Can I brag about my very devoted wife to you? - Chapter 9 Part 7 - Mutual feelings
Mutual feelings
“W-w-what should I do…? Riko, I’m sorry, um, how can I help you stop crying…!?”
I took a half step forward, flustered by Riko’s tears.
“Uu, I’m sorry for suddenly crying… But, I’m too happy… It’s not a dream, is it? Do you like me, Minato-kun?”
She asked me anxiously with tear-filled eyes, and I nodded my head in panic. However, more and more tears overflowed from her eyes as she saw this.
“Uuu, I still can’t… I’m so touched…”
W-why…? I’m trying to get Riko to stop crying, but it’s having the opposite effect…!
“You know, I… sob…”
“Yeah.”
“I really, really, really love you, Minato-kun… sob…”
“…But… well… I thought Riko has someone else she likes…”
“What? Someone else?”
With rabbit-like eyes, Riko tilted her head in genuine wonder.
“You told me on the day of Tanabata… You said that you reunited with the person you liked when you were in middle school… But, me and you never met back then, right…?”
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Riko was taken by surprise and began to panic incredulously.
“A-about that…um…”
Seeing her reaction, a theory naturally popped into my mind.
Until very recently, Riko’s favorite person was the A-man. But at some point, she miraculously changed her mind about me. I’m sure she still liked A-man at the time of Tanabata, so either she changed her mind about me yesterday or today, or she only had a crush on A-man and was gradually changing her mind about me.
But I don’t care about that. If you think you like me, even just a little bit…!
That in itself was an incredible miracle for me.
“Sorry, I’m asking you something hard to answer. You mean you’ve come to like me lately, right…?”
When I said it myself, it felt so unrealistic that it made me feel uneasy.
Because, Riko likes me… I can’t believe that…
Riko lowered her eyebrows apologetically and muttered in a small voice, “If you see it like that…, please leave it that way…”
Yeah, that’s totally fine. If that’s what Riko wants, then that’s how I’ll accept it.
What’s important to me is the future.
…Hey, we… both have feelings for each other… does that mean…?
“Then, am I able to go out with you, Riko…?”
“Can I be Minato-kun’s girlfriend…?”
“…! Will you be… my girlfriend…?”
“Yes, yes! Of course…!”
It was a strange thing to become lovers when we were already married. I was so happy that I didn’t care about this contradiction, I felt like I was about to faint from happiness.
And then, suddenly, I heard applause and cheers from behind me.
“Eh!?”
“Waa!?”
Riko and I turned around in surprise to see the tourists sheltering from the rain under the roof of the terrace, smiling and clapping their hands.
Uwaa…! Did they hear everything we just said!?
We were too preoccupied with ourselves to notice at all.
“You both, congrats on being a couple!”
“It’s nice to be young!”
“Boyfriend, don’t make your cute girlfriend cry too much!”
We both turned red and looked at each other as people called out to us.
I’m not used to being the center of attention, and I was so embarrassed that if I had a hole, I would go in it. Even so, the happiness that filled my heart was more overwhelming than the embarrassment, because the embarrassed Riko next to me was tickling me with her smile.
“Riko, let’s do our best together from today on.”
“It’s my pleasure…! I know I’m a klutz, but please take care of me for many years to come – Ah, that’s the second time we’ve had this exchange.” [TN: Chapter 1 Part 6.]
When Riko squinted her eyes nostalgically, the capricious summer street rain ended abruptly, just as it had begun to fall.
“Ah! Look, Minato-kun! It’s a rainbow!”
When I looked in the direction Riko was pointing, I saw a rainbow in the clear sky. With our words, all the tourists turned their attention to it and started taking pictures with great joy. Thanks to us, no one was paying attention to us anymore, and we were secretly relieved.
“We’re both got all soaked. I’m worried that Riko will catch a cold.”
“Hehe, thanks. But I’m glad we’re matching.”
She said this in a bouncy voice and gently took my hand. Perhaps because our hearts are now connected, I felt Riko’s body warmth more than ever. My heart, which has been racing for a long time, got louder and louder. But I didn’t mind, thinking that it was all a sign of my feelings for Riko.
“Hey, Minato-kun. I’ll never forget this rainbow or today’s miracle.”
Me too. I’ll keep it in my heart and treasure it forever.
When I squeezed Riko’s hand back with feelings that I couldn’t put into words, the gentle warmth of her hand returned my feelings as if it were a matter of course.
Translator & Editor: Riciel