It’s Too Early to be Having Newlywed Syndrome! ~Childhood Friends Who Rekindled their Love for Each Other ~ - 1 - 6 - Newlywed Syndrome

Newlywed Syndrome

Next morning, snow piled up in Naoto’s town.

Obviously, cold temperatures are cystitis’ worst enemy. Furthermore, being mindful of walking in the snow while one’s stomach hurts, it’s quite difficult to walk by exerting the whole body.

Moreover, it’s dangerous if the abdomen bumps into something while the bladder is swelling, so it’s not surprising that a serious injury will happen if one slips in the snow.

After Naoto and Natsuki discussed it with each other, they decided to take a cab to the school while splitting the fare between each other.

After some time passed since they departed for school, Naoto sneezed.

“Cold today, isn’t it?”

The female cab driver struck up a conversation.

“It really is——-”

Replied Natsuki. Thinking that Naoto won’t be able to hold an upfront conversation at any rate until he’s used to it, Natsuki replied in his stead.

“During this time of year, the static is also terrible. I was woken up by one this morning.”

Natsuki continued.

“Really hate it whenever that happens, right—-”

As the topic turned to things they hate on cold days, the two’s conversation gathered steam.

While looking at Matsuki’s face from the side, Naoto thought to himself how Natsuki can smoothly engage in a conversation with an adult she had just met for the first time.

……Maybe this is part of the reason why people easily gather around Oshida-san.

“It’s certainly is hard walking out today.”

The topic change to how people are going around to their destinations.

“I’m actually kinda hesitant about taking a ride, though. This guy has motion sickness ever since we were kids, so I’m worried.”

Natsuki looked at Naoto.

“Like I’m saying, I’m alright with this distance. I’ts not me you should be worrying about.”

“I’m gonna speed up, okay? Don’t worry, it’s within safety limits.”

Even after that, Natsuki continued having a fun conversation while teasing Naoto.

Naoto felt an aura of an older woman’s wisdom coming from the cab driver.

If it’s Ms. Driver here, she might be able to give an advice that someone like me can’t come up with.

Naoto gathered up his courage and tried to ask,

“You know, this girl always holds back instead of going to the restroom and now she has developed cystitis. Even so she’s still worrying about my motion sickness, at first, she told me we don’t need to take a cab. It’s only after I told her that I’ll have a heart attack if she slips and fall down due to the snow that she finally agreed to take a cab.

I told her that she’ll never recover if she keeps her reservations, but she won’t quite listen to me. Do you know any good countermeasure to cystitis?”

“Let’s see——-, cystitis is a very delicate problem that it’s sometimes called newlywed syndrome. That’s quite a difficult condition, isn’t it?”

“Newlywed syndrome, you say?”

It was his first time hearing such a word. Naoto asked without a thought.

“Before departing for honeymoon, some find it difficult to say they need to go to the restroom, that’s why they hold back from going that they develop cystitis. It’s especially happens in women.”

Naoto was surprised. That two people would stay true to being together forever so much that they will hold back going to the restroom. Until now, Naoto haven’t thought that such a thing happens at honeymoons.

“Even if they are newlyweds, would they really hold back going to the restroom to be with each other that much?”

“Either way there is the mood to consider, and even in a married couples’ relationship, it’s quite hard to excuse one’s self. In the past, there were many arranged marriages, that’s why even now you keep hearing how easy it was to have newlywed syndrome.”

“Even if they’re a married couple……”

Naoto became completely disheartened.

That a problem like that happens to people going to their honeymoon and the like, is it alright that someone like me is talking about such a sensitive topic? Perhaps what I’m doing is just plain sexual harassment.

When he thought that his actions until now might have been meddlesome, Naoto felt a mixed feeling of frustration and sadness.

“——-Um!

I, want to tell this girl that I don’t want her to hold back from going to the restroom, but even as an acquaintance, it would still be impossible to say that to a woman, worst it will just be a nuisance to her, isn’t it?”

“Even if you have a relationship where you can tell anything to each other openly, you shouldn’t say that to her without warning, however it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?  Being able to show her that you are worrying about her is very important, in my opinion.”

The cab driver kindly said.

“Tha-, that’s right, isn’t it?! I should just tell her how I feel!”

Naoto felt encouraged by the words of the cab driver.

“Then, how about talking about women’s fashion? For example, I’ve been wanting to ask her if wearing tights would be better for keeping her warm. However, a girl’s choice of what to wear isn’t only based on if it makes them cold or warm, is it? In reality, there are girls who prefer wearing miniskirts even if its winter.

It would be better if I don’t talk about things like the how long should skirts be, won’t it?”

“It depends on each person, even so there are many female students who want to wear something cute. In that regard, the way you ask about it is also important.

Rather than denying her of her current fashion choices, it would be better if you tell your partner something like increasing her current choice of attire. For instance, I prefer tights because it looks warm, but maybe it’s not popular with other girls, if that is just a suggenstion, then——”

The cab driver answered Naoto’s questions without a hint of reluctance.

Seeing Naoto’s mood alternate from sad to happy by himself beside her, Natsuki laughed to herself.

Natsuki noticed a feeling of warmth gradually forming around her.

By any chance, did the cab driver increased the output of the heater? Or perhaps……

The two got off the cab a bit of a distance from the school entrance. It’s because of the possibility of their classmates teasing them curiously if they saw the both of them getting off together.

“Be careful of your footing while getting out, okay?”

The cab driver cautioned while they are getting out of the cab.

“If it’s okay with you, grab my hand.”

Naoto who got off first because Natsuki kept worrying about his motion sickness, reached out his hand to Natsuki.

“Thanks.”

Accepting his offer, Natsuki grasped Naoto’s hand.

Natsuki and Naoto who’s hand she was holding, suddenly felt their chest tighten, like a feeling of guilt suddenly consumed the both of them.

“Thank you for riding with us. Well then, please take care.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you very much.”

The cab slowly drove away.

“Here, I received business card tissues.”

Saying that, Natsuki gave one to Naoto, then put the other one in her pocket.

“Aah, she’s such a nice person.”

“Huh? It doesn’t seem that the number here connects to her phone. Maybe it connects to a center?”

“Female drivers are still a rare sight, so maybe they hand these to let people know they are in this kind of work.”

“I see. You know a lot about this.”

“No, I don’t know if I really know, though.”

Naoto said something complicated with a straight face.

“That way of talking is weird, you know.”

Natsuki unconsciously laughed.

That evening, Naoto called Natsuki to his room through the phone.

“Can you stop with calling or sending me email with something that can be misunderstood? I don’t want to be misled because you sent something strange without elaborating.”

Natsuki told Naoto suggestively about the call. Unlike before, Natsuki went to Naoto’s room feeling nervous.

While at it, she was even lost on what to wear, so in the end, she just went and wore back her school uniform.

When Natsuki arrived at Naoto’s room,

“Um, you don’t have to answer if you think it’s sexual harassment, but Oshida-san, do you have a boyfriend?”

Naoto asked seriously.

“If it’s Morita-kun, I don’t think of it as sexual harassment because you won’t ask me that without a reason. So, what is it?”

Not sure of how to answer, Natsuki replied with a question.

“We heard about newlywed syndrome from Ms. Cab Driver earlier, right. I searched about it for a bit on the net. I read that the reason is quite serious. Did you try to look it up?”

“A-, I planned on doing so as well but I forgot. What did it say?”

“Maybe Ms. Driver did not go into details so as to not make it awkward for us, but apparently, most people in the past will have their first sex during their honeymoon, then they end up exchanging bacteria that are foreign to each other’s bodies.

In addition, even if it may not be their first time, if both of them are still not used to it, they might struggle doing it prolonging the deed, adding to that the fact that they are naked the whole time made it hard to go to the restroom. That’s another reason why cystitis during honeymoon is sometimes called newlywed syndrome.”

“Heeee——-”

Natsuki expressed her comprehension. I see, I see, so that’s what happens.

“That’s why, um…….

Er, if Oshida-san had made a boyfriend just recently, I think you should refrain from doing that yet.

……That’s why I called you out.”

While talking like it’s hard to say it, Naoto looked with worry at Natsuki’s eyes.

Natsuki thought that if she acted strangely embarrassed at this very moment, Naoto will look more apologetic,

“I don’t have a boyfriend, so it’s alright.”

She said as a matter of fact. She tried to act as calm as possible.

“Is that so? Then that’s great. That’s the only I called you here. I didn’t tell it over the phone or such because I don’t want you to think of me as a weirdo.”

Naoto, feeling a sense of relief, smiled.

The extremely nervous Naoto did not notice the hint of disappointment coming from Natsuki.