Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 280: "That."

“That.”

Sunday.

Today was finally the day to go purchase “that.”

To be precise, it was more like placing an order, but since we’d only be picking it up afterward, it wasn’t a big deal. In essence, though… for me personally, today marked “a certain anniversary.”

Sara-san was heading out shopping with Mayumi-san, and the two of them were currently getting ready together. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since Sara-san and I had gone our separate ways like this.

It was only half a day apart—at most—but for some reason, a subtle loneliness tugged at me, mingled with an inexplicable restlessness. Why was that?

Perhaps it simply meant that being with Sara-san had become so utterly natural, so ingrained in my daily life.

…Well, no matter how pathetic it sounded, I’d never admit it out loud.

“Kazunari-san, is something the matter?”

“Huh? No, I was just thinking it’s been a while since we’ve gone separate ways.”

Had it shown on my face?

Sara-san addressed me at the perfect moment, catching me slightly off guard.

It probably hadn’t been that obvious, but with her uncanny ability to “read” my thoughts, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

“…You’re right. I’ve grown so accustomed to the happiness of being by your side that I’ve come to take our time together for granted. It’s only half a day, yet the thought of being apart feels… a little lonely.”

“Sara-san…”

“I suppose I’m saying something rather pathetic myself. But…”

“Not at all. I feel exactly the same.”

What Sara-san had just expressed was precisely what I’d been thinking. That’s why I understood her feelings so deeply. Even if she saw it as pathetic, sharing the same sentiment made it feel entirely natural to me.

“Fufu… I’m glad you said that. Still, we’ll have to get used to it eventually…”

Ding-dong.

The chime of our doorbell echoed through the house, cutting off Sara-san’s words.

The timing was almost frustratingly perfect, though there was nothing to be done about it.

We weren’t expecting any visitors…

It was still a bit early, but Mayumi-san might have come to pick her up, so I hurried to the door and opened it.

“Good morning, Kazunari. Came to pick you up?”

“Hayato?”

Standing at the entrance was Hayato, looking refreshingly handsome in casual clothes—a rare sight.

As always, the guy was high-spec through and through… but that wasn’t the point right now. This was a bit unexpected, outside the plan. Had something come up?

“What’s up, Hayato?”

“Well, my place is on the way to the station, so I figured we could head there together.”

“Ah, I see.”

That made sense.

We were meeting at the station anyway, and if he was passing by, I’d do the same. Perfectly reasonable.

“Yokokawa-san, hello.”

“Ah, hello, Satsukawa-senpai.”

“Thank you for coming to pick Kazunari-san up.”

“N-No, I didn’t do anything worth thanking me for!!”

Hayato’s response wasn’t just flustered—it bordered on panicked.

There hadn’t been anything in the conversation to warrant that… Well, I’d ask him later.

“Kazunari-san, since Yokokawa-san has come for you, shall we head out?”

“Yeah…”

With our plans set, there was no reason to keep Hayato waiting here.

It was still early, but we could always arrive ahead and wait. I’d planned to leave after seeing Sara-san off, but Mayumi-san wasn’t guaranteed to arrive right on time.

“Sorry, I’ll head out first then.”

“Yes. If dinner won’t be needed tonight…”

“I’ll be back properly. I want to eat the meal you make, Sara-san.”

“Ah… Fufu, understood. In that case, I’ll put extra effort into preparing tonight’s dinner♪”

Hearing my answer, Sara-san broke into a radiant, full-faced smile.

I hadn’t said it with any particular intent, but even I thought it was a pretty good response.

From behind, I caught Hayato’s quiet murmur: “Nice one, Kazunari.”

I wasn’t aiming for that, okay?

“Hayato, let’s go.”

“Yeah. Well then, Satsukawa-senpai—I’ll borrow Kazunari for a bit.”

“Sara-san, I’m off.”

“Ah, Kazunari-san, wait a moment. You’re forgetting something.”

“Eh?”

Forgetting something?

…Wallet, check. Phone, check. Handkerchief in my pocket, tissues in the bag…

I patted myself down, confirming each item one by one, when I realized Sara-san had quietly closed the distance between us.

Still, I didn’t think I’d forgotten anything…

“Sara-san, I—”

Chu…

!?

A gentle warmth brushed my cheek. Sara-san had leaned in close and planted a soft kiss there.

I was happy, of course, but—what was this all of a sudden!?

“Fufu… Have a good day… darling.”

Sara-san waved lightly, her face overflowing with a brilliant smile as she saw me off.

Was this… that rumored “goodbye kiss”?

In other words, the “forgotten item” had been exactly that, hadn’t it?

“U… I’m off.”

She kissed my cheek often enough normally, but this time, with the context…

It was a little embarrassing…

***

We’d left the house and started walking toward the station, but while I was fine, Hayato hadn’t said a word yet.

Glancing sideways, though, I caught him grinning at me.

“Wh-What?”

“No, no—it’s just, as expected, you two are really close.”

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

“Hey, Kazunari. By any chance… are you and Satsukawa-senpai already secretly married, without telling any of us…?”

“Not yet!!”

To be honest, even I thought that earlier exchange felt straight out of a newlywed couple!!

But dwelling on it only made me more embarrassed, so I’d forcibly averted my eyes back then!!

“Haha, well, considering what we’re going to buy today, I already knew that. But from an outsider’s perspective, Satsukawa-senpai already looks exactly like your wife.”

“……”

“I knew her before you two met, so it hits even harder for me… Don’t get mad, okay? I’ve said something similar before, but honestly—seeing what I just saw still feels unbelievable. If even I feel that way, no wonder the others can’t believe it…”

“Yeah, that’s probably it. The old Sara-san and the current one are just that different, right?”

“Exactly. To be precise, her usual self probably hasn’t changed much. It’s only when she’s with you that she’s completely different.”

I didn’t need Hayato to point it out—I’d always known that, felt it every day. Lately, I’d heard whispers that Sara-san had “softened,” but her attitude toward other guys remained consistent. That’s why her treatment of me stood out so much, leading to those incredulous reactions.

“But yeah, this time it’s probably checkmate. After witnessing that right in front of them, they’ll have no choice but to accept it.”

“Well, otherwise, there’d be no point in pulling that move right there.”

“True. It’s hardly typical high school behavior, but that’s exactly why it’ll be so effective. Rumors are already starting to spread, so the timing’s perfect. Though to adults who don’t know the context, it’ll probably seem like a joke or kids playing around.”

“I don’t care what adults think. The main goal is getting the school crowd to acknowledge our current relationship. If it causes a big stir in the process, that’ll help kill the Miss Contest too—two birds with one stone.”

“Yeah. By my prediction, more than half the guys in the audience will bail before the contest even ends.”

“Same here.”

What would actually happen was anyone’s guess until it did.

But based on past patterns, at least “Hayato’s prediction + massive uproar” seemed inevitable. Once that started, things would spiral out of control, and depending on timing, the voting itself might lose all meaning. If it came to that, the entire Miss Contest could end up…

As a guy, I understood wanting to get hyped over something like that. But forcing it on Sara-san when she clearly hated the idea? Unforgivable.

Tradition or custom—whatever. I’d take advantage of the situation and thoroughly sabotage it…

***

We arrived at the station, but as expected, it was still a little early.

Yuuji was coming by train, so our meetup time was fixed by the schedule— no chance of him arriving sooner.

Not enough time to hit a nearby café, either, so continuing our chat with Hayato seemed fine…

“Oh, looks like we beat Yuuji here?”

Hayato glanced toward the station rotary, where a car that stood out starkly from the surroundings—a luxury vehicle—glided in elegantly.

It was impossible to miss. Come to think of it, was that her personal car?

The car pulled into a temporary parking spot, and the driver hurriedly emerged from the front seat. Opening the rear door revealed, naturally…

“…Yeah, she stands out.”

“Well, she’s a genuine ojou-sama, after all. Though her personality is a bit more down-to-ea—”

“Takanashi-san, what exactly were you about to say?”

Nishikawa-san—no, the hellish… I mean, the refined young lady—cut in with a retort before even greeting us. We were still some distance away… Sharp ears.

Anyway, it had been a while since we’d met in person, but she seemed her usual self—relief all around.

“No, I was just going to say you’re a genuine ojou-sama, but incredibly approachable.”

I wasn’t lying, nope.

If she were like that fake Takapi girl, the stereotypical painted-picture ojou-sama, she’d be hard to deal with… So, approachable it was.

“…I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but I’ll let it slide. My apologies for the order, but it’s been a while, Takanashi-san. Yokokawa-san. You both look well.”

Her tone was casual, but her graceful manners screamed refined upbringing.

And it felt completely natural—no trace of pretension. Totally different from that phony ojou-sama. Though whether the other one even qualified as one was questionable.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Nishikawa-san. Thank you again for everything with the engagement to Sara-san. I truly appreciate it.”

I’d thanked her at the report meeting, but that was that. She’d really saved us back then, and being able to continue life with Sara-san unchanged was thanks to her help. I’d express gratitude as many times as needed.

“Not at all—I already received plenty of thanks. Besides, you helped me first.”

“No, that was mostly for my own reasons, so I wouldn’t call it helping…”

“But my father is grateful to you as well. He’s looking forward to seeing you at the end of the year.”

“End of the year? …Ah, the Sanami party?”

“Yes. Haven’t you heard yet?”

“Masomi—Sara-san’s father—did ask me to attend. But I haven’t gotten the details.”

When we’d gotten engaged, among the various requests for cooperation was that. I remembered him asking Sara-san and me to attend together.

Come to think of it, there’d been something similar in the message from Nishikawa-san’s father…

“It’s basically a year-end gathering. My father gets invited every year, so I’ve attended two or three times in the past.”

“I see. Honestly, I was nervous about going to a company party—feeling out of place. Not just strangers, but all adults. So if you’ll be there too, Nishikawa-san, that’s genuinely reassuring.”

“Fufu… I don’t mind being relied on, but you’ll have to get used to it soon, Takanashi-san. It might feel like another world, but you’re Sara’s fiancé. Eventually, you’ll be diving right in.”

“You’re right… Employees attend those parties too, don’t they?”

Yeah, I’d be joining Sanami after graduation, so attending company events was inevitable. Or cases like this, accompanying Masomi-san.

“W-Well… for now, that’s fine. Anyway, getting used to it gradually will save you panic later.”

?

Nishikawa-san had seemed to stumble over her words just now… Anyway, she had a point. If such occasions arose, getting comfortable early—for my sake and to avoid embarrassing Sara-san—was best. Experiencing it now was actually lucky.

“True enough. As expected of Nishikawa-san—wise advice.”

“Fufu, flattery gets you nowhere. But… yes, to help you adjust faster, how about escorting me at the party?”

“Eh? Escort…?”

“Just kidding. If I said that seriously, Sara would kill me.”

Nishikawa-san laughed mischievously as she said it.

I knew it was a joke, but… I actually didn’t fully understand what “escort” meant in that context. Since it was a joke, no big deal.

“Oh, Yokokawa-san, what’s wrong?”

At Nishikawa-san’s voice, I turned to see Hayato staring blankly at us. Rare expression for him.

“Hayato?”

“No, you two were chatting normally, but the content… Nishikawa-san aside, even you, Kazunari, have stepped into that world now.”

“It’s not like I’m fully in—just attending this time for a reason. Though yeah, the company probably has plenty of such events, and once I join…”

“Eh… Job? Ah, r-right. Yeah, a company like that would have all sorts of occasions.”

“Y-Yeah, I think so too.”

?

First Nishikawa-san, now Hayato stumbling over words… And I thought he glanced at her for a second.

Was I the only one saying something off…?

“Sorry, Kazunari—kept you waiting.”

“Yuuji?”

Turning at the voice, Yuuji had arrived without me noticing.

I’d been absorbed in conversation and lost track of time past our meetup.

“Hey, Yuuji—good work getting here.”

“Hello, Tachibana-san. It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Nishikawa-san. You too, Hayato—long time.”

After exchanging greetings, everyone’s eyes turned to Nishikawa-san. She was the only one who knew our final destination today. We’d agreed on her recommendation, but hadn’t been told where yet.

Originally, this shopping trip was planned as just us three guys—Yuuji and Hayato accompanying me.

But given the item, I’d consulted Nishikawa-san, who seemed knowledgeable about stores. She’d replied, “I happen to have errands there too—if it’s alright, shall I join?”

When I told Yuuji and Hayato, they’d said “for future reference…” and thus, this unusual lineup: three guys plus Nishikawa-san.

“Shall we get going, then? It’s not walking distance, so everyone, please get in the car.”

I’d figured as much, seeing it waiting in the parking spot.

Looks like we’d be imposing on her even more than expected…

***

“Nishikawa-san, is it far from here?”

“Hmm… About twenty minutes, I’d say.”

“Um, this is kind of late to ask, but… is it really okay for me to come? I hate to say it, but if the store’s really upscale…”

With Nishikawa-san’s recommendation, I trusted the place completely—in fact, it put me at ease.

My only concern was… it likely being quite high-end.

Meaning the products would be priced accordingly. Nishikawa-san was, after all, an ojou-sama; I’d seen our differing senses of money plenty of times. That was the one worry…

“It’s fine—I already confirmed that aspect, so don’t worry. Of course, when the time comes, they’ll handle it properly too.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“When the time comes”… What did she mean by that…?

“Yes. By the way, have you confirmed the ring size properly?”

“Yeah. I asked Mayumi-san to measure it precisely… For some reason, she sent her own size too.”

Why she’d included hers was a complete mystery. For a normal gift, sure—but I wasn’t sending Mayumi-san a ring… Probably her usual joke.

Still, someday, as thanks for everything, a proper present might be nice.

“Fufufu, how interesting. But it seems Mayumi-san has taken quite a liking to you, Takanashi-san. That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah, honestly, I’m grateful. Though her extreme prankster side can be a bit much sometimes.”

“Heh… Really? That’s a little surprising. I mostly see her in professional settings, and that image doesn’t match at all.”

“Eh?”

“Due to my position, I often meet her for company matters. How should I put it… She has an incredible aura—her mere presence makes everyone aware of the hierarchy…”

Her explanation was half-understandable, but it didn’t connect at all to the Mayumi-san in my mind.

Sure, she occasionally showed a stern face to Sara-san, but that’s normal for any parent.

“I can’t explain it well myself. But you’ll probably understand what I mean at the year-end party.”

“I-I see…”

“Yes. But you’ll be fine, Takanashi-san. For Mayumi-san to go that far means she truly trusts you. She might even think of you like a real son?”

Like a real son…

She was always telling me to call her “mother-in-law,” after all.

But if she felt positively toward me, that was a blessing. Even if she had that side, to me, Mayumi-san was always just Mayumi-san. That wouldn’t change, now or ever.

Still… somehow, the thought crossed my mind that occasionally calling her “mother-in-law” even normally might not be bad.