Unexpectedly a girl’s voice sounded in my head. It appeared that sometime during our previous moment Yumi-chan came closer and her foot was sticking close to mine.
A second later I realized the meaning of her thoughts and a sudden blush rose to my face. I wanted to disappear right then and there. How could this child be thinking such things? It was obvious that Kurosawa-san was just helping me wipe my face, right? Where did a possible kiss come into the picture? And why was I blushing and feeling nervous all of a sudden?
When I glanced at Kurosawa-san he had already moved a few steps back and was enjoying his cotton candy, not even sparing me a glance.
That’s right! This person had no such interest in me. Not that I have anything against such things, but I don’t see him in that way. I just like his company and feel comfortable around him. Also, his honesty and straightforwardness have rekindled my withered belief in people. For me, having someone like Kurosawa-san in my life as a friend is a precious gift. There are no other feelings attached to it.
When we finally got back to my apartment, it was my turn to receive a phone call. It was Kota-san wanting to speak about the meeting with the financer for the movie.
“I have given them your reply and they want to have a proper meeting next week. Are you good for Tuesday during lunch?”
“Yes. Tuesday is good. Are you also coming?” I asked, going to my desk and marking the day in the calendar.
“No. I have something else going on then. I will ask Kurosawa-kun to join you. He is your editor after all so it should be good enough.”
“Alright. Sounds good.”
“Will you be alright?” Kota-san suddenly asked.
“Of course. It’s just business talk over lunch, right? There shouldn’t be anything to worry about.” I said simply.
I was feeling surprisingly calm about this upcoming meeting. Even more so, thinking that I wouldn’t be alone. Kurosawa-san would be there with me. Therefore, everything would surely be alright.
“Ah, by the way. How is Kurosawa-san doing?”
“Ha? Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?” I replied in bafflement. I just couldn’t keep up with Kota-san’s abrupt change of subject.
“Hasn’t he been staying at your place these past few days? I just wanted to know if he behaved well or not.” Kota-san said breezily. I could hear his teasing tone, making it easy to imagine the look of amusement he had.
‘He told you?” I asked, feeling somewhat surprised. After all, he didn’t say anything to his sister so why speak about it to his boss?
“Nah, When I saw him leaving on time every day, I asked him if he had gotten himself a girlfriend and he fessed up.”
“So, you forced him to tell you something personal?”
“I asked and since I’m his boss he naturally replied.” Kota-san stopped and hearing silence from my end he continued with a low chuckle. “And I may have threatened him with taking away his bonus next month.”
Just as I thought. An overbearing boss who likes to tease and threaten his subordinates.
“Doesn’t that make you an abuser of power?” I asked, letting out a deep sigh and brushing a hand over my forehead.
“Hey, I gave him a way out, didn’t I? He could have chosen the girlfriend route, but instead he mentioned you. How is it my fault that he’s too damn honest?!”
“You’re right. Kurosawa-san is sometimes too honest for his own good.” I stopped for a second. “It’s what I like about him, though.” I continued in a quiet voice, not realizing that my tone softened quite a bit, nor that Kota-san had picked up on it.
“Can I come over?”
“What for?” I asked wearily.
“I want to see you playing house together with Kurosawa-kun.” Kota-san said. I could hear his snickers from the other end of the phone. He didn’t even try to hide the enjoyment he got from teasing me.
“Shut up! I’m hanging up now.”
“Ok, ok. I know you’re shy so I will stop teasing you…”
“Goodbye!” I interrupted him and directly hung up the call.
A few seconds later I received a message from Kota-san.
‘Don’t forget about the meeting next week.’ He wrote.
I felt like sighing. How could I possibly forget about it? It was an important moment for my newborn courage to face the world.
ahhhh she’s already a fujoshi!
thanks for the chapter! <3
Yes! She got that from her mother I guess XD
<333
Aah, such a pity. I thought he was going to kiss him.
Why does this make me think Yumi-chan is the one who can read my mind this time
Thank you for the chapter!!! ❤️❤️
XD Yep. I guess Yumi-chan’s thoughts resonated with yours ^_~
❤️❤️❤️
All- this- fluff!!! AHHHH- Juhi-kyon.exe has crashed
XD Hope the system will reboot soon ^_~
Still, I am happy you are enjoying it! <3
Love their interaction~~
Thank you for the chapter 💜💜💜
So happy to know that ^.^
💜💜💜