25: Library Date? - 02
“It’s more like a proper restaurant than I thought…”
“Right? And it’s super delicious! You wanted a hamburger steak, right, Uraku?”
“Sure, but how do you know?”
“We’ve been together for a long time.”
“We’ve only known each other for two days…!?”
Kamidama said something like her sense of time was glitched. It was so natural that I almost nodded, thinking it was normal. She’s too skilled at catching signals from her past life.
In reality, it’s rare for me to find someone who clicks so well, even though we’ve barely met. Including that, I hate that I’m gradually starting to find it hard to deny Kamidama’s words. What I hate is that I unconsciously start looking for elements to take her absurd past life stories seriously.
Either you believe or you don’t. When it comes to what others say, you always have only those two choices, so I wanted to at least choose one. When you’re in a halfway state, everything becomes halfway.
I already have too many things left halfway, making me feel like a complete halfway person. At least towards Kamidama, I wanted to face her with a firm stance.
“For me, it’s two days plus α. I can see through everything.”
“Hmm… So you know what drink I was about to order?”
“Fanta Grape. You really have a child’s palate.”
“…Not bad. You’ve passed the Nagiura Uraku Certification Level 3.”
“Too bad, I’ve already obtained Level 1.”
Kamidama smiled as she rang the bell. She had a look on her face like she understood me better than I did.
Hmph… Fine. I’ll admit defeat this time… I thought as I took out my phone. Personally, I don’t like using my phone when spending time with someone, but I hadn’t contacted Sanae or Asahi yet, so please forgive me.
I opened the messaging app and typed the usual message: “I’m sorry, I’ll have dinner and come back late. Don’t worry about me, I’ll come home.” Looking back at the logs, I felt a bit sorry for the business-like conversations, but there’s nothing I could do, so I closed it.
“There, there, good boy, good boy. You’re doing great.”
“Hey, don’t suddenly pat my head! Do I look like a child?”
“You looked very young, like a lost child just now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean… Lost, huh?”
Kamidama’s light words made me think. Saying I’m lost isn’t entirely an incorrect metaphor.
Wandering without a goal, not approaching any end, it might indeed look like being lost. Takatsuki-sensei is okay with that, but I can’t keep doing this forever.
Someday, the time will come to reach the goal. When that happens, will I fit into that home? Or will I have completely parted from it?
It’s extreme, but it’s probably one of those two options. And honestly, I can’t clearly see either future.
“It’s been a while since I saw your worried face. Are you okay? You can talk to me about anything, you know?”
“I’d feel bad… Besides, it’s not something that talking about will solve.”
“You don’t get it, Uraku. Just talking to someone can make you feel better. You always take on too much by yourself.”
“It’s better to cherish something if you take on as much as you can, right?”
“…You’re at it again. I don’t think that’s good.”
“Stop receiving signals from your past life while getting mad; it makes it hard to feel sorry.”
No, it’s not that I want to feel sorry… I just don’t know how to react. I shrugged my shoulders as I took a sip of the drink that had just arrived.
The fizzy soda refreshed my dry throat with a popping sensation.
“Thanks for caring. But I’m fine. It’s a family issue, and more importantly, a personal issue. I don’t want to take it easy too easily.”
“…I see. Then I have only one role.”
“One role?”
What are you talking about? I’m saying you have none. My gaze was completely ignored. Instead, Kamidama cut into my hamburger steak.
What? Are you so hungry that you want my food first? If you’d told me, I would’ve given you a bite… but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Here, Uraku. Say ‘itadakimasu.’”
“Huh? Itadakimasu…?”
“Good boy.”
What’s with this? As I opened my mouth to ask, Kamidama fed me with a smile.
I chewed and swallowed the hamburger steak she put in my mouth.
“It’s delicious… Wait, no, let me eat by myself.”
“Nope. As your future wife, the least I can do is pamper you. Let me do this much.”
“It’s unnecessary…”
It’s slightly hard to eat, and the other customers are giving us warm looks. I want her to stop quickly, but Kamidama showed no signs of doing so.
Sigh… I decided to empty my mind and let her have her way, to end this quickly.