The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 57

After Miori calmed down a bit, we left the aquarium. More and more people were coming in, and it felt rude to occupy the bench for too long.

After leaving the aquarium, I headed to the seaside park.

While walking along the coast, there was hardly any conversation between us. It was awkward, and I didn’t know what to talk about. I think Miori felt the same way.

However, the hands that were connected at the aquarium were never separated.

Even after standing up from the bench and exiting the gate, our hands remained intertwined, and when our eyes occasionally met, we shyly averted our gazes. I wondered what on earth we were doing together, but we continued this for several tens of minutes.

The sea breeze blows against her cheeks, stirring Miori’s long hair.

A racing heart, the anxiety of whether my sweaty hands would be seen as disgusting, and happiness. Various emotions were mixed together.

“Um… I’m really sorry about everything. I actually wanted to talk about Shuri-chan, but I ended up talking about myself too much and even cried in the end…”

We resumed our conversation a few minutes later. It was when we reached the observation deck of the seaside park and took in the view that Miori started talking.

At that time, my hands were already free. I had helped a boy who looked to be about the same age as Shuri, who had fallen and was crying right in front of me.

Once I let go of her hand, it felt a bit embarrassing to hold it again, so in the end, I just kept walking.

“No… I was really happy to learn various things about Miori.”

Somehow, I felt like I understood how she felt when she talked about that.

Miori must have realized that Shuri was a close presence to her due to our family environment. The significant difference between Shuri and Miori was that Shuri had an older brother.

However, Shuri and I have been having a bit of a bad way of arguing. Miori, sensing this, feared that if things continued like this, Shuri might end up following the same path as her.

That’s why, after Shuri had left my heart, when she understood her own existence──when she thought she had taken our mother away from our father and brother──she wanted to convey to me through sharing her past what path she would take.

However, it must not have been easy for Miori to talk about this. It must have felt like reopening her wounds and repeating the self-denial she had gone through in the past.

Still, Miori wanted to tell me that. Because for Shuri, there is no one but me.

“Are you not angry?”

“What?”

“About not talking at all about the fight with Shuri…”

I hesitated slightly, but finally spoke up.

Miori spoke with such determination. It wouldn’t be right for me to hide the fight that happened between me and Shuri here.

“I’m not angry. Because… It’s something I’m involved in, right?”

Miori smiled with a troubled expression.

That smile somehow reminded me of my mother’s visage from the dream I had last night.

“Why do you think that?”

“Just a feeling… I just thought so. If Isaki-kun fought with Shuri-chan and didn’t tell me the reason, then maybe that’s it.”

If I’m being presumptuous, I’m sorry, Miori added.

At times like this, I can’t help but think that she is indeed very wise and understands both me and Shuri well, like a true “mom.” If she had already seen through so much, staying silent would only have been a disadvantage.

I decided to talk about what happened after Miori left yesterday.

Shuri suddenly asked about “Mom,” said she wanted to see a picture of “Mom,” and even though I tried to dodge the topic, she threw a tantrum.

Of course, I also talked about the reason why I got angry about it.

I felt that the life of “dad” and “mom” that Miori and I had built over the past month was being denied, I felt that the fun times we had as a trio were being denied, I felt that Miori’s efforts were being denied, and I thought it was unreasonable that just a little while ago they were telling each other “I love you.”

“I see… Isaki-kun was angry for my sake?”

Miori looks over here and squints.

When it’s put so clearly, it’s embarrassing. No, actually, when I calm down and think about it, it was completely like I was angry for Miori’s sake.

“Thank you for getting angry for me. But I wish you wouldn’t make Shuri-chan cry because of me.”

After thanking me, Miori sighed in exasperation.

I felt embarrassed and turned my gaze towards the sea. It felt like I had indirectly confessed my feelings.

After saying something like “I can’t be without you” earlier, the embarrassment of calmly discussing my anger only adds to the awkwardness.

“Hmm! Then, it’s about that time when school is ending, so shall we head home?”

Miori stretched out towards the sea, and with a refreshed smile as if something had been lifted from her, she turned her face towards me.

Could it be related to her talking about her past? I thought to myself, if what I said could ease her heart even a little, I would be happy, but I didn’t have the courage to confirm it.

“Oh, right. It might be a bit awkward, but could you go pick up Shuri-chan by yourself today?”

“Huh? That’s fine, but…”

Since the first time we went to pick them up together, Miori has always gone with me to pick her up.

After all, did I make her feel bad by passing on Shuri’s words earlier?

“Oh, I’m not angry about what we talked about earlier, okay? It’s not that…”

After hesitating for a moment, Miori shyly peeks over here.

“I’m thinking of going back to get the stuffed animal for Shuri-chan and… um, some clothes.”

“Change of clothes?”

“Yeah. Didn’t we talk about staying over during Golden Week before? I was thinking of doing it today. Is that okay?”

That’s right. Somehow, we ended up skipping school, but starting tomorrow, it’s Golden Week.

Indeed, being alone with Shuri in her current state is tough. It’s tough, but is it okay to rely on her here? For Miori, Shuri’s remarks also seem awkward and difficult to handle in various ways.

“N-No, it’s not bad at all… But more importantly, is it okay, Miori? I mean… it must be tough after being told something like ‘you’re not good enough,’ right?”

When I said that, Miori shook her head.

“I was thinking after hearing that story earlier… Is Shuri-chan the kind of person who would say or think something like that?”

“Huh?”

“Shuri-chan does have a tendency to be a bit lacking in words, so I can understand why Isaki-kun might take it that way… but I think it’s probably different.”

But, Miori continued.

“There’s no way Shuri-chan would say something that would hurt Isaki-kun.”

As if stating a fact, Miori said, lowering the corners of her eyes.

The smile she wore at that moment was gentle, possessing a kindness akin to that of a saint despite being the same age as me, and it took away the prickliness in my heart. There was not a trace of doubt towards Shuri. It was as if she believed in Shuri as one would believe in her own child.

“Hey, but seriously, aren’t you really mad? After all that you’re done for her, being a ‘mom’ and everything, and now she wants to hear about our real mom… doesn’t that feel like a test or something?”

“I’m not angry. After all, it’s a fact that I’m not her real mother.”

Miori was still smiling with a troubled expression as usual.

There didn’t seem to be even a hint of irritation or dissatisfaction there.

Moreover, after prefacing that, Miori added the following.

“Even if I’m not her real mother, I think of myself as Shuri-chan’s ‘mom,’ and I believe Shuri-chan thinks of me that way too…”