Parents remarried. Now my lover starts referring to me as "Onii~chan" - Chapter 1 Part 1

Volume 1 Chapter 1

 I grinned while looking at the calendar hanging on the wall in my room, before starting for school.

Currently, it is June. There are no holidays, and if you live normally, there are no special events. As usual, I didn’t feel any excitement when I looked at the calendar.

But this year was different. This month, Neneka and I would have been dating for two months.

Until now, when my male friends around me would say to me.

“Hah… it’s so bothersome to be concerned about how many months my girlfriend has been with me. That’s not important, is it?”

And while I saw them sighing, I gave them an appropriate phrase, “Yeah, right,” in return.

–No, no. It can’t be unimportant you damn fool!!

In my mind, I retorted at the statement made by my past self.

As expected, I didn’t want to celebrate every month, and Neneka also didn’t seem to be that particular about our anniversary. However, it was fun to laugh at each other in a casual conversation, while saying , “It’s almost two months since we’ve been together…” The longer we spent time together, the closer our feelings towards each other got.

However, I questioned myself for being too cheap and sensitive regarding that.

Since I felt that we had very little amount of time to be together, I had a feeling of wanting to squeeze even the tiniest moments of happiness from it.

It had been two months since we had started dating, but we were yet to go on a date outside of school. Even at school, we just studied together and pretended to be on a date. We had only held hands while walking back to the station from school, and nothing had happened between us beyond that.

The guilt of starting a relationship with each other after we became exam-takers along with the nervousness of being in a relationship for the first time, the ambience that was created between us, made it difficult for both of us to voice about wanting to go on a date outside the school premises.

Once summer was over, we would need to get into a full-on exam mode. So, the only time we could spend together in ample amounts, would only be for the next two months or so.

I thought that it would be nice to just have some time to spend together… but truthfully, I would really like to be brave around her and to ask her on a proper date… I was afraid but we won’t even have the time to really talk about going on a date anymore.

While staring at the calendar, I started to worry about a good time to ask her out on a date.

It was kind of annoying to have some kind of test or mock test every now and then in the month.

–If I knew that we both had similar feelings towards each other, I would have confessed to her in our second year itself…

Thinking that I might have done quite a blunder, I headed towards my father’s Buddhist altar.

I rang the bell twice, and then put my hands together in a prayer.

“Good morning, dad. I’ll be off now.”

As I finished my morning routine and got up, my mother came over.

“Hey, Daiki. Can we have a little talk, is that okay?”

“Eh? It’s okay, but… it’s almost about time to go to school, so please do keep it short.”

“Eh? You go to school too early these days, don’t you? Why are you going to school so early?”

I wanted to go to school early. Neneka also came to school early. And I looked forward to study with her in the classroom before the other students arrived.

… Somehow, we kept it a secret that we were dating from the large populace. When it came to rumors, there were people who made unnecessary remarks like, “To start dating just after becoming test-takers, you surely got too much time up your sleeves, don’t you?”

If we were to be seen together for some moments, there would be no problem as such. Everyone knew the fact that we were in the same committee and that we were reasonably quite close to each other.

When I was in my second year, I was often asked, “Why don’t you go out with her?” At that time, I really didn’t think that I could start dating her for real, but…

“I’m just studying hard. It’s because I can concentrate better at school.”

Naturally, I was going to keep it a secret even from my mother that I now had a girlfriend.

Ara-Ara… it seems that you could afford wasting time, didn’t you? Your mother did tell you to quit your part-time job when you became a third year, but that was basically to make sure that your time did not get cut-out short for the exam studies though it was definitely not a pretext for you to get a girlfriend and enjoy your time flirting around with her, you know? … And so?

What kind of child is she?

Is she cute?

Have you got any pictures of her?

Bring her home next time… Of course she would say something like that.

I had the confidence to say that 90% of the mothers would say something like that.

That was why I couldn’t tell my mother. It was also to protect my peaceful daily life.

“So, what is it? What’s the matter?”

When I asked, my mother said.

“Actually… I’d like to remarry.”

“Heh? So, you found someone? Good for you. Why don’t you proceed with remarrying then?”

“Well, I’m happy to have a girlfriend these days too…” I thought, and replied suitably and half-heartedly.

I was not sure if my mother noticed that half-hearted reply of mine, but she looked disapprovingly at me.

“Normally, don’t children get taken aback by this? Is it okay for you not wanting to object to this matter?”

“Objection…? Why do I need to object or stop my mother from remarrying? Or did you want me to stop you?”

“No, it’s not like that, but… it just feels a little too light-hearted from your part, don’t you think?”

“I frankly don’t think my mother would make a wrong decision in choosing the person she will get remarried with, and if you get remarried, we’ll have more leeway in our living expenses, and so, you’ll be okay with working less and taking it easy and getting some rest too, right? It’s all good outcomes that await, I wouldn’t be that immature to object to such a decision.”

“Is that so? Thank you for your understanding. So, you know, I’d like them to move in with us here if possible. The other person lives in an apartment at present, and we also have separated arrangements with spare rooms too…”

“Umm, understood, you can go ahead with your talks.”

I answered as I put on my shoes in front of the entrance door.

If I left the house at this hour. Neneka was likely to arrive at school before me. I usually got there earlier than her, so I might make her worry. Let’s send her a message when I get on the train…

“You know, I think we should have a face-to-face meeting once before they actually decide to move in together… Since it’ll be important for me as well as for you too, Daiki.”

“Sure, sure. Well, if they do move in here, we’ll be able to see each other every single day, so don’t worry about it and bring them here whenever they feel it to be a good time. Ah, is it perhaps, I’ll have to change my last name when you get remarried?”

“Ah, that too! That was also part of the important things! I am thinking about going along with making “Morita” as my nickname at my work-place, but what are your thoughts about this Daiki…”

“Ah, I’d like that, too. It’s too much of a hassle to explain the reason for changing my last name in the third year of high school, I wonder if I could also make it my nickname as well? Could you please ask my homeroom teacher at school if something could be done regarding this?”

“I understand. Since you’re going along with the selfish wish of your mother. I’ll also do my best and ask the teacher to let it be done.”

“Then, I’ll leave it to you! I’m off to school then.”

“Hey! We still have some very important things to discuss about…”

“You can do the rest as per your liking. Apart from changing our surnames, is there really something that is going to affect me?”

“Obviously it’s going to matt… Ah okay, then… I get it! I’ll do whatever I seem fit from now on then!”

Even though I approved of her re-marriage. My mother seemed kind of grumpy for some reason.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Sure, sure, take care.”

My mother saw me off while I left for school. I walked quickly towards the station.