Having Had My Bride Stolen, I Just Want to Live Peacefully - Chapter 16

A midafternoon in the food court.

We finished our order and sat face to face.

I don’t know where to start.

How far should I share? I open my mouth while thinking.

“I lived in an apartment from the upper grades of elementary school until I graduated from university.”

Nene-chan is listening, staring at me.

“At that time, I lived with my mother. We were not wealthy, we could only rent small places, so I often bump my head.”

This is the end of the old story.

But that’s not what Nene-chan wants to hear.

She didn’t say it, but her eyes seemed to complain.

“The reason why I’m not wealthy even though I’m from the Ichinose family is because I’m the child of a mistress.”

Silence envelops the noisy food court as it feels like a bubble of silence wrapped around us.

I began to recount the story.

It is said that my mother, who was working as a maid at the house, was approached by my father and developed a romantic relationship.

It would have been nice if it was just a romantic relationship, but he had a legitimate wife.

Their relationship seems to have continued secretly, but before they knew it, my mother ended up carrying his child.

This led to the discovery of their relationship, and she was kicked out of the house and on her own.

A few years later, my mother and I were brought back.

This is because the Ichinose family was also inherited by a man’s bloodline. After giving birth to a girl, his legitimate wife was rarely blessed with children, which became a problem of succession.

However, unlike the Fujisaki family, it was prohibited to invite men from outside.

So, as a desperate measure, they came to consider how about the child who had been confined at that time.

They looked into it and found out that I was a man.

I was forbidden to play with my friends for the sake of education, and I was thoroughly instructed in my studies, manners, and etiquette.

It was hard, but if it made my mother happy, I could endure it.

When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, his legitimate wife finally conceived a son.

So I was cast aside and kicked out of the house.

“I remember being happy to be able to get out of that hellish environment and live with my mother again.”

I try and say it cheerfully.

A lot of things happened there too, but that’s alright for now.

“I see, I’m sorry for making you share many things…”

Nene-chan seemed to be desperately holding back the fact that she was about to burst into tears.

Her eyes were moist and she was about to burst into tears.

But she’s enduring it because if she cried, it would mean she was feeling sorry for me.

She didn’t want to see me as someone to be pitied. She’s such a good kid.

“Don’t worry about it. Rather, I’m sorry to tell you such a serious story.”

Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep.

Suddenly, the bell rings in my hand.

“It looks like it’s ready. I’ll get it for you.”

Leaving Nene-chan behind, I left the place.

◇◆◇

“Thank you, brother-in-law.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nene-chan gives me words of consideration when I get the food.

Her voice is getting brighter, and she doesn’t have the same atmosphere as before.

Nene-chan’s eyes are red, but I shouldn’t mention it.

“”Thank you for the meal.””

What we were eating was white rice in the middle of the iron plate, corn and green onions on top, and rice surrounded by meat.

This is the first time since Kyouhei took me to eat it when I was in high school.

After having a bite, I was struck by how strong the seasoning of salt and pepper was.

It’s so delicious that I can’t eat it every day, I could have eaten it without worrying about anything back then.

“Can I ask Nene-chan something?”

“Hm? That’s fine. Ask me anything.”

I’m not going to ask her anything, but I think I got her consent.

“Nene-chan, that… you have common sense. I thought about it at the supermarket, but we still eat together at the food court.”

The Fujisaki family has more assets than the Ichinose family, and unlike me, Nene-chan is raised there properly.

But I was worried that she wasn’t naive.

“Ah, what? I don’t know…”

She seemed to have received an unexpected question, and she seemed a little out of it.

What did she expect I asked her?

“I’ve never been to a place like this before. I think I was living a wealthy life that everyone imagined. That has changed since I entered Amagamine High School.”

I’ve heard that Nene-chan went to a girls’ school in junior high school.

Amagamine High School has a high deviation value and attracts many people, but since it is a public high school, it is attended by children from ordinary families.

I wonder if that’s when she made friends and gradually developed common sense in the world.

“Nene-chan said you also work part-time. It’s great that you’re working hard.”

“No, it’s quite normal. Everyone does it.”

She turned her palm to me, and shook it as if to say, “Don’t praise me.”

“I had a hard time starting a part-time job, but I’m glad I did it now. I knew what money I could get in an hour, and from there I could see the prices, and I knew how great my father was, and this life was not something to take for granted.”

That’s amazing. The reason she can think about it so far is probably because Nene-chan is honest.

“Come to think of it, what kind of part-time job does Nene-chan do?”

“Um… it’s a cafe or a retro coffee shop?”

A retro coffee shop?

I’m intrigued by words that I’m not familiar with.

Recently, I have become interested in many things.

“I have time, maybe I’ll go there next time.”

“Huh…”

“Can’t I?”

“It’s… okay.”　

“Ah, really? Then can you tell me the name of that place?”

From there, Nene-chan talked about her part-time job and friends at school.

We were excited to talk about her high school days.

◇◆◇

After we finished looking around the mall for a while, we were about to leave.

“Aah, it was fun.”

“Thank you for today.”　

“You went out with Nene for shopping. It’s Nene who should say thank you.”

No, it was almost my purchase.

“But I have one regret.”

“Aah, that’s it…”

I remember what happened at the arcade.

When we were walking around, we passed the crane game, and there was something like that.

“I wanted to take ‘Dekakawa’ home… That’s too bad.”

Nene-chan looked down and pointed at her mouth.

“No matter how many times we tried, we couldn’t get it.”

Nene-chan has been here before, but she has never played and just looked at her friends, and it was the same for me.

In other words, we were two beginners who worked hard, but we were not surprised.

The clerk took pity on us and offered to adjust the position, but we agreed that wouldn’t feel right.

Well, we had to give up because we couldn’t get it.

“Maybe next time.”

“Eh, is there another one?”

Nene-chan’s face suddenly brightens.

“Aah, I’ll make sure we get it next time.”

“Yay.”

She must want a stuffed “Dekakawa” doll.

Nene-chan was posing tightly.

“Ichinose-sensei!”

Suddenly, my name was called.

Sensei?

I thought Nene-chan called me for fun, but the voice was different.

I looked around, but I could not find the person who had called me.

“Ichinose-sensei! I’m down here~!”

I looked down and saw a little kid jumping.

Middle school students, no, it is probably an elementary school student.

Maybe she mistook me for a teacher or something.

“You’ve finally seen me~, geez!”

“Uh, the lost child center is that way.”

“No, it’s not~, I’m not a kid! It’s me, don’t you remember? I’m Kohinata Yuki.”

Her little animal-like kid and her name remind me of her.

“Are you Kohinata-san in the class I was in charge of when I was practicing teaching?”

“That’s right, that’s right~! I’m glad you remembered it. Ah, I’m sorry for interrupting you by talking to you all of a sudden! Is the person next to you your girlfriend? Or is it your wife?

“I’m his wife.”

Nene-chan says with a straight face.

“Hey, don’t make such a joke. She’s neither my girlfriend nor my wife. I don’t have a girlfriend, and I’m not married.”

I’m flatly denying it here.

I feel like Nene-chan is being too playful these days.

“Come on, brother-in-law.”

“Ah, she’s your younger sister.”

Kohinata-san was patting her chest.

Then she stared at Nene-chan’s face and her eyes widened.

“Wait, you’re Fujisaki-san!”

She’s as noisy as ever.

“Do you know her, Nene-chan?”

“I don’t know…”

Furufuru, and Nene-chan shook her heads.

“What do you mean you don’t know! I’m Fujisaki-san’s homeroom teacher!?”

Wait, Kohinata-san is Nene-chan’s homeroom teacher.

The world is small.

“Eh, but Fujisaki-san and Ichinose-sensei have different surnames. Besides, Ichinose-sensei is not married. Is she your younger sister?”

“Well, there are a lot of things.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to pry!”

Kohinata-san bowed her head many times at my vague response.

After that, she asked for my contact information, so we exchanged numbers.

As she left, Kohinata-san stumbled and fell.

A strange grandmother gave her a candy. As expected, she only looks like a kid.

Nene-chan remained sullen until we parted ways.

I wonder if I have done something.

It shouldn’t be like this just because I couldn’t get a stuffed animal.

On my way home alone.

It reminds me of Kohinata-san’s reaction.

From the public’s point of view, Nene-chan is not actually my sister-in-law, and I am not Nene-chan’s brother-in-law.

Then are we a complete stranger who has no connection?

I knew it would happen. But it’s different now.

So what’s our relationship now?

I thought about it, but there was no answer.

The burden in my hands felt so heavy that I must have been tired from walking around.