Chapter 50 A Midnight Proposal

A Midnight Proposal

Akiko’s PoV

“Kyogoku-kun!? Stay with me!”

“Ugh… Uuuu… The pressure… The sheer weight of the flesh…”

“W-What should I do?! Water!? Or maybe food!? Ah! Come to think of it, I think there was some jelly in the fridge…! Hang in there! I’ll bring it right away!!!”

Akari frantically yanks open the fridge.

Kyogoku-kun is slumped on the sofa, staring lifelessly at the ceiling, as if his soul has left his body.

…Ufufufu~~

Did I overdo it a little?

Maybe my body was a bit too much for someone his age to handle.

“Kyogoku-kun! Eat this!!”

“O-Oh…”

“And a banana too! Also… the leftover motsu stew from last night’s dinner! Then some rice, some bread… Ah, a tomato!! And cabbage and…!!!”

Akari keeps piling more and more food onto Kyogoku-kun.

Good grief, that girl. She’s panicking so much, she’s only making things harder for him.

We haven’t really talked about cooking or nutrition management yet, have we?

It’s not like girls have to do housework in this day and age, but still, homemaking skills are a wonderful thing. I should give her a little lesson sometime.

How to win someone over through their stomach… and other things… you know?

“Kyogoku-kun, come back to us~~~!!!”

Akari is running around like she’s tending to a critical patient.

Watching her fluster about while Kyogoku-kun sits there, letting her do as she pleases, I can’t help but smile.

Truly, Akari has found a wonderful person.

I had always worried about Akari.

Kind people—those who naturally put others before themselves—can find happiness or misfortune depending on the people around them.

For better or worse, she is easily influenced by her surroundings.

But as her mother, I can’t stand beside her as an equal, seeing the world from the same perspective.

I’ve always thought Akari needed someone who could.

But for Akari, that’s something incredibly difficult.

Because of her personality, she’s always attuned to those around her, constantly taking everything into consideration.

That’s why she can never show her troublesome, vulnerable side.

For better or worse, she always puts others first.

That’s why she needed someone she could reveal her weaknesses to—someone who would stand beside her as an equal.

…And now, she’s finally found that person.

“I-Irara… I think I’m…”

“Fruits are good too, right!? Then maybe an apple!? Strawberries!? Oh, wait! I saved some strawberry ice cream—Ehehe…! No, wait! This isn’t the time for that! Kyogoku-kun is on the verge of collapse!!!”

“I think I am on the verge of collapse… in a different sense…”

—Kyogoku Arata-kun.

He understands Akari’s troublesome, complicated, and wonderful personality, yet he accepts it all with open arms.

His way of thinking is incredible, and even his stubbornness, even his twisted parts—everything about him is lovable.

…But surely, the path he’s walked has been a painful one.

After all, kindness and the ability to embrace others aren’t things people are simply born with. They’re shaped by pain.

It’s because he understands pain that he feels the need to do something about it.

From what Akari has told me, it seems Kyogoku-kun is hated by the entire school.

He’s probably just someone who’s misunderstood too easily.

Every time that happens, he must have been hurt… and yet, he grows even kinder. And that kindness only leads to more misunderstandings… His life is a thorny path.

But maybe that’s exactly why we find him so captivating—why we’re so drawn to him.

It’s cruel to say, but the pain and despair of his past have shaped him into such an extraordinary person.

“…The world really isn’t fair, is it?”

Kyogoku Arata-kun.

He is a strong and wonderful person.

Someone who gently embraces the most precious person in my world—and even has the power to turn her tears into smiles.

Truly, thank you for meeting Akari.

Ufufufu, I’ll be counting on you to take care of her from now on.

“Nooooo!!! Kyogoku-kun is losing his energyyyyy—!!!!!”

“Irara, can you please take the banana out of my mouth first…?”

“More bananas!? Got it!!!”

“That is the absolute worst possible misinterpretation…”

Watching my dear daughter and this wonderful boy, my lips curl into a smile once again.

—Dear, Akari has found such an amazing person. Just like you, he’s an incurable busybody.

As I whisper this thought in my heart, I step in as her mother to put a stop to Akari’s rampage.

I stare up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

The room is completely dark now, with the relentless sound of rain and wind still echoing outside.

This is the room Akiko-san prepared for me to sleep in.

Lying in the futon she laid out, I close my eyes… but—

“There’s no way I can sleep…”

Too much has happened today, and my mind is too alert.

And on top of that, even though we’re not in the same room, the thought of Irara sleeping under the same roof keeps creeping into my mind…

“Tch… I’m so pathetic.”

I wish I could be the kind of man who could just take this in stride… but the thing is, I have no experience with this.

Just this once, let me make an excuse. Seriously.

As I mumble to myself in my head, I simply wait for time to pass.

But… why is it?

Lying alone in this wide, pitch-dark room, I suddenly feel the urge to see someone.

I should be used to being alone, but I feel… lonely.

For some reason, right now, I just desperately want to hear Irara’s voice…

“…Kyogoku-kun, are you awake?”

The door slowly creaks open, and Irara peeks her head in.

“Irara!? Why are you here…?”

“Ehehe, I just… couldn’t sleep. Y-you know, the storm and everything… it’s kinda scary…”

“Y-Yeah… With wind and rain this strong, I guess that makes sense…”

“S-So…”

With a small smile, Irara quietly murmurs—

“Want to talk for a bit?”

In the dead of night, in a pitch-black room, just the two of us.

The night deepens, and the sound of rain grows even stronger.