Having Had My Bride Stolen, I Just Want to Live Peacefully - Chapter 2

“Well then, I’ll go take a shower.”

A beautiful girl in a uniform says quietly and disappears into the bathroom.

Soon I hear the sound of clothes slipping from the dressing room.

There was a sweet smell peculiar to girls in the room.

Maybe that’s why I’m so nervous.

The story goes back a little bit as to why this is happening.

◇◆◇

The morning after my fiancée was stolen from me.

The weather was a record-heavy rain as if to represent my feelings.

“Ah, this is depressing.”

I was lying on the bed, I muttered to myself.

I couldn’t stop remembering what happened yesterday.

It was terrible after they left the ceremony hall.

First of all, an unprecedented disturbance caused a stir in the ceremony hall.

It’s only natural that the bride has run away.

The ceremony could not continue without the bride, and it was canceled.

“I’m very sorry that this happened even though I invited you.”

Then I apologized to each of the guests.

Their reactions were mixed.

Some fellow pitied me.

Some offer words of encouragement.

Some get angry when they come all the way here.

Some mocked that the looters were also responsible.

I felt a sense of betrayed despair, helplessness, and pity, and all sorts of emotions filled my heart.

But I swallowed that emotion down, holding back the feeling of vomiting, and kept my head down.

Every time I bowed, I could hardly bear to see my face reflected on the marble floor.

The expression was haggard and terrible.

And I also apologized to the staff who helped me at the ceremony hall.

Himeno-san was hesitating until the very last minute, but they were a planner who patiently dealt with her.

The chef readily agreed to the request of Himeno-san, who has many likes and dislikes, despite asking too much.

Other than that, the cameraman, the caretaker, and the host.

I realized once again that many people were involved in making the preparations.

When I returned to the waiting room, my father barged in and yelled at me, “I was humiliated in front of a lot of people! What are you going to do? You were useless until the end!” in addition to being yelled at, “You are no longer from the Ichinose family.” I disowned.

He went on and on and declared, “You’re fired as of today,” and slammed the waiting room so hard that the door almost broke.

While I was sitting in a daze, Himeno-san’s parents came in and I received an apology.

They kneeled and said, “I’m truly sorry for what our daughter has done.”　

They told me that they would pay compensation for the cost of the ceremony and the emotional pain I received in public.

I both told them to stop apologizing and said I would not accept any money.

“I know that money can’t do anything about it. It’s the least we can do for you, will you accept it?”

They were so implored that I consented to receive it to settle the situation.

There was still a lot of post-processing left.

Cancellation to the store I was holding for the second party.

The disposition of gifts. Returning of congratulatory gifts, and so on.

I took care of everything by myself.

I wanted to escape reality by concentrating on my work.

It must have been very funny to see me apologizing in a tuxedo.

When I got home after all the work, the date had already changed.

I was supposed to be exhausted, but I couldn’t get to sleep, and thus the morning came.

“What shall I do now…”

I closed my eyes and thought.

“I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble, but from now on you can do whatever you like. So be happy…”

Suddenly, my mother’s words come to mind.

“Do as I please?”

I had a certain amount of money.

I was so busy with work that I didn’t have time, and besides, I had no hobbies that I had never used before, so I saved money.

Besides, I had invested so much that I could make a living without having to work hard on that yield alone.

It’s a major premise of living a modest life.

“It would be nice to live quietly and peacefully by myself.”

It’s not a bad idea to find something I enjoy or like and spend my time at ease.

It is also possible to regain youth by doing what I have never done before.

At that time, though vague, my life plans began to be finalized.

Ding dong.

The intercom rang through the house.

“Who is this early in the morning?”

I get out of bed and watch the intercom of the doorbell.

It showed a beautiful girl with long black hair in her uniform.

At first glance, she looks proper and neat, but she has a red inner color and countless earrings on her ears.

It was impressive to see a small mole around her eyes a black choker around her neck and red contact lenses.

“Good morning, brother-in-law.”

There was a clear voice as if she had rolled a bell.

There is only one person who calls me brother-in-law.　

Himeno-san’s younger sister and my sister-in-law, a third-year high school girl.

It was Fujisaki Nene-chan.

“Good morning Nene-chan, what’s the matter this early in the morning?”

“Mom told me to bring me a bento with brother-in-law, so I bought it before I went to school.”

What, mother-in-law?

I wonder if she was worried about me and made me a bento because she was gentle and very kind.

I felt sorry that I made her act out of concern.

But I’m a stranger to the Fujisaki family now, so I should avoid getting involved.

I have already received an apology from her parents.

It would be healthier not to take anything more.

That’s why I should say no here.

“I’m sorry, thank you―”

“Hey, can I borrow your shower?”

“Sh-shower?”

“Yes, I brought the bento, but I got soaked in the rain. Please.”

If I look closely, I can see her uniform shirt stuck to her body through the intercom of the doorbell.

“But, no, that is…”

“…Nene might catch a cold.”

I could see her sneezing cutely.

It was unfortunate that she had come all the way to my place in this heavy rain just to deliver bento at her mother’s request.

I feel sorry for Nene-chan because of that.

I reluctantly decided to let her in.

I want to thank her for coming all the way, to avoid getting wet in the rain and catching a cold, and I couldn’t ignore the kindness of my mother-in-law.

“Please excuse me for intrusion. Brother-in-law, look, I’m really wet.”

As soon as she entered the front door, she spread out her hands as if to show that she was wet.

When I noticed a black bra coming through her uniform shirt, I turned away without thinking.

“I-I see. Hurry up and take a shower so you can go to school.”

Wasn’t she embarrassed to be seen in such a way?

No, from the point of view of an eighteen-year-old, she might not see me as a man at being twenty-seven.

“Brother-in-law, my socks are soaking wet.”

Before I knew it, she was already taking off her socks.

Her beautiful white legs were revealed from her short skirt.

“W-why are you taking off your socks?”

“Because if I keep my feet wet, I can’t go up to the room.”

That’s true. She did nothing wrong.

She took a handkerchief out of her bag, wiped her feet, and then went up to the house.

“Where is the bathroom?”

“That way. There’s a towel, so you can use them as you like. I’ll lend you a change of clothes until your clothes dry.”

I prepared a change of clothes before Nene-chan came in from the entrance.

If I go to the changing room to get a change of clothes, I must avoid meeting a naked Nene-chan.

Nene-chan stared at the sweatpants I offered her and hardened.

“You might not like it because it’s my loungewear, but please bear with me for a moment.”

“Yes… I’ll put up with it.”

She nodded and took them slowly.

It must be unpleasant for a girl of her age to wear the clothes that an older man has worn.

Well, I can’t help it, but I’m a little shocked to hear such a reaction.

“Ah, this is a bento.”

Nene-san took the bento out of her student’s bag as if she had suddenly snapped back to reality.

It was a two-tiered bento with cute characters printed on it.

Was my mother-in-law’s taste that young?

Well, she looked as if she could pass even in her twenties. I can’t believe her taste was just as young.

“Thank you.”

“Well then, I’ll go take a shower.”

That brings us to the present moment.

As I was left behind, I put the bento I received on the table and thought about it for a while.

I’d appreciate it today, but I should ask Nene-chan to tell my mother-in-law that this won’t be necessary in the future. Yes, let’s do that.

And I have to return this bento.

I could wash it and return it after tomorrow, but I wanted to avoid any awkward continuation of our relationship.

“You need to eat now, then?”

I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and I was just hungry. 

“Thank you for the meal.”

When I open the bento, I find side dishes such as meat and potatoes, salted salmon, and rolled omelet with onion-containing in the first tier.

On the second tier were rice sprinkled with red shiso and all I liked.

I immediately brought my favorite meat and potatoes to my mouth.

“…It’s delicious.”

The bento that Himeno-san made for me on our first date was also very delicious, but this was even more impressive.

I see. That taste inherited the taste of my mother-in-law.

Everything else I ate was delicate and delicious, and I could see that it was made very carefully.

It tasted so sweet that it made my heart warm.

I couldn’t stop eating after that.

I was about to finish my bento.

“Thank you for the shower, brother-in-law. Huh, what’s wrong!?”

As soon as Nene-chan came out after taking a shower and changing into my loungewear, she shouted as she showed up in the room.

“What’s the matter, I’m about to finish my bento?”

“I can tell by looking at you. What I want to hear is why you’re crying!”

“Huh?”

It wasn’t until I was told that I realized I was in tears.

“Ah, that. That’s true. I wonder why…”

“I’m sorry. It didn’t taste good? Was there something strange in it?”

“No, it’s not. It was rather delicious… Maybe it was because it was the first time in a long time that I had a warm meal…”

I apologized with a smile, saying that I was sorry for showing her something strange.

I tried to calm down, but she looked at me.

“…You don’t have to force yourself to smile.”

She said so with a bitter look on her face.

Ah, did I make her worry?

It makes me feel pathetic.

“That’s it. I have a bathroom dryer for your uniform, so should I dry it there? Or should I put it in a plastic bag and turn on the dryer? If we don’t dry it quickly, you won’t be able to make it to school in time.”

I force myself to change the subject and stand up.

Suddenly, my vision was distorted.

It immediately causes a strong impact on my body.

“Brother-in-law?! Brother-in-law!!”

I could see Nene-chan running up to me in a hurry.

At the end of that voice, my consciousness faded away.