The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 28: Invitation to Sleep

The first “family dinner” for the three of us turned awkward for a moment because of me. However, thanks to the fact that the other two didn’t push it any further, the atmosphere quickly returned to normal afterward.

Miori looked at me with concern, but as long as I was acting normally, she didn’t bring it up. She must have been considerate.

From my perspective, I felt like I had spoiled the delicious Neapolitan spaghetti, so—I’m not saying it was because of the tears from my eyes that I was “spoiling” it—I’d have preferred it if they didn’t touch it.

After finishing lunch, they ate the dessert that Miori had brought along with the groceries, and then the two of them read a picture book on the living room sofa.

The picture book she brought from home was something we didn’t have, and it was also easy to study letters.

I’ve been reading picture books quite a bit myself. It seems that reading picture books is good for children’s education, and children who read many picture books when they are young tend to become smarter in the future. In my case, since I’m exhausted from school and housework, picture books, which are easy to read, were the most convenient. There have been many times when I’ve fallen asleep with Shuri while reading a picture book.

After finishing the dishes, I watch the “parent and child” from the kitchen, a little distance away from the two.

The two of them were leaning against the low sofa in the living room, reading a picture book, and Shuri’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she read the picture book for the first time.

──That being said, Miori’s voice is really pleasant to listen to.

Miori’s soft alto carries through the wind to my ears.

I was usually comforted by her voice, but hearing her read to the child like this made her voice feel even more maternal and gentle.

Wanting to hear that voice more closely, I sat in the corner of the living room, pretending to look at my smartphone. The screen was randomly opened to a news site, but I hardly looked at the content; my consciousness was directed toward her voice.

──Ah, no way. I’m going to fall asleep…

By the time I became aware of it, it was already too late.

The sound was so pleasant that I started to doze off, and my vision began to darken.

I don’t know how much time has passed since then, but I felt something touch my mouth, and I slowly opened my eyes.

What was there was the sight of Miori gently wiping my mouth with a handkerchief.

“Oh, did I wake you up? I’m sorry.”

She hurriedly pulled back the hand holding the handkerchief.

“No… it’s my fault. I was completely asleep.”

My consciousness is still fuzzy, and it feels somewhat unreal.

Even though it felt unreal, I found it strange that I didn’t feel any discomfort about Miori being in this house.

“So… what were you doing?”

I looked at the handkerchief she was holding and asked.

“Ah, this is, um…”

“Hmm?”

“Because… drool was dripping.”

She says with a slightly apologetic and embarrassed expression.

“Ugh.”

I hurriedly wiped my mouth, but it seemed that my embarrassing drool had already been wiped away by her handkerchief.

“Uh, I’m sorry… I got the handkerchief dirty. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

The handkerchief belonged to her. To have wiped drool with a woman’s handkerchief, I feel terribly sorry for what I’ve done.

“N-no, it’s fine. I just did it on my own. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“No, but…”

“That’s why, it’s going to be fine.”

“Y-yes.”

When someone raises their voice a little, for some reason, I get intimidated. I’m the weak “dad.”

But I also think that in the end, fathers in this world might not be able to win against mothers.

“Hey, speaking of which, where’s Shuri?”

“She’s with Isaki-kun.”

“Eh?”

Thinking that, I looked at the low sofa, and there was Shuri sleeping soundly. She must have covered me with a towel blanket.

It seemed that both siblings had fallen under her hypnosis.

“Miori’s reading is like magic.”

“Eh?”

“I get super sleepy.”

“What is that? No way.”

I was just being honest, but Miori seemed displeased and made a bit of a sulky face.

“Are you saying my reading is like Miyama-sensei?”

“It’s a bit different from that… no, but in terms of making you sleepy, it’s the same, right?”

“Geez.”

Miori gently nudged my shoulder.

By the way, Miyama-sensei is our modern literature teacher. When he reads the textbook aloud, for some reason, it makes me sleepy.

To be honest, her voice and the quality of her reading are completely different from Miyama-sensei’s, but that’s just modesty.

“Just… Isaki-kun, take it easy for once.”

“Eh?”

“You’re always worried about Shuri-chan, so you haven’t been able to sleep much, right? You can rest when I’m around.”

She chuckled softly and said as if to admonish.

Perhaps she sensed from my words that I hadn’t been able to rest much over the weekend. Maybe her coming over in the morning was her way of understanding my situation.

──How good of a kid are you, really…?

I almost said it without thinking, but it felt like it might turn into a confession, so I stopped myself just in time.

“Well then, if you insist, I suppose I’ll take a little break.”

“Yeah. Should I read a picture book to Isaki-kun too?”

“You, huh?”

“Hehe, just kidding.”

She says it with a laugh, but I also have a feeling that I want her to read a little bit to me.

“Are you going to sleep in your own room?”

“No, I can’t do that. I’m here because I feel bad.”

“I see.”

After saying that, she stood up, brought another towel blanket from the low sofa, and draped it over my shoulders.

What is this warmth? Usually, it’s me doing this for Shuri, but now I’m receiving it myself.

Even though I felt a strange sensation about having someone do something for me, the drowsiness attacked me again.

For the past few days, I’ve been tense and tired because of my mother’s requests, and this morning I was also made to wake up early, so I might have been sleep-deprived.

“Good night, Isaki-kun.”

She probably said that because I look sleepy.

Without even the luxury of replying to her, my consciousness once again slipped into unconsciousness.