Having Had My Bride Stolen, I Just Want to Live Peacefully - Chapter 8

“Well, I can’t believe it’s going to happen…”

The next morning.

I was lying on the sofa in a sweatshirt.

It was supposed to be time to get ready to go to work, but I no longer need to do so from today.

No, actually, it was like that as of yesterday.

Yesterday, I tried to come to the office after parting ways with Nene-chan, but as soon as I entered the company, I was stopped at the reception desk.

“I’m sorry, Ichinose-san. I can’t let you in.”

Said the woman, a familiar receptionist with a sorrowful look on her face.

I’ve been fired, so it seems that outsiders are not allowed to enter.

The procedures have already been completed, and they plan to send me the documents soon.

They said they still had it, so I received it.

I look at the documents in my hand and think dimly.

Even if I make a complaint, it will probably be wiped out. That’s the kind of person he is, of course.

It was only at times like this that he was quick to move, that I had no choice but to roll my tongue.

Then why then… I suppress my thoughts from sinking.

First of all, as a matter of fact, I lost my job.

“I can’t believe I’d really be fired.”

I muttered, looked up, and found a guard standing beside me.

They were probably there in order to seize me immediately if I should go on a rampage.

I felt like going on a rampage.

But if I do that, I’ll only give him good things.

It’s just a criminal act to go on a rampage, let alone to jump off a security guard.

It’s a punchline to be caught.

At this rate, I did not know when it would be called a break-in, so I left.

As I left, I heard the receptionist say I’m sorry.

I was in a hurry after that.

After I got home, I contacted the members of the department and finished taking over to some extent.

To some extent, there is a regulation that I should not take my in-house PC home, so I couldn’t do it perfectly because I didn’t have a PC at hand and responded as much as I could remember with my PC.

Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect handover, but it would have been smoother with a company computer.

In this day and age, I have repeatedly spoken out about rules that do not allow me to work remotely, but I was rejected by the opinion of the previous generation that work is a face-to-face affair.

When I contacted them, my colleagues and kouhais reacted more calmly than I thought.

I was indignant at the company, but all I could say was that I was indebted to them.

“I know that Senpai worked really hard. Honestly, I don’t know if we can make it, but that system will be completed soon. Then it will be greatly improved. So leave it to us and take your time Senpai.”

I felt sorry that I was encouraged by a phone call from a kouhai who contacted me immediately.

They must have guessed a certain amount of circumstances because they were present at the ceremony.

I thanked them and said, “Let’s go to dinner when things settle down.”

“Eh, it’s just the two of us?”

After receiving such an answer, I added, “Don’t worry, my colleagues are with me.”

I almost became a sexual harassment boss because I was misunderstood.

“…Understood.”

I was immediately disconnected after receiving such an answer.

It’s no wonder they’re going to miss every minute of it as they’re going to be busy.

Although I was fired, I seem to receive a notice of dismissal allowance, which is a small amount of money.

Well, I didn’t get the money that I had accumulated.

Unemployment benefits will come out if I go through the procedures, and of course, I don’t have to worry about money. I don’t even want to have luxury.

However, I am worried about what to do with this sudden time.

I was told to relax, but I know that relaxing doesn’t mean living at a slower pace.

I had thought vaguely before, “It would be nice to live quietly and peacefully alone” but now I don’t know where to start.

At last, I had an idea, but…

I remembered last night and muttered again, looking at the kitchen.

“Well, I can’t believe it’s going to happen…”

Ding dong.

A guest at this time.

I peeped into the video of the intercom and found Nene-chan standing there.

“Good morning, brother-in-law.”

“Yeah, bento.”

I made a mistake. When did the bento start to become a greeting?

I cleared my throat and said again.

“Uhm, good morning.”

“Yes, it’s the bento you’ve been waiting for.”

As she held up the bento, Nene-chan seemed to be smiling heartily.

She definitely asked me what I said wrong.

“Please excuse my intrusion. Isn’t brother-in-law wearing a suit today?”

“Ah, I see. There’s a bit of a lot going on.”　

As soon as she came into the house, she looked at me without a suit even though it was a weekday, and asked me with a blink of an eye.

I thought I had done it, but I blurted it out a little.

“… May I ask what happened?”

“It’s not a story to tell Nene-chan.”

“Then I won’t give you this bento.”

What, I can’t eat mother-in-law’s bento?

It’s a kind of lifeline for me now, but it’s hard to cut it off.

However, I think this is the right time to stop having mother-in-law make a bento and lose my relationship with the Fujisaki family.

As she turned her head around, Nene-chan muttered.

“…Yes, bento.”

“Huh?”

My body temperature rises a little when I remember the mistake I made earlier.

“Yes, brother-in-law said bento.”

“I’m embarrassed, so don’t do that.”

“You’ve been looking forward to the bento so much that you can’t help but say it out of your mouth, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but…”

“It will be easier if you just let it out.”

Nene-chan shows a meaningful smile and shakes from side to side while holding the bento.

It’s kind of like an investigation, and it feels like a criminal is being urged to confess when asked if they want katsudon.

But I won’t give in to that temptation.

“You got fired from your job, didn’t you?”　

“How did you…”

It was too late to close my mouth when I was about to say it.

I was caught off guard by something unexpected.

“I’m sorry. I heard brother-in-law talking to your father that day.”

Nene-chan looked down in a daze.

I understood that she must have overheard the incident in the waiting room.

“No, Nene-chan is not at fault at all. My father’s rant sounds carries, so it’s no wonder you heard it.”

Nene-chan started to say something, but I continued regardless.

“Yes, I’m ashamed to say that I got fired! Well, it’s not hard, but I think it might have been just right, so I’m trying to stay positive. I’ve got a lot of freedom from now on!”

I’m curious about the members of the department, but I say this to cheer Nene-chan up.

“So I tried to make meat and potatoes yesterday to be able to cook because I had time, but it was difficult. I boiled the bottom of the pot too much. So I’m putting it in the kitchen and washing it now, but it might not be useful anymore. No, I didn’t expect that to happen. I couldn’t bear to throw it away, so I put it there, but it’s a terrible thing to do again.”

Yes, I tried cooking yesterday, but I failed.

I didn’t want to tell her this out of embarrassment, but I’d like her to play a part in softening this atmosphere.

“Brother-in-law’s meat and potatoes…”

Nene-chan muttered that she wanted to eat.

“Huh, you want to eat it?”

I was so self-deprecating that I tried to bring it to a joke, but it turned out to be an unexpected turn.

“Yes.”

“It’s not good?”

“That’s all right.”

Why don’t I say no here after all the effort to soften the atmosphere?

“Okay, I’ll heat it up, so wait a minute.”

I couldn’t withdraw, so I took out the meat and potatoes in the refrigerator, heated them in the microwave, and laid them on the table.

In the meantime, Nene-chan had politely spread out her bento.

There is a bento in front of me and a meat and potatoes I made in front of Nene-chan.

The two of us put our hands together and said in unison.

“”Thank you for the meal.””