Chapter 2 Part 2 – A wife who makes today into an anniversary just because I called her name

Translator: Chaos

Editor: Riciel

Now that I think about it, I should have summoned up the courage earlier if it would have made her so happy.

What am I talking about? It started with…

“Hey Hanae-san, did you clean the kitchen? It’s so clean…”

After a hearty breakfast of ham and eggs, macaroni salad, braised eggplant, miso soup with tofu and pickles, I headed to the kitchen with the empty dishes and noticed that the sink was sparkling clean.

Hanae Riko washed the kitchen every day before she goes to bed, so it’s always been clean and free of water stains, but today it was even cleaner than before.

“It’s like a new house.”

“Hehe. I was pretty excited to clean it. I had some time to spare after preparing breakfast.”

“I see, thank you. By the way, Hanae-san, you always wake up early, don’t you?”

I wasn’t much of a morning person, so I turned my admiring gaze to Hanae Riko. Her cheeks were flushed, but she looked a little unhappy.

“Am I still Hanae-san to you, Minato-kun?”

“Oh. Oh… Yes, that’s right… I didn’t forget about it.”

Unlike me, Hanae Riko frequently communicated with her parents overseas via Skype, and I sometimes made an appearance to reassure her parents. We decided to call each other by our first names so that our relationship would not be questioned. However, I made the mistake of inadvertently calling her by her last name a few times, which resulted in her suggesting that I should call her by her first name on a regular basis.

Hanae Riko had a point. Her parents said, “You’re not used to calling her with her first name yet, are you? It must be quite new for you.” They laughed and forgave me, but that wouldn’t last forever. At school, Hanae Riko and I continued to keep our distance from each other without getting involved, so I had no problem with her calling me by my first name at home.

So we decided to call each other by name, but no matter how hard we tried, it didn’t go well.

‘Just call her by her first name then?’

No way.

Only those who interact with girls on a regular basis would think that way. I learned firsthand how special a girl’s first name can be to an unattractive guy.

Because of this, I had to ask for a moment of time to prepare my mind.

Incidentally, Hanae Riko started calling me “Minato-kun” the day we decided on the name rule. She didn’t show any hesitation, but she always looked a little embarrassed. It was such a tiny shift in expression that I almost missed it, but it always made my heart ache as though it had been captured. And it became harder and harder to call Hanae Riko by her first name.

That’s why the act of calling her by her first name was becoming more and more special to me. But I couldn’t tell Hanae Riko this reason, she would probably see me as an indecisive man for being unable to fulfill a promise. I don’t need her to like me, or at least I don’t want her to hate me, but if I’m like this, my future is bleak.

It isn’t good to give up here, right…?

If I didn’t want people to hate me, I’d have to work up a little courage.

It’s a name.

Just call her by her name,

Anyway, first of all, get used to calling her by her first name, even if it’s only in your mind.

In fact, why do I keep calling my own wife by her full name?

Isn’t she as distant as a celebrity?

No, that’s a valid point.

To me, Hanae Riko is more distant than an idol or an actress.

“But how can I be brave…?”

When I muttered to myself with a sigh with a serious face, Hanae Riko put her hand over her mouth and giggled softly.

“You need courage to call me by my name?”

“That’s well… I’ve never called a girl by her first name before.”

“Didn’t you call them by their first names when they were younger? Like, when you were in kindergarten?”

“Ah. If you put it that way, then you’re right. But I hardly remember anything from that time, do you?”

“Huh. I do remember. But I’ve heard that there are a lot of people who have no memory of their childhood. Maybe Minato-kun is one of those types.”

“Well anyway, about your name…”

“Courage, huh… So let’s go for a forceful strategy, shall we?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I won’t answer until Minato-kun calls me by my name.”

“Wha!?”

What the heck…?

“Wait. Hanae-san, what do you mean…?”

The moment I said that, Hanae Riko turned away with a pout.

Wow.

She really isn’t going to answer until I do it, is she…

“Um, but I’m still not ready…”

“……”

Hanae Riko didn’t even look back. The only response was silence.

This is unbearable…

When I looked at her expression from behind her, I saw that her lips were tightly pressed together and she seemed to be trying to hold something back.

It means that as long as I don’t call her name, she’ll be like this forever…

That’s… pretty hard to do…

“Wait. Okay, okay. Okay, I’ll say it. I’ll say it.”

I clenched my fists and shut my eyes. Then I implored myself.

I can say it, I can say it, I can say it.

I’m starting to feel like I can say it.

“I can say it, I can say it, I can say it… … Ri…, Ri, ko…”

My voice was scratchy and I choked up in the middle of the sentence. It was only a word made up of two letters, but I couldn‘t even say it properly. I felt like I was going to disappear for being so pathetic. [EN: Riko = りこ]

But I hope you’ll forgive me.

That’s how special these two letters are to me.

… I mean, did I say that correctly?

I looked up at her anxiously, and before I knew it, she had turned around and was staring at me, her cheeks dyed pink.

“Wow, what should I do… I’m embarrassed… But I’m so happy…”

She put her hands on her own cheeks and blinked repeatedly. Every one of those gestures was insanely cute.

“It’s such a special feeling to have someone call you by your name… Thank you, Minato-kun.”

“Err, sure.”

“To tell you the truth, I was getting impatient. Because if you didn’t call me by name for a long time, I’d be quite worried.”

“Oh, you were?”

“Yeah. It’s hard for me to ignore you, Minato-kun…”

“Oh, yeah.”