A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 39

…We got married shortly after graduating from university.

We rented an apartment in a semi-rural area, about 20 minutes by train from the city center, and lived there together.

After our marriage, Kenji got a job at a major publishing company. His reason for choosing the job was very “Kenji-like”: he wanted to read books before they were published.

I had actually wanted to work at the same company as Kenji, but I didn’t pass their interview, so I ended up working as an office clerk at a food company.

“I’m home~!”

Unlocking the door, I called out to the empty house.

Most of the time, I got home earlier than Kenji. It was simply because my company was closer to our place—a mere five-minute walk. I always felt lucky to have found such a conveniently located job.

“Well then, I guess I’ll start dinner.”

After changing out of my suit into casual wear, I went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out some potatoes, beef, onions, and carrots.

“Hm-hm-hmm ♪ Hmmm hm-hm-hm-hmm ♪”

Humming cheerfully, I started preparing nikujaga. I peeled the potatoes with a knife, cutting them into bite-sized pieces.

“I’m home!”

Just then, I heard Kenji’s voice from the entryway. Placing the knife down on the cutting board, I went to greet him.

“Welcome back, Kenji!”

“Yeah, I’m home too, Kana. Here, let’s have these together later.”

Kenji held up a plastic bag in his right hand. Inside were two cakes he had bought at a convenience store.

“Wow! Thanks, Kenji!”

When I said that, Kenji gave me a shy, happy smile.

“Mmm, this is delicious nikujaga. As expected from Kana,” Kenji said, sitting across from me at the dining table with a warm smile.

“Hehe, thanks ♡”

“Sorry for always leaving dinner to you.”

“It’s fine, really. I get home earlier, and you help with everything else around the house, don’t you? So, don’t worry about it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

Hearing my response, Kenji’s face softened with relief.

(Mm, delicious. I’ve really gotten better at cooking.)

In the beginning, I was completely clueless. I even tried washing rice with detergent once, and I didn’t know how to use a rice cooker.

Kenji’s cooking skills were a huge help back then. He had often cooked for his mom growing up and was good at other house chores too. Honestly, his cooking was still better than mine, but seeing him enjoy the meals I made made me happy. Now I could make nikujaga without even looking at a recipe.

(The potatoes are perfectly soft and fluffy.)

Relishing my progress, I devoured the nikujaga.

After dinner, we sat together on the couch, cuddling shamelessly.

“Mmm, Kenji smells so good~”

I clung to his right arm, sniffing around his shoulder. My playful, kittenish tone—something I’d never use with anyone else—echoed softly in the room.

“S-Smell? That’s kind of embarrassing.”

Even though we were married, Kenji still got flustered when we were affectionate. His cheeks turned red as he fidgeted, which was so cute it made me want to dote on him even more.

“Hey, Kenji, can you pat my head?”

“H-Huh? Pat your head?”

“Work was super tough today. Please pat my head?”

“O-Okay.”

Using his free left hand, he awkwardly stroked my head. Feeling his hand, rugged and masculine, against my hair made my heart skip a beat. The contrast with his gentle demeanor was irresistible.

“Kenji~”

“What is it, Kana?”

“Hehe, just wanted to call your name~”

“Haha, I see.”

Kenji smiled softly and continued stroking my head gently. This kindness of his had remained unchanged since we first met.

Ah, how happy I was. Being able to stay by his side felt like the most precious thing in the world.

This joy was irreplaceable. It might sound like a cliché, but it was my truth.

“Hey, Kana, should we go now?”

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Kenji and I stood up from the couch. He took incense sticks and a lighter from the cupboard and slipped them into his pocket.

Then, hand in hand, we left the house and stepped into the quiet night.

Under a beautiful starry sky, we walked side by side through a serene residential neighborhood.

The night breeze was gentle but cool, making my feet feel slightly chilly.

“………………”

“………………”

About 20 minutes on foot from our apartment was the Saito family grave.

The gravestone bore various family names: Hirose, Watanabe, and Saito.

“It’s been a while, Mom.”

Kenji whispered softly, lighting the incense. The faint smoke rose into the night sky.

As the distant sound of crickets reached our ears, we clasped our hands in prayer before the grave.

“…Shall we head back?”

“Yeah.”

“See you again, Mom.”

With Kenji’s final words to his mother, we turned away from the grave and headed home.

“It’s been two and a half years since your mom passed… Time flies,” I said, looking at the ground.

“Yeah,” Kenji murmured wistfully.

“Well, at least she got to see our wedding. That alone makes me happy.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we made it in time too. That was really important to me.”

One big reason for our early marriage was that we wanted Kenji’s mom to witness our wedding.

For me, though, it was simply that I couldn’t imagine life without Kenji and wanted to be with him as soon as possible.

“But your dad didn’t make it in the end. I’ve never met him, but I wish I could have.”

“Yeah… The phone number I had for him doesn’t work anymore, so I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing…”

Kenji looked up at the star-filled sky.

“But I believe Dad is looking at the stars too.”

“The stars?”

“Yeah. I believe we’re both looking at Mom beyond this sky.”

“………………”

“When they divorced, I thought our family was broken forever. But when we’re looking at the stars… I feel like the three of us are together again.”

Seeing Kenji’s bittersweet yet gentle profile, I couldn’t help but look up at the sky as well.

The Milky Way split the deep blue-black sky, glittering brilliantly.

Countless lights had traveled eons to reach us now.

“………………”

I linked my arm with Kenji’s, leaning my head gently against him.

“Kenji, I love you.”

“………………”

As we quietly walked through the neighborhood, I heard Kenji’s soft reply, “I love you too.”