Can I brag about my very devoted wife to you?

Chapter 1 Part 6 – I may not be the best, but I look forward to living with you for many years to come

TL:Chaos

ED: Riciel

“I’ve been cooking Japanese, Western, and Chinese food, and I’m ready to meet any of your requests! I also like to clean, so you can trust me with any kind of housework.! I also have a passing knowledge of DIY. It might come in handy in some way. And! I’ll also do my best to take care of bugs when they appear! I’m not very good with spiders, but I can put up a fight against them to protect Shinyama-kun… I’ve taken correspondence courses in mental care, lymphatic massage, self-defense, nutrition, Chinese medicine, and even candle-meister! And if there’s anything else you need, I’ll learn it as well for you!”

So…, that’s why…, please… Shinyama-kun, please… marry me, please…!”

“For now…”

“Yes, yes!”

“….What’s a candle-meister?”

I can’t.

I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts at all and ended up asking about the strangest things. After having asked that, I realized there was something more important to ask.

Come on, get a grip on yourself…

“Well, the Candle-meister part isn’t important, but wait a minute… you said, marriage…?”

My voice sounded pitiful as I asked back.

“Me and Hanae-san…?”

“Yes…”

Damn.

The gesture of her looking down as if embarrassed is so cute that I don’t care about all of it. I feel like wanting to say, “please take care of me”, and offer my hand.

The invincible weapon of cuteness possessed by Hanae Riko, is just becoming more and more frightening.

At any rate, I cleared my throat and made an effort to regain my composure. Ack, it didn’t work very well…

“Where did you come up with the idea of marriage?”

“I was just wondering if I could stay at your house, Shinyama-kun.”

“Yeah, that’s what I understand.”

“So, if I want to live with you, we have to get married…!”

“Yeah, that’s what I don’t understand.”

When I tilted my head and crossed my arms, Hanae Riko took it as a sign of rejection and grabbed the hem of my dress as if to prevent me from escaping.

“Wait, wait…! I’ll explain it to you in order…

The point is that the barrier that stands in the way is my father. It has nothing to do with the fact that I want to get married. Oh, no, no, no…..! That was a mistake on my part, so don’t listen to me…! So, um, the only way to get through my father is to get married…”

Okay, I’m in trouble.

I was not sure if I was following the order at all, but it was getting more complicated than before. Hanae Riko probably had a habit of getting confused when being unsettled. When I had stumbled on the way up and down the stairs yesterday, she had been so distraught that she had tried to give me a lap pillow…

“Hanae-san, I’m going to ask you nicely, so calm down. Can we start from the beginning?”

When I admonished her in a gentle tone to calm her down as much as possible, Hanae Riko nodded her head with a serious face.

“Let’s take a deep breath first.”

“Yes, yes. Soo-hah. Soo-hah!”

“Okay. So, why do we have to get married to live together?”

“Well, my father has always said that living with someone is irresponsible. I’m sure he’d never give me permission.”

“But if he’s so adamant against… cohabitation, wouldn’t a student marriage be even more impossible…?”

“Not that it’s easy to convince him, but my father’s favorite words are ‘serious’ and ‘responsible’…”

The only thing I could do was to give her a wry smile as I guessed from her simple explanation of how Hanae Riko’s father was like. He was probably the complete opposite of me, a hot-blooded man.

But thinking about it, I felt a chill run down my spine. Compared to him, his daughter was such a calm person…

But, isn’t your father the first thing you should have told me about?

“Wouldn’t it be weird if we were to marry each other just because of that? It’s just cohabitation, right?”

If a man and a woman were not in a romantic relationship, even if they lived together, it was only cohabitation, not a couple living together. When I pointed this out to her, Hanae Riko fidgeted and fiddled with her fingertips.

“It’s true that at this point in time it will be cohabitation, but… cohabitation can turn the people living together into a couple, right? The moment that happens, we won’t be able to live together… and that would be… not so great…”

Huh!

Hmm!?

What did you just say, Hanae Riko!

“You’re saying something crazy! You’re saying that our relationship might change from cohabitation to a couple living together! … No, no, no, no, no, that’s not possible!”

I laughed at what a joke that was. But I was the only one who laughed, so I immediately felt awkward and cleansed the smile off my face…

However, what other reaction should I have besides laughing? I mean, in front of me was the most beautiful girl in school! That’s why…

“Even if the heavens and the earth were to turn upside down, there would be no chance of anything happening between us.”

I didn’t want her to think I was some bastard who misunderstood, so I denied it once again with all my might. But for some reason, Hanae Riko turned over with her lips quivering.

Oh, hey.

Did I say something wrong…?

“So it’s impossible for Shinyama-kun and I to be…”

“I’m sure you think so too, Hanae-san.”

“…”

Hanae Riko fell silent. I didn’t know what to do, so I scratched my head pointlessly. I wasn’t sure why Hanae Riko wouldn’t just agree that there was no chance for things to progress between us.

Is that it?

Is she just being considerate of me?

I can’t think of any other reason.

I’m a really bad person for creating this awkward situation…

I need to change the direction of the conversation to change the atmosphere.

“… Maybe you’re in a hurry, Hanae-san. I don’t know how you feel about that, but I think you should choose who you live with very carefully. You’ll regret it if you just go for anyone.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… for saying such a strange thing… I know I made you feel uncomfortable.”

“What? No, that’s not true!”

I was very confused, but no matter what the reason was, there was no way I was going to feel bad when Hanae Riko asked me to marry her. To be frank, if I didn’t have to think about anything else, I’d say ‘yes!’. Truly, that’s what I wanted to say. However, I was the type of person who was dark-hearted, timid, and always thought about unnecessary things, so I couldn’t take such action…

“Shinyama-kun, I’m really sorry for making such an absurd request. But please believe me when I say this. It’s not that I don’t care who you are.”

“……”

I understand.

I know that I was only chosen because I live alone, I look harmless, I have an extra room, and I have a way to help her.

And despite knowing that, I still wanted to accept her.

It was only a few minutes ago that I thought it would be better to be separated from her to put a stop to my feelings. And now, I really didn’t want to waste this miracle that had come my way.

Even if that were to cause me to suffer the pain of a fruitless love in the future…

“Well… what’s it like from Hanae-san’s point of view?”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, are you sure about that? Are you sure you want to marry me?”

As if she wanted me to believe her, Hanae Riko looked up at me. Then she looked away shyly and whispered in a hushed voice.

“I want you, Shinyama-kun….”

…Damn, that’s illegal.

Because if she shows me such an expression, I’ll want to protect her.

That’s right. That’s enough. Enough.

Is there even a need for hesitation when Hanae Riko is relying on me, and are there things I can do for her?

It doesn’t matter why or what I don’t believe.

Because right now, I’m facing a reverse proposal from the most beautiful girl in school.

It may seem like a dream, but this is reality.

What? It’s real, right?

In a classic fashion, I secretly pinched my thighs to avoid Hanae Riko seeing me doing this.

Ouch. I did it.

Okay, now I don’t have to wonder anymore.

I’ll just accept this miraculous situation as if I’ve won the lottery.

It would be a shame to give up just because of being too scared.

What’s the point of hesitating if you’re a simple guy who has never had a girlfriend?

If I miss my chance here, I’m almost certain to be single for the rest of my life.

That’s right.

With a zero percent chance of meeting and marrying someone in the future, I’m not someone who has to keep their marriage record clean for someone else.

But if I accept Hanae Riko now, I’ll get the wife I was never meant to have.

Up until this moment, my imagination, which I had desperately suppressed for a long time, finally woke up.

My insanely cute wife, in an apron.

My insanely cute wife, sitting next to me on the living room sofa.

My insanely cute wife, brushing her teeth side by side in front of the washroom in the morning.

In the blink of an eye, about fifty “scenes with my cute wife” flashed through my mind.

It was the best.

There’s nothing wrong with a contract marriage. Just being able to live a pseudo-life with a pretty wife is a godsend for me.

So I made up my mind and mustered the courage to say.

“Then, do you want to do it with me…? Getting married…?”

Sheesh.

I didn’t have to say it in such a hesitant tone, did I…? I was disappointed with myself for saying it in such a lame way. However, Hanae Riko gave me an incredible response in contrast to my disappointing response.

Her clear eyes widened and her tiny red lips cracked open. She then covered her mouth with both hands and after a long silence, whispered in an almost inaudible voice, “… I must be dreaming”.

That was the kind of reaction you would make if someone you loved, finally proposed to you. I knew it wasn’t like that, but it made me very happy.

… Do you want to stay in Japan that badly?

I guess I made the right choice then.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I’ll help you as much as I can. Let’s do our best together.”

“Yes…! Thank you so much, Shinyama-kun… I’ll never forget what happened today…”

Hanae Riko smiled, her moist eyes narrowed as if she was so happy and touched.

“Well then, this is… – Shinyama Minato-kun, I know I’m a bit of a klutz, but please take care of me for many years to come.”

As she started to sit upright on the flooring in my room, Hanae Riko announced this with a serious face and then bowed her head.