Chapter 14 Your Smile Is Too Beautiful
#Sareta OtokoYour Smile Is Too Beautiful
We decided to have the strawberries I brought for dessert after the soba meal, and Mizunami-san said he would prepare them, so I offered to wash the soba dishes in the meantime, but she got a little angry and said, “No, you can’t! Sakamoto-kun is a guest, so don’t do that!”
“No, even though I’m a guest, I’m still a friend, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry, but I invited you just to eat and play, so it’s okay.”
Hmm.
Mizunami-san is pretty stubborn.
“Well, I guess I can at least carry the dishes.”
Without waiting for Mizunami-san’s answer, I stood up, carried my own dishes to the sink, returned to the low table, and sat down.
Mizunami-san also quickly cleared away the dishes, took out a package of strawberries from the refrigerator, started to remove the stems, and quickly finished. Then she came back with the plate of strawberries and placed it on the low table.
She handed me a fork while saying, "Itadakimasu," so I said, "Itadakimasu," too, and then I stabbed a strawberry with the fork and brought it to my mouth.
“It’s pretty sweet.”
“Yes, they are big but sweet and delicious.”
I was curious about Mizunami-san’s attitude earlier, so I decided to talk to her a little while I ate the strawberry.
“Umm. Maybe you have a male-dominated family in your family like men at home should be firm and women should work!?”
“Eh? Well, that’s….”
Unusually for me, I decided to ask her directly.
“I should have washed the dishes because I’m your friend, but I felt a strong sense of rejection or your fear of having me do it before, so I wondered if it was some kind of habit that Mizunami-san had developed over the years.”
“Now that you mention it, that may be true… I think it was the norm not only in my family but also among relatives and neighbors. It was known that if someone made a man do housework at home, people would say, ‘That woman from that family is no good’.”
“I see. That’s why you objected so strongly before. But this isn’t Mizunami-san’s countryside. No one would say something like that, and I think the person who doesn’t clean up after eating would be criticized for not cleaning up after a delicious meal.”
“Ah, I wonder….”
“Yes, definitely. Anyway, I’ve always thought of Mizunami-san as a dear friend, and I respect and appreciate her, so if there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll continue to offer it.”
“Sakamoto-kun….”
“Sorry if I sound bossy. When I was in my hometown, my mother, my sister, and even my girlfriend at the time were all very strong-willed, and I was always bossed around wherever they went. Mizunami-san, please don’t be shy around me. It will make me feel more comfortable.”
“Thank you. It’s the first time a man has said that to me, and I’m very happy, but I still feel very sorry… But you’re right, Sakamoto-kun. I will try my best to get used to my new life soon.”
“No, no, you don’t have to try so hard. Relax and unwind.”
“Yes.” Ufufu.
“Ah, it’s the last one, Mizunami-san, please!”
“Yes, I’ll take it.”
I probably wouldn’t have asserted my own opinions and values like this when I was dating Chika.
We’re still young.
Even if we become college students, live alone, try to act big, and become adults at 18, we are still immature.
We are immature and full of things we don’t know, and there is so much we have to learn every day.
But because we are young, we can be flexible in absorbing different kinds of knowledge and values.
If we talk like this, we will eventually be able to understand each other, even if our values are different.
After graduating from high school and living alone as a student, I realized this.
That is why I only regret the misunderstandings I had with Chika.
Without being able to talk to each other, I realized that a rift had formed that could never be repaired.
After eating the strawberries, I stood up and said, "Thank you for the food. I’ll take care of you next time. Thanks for today.” and was about to leave when Mizunami-san invited me, “How about dinner while we’re here?”.
“No. I can’t really go to that much trouble.”
“Didn’t Sakamoto-san say that earlier? We are friends, so there is no need to hold back. Besides, I really like talking to Sakamoto-san. I want to talk to Sakamoto-san some more today. So would you mind joining me for a while?”
“Oh, really? I wonder what it is about my story that attracts you….”
“Ufufu. That’s what I like about you. Sakamoto-san has been like this since the entrance ceremony. Even when we first met, you were kind and polite, so I wasn’t nervous at all. Even now, even though it’s just the two of us, I’m not nervous at all. And I’ve just realized that I can easily understand Sakamoto-kun’s stories, whether they’re funny or difficult.”
“Really? I get embarrassed when I’m praised like that.” Ehehehe.
“I’ve never spent time alone with a guy like this before, and up until high school, I would have been so nervous that I wouldn’t have been able to talk properly. The reason I can be normal now is probably because of you, Sakamoto-kun.”
She praises me like crazy.
Is my popularity skyrocketing?
“Well, I’ll take you up on that offer and chat some more.”
“Yes! I’ll make some coffee! Please sit down and wait.”
“Yes, please don’t mind me.”
We ended up chatting until about 8:00 that evening.
For dinner, Mizunami-san made Oyakodon, and after we ate, I washed the dishes.
We talked a lot about private things that we normally wouldn’t talk about at the university.
We talked about our childhood, middle school, high school, club activities, studying for entrance exams, our families, some romantic experiences, and how we were thinking about starting a part-time job soon.
During that time, we also talked about Mizunami-san’s name, something that had been on my mind since the entrance ceremony.
“Mizunami-san’s name ‘Iroha’ (イロハ) is a really beautiful name, isn’t it? It’s not a fancy name, but it has an impact. It’s a beautiful Japanese sound, but it’s also full of character, and I think it’s a good name that you won’t forget once you hear it. Did your parents give it to you?”
“Oh, yes. My mother gave it to me.”
“Oh, your mother. Does your mother like classical literature?”
“Eh?! You know that too? Yes, she does. My mother used to be a teacher of classical Japanese. She quit when she was pregnant with me.”
“I see. As expected of a Japanese teacher, your mother has a great sense of names.”
“Is that so? When I was a child, I was often teased by people who shortened my name from Mizunami Iroha to ‘Mizuiro’ (ミズイロ), which I hated, but I never expected my name to be praised like this.”
“No, no, it’s a beautiful name. And it fits Mizunami-san’s character perfectly.”
“Ufufu. Thank you.”
“Oh! That’s right! Can I call you Iroha-san instead of Mizunami-san from now on?”
“Eh… well.”
“Oh, that’s too familiar, isn’t it?”
“No, well… yes. Please call me Iroha.”
“Okay! Then please call me Taichi!”
“Eh?! Me too?!”
“We’re friends, right? Don’t be shy!”
“So… Taichi-kun?”
“Yeah, Taichi here. What’s up, Iroha-san?”
“I just call.” Ufufu!
Iroha-san said that and gave me the happiest smile of the day.
Beautiful!!!
Iroha-san! Your smile is too beautiful!!!
Today I was surprised by Iroha-san’s unusually fashionable appearance. I wanted to praise her for being a good cook, but I made her lose her temper, so I tried desperately to calm her down. A lot happened, but that smile is the most heartwarming smile I’ve seen in our relationship in the past month.
I’m sure I’ll be friends with this person for a long time.
I felt a sense of certainty.