Chapter 2 The Reason She Was Breastfeeding

The Reason She Was Breastfeeding

I accidentally saw her breastfeeding…

Frozen in place, I could only watch as Himekawa’s gaze snapped to mine.

Oh no—she caught me!

Her face turned crimson in an instant. Flustered, she turned away, clutching her chest protectively.

“I-Isshiki-kun!? W-What are you doing!? Don’t look, you pervert!!”

Her voice rang out like an alarm bell, and I completely panicked.

“S-Sorry! I heard crying, so I thought something was wrong…”

I stammered, quickly averting my eyes.

“I swear I didn’t mean to!”

Without waiting for a response, I bolted.

Even after I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, my heart was still pounding like crazy. I tried taking deep breaths, but it was no use. Then came a knock.

“Isshiki-kun, I need to talk to you!”

At the same time, the intercom buzzed repeatedly. It was clearly Himekawa.

The knocking grew louder and louder, a far cry from her usual calm, goddess-like demeanor.

She seemed just as flustered as I was.

“Himekawa, calm down! I was at fault earlier, so I’ll open the door now!”

I shouted through the door and then slowly opened it again.

As expected, Himekawa stood there. This time, the baby from before was in her arms, pressed tightly against her ample chest, making it look uncomfortably squished.

With teary eyes, she muttered softly.

“Um, Isshiki-kun, I don’t want you to misunderstand, but this child is…”

Seeing her looking so dejected helped me finally calm down.

Once I took stock of the situation, it hit me—I had unintentionally witnessed Himekawa breastfeeding.

So, was this baby in her arms her own child?

No way… That can’t be true…

If that’s the case, does it mean this goddess has already done… certain things with some guy I don’t know about?

It’s strange for me to care, but I couldn’t help feeling a little shocked.

My mental image of her as a goddess was crumbling…

“This baby isn’t mine. Let me explain, okay?”

So, this baby isn’t hers?

Her words made me breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed like there had been a huge misunderstanding. It felt like I should listen calmly now.

“I-Is that so? Then, standing here isn’t ideal—why don’t you come in, and we can talk?”

I opened the door wider and invited Himekawa and the baby inside.

Once Himekawa sat on the sofa, I placed a cushion on the floor and sat across from her. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the coffee maker. She looked slightly tense but seemed to steel herself before speaking.

“Like I said earlier, this baby isn’t mine. Actually, she’s my sister’s child.”

Himekawa’s expression as she began to speak was very serious, and she seemed to need a little courage to continue.

Internally, I was doing my best to process what she was saying.

“My sister is going through some tough times and can’t take care of the baby right now. So, I decided to take care of the baby.”

“Wait, seriously? How did it come to that?”

“Well, my sister was supposed to get married to someone, but our parents were strongly against it. Still, she went against their wishes and eloped with him.”

So, they ran away together?

I didn’t know all the details of their family dynamics, but that sounded like something you’d hear about.

“But after she gave birth, she and the man split up. I was worried, so I stayed with her for a while. We moved from place to place, and initially, the three of us were supposed to live here together, but then…”

Himekawa paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“But one day, my sister suddenly disappeared. I have no idea where she went. I reported it to the police, but there haven’t been any leads so far.”

Hesitating for a moment, Himekawa added.

“She did leave me one message, though…”

She showed me a message thread with her sister on her phone.

I read the message out loud.

[For a while, please raise my baby for me. And don’t tell Mom or Dad. I’m begging you.]

What the hell…

I didn’t know exactly what her sister was going through, but it was clear that it was a desperate situation. And now, Himekawa was carrying that immense responsibility all on her own.

This was far heavier than anything I had imagined.

“That’s an insane request. Are you really okay with this?”

When I asked, worried, Himekawa gave a small nod.

“No, I’m not okay, but this is her one and only request. I have to accept it. And besides, I have to protect this baby too…”

Even as she said that, countless concerns flooded my mind.

Realistically, it’s nearly impossible for a high school girl to raise a baby while attending school.

“What are you going to do about money? And someone has to take care of the baby while you’re at school.”

“As for money, my sister, anticipating this situation, left a savings account dedicated to childcare. So there’s no problem there. While I’m at school, I plan to hire a babysitter to look after the baby.”

“I-I see…”

With that, the problems I had been worrying about seemed to be resolved, at least for now.

Was her sister planning all along to entrust the baby to Himekawa?

As I pondered this question, an unexpected incident occurred with the baby Himekawa was holding.

“Waaaahhh!!”

The baby’s sudden cries echoed throughout the room. It had been so quiet up until now that the outburst startled me. But Himekawa was even more flustered than I was.

“What do I do…? Is the baby hungry? Or does it need a diaper change? Ugh, what now!?”

“So, the reason you were breastfeeding earlier was to calm the baby? But wait, this baby isn’t even yours, right?”

“T-That was… I’m too embarrassed to explain, but when I let the baby suckle, it stops crying…”

What kind of trick is that?

“Wait, Himekawa, does your breast milk actually come out?”

“It doesn’t!!!”

She shouted back with an incredibly loud voice.

So, the breastfeeding I accidentally witnessed earlier was just a way to soothe the baby…?

Using her chest as a substitute for a bottle or pacifier seemed bold—no, downright daring and way too suggestive.

And yet, here I was making casual, borderline inappropriate comments. She might actually report me.

For now, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to improve my standing as a neighbor, so I decided to help out.

“Hey, let me try holding the baby for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Himekawa hesitated for a moment but gently handed the baby over to me. Holding the baby carefully, I began to rock it gently.

“There, there. You’re okay.”

Speaking softly, I patted the baby’s back. Strangely enough, the baby quickly stopped crying and stared up at me before breaking into a smile.

Himekawa, witnessing this, looked at me in amazement.

“Isshiki-kun, that’s incredible… How are you so good at this?”

“Oh, well, I’ve had some practice. I used to look after my cousin’s baby a lot. I just picked up a few tricks.”

“I see… By the way, Isshiki-kun, do you live here alone?”

Himekawa cautiously broached a personal topic.

I hesitated briefly but decided to be honest.

“Yeah. I had some issues with my parents, so I moved out to live on my own and focus on becoming a manga artist.”

“Wow, manga? That’s amazing! Pursuing your dream is so cool!”

Himekawa’s reaction was entirely different from what I had expected.

I thought she might judge me harshly, but instead, she seemed genuinely impressed.

“That said, living off prize money from rookie manga competitions and part-time job wages is tough.”

I chuckled wryly and glanced around at my cluttered room.

“I see… Isshiki-kun, you've got your own things going on too, huh?”

Himekawa looked thoughtful for a moment, then glanced at the unfinished manga manuscript on my desk, smiling softly.

“But having something you’re so passionate about is amazing. Once it’s finished, show it to me, okay?”

Her words left me feeling a bit shy.

“Sure, I guess… It’s going to take some time before it’s done, though.”

“I’ll have to work hard too, so I don’t lose to you, Isshiki-kun.”

Himekawa said this with a newfound sense of determination.

“If anything comes up, make sure to let me know. Just knowing you have someone to rely on can ease the burden a bit.”

“Yeah, thank you!”

And so, having learned Himekawa’s secret, my life as her next-door neighbor began.