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

(Sigh, I wonder if I hurt Kaneda-kun’s feelings)

After parting with Jin, Otowa felt regret as she ran down the stairs.

(Kaneda-kun had prepared katsudon for me. And drinks and even dessert. What did I do for him? Originally, it was just me who couldn’t hold it in and farted, but I said such terrible things and even made him buy what looked like a very expensive stuffed animal. Despite that, even when I was being mean to him, he acted like he didn’t mind at all, and if he continues being kind to me like this, I won’t be able to push him away)

As Otowa recalled the incident that had led to her connection with Jin, her feelings of regret grew stronger.

(Sigh, knowing that Kaneda-kun is sitting behind me is going to make things difficult)

Otowa returned to the classroom and sat in her seat. Jin, who sat behind her, had been left at the stairs leading to the rooftop, so naturally his seat was empty. From now on, she would have to attend classes while being conscious of his gaze, and thinking about it made her feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

“I wonder where Kaneda-kun went?”

“You ate together before, right? Didn’t you see him in the cafeteria?”

“I staked out the cafeteria yesterday and the day before, but he didn’t come.”

“Good luck. You better catch him soon or another girl will snatch him up. There are lots of girls targeting him lately, saying he’s gotten more handsome.”

Otowa overheard a conversation between other girls. Since the name of the person she had been thinking about came up, she became curious about the content and found herself eavesdropping.

“Yeah, yeah, those with boyfriends can just sit back and watch, how nice.”

“That’s not what I meant! Oh, he’s coming back.”

“Ugh, I wanted to talk to him, but it looks like time’s up.”

Just as the girls’ conversation ended, Jin returned to the classroom.

Thump thump.

(If he talks to me, how should I respond?)

Otowa felt nervous as she listened to the sound of Jin taking his seat. However, her worry turned out to be unfounded. Jin didn’t speak to Otowa, and class began just like that.

“Sigh, even though I was the one who said it, being ignored without even a greeting makes me feel down.”

In the end, Otowa wasn’t spoken to by Jin that day and reached the end of school. Since they had often exchanged greetings when leaving for the past few days, Otowa felt no small amount of loneliness at Jin leaving just like that.

“Maybe I should apologize next week after all.”

On her way home from school, even though it had been her own idea, Otowa’s heart was already breaking and she was considering apologizing to Jin.

“I’m home.”

Otowa left school and went straight home, but since her mother Yoriko was at work, there was no reply and no one was in the room. She knew no one was there even when she greeted, but it had become a habit so she unconsciously said it aloud.

“Before I prepare dinner, I need to get ready to wash my uniform. Let’s see, there’s nothing in the pockets… huh? There’s something like paper in here.”

Since Friday school had ended, Otowa was planning to wash her uniform by Monday. As part of the preparation, she began checking if anything was left in her pockets. Then, at her fingertips, she felt the texture of something like a small, folded piece of paper in her jacket pocket.

“What is this paper? Oh, that’s right!”

Otowa searched through her memories and found something that came to mind.

“I ended up forgetting to return it after all.”

This paper was the money she had half-jokingly demanded as an apology after Jin had seen up her skirt. At the time, she had intended to return it immediately, but with everything that had happened, it had remained in her pocket.

“Wh-what, no way!”

“Keep it down!”

BANG!

Otowa took out the bill that had been in her pocket and looked at it properly for the first time. When she saw something unexpected, she involuntarily let out a loud voice. Since the neighbor was home, she was yelled at along with a wall bang.

(The neighbor next door gets angry and yells just from a little loud noise. It’s really annoying)

This was a common problem in apartment buildings, but in buildings with thin walls, loud sounds could be heard in the next room, leading to noise complaints. Since you can’t choose your neighbors, when someone who minded noise lived next door, there’s nothing you can do about it.

“More importantly, this! I thought it was a 1000 yen bill, but it’s a 10,000 yen bill instead! I did it lightly, but this might be extortion.”

Otowa’s face had turned pale. Regardless of the amount, the act of threatening to take money or goods from others was a crime. If it were simply 1000 yen, she might have been able to argue that it was compensation for having her skirt looked up, but 10,000 yen was a different story. Moreover, since she had rejected Jin herself, she worried it might be perceived that she had acted that way because she didn’t want to return the money.

“What should I do, what should I do, what should I do? If Mom finds out about this, I don’t know what to do.”

Otowa was overthinking the severity of the crime she had committed, didn’t know what to do going forward, and was in a state where she couldn’t even prepare dinner.

“I’m home.”

“Oh, Mom! I don’t know what to do!”

“Otowa, what’s wrong? Calm down first. Come on, let’s take deep breaths. In, in, out.”

“In, in, out.”

Otowa was facing a serious problem and time had passed without her being able to do anything. When Yoriko finished work and came home, Otowa clung to her seeking help. Knowing that Otowa wasn’t in a normal state, Yoriko started by calming her down so she could listen to what happened.

“So, what happened?”

“Actually…”

After Otowa had calmed down with deep breathing, Yoriko decided to hear the circumstances from her.

“I see. So that’s why you were in that state.”

“I committed a crime, so I might cause trouble for you, Mom.”

Yoriko listened to the circumstances from Otowa and learned what she was worried about.

“After you received the money, Kaneda-kun continued to treat you normally, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I think it’s fine.”

“It’s 10,000 yen though? That’s a lot of money for a regular student, isn’t it?”

When Yoriko confirmed what happened after the money was received, she showed a relieved expression. Otowa wondered why she had such an expression.