LIGHTNOVELWORLD chapter 46
The Hell of the Next Day
The next morning, as anticipated by Ayana and me, the three of us appeared in the living room with our heads in our hands. Hoshina seemed relatively light-headed, but both Mother and Kanzaki seemed to be in such agony that they looked like they might vomit at any moment.
“…Ugh… Excuse me, I-I need to use the bathroom.”
“Oh, Sis… let me go first… *cough*!?”
Ah, Mother punched Kanzaki in the stomach, who then rushed to the bathroom. Seeing Kanzaki holding her stomach and mouth, I thought it looked serious, so I handed her a plastic bag. The moment I averted my eyes, the sound effect of her struggling to vomit echoed.
“Sigh, goodness me.”
“hahahaha… what a situation.”
It’s true, it’s quite… something.
“You should’ve stopped at a moderate level like me.”
“Huh.”
“Ayana, why did you smirk?”
Well… right? I thought the same. Don’t say that. Even though she’s Ayana’s mother, I think her expression might have shown it. She seemed to be looking at Hoshina with a mixture of amazement. But… judging from the current situation, she probably doesn’t remember what happened “yesterday.”
“By the way, Mom. Do you remember what happened yesterday? After you went to bed and woke up?”
“Huh? I remember waking up to go to the bathroom… but I don’t think anything special happened.”
“hahahaha, is that so? Yes, that’s right, nothing happened at all~”
With a smile, Ayana resumed preparing breakfast, and Hoshina, perhaps feeling a bit strange, tilted her head. Well, I was relieved too, and it’s not a lie that I was a bit nervous about what might be said. While helping Ayana with the preparations, I chuckled involuntarily when Ayana sighed next to me.
“I’m relieved that she doesn’t seem to remember.”
“Indeed. She saw everything perfectly.”
“We even had a conversation.”
Some people might guess what we’re talking about with a conversation like this. But if Hoshina doesn’t remember, there’s no need to dwell on it further. Though Hoshina continued to look at us suspiciously, we proceeded with breakfast preparations as if nothing had happened.
“The grilling is just right.”
“The miso soup is ready too.”
“Understood. So, the plates and bowls…”
There’s no point in making elaborate breakfast dishes. As a typical breakfast, we had salted mackerel, fried eggs, miso soup, and the soul of the Japanese, plain white rice… Yes, it looks delicious.
When Mother returned from the bathroom, she still looked unwell, but seemed to have improved slightly. On the contrary, Kanzaki rushed to the bathroom this time. After managing to finish breakfast, Kanzaki said she had things to do and left.
“Ugh… I’m coming back to life.”
And Mother, who stretched out again.
Mother lay down with my knee as a pillow and soon fell asleep with a gentle snore. At this point, I couldn’t move, but I let Mother do as she pleased occasionally. Ayana, on the other hand, seemed to be planning to leave after resting a bit longer.
“Anyway… hmm.”
“What’s the matter?”
Hoshina started to think as if trying to remember something, crossing her arms. After a while of contemplation, she opened her mouth as if she had remembered something.
“You know, I have this vague memory of talking with Towa-kun and Ayana when I woke up yesterday.”
“Maybe you just dreamed it?”
Without missing a beat, Ayana answered, and Hoshina leaned against me as if seeking comfort. Unlike yesterday, there was no scent of alcohol, just a faint fragrance of a mild perfume.
“Ugh, Ayana, you’re so cold…”
Even if she’s being cold to her daughter, I don’t understand the reason, but I can empathize with the feelings. But I wish she would stop clinging to me like this. Why, you ask? It’s because Ayana’s pupils are dilated. To be honest, it’s a familiar expression, but it’s still quite scary…
With widened eyes, Hoshina stared at me intensely. When she noticed my gaze, she became even more frightened and clung to me tighter, following the expected pattern.
“Ayana, I’m scared, Towa-kun!!”
“Alright, alright.”
Although we’ve had our share of ups and downs in the past, I’ve known Hoshina for a long time. I’ve somehow figured out how to handle her, or rather, how to interact with her. My lap was taken by Mother, my arm by Hoshina… so Ayana stood up and positioned herself behind me.
“I’ll hold you tight like this.”
Ayana embraced me from behind, wrapping her arms around me. …Huh, I feel like I’ve seen this kind of scene before, but maybe it’s just my imagination. As I tilted my head in confusion, Ayana, with a mischievous smile, licked my ear.
“Hey!?”
Anyone would be surprised if their ear was suddenly licked with a moist tongue. It was probably Ayana’s way of getting back at me. Since Hoshina was hugging my left arm, I couldn’t see Ayana’s face as she licked my right ear.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s the matter?”
“…Oh, it’s nothing.”
Ayana, looking mischievous, said that along with Hoshina, who looked puzzled. Perhaps thinking that there was nothing unusual, Hoshina turned back to face the front. I glanced at Ayana, who stuck her tongue out playfully again. She licked my earlobe, then invaded my ear with her tongue. You know that ticklish feeling when someone brings their face close to your neck? Well, it felt like an amplified version of that.
“…hehehe, you’re cute, Towa-kun.”
With Ayana saying that joyfully, I made up my mind to get back at her later.
“By the way… have Towa-kun and Ayana ever fought?”
Though it was sudden, when Hoshina asked that, Ayana stopped her mischief towards me. But a fight… I don’t recall ever having one, or anything close to it. Maybe we had some minor disagreements, but that’s about it.
“We’ve never fought. Towa-kun and I have always been, and will always be, lovey-dovey.”
“…hehehe, yeah. I know you two always get along, so I was just a bit curious.”
“Indeed. If there were to be a big fight between Ayana and me, I wonder what it would be about.”
Upon my words, Hoshina put a hand to her chin. And…
“If Towa-kun were to cheat, Ayana would definitely—”
“That won’t happen, Mom. Towa-kun cheating? Is that a foreign term or an alien one? Setting aside that joke, that’s absolutely impossible. Even if the world turned upside down, it would never happen.”
“Oh, Ayana?”
“Towa-kun loves me dearly, and vice versa. It absolutely has to be that way… right?”
“Uh, yes…”
From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like a woman with a fierce expression was confronting a man, but what Ayana was saying wasn’t wrong. Even if she approached me like this, all I could think was how cute she was, which just showed how much I loved her.
“By the way, Mom, how long are you going to cling to Towa-kun?”
“Calm down. I understand Ayana’s feelings… I can understand why Ayana would fall in love.”
“Exactly! Listen, Mom! Towa-kun is—”
With that, the two of them started talking without involving me… Well, at least Ayana. Hoshina had a look on her face like she found our daughter quite easygoing, but I wonder if she realizes what’s going on?
“He’s so kind! But his occasional displays of strength make my heart skip a beat! Even his cold expressions are amazing!!”
…She really doesn’t realize, does she?
Letting out a small sigh, I watched the conversation between Ayana and Hoshina.
And then, a few days later— the news came suddenly.
“…Huh?”
“…I was surprised too.”
The news that at Shuu’s house, Hatsune-san and her husband had decided to divorce.