Can I brag about my very devoted wife to you?

Chapter 2 Part 5 – She gave me courage when I lacked confidence – Part 1

Translator: Chaos

Editor: Riciel

It was 9:30 pm.

On my way home from work, I stood in front of the door of room 707, more nervous than usual.

It’s okay, just relax.

It’s best to be casual as usual.

I gulped and pressed the intercom. Immediately, Riko’s cute voice answered, and the door opened.

Like always, with a smile and a “welcome back”, Riko reached out to take my bag.

But not today.

I can’t give her this bag.

“I’ll hold this one myself! It’s totally light! I mean, you don’t have to worry about the bag every day from now on. Thanks for everything.”

When I told her the words I had simulated over and over in my head, Riko responded crestfallen with her repeatedly blinking, sad eyes.

“Oh… I’m sorry… I didn’t notice… I guess you didn’t want me to hold it for you…”

“Oh, what? No, it’s not… It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s because it was wrong… Also, there are some circumstances today…”

“……”

Wait.

Don’t look so down with such a depressed look on your face.

It’s too painful to watch.

“Eh, no, never mind! It’s nothing! Can you hold this for me, please?”

When a girl was on the verge of crying, it was a sign of desperation for a man to deal with such by acting on the spur of the moment without thinking. I often saw husbands being criticized by their wives on Twitter due to their impulsiveness, but ladies, please understand this…

Riko didn’t blame me, but she shook her head emphatically and apologized again, saying, “I’m sorry I made you work so hard…”

I remembered how caring Riko was, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. But what about me? I thought I’d thought it through, but I’d acted unthinkingly and hurt her easily.

Let’s forget about the contents of the bag for now.

The only thing I can do now is to apologize sincerely.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Can you please hold my bag for the rest of my life from now on…?”

I bowed my head, feeling really sorry for myself. Then I heard Riko gasp as she stood in front of me.

“For the rest of your life…?”

Ah.

Oh no…!

I said something stupid again…!

I looked up in a panic and saw Riko with her ears all red and her hands over her mouth, stunned.

What?

I can’t tell what kind of reaction this is.

“Are you sure…?”

Even though I didn’t understand the situation at all, I could tell that the right answer was to say “yes”.

… Alright.

When I agreed “yes” with the sole intention of not hurting Riko, she somehow whispered, “Waaaaaah… this is unreal…!” and crouched down on the spot.

I’m sure I looked like a cat whose pupils had widened in confusion after being thrown into outer space.

“Oh, no… I’m too much of a wuss… I’m embarrassed… And I’m sorry for being such a pain…”

“No…”

If I put aside the fact that I couldn’t understand what was going on, I would say that the distraught Riko was very cute. I would thank her for showing me something good, but this was not the time to be thinking like that.

“… Did you really want to carry my bag that badly?”

Riko, still embarrassed, repeatedly pulled her hair back over her ears.

“I wanted to take care of Minato-kun, who was tired from his part-time job… Also, isn’t this more like a wife…? That’s why I was always happy to do that…”

Riko said with an ‘ehehe’ laugh.

“Yeah, is that what it is? The kind where a girl dreams of becoming a bride?”

A boy who has always wanted to be a pilot is moved the moment he sits in the cockpit as an adult, or a girl who has always wanted to be a teacher feels joy when she stands in the classroom. I wondered if it was that kind of emotion. I didn’t know if there were still girls who yearned to be a “bride” in this day and age, but that was the only reason I could think of.

Riko scowled and lowered her eyebrows at my question. [TN: tfw even the heroine is tired of your density]

“… Longing to be a wife isn’t important… but well, that’s also fine.”

“Not important?”

“No, it’s nothing! Don’t worry about it…! How was your work today? Was it crowded on the couple’s day?”

“Oh, yes. But the current screening lineup is rather geeky, so I didn’t feel like it was too crowded. Maybe the upcoming ladies’ day will be more crowded.”

This kind of chatting was much easier than talking about what we thought of each other. Of course, I’m not saying that I don’t get nervous at all about such topics. Still, it was better than the other way around, and there wasn’t any difference in the way my voice sounded or any moment I lost the point of what I was saying. Even so, Riko always listened to me attentively and smiled happily, even though my stories were absolutely boring.

I didn’t stop her from trying to carry my bag.

“Oh! But today, it would be helpful if you could hold it vertically…”

“Vertical? Like this?”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

Why did I insist on holding it vertically? As I headed for the bedroom to change before dinner, I opened my bag and hurriedly checked the contents before taking off my uniform. The box, tucked into the bottom of the bag, was still firmly in place, just as I had put it.

“Good… It’s not falling apart…”

Muttering to myself, I took out the strawberry shortcake with great care I had bought at the convenience store on my way home.

I wanted to thank Riko for what she’s done for me. But I didn’t know what to do. As the days went by and I could do nothing but worry about it, it finally hit me that I should try to give back some presents.

But I didn’t know what Riko liked at all. The quickest way would be to ask her what she liked. But only if it’s not the girl you’re interested in.

There is nothing more difficult than asking a girl you are interested in what she likes…! I was worried that by asking such a question, my feelings would be revealed.

In the end, I recalled the time when Riko had bought me a cake to celebrate the day I had called her by her name. At that time, Riko had seemed to enjoy eating the cake very much.

I don’t know if she likes it or not, but I don’t think she hates it.

That’s why I bought this cake…

I looked down at the box I took out and suddenly felt uneasy. The transparent plastic lid looked cheap.

When I saw it in the sweets section of the convenience store, the shortcake looked overwhelmingly elegant compared to the pudding and small chocolate mousse, and it had a special feel to it. But the cake, which I had bought hoping that it would make her happy, looked unbelievably disappointing and unappetizing under the fluorescent lights in my bedroom.

… I mean, cakes were usually meant to be bought at a cake shop, weren’t they?

That’s right.

Even the cake that Riko bought for me came in a fancy white box.

Why didn’t I notice such a minor detail?

No, I know the reason.

I’ve never bought a cake for anyone before in my life.

…There is no way I can give this to her as a thank you.

Anyone who would receive such a cake would have a hard time reacting to it.

“It’s no use. I’ll have to digest it by myself when Riko is taking a bath. Haha… I don’t know why I bought a double-pack of these, of all things…”

As I muttered to myself and slumped my shoulders, I heard a knock at the door.

That’s not good…!

It’s Riko!