Episode 173: The Phone Call

Even if I thought,「What should I do…」there was no way I could say,「Actually, never mind,」to something that was already decided.

Wait, it’s not like I actually hated the idea. If anything, I was actually happy.

So why was I so troubled over what to do?

It all started like this.

「Dear, it sounds like Takanashi-san is heading straight to his next part time job from here.」

「Eh, right now? Then what about your dinner? You live alone, don’t you?」

「No, I’ll just grab something…」

「That won’t do. Dear, why don’t we have Takanashi-san eat with us while he’s working here?」

「True. It’s not right to have him work until this hour and then just send him home like that.」

This flow of conversation was a total pre established harmony (on Mayumi-san’s part), and if I tried to hold back here, there was no telling what she’d say to me.

Besides, since even Masaomi-san told me to eat before leaving, I figured it would be rude to refuse.

And so, currently…

「Alright, everything is ready! Dear, Takanashi-san, please take your seats.」

「Thanks, Mayumi. Now, Takanashi-kun, let’s eat.」

「Y, yes. Thank you for the meal…」

When I sat down, Masaomi-san was on the right side of the table, Mayumi-san was on the left… and then there was me.

Something’s wrong. Doesn’t this look exactly like a scene of a family eating together?

In the first place, they’re strictly Sara-san’s parents, not mine.

Am I the only one who feels a sense of wrongness in this scene, sitting around a dinner table without the actual daughter present?

Is this really okay?

I couldn’t help but think that…

Once seated, a pretty substantial amount of food was lined up in front of me.

And to my delight, the menu was Hamburg steak.

But is this a coincidence? Did they pick Hamburg steak on purpose?

「Here you go, Takanashi-san, eat up. Don’t be shy now.」

I accepted a bowl of rice that was piled a bit high and waited for Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san to get ready.

「Th, thank you.」

「Takanashi-san, you love Hamburg steak, right? That’s why mother-in-law worked a little harder than usual today!」

So she did know.

How does she know my favorite food… wait, the only possibility is that she heard it from Sara-san.

「Takanashi-kun, you like Hamburg steak? You sure were well informed, Mayumi.」

「Eh? …Ah, the topic just happened to come up when I was talking with Takanashi-san. Right, Takanashi-san?」

「Eh!? Y, yes. Um, I think we just happened to talk about it…」

Please, I’m begging you, don’t suddenly toss the conversation to me… or rather, I wish she’d stop intentionally throwing in these risky topics.

「Let’s eat.」

Since holding back at this point would be rude, I decided to honestly accept their kindness.

「How is it, Takanashi-san?」

「It’s delicious!」

「I’m glad. Eat plenty, okay?」

「Don’t hold back, Takanashi-kun.」

It was delicious, truly delicious.

Or rather, the seasoning was similar to Sara-san’s, so it was easy to eat. No, should I say Sara-san’s is similar to hers?

I reflexively started eating faster, and though I realized I’d messed up halfway through, Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san were both just watching me with smiles.

They’re Sara-san’s parents, but I felt a little happy, as if I were eating with my own parents for the first time in a long while.

Thinking about the time for my next job and the time Sara-san would be calling, I finished eating a little early.

When I told them I was heading out, Masaomi-san thankfully offered to drive me home. This would give me a little bit of breathing room.

「Good work today. Thank you so much for everything, including the dinner.」

「It’s fine! I’ll have it ready starting tomorrow too! Well, good luck with the rest of your day.」

「Good work today, Takanashi-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.」

For some reason, even Mayumi-san hopped in the car and saw me home.

I felt like I’d somehow managed to survive, but my first day of filing paperwork had finally come to an end. Though, I was much more tired than I expected in various ways… mainly mentally.

Just as I was thinking it was about time for the call, my RAIN ringtone went off.

Looking at the screen, it was an incoming video call.

Before, when Sara-san called from Masaomi-san’s family home, the signal must have been weak because we couldn’t get the video to work and had to stick to voice only.

Being able to talk while seeing her face like this made me really happy.

「Hello?」

「Ah, it connected! Good evening, Kazunari-san!!」

Sara-san appeared on the screen, greeting me with an incredibly happy smile.

Her voice sounded a bit more high energy than usual.

「Good evening, Sara-san.」

「Yes! …Fufu, this feels a bit mysterious. Is it because it’s our first time talking through a screen like this?」

「I guess so. We’re always together, so lately even talking on the phone has been rare.」

To be blunt, we’re together every day, so there was never any need to call.

「Kazunari-san, did you eat a proper dinner? Cup ramen is a big no-no, okay.」

(Thump thump thump!!)

?

I thought I heard the sound of someone rampaging…

Well, whatever.

「I’m fine. I ate something substantial.」

「That’s good. I’m sorry, but please bear with it for just a week. Once I’m back, I’ll make you lots of your favorite things.」

「I’m looking forward to it! By the way, how was your day today, Sara-san?」

I decided to change the subject before she could dig too deep into the dinner details.

Besides, that was what I’d planned to ask when she called anyway.

「Let’s see. Oh, the shrine we went to today is actually famous for fulfilling prayers for love!」

「Is that so? You said your group was all girls, right? I bet you all got pretty excited then.」

「Yes. Everyone was praying very seriously. However, since my love has already been fulfilled, I prayed that I can continue to spend every day happily with my beloved Kazunari-san forever.」

That honestly made me happy.

I could practically see Sara-san praying with a serious face; it was a really heartwarming thought.

「In a place like that, didn’t everyone buy charms and stuff too?」

「It’s been a while since I’ve looked at charms at a shrine, but there were so many cute ones that I almost wanted to buy them all.」

「Oh? Did you not buy any, Sara-san?」

I just tossed out the topic casually, and it should have been a perfectly natural thing to ask given the flow…

But when I asked, for some reason, Sara-san’s face suddenly turned bright red.

「Um, well, you see, I was thinking of getting a charm for traffic safety or good health! But Natsumi just went ahead and…! So, there’s no deep meaning behind it. Please don’t worry about it, Kazunari-san!」

Sara-san spoke in a rapid-fire rush, looking incredibly embarrassed.

I was dying to know what she bought, but from the looks of it, she wasn’t going to tell me.

「I, I see. I’m really curious, but if you don’t like it, Sara-san, I won’t ask.」

「Dislike? Ah!? N, no, that’s a misunderstanding! I don’t dislike it at all! It’s just that it might be a bit too soon, or rather, it’s a bit premature, but I do have feelings of wanting that to happen eventually… Hah!? O, honestly, Kazunari-san, this is so embarrassing…」

Sara-san started making a fuss all by herself like she was panicking, then turned bright red again and looked down.

Wait, what? Did I say something weird!?

I couldn’t quite grasp the situation, but I thought I heard a tiny voice whispering,「So cuuuute,」in the background.

No, more importantly, it was Sara-san. How was I supposed to react?

「Um, Sara-san? Anyway, so you don’t dislike the charm, but I shouldn’t ask about it?」

「Y, yes. If a time ever comes when I can show you, then…」

For now, I’ll just accept that she might show me eventually.

Making Sara-san uncomfortable isn’t what I want, after all.

From there, we talked about nothing in particular to change the subject, but then…

「Ah, I’m so sorry, it’s almost time for the teachers to do their rounds, so it looks like this is it for our call today…」

Sara-san spoke up looking very disappointed as she noticed the time.

Is it that time already? …That said, it’s about time for me to head out too.

Anticipating her call, I’d adjusted the start and end times for my job at the liquor store, but I was still reaching the limit.

「I understand. But I was happy being able to talk while seeing your face, Sara-san.」

「Yes. I was lonely too, so seeing your face gave me a lot of energy. May we do a video call again tomorrow?」

「Of course. As long as I can talk while seeing the face of the Sara-san I love, I think I can endure being lonely.」

I really felt that even for the same phone call, there’s a huge difference when you can see their face.

「Me too. It’s a shame I can’t touch you, though… Once I’m back, let’s do lots of hugging to make up for the time we couldn’t meet.」

Usually, she just hugs me before saying anything like that, so hearing it explicitly was a bit embarrassing.

And I definitely felt like it was getting a bit noisy on her end of the line.

「Well then, it’s hard to say goodbye, but let’s stop here for today…」

「Yes, I’ll be looking forward to your call tomorrow!」

「I’ll be looking forward to it too. Well then, Kazunari-san, goodnight… I love you… Chu…」

Beep.

The call ended, leaving only the sound of a kiss behind.

She’s so precious… when I think about wanting to see her but being unable to, it makes me want to see her right this second even more.

Can’t this week just hurry up and end already…

Alright, time for work!

I need to switch gears, get ready, and head out.

「Good morning! I’ll be in your care!」

「Morning. Good to have you again today.」

From here, it was time for manual labor.

That said, now that I was getting used to it, I felt like I could move a bit more efficiently, including the procedures.

Besides, if I moved my body, I could stop thinking about such sappy things.

And so, my first full day of working two jobs came to a close.