I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About - Chapter 40: A Night Alone with Tsunekawa Momiji (Part 1)

Chapter 40: A Night Alone with Tsunekawa Momiji (Part 1)

On the second floor of the hotel, there was a spacious Western-style restaurant where all guests could enjoy dinner for free. Breakfast and lunch were included too.

After taking a short break in our room, Tsunekawa and I were led by Sasaki-sensei to the restaurant along with the others.

The taste? Well… it wasn’t bad. But honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Western food. I picked at my meal without much enthusiasm and quickly decided to return to the room.

“Haa… this is so boring…”

I flopped onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. The room was so quiet that I felt like I could hear the ticking of a clock. What should I do…?

If I were at home, I’d definitely be reading manga or playing games right about now!

Alright, manga it is! The one I was reading last time was—

Gachan!—

The door swung open forcefully, and Tsunekawa stepped into the room.

She was carrying a bag, though I couldn’t see what was inside. I was curious, but I couldn’t be bothered to ask.

“Oh, you’re already done eating?”

“Yeah, it was pretty good. But… something felt a little lacking.”

“Huh. You sound like some gourmet critic reviewing a chef’s dish…”

“No, it’s not like that. I just… I’ve eaten this kind of food a lot before, so I can tell how good it is from just one bite.”

…She’s eaten it a lot before? Wait, does that mean she’s some kind of rich girl?

“Wait… are you from a wealthy family or something?”

“Eh? What makes you think that?”

For a brief moment, she looked surprised. But she quickly returned to her usual expression, sat down on her bed, and began rummaging through her bag.

“Well, it’s not exactly the kind of food an average person eats regularly, right?”

She paused for just a second before resuming her search, a faint smile forming on her lips.

Then, she pulled out a book—some kind of literature—flipped through a few pages, and let out a small sigh before suddenly turning the question on me.

“Mizusaki-kun, what kind of image do you have of ‘a rich person’s child’?”

…Huh? Why is she asking me that all of a sudden? Is she trying to tell me that my perception is wrong?

“Well, uh… I mean, just what the words imply. Their parents are rich, so they’re a rich kid.”

“Then, if that rich kid never felt loved by their parents, would they still be considered ‘a rich person’s child’?”

“Why are you asking me this all of a sudden…?”

“No particular reason. I just wanted to know how you perceive it.”

She smiled slightly, but she didn’t laugh aloud.

If I had to answer her question, my response would be—“it depends on perspective.”

“Well, it all depends on how you look at it. If you see it from a bloodline perspective, then no matter what they go through, they’ll always be their parents’ child. But from a perspective of love, there are two possibilities. One, the child just thinks they aren’t loved, even though their parents do care—they’re just not seeing it. In that case, from the perspective of love, they’re still their parents’ child. The other is when the parents truly don’t give them any love, treating them more like a tool than a person. In that case, even if they’re related by blood, those parents aren’t parents. To put it bluntly, they’re trash.”

“Huh~ So you’ve actually thought about stuff like this. I thought you were just someone who eats, plays, and sleeps all day.”

Tsunekawa smirked, resting her chin on her left hand as she looked at me.

“Hey, don’t judge me before getting to know me! I’m not that kind of person!”

“Well, can’t blame me. You’re usually just lazing around, so that’s the impression you give off.”

“O-okay, maybe I slack off a bit, but that doesn’t mean I just eat and sleep like a pig all day!”

…Well, my daily routine is kinda close to that. But that’s not my fault!

In this unfair world, I just gave up on struggling. No matter how much wealth or fame someone gains, in the end, they still end up in a coffin, leaving everything behind for a world they’ll never see.

Living a simple, ordinary life—that’s the best kind of life for the average person.

In the end, life is just the process of waiting for death.

“Hmm~ Looks like I need to change the way I see you a little.”

“‘Change the way you see me’…? What do you mean by that? You still got some bad impressions of me?”

“Nah, it’s not like that. Like you said, people get to understand each other bit by bit, right? Anyway, what do you think of me?”

—Honestly speaking, I see her as just a straight-laced hardass, but if I actually said that, would she punch me…?

“How should I put it…? At first, I didn’t think you were bad. You look good, and there was this kinda unapproachable vibe about you. But when you helped me with my reflection paper, I thought, ‘Huh, she’s actually a pretty decent person.’”

“At first? Then what about after that?”

“After that… well, you’re always a hardass, and sometimes you kill the mood, so there were times I thought you were kinda annoying. But a few days ago, after watching your live performance, I realized you’ve got a pretty passionate side. So now… I guess I think of you as a kinda annoying but hot-blooded person.”

Hearing my evaluation, she suddenly covered her mouth and started laughing.

“What’re you laughing at?”

“It’s just… I never realized you were this observant.”

—Wait, does that mean she acknowledges that this is how she is?

“Well… I guess that’s just how it is.”

“Anyway, back to the topic. From the perspective of love, parents who treat their children like tools are trash, right?”

“Yeah, no matter how you look at it.”

“Then that means that person isn’t really a rich kid, right? ‘Cause if they’re just a tool, they don’t count as a child.”

If there’s no love, then they have no right to be parents. Treating your child like a tool—now that’s what you call trash.

But… wait a sec. Tsunekawa is saying this now, but could it be that she’s that “tool” of a child?

“H-Hearing you put it that way… Well, I guess you could say that… but why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’re that ‘tool’ child?”

Instead of beating around the bush, I asked her straight up. If she really was that “tool” child, I figured I’d want to be there for her, at least mentally.

But her response was completely unexpected.

“I just happened to see something like that in a book earlier, so I got curious and wanted to ask you.”

She held up the book, showing it to me—but honestly, I couldn’t even see it properly.

…What the hell!? So it was just something she read in a book!?

Here I was, feeling sorry for her, thinking she was the “tool” child or whatever… Damn it! She really just played on my sympathy that easily.

Guess I really am too soft…

“The hell… I really thought…”

“You really thought I was that tool child and were feeling sorry for me?”

…Huh? How the hell does she know exactly what I’m thinking? Last time too… and now again… Don’t tell me she actually has some kind of mind-reading ability?

“You… You’re surprisingly spot-on… Do you have mind-reading powers or something?”

“Of course not. I just know a little bit about basic psychology. Your expression just now gave away your thoughts.”

Tsunekawa grinned, covering her mouth as she let out a soft “Fufufu~.”

She even knows psychology…? Is this what they mean when they say reading books has its perks?

Alright! Maybe I should start reading books too!

—And so, I went through manga after manga, ended up learning absolutely nothing, and my grades took a dive—End!

…Yeah, no. I still don’t wanna read books, but light novels are fine, I guess!

“Wait, don’t tell me you even read psychology books?”

“I read a little bit of all kinds of books. It’s kinda like my hobby. Reading different books lets me experience different kinds of fun.”

—Is this what you call a genius? Being able to enjoy books? Nah, no way I could do that! …Except for light novels!

“I see… So that’s why you’re good at literature. Makes sense, since you read a lot.”

“Maybe so. Reading has a lot of benefits. But there are downsides too—if you sit with bad posture or read in poor lighting, your eyesight gets worse.”

“Yeah, that makes sense… Oh, wait, now that you mention it, you’re nearsighted, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am. Back then, I had bad posture and read in dim lighting all the time… so I ended up like this.”

If her eyesight’s bad, she should just get glasses and fix it. Otherwise, it’ll just get worse.

“Then why don’t you wear glasses?”

“B-Because glasses are inconvenient!”

…Inconvenient? That’s the reason? Isn’t eye health way more important than that!?

“That’s it?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s it!”

“What the hell… I really don’t get you. Anyway, you should get it treated soon. Otherwise, it’ll just keep getting worse.”

“I know, I know… but I… Ah, fine! If I have time, I’ll go, okay?”

…What’s with her today? Tsunekawa’s acting kinda weird…

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels like she was about to say something just now and stopped herself… Just what’s going on in that head of hers?

“Well… as long as you get it.”

I flopped onto my bed and picked up my manga.

Our conversation ended there, and from then on, it was just manga time.