Volume 2 - CH 3.4

“I’m terribly sorry to tell you this, but isn’t this my room?”

“I know.”

“You’re so open and honest, yet so gracious.”

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment. ……”

Somehow, my sister is relaxing in my room after taking a bath again today.

Her uplifted appearance was somehow glamorous. It seems that she has not mistaken the room as her own.

I wondered for a moment if I was mistaken because she was so brazen, but it seemed that I was normal.

My sister is incredibly overprotective. She thinks I’m a three-year-old child or something.

Maybe it’s because of the many things that have happened in the past, but that doesn’t excuse this kind of arrogance. I caught sight of my sister’s buttocks lying on the bed and quickly averted my gaze.

Even though she is my sister, she is still a woman. Damn it, she’s trying to make me flustered with such a thin garment! You succubus! And why are you wearing sexy pants?

“Oh, speaking of, I think my bre*sts are getting bigger again.”

“This boys-only talk is not going anywhere.”

“I need a new bra. Measure me later.”

“W h y?!” (spoken in English)

I reacted like a crazed foreigner, but she wanted me to measure her bust size! My sister’s insolence knows no bounds. It sounds like the title of a novel. Somehow, my sister’s brakes have been destroyed, but will a safety recall be effective? I just hope that automated driving will be put to practical use as soon as possible.

“Just as a point of reference, what’s your cup size?”

“F. But it’s getting tighter, so it might be a G. Good for you.”

“Why should I be happy?”

“You can count on it.”

“Uwaa”

My eyes were dead. My eyes must have looked like dead fish. Even a fish finder couldn’t detect them.

“Don’t you have any naughty books or something? This room is empty, you know.”

“Even your words and actions are like a succubus.”

“Haa? I’m going to S*ck you”

“What?!”

As I was shivering like a hamster when my natural enemy glared at me, the phone rang.

It was a landline phone, not a smartphone. In this day and age, it is rare to get a call on a landline. Was it a survey on the Cabinet’s approval rating?

“I’ll get it.””

I escape from the succubus’s clutches and head for the living room. I check to see who is on the other end of the line, but it is a number I don’t recognize.

“Hello, Kokonoe speaking here”

“Ah , I’m chief’s—-No, I’m a colleague of Ouka-san, is everything alright now?”

“What happened? I heard about the drinking party today.”

“Uhm, are you Yukito Kokonoe? The chief wants you to pick her up at the station, okay?”

“My mother? Can’t she take a cab?”

“Yes, I think so too, but the chief wants you to come. I think she got drunk. I managed to return to my home with her, but it’s not safe for her to go home like this alone, so you should take her home.”

“Oh, I see. I understand. I’m on my way.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

It was very rare for my mother to get drunk. It is rather rare to hear of her getting drunk.

She is not usually one who actively participates in drinking parties, but since many of the employees have recently switched to working from home, it seems that socializing at the office is becoming less common. Mom told me that this was one of the reasons why the drinking party was planned.

Still, it was a surprising offer to pick her up. I would have thought Mom would have called a cab and gone straight home. ……

Well, there was no use in worrying about it. I said a few words to my sister, got dressed, and started walking toward the station.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You must be Yukito-kun? Nice to meet you, I’m Haruka Hiiragi, the chief’s subordinate.”

As soon as I arrived at the station, the two of them were sitting and waiting at a place just a little far from where I was told. Mom was looking very groggy. She is always so composed when she is at work, but this was a rare sight.

I could smell a faint odor of alcohol, but it seemed that Hiiragi-san was not that drunk.

Looking at her face, she looks much younger than my mother. Very young. It would be acceptable to say that she is a college student.

“Thank you for bringing her.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! I’m just doing the chief’s favor. Also, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Yukito-kun.”

“Me?”

I’m going to leave my mother sitting on the bench for a little while. Would it be an unpleasant story to hear? Looking at my mom right now, she doesn’t seem to have the energy to do so……

“The chief doesn’t usually get drunk, but she was in a very good mood. So I think she drank too much.”

“Is that so?”

“She said she was glad to get to know Yukito-kun better.”

“We didn’t fight or anything.”

“Well, I don’t know the details, but she seemed to be troubled.”

Hiiragi-san’s gaze becomes sharper for a moment as she speaks like that.

“So, Yukito-kun, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes?”

“Chief, Ouka-san is a beautiful woman, isn’t she?”

“I think so. Even as her son, I can see that.”

I know best that my mom is a beautiful woman. She has not lost her figure at all, and she always looks young. But, I don’t know what kind of change of mind she is going through, but recently she has been getting more and more aggressive in her skinship, just like my sister, and as an adolescent DT boy, I have always struggled to get rid of her distractions.

“As you can see, the chief is very popular in the company.”

“I see.”

“It’s so rare for the chief to get drunk that all the guys came up to her today.”

“I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“It’s all right, but I’ll put it another way. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it means that there are a lot of people who want to be with the chief.”

“Uhm, does that mean remarriage? I’m not against remarriage if that’s what my mom wants. Perhaps sis is not opposed to it either.”

“I wish it would be a serious relationship, but in essence, it’s just about the body.”

“That’s …….”

“They tried to sexually harass the chief when she became drunk, and even tried to take her home. I blame her good looks for all of this.”

“That doesn’t make me feel very good.”

“I know, right? So you’d better protect her.”

“Me?”

“Normally she’s strong, so I’m sure she’ll be fine, but at times like today. It means there might be such a thing. The chief will surely only have you to rely on.”

“As I said before, if my mother intends to remarry, I won’t oppose it. Of course, I don’t want her to be with someone who is only physical with her.”

“Yeah. I don’t think she meant that, you know?”

“Yes?”

Mom is beautiful. It was only natural that she was popular at work. I thought she might remarry someday, and I had no intention of opposing it. But I never thought I would hear that she was not talking about remarriage, but that she was just being targeted sexually…….

“Chief, you’re always on her mind, and her face is rather —- and I’m not going to tell you any more than I have to. You watch over her, okay? Well, I’m leaving.”

Hiiragi-san tosses the bomb and leaves. What on earth was she going to say at the end? I was curious about the meaningful dialogue, but I was not able to figure it out.

I looked back at my mother, who was looking at me with soft, happy eyes.

“Well, shall we go home?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“It’s okay. If it’s this much.”

I went home alone with my mother, lending my shoulder to her. It was not far from our house. I tried to get a cab, but Mom stopped me. She wanted to walk home.

Is it for her health? It’s hard to keep in shape, isn’t it?

“What were you talking to Hiiragi about just now? Did she confess her feelings for you? I won’t allow you to do that with my employee!”

“She wouldn’t confess to me out of the blue on our first meeting, now would she?”

“You don’t know that. You got a mesmerizing eye.”

“I’ve never heard of it?! And I don’t have one. And I’m pretty sure that’s the kind of thing that makes everybody unhappy.”

“Then why are you so popular?”

“I think it’s because I’m Mom’s child.”

“Eh? I-I see. It’s because of me. ……”

“Because you’re popular, right?”

“No, I’m old enough to know better.”

“Hiiragi-san said you had a hard time because of all the men after you.”

“Haha ……. I see. I’m sorry, I made you feel bad. I had a little too much to drink today. I don’t usually do that. In the end, it doesn’t matter who they’re after in that situation.”

“If Mom intends to remarry, I won’t oppose it. But I don’t want you to marry someone like that.”

“I don’t want to be with someone like that either. Besides, I won’t remarry.”

“Why not?

“Because I have you, Yukito”

“I don’t think that explains it.”

“It’s okay. That’s all that matters now.”

“Hey, don’t move so much. And something soft is hitting me!”

“It’s your imagination.”

Mom leaned closer with a mischievous smile on her face.

I had never been treated like this before. My nerves are on edge thanks to this. Even though it was nighttime, the temperature was still hot. I wonder if I am sweating from the heat or if it is just cold sweat.

“Right, let’s take a bath together when we get home.”

“W h y?!” (English again)

It was the crazy foreigner again. I will refrain from appearing in the future.

Mom is also a mother, and she is irresistibly overprotective. I am too old to take a bath with my mother. I’m not a three-year-old boy.

Yes, I have to change the subject of something. ……

“Ah, by the way, I heard that sis’ bre*sts have gotten bigger again.”

“Ara, really?”

“It’s G”

“Fuu, I win. I’m H.”

“Something shocking came out, but do you have to compete?”

“I’ll show you later in the bath. You can touch it.”

“Crap. The topic hasn’t changed!”

Suddenly, Mom’s voice sank. She squeezed out the words with bitterness.

“—-Please. I want you to touch me.”

“Mom?”

“I’m sorry. …… I’m sorry. Because you are kind, too kind!”

I pat her back to calm her down.

“The other day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It might be malignant. …… I still have to go for a full examination.”

Mom’s story was shocking. I remember a while ago when she seemed to be having a very hard time. Mom was in agony when she saw the test results.

I could feel her body trembling.

“The truth is, I wasn’t going to tell you until I was sure. I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily. But I couldn’t. I’m weak. Please, I want you to come with me to the hospital. I’m not afraid of anything if you’re with me. Please give me courage.”

My mother’s eyes turned red and she bowed her head. There is only one answer.

“Of course, I’ll go with you.”

“I’m scared! I am scared, Yukito!”

Mom was crying inside my chest. It wasn’t because of the alcohol that she was emotionally unstable.

She had been keeping it to herself for a long time. Unable to tell anyone about her anxiety and unable to speak up about her weakness.

I cursed God. I should be the one to suffer. It should have been me.

I am tormented by the helplessness of being able to do nothing but lend my heart.

My mother relies on me like this. Am I recognized as a member of the family?

It doesn’t matter. If there is anything I can do to lighten her heart, if there is anything I can do to help her, I will do whatever I can.

–She is an important member of my family.

She continued to cry for about ten minutes.

“I’m at such an old age. I should check myself regularly. I should make sure I don’t have any lumps in my br*asts.”

“A-As expected, it would be better for sis to do that, right?”

“I’ll ask Yuuri to do the same. So, you should, too. Okay?

When you say it like this, there is no room for argument.

I am Yukito Kokonoe, a man who does not go against his family. No matter what time of day, no matter what time of year.

Looking up at the sky, I see that the moon is still shining in the night today.

The moon does not change, but am I changing? Emotions I had never known before swirled in my chest. Conflicts that arise from my interactions with others.

I wanted to believe that one day I would know what these feelings were.

“What is happening…… Mutsuki, are you suffering right now ……?”

Normally, I would have laughed it off. It’s not worth caring about. It is rather something to be doubted.

But there it was, the answer to the doubts I had.

I got goosebumps when I saw the fact that I could never ignore it. The horrifying array of words written in the book. I read them until my eyes were glued to the pages, and then I crushed them in my hands.

“Watch me now. I’ll make sure to kick you out of this school. ……”

The abominable man named Yukito Kokonoe. Witnessing his vile human nature once again, my hatred runs deeper and my anger burns fiercely.

To me, the student body president, Kedou Mutsuki, was the Sun. More noble and proud than anyone else.

I admired her for being interesting and for doing her own righteousness. She is cheerful, kind, equal to everyone, and has a pure and honest way of life. I was dazzled by her presence.

I wanted to be like her. –I had such a faint longing.

It wasn’t rivalry, jealousy, or anything like that. It was a daydream, a night dream. It was my first love.

Someday the hidden feelings will quietly burn and warm my heart.

It is my sanctuary, a place that no one is allowed to defile.

My family is wealthy, that is a fact, and I was raised as a so-called “young lady”. Perhaps that is why I was always attracted to her uninhibited nature.

For me, Mutsuki is the very ideal prince who crawled out of the story.

I do not intend to impose this feeling on her. I care nothing about my ego.

Someday she will meet a wonderful man, get married, and be happy. If I could stand next to her and congratulate her on such a natural happiness, that would be all I needed to do. And yet…

She has changed drastically. At first I couldn’t believe my ears.

It sounded like a joke to me that she would get down on her knees to encourage a first-year student to make friends with her.

But it wasn’t a rumor. It was enough to knock me off the edge of despair.

I saw an image of Mutsuki on her knees and almost fell over.

Since then, she has always been concerned about someone else, as if in a fever.

At first glance, she looks the same as usual. But to me, who has been watching her for a long time, the change is obvious.

Mutsuki is not that kind of person! That’s why I sought the truth.

I wanted to know why she had changed. And I found it. The part that opened up.

He takes advantage of a woman’s weakness and puts her at his mercy.

The false accusation that was set up to frame Mutsuki.

I can’t forgive him! I can’t forgive that man for defiling my ideals!

I can’t believe he’s in the same school as me! Mutsuki is not the only one.

His poisonous fangs may one day extend not only to her, but to others as well.

I have to get rid of him, I have to get that man out of her life as soon as possible!

That’s why I—-

“Father, I need to speak to you.”