Can I brag about my very devoted wife to you? - Chapter 8 Part 3 - July the 7th

July the 7^th

Last night, I could hardly sleep because I had been thinking about Riko and her past. Like the other nights, this kind of thing has been happening a lot lately. When I didn’t know about love, it was unthinkable for me to think about someone all night long and not be able to sleep. And it’s amazing that I don’t feel the slightest urge to stop liking Riko just because I have more sleepless nights. I was a little surprised to find such a passionate part of myself.

… I’m still sleepy, though.

Thanks to my young age of eighteen, I managed to get through the daytime classes even after staying up all night. But as soon as I got home and ate the delicious dinner that Riko had made for me, I started to feel very sleepy.

“Fuuuaa…”

I was holding back a yawn as I warmed up with the hojicha tea [TN: Roasted green tea.] it had been prepared for me after dinner, when Riko, dressed in an apron and holding a tray, gave me a worried look.

“Are you sleep deprived, Minato-kun? You looked so sleepy in class.”

“Eh? You noticed that in the daytime?”

It was true that I had been sleepy all day, but I hadn’t been dozing off in class. I was surprised to hear her say that, but Riko put her right hand on her waist with a questioning look on her face.

“Mouu, Minato-kun. Even if you don’t say it in words, your wife will notice the slightest change in her husband.”

“I-I see…”

The words “wife” and “husband” and the fact that she notices the slightest change both made me feel embarrassed and muffled.

“Aside from that, why did you have trouble sleeping? Could it be that you have some problems, Minato-kun? If it’s okay with me, you can talk to me about anything…! Or is it a sleep disorder…? I don’t know…! Should we go to the hospital? Err, errr…”

She seemed to be getting more and more anxious as she talked. She became distraught and started calling for an ambulance, so I rushed to stop her.

“Riko, don’t worry so much…! It’s just that I couldn’t sleep last night, I’m usually perfectly fine!”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“I see… but if you continue to have trouble sleeping, talk to me about it, okay?”

“All right. I promise.”

I looked into Riko’s eyes and nodded back firmly. That seemed to finally put her at ease and she showed her usual smile. Immediately after that, however, Riko’s expression became slightly cloudy.

“Oh…but… never mind.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing! I’ll go to bed early after my bath today!”

It couldn’t be nothing. Riko had definitely just swallowed her true feelings and held something back. I’m sensitive to changes in Riko’s feelings, just as she was sensitive to mine during the day.

Because, as Riko told me earlier, even though I’m like this, I’m still Riko’s husband…!

“Riko, what did you just think about?”

“Eh?”

“Maybe, but… you withheld something because I’m not sleeping well, right?”

“How did you know…?”

“That’s… for the same reason Riko told me earlier… you know, that.”

“…Wait, it’s not fair to make me nervous all of a sudden…”

We both turned bright red and fell silent. No, that’s not what I meant!

“What did you shy away from?”

“… Today is the seventh day of the seventh month, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know what day it is…?”

“Tanabata?” [TN: A romantic festival on the July the 7^th. In legends, it has been told that the lovers, Hikoboshi and Orihime, weren’t allowed to meet, except for the July the 7^th every year.]

“Yes…! It’s a romantic day when Hikoboshi and Orihime can meet again once a year, and it’s a special event, so I thought I’d like to see the stars with Minato-kun… Oh, but it’s really just a thought! Don’t worry about it at all…! That’s why this conversation is over! Now, Minato-kun, please go take a bath.”

“No, no, no, no, you can’t finish this topic!”

Riko was careful to claim that she was just thinking about it, but even I, a slow learner, could tell that she wasn’t at all. It was my fault that I didn’t even know that girls thought of Tanabata as a special event in the first place.

The most important thing is that Riko wants to see the stars with me.

I want to give her what she wants at all costs.

My sleepiness flew away in an instant.

“Okay, Riko! Let’s go see the stars. We don’t have enough time, so it’s indeed difficult to go to the mountains. I wonder if there’s a place nearby with a good view. Givc me a minute. I’ll look it up on the Internet.”

“Waaah, Minato-kun! No, you can’t! You’re sleep deprived, Minato-kun, so you need to get some rest. Forget what I said, okay?”

“Riko, you’re the one who should forget what I had said. I’m not sleepy at all!”

“Mou, Minato-kun…!”

I and Riko stared at each other for a few seconds. Both of us were thinking about each other, and that’s why we didn’t want to pull away. When I chuckled, Riko laughed along with me.

“Hey, Riko. How about this? I’ll stop going out. Instead, let’s look at the stars together from the balcony of our house.”

“Uuu…”

Riko’s gaze wandered as if she was lost.

“Riko.”

“… Mouu… It’s not fair for you to call my name in such a gentle voice…”

I hadn’t been aware of the tone of my voice, so I was impatient to see if I had unconsciously infused my feelings for Riko into my voice. But anyway, Riko nodded her head in agreement to my proposal.

◇◇◇

Then Riko and I went out on the balcony. The rain that had been falling earlier had stopped, and countless stars were twinkling in between the clouds.

“Whoa! Look, Minato-kun! I can properly see the Milky Way.”

Riko clapped her hands in happiness and was so cute that I couldn’t help but admire her, which was followed by her shyly saying, “Please look at the sky, not me.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry… – I agree. I feel like it’s easier to see the stars than usual. Maybe it’s because the rain ended?”

I asked Riko, who is standing next to me, looking up at the sky.

“Hmm. Maybe it’s a Tanabata miracle?”

Ahh. I don’t know what’s going on with my mind, but even the idea of hers is cute.

“Minato-kun, thank you for hanging out with me even though you’re tired from lack of sleep. I was really happy to see the stars with you today.”

“Oh, me too! It was nice of you to invite me. Also, I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with all the events and festivals. I guess Tanabata is a special day for girls.”

“It’s an event about love, so a lot of girls might like it. And, you know, I was particularly attached to it.”

“Eh? Why?”

“… Because I know very well what it feels like to look forward to reunite with a loved one who has been separated from you…”

I looked down from the night sky and saw her staring at me. She looked at me as if she wanted to convey something, and my heart skipped a beat. Immediately after the word “reunite” and her suggestive attitude was mentioned, I couldn’t help but hope for the best.

… Does that mean Riko knows that I’m the one she remembered from kindergarten…?

Translator & Editor: Riciel