I Started Dating Someone By Taking Advantage Of Her Weakness, But I Was Actually Dating Her Mother

“Kaneda-kun, I’m fine now.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, sorry for making you worry.”

After sitting and resting on the bench, Yoriko’s breathing had stabilized and she was able to move again. When she conveyed this to Jin, he showed a worried expression, so Yoriko stood up to reassure him and appealed her vitality to Jin, who was still sitting on the bench.

“If you feel unwell again, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Well then, shall we stroll around the park?”

Central Park was maintained as a park rich in nature with flourishing trees. The area was relatively large for a park in the city center, and it was utilized by various people for different purposes: those who strolled like Jin and Yoriko, families playing with their children, and people exercising such as jogging.

“It’s been a while since I came here, but it hasn’t changed much.”

“For me too, I think the last time was when I was still small. In summer, I used to catch beetles and such.”

“Oh really? They gather around the tree sap, right?”

“You know that well. That’s a sawtooth oak tree, but now you can collect round acorns from it.”

Yoriko had frequently visited this park on weekends with young Otowa in the past. As she was feeling nostalgic about those times, Jin shared his childhood memories with her.

“I hadn’t really paid attention to it, but these round acorns were from sawtooth oaks.”

Yoriko picked up one of the round acorns that had fallen at her feet and was observing it.

“That’s right. Round acorns are well-known, but maybe few people know their name.”

Jin talked about the round acorns to Yoriko, who was gazing at it.

“Oh, there’s a small hole in it.”

Yoriko found an unnatural hole in the acorn she was holding.

Hello there.

“Kyaaaah! A-a bug!”

As Yoriko was looking at the hole, a white grub poked its head out from inside. Surprised by this, Yoriko threw away the acorn and clung to Jin.

“A-are you okay?”

“Yes, I was just a little startled. Ah!”

To reassure the worried Jin, Yoriko lifted her face and told him she was fine. Then she saw Jin’s face right in front of her, and she found herself staring at him in fascination.

(When I look closely, Tsukimizato-san’s face is well-featured and beautiful. Those plump lips seem to draw my eyes to them.)

Jin also had Yoriko’s face right in front of him and was captivated by her beauty.

“Kaneda-kun.”

“Tsukimizato-san.”

Yoriko closed both eyes and seemed to be waiting for something. Even Jin, who had no experience with women, could easily imagine what she was seeking.

“Mommy, look, those two are about to kiss!”

“Now, now, you mustn’t look.”

A small child called out to the two who were in a romantic mood, and the mother who was with the child frantically tried to stop the kid from looking.

“Ah!”

The two came to their senses at those words and hurriedly separated.

“Ahahahaha.”

While maintaining a certain distance, Jin and Yoriko were troubled about how to preserve the atmosphere and laughed awkwardly.

(Oh my, I was swept up by the atmosphere and was about to do such a thing—he’s the same age as my daughter!)

Yoriko reflected on how she had been swept up by the atmosphere and had almost taken such a bold action.

(When Tsukimizato-san clung to me, she was so soft. And if that child hadn’t spoken up, we might have… augh.)

Meanwhile, Jin remembered the warm softness of Yoriko when she’d clung to him, and thinking that it might have become his first kiss if things had continued, his face turned red with embarrassment.

(Did I make Kaneda-kun uncomfortable?)

Seeing Jin, who had turned red in the face and stopped speaking, Yoriko reflected on how she had impulsively taken such an aggressive action.

“…”

After that, the two walked through the park without either of them bringing up conversation. During this time, they couldn’t find an opportunity to start talking, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.

(Maybe I made him angry. What should I do if he charges me for the clothes I’m wearing or something?)

While observing Jin’s behavior, Yoriko gradually began thinking negatively.

(Until just now we could talk naturally, but after having that close contact with Tsukimizato-san, I became conscious of her and can no longer speak normally.)

Jin wasn’t thinking what Yoriko imagined he was thinking. He had simply become aware of her as an attractive woman and was now feeling nervous about it.

“Ah, um—”

Feeling that it wasn’t good for the both of them to continue walking without conversation, they tried to speak up, but unfortunately their timing overlapped.

“P-please go ahead, Kaneda-kun.”

“No, at times like this it’s ladies first, so Tsukimizato-san should speak first.”

“I-is that so? I understand.”

Both Jin and Yoriko yielded to each other about who should speak first, but in the end, it was decided that Yoriko would start.

“Um, I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Huh?”

Yoriko bowed her head and apologized to Jin. He involuntarily exclaimed at the suddenness of it.

“Well, um, about trying to kiss you, Kaneda-kun. You stopped talking after that, right? I thought I might have upset you.”

“N-no, that’s not it. When Tsukimizato-san clung to me, I became conscious of you as a woman and couldn’t speak.”

“Oh, so that’s what it was. I thought you might hate me and was worrying about what to do. So, what were you trying to say, Kaneda-kun?”

“It’s already resolved, so it’s fine.”

After revealing their mutual feelings, Jin and Yoriko learned the reason why they had both stopped talking.

“Kaneda-kun, shall we sit on that bench over there and talk?”

“That sounds good. It might be nice to spend time talking leisurely.”

The two decided to sit on a nearby bench and talk.

“It’s quiet and peaceful.”

“Yes. If a little more time passes, this park will probably be transformed by autumn foliage.”

“I hadn’t really paid attention to it, but this park has a lot of deciduous trees planted in it.”

“Yes, when autumn foliage season arrives, the leaves turn red and yellow, and it becomes very beautiful.”

The current season was autumn. It was still a little early for the autumn foliage season. The leaves of the deciduous trees were still green, and a little more time was needed before they would change color. After that, Jin and Yoriko talked about various things related to nature for a while.

Grumble.

“Ah!”

After a reasonable amount of time had passed, the fact that lunch had been light took its effect, and Yoriko’s stomach made a loud rumbling sound. She hurriedly pressed her stomach while blushing with embarrassment.

“Are you perhaps getting hungry?”

“Ehehe, it seems so.”

Jin asked to confirm whether Yoriko was hungry. While rubbing her stomach embarrassedly, she honestly conveyed that she indeed was hungry.