Table of Contents: A Glimpse into a Light Novel World

Table of Contents
1. Illustrations
2. Prologue
3. Chapter 1
4. Chapter 2
5. Chapter 3
6. Chapter 4
7. Chapter 5
8. Chapter 6
9. Chapter 7
10. Epilogue
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♥
I first met Ayako-san in the middle of a tragedy.
“…I will take care of this girl.”
A dignified voice resounded among the adults dressed in black. It wasn’t

loud, but it was accompanied by a determination that seemed to cut through
the grim atmosphere permeating the place.
It was a little after the funeral.
The couple that lived next to me died in a traffic accident.
Both of them had gone to heaven together.
I was ten years old when my parents took me to the funeral.
At the time, I didn’t fully understand what was happening.
The whole process of burning incenses and the offerings… and what it meant
for someone to die.
The deceased couple… they were really good people. Whenever I went to
school in the mornings, they would always greet me with a smile. They even
had a barbeque party on their garden with my family.
I didn’t know much about death, but it made me really sad to think that I
would never see them again.
And… I was also wondering what would happen to Miu-chan.
The deceased couple had a five year old daughter.
Apparently, they were on their way to the daycare to pick up Miu-chan and
were going to grab a bite afterwards… But on their way to pick her up, the

unfortunate accident occurred.
Miu-chan will never see her father or mother again…
What a tragedy…
However…
It didn’t seem like Miu-chan had realized what was happening. During the
entire funeral she was just quiet and looking absent minded, like a small
animal.
Perhaps she wasn’t even aware that her papa and mama were dead.
Or maybe she didn’t even know what it meant to die. If I didn’t understand it
well at the age of ten, she most likely didn’t when she was five.
The adults dressed in black started repeating “poor thing” like a broken
record one after the other. Poor thing, poor thing, they kept saying.
As if… they were classifying her.
As if… they were carving it into her mind.
After the quiet funeral service was held, the adults started to have dinner in a
tatami room. Apparently, this was a ceremony called Shojin otoshi (TLN:精
進落とし, Shojin Otoshi is held at a banquet in a memorial service on the sixth
day after a person’s death, after returning from the crematory to reward the
priest and facilitators for their services.) The table was full of liquor and
sushi.
After they began to drink liquor, the adults started to talk as they normally
would, almost as if they were waiting for this very moment. Their talk could
be called nothing other than vulgar and selfish.
—Like I said before, I can’t take care of her.
—I can’t either, we already have 3 kids.

—What about you, brother? You’re still single, ain’t you?
—Stop messing around. If I start taking care of her, then I’ll never be able to
get married.
—Guess there’s no other choice other than to send her to an orphanage.
—No, if we send her to an orphanage, people will start badmouthing us.
—That’s true, it will look as if we sent her away.
—Then, why don’t we just let our mom do it?
—I already have my hands full with dad. Actually, why don’t you stop
leaving everything to me and start helping me take care of dad for once as
well?
It was as if Miu-chan’s relatives were all attacking her with just their voice.
They were arguing about who was going to take care of her.
And basically… no one wanted to do so. Everyone seemed to be busy with

their own lives and families, so they couldn’t afford to take care of other
people’s children.
Their exchange kept heating up more and more.
I wasn’t sure how much Miu-chan could understand from the conversation,
but the adults thought that “a little five year old girl wouldn’t get it anyway,”
and so, talked as they pleased.
The atmosphere was so grim that even a 10 year old kid like me could notice.
Then, someone unexpectedly said “If the child is going to be alone, she might
as well join her parents…” In that moment, I covered my ears to not hear the
rest of the words.
Bam!

After a hitting the table strongly, a woman stood up.
“…I’ll take care of this girl!”
A dignified voice cut through the grim air.
“What? Didn’t you hear me? I said that… I’ll take care of my sister’s
daughter!”
The woman repeated her words while the surrounding adults kept quiet,
amazed at her words.
Apparently, she was Ayako, Miu-chan’s mom’s younger sister.
A beautiful woman with a gentle air around her.
She looked to be around 20 years old.
Her slightly droopy eyes had a soft gaze before, but now they were full of a
silent rage towards her relatives.

“W-Wait a second, what are you saying now, Ayako?”
The woman sitting down next to her hurriedly tried to stop Akayo-san.
I think that was her mother.
“Take care of her, you say…? You can’t do that. You just started working
this year… Raising a kid right now is…”
“I’m sorry, mom. But… I’ve made up my mind already!”
Ayako-san gently pushed her mother aside and started walking towards Miu
in a hurry.
“I can’t bear to see Miu-chan stay in this place for even a second longer.”
With firm steps, she went towards the girl that was sitting in the corner.
She crouched and looked at her straight in the eyes.
“Miu-chan, would you like to live with me from now on?”
“Live with you, Aunt…?”
“Yes, with me.”
“But… Miu wants to be with papa and mama.”
“Your mama and papa… they went to a faraway place. I’m afraid you can’t
live together anymore.”
“…Then… is Miu alone?”
“Yes… But the truth is, I’m also alone now.”
“You too, Aunt Ayako?”
“That’s right. You see, it’s a bit embarrassing to say, but when I got a job, I

got carried away and started living alone… but since I’ve always lived with
my parents since I was born, I’m feeling very lonely living on my own.”
“That’s why,” Ayako-san said,
She kept looking at Miu-chan with a gentle gaze as she extended her hand to
her.
“Your Aunt feels very lonely and bored every day, that’s why I want to live
with you Miu-chan. Do you not want to live with me?”
“Hmm… I want to!”
When Miu-chan nodded, Ayako-san smiled as brightly as the sun.
“Good! Then come here!”
She grabbed Miu by her arms and held her up.
“Whoa! It’s been a while since I’ve held you in my arms, but look at how
heavy you’ve become, Miu-chan. My back is starting to hurt.”
“Hehe, you’re starting to sound like a grandma, Auntie.”
“Oh, but you see, only bad kids say things like that. Here’s your punishment,
tickle, tickle~.”
“Hahaha, please stop Auntie, it’s too much.”
The two were so happily smiling to each other that it looked like they had
forgotten that we just held a funeral ceremony.
The adults in the surroundings kept quiet and didn’t say anything else. There
was a hint of holiness so precious that no one dared defile it.
But I… couldn’t take my eyes off Ayako-san.
I couldn’t help but be dazed after looking at her extending her hand without
hesitation towards the girl that had been thrown to the depths of desperation

by God’s practical joke.
She, who had overcome the tragedy on her own, looked like a noble heroine
or a merciful saint, and I think that it was at that moment… that she stole my
heart.

♥
A single mother’s morning starts pretty early.
I get up early, rub my sleepy eyes and cook lunch every morning for my high
school daughter.
Haa, I wish high schools had cafeterias like in middle school.
“Well… It’s not like complaining is going to help.”
After sighing, I fried some eggs in the square frying pan. You know,
tamagoyaki can be used as side dish for your daughter’s breakfast as well as
lunch. Truly, a housewife’s best friend.
The miso soup that I was preparing alongside was almost boiling, so I
quickly turned off the heat.
Let’s just have a little taste and… yup, it’s good today too♪.
Right as I finished serving the breakfast on the table
“Uwaah! This is bad, this is bad! I completely dozed off!”
My daughter, Miu, came down from the second floor making a lot of noise.
Being an old woman at the age of 30, I wasn’t sure if the expression “doze
off” was something she came up with herself or if youngsters actually used
slang like that these days.
After she went down the stairs, she ran to the bathroom and after getting
ready she came to the living room.
Miu wore the uniform of the high school she started attending since April.
It was one of the best schools of the prefecture. To be honest, her grades in

middle school weren’t that great, but thanks to an excellent tutor, she was
able to get in. It was the uniform of a prestigious school that many students in
the prefecture wanted to wear, but my daughter didn’t really see it the same
way.
Oh, geez, your blouse is all wrinkled because you’re so careless with it.
I even ironed it yesterday!
“Why didn’t you wake me up, mom?!”
“I tried to, a lot of times actually, and you didn’t wake up. Here, eat fast. If
you don’t hurry, Takkun will come pick you up.”
“I know!”
My daughter sat at the table and started to eat breakfast in a hurry.
Miu Katsuragi.
We’re not blood related, but she’s my only daughter, Atako Katsuragi.
Uh… Well…
Strictly speaking, we’re actually blood related.
Because she’s the daughter my sister gave birth to.
Ever since that day…
It’s been 10 years since I decided to take care of her after the funeral and
started to live together in the house my sister and her husband left behind.
I couldn’t believe it.
Somehow, 10 years had gone by in the blink of an eye.
So many things have happened since then… I can’t say all of it in just a few
words, but right now, we’re mother and daughter.

Just by hearing her call me “mom,” I can do my best every day.
“Ah, geez… Taku-nii doesn’t have to come pick me up every day. We’re
going to split up at the station anyways.”
“Don’t say that. He comes all the way here just for you, you know?
Besides… that makes you happy, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing special. But if you keep taking it easy, another girl will snatch
Takkun away.” I said jokingly and Miu sighed.
“Listen here… I keep telling you that Taku-nii and I don’t have that kind of
relationship, we’re just childhood friends and he’s also my tutor. That’s
everything there is to it.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, really. I don’t see him that way and he see me that way either.”
“Hmm… Well, that’s fine then, I guess.” I lightly shrunk my shoulders

before her exasperated tone.
Seriously, she isn’t being honest at all.
What a shame, they look so well together.
And I don’t think that he doesn’t see her that way.
Where have you seen a man that comes to pick you up every morning
without complaining?
Right as I was thinking that.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. I went to the main door.

“Good morning, Ayako-san.”
A young man politely greeted me when I opened the door.
He wore an ironed shirt and tight jeans. He had a fashionable tote bag and an
expensive looking watch on his left wrist. I heard that his dad gave it to him
as a gift after he enrolled in a university. (TLN: A tote bag is basically a
handbag, but slightly different. Google it if you’re curious.)
“Good morning, Takkun.”
Takkun… Takumi Aterazawa-kun.
He’s a university student that lives next door.
And also, Miu’s childhood friend.
Even before I moved here, meaning, when my sister and her husband were
still alive, he was Miu’s friend.
For the last 10 years… Since I took Miu under my care and started living in
this house, we have always been in good terms as neighbors.
By the way, Takkun is also Miu’s tutor.
He goes to a famous university, and thanks to his passionate guidance, Miu

was accepted into the high school she wanted.
“I’m so sorry, Takkun. Miu overslept and is still having breakfast. Would you
mind waiting a bit longer?”
“I’m so sorry, Taku-nii! Just give me a minute!” Miu’s voice came from the
living room. Takkun smiled wryly.
“Alright. Oh, and… Ayako-san, please stop calling me ‘Takkun,’ I just

turned 20 yesterday.”
“Hehe, sorry. Old habits die hard. But… it’s true, you’re 20 years old now.”

Feeling deeply emotional, I looked at him.
“You were so cute when you were little a little kid, but before I realized it,
you’ve grown up so much.”
When we met… He was just a small, skinny ten year old boy that looked
more like a girl.
But ever since he started swimming in middle school, he grew up and

developed his muscles, and now, he’s a handsome young man.
I gave a step forward and patted his head. Even though he was standing a step
below the door, his head was still higher than mine. He really has grown a
lot.
And then, Takkun stepped back, embarrassed.
“P-Please stop. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about how much you’ve grown, Takkun.”
“…Stop calling me that.”
“Ah, that’s right. Hmm… but I’m already used to calling you Takkun, so it’s
hard to change it immediately. I’ve been calling you Takkun for 10 years
after all.”
“…”
“In exchange, you can call me ‘Ayako mama’ like you used to do.”
“What kind of deal is that…?”
“Ufufu, it’s alright. You’re like my cute son.”
“…I’m not your son.” He muttered and then with a serious voice said “I…
am not your son, Ayako-san.”
“Takkun…?”

“…Ah, s-sorry… I’m saying something very obvious.”
“Uh? Ah, n-no… it’s alright.”
Takkun gave me a fake smile and I returned one to him, but my heart was
beating a little faster.
That surprised me.
Why… did he suddenly address me so formally…
With sharp eyes and the deep voice of a man, he made me realize that he
already was an adult man and my heart suddenly accelerated.
“Sorry, I’m late!” Miu, who looked like she had just finished eating
breakfast, came to the doorway and put on her shoes. “Sorry about the wait,
Taku-nii.”
“Don’t worry about it. Well then, Ayako-san, see you later.”
“We’re leaving~.”
“Alright, have a nice day. Ah, that’s right.” I suddenly remembered

something and said it just in case, “This afternoon… we’ll start at 5 o’clock,
so don’t be late.”
“Okay.”
“Alright.”
Both of them nodded and left.
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
Every morning, the moment I say goodbye to my daughter, I feel relieved

from ‘being able to rest by being alone’ and sad from ‘being alone.’
Oh right…

The thought suddenly came to me.
If Miu leaves someday… If she gets married and leaves this house…
Will I be alone again?
I didn’t want to leave Miu alone, so I took care of her, but someday, I will be
alone…
“…No, no, it’s still too soon for that.”
She’s only 15 years old.
She just started high school.
It’s still too soon to worry about a future like that.
“But… Ah, that’s right. If her husband is Takkun… even if they get married
and live with his parents, I won’t feel alone because they’ll be right next
door.”
If my daughter lives next to me after getting married… Yup, that would be

great!
I won’t feel lonely at all!
Takkun is a kind and serious boy, and before I realized it, he had grown up
and become very handsome, and also, he’s going to a good university, so he
has a promising future!
He’s the perfect boyfriend for my daughter!
In that case… I really need to get those two together ASAP!
And make them take care of me when I’m old!
“Even though I really think they look good together… Hmmm?”
After I came to from my delusions, I went to the kitchen and found

something.
A bento wrapped nicely that I made with a lot of effort this morning.
“Aaahh… Geez!”
I went out running from the house and called out to the two people walking
happily across the sidewalk.
“W-Wait, Miu! “You forgot your luuchh!”
It’s been 10 years since I took my daughter under my care.
And a noisy morning like this one was just a part of my daily routine.
After saying goodbye to my daughter, I did some laundry and cleaning, then I
started working.
I switched from mother mode to businesswoman mode.
I placed my laptop over the table along with a drink I had prepared.
By the way, the drink was a healthy smoothie made in a ‘Dolce Gusto.’
(TLN: A Coffee maker.)
It was an easy to drink aojiru juice. A wonderful drink equal to a day’s worth
of beta carotene rich vegetables. I’m already above 30, so I need to take care
of myself more. (TLN: Aojiru (青汁) is a Japanese vegetable drink most
commonly made from kale or young barley grass. The drink is also known as
green drink or green juice in English, a direct translation of the Japanese
meaning. Fun fact, the kanji for ao 青 means blue in modern japanese.)
“…Got it, Oinomori-san. I’ll let the illustrator know about what we just
discussed, and I’ll make the writing team gather next week.”
“Okay, I’m counting on you, Katsuragi-kun.”
What I heard from the other side of the line was the typical kind answer from
Oinomori-san. It was a calm woman’s voice, but the tone was somewhat

masculine. She was always cool; even though we had worked together for 10
years, I had never seen her in panic.
Oinomori-san is my boss… Or rather, the CEO of the company I work for.

Despite being 10 years older than me, her voice, appearance and way of
thinking are all still young.
“But you’ve really helped us out on this project, Katsuragi-kun. Without you,
we wouldn’t have been able to have done this job.”
“What are you saying now? I’m just a simple editor.”
“Don’t be so modest. Many creators accepted the job only under the
condition that you would be in charge of the project. Your achievements and
the trust you’ve built during the last 10 years have borne fruit.”
“10 years…”
“Yup, 10 years. Hmm… Even though I said it myself, it does feel a bit weird.
It’s been 10 years since we started working together.” I felt nostalgia in her
voice and started to recall the past.
Oinomori-san… Yumemi Oinomori.
Formerly, a very charismatic editor that worked for a very famous editorial,
but 10 years ago she became independent and founded her own company,
‘LightShip.’
I joined her newly formed company 10 years ago.
The essence of my work… it’s quite hard to explain.
We do all kinds of entertainment jobs under the president’s corporative motto

that “Anything is fine as long as you’re having fun.”
I’m an editor in paper, but now I’m in charge of a lot of things besides that.
Recently, I feel like I’m working mainly as a middleman between clients and
creators.

“…I’m very thankful to you, Oinomori-san. In a regular company, if a new
employee like me would’ve told them she had a daughter out of the blue… I
would’ve been fired immediately…”
10 years ago… I took Miu under my care right after joining LightShip.
And so, the new employee suddenly became a single mother.
From the HR department’s point of view, this was no joke. When they asked
me during the final interview “Do you plan on getting married or having
kids?” I confidently replied “No, I do not have any plans of doing so right
now.” because that was the truth.
Of course, I had to leave work early during many occasions right after
starting due to calls from the school about school events, or because my
daughter had caught a fever, and, of course, I was paid during all of that.
To be honest, I thought I would be fired immediately.
But Oinomori-san did a series of changes for my sake. She built a system to
help people that had to leave early or that couldn’t attend at all, and that
allowed me to work from home.
“There’s nothing to thank me for. It’s natural for a company to create an

environment where the employees can work at to their full potential. And
besides… I had to support you. Not as a company president, but as a woman.
To think that you decided to raise your deceased sister’s daughter on your
own.”
“Oinomori-san…”
“But that girl you took under your care… Miu-chan is already in high school,
isn’t she? You don’t have to look after her that much anymore. Don’t you
think it’s time for you to search after your own happiness?”
“My own happiness?”
“You ain’t thought ‘bout gettin’ urself a boyfriend?”

Oinomori-san said it with a voice that sounded like a drunk man, but the
sudden change in topics left me speechless.
“B-Boyfriend, you say…?
“Because, ever since you started taking care of Miu-chan, you haven’t dated
anyone, right? You’ve been pretty patient these last 10 years, but I think it’s
time for you to drop your own love prohibition.”
“But… it’s not like I’ve been holding myself back…”
“Love is beautiful, Katsuragi-kun. If you fall in love, it could even improve

your work performance.”
“…Says the person who has had 3 divorces.”
“Hahaha, it’s because I’m a woman full of love!”
Even though I made fun of her, she didn’t seem to mind.
She had had 3 divorces so far, and all 3 times was due to her cheating…
Yumemi Oinomori is a very passionate and rampaging woman. She makes a
lot of money, but all of it goes right into compensation. Basically, she always
has to pay the three men. I respect her as a professional, but as a woman…
not really.
I breathed out a sigh.
“Oinomori-san, I… have no intentions of falling in love yet. What’s most

important for me right now is my daughter, Miu.”
That’s what I decided upon myself the moment I took Miu under my care 10
years ago.
I decided to raise my sister’s daughter properly.
I’ve never been married or conceived a baby… But right now, I’m a mother,
and also in a different position from a single mother.

I can’t fall in love carelessly.
If I were to date and marry someone… that person would become Miu’s
father.
Besides… Miu and I are not a real mother and daughter. How much of a
burden would it be for her to add another “stranger” to her family?
“Oinomori-san, even if you tell me to think about my own happiness… I’m

happy enough as it is already.”
I have my dear daughter and a job that I want with a boss that I respect a lot.
Asking more than this would be too much.
“Hmm… What a waste of your beauty. Aren’t you in that time of your life
where you long for someone else’s company? The sexual desire of woman
after their 30s is incredible after all. You can’t control your bodily urges and
spend every night pleasuring-”
“Oinomori-san, even if you’re my boss, that’s sexual harassment.”
“Oh, you’re right, sorry.”
Perhaps scared of at the possibility of being sued for sexual harassment,

Oinomori-san stopped, and I sighed.
“But, well… it’s not like I don’t want a man, but it’s impossible for me right
now. At least until my daughter becomes an adult… No, I’ll dedicate myself
to being a mother for her until she graduates university and gets a stable job.”
“Until she graduates from university…? By then you’ll be in your 40s, won’t
you?
“Well, that can’t be helped.” I said jokingly, “If I can’t get married, I’ll make
my daughter’s husband take care of me.”
Having finished my work early, I got myself ready to start setting things up
for the night. I cooked food and took out the cake I was baking from the

oven. Miu, who had returned from school, also helped me set things up.
Tonight, we were going to have a party in the house.
We were going to celebrate Takkun’s birthday a day late…
“Ahem, well then, happy birthday to our dear neighbor Takumi Aterawaza-
kun on his memorable 20th birthday~! Cheers!” I said, then all three of us
gave a toast with our 3 cups of champagne. The glasses clinked in the middle
of the table, making a pleasant sound.
By the way, Miu had champagne with no alcohol.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to bother making this party.”
Takkun smiled timidly from the other side of the table, that was filled with
salad, roast beef, pizza and other common party dishes.
“Of course we had to celebrate it! You’re like family to us two, Takkun.
Here, eat.”
I served him food on a plate, and he bowed his head in response.
“Thank you, I’m very happy. You even made a feast like this for me.”
“It’s nothing special, and besides, almost everything was store bought. Did
you have a big celebration with your family?”
“We went to a restaurant together. But to be honest… I would be happier if I

could eat your home-made food, Ayako-san.”
“Oh, you don’t have to praise me that much.”
Oh, geez, this Takkun… He’s so cute and earnest.
I want him to become my son in law as soon as possible!
“I can’t believe Taku-nii is already 20 years old” whispered Miu, starting to

eat the salad without permission. “Now, if you commit a crime, you’ll be

reported under your real name, it won’t be private anymore. Be careful,
Taku-nii.”
“What should I be careful about? I’m not going to commit a crime.”
“Who knows, many criminals tend to be serious guys like you, you know?”
“…If you keep saying rude things like that, I’ll double your homework.”
“What?! That’s clearly an abuse of power! And why are you still tutoring
me? I already passed the entrance exam, so I don’t need you to keep teaching
me anymore!”
“I asked him to.” I answered my disgruntled daughter. “Miu, it’s thanks to

him that you, miraculously, passed the entrance exam. But if you neglect
your studies, you won’t be able to keep up with your classes anymore.”.”
“Guh… T-That may be true…”
“I know that this daughter of mine is a lot of work, but please keep taking
care of her, Takkun.”
“Alright, I won’t hold back then.”
“…Boo.”
We both laughed while Miu sulked.
“Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”
I got up and went to look for something in the kitchen.
“Ta-dah! A gift wine!”
I put the bottle on the table with a proud expression.
“Ufufu, a writer who I worked with a long time ago gave it to me. Hey,
Takkun, would you like to share a glass with me to celebrate your 20th
birthday?

“Uhm… are you sure? It seems expensive.”
“It’s alright. I don’t drink much on my own, and I don’t want to have it stored
away forever.”
It’s not that I don’t like alcohol, but I don’t like to drink alone during dinner.
It’s embarrassing to get drunk alone in front of my daughter.
“I’d be happy if you drank it with me.”
“…In that case, I’ll gladly do it.” he nodded happily. Thank God… A luxury
product like this has to be shared with everyone.
I uncorked the bottle and poured wine in our glasses. A floral aroma instantly
spread when the red liquid mixed with the air.
“My, what a nice smell. As expected from an expensive wine.”
“Hmph… must be nice” Miu said while pouting, “Hey mom, can I have some
too?”
“Nope~. You’re a high school student, you’ll have to settle with just the
smell.”
“How stingy. Just a little bit.”
“No means no. These days… regulations are very strict. Scenes where minors
drink are banned, even if it’s just as a joke. As a result, the studio has to think
about workarounds, like raising the characters’ age or making them look
drunk by just the smell…”
“Just let me have a little sip!”
Ignoring my unintentional complains about my editorial industry completely,

Miu got up from her chair, stretched her hand and grabbed my glass.
“Miu, wait…!”

“Just a sip!”
“No, now let go of it!”
“…Hey you two, that’s dangerous—”
““Ah.””
The glass we were fighting for tilted over
And the liquid spilled all over Takkun who had come to stop our fight.
Takkun went to the bathroom to clean himself up. I left Miu cleaning the
living room and brought him a towel.
“Here you go Takkun, use this.”
“Thanks”
“…I’m sorry, this is all our fault.”
“Oh please, it was just an accident, you two don’t have to worry about it.”
“Takkun smiled kindly at me. He really is a good boy.
“If you want, why don’t you take a shower? I still have a change of clothes
and underwear from the last time you stayed over.”
That was right before Miu’s entrance exam. At that time, Takkun gave her a
“training camp” and stayed with us for a week. Well, he lives right next to us,
so he often went back to his house.
“And if you want…” Suddenly, I wanted to play a little prank and said, “Why
don’t we take a bath together?”
“Eh?!”
As expected, his face got all red. What a nice reaction.

“Why don’t I wash your back as an apology for spilling you with wine?”
“W-What are you saying now…?”
“Ufufu, you don’t have to be so embarrassed, we used to bathe together

before.”
“T-That was… 10 years ago.”
Takkun was dumbstruck and I started laughing.
“Ufufu. Sorry, sorry. I was just teasing, so don’t take it seriously.”
“…Stop teasing me, please.”
“Well, I’ll bring you a change of clothes, so just wait a moment.”
I went out of the bathroom and opened the wardrobe in the hall. Hmm, I’m
sure it was around here… Ah, here it is.
“Takkun, I have your change of clothes—Kyaa!” I opened the dressing room

and let out a small scream.
Right in front of me… Takkun had just taken off his stained shirt. His upper
body was fully naked. My eyes stared at a slim, muscular, masculine body.
“Ah… I-I’m sorry.”
“N-No. I’m sorry for opening so suddenly. Uhm… I-I’ll leave your change of
clothes here.”
I put his clothes on the rack next to me and quickly withdrew myself, closing
the door.
“…Haa…” I sighed, pressing my back against the door.
After the embarrassing moment that had just happened, I was a little ashamed
of myself.

I can’t believe I got embarrassed from seeing a semi naked man… What am
I, a little girl? It’s really embarrassing to have reacted like a high school girl
despite my old age. And what was that “kyaa”? Well, at least it wasn’t his
lower body.
Ah… But.
How do I say this… it was a good naked torso. Not in a weird way, I just
thought he had a good, young, slim and muscular body.
Obviously, we weren’t at an age where we could bathe together.
The adorable cute next-door boy had become a full-fledged adult that could
drink with me.
After Takkun changed his clothes, we resumed the party.
The three of us enjoyed the food, served my home-made cake for last and in
the blink of an eye, 3 hours had passed.
“It’s really late.”
Tilting my wine glass, I looked at the clock on the wall. It was past 10
already. Most of the plates had been collected from the table and now we
only had cheese and crackers to pick from.
Miu was already sleeping on her room. She said she was sleepy and went to
bed. She didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol, but maybe the smell had
affected her.
Takkun and I were alone in the living room…
“Don’t you need to go back home soon?”
“No, I don’t have a curfew. Plus, they even allowed me to stay over.”
“Oh, I see. Then, accompany me for a bit longer.” I said and poured more
wine on his glass.

“Thank you.”
“Oh but, be careful of drinking too much. I don’t want you getting drunk.”
“Don’t worry, I have a high tolerance.”
“Aah, I see. That means… that you were drinking even before turning 20?”
“Ah… No, uhm… Forget what I said…”
“Fufu, it’s alright. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
We smiled at each other.
Ah, what a nice sensation. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a drink, and
the wine is so expensive that I feel classy drinking it.
“Ah… I can’t believe that we won’t be able to drink together like this
anymore.” I said sadly, while rotating the glass and staring at it. “When you
get old, time passes by quickly. Before I realized it, I had become quite old.”
“…You aren’t old at all, Ayako-san.”
“It’s alright, you don’t need to be so considerate of me.”
“I’m not being considerate! You’re really beautiful, kind, you have an adult
charm, so… uhm…” He stopped, embarrassed and blushing. I felt happy, but
also a little embarrassed myself.
“Fufu, thank you. But you’re the only one that says such nice things to me.
Miu has been treating me like an old woman lately, and the truth is that I’m
getting sick of it.” I complained and then took a sip of wine. A fruity flavor
went through my throat and my mood improved.
“Hey, Takkun.” I leaned forward and asked, “do you… have a girlfriend?”
“W-What are you suddenly asking…?!”
“What’s wrong with that? C’mon, let’s talk about love.”

Hmm, somehow, I feel like an actual drunken old lady… Of course, I feel a
bit embarrassed, but I really want to talk about it.
“So, Takkun? Tell me truth.”
“I-I don’t have one.”
I asked while staring at him, and he answered me shily. And as if to hide his
shame, he downed the entire glass in one gulp.
“The truth is… I’ve never had one.”
“Eh? F-For real?” Even that surprised me a little.
Takkun’s face seemed to be in pain.
“Stop teasing me, please…”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you, it just surprised me a bit… I
thought you were popular.”
“I’m not popular.”
“There’s no way that’s true… You’re kind, smart and handsome, and you
were also a great swimmer in middle school.”
“Even if you say that I was good, it was just at a prefectural level.
Although… when I won the prefectural tournament… some girls did confess
to me.”
“See? You were actually popular after all. Didn’t you think about dating any
of them?”
“Hmm… To be honest, no.”
“I see. Then, Takkun… Do you like someone?”
“Eh…?”

“Is there someone you like right now? Even if you don’t have a girlfriend,
isn’t there someone you’re interested in?”
“W-Well…” Takkun kept quiet, and he looked very nervous.
Oh, that reaction…
“Oh, so there is someone. You don’t have a girlfriend, but you do like
someone.”
“…”
“Ufufu, Well, you’re a healthy boy, so it’s normal that you like someone.
Hey, hey, who is it? Tell me.”
“Uhm…”
“Could it be that you’ve been in love with her for a long time?”
“…?!”
I threw the bait and his reaction made it clear.
I knew it!
It must be Miu!
As I thought, Takkun… is in love with my daughter!
Kyaa, this is incredible! I’m so excited!
“You haven’t dated anyone because you’re in love with her?”
“Uhm… T-That’s right.” He nodded shily. “I… I’ve always liked this
person… so I can’t go out with anyone else but her…”
Amazing.
What a pure love.

Ah, what should I do? Just listening to him made my heart beat faster!
“H-Haven’t you thought about confessing?”
“I-I don’t want to cause her any problems. Besides, I’m scared of ruining our
current relationship… And also…”
“And also?”
“I’m worried about the age difference… No, actually, I don’t mind it, but
maybe she does.”
Age difference… Oh, I see.
There’s a 5 year difference between Miu and Takkun. For students, 5 years
can be a really big difference.
“Don’t worry, Takkun.” I said “As long as there’s love, age doesn’t matter.”
“Ayako-san…”
“Don’t you think it’s silly to give up before even confessing? If you don’t
convey your feelings, nothing will happen, you know? Besides, if you’re
slow, another man could snatch her away, don’t you think? Are you okay
with that?”
“O-Of course not…!”
“Then, there’s only one thing to do, Takkun.”
Probably because I was drunk, I spoke as if I were an expert. Takkun

remained hesitant and conflicted… Therefore, I kept going.
I’ll do everything I can to support you two’s love.
“Be confident in yourself, everything will be alright. No, it’s because it’s you
that everything will be alright. I know very well how cool, kind and great you
are, that’s why… be bolder and give the first step.”

“Bolder…!”
And immediately after,
Takkun got up vigorously.
He looked straight at me with passionate eyes, as if he had no more doubts or

conflicts inside his head.
“A-Ayako-san…!”
His voice sounded a little high, perhaps because he was nervous, but his
seriousness was transmitted perfectly.
“I… have always had something to tell you, Ayako-san.”
“M-Me?”
What does he want to tell me?”
Ah, I see.
What he wants to tell me is… Please, give me your daughter!
Haha, before confessing his feelings to my daughter he decided to tell me

first, her mother. I see, I see. You’re too formal, Takkun.
Go on, do it. My final answer will definitely be a yes. Rather, it should be me

who should bow and ask you.
“…The truth is… I was going to tell you a bit later when I got a job and
started to earn money on my own, but even so, I’ll tell you now. I can’t hold
it any longer… Furthermore, I don’t want any other man showing up because
I was too late.”
Then,
Takkun opened his mouth.

With eyes shaking from anxiety, but with a manly and serious gaze, he
opened his mouth,
And said some words that would radically change our relationship.
“Ayako-san, I’ve been in love with you for a long time. Please, go out with
me.”
“………………”
………………
…………
……

…Eh?
Huh…? Did I hear that wrong?
“T-Takkun…? G-Geez, are you drunk? Y-You messed up. You messed up in
the most important part.”
“Eh… W-What did I mess up on?”
“Well… Y-You just said you’re in love with me…”
“…? I didn’t mess up” he said with a serious face.
Hm? Eh…? What? Ehhh?
O-One minute, give me just one minute… Huh? Huh? Huh?
Ignoring my small panic attack, Takkun continued with a serious look.
“I love you… Ayako-san. For a long time now… I’ve loved you for the last
10 years.”
“…”
My drunkenness dissipated instantly.
However, my body heated up for some reason. It was the first time a man
said they loved me. My heart started to beat faster and the circuits in my head
stopped functioning from overheating.
What is this? What kind of situation is this? I don’t get this at all.
While in a state of total confusion, I screamed in my heart
You like me, not my daughter?!

♥
The next day… I overslept…
“…Hngh… Oohh… It’s 7:30 already… Huuuhh?!”
I grabbed the phone next to my bed and was surprised when I saw the time. I
jumped out of the bed and quickly went down the stairs.
This is bad, this is really bad.
When a housewife wakes up and 7:30, the day is done for in a lot of ways.
At 7:30… My daughter should be leaving the house!
“Aaahh… What do I do now? Breakfast… no lunch… Wait, no, first I need

to wake up Miu…”
“…Ah, good morning, mom.”
When I finished going down the stairs desperately, I saw Miu in the living
room.
“You’re finally awake.”
“M-Miu… I-I’m so sorry, I’ll make breakfast right away…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already eaten some cereal.” Miu answered calmly.
It seemed like she had just finished her breakfast.
When I looked at her again, I noticed that she was wearing her uniform, her
hair was combed, and her backpack was on her shoulder.
She looked ready to go to class.
“Yesterday I went to bed early, so I woke up early as a result. Ah, I’ll buy

something for lunch, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“I see… I’m so sorry. Tomorrow I’ll cook like usual.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Although, it is unusual for you to doze off, did you stay up
until late drinking with Taku-nii?”
“…?!”
The moment I heard Takkun’s name, I immediately tensed up. My sleepy

head woke up instantly.
“U-Uhm… I-I-I guess…”
My voice was shaking so much it sounded more like a laugh and my eyes
were quickly darting from side to side. (TLN: Since I’m not reading the
Japanese version, what I think she’s saying is “A-A-Atashi” and hence sort of
sounds like a laugh, but I may be wrong.)
We hadn’t actually stayed up that late yesterday.
I went to bed around 11, like I always do.
It’s just that… I couldn’t sleep at all.
I spent the entire night spinning around under my sheets.
—I love you, Ayako-san.
The shocking confession I received yesterday before going to bed, a very

serious confession, kept going around in my head…
“…Something wrong mom? You’re all red, are you okay?”
“Ehh?!”
I touched my cheeks and I was immediately surprised at how hot my face

was.

“Do you have a fever? Should I bring the thermometer?”
“I-I’m okay! Really, I’m okay!”
“Alright then… Ah, Taku-nii, good morning.”
My mind, which was a mess thinking about last night’s events, suddenly
came back to reality. Before I had realized it, the doorbell rang, and my
daughter’s childhood friend came to pick her up as usual.
“Yes, good morning, Miu.”
Then, Takkun looked at me.
“G-Good morning, Ayako-san…”
His voice was tense, and his expression a little stiff. He seemed awkward and
embarrassed.
And so was I… My head was blank. Despite seeing his face every day, I
couldn’t look at it right now.
“G-G-G-Good morning, Takkun… Ah?!”
When I remembered how I looked, I felt embarrassed. I was still in my

sleepwear, and my hair was all disheveled. I tried to comb my hear with my
hands in a hurry.
“I-I’m so sorry! I must look terrible right now…!”
“Why are you worrying so much about that, mom…? It’s not like it’s Taku-
nii’s first time seeing you in your sleepwear.”
After Miu’s cold remark, I suddenly became self-conscious of the situation.

He had spent many nights with us two and had often seen me in my
sleepwear. He had seen me without makeup and even woken me up before.
U-Uwaa~~ I’m so ashamed!

What am I doing?!
Why am I reacting like a teenage girl?!
I felt more shamed about how I had reacted from being in my sleepwear than
being in my sleepwear.
It’s as if…
As if I suddenly felt conscious of Takkun as a man…
“Miu… I’m sorry but, would you mind going ahead?”
Ignoring my shame and confusion, Takkun turned toward my daughter.
“I have something to talk about with Ayako-san.”
“Hm? Well, I don’t mind.”
Miu looked puzzled, but without pressing any further, she put on her shoes
and left by herself.
The door closed.
The moment the two of us were left alone, an indescribable tension filled the
room.
And after a brief silence:
“Did you oversleep?” Takun asked. “It’s rare for that to happen.”
“Y-Yes… I just couldn’t fall asleep.”
“…I also couldn’t sleep at all last night” he said, while staring directly at me.
His eyes were as terribly serious as they were yesterday.
“Ayako-san, I-”

“Y-Yes! I know, I know!” I raised my voice unconsciously.
I interrupted his words, as if refusing to listen to what he was going to say

next.
“I-I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything yesterday!”
“Eh…?”
“That’s why… you don’t have to worry about anything at all, Takkun. I-It
was because of that, right? Because you were drunk, wasn’t it? That’s why…
well… you felt a bit weird and that happened, right? I get it… I completely
understand.”
“Ayako-san… I…”
“L-Let’s forget about it. Let’s forget about everything that happened
yesterday. I-It’s okay, no harm was done… I already am an old lady. I’m not
a little girl that takes conversations between drunk people seriously—”
“Ayako-san!”
His strong and serious voice startled me.
“Why do you say that…?”
Takkun… had a face I had never seen before. He looked angry and sad at the
same time.
“Yesterday, I… certainly was a little drunk and in a good mood. And I may
have said something in the heat of the moment… I can’t deny that.”
“But,” he continued.
“Everything I said yesterday was true.”
“…”
“I love you, Ayako-san. I’ve always loved you…” said Takkun.

And then he kept going, as if he no longer had any self-control left.
He tried to convey his feelings for me…
“For you, I’m probably just a kid, and I’ve thought about giving up on you
many times… However, I can’t erase my feelings for you. I’d like to have a
serious relationship with you.”
“Takkun…”
“You don’t have to answer me right now… But… I’d be happy if you
thought about it.”
“Well then… Goodbye.” He said.
And then he left.
I weakly fell down to my knees afterwards.
“…Was he being serious?”
He didn’t seem to be joking. If last night’s confession had been a joke… if

everything was because of the alcohol, it would have been unexpected, but to
be honest, I expected it to be just a joke.
Because of that, almost unconsciously, I decided to take all of this as a joke.
I proposed forgetting about everything.
However,
His sincerity, his passion… Didn’t allow my clever escape plan to work.
And now I’m in a situation where I have no choice but to fight his
determination head on.
Takumi Aterazawa’s true feelings…
“Takkun… He really loves me… He has always loved me and suffered from

a one-sided love… Uuh… Ah… Uwa… Ah…”
I grabbed my head in agony. Before, I was embarrassed for going to the front
door in my sleepwear, but now I was so confused that my head simply gave
up altogether.
“…W-What should I do…?”
“Takumi, wake up” someone shook my shoulders and I opened my eyes.
I was in room 102 of the Economics’ department building.
I had a class for my modern economics major… But it looked like I had
passed out. I quickly raised my head, but there was no trace of the teacher
and the students were leaving already.
“Shit…”
“I took notes of the most important things, wanna copy them?”
“Ah, thanks. That’s a huge help.”
“It’s okay, you’re always the one helping me.” Said Satoya while smiling
kindly at me. The notes he gave me had the most important part of the class
and they were neatly written.
Satoya Ringou.
He was short and skinny. His face was so childish that he looked like a
middle school student, and his long hair was tied back.
We didn’t even look the same age.
He wore fashionable clothes and all kinds of shiny accessories. Even though
he was a man, his nails were painted with a dark nail polish. It made me have
a certain prejudice old people had with people like him.

In short, he was a young, handsome, fashionable man with a cute face.
He was a friend from the same department. I met him at the university, and
we had the same classes together. Since we had the same classes, we often
spent time together.
“Although, this is quite unusual, I still can’t believe you passed out during
class.”
“I couldn’t really sleep much last night.”
“Hm? Did you stay up all night doing some homework?”
“No, it wasn’t a homework.”
“Then… Perhaps something happened with your neighbor’s mother?”
“…”
“Oh, seems I hit the mark.”
Satoya’s childish face distorted and a mischievous smile appeared.
“You’re so simple, Takumi. It’s definitely impossible for you to have an

affair.”
“Shut up…”
While we threw insults at each other, we went out of the room and headed to
the cafeteria.
The university’s cafeteria was packed during lunch time.
We bought the coupons for the food we wanted and waited in line. I ordered
curry and Satoya a donburi. After we got our food and found free seats, we
could finally start eating. (TLN: Donburi is a Japanese “rice bowl dish”
consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together
and served over rice.)

“Huh…?” No way… You confessed? For real?” His eyes opened up in
surprised after he heard my story.
I had already told him I was in love with Ayako-san, my neighbor’s mother,
for the last 10 years.
Last time we had a drink together, I accidentally let that out.
“Heh. Heeeh… Uwaa, what do I do? This is so fun.”
“This isn’t a game… This is something serious for me.”
“I know. I’m sorry, it’s just that I couldn’t help but be excited. My best friend
has finally given his first step forward towards his 10 year old love.”
Satoya couldn’t hide his excitement. Damn it… He spoke as if it were

someone else’s problem.
Haah.
Somehow… I still couldn’t believe it.
It felt surreal to think that I ended up confessing. Just remembering it makes

me want to die from embarrassment.
‘I don’t regret anything!’…Would be nice if I could just say that, but to be

honest, I actually regret it. A. Whole. Lot. I’ve been agonizing over it ever
since I went to bed last night. I wanted to go back in time so much.
Yesterday, I crossed a line I could never return from.
“You really love her, don’t you?” Satoya asked in admiration, looking far
away.
“What? You didn’t believe me?”
“Well, it’s not like I doubted you… But I just couldn’t fully believe it. I
mean, you have a one-sided love for 10 years for the mother of your
childhood friend that lives next door and is also 10 years older than you.”

“…”
That’s… Well, I guess it’s true.
It’s definitely weird to fall in love with your childhood friend’s mother.
I myself understand that much.
But, even despite that… I kept loving Ayako-san for the last 10 years.
I never stopped wanting to go out with her.
“How did you fall in love again? Was it when you were 10 years old, you
took a bath together and you saw Ayako-san naked?”
“I-It wasn’t like that. Don’t make it seem like I’m some kind of pervert.”
“But you two took a bath together, didn’t you?”
“…”
In fact, that did happen.
We entered together and I did see her naked.
But at that time, I was 10, so she lowered her guard and didn’t try to hide
anything… Thanks to that, I saw everything I shouldn’t have.
“You saw her naked 10 years ago, you couldn’t forget about that, and even
since then you’ve loved her… You’re a complete pervert, Takumi, and also a
stalker~.”
“Shut up… And our bath together wasn’t the reason.”
Well… I can’t deny that after we took a bath together, I started to see her as a
woman.
But that wasn’t the only reason.

It wasn’t her body.
These feelings I’ve kept hidden during these last 10 years can’t be expressed
with just a few words.
“Well, in a certain way, it’s incredible. During the last 10 years, you haven’t
had feelings for any girl, except for just that one. The line that separates
perversion and pure love can be surprisingly thin, as thin as a single sheet of
paper.” Said Satoya, with a tone that sounded as if he had just realized
something. “I can understand that the beautiful, young mother of your
childhood friend can seem attractive. Honestly, even I have been attracted to
the mothers of other people for some reason. Even though I can’t see my
mother as anything other than an old lady… But I guess that despite all of
that, it’s nothing more than a weird childhood fantasy. Normally, you wake
up from your fantasy pretty much immediately.”
“…”
“But you’ve held onto that fantasy your entire life, until your 20s. After so
much time, I’m sure that your fantasy became true.”
Speaking in a way that made it difficult to know if he was impressed or just

teasing, Satoya stretched his hand toward my head.
“In any case, I’m happy that you’ve been able to convey your feeling to her.
Good job confessing. Well done. Let me praise you a bit.”
“Shut up… and please stop that.”
I took off his hand that was patting my head.
“But, well, somehow it sucks that you ended up confessing to her while
drunk.”
“Ugh… I-I guess I did…”
That’s what I regretted the most.
I managed to confess, but under those circumstances.

“…A-Ayako is also at fault here. She gave me some romantic guidance
speech thingy and then told me ‘If you have a girl you like, you have to tell
her your feelings’ …And so I decided to do so immediately.”
“Well, she most likely didn’t imagine that the one you were in love with was
her. Must have been a real shocker.”
“I guess so…”
Thinking about her behavior from last night and this morning, it was clear
that Ayako-san was still shaken from what had transpired.
For better or worse, she had no idea that I was in love with her.
“Somehow… I feel guilty now. Due to my confession, I’ve troubled her a

lot.”
“That’s what confessing means,” said Satoya, as if he was some sort of wise
man. “Getting the courage and confessing your feelings… People treat that as
a brave action, but in reality, you’re throwing a bomb to your relationship for
your own selfish reasons. I hope everything turns alright, if not, it will just
become a big problem. Not just for the person who confessed, but for the
other party as well. They will stress and suffer because they don’t want to
hurt the other party.”
His heartless words cast me down heavily.
But Satoya was right.
I dropped a huge bomb. A mortal weapon, decorated with beautiful words in

the form of a confession, that can destroy people’s relationships…
Our relationship will never be the same as before…
Even if she were to reject me and say ‘Let’s just return to how things were’
and smile at me like she always does… She will never see me again as just
her daughter’s childhood friend.
I’ve destroyed the relationship we’ve had for the last 10 years due to my own

selfish desires…
“Your future depends on Ayako-san’s answer.”
“You’re right…”
I still haven’t received an answer.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I was afraid of hearing it and

delayed it. Yesterday and this morning, I escaped without hearing an answer.
I calmly told her she didn’t have to answer me right now, but that wasn’t it, I
was just afraid of hearing her answer.
But I can’t run away forever.
I sighed deeply.
A sudden confession due to drinking… I’d be lying If I said I didn’t regret it,
but to a certain extent, I was ready for it.
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
I was almost at my limit actually.
I couldn’t keep living with this one-sided love… and with her not even look
at me as a man.
It was so hollow, frustrating, and regrettable that the woman I loved didn’t
even treat me as a man, but rather, as a kid…
I couldn’t concentrate at all on my work and chores that day.
I tried focusing on other things to take it out of my mind, but it never left.
Every time I remembered Takkun’s confession, my mind went blank and I
couldn’t think of anything.
How many years had it been since a man confessed to me?

When I was a student, I was confessed to several times… No.
I don’t think I’ve ever been confessed to seriously during my lifetime.
Due to the fact that Takkun had conveyed his feelings so seriously… My
head was completely lost and overwhelmed.
“Mom, I’m home. What’s for dinner— What the hell is this?!”
Miu, who had come back before I realized it, was surprised after seeing the
mess in the living room. Half folded clothes, vacuum cleaner in the floor and
my laptop next to a bunch of papers. Everything was a mess.
The room was a complete disaster.
Same as my heart right now…
“What the hell happened mom? What happened here?”
“Ah… Welcome back, Miu. Oh, this is bad… Is it this late already?”
I forced myself to get up from the sofa after a long time. I looked at the clock
and it was already past 5. I intended to take a small break, but it seems like I
was lost in my thoughts all alone for the last 3 hours.
“I’m sorry, I’ll clean this up in a second. And, uhm… Can we eat order take
out today? I haven’t made anything for dinner.”
“That’s fine, but… Is everything alright, mom? Are you feeling sick? You’ve
been acting weird since this morning.”
“I-I’m fine… I’m completely fine…” I answered and started to pick up the
half-folded clothes.
“…Did something happen with Taku-nii?” Miu asked, suspecting something.

I got startled and dropped all the clothes in my hands.
“Wha…? W-W-Why do you ask…?”

“You both have been acting strange since this morning… Did something
happen after I went to sleep last night?”
“N-N-N-Nothing! Nothing at all! Hahaha, you say such weird things…

Hahahaha!” I desperately tried to escape from her and went to grab a drink
from the fridge.
I was so nervous and shaky that my throat had dried up a lot.
“Don’t tell me…” said Miu.
With a very calm, but shocked voice, she said:
“Did Taku-nii confess to you?”
“—?! Ouch!”
Startled, I crashed.
I was so flustered that I forgot to stop, and my head crashed against the
fridge.
It was a very loud ‘bam’ sound.
“…! O-Ouch…!”
“So it was that.” Miu sighed while I was crouching and rubbing my forehead.
“Y-Y-Y-Y-You’re wrong! I didn’t get flustered because of that—”
“I see, I see. So he finally confessed to you.”
“—I hit my head to try a health tip… Eh?”
“Damn, he really took his time.”
“W-Wait a minute, Miu… “W-Wait just a minute. Uhm, eh? Listen…”
My head was a complete mess.

Wait a minute, why was Miu so nonchalant about it? Her reaction was
completely different from mine. Why aren’t you surprised? Takkun
confessed to me! He said he loved me!
This is a very serious issue, you know?!
Could it be that…
“…You already knew?”
“Yup, I knew… You’re talking about the fact that Taku-nii is in love with
you, right?”
“Y-Yes…”
E-Embarrassed!
I’m so embarrassed after hearing it again!
It’s even more embarrassing to hear it from my own daughter!
“I knew, or rather, I had noticed already. Taku-nii is really simple. Well,

you’re quite dense, so you likely didn’t notice, or rather, misunderstood. You
probably thought he was in love with me.”
“…!”
“Seriously… You’re too dense, or blind I should say.”
“B-But…” Under my daughter’s stare, I tried to make excuses “How was I

supposed to know that? There’s a 10 year difference between the two of us.
From Takkun’s point of view, I’m just an old woman… Just the old woman
who lives next door…”
Saying it myself was painful…
But it was true.
From a young man’s point of view, I was undoubtably a middle-age woman.

When I was 20, I thought that being 30 basically meant you were an old lady.
Because of that… I never imagined such a thing.
That a boy 10 years younger would fall in love with me.
“Well, from my point of view, you’re an old lady, but for Taku-nii that’s not
the case.” Miu’s words of encouragement didn’t exactly make me feel better.
“As long as there’s love, age doesn’t matter, right?”
“That’s…”
It was the exact same thing I told Takkun yesterday.
It’s as if the words I said in that moment came back to stab me.
“I was convinced that Takkun was in love with you.”
“I told you a lot of times, that was just your misunderstanding.”
“But he comes to pick you up every day…”
“Because he wants to see your face.”
“And he was helping you study so diligently…”
“Because you asked him to.”
“…When I was in bed with a heavy cold, he was the one who took care of me
all the time so you wouldn’t have to worry…”
“That too, no matter how you look at it, was for your sake.”
“…”
After pointing all of that so nonchalantly, I couldn’t say anything back.
Eh? Wait a minute.

Then… Everything I thought he had done because he loved Miu… was
actually because he loved me?
“…Because he is in love with me, he comes to pick you up every morning,

helped you study and took care of me when I was sick… Eh? Takkun loves
me that much?!”
“Yes, a whole lot.”
“Eh… Uhm… Ah… Uwaaaa…”
Crouching, I was left speechless. My face was incredibly hot. Why? I don’t
get it at all. Why is a twenty year old boy so in love with an old lady like me?
“So, what are you gonna do?” asked Miu, while I was dying from shame.
“…What should I do…?”
“Are you going to go out with Taku-nii or not?”
“E-Even if you ask me…”
“Let me tell you something, you don’t have to worry about me” said Miu
carefreely sitting down on a chair “I’m already 15 years old and I have no
plans to interfere with my mother’s personal life. Rather… I want to support
you.”

“S-Support me…?”
“Yes. I’d be happy if you married Taku-nii.”
“M-Marry…?! W-What are you saying?!”
My head could only think of his confession and couldn’t go beyond that
point.
Marriage.
Takkun and I getting married… Ah, no, no, stop thinking that!
“I really like Taku-nii.”
Even though I was panicking, Miu kept saying surprising things with a happy
tone.
“As a man, he isn’t my type, but as a person, I like and respect him a lot. And
if it’s him, I think I can actually call him ‘dad.’ Would be great to have such a
young dad.”
“S-Stop that already… Miu, stop making fun of adults.”
“I’m not making fun of you.” Lowering her gaze slightly, she sighed.
The frivolous atmosphere we had before disappeared, and the tone of her
voice became more serious.
“Me too… I also feel guilty. You’ve sacrificed your 20s for a ‘stranger’ like
me.”
I stopped breathing.
I felt a pain in my chest.
“It’s my fault that a woman as beautiful as you isn’t dating anyone, isn’t it?
You’ve sacrificed your life for me—”

“—Miu, what are you saying?!” I said strongly. I had to.
I had to dismiss what she just said.
“I’ve never considered you a ‘stranger.’ Besides… I don’t think I’ve

sacrificed my life for you. Rather… it’s the complete opposite. You’ve given
me so much…” There was some anxiety in my voice.
Slowly, my eyes started to get wet and tears were gathering.
“Hey, Miu… Do you remember? The day you called me mama for the first
time…? Yeah, that was after I picked you up—”
“—Ah, it’s okay, you don’t have to bring that up. Forget it.” Miu shook her
hand, irritated.
Her face was very cold, almost as if it were the complete opposite of mine
which was full of emotions.
“I don’t need to hear some sort of corny story.”
“What?!”
What did she mean by ‘some sort of corny story’?!
I was about to tell an amazing heart wrenching story! These precious

memories were supposed to provoke a storm of emotions and we’d end up
with a passionate mom-daughter hug!
“Mom, you’re always talking about it and you start to cry when you drink.
I’m tired of hearing it.”
“Ugh…”
“Well, to be fair, maybe my choice of words wasn’t the best. You didn’t
sacrifice yourself for me. But you were considerate with me, and so, you tried
not to delve into things like love, didn’t you?”
“W-Well…”

Well.
I guess that’s half true.
I’m not exactly a proactive person that would go out of their way to find love
or propose to a man, so I don’t know if I would have found a good man if
Miu had not been here… But it’s likely that her presence put some brakes on
me, who didn’t know anything about love.
“Mom, I really think of you as my real mother.” Said Miu.
It was a very simple, yet moving statement, and it conveyed her feelings to
me.
“And you think of me as your real daughter, Right?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Then you understand what I’m trying to say, don’t you? The same way you
want me to be happy, I also want you to be happy.”
“…”
I couldn’t say anything back.
How do I say it…? I felt as if I had lost this argument.
Her words had left me speechless.
“Y-You’ve really grown a lot, Miu…” I said, giving up.
My fifteen year old daughter had become a thoughtful woman. I had mixed
feelings as a mother. On one part, I was happy about her growing up, but on
the other, sad because of it at the same time.

♥
What would happen if someone were to confess to you saying “I love you,
please go out with me” and later said “You don’t have to give me an answer
right now.”
In that case, well, I think most people wouldn’t see each other for a while.
I feel it wouldn’t be right to be near that person until you give them an
answer… And above all, it would be awkward.
It’s sort of an etiquette standard for the confessed person to avoid the other
person as much as possible until they have a clear answer.
However…
In our world, nothing works the way we want it to. When the person that
confessed to you is someone you see on a daily basis, you have to continue
your daily life feeling awkward and tense.
This applies to me and Takkun.
After all… we’re neighbors.
And whatever answer I give to his confession, we’ll keep meeting each other
a lot more in the future.
That’s without saying that Takkun comes every day to pick up my daughter
and I asked him to tutor her myself.
And today…
Takkun will come to tutor Miu.
Ding-dong.

Around 5 pm… A little before the agreed time, the doorbell rang.
“Uh… Ah, I’ll be right there.”
I answered… from the shower.
When I was cleaning the bathroom, I made a mistake changing the shower
head, and ended up getting soaked. Since I was dirty, I decided to take a
shower.
“No way… He’s here already?”
I thought I would be done before he arrived… But, why did he come a little
earlier on a day like this?
A familiar voice came from the front door saying “Is someone home?”
It was Takkun’s.
“…Miu, Hey, Miu! I can’t go out right now, so can go open the door for me?
…Ah, that’s right… She went out…
A moment ago, she said “I’m going to the store” and left. Why am I so
unlucky?
I closed the shower and started thinking again.
W-What should I do…?
I shouldn’t make him wait too long, but… It’s embarrassing to come out with
just a towel on… Eh?
Now that I think about it.
I had a feeling of déjà vu, as if this had happened before.
About a year ago, I was taking a shower the moment Takkun came to the
house.

What did I do at that time?
About a year ago…
“Yes, just a moment. Welcome, Takkun.”
“Ah, hello— A-Ayako-san?! W-What are you wearing…?!”
“Sorry for coming out like this… I was taking a shower.”
“T-That’s no good… You only have a towel on you… Please dress up

properly.”
“Ufufu. My, Takkun, why are you so embarrassed? Could it be that… you
got excited?”
“…?! No, uhm…”
“I was just kidding. Fufu, obviously a youngster like you would have no
interest in the naked body of an old lady like me.”
“W-Well…”
“Uhm… Takkun, it would be embarrassing if the neighbors saw me like this,

so I’d appreciate it if you could close the door, please…”
“Ah! I-I’m so sorry!”
Yes.
That’s right!
A year ago, I wasn’t so nervous about it and acted like I always did.
In that case… Today I must act like I always do!
It’s the same situation as before, if I react a different way then… If I wear
clothes on purpose… I-It’s like showing that I’m being conscious of him!

As if I started to see him as a man after his confession!
So… I know what I must do.
Once I made up my mind, I took a towel.
“W-W-Welcome…”
“Ah, hello— …?!”
I opened the door and greeted him with a shaky voice. Takkun immediately
raised his voice in surprise.
“A-Ayako-san?! W-What are you wearing…?!”
He reacted the same way he did last time. He was blushing hard.
Yes, his reaction hadn’t changed at all.
The one that changed was mine…
“I-I-I-I’m sorry! I-I-I was taking a shower! T-That’s why I look like this…”
My nerves and embarrassment made my voice sound abnormally high. I tried

to act the same way as last year, but I guess I couldn’t.
Eh? Why? Why can’t I?
Why am I so… embarrassed?
Well, I only have a towel on me… Of course it would be embarrassing…

Because under the towel, I’m completely naked!
A year ago, I was a little embarrassed… But the embarrassment I felt right
now couldn’t be compared with last year’s. My entire body was hot, and my
head seemed to be about to burst in flames.
I couldn’t look directly at Takkun…

This is bad… Really bad…
It’s completely different from last year.
Now I’m the one that… is completely conscious of him as a man. Now that I
know how he sees me, I’m too embarrassed to stand in front of him like this.
Ahh.
Maybe it was a mistake after all… Yes, it doesn’t matter how he sees me, this
was a complete mistake.
What the hell am I doing…?
I look like a complete pervert… Eh? Now that I think about it again… That
time I wore panties when I opened the door, so I didn’t look like a bitch like
now.
Eh?
Could it be that this time I’m doing something extremely embarrassing for
my age…?
“…Y-You can’t do that, Ayako-san… Even if you were taking a shower, a

woman shouldn’t open the front door like that…”
While I was in shock for not even wearing panties, Takkun scolded me.
“What would’ve happened if instead of me, a strange man was behind the
door, and he attacked you?”
“T-That’s impossible… You worry too much, Takkun. A young girl like Miu
is one thing, but no one would throw themselves over an old lady like me…”
“That’s not true!” Takkun insisted, interrupting my self-deprecation.
He closed the door behind him and continued with a calm tone.
“Ayako-san… You’re not an old lady. You’re a very beautiful and attractive

woman. At the very least… there’s one man here that’s very excited and
wants to attack you.”
“Eh…? G-Geez, what are you saying now?”
“I-I’m sorry… But I can’t help it, you know? When the woman I love is
standing right in front of me looking like that.”
“That you love…? U-Uuuh…!”
Takkun stared straight into me with embarrassed, yet serious eyes. If you
look at me with those eyes… I won’t know what to do anymore. My head is
boiling so much from embarrassment that I’m about to go crazy.
“Uhm… I-In any case… I don’t think you should open the door like that
anymore.”
“I-I know… It’s not like I open the door like that to everyone. I knew it was
you, that’s why—”
“Eh?”
“…Ah, I-I didn’t mean it that way! It’s not like I had the intention of
appealing to you with a lewd appearance!”
“Y-Yeah! I know that!”
We were both nervous and embarrassed. We were blushing so much that it as

if the temperature in the doorway went up considerably.
Haah… What am I doing?
Due to my own pride and stubbornness, I opened the door without panties
and was scolded by a much younger man than me… As an adult, I was
extremely embarrassed.
And so, while I was self-deprecating.
“I’m home.”

To make things worse, Miu, who had gone to the store, had come back. She
had a plastic bag with ice cream on her hand.
“Eh? Taku-nii, you’re here already? —Mom?! What’s with that look?”
“U-Uhm, well… It’s not what you think… This is…”
“Mhm…”
I tried to find an excuse, but Miu smiled mischievously.
“I didn’t know you that had gone so far already.”
“Eh?”
“Then, I’ll go back to my room first. Take your time until the tutoring
session~. Although I wouldn’t mind if there were no lessons today~.”
“Eh, ah… W-Wait, Miu! I desperately screamed at her for help, but she
simply ignored me and hurriedly went up to her room on the second floor.
“W-What do I do…? That girl has a weird misunderstanding now.”
“…No, I think it’s the opposite. She understood the situation perfectly and
did that on purpose.”
“I-I see…”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Well, to be honest, I couldn’t really feel relieved at

all. My daughter saw me in this attire and teased me before running away…
I’ve failed as a mother.
“Ayako-san, did you perhaps… tell Miu?”
“I-I didn’t tell her anything… But somehow, she found out… As if she knew
from the start.”
“Ah… I see. Well, I’m like an open book after all.” said Takkun smiling.

Eh? Like an open book? Then… How blind am I if I can’t read you at all?
“Ahem… Ah, uhm… Takkun, listen.” I said, clearing my throat.
I tried to keep my tone and behavior as calm and collected as possible.
“Since you came so early… Could you give me a bit of your time before
Miu’s lessons?”
“Time?”
“I’d like to talk with you a little.” I said “Just the two of us, a serious
conversation.”
“…Looking like that?”
“A-After I dress up!” I replied and ran away. At that moment, I felt an
unnecessarily cold breeze under my feet. What the hell happened to being
calm and collected?
“Takkun, you prefer black coffee, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
After dressing up appropriately, I prepared a few drinks in the Dolce Gusto.
After that, I sat in front of him on the living room table.
Takkun looked a bit nervous.
No wonder though. The woman who he just confessed to the day before had
said she wanted to talk to him, and we were now sitting in front of each other
by ourselves.
His nervousness got me nervous too.
“Uhm… F-For starters, let me see if I understood everything then.” I made up

my mind and talked in this tense atmosphere “Takkun… Well, you… l-love
me, right?”

“…?! W-Why are you suddenly saying that…?” Takkun timidly covered his
mouth with his hand. It looked like he did that on reflex when he was
embarrassed. I learned something new today~. I’ve known him for 10 years,
but there are some things I still don’t know about him.
I had no idea.
I never realized it until now.
What face did he make when he confessed?
“…T-That’s right… I-I love you” he said, extremely embarrassed, but

looking straight at me in the eyes. And when he did, he shily covered his
mouth again. “Please, don’t make me say it again…”
“I-I’m sorry. And, uhm, w-well… J-Just one more thing.” I continued,
stammering. “What exactly… is it that you want to do?”
“W-What exactly…?
“I understand the fact that you love me… But I was wondering if you had
thought about what comes after.”
“Well…” Takkun hesitated for a moment, but then he looked at me seriously.

“I-I want to have a serious relationship with you. And of course… get
married in the future.”
“G-Get married?!”
He said it so unexpectedly and without hesitation that I couldn’t help but be

surprised.
“W-What are you saying now, Takkun…?”
“I’m sorry… You’re right, it’s not really convincing for a university student
like me to talk about marriage.”
“Ah, no, it’s not that… I wasn’t talking about that.”

I wasn’t really thinking of the belief that ‘you can’t talk about marriage when
you’re still living under your parent’s care.’
“Takkun, listen… I… am 10 years older than you.”
“I-I know.”
“Moreover… I have Miu. I’m a single mother with a child…”
“Yes, I also know that. That’s why, if you would allow me… I’d like to raise
Miu as my own daughter with you in the future. I’d like the three of us to be a
happy family.”
“…”
“That’s why I wanted to confess after getting a job…”
“…”
I was speechless.
The more I heard him, the more serious I realized he was. His confession
may have been on a whim, but he was more serious about his future with me
than I expected.
His seriousness and honesty made my heart beat faster.
I couldn’t help but feel loved as a woman.
…Aaahhh, geez, what’s this? What’s wrong with him? How can he say such
embarrassing things?! How can he love me so much?!
He’s always been thinking about a future with me… Hm?
Eh? Wait a minute…
Always?
“Hey, Takkun… I’ve been wondering about this for a while but… Since

when have you been in love with me?”
“Since when…? About 10 years ago.”
“W-Wait, 10 years ago you say?!” My eyes opened wide in surprise. “10
years ago… You were only 10 years old at the time!”
“Yes.”
“You’ve loved me since then?!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I was dumbstruck.
So, uhm… In other words… Takkun has been in loved with me for the last
10 years?!
That’s way too long!
10 years ago… Takkun was only ten!
That cute little boy… Has always seen me as a woman he’s interested in?!
“10 years… H-Huh…? What? 10 years ago was when we first met…”
It was 10 years ago when I started taking care of Miu and living in this house.
It was by then that I met Takkun.
“Uhm… Well, it was love at first sight.” With a shy look on his face, Takkun
said something extremely embarrassing. S-Stop it already… My heart can’t
take it anymore. I can’t handle this sweet atmosphere anymore.
“When I first saw you, I thought you were really beautiful… And when we
bathed together—”
“W-When we took a bath together?!” I inadvertently interrupted his story.

When we took a bath together… That’s right, I took a bath with Takkun
once. We got wet from the rain, so I was the one who suggested it.

And of course,
Since we were going to take a bath, we were both completely naked…
“W-Wait a moment Takkun… Don’t tell me… You saw me that that way
since then?!”
“T-That way?”
“That… I mean… That you saw me as a woman…”
“…?!” W-Well…” Takkun hesitated to answer. That reaction was clearer

than any answer he could have given me. My embarrassment blew up
instantly and my entire body started to heat up.
That has to be a lie…
I didn’t worry about it at the time.
And everything was exposed.
My breasts, my ass and…
“U-Uuuuhh… No… You’re so cruel, Takkun…”
“W-What…?! T-That wasn’t my fault! You were the one who entered
without prior notice! I tried to get out of the bathroom immediately, but you
didn’t let me and forcibly bathed me…”
“What?! P-Please stop! You make it sound like I wanted to do something

strange to you!”
“I never said that!”
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong… You were just a little boy to me at the
time… After all, your dick was little, and you were hairless down there.”
“…! P-Please don’t remember that, it’s embarrassing!”

“I-I’m more embarrassed than you are! You hadn’t grown up yet! On the
other hand, I… Was an adult already! I can’t believe you saw my
everything…”
Ah… Uh…
What did I do at that time?
I think I showed up naked in front of Takkun. I think I washed his body, then
I was going to the bathtub and went over him with my legs open. Uwaa… so
embarrassing…!
“P-Please don’t be so down…”
My embarrassment was close to becoming desperation, and Takkun tried to

cheer me up.
“D-Don’t worry. Although I did look, I was only a ten year old by at the
time… So I was almost always just looking at your breasts!”
“And how’s that supposed to make me feel better?!” I answered back

strongly.
I wanted to go lock myself in my room and cry, but I got myself together and
drank from a cup.
I drank the coffee, which was starting to become lukewarm, embarrassed.
And after drinking up the entire cup:
“Haah… Sorry for losing my cool there.” I said, trying to change the mood.
Calm down. Takkun is not guilty of anything. Everything is my fault for

treating him like a kid and forcing him to take a bath with me.
“Right now… I understand the situation. And I can also see that you’re
completelu serious about this.”
When I said that, relief showed up on his face instantly.

And I felt a stinging pain in my chest.
Suppressing that pain desperately, I added “But I can’t be with you.”
I said it loud and clear. I had to.
“Uhm…”
Takkun immediately tensed up and his eyes were filled with sadness. My
chest started to hurt again when I saw him like that… But I kept going.
I ignored my heart and wore a mask.
As a member of society and a mother, I wore the mask of an adult.
“I’m happy that you feel that way about me, Takkun. I’m also sorry that you
fell in love with someone like me, but… please understand. It would be
completely devoid of common sense for us to start dating.”
“…Common sense?” Takkun, who had his head down in a deep desperation,
suddenly got up. “What common sense?”
“Eh?”
“What do you mean it’s devoid of common sense?”
“Well… You know, common sense. You know what I mean.”
“I have no clue what you mean.”
Takkun leaned forward.
His eyes were shaking, but they showed an unbreakable spirit.
“That you dislike it, that you can’t imagine having a relationship with a
student… or that you’re already in love with someone else… That would be a
shame, but I can understand that. But… I can’t accept your reason being
common sense.”

“B-But… It’s impossible. The age gap between us is too large.”
“As long as there’s love, age doesn’t matter. You said that yourself.”
“I-I may have said that, but…”
Only because I thought you liked Miu!
I never thought things would end up like this!
“But if you look at it from a realistic point of view, it’s impossible.”
“First you talk about common sense… Now about being a realist?”
“A-Anyways, it’s impossible either way!” I said strongly and took a deep
breath. Calm down. Don’t get emotional. We have to settle things properly.
“…Takkun, it’s not that simple. Love and marriage are not just about the two
of us. There are things like jobs and other people’s opinions… And also, your
parents.”
“My parents?”
“Yes. I don’t think your parents would be happy if you got married with
someone like me, a 30 year old woman that already has a daughter.” I
continued. “As you know… Miu and I both owe a lot to your parents. When I
started living in this house, your parents did a lot for me. It was my first time
raising a child and I didn’t know what to do, yet they came to my rescue time
and time again…”
I had to ask the Aterazawa family to take care of Miu a lot of times when I
had to work weekends and couldn’t be absent. When she had a sudden fever
at her daycare and elementary school, I asked them to pick her up in my
stead.
From them, I learned everything I needed to enroll her into elementary and
middle school, about the neighbor’s association and the neighbor’s meeting,
and also where the cheapest supermarkets and nearest gyms were.

They helped me a lot.
I think I trusted them more than my own parents.
Without their help, I wouldn’t have been able to raise Miu.
“I… am extremely thankful to your parents, and have a debt to them that I
will never be able to pay back. That’s why… please understand. You’re the
precious son of the Aterazawa family to which I owe so much… And it’s
unlikely that your parents would be okay with a young man like you going
out with an old woman like me, who has a daughter. I can’t spit on their
generosity like that.”
“Yeah… that may be true.” Takkun nodded while thinking about something.
“I’d like to refuse the thought of not getting married for the sake of my
parents… But that’s the train of thought of a naïve kid. Marriage doesn’t
concern two people only. Besides, I… Really value my parents and don’t
want to disappoint them.”
“So, you do get it. Well, then—”
“But don’t worry! I knew you would worry about things like that—”
When I was about to breath a sigh of relief, Takkun clenched his fist and
said:
“That’s why I discussed this with my parents beforehand!”
“…”
Eh?

♠
I can’t tell when exactly, and I’m sure it’s doesn’t really matter anymore, but
I dare say… It was probably since that day.
The rainy season was nearing its end, but suddenly that day, it rained cats and
dogs.
It happened about ten years ago…
It had been a little over 3 months since Ayako-san had started taking care of
Miu and living in the house next door.
I was 10 years old at the time.
I was in elementary school. I was short compared to other boys my age. I was
short and skinny, and my face was like a girl’s. At the time, my classmates
made fun of me and I developed an inferiority complex due to it.
I called everything the most childish way possible.
Miu I called, Miu-chan.
And Ayako I called Ayako mama…
After classes, I went back home like usual.
But on my way home, it suddenly started to rain. I didn’t have an umbrella,

so I started running home…
“E-Eh? It’s not opening…”
Clack, clack.
Drenched, I tried opening the door to no avail.

It was locked.
“…Ah, that’s right… Mom said she was going out today.”
Yesterday she said she was going to meet up with her ex classmates in a
nearby traditional inn.
So, last night, she gave me the house keys and told me “Use this to open the
door tomorrow when you come back.” …And I forgot them in my desk.
Thinking I had taken the keys with me, my mom locked the door and headed
out.
“W-What do I do…” Uuh… S-So cold…”
My wet clothes stuck to my skin. It felt unpleasant. Even my underwear was

soaked. And my body was getting colder and colder.
I went around the house to see if there was an unlocked door, but no luck.
Every door was perfectly locked. This way, neither burglars nor I could enter
the house.
Standing in the front door, I didn’t know what to do.
Both my mom and dad wouldn’t return until a few hours from now.
The rain kept pouring hard and I couldn’t go anywhere without an umbrella.
I couldn’t do anything except shiver from the cold in front of the door. That’s
when suddenly…
“…Eh? Takkun?” A voiced called out to me. I raised my head and saw a
woman that was about to enter the house next door, running towards me.
It was Ayako mama.
Miu’s mother little sister… Due to several circumstances, she was now Miu-
chan’s mom.

She was holding a vinyl umbrella that you could buy from any store. It
looked like she had bought it after it started raining, since her clothes and hair
were wet.
“W-What happened, Takkun? You’re all drenched up…”
Ayako mama took out a handkerchief from her purse and wiped my face and
hair. When her face got close to mine, my heart started to beat faster.
I liked Ayako mama.
I myself didn’t really understand why I liked her, but I did nevertheless.
She was beautiful, elegant, the complete opposite from my own mother. She
always smiled and was kind to me. I really liked Ayako mama.
“Are you locked out? Where’s your mother?”
“Mom… Won’t return until the evening. She gave me the keys, but I forgot
them at home.”
“I see… Very well, then come to my house.”
“Eh?”
“If you stay there, you’ll catch a cold. You can wait inside my house until
your mother gets back.”
Ayako mama took my hand a bit strong and took me to her house under the
umbrella.
“Now now, don’t just stand there, come in.”
“P-Pardon the intrusion…”
Although she did tell me to come in, I felt a bit nervous.
It was the first time I had gone into the house next door.

When I entered and the door closed, the sound of the rain seemed to
magically disappear. Ayako mama urged me to go to the dressing room.
“I’ll go prepare the bath, so just wait a bit.”
“Eh… I-It’s alright, you don’t need to.”
“No, you’ll catch a cold like that.”
“But…”
“Come on, don’t be shy. Take your clothes off, hurry.”
“Ah… O-Okay. But it’s alright, I can do it myself…”
Ayako mama tried to help me take my clothes off, but I shook her off
immediately. It was a bit embarrassing for a ten year old to have someone
else help them take their clothes off.
“You can? Then give me your backpack, I’ll clean it off.”
“O-Okay…”
I gave her my backpack and Ayako mama wiped it with a towel.
I started undressing, however, my wet clothes stuck to my skin, making it

difficult to take off. And on top of that, I was strangely nervous with Ayako
mama nearby, so my hands barely moved.
“Uh… Ugh… E-Eh…?”
“Fufu. Geez, what are you doing, Takkun? Come on, raise your arms.”
“Ah…”
Ayako mama couldn’t bear it anymore and ended up helping me. She took
off my shirt easily and then the upper part of my body was completely naked.
And with fluid movements, likely from doing it a lot of times with Miu-chan,

she lowered my pants skillfully.
And my briefs along too.
“U-Uwaaaah?!”
I immediately hid my crotch with my hands. D-Did she see?! Did Ayako
mama see it?! I was so surprised and embarrassed that my head went blank,
but she remained calm.
Calmly, as if nothing had happened, she separated my pants and briefs that
were stuck together.
“Ah, even your underwear is wet. I’ll wash them then—”
“I-It’s not what it looks like.”
“Hm?”
“I really want to use adult boxers, not childish briefs! But no matter how
many times I ask my mom, she never buys them for me…”
“Heh, I see.”
I desperately made up an excuse to protect my unbending fourt hgrader pride,

but it looked like my spirit didn’t get to her.
She smiled, but she didn’t really seem to care.
Uh… This is important.
Briefs and boxers are really important.
Boxers are cool guys’ underwear, you know?
Although I wasn’t happy with this, Ayako mama told me “I’m going to dry
this up” and went out of the dressing room with my backpack.
I was left completely alone on my birthday suit in the dressing room.

“…I wonder if Ayako mama sees me as just a kindergarten kid.” I lowly
muttered to myself in the bathroom, sounding almost like a sigh. The water
wasn’t hot yet, so I was washing myself up with the shower.
My head… Was full of Ayako mama.
She invited me to her home and even prepared a bath for me. I was amazed at
how kind she was… Although I also felt a bit sad and empty since she didn’t
see me as a man.
Hmm.
Even though I was only ten years old.
I’m already at the age where I’m interested in boobs and those things.
And when the girl I yearn for treats me like a kid… or rather, a kindergarten
kid, I feel ashamed and pathetic.
It’s probably because… I’m short and skinny.
While I was busy thinking, I heard a beep and a mechanic voice said “Bath is
ready.”
And immediately after…
“It looks like the bath really is ready.”
I heard the door open.
I turned around on reflex… And I almost died from shock.
I thought my soul was going to leave my body.
Naked.
Completely naked.
Ayako mama entered the bathroom with nothing on.

“Oh, Takkun, were you washing your hair? What a nice boy.”
While I was in shock, Ayako mama approached me with her usual smile. And
with every step she took… Her enormous boobs shook.
Amazing.
They were big enough already under her clothes… But they’re actually
bigger than I expected.
I almost passed out when I saw a woman, who wasn’t my mother, naked for
the first time in my life.
“Wha… What are you doing?!” I managed to squeeze out those words.
“Hm? Well, I was thinking of taking a bath with you.”
“W-Why…?!”
“Because I’m also wet.”
“Y-Y-Y-You can’t do that…”
“Why not? Do you not want to take a bath with me?”
“I-It’s not that I don’t want to…”
“Ufufu, it’s settled then.”
I was left speechless before her smile.
Ah, it’s no use… After all, Ayako mama really considers me a kid. She sees
taking a bath with me as taking a bath with Miu-chan and only thinks of it as
me being shy.
She has no idea how sexually active a ten year old boy can be.
She had her guard down completely.

She didn’t have a towel on nor even tried to cover herself with her hands.
Due to that, her breasts and thighs were completely visible. Big and firm
boobs, a tight waist and also… between her legs…
“…?! I-I’m going out.”
With my heart full of shame and guilt, I got up instantly and tried to escape
from the bathroom.
However…
“Ahn…”
Soft.
Ayako mama got in my way and stopped me.
As I was looking downwards, I wasn’t looking where I was going, so I ended

up dashing straight into her.
And my entire body was enveloped in something soft…

“W-W-Wha…”
“Stay still, Takkun. It’s dangerous to run inside the bathroom.”
“Uuh…”
“I understand that kids your age don’t like to take baths, but if you don’t,
you’ll get a cold. Look, you still haven’t finished washing your hair. Take a
seat, I’ll wash you up.”
“…Y-Yesh.”
Enveloped in softness, I lost the strength to fight back and I had no other
choice but to obey Ayako mama. She finished washing my head and then
washed every corner of my body.
Her hands touched all my body and I could see her naked body reflected in
the mirror in front of me.
Uuh… I can’t take it anymore. If I relax, my nose will bleed out… Okay,
calm down. In times like these, it’s better to keep your mind busy. Uhm, what
can I think about now? If I remember correctly, my friends were talking
about that big new game… Big…?! Boobs?! No, no, stop that, stop thinking
about that…! (TLN: Since the conversation makes no sense in English, I tried
my best to make something up.)
While I was tormenting myself, she ended up washing my body.
And under Ayako mama’s orders, we entered the bathtub together.
“Ah, it feels so nice~.”
“…”
“How’s the water, Takkun? Is it too hot?”
“N-No, it’s good.”

“Geez… Why are you holed up in the corner? Come here and stretch your
legs.”
“N-No, I’m fine here.”
“You’re being so modest, Takkun.” She smiled at me. No, I’m being not
modest.
“Ufufu… Hiya.”
Right after I heard a mischievous laugh… I was hugged.
While I was sitting in a corner, Ayako mama hugged me from behind.
“Caught you~.”
“E-Eh…”
“See? It feels way better to stretch your legs this way, don’t you think? You
don’t have to hold back, you know?”
No, I wasn’t trying to hold back!
My shoulders were pulled back and I was hugged by her from behind.
Certainly, it felt good to stretch my legs… But my body was touching her
here and there, and it felt good in a different way from what she was thinking.
I mean, I could definitely feel her breasts pressing against my back!
“Ufufu, Takkun. You’re so small and cute. You fit perfectly in my arms.”
She said happily… With those words, my embarrassed head cooled off
instantly.
“…I don’t like being called cute.”
“Eh?”
“At school, they make fun of me a lot. They say I look like a girl, that I
should start wearing skirts… All because I’m short and skinny.”

“Takkun… I’m sorry, I said it without thinking.” She apologized with a
really apologetic look. “But I don’t think you should worry too much about it.
Everyone grows up at a different rate, and besides, boys grow up later than
girls. Don’t worry, soon you’ll be taller.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes, really. If you eat a lot and do exercise, you’ll grow up healthily.
Takkun, do you do any sports?”
“No… I used to play soccer and softball, but I wasn’t very good at them, so I
ended up dropping them very soon.”
I’ve never been good with ball games. I’m not very good at handling balls,
and above all, I don’t fit in team games either. When I think I’ll cause
problems to my teammates if I make a mistake, I get nervous and always
make mistakes.
“I see. Then… Why don’t you try swimming?”
“Swimming?”
“Yes. I recently learned that kids who swim tend to be smart. They say that
many people who passed the entrance exams to the best universities have
been swimming since their childhood. That’s why I was thinking of making
Miu take swimming lessons soon.”
“Swimming…”
“Besides, men who swim… Are so cool. They have a good inversed triangle
body type.”
“C-Cool…”
They were simple words, but what Ayako mama said made my heart beat
faster.
“Perhaps I should try it.”

“Really? Then, if you commit to it, I’ll also send Miu to the same swimming
classes. Ah, but I also want her to learn a lot of other things, like speaking
English and dancing. What should I do?”
“Ayako mama, you think a lot about Miu-chan.”
“Well, yes. That’s because I’m her mother.”
Mother. Yes, her mother.
Ayako mama became Miu’chan’s mother.
She isn’t her real mother… But on the day of the funeral, she became Miu-
chan’s mother.
“…Ayako mama, you’re so cool.” My heartbeat accelerated and the words

slipped out of my mouth. “I admire you.”
“Admire? Me?”
“Yes! When her mama and papa had an accident… Miu-chan was alone and
you saved her, didn’t you? And during the funeral, unlike the other adults,
you were the only one who was thinking about Miu-chan.”
“…”
“You were so cool and dazzling. You were like a true heroine.”
“…I wish I could be a heroine” She said.
I heard a distressed voice. I turned around involuntarily.
“I really wish I could be like a heroine… Strong, confident, cool, do things

perfectly…”
“Ayako mama…”
When I turned around, I was shocked.

Tears.
Tears flowed from Ayako mama’s eyes. They went down her cheeks and fell
down the bathtub.
“W-What’s wrong…?”
“Ah, uhm, the truth is… Today… A lot of things happened” She said, wiping
off her tears. There was a smile on her face, but it was a sad and forced smile.
“I messed up at work.”
“Messed up…?”
“The job I was in charge of… was taken by someone else. It was the first
project I had come up with and now I’m no longer a part of it.”
She spoke in a way that made it easy for me to understand.
“I’m new in the company, but our boss lets the new employees do their own
projects if they’re interesting. And… many approved of the project I had
come up with, so we were starting to do it, but…”
Her voice was gradually lowering, but on the other hand, her emotions were
rising up.
“I can’t balance work and taking care of Miu at the same time.”
“…”
“I can’t work extra hours because I have to pick up her from daycare, and if
Miu gets a fever, I have to pick her up even in the middle of work… It’s hard
to work in a new project under those conditions. A lot of people told me I
should spend my time with my daughter to the fullest, although I’m not sure
if they were being sarcastic or just kind to me… The president tried to do
everything possible to leave me in charge until the end… But I couldn’t be
selfish, so in the end, I asked for someone else to be in charge.”
She had no choice but to give the project she had come up with to someone

else. As a 10 year old boy, I had no idea how painful and frustrating that was.
But when I looked at her face, I realized how tough it was.
“I don’t really care about the project. I decided to abandon it myself. It’s just
that…” Her weak voice was trembling.
And her big eyes spilled tears again.

“…When I was to the neck with work, the daycare called me and said ‘Miu-
chan has a fever, please come pick her up.’ …And I started to ponder. For
just a brief moment, I thought ‘I guess it’s impossible for me to be a mother. I
should let someone else do it’.”
“Ayako-mama…”
“That’s not good, I know. It’s terrible. I definitely don’t fit the role of a
mother if that thought came to me, even if it was for just a moment. Even
though I made the choice myself and was ready for it… Even though I am
Miu’s mom, she has no one else besides me… I’m so pathetic… I’m
ashamed of myself…”
“…”
It couldn’t be helped, I thought. I don’t think it’s weird to think about it for a
moment when you’re already full with work. I’m sure that everyone has
regretted a thought they’ve had.
But… It looks like Ayako mama couldn’t forgive herself.
Even though she wasn’t her blood mother, she still tried to be one for her, but
due to her kindness and pride, she couldn’t forgive her own immaturity.
And now… She was crying.
It was a complete shock.
It was the first time I saw an adult cry.
In that moment, Ayako mama, who couldn’t keep her tears of agony, looked
like a fragile girl to me.
That young woman 10 years older than me now looked like a stubborn and
obstinate younger girl than me.
“…Ha… hahaha. I’m sorry for making you listen to my complaints. Even if I
tell you all of this, you wouldn’t understand.” She wiped her tears and smiled

to pretend everything was okay. “I have to stand firm. I need to do better as a
mother and as a member of society. After all, I have to raise Miu by myself.”
“…You’re not alone.” I said.
When I came to, the words had already escaped from my mouth.
Pushed by the feelings heating up deep inside my chest.
“Ayako mama, you have me.”
“Takkun.”
“I-I may not seem like a dependable person, but I’ll do everything I can to
help you! Not just me, mama and papa also like you and Miu-chan very
much! Whenever you’re in trouble, we’ll help you!” I said. “If something bad
or painful happens, I’ll protect you, Ayako mama. That’s why… That’s why,
Ayako mama… Don’t cry anymore.” I yelled desperately, and she put her
hand over my head.
“Thanks, Takkun.”
She smiled at me and patted my head. She narrowed her wet eyes and gave
me a genuinely happy smile.
Her smile was so beautiful that I wanted to hug her in the spot and my heart
started beating strongly.
I’m sure that ever since that day.
In that moment, I fell in love.
With the woman next door who I worshipped… With the coolest woman in
the world who had taken care of her deceased sister’s daughter.
For a ten year old boy, she was a heroine, a woman who deliberately had a
holy aura as a goddess and a saint… That’s why I was so surprised when I
saw the tears that day.

And then I got ashamed from my own misunderstanding.
Ayako mama wasn’t a flawless heroine.
She wasn’t a saint, or a goddess.
She was just kind, noble and tenacious. No matter how cool she was, she was
still a fragile woman.
That’s why… I wanted to protect her.
Of course, what could a ten year old brat do…? But even then, I couldn’t stop
thinking about her. I had an irrational urge to protect her.
I wanted to become a man that could protect Ayako-san.
And even after 10 years, this feeling had not withered one bit.
It was the opposite; it had grown stronger each day.
“Ah, good morning, Ayako-san.”
“Good morning, Tomomi-san.”
The next morning, near the trash containers, I found Takkun’s mother,
Tomomi Aterazawa-san.
“I was told you celebrated my son’s birthday party the other day. Thank you
very much for that.”
“Oh, please, I didn’t do anything special. Besides, Takumi-kun is always

helping us out.”
“How’s Miu-chan doing in high school? Did she get used to it already?”
“I’m not sure. Well, it looks like she’s having fun, but whenever I ask her
about this and that, she just pouts at me.”

“Ah, she’s in a difficult time in her life.”
After greeting each other, we started to talk about everyday topics. Looking
from afar, it looked like the usual gossiping between neighbors. We talked
about recent events and some gossips, nothing important.
But today, finding a chance while we were chatting.
“A-Ah… By the way, Tomomi-san,” I said “About Takumi-kun…”
“Hm? Something wrong with Takumi?”
“Uhm, well… How do I say this, he’s already at that age, isn’t he?”
“At that age?”
“No, well… As a man… He’s at that age where he’s interested in going out
with women.”
“…”
“T-Tomomi-san, as his mother, I was wondering what kind of person you’d

like Takumi-kun to go out with.”
“…Ayako-san, don’t tell me… Takumi said something to you?”
I tried my best to pretend, but I guess it didn’t seem natural at all. Tomomi-
san looked at me suspiciously at first, but suddenly it looked like she had
understood something.
“W-What do you mean by ‘something’?”
“Well, that… he has feelings for you.”
“…?! W-Well… Uhm, that… Yes.”
Feeling I didn’t have to pretend anymore, I nodded weakly.
“The night of the party… he confessed to me.”

“…I see.”
“O-Of course, I rejected him properly! I’m not going to go out with him, so
you have nothing to worry about!”
“…”
“U-Uhm, well, it’s not that I’m dissatisfied with Takumi-kun or that I dislike
him, but thinking about it logically, our relationship would be pretty
complicated, so…”
“…”
I desperately tried to make up excuses, but Tomomi-san didn’t react.
Without saying anything, she closed her eyes and looked at the sky. She had
a determined and resigned look on her face, as if I could hear her heart
saying: “So the day has finally arrived.”
After a few seconds of silence:
“Ayako-san.” said Tomomi-san.
With a determined look, as if she had taken it all in.
“Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea?”
The Aterazawa family lives in a 2-floor house like ours.
More than a decade ago, this area was sold as a residential lot and many
houses were built due to a building campaign held by an important house
builder.
In other words, my sister’s family and the Aterazawa family’s houses were
built almost simultaneously and they started to live here almost at the same
time.
Perhaps they had a good relationship because of that.

Before her death, my sister used to say “I’m happy that our neighbors are
such good people” and ever since I started living here, the Aterazawa family
has treated me very well.
“I think it was about 10 years ago.”
In the Aterazawa family’s living room… After drinking a sip of tea made
from a kettle, Tomomi-san started speaking with a distant gaze. I was still too
nervous to touch my tea.
“Takumi forgot the house key and couldn’t enter the house, and you took
care of him until late in your house, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“That day, when he returned home, he told my husband and I ‘When I grow
up, I’ll marry Ayako mama’.”
“…”
I didn’t know what face to make.
That day… was when we took a bath together, like Takkun said.
“At the start, my husband and I both took it as a joke. Well, not a joke, but
rather, just a simple kid’s fantasy. It seemed he had a lot of fun with you,
what were you two doing?”
“U-Uhm… Nothing special…”
I-I can’t tell her.
I definitely can’t tell her “We took a bath together~” with this atmosphere!
“We thought it was just some kid’s nonsense and didn’t think much of it…
But Takumi started to change that day.”
“…”

“He started to study more diligently and also told me he wanted to learn how
to swim, which had not interested him when I suggested it to him before. He
started to work so hard in his studies as well as sports, and he also stopped
being fussy about food. He said: ‘I’ll become a cool man worthy of Ayako
mama’.”
“…”
“Regardless of what his motivation was, the fact of the matter was that our
son was motivated and working hard, so we didn’t want to interfere. And we
also thought that he would fall in love with someone in school anyways.”
However, Tomomi-san continued.
With a complicated expression, she said:
“After 10 years… Takumi still says he loves you.”
“…”
“Even after starting high school or university, that hasn’t changed one bit…”
“…”
What is this really?
I felt a need to kneel and apologize immediately.
“My husband and I started to worry… Ah, of course, we don’t mean to

offend. It’s just that, you know… I can’t help but worry about the age gap
and Miu-chan.”
“Well… Yes.”
It’s understandable.
If I was in her place, I’d also worry and oppose it.
If my son told me he wanted to marry a single mother who is 10 years older.

“We’ve had a lot of family meetings, but Takumi’s feelings haven’t changed
at all. No matter how many times we explain it to him, he doesn’t listen. That
boy really only seems to have eyes for you.”
Then she stopped and breathed out a sigh.
“I see… So that boy finally confessed.”
Her expression was fragile and melancholic, with deep emotions that couldn’t
be described with words. An expression that reflected the feelings of a
mother that has raised her son for 20 years…
“Of course, as a mother… I wish for my son to be happy. I don’t want him to
deliberately take the hard road. I want him to have a normal family… That’s
what I want for him.”
“…I understand. As a mother, I also think the same. That’s why you don’t
have to worry. Takumi—kun and I—”
“But at the end of the day, this is just a mother’s selfishness.”
“—Aren’t going to date… Wait what?”
I unconsciously raised my head and looked at her.
Tomomi-san smiled softly, as if she had understood something.
“It doesn’t depend on us, the parents, to choose what makes our children
happy. Rather, we should be rejoicing. Our son has found his own path.”
“…Uhm…”
“If this was just a recent thing, then I wouldn’t allow it… But that boy has
been working hard for the last 10 years. He worked so hard in his studies, as
well as sports, and managed to get into the high school and university he
wanted to go to.”
“…Uhm…”

“My husband and I have been observing his efforts throughout all this
time…”
“…Uhm…”
“W-What do I do?
Tomomi-san is in her little own world by herself. She’s monologuing! She

isn’t listening to me at all!
“So I discussed it with my husband and we made a decision. That we would

accept Takumi and Ayako-san’s relationships.”
“What?!”
You’ll accept it?!
Our relationship?!
What about my opinion?!
“And on his 20th birthday, I told him that he could do whatever he wanted.
That, as his mother, I won’t support him, but I won’t interfere either. I would
only respect his choice.”
You did what?!
That’s what happened before our party?!
While I was immersed in my own thoughts, Tomomi-san looked at me as if

she had remembered something.
“Ah, of course. The most important thing is your own feelings. If you don’t
want to, that’s fine. You just don’t have to worry about us.”
“…”
“But.” she said.

With a face that looked like she was holding back tears and a voice full of
uncontrollable emotions.
“If… If your feelings for Takumi are mutual… Then…” Tomomi-san

straightened up and prostrated deeply. “Please, take care of my son.”
“…”
I didn’t know what else to say.
It didn’t matter what I said, it didn’t matter how much I opposed, it wouldn’t
change anything.
So, without saying yes or no, I simply gave a vague smile, trying to escape
from this situation.
“I’m home… Uwaa! Mom, you look like a corpse again.”
Afternoon…
Miu, who returned from school, was surprised seeing me laying down in the
sofa as a corpse. Of course, the living room wasn’t a mess like the other day,
but as a mother, I had a miserable appearance.
“You’re still worried about Taku-nii?”
“Hm… Well, yes…”
“You should just start dating him already.”
“What are you saying now…” Sighing, I got up from the sofa. “Today… I
spoke with Tomomi-san.”
“Taku-nii’s mom? Don’t tell me… About his love confession?!”
“Yes, something like that.”
“No way! Wow! What happened then?! Are they against it?! Did she hit
you?! Did she say ‘You have no right to call me mother in law’?!”

“…She said ‘Please take care of my son’.” I said, holding my head, and for
some reason, Miu looked disappointed.
“What the hell? So there was no fight?”
“Why were you expecting a fight…?”
“But that’s great. His parents approved of it. The parents of any other man
would oppose it if his son’s couple was a woman full of wrinkles like you.”
Said Miu carefreely. She called me a “woman full of wrinkles” but, does she
understand the meaning of what she just said?
“His parents gave their official consent. Good for you mom. Now you can go
out with Taku-nii without any inconveniencies.” She said triumphantly.
Ahh, what the hell is up with this situation?
My daughter fully supports me and Takkun’s parents approved it too.
How do I say it… There are no roadblocks anymore!
And everyone is pressing me to do it!
With all this pression and the road cleared, I won’t have any other choice but
to date him…
“…I can’t do that” I said.
As if trying to convince myself.
“Dating and getting married is not something that easy.”
“Says someone who’s never gotten married.”
“S-Shut up…” I replied weakly to her piercing comment and got up from the
sofa. “I’ve heard enough. I won’t rely on anyone anymore. I’ll take care of it
myself.” I clenched my fists hard. “…Perhaps Takkun is misunderstanding
something. Perhaps his interest in an older woman is just the fruit of a
passing dream, or he’s simply clinging onto his first childhood love.”

Otherwise, there’s no explanation.
Because I… am nothing special in order to be loved like that for 10 years.
I’m just an old lady past her 30s.
Even if we start going out… I’ll only disappoint him.
And if I’m going to disappoint him anyways, it’s better to do it as early as

possible.
The shallower the wound, the better.
“If Takkun is living in a dream, then I shall wake him up. I have to show
him… the sad reality of a woman like me.” I said. “I’ll call it ‘The great
strategy to show Takkun the reality of a thirty year old woman and make me
hate me’!”
“…That’s a very pathetic name.” Said Miu coldly. And then, to top it off, she
added “Calling it ‘The great strategy’ is pretty antiquated and very typical for
an old woman to say.” which made my heart shatter to pieces.

♥
The first strategy.
“The fussy thirty year old drunk strategy.”
This… Will be difficult.
It’s embarrassing when a woman of high age drinks until she drops. But I’m
pretty sure that even a 100 year old love will immediately break the moment
they see a deplorable drunk.
That’s why.
The day Takkun came to give lessons to Miu, I carried out my plan.
While they were studying on the second floor… I started drinking.
I still had half of the expensive wine from the other day… And I drank it
directly from the bottle.
I drank, drank and drank.
Without even enjoying the taste of it. Not even its mellowness nor the
characteristic fruity aroma from a fine wine. I drank the rest of the bottle in
the worst way possible.
When Takkun came down from the second floor, the bottle was already
empty…
And I was completely drunk.
“Excuse me, Ayako-san, Miu wants something to drink… Eh?!”
After coming down to get something to drink, Takkun opened the living
room’s door and yelled in surprise.

Probably because he found me slumped over the table.
“Ah~… T-Takkun…?”
I desperately tried to get up from the table, but I had no strength to do it.
My body was staggering, and everything was spinning for me.
Ah…
I guess I’m completely drunk.
Or rather… I felt awful. I had drunk too much alcohol at a rhythm that I had
never drunk before, so my stomach was mess.
“A-Are you okay?”
“I-I’m cmpleteeelyy okaayyyy. J-Just a littleee biiit tipsyyy.”
“The remaining wine from the other day… Did you drink all of it alone?”
“Yup, I drank it all and got drunk.”
I felt awful, but I managed to make my dazed head work and act like a drunk.
I played the role of a raging alcoholic.
“You see… I’ve been hiding it until now, but actually, I drink very often on
my own. I like to drink until I pass out…”
“Eh? But… Ayako-san, you don’t drink a lot, do you?”
“I do drink! I do drink! I’ve been hiding it until now, but I actually drink a
ton! I love going to bars! I love to down a jug of vodka in one gulp!”
“I think they serve vodkas in shots, not jugs.”
“But I’m more into tequila with lemon!”

“Isn’t it tequila with lime…?”
“And I also love that popular hairball!”
“You mean highball, I think…” (TLN:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highball)
Damn it!
I wanted to be an alcoholic, but I actually didn’t know much about alcohol!
“A-A-A-Anyways, I like to drink! Ever since I started working, I’ve been

coping with work stress with alcohol. I go drink here and there on the way
home, and sometimes I don’t even return until morning—”
“What are you talking about?” I kept rambling without stop until Takkun
smiled ironically and said “You yourself said you hadn’t drank much until
recently.”
“Eh…?”
“You said you had rejected every drinking party from your company because
Miu was still too young.”
“Well…”
“Even when you had dinner in our house… My dad offered you a cup, but
you firmly denied. You said ‘What if something happens to Miu in the
middle of the night, it would be a problem if I can’t drive.”
“…”
Certainly… I had rejected drinking alcohol for a long time.
Because if Miu got sick or hurt at night, I couldn’t drive the car.
In an urban city like the one we live in, cars are an absolute necessity. In our
family of two, if I couldn’t drive, it would be really bad in the case of an
emergency.

That’s why I tried not to drink as much as possible.
It was right after Miu’s high school entrance exam that I lifted the alcohol
prohibition.
“S-So you remember that…”
“I do.” said Takkun. “Because I’ve been observing you for a long time.”
“…”
My heated face from the wine became even hotter.
“W-Well… I didn’t use to drink, but, uhm, that’s why—Aagh.”
I couldn’t look at his face and tried to get up from the chair to run away, but I
got dizzy and lost my balance. It seems I was too drunk.
“A-Are you alright?!”
Immediately, Takkun held me by the shoulders so that I wouldn’t fall.
“It seems you’re pretty drunk. You can’t even speak properly…”
I had been acting like a drunk, so he seemed to conclude that my incoherent

words and actions were due to my drunkenness.
I felt relieved, but complicated at the same time…
“I understand you wanted to drink that entire expensive wine by yourself, but
you should drink moderately.”
“…Y-Yes…”
I was scolded by a twenty year old boy. Uuh… It’s not like that! Who does
he think is responsible for what’s happening?!
“For now, let me carry you to your room.”

“Eh…? I-I’m alright! I can walk on my own…”
I put up a strong front and shook my hands, but my legs were shaking, so
Takkun ended up supporting me again.
“E-Eh…? Ah… W-Well, maybe I can’t… No, I-I can manage on my own.”
“…Excuse me.” he muttered with a determined voice and… he lifted me up.
Takkun lifted me up in his arms.
He was holding me on the shoulders with one hand and the other was behind
my knees.
He was doing a princess carry…
“E-Eeehhhhh?! W-What are you doing, Takkun?!”
“I’m sorry… It’s dangerous to leave you by yourself.”
“But…”
I’m so embarrassed!
I can’t believe I’m being princess carried at my age!

“…Am I not heavy?”
“Not at all, you’re very light.”
Having said that, he really lifted me up easily.
“I’ll take you to your room then.”
“…Yes.”
With nothing more to say, I nodded.
I was supposed to show him how bad I was after getting drunk… But for
some reason, it was me who ended up seeing how kind and reliable he could
be.
The fussy thirty year old drunk strategy—Failed.
The second strategy.
The thirty year old money waster strategy.
This… will be difficult.
A woman that wastes money in brand products and only likes to go to

expensive restaurants isn’t probably the type of woman that a man would
like.
In fact, even I find a woman like that annoying.
Well, if it’s a professional woman like Oinomori-san, who created her own
company and makes a lot of money, she’s free to spend her money however
she wants. But if a regular worker like me starts spending money left and
right, it will be seen by others as a shameful act.
Takkun will definitely be disappointed if he finds out I’m an egotistical

spender.

That’s why.
In order to pretend that I’m a wasteful woman, I was going to pick and buy
brand products that I didn’t care about online… Or that was supposed to be
the case.
I was in the middle of having an internal conflict with myself.
“Uuhh… Aahh…” I moaned in the living room’s sofa.
I had my phone on my hands.
The screen showed the website of a store, and with a tap of the screen, the
sale would be confirmed… But an hour and a half had passed by without
being able to touch it.
“Eeehh… Uwaaa… “T-This costs twenty thousand…? For such a small

bag… T-Twenty thousand…?”
To summarize what was happening, I thought of buying a purse from a

famous brand that everyone knows, but when I saw the price, my eyes almost
fell out.
It was very expensive.
Even the cheapest purse was too expensive.
What the hell was this?
Twenty thousand yen for a purse?
Of course, it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it with my budget… But we

weren’t so rich.
Miu had just entered high school and we’ll have to spend much more money
later on. I’d like for her to go to university, and if possible, without the need
of a scholarship. That’s why, I wanted to start saving up right now…
So… Could I afford the luxury of wasting money right now?

“Uuhh… Aaahh… It’s not worth it…”
After agonizing for so long, I tapped the screen to cancel the sale.
The thirty year old money waster strategy—Voluntarily aborted.
The third strategy.
…The great strategy I didn’t want to use.
This strategy… was my last resort.
But due to my constant failures… I had no choice but to do this.
For me… this was a strategy that required the will to risk my life.
The two previous plans… The drunk, and the spender, in a certain way, had
been overly acted.
However… This time was different.
With this third strategy of mine, I’ll reveal everything about me.
I’ll show him who I really am without hiding anything.
In exchange, what I’ll lose is immeasurable.
But even then… I had no choice but to do it.
I must show Takkun the real me and shatter his illusions…
Upon making up my mind and making all preparations, I called Takkun.
“Ayako-san, what did you want to show—?”
When he entered and opened the door to the living room, he was frozen. His
eyes and mouth were fully open.
“Shine, solitary silver bullet! Love Kaiser Solitaire!”

I said.
Yes, it was me who just said that.
In the middle of the living room, leaving behind my shame, my dignity and
everything, I yelled with all my strength.
I yelled the name of an anime character while posing.
I was dressed in an outfit that seemed to be made for young girls, with frills
and shiny ornaments.
And on my hand, I had a flashy and colorful gun which was a transformation
item, that looked like a weapon.
“A-Ayako-san…”
“…Fu… Fufu… so you’ve finally seen it, Takkun” I said with a dry voice to
the surprised boy.
Well, it’s not that he saw it, but rather I showed it to him, but that’s beside
the point.
“This is… m-my true self.”
Even though I was still doing cosplay, my attitude went back to the same as
always.
All the energy I had to become an anime character was exhausted instantly.

“I’ve been hiding it my entire life… But actually, I like the anime ‘Love
Kaiser.’ I like it a lot… I’m an otaku that buys toys and clothes at my age…
And I’m already above thirty…”
Suppressing my inner feelings and hesitations, I revealed my secret.
Love Kaiser.
It was an anime for girls that was aired on Sunday mornings. The story is
about a magical girl that obtained a transformation item and fought against
villains. The 14th season is airing right now, ‘Love Kaiser Vegetable,’ which
is about samurais and vegetables.
And I… was very into the ‘Love Kaiser’ series.
I record each episode every week and I watch it at least 3 times.
“At first… I only watched it because of Miu. When I started taking care of
her, she liked the show like any other girl, so I started watching it with her.
We used to watch it together every week…”
That was 10 years ago…
After we started living together, I wanted to get closer to her and share things
together, so I started watching the shows she liked.
At the time, the 4th season had just started airing, ‘Love Kaiser Joker.’
And then… My addiction with the show started.
“As a result… I ended up falling in love with the series.”
—Heh… Girls’ anime nowadays are incredible.
—During my childhood, they were completely different. Now they move so

fluidly.
—…Amazing.

The story was so elaborate and had such a deep plot that it was hard to
believe it was for children.
—…Eh? Eh? No way… What’s with that unexpected twist?! And, don’t tell
me… All of this is just the first chapter?! H-How incredible! I have to buy
every season of this!
—…Wow. Amazing! They even have merchandise for adults!
It was something like that.
I started watching girls’ anime for Miu, but in the end, I ended up getting
more hooked than Miu herself.
“When Miu entered middle school… No, when she was on her last years in
elementary, she stopped watching them… But I… didn’t. Even now, I watch
it alone. And I go watch their movies in secret every year… And I often buy
merchandise for adults from ‘Premium Danbai’…”
I looked at myself.
A costume with frills predominantly black and a transformation gun with

decorations.
I bought everything in PreDan.
PreDan… Short for ‘Premium Danbai,’ a sale site for adults managed by the
famous toy maker company, Danbai.
There, they sold many products from shows and animes that were pretty
expensive and high quality. And I… was a habitual client.
I hesitated a lot on buying that brand name purse, but these types of products
made me open my wallet easily.
“And so…? What do you think Takkun? This is… My true self. At my age,
I’m obsessed with girls’ anime and I secretly do cosplay… This is me.” I
said.

I exposed my biggest secret to its fullest extent.
I was so embarrassed and hollow that I wanted to cry… But that’s fine.
With this, I’ll destroy all of Takkun’s illusions.
As a thirty year old obsessed with kids’ anime, there’s no way he’d like me…
“Uhm…”
Finally.
After being silent for a long time, Takkun opened his mouth.
Looking at my cosplay, he smiled.
“That’s Hiyumi Kuinajima’s outfit when she transforms in ‘Love Kaiser

Solitaire,’ isn’t it?”
“…Eh?”
“Even after 10 years, Kuinajima is still popular. They regularly keep

releasing merch of her and she even made a surprise appearance in the movie
last summer.”
“T-That’s right! Hiyumin showed up in the movie last summer! It was a big
surprise because no one had announced it and it caused a commotion in the
movie theater the opening day! I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but cry!
Even the voice actress was the same! …Eh?”
I got carried away without thinking but composed myself halfway.
And stared straight into Takkun’s face.
“H-How do you know that? About Hiyumin and her outfit.”
“Well, that’s… because I also watch ‘Love Kaiser’ every week.”
“E-Eeehhhh?!”

While I was surprised, Takkun continued.
“Actually… I already knew. That you liked ‘Love Kaiser’ I mean.”
“…Eehhh?!”
He knew?!
About my embarrassing hobby?!
“H-H-H-How…?”
“Miu used to complain about it all the time. About how you secretly bought
all types of products and cosplayed in your room, and also how you
persistently kept inviting her to the movies and events.”
M-Miu…!
Why did you expose that embarrassing part of your mother to our neighbor?!
“Well, I’ve always been a bit of an otaku, and in general I like anime and
manga… So, I thought that if you liked that anime, I would also like to watch
it and started the series from the first season… It was quite interesting, and I
became a fan.” he said, scratching his cheek and smiling shily.
I was so surprised that my mind wasn’t thinking.
Takkun knew.
He knew, as if it was the most natural thing ever, about how I was hiding that
embarrassing hobby desperately.
And in fact… tried to understand me.
Without hate or prejudice, he tried to understand what I liked…
“‘Love Kaiser’ is a very interesting series. At the beginning, I thought it was

for kids and wasn’t expecting much, but it had surprisingly deep and serious
themes… But in the end, I think it’s better that it’s for kids.”

“Y-Yes! Exactly! It’s important for the series to be for kids! It’s so cool that
they heavily pushed for it, despite the problematic limitations they would’ve
had like the toy making and the pressure from the Education Department!”
I was excited and got carried away.
And then, Takkun looked at the toy gun I had on my hand.
“That’s… the transformation item of ‘Love Kaiser Solitaire,’ isn’t it? If I’m
not wrong, it was a limited edition from PreDan, quite expensive too…”
“Y-Yes… This toy wasn’t released when the anime was airing… It was
released a few years later for fans… It’s worth around fifty thousand…”
“Fifty thousand…?”
“B-But the quality is worth the price! They recreated everything to the
smallest detail and it really feels like an item from the anime! If you press
here, it plays the voice from the voice actress!”
“—Here’s my trump card… Revert!”
“Wow, that’s so cool! That’s… That’s the famous line from episode 36, isn’t
it?!”
“That’s right! It’s the famous line from episode 36! It has a lot of other
famous lines recorded! Furthermore, if you press here, it plays the main
theme!”
“I see… The price makes sense now.”
“Makes sense, right?!”
“Ayako-san, is Hiyumi Kuinajima your favorite?”
“I guess so… She went through all kinds of ups and downs, so at the end I
became a big fan of Hiyumin. ‘Love Kaiser Joker’ is definitely a masterpiece.
I don’t think it’s possible in this day and age to have the ‘Love Kaisers’ fight
and kill each other until only one is left. But 10 years ago, the producers did.

And in that crude world in which almost every week someone died, Hiyumi
Kuinajima transformed into ‘Love Kaiser Solitaire,’ a secondary character so
to say… But in any case, she’s extremely cool!”
“Yes, she’s cool. Initially, she was cold and had the air of a lone wolf, but bit
by bit, she started to show a warm side to her teammates… And later, in the
middle of the show.”
“Yes, in the middle of the show she fell into darkness! It was so sublime to
see her return to the world of light after falling to the depths of hell!”
“Yes, she was really cool and sublime. Uwaa, what do I do? From talking so
much about it, I want to watch ‘Love Kaiser Joker’ again.”
“Do it! Watch it! I have all the blu-rays! You can borrow them… No, wait,
I’ll watch it together with you too! Let’s arrange a marathon!”
“Y-You sure?”
“Of course! I’d be happy to watch it with you! Oh, I know! Let’s go watch
the movie this summer together! Until now, it was really embarrassing for me
to go alone… But it would be comforting to go with you!
“Yes! Let’s go together!”
“It’s a promise then! You can’t take it back now!”
After that, we talked about Love Kaiser, the anime which I’ve been hooked to
since I was 20… It was the first time I spoke about this hobby with someone
else, and of course, it was fun and enjoyable.
After making that passionate promise of going to watch the summer movie
together and watching Takkun leave… I was very regretful.
“…No… Why? How did that happen?” I held my deeply dejected head in the
living room.
Why?

How the hell did this happen?
I was supposed to make him hate me, so, how did we set up a date?
Furthermore, it was me who invited him.
“Uuuhh… Everything is Takkun’s fault… Because he said he liked Love

Kaiser… Listening that made me really happy! After all, it’s a hobby I’ve
been hiding all this time…”
But even then, I can’t believe he accepted.
I thought it was an embarrassing hobby, but it turned out to be a hobby we

shared…
“Although Miu always makes fun of me…”
“Of course I’m going to make fun of you.”
I hadn’t realized.
That Miu had already returned from school and was standing there in the
living room.
It seemed like she was already used to seeing me laying in the couch that she
didn’t even say anything. She simply looked at me in amazement.
“After all, my mom is addicted to a girls’ anime, goes to the theater to see
their movies every year and even buys their merch.”
“M-Miu…”
“Well, everyone is free to have their own hobbies. But I would like you to
stop inviting me. I don’t want to do something that I don’t care about.”
“B-But… What else can I do? If I went to the movies or a Love Kaiser event
on my own… How do I say it… I’d feel out of place! I could keep going with
a face of ‘I only came here to grab some things for my daughter,’ but even
that has a limit! It’s much easier to go with someone!”

“Then, why don’t you go with Taku-nii from now on?”
“W-Well…”
My words didn’t come out and I couldn’t say anything back.
Miu sighed deeply.
“It looks like your great strategy to make Taku-nii hate you didn’t go that
well.” she said.
Once again, I couldn’t say anything back.
It’s like she said, all my strategies had been a failure until now.
I was convinced that if I showed him my most embarrassing side, he would

be disappointed, but that wasn’t the case at all.
Rather, it was the opposite… I feel that we got even closer.
I feel that we are becoming more and more compatible.
“B-But my strategy has just started! I have a lot of defects, so from now on,
I’ll try to ruin his image of me—”
“Listen.” Miu interrupted me.
With a voice that exuded some wrath and went beyond mere exasperation.
“How long do you plan to keep running away?”
“Eh…?”
I was perplexed.
I didn’t understand the meaning of her words.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If you want to continue with that attitude, I have an
idea.”

Ignoring my perplexity, Miu went to the second floor.

♥
That day, Takkun came to our house for Miu’s lessons at the usual time.
While both of them were studying in the second floor, I was in the first floor
doing chores like cleaning and washing clothes… And then, I received a call
from Oinomori-san,
It was just a small call to confirm something from work, so it was very quick.
However…
“Hahaha, my, it seems like a lot of interesting things happened without me

noticing. I can’t believe the university student next door confessed to you.”
she said while laughing happily.
…Haaa… Me and my big mouth…
After discussing some work details, I asked her for a little advice about
Takkun, saying, “It’s not me, it’s a friend,” but she immediately saw through
my lie and dragged all the information out of me in an instant.
As expected from a skillful businesswoman.
Her conversational skills are amazing.
…Well, I guess my lax guard also had a lot to do with it.
“Takumi Aterazawa-kun huh… Now that I think about it, you’ve talked to
me about him before. If I remember correctly, he’s the boy next door that
teaches your daughter. And you had said you’d be happy if he started to date
her.”
“…”
“However, Aterazawa-kun wasn’t interested in the daughter… but rather the

mother. Kuku… Hahaha, this is simply amazing.”
“…This is no laughing matter.”
“Ah, sorry.”
After my words, Oinomori-san apologized.
But her voice remained happy.
“But, you know, what a pure love. That boy has been in love with you for the
last 10 years, hasn’t he?”
I guess so.
And now that she mentions it… It is certainly a pure love.
Too pure even.
“I’m so envious of you, I’d also like to have someone so honest think about
me the same way he does for you.”
“Envious…? Geez, stop teasing me, Oinomori-san. I’m seriously asking for
advice here.”
“Hm? I wasn’t teasing you though,” she said, sounding surprised. “And
asking me for advice…? Hmm… Were you seriously asking for advice? I
thought you were just bragging… Well then, what did you want to ask me
about?”
“Well… What do you think I should do now?”
“Go out with him” answered Oinomori-san.
In a tone… that didn’t sound like it was a joke.
Her tone was very normal, as if she was just casually giving an answer.
“From what I’ve heard, he’s serious and sincere, and seems like a nice guy.

Try going out with him, and if it doesn’t work, just break up with him and
that’s it.”
“I-It’s… not that simple…”
“It is that simple. Rather, aren’t you the one that’s overthinking it?”
“…”
“Katsuragi-kun, it seems like you’re worried about the age gap… But he’s
already 20, isn’t he? I think you’re being rude by treating him as a kid.”
“You may be right on that… But for me, it isn’t that simple.”
“Hm?”
“Thinking about it using common sense, it’s simply impossible for me to date
a boy that’s 10 years younger than me… I don’t think it will work out…”
“Pfft… Hahaha… Hahahaha!” Oinomori-san started laughing.
Strongly and rampantly.
“O-Oinomori-san?”
“Hahaha… Ah, sorry, sorry. I couldn’t help but laugh. I never thought you’d
use the ‘common sense’ card.”
“…”
“10 years ago… I wonder who was the woman that, at her twenties, made the
decision to start taking care of and raising her deceased sister’s daughter,”
said Oinomori-san. “had just gotten a job and had no savings. She also didn’t
have any experience raising kids… And even then, decided to take care of
Miu-chan. Wasn’t it a woman named Ayako Katsuragi who made such an
illogical decision after thinking about it with ‘common sense’?”
“…”

I suddenly remembered.
What happened 10 years ago.
When I decided to take care of Miu at the funeral… I wonder if at that time I
was thinking with ‘common sense.’
No, I didn’t.
I didn’t think about anything and moved forward due to my emotions.
“My, my… It seems you’ve changed a lot in the last 10 years.” With a
sarcastic voice, she continued. “Back then… you were young. Because of
that, you could give yourself up to the emotions that sprouted from inside of
you without thinking about the consequences. You were willing to give up
your life for someone else. And all because… you had nothing to lose.”
“Nothing to lose…?”
“Those who have nothing to lose can do anything. They can face any
challenges. But the longer you live, the more you start to settle in. So, you
start getting worried about losing something. Money, family, friends, pride or
self-esteem… That is what we call ‘getting old’.”
“…”
“The older you get, the more frightened you are of doing something.”
Oinomori-san said “The reason you were able to raise your niece was
because you were ‘young.’ But… now you are different. You’ve gotten old.
And in these last 10 years, you’ve obtained things you don’t want to lose.”
10 years ago…
The image of my relatives arguing about who should take care of Miu came
back to my mind.
To be honest… I loathed them at that moment.
I felt disappointed and resentful towards them, who only thought about

themselves and couldn’t think about Miu at all.
But.
Now, in retrospect, they were probably just desperate.
They were desperate to protect their lives and keeping their precious lives
with their families. It wasn’t that they didn’t think about Miu, but rather, had
a family they had to prioritize more than their relatives’ kids… Something
they couldn’t allow themselves to do.
But I… had nothing like that.
That why I was able to act according to my feelings.
It may have been kindness, love or a sense of justice. It may even have been
from a feeling of selflessness so it could be counted as a moving story.
But… Those feelings I had were the ones that made me take action.
Because I had nothing to lose.
Because I was still too young…
“You often hear that being a hero means being alone. And that’s true. You
can’t be a hero if you have a family. What kind of hero would you be if you
put your family above the masses? And inversely, what kind of hero would
you be if you ignore your family? No matter how you look at it, you can’t be
a hero if you have a family.”
“…”
“It’s very different from 10 years ago when you could act freely and didn’t
have to worry about anyone, Katsuragi-kun. But now… Miu-chan is your
family. It’s the family you’ve built in these last 10 years every single day.
You have a good relationship with your neighbors, and very different
position and responsibilities in your job than when you were just starting out.
Such circumstances make you use the word ‘common sense’ because there
are a lot of things you don’t want to lose. Because ‘common sense’ is a

favorite among adults.” Oinomori-san said. “Welcome, Katsuragi-kun. To the
world of boring adults.”
Her ironically sharp words stabbed me.
After finishing the call, I sat down absent mindedly in a chair for a while, and
then the living room door opened.
“Mom, did you finish your call?”
“Ah… Yes. Where’s Takkun?”
“He left already. Since you were on the phone, he left without saying
goodbye.”
I looked at the clock and it was already past 9.
It seemed like I had been talking for a very long time.
“Hey, mom.”
While I was closing and putting away my laptop, Miu sat down in front of
me.
She stared straight at me and said with a serious tone
“Do you already know what you’re gonna do with Taku-nii?”
“What I’m going to do…? I’m not going to do anything. I’ve said it many
times already, it’s simply impossible for him and I to date…”
“I didn’t mean that.” Miu scratched her head and sighed deeply.
And with a voice that oozed irritation and dismay, she continued.
“Mom, after his confession… you’ve simply been running away.”
“Eh…?”

“You’re always saying things like, ‘thinking about it with common sense, it’s
impossible,’ and ‘I feel guilty towards the Aterazawa family,’ as if you only
cared about appearances. Furthermore, you decided to use that weird strategy
of showing your disgusting side so that he would hate you. You’re simply
running away.”
“I-I’m not running away…”
“You are running away.”
Her cold eyes stared at me.
I wanted to look somewhere else, but I couldn’t. Her silent and furious eyes
didn’t let me escape.
“You’re just using trivial words to run away. Mom… You haven’t talked a
single time about how you feel.”
“…”
After she said that, I realized it.
I wasn’t aware of it.
But certainly, without knowing, I had done nothing more than running away.
From the start, I tried to pretend that the confession hadn’t happened and kept
acting like I usually did.
I used the convenient excuse of ‘common sense’ to hide my true feelings and
refused to face them. And in the end, I did something as cowardly as
‘showing him my disgusting side to disappoint him,’ hoping that he would
give up.
I couldn’t object her words.
Yes.
I hadn’t said anything yet.

I hadn’t given an answer.
I… have only been running away.
Ever since Takkun confessed to me, I’ve been running away all this time…
“Mom. Stop running and tell me the truth. Tell me what you really think.”
Miu looked at me with a cold gaze.
“Common sense, appearances and… me. Drop all those annoying pretexts
and tell me what you really think about Taku-nii as a man.”
“…”
I didn’t know what to say.
Miu’s assessment and Oinomori’s irony spinned in my head and disturbed

my thoughts.
My head was a complete chaos… But despite that, I kept thinking

desperately.
I had to think.
No more running away… Just think.
I had to face Takkun’s confession and my own heart.
And then…
“…I love him.” I said. “Of course I like him. I’ve always loved Takkun. I
know very well how honest and kind he is, and… he’s more or less my type.
I think any woman would be happy if they could go out with him. And I’m
happy that such a wonderful boy like him is in love with me.”
“…”
For a moment, Miu raised an eyebrow.

She was about to say something, but…
“But,” I continued before she could say anything, “I can’t see Takkun… as a
man.”
That was my answer, and what I really thought.
It wasn’t an excuse, but rather, my true feelings.
“I really love Takkun a lot… But these feelings, how should I say it… It’s
more like the kind of love a mother feels for his son. I don’t like Takkun in a
romantic sense.”
I’ve been observing Takkun since he was 10.
Even though he has now grown up and become pretty manly… I can’t see
him as a man. I just can’t see him that way.
“Miu, I… always wanted you and Takkun to be together. I thought you

would make a good couple. Of course, this was just my selfish wish as a
mother… But due to how I felt, I started to see Takkun as a son and not as a
man.”
“…”
“Besides, Miu… True feelings and appearances, all of that isn’t that simple.”
Oinomori-san told me it was simple.
But it wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t think it was at all…
“Miu, before, you said I should drop the pretexts and said what I really
thought… But that’s impossible. You can’t separate a façade and reality so
easily.”
If you got rid of your façade, only your true feelings would remain… How
easy and convenient everything would be if things were that simple.

But a façade was more than just a simple cover to the truth.
If you were a kid, then everything would be simpler.
You could easily let go of your façade, as if you were just peeling a fruit.
But… in the world of adults, that’s impossible.
The fruit is getting riper and riper… The skin and the fruit, the pretext and the
true feelings, become one.
Pretexts blur the true feelings.
And at times, the most important feelings mix up with pretexts.
“You know, Miu… I’m already over thirty. I can’t just fall in love trusting
my feelings and impulses. I need to think about my current life and my future
one. I can’t open up my heart and share my feelings carelessly.”
I had to think about the risks.
And everything I could see were risks.
How risky would it be for this household if I started dating the boy next door
who is 10 years younger than me.
If that relationship came to light, who knows what people would think about
us.
If it was just me, it wouldn’t be an issue.
But if they started to see Miu in a weird way…
“…”
In the end, just like how Oinomori-san had said, I think like a ‘boring adult.’
If we looked at pros and cons, there were only cons. Instead of thinking that I
could get something, I was more afraid of losing what I already had. A

careful, prudent and typical conservative mentality of an adult that is afraid of
trying something new.
But that’s alright.
I’m a mother.
I can’t keep being a girl.
10 years ago, I decided to become an adult.
“In conclusion… You can’t date Taku-nii.” Miu said after a pause.
With a surprised and resigned voice.
“Yes… That’s right.”
“…”
Miu closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She had an expression that had anger
and sadness, a complex emotion that couldn’t be explained in one word.
However.
The words she said after made my heart stop.
“…You heard her Taku-nii!” Miu screamed out of nowhere.
I turned towards the hall.
After a few seconds, the living room’s door opened slowly.
And then, he appeared…
“T-Takkun…?!”
Takkun came to the living room hesitantly. Looking straight down like a
prisoner and with eyes full of sadness.

“Why…? You were supposed to have gone home…”
“…I’m sorry…”
“Taku-nii is not at fault here, I begged him to do it.” Said Miu, interrupting
his apology. “I asked him to pretend to go home and listen while I found out
your true feelings.”
“W-Why did you do that…?”
“Because… I felt bad for him.”
Her voice was ice cold.
“He gathered the courage to confess and finally conveyed the feelings he had
stored for a long time… But you kept giving him vague excuses.”
“T-That’s…”
“Perhaps you were trying to find a way for everyone to be unhurt… Perhaps
you were just being kind… But I just think it was unfair.”
“…”
I couldn’t say anything back. I couldn’t answer. “Unfair.” The word my

daughter said pierced into the deepest part of my heart.
“Ayako-san…”
And finally, Takkun opened his mouth.
“I… am extremely sorry.”
The first thing he said was a deep apology.
“Due to my confession… I’ve been causing you a lot of problems… As a

result, I also caused problems to Miu too… I ruined our relationship due to
my selfish reasons… I’m very sorry. But, well… T-Thank you very much.”

And then, he said words of gratitude.
“You were seriously thinking about me… Thanks for that. Even if I ended up
hearing it behind your back, I found out your true feelings… And I’m sorry
about that. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but I’m happy to have gotten an
answer. Hahaha.”
And then, Takkun… smiled.
It was a dry and hollow smile.
Obviously forced.
A painful smile that made my heart clutch just by seeing it.
“Hahaha… W-Well, I already knew it was impossible from the start. I had no
chance. A brat like me isn’t at the same level as a wonderful woman like
you.”
With a happy voice, unnaturally happy actually, Takkun spoke.
“When you said you didn’t see me as a man… I had nothing to answer back
with. It was obvious. After all, that’s how you’ve been treating me all this
time. For you, it was as if your own son had confessed, wasn’t it? Of course it
had to be awkward. I must have seemed… really disgusting to you… You’ve
been so nice with me because we’re neighbors… because I’m a kid. And
despite that, all this time I’ve seen you as a woman… I’m really horrible…”
His fake happy voice started to break down gradually.
“Hahaha… Forget everything that happened, Ayako-san. Let’s pretend as if

the last few days never happened… Let’s leave things as before… like they
have been until now…”
His voice was lowering.
And Takkun… started to cry.
Tears ran down his smiling face.

Realizing this, he covered his face with a hand and said, “I’m sorry.” And ran
out of the living room.
“W-Wait! Wait, Takkun—”
“Mom!”
I tried to go after him on reflex, but a cold and firm voice stopped me.
“What are you going to do after you catch up to him?”
“W-What am I going to do…?”
What was I going do?
What was the plan?
Catch up, apologize and comfort him… And then what?
Hug the deeply hurt boy and cry with him… And then what?
What purpose did it have?
That was just… to comfort myself.
It was just my self-satisfaction… To justify myself a little for the damage I

caused him.
“That is unfair, mom.” Miu said reproachfully.
I couldn’t say anything. ‘Unfair.’ I also thought the same. Unconsciously, I

tried to act unfairly, to the point where I was disgusted with myself.
I broke down and fell to my knees.
I had tears in my eyes but did everything I could to hold them back.
I thought that pretending to be a victim and shedding tears was unforgivable.

♥
—You’re not alone.
—Ayako mama, you have me.
—If something bad or painful happens, I’ll protect you, Ayako mama.
—That’s why, Ayako mama… Don’t cry anymore.
I had a dream.
A dream about what happened 10 years ago.
When I took a bath with Takkun, who was still a little boy…
“…You have me, huh…” I woke up in my bed and repeated the words from
my dream. I vaguely remembered the past that had been slumbering deep
inside my memory.
Ahh…
That’s right.
When Takkun was very young and spoke in a more childish way, he told me
something when I had my hands full with work and raising Miu.
I had completely forgotten about something so important.
“…That made me very happy.”
Really happy actually.
I felt saved.
I felt like my effort had been recognized.

Whether it was just him just trying to comfort me or the irresponsible
comment from a kid, it made me really happy to hear it nevertheless.
A ten year old kid managed to heat up my heart when I was completely
depressed.
However.
For him, those words weren’t just some considerate words nor comforting
ones; nor an irresponsible comment.
From that day onwards, he lived his life keeping his words.
For the last 10 years, Takkun has always been there for me.
When I was in trouble, he was always there to help me.
I mistakenly thought he did it for Miu… But he was doing it for me.
Full of a pure and innocent love.
Even now, at the age of 20, he is still keeping those pure and innocent
feelings.
But I… couldn’t accept them.
I had grown up a long time ago, and after living in the adult world for so
long, I couldn’t answer his pure and innocent feelings anymore.
“…I have to get up.”
With my head still half asleep, I got out of bed.
When I got up from the bed, a new day started.
Life doesn’t stop.
It keeps moving forward.

And when you’re an adult, it feels a lot longer.
It had been a few days since I had (indirectly) rejected Takkun.
I haven’t seen him again since that day.
He didn’t pick up Miu in the mornings anymore, and he said through Miu
that he had cancelled the tutoring lessons.
Of course, since we were neighbors, it was impossible to not run into each
other at some point.
But now… I didn’t know what face to make the moment I saw him…
“Mom… Did you doze off again?”
When I went down the stairs with heavy steps, I saw Miu peeking out from
the living room. She already had her uniform on and looked ready to go to
school at any moment.
“…Good morning…”
“What do you mean good morning? Haa… Well, it doesn’t matter. Breakfast
is ready.”
When I went into the living room, the breakfast was on the table. Rice, miso
soup, hams and eggs, sausages, and natto. A very orthodox breakfast. (TLN:
Nattō (納豆) is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans that have
been fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto, a specific bacteria for it.)
Miu usually leaves chores to me because they’re a bother to her, but if she
wants to, she can do them without any issue.
And during the last 3 days, Miu had been making breakfast every morning.
“Haa… Due to your laziness I’m improving in the kitchen. I had some free
time today, so I made my own lunch.”
“I see… That’s amazing…” I answered Miu absentmindedly, who sighed

ostentatiously while stirring the natto.
For the last few days, I’ve been living a terrible life in which I couldn’t sleep
at night and woke up late. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Takkun’s
face out of my head, and every time I remembered it, my chest started to hurt.
His disheartened face, the tears in his eyes… I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Seriously… Why the hell are you so depressed? You’re an adult, so I know
you’re a little more mature than that.”
“S-Shut up…”
“I can’t stand seeing such a gloomy face in the morning.”
“…Miu… Why are you so harsh on your mother…?”
“Because I’m on Taku-nii’s side. I supported his feelings and wanted him to
become my dad.” She said in a teasing tone, and then poured the natto over
the rice. “Although, I guess it’s not necessary for me to keep supporting him
anymore.”
And in a light tone, she said something unexpected.
“It looks like Takkun got himself a girlfriend.”
“…Eh…?”
I accidentally dropped the chopsticks on my hand.
I couldn’t understand the meaning of her words and my thoughts stopped.
“Eh… What? W-What did you just say…?”
“I said he has a girlfriend now.”
“…”
I still didn’t understand.

My brain seemed to be unable to understand the meaning of her words.
“…Ehh? T-That’s a lie, isn’t it? Because, after all, Takkun is…”
“You rejected him, remember? So now he is going out with another girl.”
Unlike me, who was in shock, Miu kept going calmly.
And without letting me eat, she said:
“They say that finding a new love is the best way to heal a broken heart. And
Taku-nii has been pretty popular since middle school… Not to mention that
he goes to a prestigious university, so he is also a man with a very promising
future. Obviously, he’s in a lot of women’s radars.”
“…”
“Before that, he never dated anyone else because he was totally in love with
you. But now that there’s nothing tying you two together, he can now enjoy a
happy and fun university life. Well, in a certain way, it’s good for Taku-nii
that you rejected him. He finally woke up from his childhood fantasy and
started dating a young and beautiful girl.”
“…”
“Ah, by the way, he said that he had a date today. Looks like he doesn’t have
any classes this afternoon. I heard that they’ll meet in front of the train station
and go to the movies. Must be great to be a university student. They have so
much free time, even on weekdays.”
“…”
“Breakfast was really good. Well then, I’m going now.”
After eating her breakfast, Miu left for school.
And I was left there dumbfounded… unable to touch my breakfast.
That afternoon… I took the bus to the station.

It was just a coincidence though!
It was just a coincidence that I had things to do there!
After the bus trip, I headed to a building near the station that had a movie
theater on the top floor and went into the cafeteria in the first floor.
Yes, this was also just a coincidence.
It just happens that I wanted to come to this cafeteria since a long time ago.
The place was empty, but it was just a coincidence that I bothered to take a
seat from where I could see the building’s entrance. I never thought of doing
this intentionally.
I was wearing a spring coat, big sunglasses and a facemask that just happened
to hide my face. This was to… Uhm… Protect myself from UV rays…
“Haa…”
That’s enough… I should just stop.
It’s pointless to keep making up excuses.
After all… I came here because I was curious.
After hearing Miu’s words, I wanted to check for myself.
What kind of girl was Takkun going out with…
Aaahh, geez.
What the hell am I doing…?
I was the one who rejected him… The one who hurt him…
I have no right to do something like this…
No, well… I don’t think anyone has the right to spy on other people’s dates
in the first place.

And then, right as I was agonizing over my own thoughts…
“…!”
He came in.
It was Takkun. He really came.
He showed up in the building’s entrance. I panicked and hid my face with the
newspaper I had brought with me. And I took a peek from behind the
newspaper.
He… was not alone.
There was a girl next to him.
It was a thin and small girl with a pretty face. Loose wavy hair and her lips
were painted with a glossy lipstick. Her skirt was pretty short, revealing thin,
flexible and beautiful legs.
Overall, she was dressed in a way that radiated youth, and showed him a
bright and innocent smile.
They walked right in front of me.
They looked really happy next to each other.
They looked like a perfect young couple.
“…”
I felt a little dizzy. I felt my heart suddenly turning cold.
So it was true.
I thought it was possible that Miu was teasing me and had lied, but apparently
what she said was true.
Takkun really did have a girlfriend.

And now he was having a fun date with his new girlfriend…
“…”
Once my heart froze, a strange heat erupted inside me.
What the hell?!
What the hell is up with that girl?!
Cute, stylish and thin legs… S-She’s so annoying!
And Takkun too!
Why is he flirting with her?!
Rather… Isn’t she totally different from me?! And he’s going out with her…
With a young, fragile, and thin girl, the complete opposite of me!
So he preferred young and cute women after all!
He actually wanted a young girl his age instead of an old lady like me!
And so.
A selfish wrath blew up… but it was just for a moment, and just an instant
later, my self hate made my heart freeze again.
Aahh…
Why am I angry?
I have no right to be.
My heart was a mess and I didn’t even understand my own feelings.
But even then, before I realized, I left the cafeteria running and followed
them.

The movie theater in the top floor wasn’t that full, perhaps because it was a
weekday.
It was hard to get close without people. I kept observing them while hiding
behind a store.
After buying the tickets for the movie, the two bought drinks in a store.
It looked like they had bought different drinks with the purpose of tasting
both flavors… Wait… They drank each other’s drink?!
E-Ehhhhh?!
That’s… An indirect kiss!!
Well, they’re not middle schoolers, so it would be weird if they’d be mindful

of that… B-But! Isn’t it a bit soon when you’ve barely been dating for 3
days?!
Even if it’s an indirect kiss, isn’t it normal to be embarrassed?! At least a

little bit?!
And they did it so naturally too, as if they were longtime friends or something
similar…
“Ah…”
I was careless.
I was so upset by the indirect kiss that I forgot to hide and stuck my head out.
My eyes met with hers.
She looked at me puzzled, and then whispered something into Takkun’s ear.
Then he looked toward my direction… and opened his eyes fully.
And then, Takkun ran towards me.

Unable to escape, I froze in place.
“Uhm… Ayako-san?”
“Y-You got the wrong person…”
“…”
“O-Okay, I’m sorry… It’s me…”
I couldn’t lie to him. Well, it was impossible. Even though I was disguised, I
only had a coat and sunglasses on, so, if someone got close, they would
usually be able to recognize me.
I gave up and took off my sunglasses.
There was a surprised look on Takkun’s face.
“What are you doing here?”
“U-Uhm, well… I was thinking of watching a movie.”
“…Dressed like that?”
“W-What’s wrong with it?! The UV rays were a little strong today! And what
are you doing here Takkun?!”
Upset and impatient, I tried to change the topic.
“Well… I came to watch a movie.”
“I-I know that already… But I was wondering if you should be doing that. In
free days like these, you have to take the opportunity to stand out from the
others.”
“…?”
“I-I understand that you’re excited to have a girlfriend… But you’re still a
student, so you should study hard on your free days!”

“Girlfriend…? Eh?”
“I-It’s not that I care! It’s not my business who you’re going out with! B-
But… It’s just that, after all, well…” I started to mutter things incoherently.
Takkun had a surprised expression in his face… But then.
The girl walked over to us.
She looked at Takkun’s face and said:
“So this is the Ayako-san you talk about.”
At that moment.
My confused mind got even more confused.
Not because of the words she said.
But rather the type of voice.
“I thought I felt a strange gaze a little while ago… And when I turned around,
there was a blatantly suspicious woman looking at me. It was just as I
thought.”
I felt that she had said something horrible like ‘blatantly suspicious woman,’
but that didn’t bother me at all.
Her voice…
Her voice was… deep.
It was a deep masculine voice that sounded nothing like a woman’s.
“Pleased to meet you, Ayako-san. Takumi has told me a lot about you.”
Completely ignoring my bewilderment, the girl smiled.
No.

She… was not a girl.
“I’m Satoya Ringou, Takumi’s friend. We go to the same university.”
The small and cute girl that was in front of me called herself “Satoya” in a
deep and masculine tone, and referred to herself as a man. (TLN: Reminder
that Japanese people have gendered Is.)
“Eh…? Eh? Y-You’re a man…?!”
“Yup, I’m a man.” After nodding calmly, he looked at his clothes and said
“Ah, I see. I was dressed like this today, hahaha. I completely forgot. Since I
was with Takumi, I felt like I was at the university. Sorry, I seem to have
caused a misunderstanding.”
“…”
“Did you perhaps think I was Takumi’s girlfriend?”
“…Y-Yes…”
She… No, Satoya-kun asked in a teasing tone, but the shocking turn of events
didn’t let me think at all and I nodded normally, forgetting that I was
supposed to be pretending.
“Eh? Did you really think I was his girlfriend?”
“Ah, N-No! You’re wrong! It’s not like that…” I started to make excuses in a
hurry, but it was too late already.
Satoya-kun thought for a moment with a gentle face.
“…Takumi, you said that Ayako-san rejected you, didn’t you?”
“T-That’s right…”
“I see… She rejected you, but for some reason, Ayako-san was following us
now, dressed like a private investigator. Furthermore, she thought I was your
girlfriend…” After whispering something and thinking for a bit, Satoya said

“Hmm. Uhm… I think I should read the mood and go somewhere else.”
“Yeah… probably.”
“Okay. Then, I’ll go in first and reserve a seat. Come in when you’re done.
Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t come actually.” He said, as if he
understood something, then he grabbed Takkun’s drink and left. With his
beautiful shaved legs, he walked energetically with elegant steps.
Being left alone, we walked towards the end of the hall, where no one was.
“That boy… Is he your friend, Takkun?”
“Yes… He’s a friend I made when I entered university and often hang out
with him.”
“She looks so beautiful, but despite that… He’s a boy.”
“He tends to cross-dress when he’s outside the university. Ah, wait, he
doesn’t like people telling him he cross-dresses. He himself said it wasn’t
that, he simply liked to use cute clothes that fit him.”
“H-Heh…”
How to say it… These certainly are newer times…
It’s hard to keep up with my current age.
But anyways.
It looks like the person I thought was his ‘girlfriend,’ turned out to be just a
friend.
It’s understandable that they looked like longtime friends when I saw them
being so close before.
Because… They really were.
“He invited me to watch a movie today. Uhm… He said that I should forget

my broken heart and have some fun.”
“…”
“But, why did you follow us, Ayako-san? Besides, why did you think Satoya
was my girlfriend…?”
“Well, that’s because…”
“By any chance… Did Miu tell you something?” Takkun asked while I was
hesitating to answer.
“W-Why do you ask?”
“…I told Miu that I was going to the movies today with Satoya… And she
asked me about the place and time of the meeting. Miu also knows how
Satoya dresses.”
“T-Then… Miu lied to me?!”
I was dumbstruck and Takkun nodded, saying “Most likely.”
Uuuhhh… That Miu… W-Why did she lie to me…?!
“Then… Because of what Miu told you, you thought I had a new girlfriend
and you came to make sure?”
“U-Uhm…”
I didn’t know how to react. That was exactly the case, but it was hard to
admit.
Because if I did, it was as if…
It was as if I was interested in Takkun…
“Somehow… I’m a little surprised.”
“I-I’m so sorry! It was wrong to follow you…”

“Ah, no, I didn’t say it because of that.” He said with a bitter smile. “I don’t
mind you following us. What surprised me was that, even though it was
Miu’s fault, you thought I had a girlfriend.”
“Eh…?”
“It’s not easy to get over it. Just because I was rejected, it doesn’t mean I can
just immediately start going out with a new woman. I’ve been in love with
you for 10 years. To be honest, I still am…”
His words became weaker and weaker, and he leaned forward but moved
away immediately.
“…I’m sorry. I’m causing you problems, aren’t I? There was no need to
mention that.”
“…”
“Hahaha… It’s annoying to never know when to give up, isn’t it? Uhm… D-
Don’t worry. It’s unlikely that I start to go out with someone immediately,
but I’ll try… And I’ll do my best to stop loving you.” said Takkun, with a
forced smile.
He’ll try to give up.
He’ll abandon his feelings for me…
“I hope that we can still have a good relationship as neighbors. And about
Miu’s lessons… If you’re okay with it, I’d like to continue.” He said
sincerely, straightening his posture.
But for some reason, I felt an abyss between us.
I felt like he was trying to make a line between us… A line that separated us
as strangers.
“And also… I won’t misunderstand this as you being jealous, so you don’t
have to worry.”

“Eh…?”
“I understand, you were worried that after the rejection, I would get involved
with a random woman at first sight. You only came here to make sure
because you felt responsible, didn’t you?”
“…”
“Don’t worry, I understood perfectly.” He said as if he were talking to

himself, with a sad smile on his face. “Well, Satoya is waiting for me.” He
said, turning around and leaving.
He was walking away from me.
As if he was making a line and trying to keep his distance.
The moment I understood that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my head
went blank…
“Wa… Wait.”
When I came to…
I was trying to stop him.
I grabbed the sleeve of his coat, pulling him a little hard.
“…D-Don’t stop.” I said, and he turned towards me with a surprised face.
I completely stopped thinking. My lips started moving by themselves. Words

didn’t go through my brain, but rather bloomed impulsively from the depths
of my heart and came out of my mouth.
“Don’t stop… loving me.”
What am I doing?
What am I saying?

But I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t hold back my words.
“It was jealousy… I was probably jealous… I think…”
The words that unexpectedly came out were said with hesitation.
But I couldn’t help it.
Even I didn’t understand what was going on.
“I hated it… When Miu said you had a girlfriend, I was shocked, shaken,
depressed, and I couldn’t stay put… That’s why I followed you. I think… I
was jealous. I hated the idea of you going out with someone.”
“…”
“It’s weird, isn’t it? It’s weird… I myself clearly said I couldn’t go out with
you… But now I can’t even control my own feelings…”
The words kept flowing without stopping at all. Like a kid that had just
learned words, I said whatever came to mind.
“…What I said to Miu the other day in the living room is true. To me, you’re
the kid that lives next door and you’re like a son to me… That’s why I can’t
see you as a man.”
“…”
“I can’t… Or that was supposed to be the case.” I said. “Ever since you
confessed… Since you said you loved me, I haven’t been able to get you out
of my head… Be it awake or asleep, I can only think of you, and my mind is
always a mess…”
Like a son to me.
There was no lie in that sentence.

It wasn’t a lie… But even so.
“I think that I… am already conscious of you as a man.” I said.
I said the words that crossed the traced line.
I faced my inner self that had been looking the other way until now.
—Ayako-san. I’ve been in love with you for a long time. Please go out with
me.
Ever since the day he confessed…
It’s amazing how he was such a big part of my life.
But everything I’ve done until now is run away from the sincere and pure
feelings of the young man that I wanted to be my daughter’s boyfriend.
I avoided giving an answer and acted like nothing had happened.
But… I can’t do that anymore.
I can’t keep pretending anymore…
“Uhm… Am I explaining myself? Even though I’m conscious of you as a

man, I didn’t lie when I said you were like a son to me… I’m bothered by the
idea that you are dating another woman, but I’m not sure if it’s jealousy or
the feelings of a nosy mom… So…”
“…Basically.”
When my words and feelings got stuck, Takkun spoke.
With a serious look and with hope in his eyes.
“You started to see me as a man?”
“Y-Yes…”

“But you also haven’t stopped looking at me like a son.”
“T-That’s what it looks like.”
“That’s why you can’t go out with me.”
“That’s right… Everything was so sudden that I still haven’t been able to
organize my thoughts at all…”
“However, you don’t want me to have a girlfriend either.”
“Uhm…”
“You don’t want to go out with me, but you also don’t want me to go out
with other girls. You want me stay in love with you and no one else.”
“…”
E-Eh?
Now that I think about it… Haven’t I been spouting complete nonsense?!
Haven’t I been pretty annoying and selfish?!
“…Pfft… Haha, hahaha!”
Takkun started laughing.
He opened his mouth and started to laugh out loud.
“Haha. Fufu… Ayako-san, no matter how you look at it, isn’t that too cruel?
You’re being too selfish.”
“Uuh…”
I couldn’t say anything back. It was indeed cruel. Too cruel actually. Despite
being over thirty, I was acting like a middle schooler in love… No, not even a
middle school girl would say things as ridiculous as these…!

I was disgusted with myself, when suddenly…
“Alright.” Takkun said.
“Eh…?”
“I’ll do what you ask for. I won’t go out with anyone and… I won’t stop
loving you.”
“E-Eh? A-Are you sure?”
Even I thought I was saying something completely horrible.
“I guess that falling in love with you became my weakness. That’s why I
have no choice but to obey.”
“Besides,” Takkun continued.
He covered his lips with one hand.
“This may sound weird… But I’m actually really happy right now.”
“H-Happy?”
What’s so good about hearing a woman over thirty express her selfish
desires?
“When I thought that it was alright to keep loving you, somehow… I got
extremely happy.”
“…”
I felt that he had just said something amazing.
Words so amazing they touched my heart.
I was frantically agitated when Takkun approached me.
“Uhm… Is it alright to think that I have a chance? Of you going out with me

I mean.”
“U-Ueehh?! That’s, well… I-I guess so. Maybe. A small chance. B-But
seriously, just a tiny chance!”
“I understand.” Takkun smiled.
Before, he had a sad and unnatural smile, but now he had a genuinely happy
smile. I felt embarrassed and had an itch in my skin for some reason.
“Uhm, well… Even though I said you had a chance, that doesn’t mean it will
be right now! I’d like to take some more time to think things over…”
“I know. I acted hastily before. I’ll go a little slower now.”
Even though I said something terrible, Takkun didn’t mind and gave me a
warm smile.
“I’ve been waiting for the last 10 years, so I don’t mind waiting a bit longer.”
“Takkun…”
“Uhm, then… For now, let’s leave things as they are.” He said embarrassed
and stretched out his hand. “I hope we can keep getting along.”
“…A-Alright… Let’s shake hands as a sign of reconciliation.”
Feeling a little nervous, I shook his hand.
The hand I felt… was very big.
His hand was big and strong, completely different from the hand I held when
he was little.
His masculine hands held mine strongly, yet, they were softly enveloping
mine with a lot of love.

“I’ll do my best.” Said Takkun. “I’ll do everything possible so that you fall in
love with me.”
“T-Take it easy… Please…”
Facing such a direct and passionate confession, I couldn’t help but look
down.

♥
A single mother’s morning starts pretty early.
I get up early, rub my sleepy eyes and make lunch every morning for my high
school daughter.
Well… Recently I had not been able to do that.
But today, I managed to get up early for the first time in a long time.
I slept soundly and started the morning in a good mood.
And right as I was putting the breakfast on the table.
“Uwaah! Oh god, oh god! I totally doze off!”
My daughter, Miu, came down from the second floor making a ruckus.
I still wasn’t sure if the expression “doze off” was something she came up
with herself or if youngsters actually used slang like that these days.
I didn’t know.
There were a lot of things I didn’t know about.
Like how much my daughter had grown and the feelings of the boy that lives
next door.
And also… my own feelings.
Even when we grow up, life is full of things we don’t know about…
“This is bad, really bad… I had to get up early because mom has been useless
lately… Eh? Mom…?”

“Sorry for being useless.” I said and she froze after seeing me. “Good
morning, Miu.”
“G-Good morning.”
“Come on, breakfast is going to get cold, so hurry up and eat.”
“…Hahaha, wow, you turned back to your usual self.”
Laughing sarcastically, Miu sat down at the table.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat in front of her.
“I wouldn’t have minded if you were depressed for a bit longer. That way, I
would’ve improved my housework skills a lot more.”
“Then why don’t you keep doing housework then?”
“Nope, nope, this and that are something else entirely.”
“Seriously… you…”
“Anyways… You’re pretty simple, mom.” Miu said in amazement looking at

me. “As soon as you made up with Taku-nii, you recovered immediately.”
“S-Shut up…”
“You should be thanking me. It was all thanks to my little harmless lie.”
“…Yes, I’m thankful for it.” I said with a stiff smile. I wanted to say it
sarcastically, but that would only make me seem petty.
“Ahh, but seriously though. I can’t tell if you’re pathetic or just a pain.
Making all that drama just to postpone the choice anyways. What’s with
saying something like ‘Let’s start as friends first…?’ You’re not in middle
school anymore, you know?”
“…Aahhh, shut up.”

You don’t have to be so upfront about it, geez…
I know better than anyone that I’m being indecisive and pathetic, and that I’m
acting like a middle school student in love…
And then… Right when we finished having breakfast.
The doorbell rang.
Both of us headed to the entrance… And there he was.
Takkun.
Takumi Aterazawa-kun.
The kid next door… No.
He wasn’t a kid anymore.
I can’t see him as a kid anymore.
He was a good man now…
“Morning, Taku-nii.”
“Morning, Miu.”
Miu greeted him first with a light tone and he answered back.
And then he looked at me.
Slightly embarrassed, Takkun looked straight at me.
I also was embarrassed… But I didn’t look away.
I looked straight at him.
“Good morning, Ayako-san.”
“Good morning, Takkun.”

We greeted each other like we always did.
But… I felt that somehow, it was different.
Maybe it was just my imagination.
Or perhaps what was different… were the changes to come.
How was our relationship going to change from now on…?
“…Why are you having a staring contest so early in the morning?”
““…?!””
We were looking at one another, but Miu’s teasing voice brought us back to
ourselves and quickly looked away.
“It looks like I’m interrupting something, so… Should I go first?”
“…Stop teasing. Let’s go already.”
“Sure, sure. I’m going now, mom.”
“See you later, Ayako-san.”
“Have a nice day.”
I said goodbye to them while they were going out the front door.
I closed the door… and breathed a sigh of relief.
Haah.
Thank god…
I managed to act naturally… I think.
Until yesterday, whenever I saw Takkun, my heart started to beat like crazy,
but somehow, I managed to keep my composure.

Freed from the tension, I returned to the living room, where I found a Line
message on my phone, which I had left on the table.
The message was from… the young man who had just left.
“T-Takkun…?”
Curious about it, I opened the message.
There was a greeting and a formal message. “Good morning, Ayako-san. I’m
happy to see you’re cheerful again.” …But the next words left me speechless.
“Ayako-san, do you have any plans for this weekend? If not, would you like
to go somewhere together?”
“…E-Eeehhhh?!” I let out a scream from shock and fell to my knees.
This is… a date?!
It is, isn’t it?!
He’s… He’s not going to hide his feelings anymore?! He won’t throw any
more feints or curve balls, now he’s only going to throw straights?!
He’s coming at me with all he’s got!
His intentions are very clear!
—I’ll do everything possible so that you fall in love with me.
The words he said yesterday came up again in my head.
Uhm, that’s… Isn’t that too sudden? Of course, he said he’d do his best but,
couldn’t he take it easier? Yesterday he said he wouldn’t be hasty and go
slower…
I was so embarrassed, bewildered… and a little happy, that my heart was

about to go crazy.

Ayako Katsuragi.
A single mother in her 30s.
Even though I have a very cute daughter, I’m still being courted passionately
by a boy that likes me more than her.
However… he was supposed to give me some time to think things over.
At this rate… It’s just a matter of time before I finally give in and fall in love
with him.

Table of Contents: A Glimpse into a Light Novel World

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I first met Ayako-san in the middle of a tragedy.

“…I will take care of this girl.”

A dignified voice resounded among the adults dressed in black. It wasn’t

It was a little after the funeral.

The couple that lived next to me died in a traffic accident.

Both of them had gone to heaven together.

I was ten years old when my parents took me to the funeral.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what was happening.

And… I was also wondering what would happen to Miu-chan.

The deceased couple had a five year old daughter.

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Miu-chan will never see her father or mother again…

As if… they were classifying her.

As if… they were carving it into her mind.

—Like I said before, I can’t take care of her.

—I can’t either, we already have 3 kids.

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—Guess there’s no other choice other than to send her to an orphanage.

—No, if we send her to an orphanage, people will start badmouthing us.

—That’s true, it will look as if we sent her away.

—Then, why don’t we just let our mom do it?

And basically… no one wanted to do so. Everyone seemed to be busy with

Their exchange kept heating up more and more.

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“…I’ll take care of this girl!”

A dignified voice cut through the grim air.

Apparently, she was Ayako, Miu-chan’s mom’s younger sister.

A beautiful woman with a gentle air around her.

She looked to be around 20 years old.

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I think that was her mother.

“I’m sorry, mom. But… I’ve made up my mind already!”

She crouched and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Miu-chan, would you like to live with me from now on?”

“Live with you, Aunt…?”

“Yes, with me.”

“But… Miu wants to be with papa and mama.”

“…Then… is Miu alone?”

“Yes… But the truth is, I’m also alone now.”

“You too, Aunt Ayako?”

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“That’s why,” Ayako-san said,

“Hmm… I want to!”

When Miu-chan nodded, Ayako-san smiled as brightly as the sun.

“Good! Then come here!”

She grabbed Miu by her arms and held her up.

“Hehe, you’re starting to sound like a grandma, Auntie.”

“Hahaha, please stop Auntie, it’s too much.”

But I… couldn’t take my eyes off Ayako-san.

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A single mother’s morning starts pretty early.

Haa, I wish high schools had cafeterias like in middle school.

“Well… It’s not like complaining is going to help.”

Right as I finished serving the breakfast on the table

“Uwaah! This is bad, this is bad! I completely dozed off!”

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I even ironed it yesterday!

“Why didn’t you wake me up, mom?!”

My daughter sat at the table and started to eat breakfast in a hurry.

Strictly speaking, we’re actually blood related.