I Thought She Was the One, but It Turned Out to Be a Fake Confession, so I Decided to Break Up With Her
โIโve found a new tutor. This time, sheโs a proper female teacher.โ
Kotoneโs mother, Asami, stepped into the room and announced this in a matter-of-fact tone.
There wasnโt a single word of concern for her daughterโs cold.
โSheโll be coming starting next Tuesday evening. Sheโs scheduled to continue coming even after the second semester starts. Got it? Make sure you understand.โ
โW-wait a minuteโฆ!โ
Thereโs a summer festival next Tuesday.
If things keep going like this, it wonโt be herโitโll be Hinaโwho ends up watching the fireworks next to Daiki.
Unlike usual, Kotone spoke up firmly to Asami.
โNext Tuesday eveningโฆ thatโs a problem. Please move it back by at least one day. Or, instead of the evening, maybe a little earlierโฆโ
But the moment Asami glared at her, Kotoneโs voice trailed off.
Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes darted around.
Asami let out a long sigh.
โIs it because you want to go to the summer festival with that boyfriend of yours, Fujimori-kun?โ
โโฆโฆ!โ
How does she even know his name?
Kotoneโs mouth hung open in shock.
โI donโt know who that guy isโฆ but yesterday, everyone in the shopping district was saying the same thing. Apparently, you got dumped by some male student.โ
The Shimazaki familyโs wealth and connections run deep throughout this entire region.
From shops and local businesses to government agencies like the policeโand even the mayor and city council members.
Kotone weakly protested.
โIโI wasnโt dumped or anythingโฆโ
โThen who was it who caught a cold from getting soaked in the rain because of that shock? And as if that werenโt enough, you were grinning from ear to ear just because someone lent you an umbrella. Donโt you think youโre a pretty cheap woman, letting yourself be won over by a guy over just a single umbrella?โ
It wasnโt the umbrella itself that made her happy.
What made her happy was that Daiki cared about her and reached out to help her.
It was precisely because he was the kind of person who not only got wet in the rain with her but also held the umbrella over her that Kotone was able to realize her feelings for him all over again.
(Even though she doesnโt know a thingโฆ)
Kotone recalled the words Hina had said before leaving the room.
That she was similar to her motherโs personality?
To this terrible mother?
When she was young, she couldnโt understand her fatherโs verbal abuse, but now, to some extent, Kotone could understand his feelings.
โโฆIโm not like my mother.โ
โWhat did you say?โ
Kotone stood up abruptly and shouted.
โIโฆ! I wonโt let go of the person I love like you didโฆ!! Donโt try to make up for your mistakes by using me!!โ
At those words, Asami flew into a rage and her eyes widened.
And in the next instant.
Smackโ
Asamiโs palm struck Kotoneโs cheek sharply.
โHow dare you talk to your mother like that! Iโm saying all this for your own good!! Itโs all that good-for-nothingโs fault!! Women really are like thatโif they make even one mistake in choosing a manโฆโ
Kotone was stunned by the pain in her cheek, which had never been struck before.
But Asami was clenching her jaw even tighter.
So hard that blood was seeping from her lips.
โโฆYouโre not allowed to go out next Tuesday. Whether you have class or not, I wonโt let you take a single step outside the house, so just accept it.โ
As Asami left the room, the servant who had been watching the situation brought Kotone an ice pack.
A single tear formed on the surface of the cold ice pack.
ใโโ
โUghโฆ Daikiโs being so meanโฆโ
Just as sheโd said yesterday, Hina came straight to my house after her volleyball practice ended.
Iโd even given her a spare key.
I was about to settle in for a cozy date at home, but a certain problem came to light.
โThatโs why I told you to work on your summer homework little by little. Anyway, if you donโt finish this, weโre not going to the summer festival.โ
โThatโs so mean! Donโt you want to see me in my yukata!?โ
โThatโs exactly why Iโm rushing you to get your homework done.โ
Hina suggested we go on a date to the summer festival next Tuesday.
Iโd already finished my summer vacation homework, so I had no reason to refuse and agreed.
But I never imagined Hina hadnโt even started her summer vacation homework.
โIf people start saying my grades dropped because of me, I wonโt be able to face your parents.โ
At my words, Hina flashed that signature little-devilish expression of hers.
โDaiki, are you really trying to cover all your bases like that? Oh my gosh, at this rate, Iโll get pregnant in the blink of an eye! I guess we should have a girl for our first child, right?โ
โโฆโฆโ
I gave her forehead a light flick.
โIf youโre going to act like a wife, youโd better get to work and finish your homework first.โ
โHeh heh! So this is what they call โa wifeโs supportโ!โ
โNo, thatโs not it.โ
While exchanging jokes like this, I took breaks to bake homemade cookies and other snacks to encourage Hina.
I lightly ignored her frustrated reactionโshe said they were delicious but felt the gap in our โgirly skillsโ was widening.
But Hinaโs motivation ran out almost immediately.
โฆAnd yet, her grades consistently rank within the top 30 in her grade.
Apparently, she can easily achieve those kinds of grades by cramming the night before, but to the average student, thatโs the kind of statement that would make them lament the injustices of the world.
โI wish there was a better reward or something~โ
Hina muttered as she buried her face in her desk.
Itโs true that someone like her might be better off setting clear goals.
But what can I actually do for her?
(Given Hinaโs personality, rather than just buying her a presentโฆ)
It seems best to do something that couples usually do.
I thought long and hard about the kinds of things couples often do at home.
โฆExcluding anything sexual, of course.
โI donโt know if this counts as a reward, but how about this: once you finish all your homework, you can look through my photo album?โ
Iโm not exactly an expert on romance myself, so ultimately, my knowledge is based on what Iโve seen and heard in the media.
I chose one of the classic scenarios often portrayed in the media.
To be honest, it was a little embarrassing to suggest it myself, but I thought it might mean something to Hina.
If I was wrong, it would just add to my list of embarrassing moments.
โThatโs an awesome reward! Does that mean I get to see all kinds of photos of Daiki!?โ
โNo, theyโre just ordinary, run-of-the-mill photosโฆโ
โLike a photo of Daiki taking a bath completely naked!โ
But you still take a bath with me sometimes and look at those, donโt you?
I wanted to call her out on that, but since Hina seemed to have regained her enthusiasm, I held my tongue.
(Iโll ask Chihiro to have them sent by courier.)
When I moved here, I didnโt want to see the family photo album, so I deliberately left it at my parentsโ house in Tokyo.
But Hina already knows about my family situation, and I actually felt that with her by my side, I could overcome the bitter memories tied to those family photos.
After all, I canโt stay tied to the pain of the past forever.
โAll right! Iโm going to do my best so I can see Daikiโs little Daiki!!โ
โฆโฆI vowed to myself that Iโd censor the photos before showing them to Hina.
Maigetsu