Episode 1 – I’m giving you this house

My Parents Gave Me a House So I Decided to Start a Marriage and My Childhood Friend Ran for It, so We Got Married and I Won in Life!

“Takuya, you can have the house.”

“…… Eh?”

I woke up and came down to the living room first thing on an uneventful Saturday morning, and my father suddenly told me that he was going to give me this house.

My brain, which was still slightly asleep, refused to comprehend the sudden and significant statement.

“You’re giving away …… this house?”

“Yes.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

Apparently, I had not misheard him.

He said he was going to give me the house out of the blue. ……

“How did it come to that?”

“Originally I was going to give it to you, but I got transferred to another prefecture. So I thought I’d give it to Takuya now.”

So you’re giving the house to me. ……

Is such an absurd story even possible?

Even if he suddenly gave me the house, I would be at a loss what to do with it.

“I’ll follow your father, so you can do whatever you want with this house, Takuya. You can live with your girlfriend or sell it if it’s too much to manage.”

Mom, who seemed to have been listening to the conversation, also joined the conversation.

It seemed that my mother was going to move in with my father, and it was the right time for me to get the house as he said.

It’s a hassle that she knows I don’t have a girlfriend, though.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have a girlfriend. I’m not going to sell it, so I’ll live here alone for now.”

But still, I’m in trouble. ……

This house is too big for one person to live alone and it’s too hard to clean.

On the other hand, I have a lot of memories of this house, so I don’t want to sell it easily.

My mom is right, if I had a girlfriend I could move in with her, but sadly I’ve never had a girlfriend in my life.

I’m struggling with this and an idea comes to my mind.

“Maybe I should start …… marriage hunting.”

I decided to start marriage hunting.

I am not in a hurry to get married, but it is not too early.

It would be a good life experience.

I concluded so and decided to go to a marriage agency nearby tomorrow.

◇◆◇

The next day, I was in front of the station to go to a marriage agency.

There were a lot of places to store, and because it was a holiday, there were a lot of people there.

(I used to come here with her a long time ago. ……)

I think of my one and only childhood friend in my life.

The streets have changed a bit since then, but many memories keep coming back to me without fading away.

Feeling nostalgic, I decided to wander around the neighborhood before going to the marriage agency.

I walked around the area without a destination.

When I had walked about ten minutes, I found a small bookstore.

“I remember when I was a little boy, I used to browse through manga here …….”

It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the places I used to go most often.

Nowadays, if I want a book, I buy it online, but in the past, I used to come here often with my childhood friends and friends from school.

I went into the store to see how it is now.

I give a slight nod to the person who looks like a part-timer at the cash register and head for the manga section with a familiar walk.

I still read manga, but much less than when I was a child, so there were many books I didn’t know, but the nostalgia and memories that occupy my mind are the same.

“Are you looking for something?”

I am startled when someone suddenly speaks to me from behind.

But when I see the owner of the voice, I can’t help but smile.

“Grandma! It’s been a long time!”

“Hmm? Could that voice be Taku-chan?”

Standing there was the grandmother who owned this store.

She was a kind person who always gave me juice and sweets, and I loved her like a real grandmother.

“You remembered me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I remember you. You came here so many times, how could I forget you?”

We talked about memories and my current situation.

She listened to everything I had to say with a smile and a happy heart.

When the conversation came to an end, she asked me a question.

“Have you been seeing Miyu chan lately?”

“Ah, I haven’t been in touch …… , actually.”

The topic of conversation was my childhood friend.

We became a little estranged after going to different universities, and we haven’t seen each other since then, and by the time I got a job, I was so busy that I couldn’t even keep in touch.

If I had the chance, I’d love to have a long talk with Miyu.

“Thank you, grandma. I had a lot of fun talking with you today. I have to go somewhere, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Oh, what are you doing?”

“I’m thinking of going to a marriage agency.”

I told her that it was nothing to hide and I didn’t hesitate to tell her.

Then, the grandmother looks a little troubled.　

“I wonder what kind of face Miyu chan will make ……”

“Eh? Why is Miyu coming out?”

“No, nothing. Be careful when you go.”

The last word was bothering me, but I couldn’t figure it out even if I thought about it, so I gave up and left the bookstore.

The sun was already high in the sky and I had stayed there too long.

I regain my composure and start walking toward the marriage agency.

But…..

“Ah! We used to play at that park a lot…I always ordered something from that store after club activities.”

I’ve been wandering all over the place so much that I don’t feel like I’m ever getting there.

I can’t help but think of giving up on going today.

But I don’t want to live alone in that big house. ……

“Huh? Takuya?”

As I’m struggling in my mind, I hear a familiar voice next to my parents in my life.

This voice is ……!

“Miyu……!”

Standing behind me was my childhood friend who had grown up beautifully.