It’s Too Early to be Having Newlywed Syndrome! ~Childhood Friends Who Rekindled their Love for Each Other ~ - 1 - 5 - His First Roasted Green Tea

His First Roasted Green Tea

Second day of helping Natsuki with her cystitis-related problems. While eating breakfast before taking off to school, an idea popped up in Naoto’s mind. He immediately made a phone call to Natsuki, and they met outside their apartments.

“I can hear Nat-chan’s voice coming out of your room from time to time yesterday, it sounded like she had fun. Does this mean the two of you were back to being close?”

The moment Naoto finished talking on the phone, his mother asked, seemingly happy.

“That’s not really it. It’s just that her condition is really serious, that’s the only reason she’s speaking with me recently, I think.”

Naoto denied, then hastily left the apartment.

If he told his mom that they were in a friendly relationship, both their mother’s will definitely make a big thing out of it.

While Naoto was waiting on the hallway inside the apartment complex, Natsuki came out of her apartment together with her mom.

“Naoto-kun, I heard you will be taking care of Natsuki. I want to thank you.”

“No, I haven’t really done anything yet.”

Naoto answered with his honest feelings.

“But Natsuki completely changed her thinking with just one scolding from Naoto-kun. She told me that she will send me a mail whenever she wanted to come out of her classroom so she wants me to call her if that happens.

I’m sure that normally, Naoto-kun is not the nagging type of person, right?  Even in the past, Natsuki always followed any advice you gave her, didn’t she? Like that time when she was bitten by a mosquito, you had her play with you while holding hands so that she will not scratch the bitten area. Normally, whenever she’s bitten by a mosquito, she acts like a monster, but because of you she always calms down with a smile.”

Natsuki’s mother replied while reminiscing about the past.

“Is that so….”

Naoto answered half-heartedly.

Natsuki’s mother kept talking.

“I heard from Natsuki that the way you talk with your mother is totally different than when you talk with her. Like what happened yesterday, when you told her that it will be better if she let the people around her take care of her rather than making me worry because her condition worsened, it seems like she deeply reflected on it. Said she was surprised by how levelheaded you were.

You see, yesterday, when Natsuki came home from Naoto-kun’s place, she looked really happy, she immediately asked me, ‘If for example, mom is taking an afternoon nap, is it alright if my mail woke you up?’ When I replied ‘Of course it’s okay, why do you ask?’ she said ‘Morita-kun told me that rather than being considerate of mom, mom will be happier just by knowing I’m living in good health.’, she’s looked like she was having a hard time saying it too. When I told her ‘That much is obvious’, she started to cry and hugged me tightly.

Just like Morita-kun, this child won’t be relieved unless she’s clearly told she’s being loved. I worry that she might be holding back from other people at school and being too considerate to ask for help.

If only Morita-kun will keep taking care of Natsuki, auntie here will be relieved knowing that Natsuki will not be doing anything rash you know……”

Natsuki’s face turned red,

“Morita-kun is just giving me advice. Your being a nuisance to him so please go back inside already.”

She complained.

Natsuki’s mother, while not paying attention to her,

“Natsuki is the type of child who always holds back, so please”

Tried to continue the conversation.

“Let’s hurry, or we’re gonna be late.”

Natsuki, who couldn’t bear to hear any more of her mother’s long talk, pulled the strap of Naoto’s school-designated shoulder bag and, together, began walking toward the direction of the elevator.

Even so, Natsuki’s mother kept talking while the two walked towards and went in the elevator very close to each other. Natsuki’s mother only stopped talking just before the elevator door completely closed.

While walking on the way to school,

“I’m sorry, Morita-kun. You must be tired hearing my mom repeat the same story of more than five years ago about a hundred times now.”

Natsuki sulked.

“Mine’s the same as well. No matter how many times I tell her to stop she keeps calling me Nao-kun. Just why won’t she listen to me?”

Both made a wry smile after complaining about their own mothers.

“Speaking of, what was this idea you came up with?”

Natsuki asked.

“I thought about it, but why don’t we ask for Ono-sensei’s cooperation? You can make an excuse of going to Ono-sensei’s office, then got to the restroom in secret.”

Ono-sensei is their class’ homeroom teacher.

A female teacher with a friendly personality, it might be easy telling her Natsuki’s circumstances. That’s what Naoto suddenly came up with early this morning.

“Hmmmm, there’s only one thing though, if I told them I have business with Ono-sensei, everyone might come with me.”

Natsuki said.

“Ah, is that so? That could happen.”

Naoto agreed. While feeling disappointed,

“Sorry. It wasn’t even worth troubling you with a phone call. What the hell am I doing?”

He apologized to Natsuki.

Seeing that, Natsuki became flustered,

“It’s alright, it’s alright. There’s a chance that sensei might be able to help if we tell her our circumstances. I might tell her today. I might be able to go to the restroom in the middle of class easier if she noticed my complexion getting worse.

Or I might make a sign like a standing eraser, then sensei might end the class a bit early.”

Natsuki said in support of Naoto’s idea.

“I see.”

Naoto, felt a bit relieved.

“That means your idea is good. Thank you.”

Without flattery, Natsuki expressed how glad she was to Naoto.

“No, it seems like I’m not being quite helpful.”

Naoto said while scratching his cheeks.

“Just having someone I can talk with about this is enough to make me feel safe. I’m glad Morita-kun learned about my condition.”

“Then, my mom’s talkativeness has been helpful for once.”

“So was my mom’s.”

The two laughed without thinking. Not a forced or polite one, but their genuine laugh.

Natsuki calmed down, and pointed out the thing she had been noticing for a time now.

“Morita-kun, you have bed hair on the back of your head.”

Natsuki pointed at the right side of her own head.

“Aah, when I thought about idea about Ono-sensei I immediately went out of the apartment.”

Naoto stopped walking and by perception, tried to comb the area where he thought the bed hair was located to fix it.

“I’ll do it for you.”

Natsuki touched Naoto’s hair, and started to fix his bed hair. Naoto’s heart started beating fast since Natsuki’s face was near his’. This person’s really pretty, isn’t she……?

“I really love this type of hair. You know, lately, I’ve been thinking a bit about wanting to be a hair stylist or a barber.”

Natsuki said.

Heee, that’s amazing. Naoto thought to himself. At the same time, he thought that it might be the reason she noticed and even offered to fix his bed hair, he felt a bit disappointed.

“Is that so…?”

“I’ve been practicing on my mom and dad, but it’s been very difficult.”

“If it’s alright with you, will you cut my hair as well? My bangs have been troubling me lately.”

“Is it okay if I cut it? It will be helpful for me if you’re offering, but…”

“You know, I’m not fond of those places since I’m bad with people coming to talk to me. I always hold back until had grown long enough. It will really help me if Oshida-san do it for me.”

Natsuki secretly laughed when she remembered Naoto’s overgrown natural perm.

“Speaking of which, whenever the barber asks what cut you want, Morita-kun couldn’t explain it well so I end up being the one to point it out, right?”

“That’s right. Even if they ask me ‘How should I cut it?’, I don’t know what to answer to that question. Even now I’m still bad at it, I end up feeling down.

I’ll be at ease though if Oshida-san cut it for me.”

“Then, is it okay if I mess up?”

“My face itself is already messed up to start with, so I don’t mind.”

“Morita-kun, you’re not bad-looking.”

“I haven’t been told that even once, though.”

“Eh, really?

Then, I’ll cut your hair so that everyone who sees you tomorrow will call you ikemen. Do you have a style that you want? I think it would be good if Morita-kun shows his forehead. Wonder what should I do with the area around the ears?”

Natsuki, while seemingly having fun, peeks at Naoto’s face while inspecting his hair in detail, causing Naoto to feel ticklish.

That evening, Naoto had Natsuki gave him a haircut.

“Ara! Nao-kun, you’ve completely turned into a handsome man. Have you said your thanks to Nat-chan?”

When she saw how her son’s hairstyle looks refreshingly well-arranged, Naoto’s mom exaggeratingly expressed how glad she was, then

“Nat-chan, you’re already hungry, right? If it’s alright with you, have dinner with us. I heard from your mom that you have to eat something good for the stomach.”

Invited Natsuki to dinner.

Naoto thought that if the conversation kept going, Natsuki will naturally hold back in case she needs to go to the restroom, so

“More importantly, it took a lot time cutting my hair. You may not be feeling the need to yet, but how about trying to go to the restroom?”

He prompted Natsuki.

“Ah, that’s right. I forgot again, thank you.”

Natsuki agreed to Naoto’s suggestion.

“I’ll be borrowing your restroom.”

“It’s good for your stomach to have something warm while you’re at it, right? I wonder if we have something to help with that?”

Naoto’s mother worriedly said.

“You don’t have to trouble yourself. Yesterday, Morita-kun was worried about me since I overstayed. He told me to he will not make fun of me, so I should bring something like a bellyband whenever I visit to keep my stomach warm. So I brought one with me.”

While saying that, Natsuki took her bag and went towards the restroom.

“Nao-kun, you’ve grown into someone who can be this concerned about a girl, haven’t you? Good boy, good boy.”

When his mother said that, Naoto felt like he was being teased. Because of that, he wasn’t able to say ‘Please prepare warm roasted drink tea for dinner, okay?’ to his mother, and without any other choice, he prepared the roasted green tea himself.

Geez. Why do mothers always say things their child doesn’t want to hear? Even though it would be better if they don’t say anything……

Seeing that her son who’s usually not helping with dinner preparations preparing roasted green tea with a sulky face, Naoto’s mother was surprised.

How unexpected, that Nao-kun will do this kind of thing. The weather forecast said that a snowfall might happen tomorrow, but maybe it really will.