“…”
“Why do you have that look in your eyes?”
Was this what they meant by dumbfounded?
Minami had started to explain why Katsu had become like that, and the atmosphere had turned serious, but I couldn’t help but look at her with a doubtful gaze, thinking, `Eh?!`
“No, I just can’t imagine you speaking standard Japanese or polite language.”
“You did sometimes, didn’t you?! Like, when you were serious, and besides, I wasn’t like this from the start either!?”
I’m sorry, but I can’t imagine Minami as a normal shut-in. She’s one of the twin gag characters in our party, along with Kaido. She’s all about going all out, and I, not with logic but with emotion, reject the idea of her quietly blending in by conforming to society.
I understand that she’s having a serious conversation. I also feel it would be wrong to interrupt her. However, my emotions, rather than logic, dictated my expression, and Minami, with her pointed gaze, retorted, leading me to blurt out words.
“Sorry, sorry. Well, it’s true what Minami said, but what about it? Katsu, who fell for that girl from Kawasaki, is like that? Did you ask Minami for relationship advice and get rejected?”
With a wry smile, I tried to steer the conversation back, knowing I couldn’t interrupt here. Minami, seeing my effort, returned to her usual expression from her pointed gaze.
“He wasn’t rejected; Katsu was in a temporary relationship with that woman, but they were indeed lovers.”
Her expression quickly turned displeased.
“Rather, it would have been better if he had been rejected outright.”
Even though it was a past story, her face seemed to smolder with anger, still unable to accept or understand. To alleviate some of that pent-up frustration, I urged her to continue.
***
Another Side
It wasn’t like Katsu and Minami became close after that one remark. Even if the distance between them narrowed slightly, it only meant they could tolerate each other a little more. There was no special feeling involved.
“Oh, so that’s what happened.”
“Yes.”
Still, the fact that they could converse when their relatives gathered could be considered progress. Their speech became more casual, and some of the hesitation disappeared. However, that was all there was to it. Although their homes were close, they rarely visited each other. Nevertheless, for Katsu, Minami was a valuable person of similar age and gender whom he could occasionally confide in.
“Hmm, isn’t that a good thing?”
Minami listened to Katsu’s story while reading a book. She seemed to be casually listening, but she was actually paying attention to his words. To summarize, Katsu and Midori were going out together soon. While Midori might just see it as hanging out with a younger male relative, for Katsu, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Therefore, Minami, trying to hide his adolescent, roundabout shyness, parsed his words to understand. Simply put, he wanted to know how to take their relationship to the next level.
“Hmph, please listen a little more seriously.”
“I am listening, I am listening.”
However, Minami, whose knowledge of romance was limited to fictional worlds, couldn’t offer any practical advice. As a novice in romance, even when talking to someone of the same gender, Minami was notoriously weak in such matters. Moreover, Katsu and Midori were too far apart in age: a middle schooler and a university student. In addition to their age difference, the fact that Katsu, who was financially dependent like a child, would be aware of Midori as a romantic interest presented a hurdle, narrowing Minami’s options for advice. The scope of what he could answer about romance was beyond his capabilities. He thought that if they succeeded, it would be amazing, as if it were someone else’s problem. However, for Katsu, Minami was the easiest person to talk to about these things among his family and classmates, so he couldn’t back down. He warned him to listen seriously.
“…Why don’t you try making a bento lunch?”
Honestly, Minami found the request bothersome. So, he offered a safe option from his limited knowledge. Katsu, being a middle schooler, couldn’t afford branded clothing or go to a salon, nor could he prepare a special present. Minami’s shallow thought was that delicious cooking would be a plus, regardless of whether he could be seen as a romantic interest, and he offered what he considered a realistic baseline.
“I’ve never cooked before.”
“Is that so? Then your feelings are about that much.”
He wouldn’t do any more for him. It was up to him now. Half out of curiosity and half out of a sense of obligation for being nursed back to health, Minami decided that the past favors had been settled and summarily dismissed Katsu’s declaration of impossibility. To be blunt, Minami wasn’t wrong. For someone you like, being unable to act because you’ve never done it before is a definite disadvantage. If you’re hesitant because you’re afraid of failure, it’s better to give up early. There are such things, but of course, Minami wouldn’t think like that.
*Ah, there was a character in a game who liked handmade bento lunches.*
This was his decision-making criterion, based on his “game brain.” Fortunately, Katsu and Midori were going to the zoo, so bringing a bento wouldn’t be out of place.
“N-no, that’s not true!”
Despite the obvious provocation, Katsu showed his determination.
“If that’s the case, then try it.”
“I’ll do it!”
Seeing his resolve, Minami, who had found some amusement in teasing Katsu, decided to give him a little push.
“Huh? My favorite food?”
“Yeah, I realized I had never asked.”
At the family gathering, the younger members naturally gravitated toward each other. Minami, Katsu, and Midori were all close in age, so they sat together for meals. Minami, who usually ate quietly, asking Midori a question surprised her. After blinking a few times, she pondered for a moment.
“Hmm, tamagoyaki?”
“Is that so?”
“Ehh, you asked me, Minami-chan, and that’s your reaction?”
“No, I just thought of it.”
His whim was just that, a whim. Minami’s consideration for the boy who was listening intently ended here. He wanted to avoid further trouble and casually brushed off Midori, who was trying to engage him. Minami was pleased with himself, thinking Katsu’s chances had improved, but he quickly regretted it when Midori, who had changed the topic, started engaging him again. His action, intended as a final gesture for a memory of the boy who would likely be rejected in the future, was unexpectedly rewarded.
“Thank you very much.”
“Huh?”
“She said the bento was delicious.”
At first, I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Minami had completely forgotten about it. He hadn’t expected Katsu to come and report his thanks, so he had completely forgotten. Thus, when Katsu suddenly thanked him, he was confused, but the word “bento” triggered his memory.
“Oh, so it went well.”
“Yes!”
Perhaps that’s why I ended up urging him to continue. From there, Katsu happily and in great detail, like a child, recounted everything that happened at the zoo. Minami, though finding it bothersome, continued to prompt him with casual interjections.
“And then, about next time…”
Once successful, it was natural for him to come back for more help. Minami, weary of listening to the younger boy’s love story, almost refused, but seeing the boy’s shining eyes, he felt a slight pull and, under the guise of taking responsibility for his words, reluctantly agreed to continue advising Katsu. He didn’t think he would regret it later.
***
Another Side End
“You were quite a good person, weren’t you?”
“Hearing this story, the leader must be amazing to call me a good person.”
Tired of talking, he ordered a juice as if taking a break, sipping it slowly, and said to me with a resigned look.
“No, if I only heard what you said, it sounds like a kind older sister helping out, right?”
“It’s also called being meddlesome. I was just on that side.”
“So, that means…”
“It’s exactly as the leader imagines, a problem occurred later, but… it’s too much trouble to explain, so I’ll summarize it in three lines.”
He would only talk about what he could. It was clear Minami’s intention was to get me to handle the rest. I could also see his desire not to talk about it further if possible. I nodded, signaling him to continue, and Minami seemed slightly relieved and thought for a moment.
“Miraculously, things went well, and Katsu started dating. While I was encouraging him, I fell for Katsu. Then Midori decided to study abroad, and Katsu was dumped. That’s it, in three lines.”
“Just hearing that sounds like a normal end to a youthful romance.”
Seeing Minami’s somewhat flippant explanation, I asked with my eyes if there was more to it. He neither confirmed nor denied it. Also, from what he’d said so far, I still hadn’t heard why Katsu had ended up in that state.
“Minami.”
“…”
Although the conversation was serious, it didn’t seem like that to me. The rule is to hide one percent of a lie within ninety percent of the truth. From how Minami spoke, it sounded as if Kawasaki was the cause. However, my intuition told me otherwise. Given the situation, leaving Katsu alone was too problematic, so I decided to pursue it.
“What happened?”
“…”
At this point, I had a bad feeling. Pursuing this further would be like trampling on the relationship between Minami and Katsu. I understood South’s choice to remain silent. More importantly, I realized that if I pushed any further, there would be no turning back.
“Haa.”
Scratching the back of my head, I hesitated whether to push further or not, but then considered if I should leave it alone. I decided no. Knowing this, I took a step forward. So, I played one card.
“Were Katsu’s parents the cause?”
“!? ”
Minami’s reaction to those words was abnormal. For a moment, he glared at me like an enemy, as if asking what I knew, but I calmly told him to calm down and explained.
“After all, I was in a position to interview you both, so I could look at your resumes. I saw the guardian section on that.”
“…That’s right, wasn’t it.”
The card I played was a critical hit. The sharpness in Minami’s eyes for a moment was so intense I mistook it for a sword, but when I explained why I knew, he relaxed and resigned himself.
“…It was an unfortunate accident. It was just bad timing.”
Perhaps he was making excuses to himself, or perhaps there was another meaning. Minami began to spill the information he knew bit by bit.
“It all started when Midori announced she was going to study abroad, and he dumped Katsu, saying long-distance relationships were impossible. Katsu himself had accepted it. He was shocked by the breakup, but he could recover. Time was supposed to heal that wound. But misfortune tends to pile up.”
It was one accident. Katsu’s resume only had his father’s name. At first, I thought he might have only written his father’s name, but the family composition section required him to write his mother’s name too. I had asked Katsu about it when he first joined the company. At that time, Katsu…
“My mother…”
He seemed hesitant to say anything. Thinking there was some situation, I didn’t press then, and I never asked again.
“Katsu’s mother was having an affair. And this was before she even got married. She managed to cover it up for a while, but after Midori went abroad, it was finally revealed. There was a huge fight at the time, and they even did a DNA test on Katsu. The result was terrible. Katsu had no blood relation to his father and was a complete stranger.”
The use of “gozaru” wasn’t meant to be humorous but rather an indication of Minami’s subtle effort to lighten the mood.
“Katsu’s father couldn’t bear that fact. When he found out the son he had raised was someone else’s child, he became furious and took it out not only on his wife but also on Katsu. Katsu was greatly distressed by this.”
I could only listen silently to this heavy story that sounded like something out of a soap opera.
“Katsu’s family was on the verge of falling apart, or rather, it was on the last minutes. And yet, misfortune continues to pile up. If Katsu’s mother had protected Katsu at this point, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
He paused, holding his glass with both hands as if recalling the past, his gaze not meeting mine as he looked at the ice in the glass. His tone hinted that the next words would not be pleasant.
“Katsu’s mother ran away, leaving Katsu behind. She abandoned her own son. His maternal relatives apparently searched for her, but couldn’t find her. It seems no one knows where she is now. All that was left was his unrelated father and child.”
I couldn’t fathom Katsu’s feelings upon suddenly losing his only reliable support. All I felt was pity for his misfortune.
“Katsu, who was left in limbo, was decided by a family meeting to be raised by his father until he reached adulthood. However, his father began to do only the bare minimum. He focused on his work and was rarely home.”
This environment was quite terrible for Katsu, who was in the middle of his adolescence. Not only was the breakup a bitter memory for Katsu, but misfortune continued to strike him.
“…”
“And well, as for me, who had fallen for the weakened Katsu, my desperate effort to help him resulted in…”
“To make him feel needed, you took on that role?”
“That’s right~”
It was an action that could only be described as a last resort for Minami, who was a high school student at the time. He tried to stabilize Katsu’s mental state by making him dependent. Not by leaning on him, but by supporting him by being leaned upon. Fortunately, Minami’s efforts were rewarded. Katsu’s usual good conduct had made a good impression on the entire extended family, which further supported Minami’s plan. To Katsu’s father, Katsu was a symbol of betrayal, but to the relatives, who were somewhat detached, it didn’t matter. Minami’s parents being favorably disposed towards Katsu probably solidified Minami’s plan.
“Well, I’ve told you what I can. So, what are you going to do for me, Leader?”
Minami’s eyes pierced mine, continuing this for years.
Today’s Word:
Be cautious with rash actions.
However, if you’ve made up your mind, then proceed.
This concludes today’s entry.
Thank you for pointing out any typos and for your comments.
If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review, rating, or bookmark.
*The first volume of this book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters.
Please check out the new releases!*
*The manga adaptation by Kodansha in “Young Magazine The Third” was featured in issue 9.
We hope you enjoy that as well.*
*We ask for your continued support of this work.*
