The Students I Once Tutored As Part-Time Home Tutors During My Student Days Had Suddenly Achieved Excessive Success In Their Careers. - Chapter 9: The One Lost in Thought

The One Lost in Thought

She had beautiful black hair that reached down to her waist, with cherry blossom-colored highlights in her side-swept bangs, and sharp purple eyes.

From a distance, her impressive figure was noticeable, and she—

“Ah, Mom. I’m about to enter the supermarket, so I’ll lower my voice. I don’t want to disturb anyone around me,” she conveyed these sensible words over the phone.

“Yes, yes, coming from you, Nana-chan, the one who caused Sora-san so much trouble.”

“W-Well, I really regret that… I’m not misbehaving anymore, and I’ve become more responsible…”

Referred to as Nana-chan by her mother, Sakurai Nanase adjusted her hat as if to hide her embarrassment and carried a stacked shopping basket in her hand. With her beautiful black hair swaying, she walked through the store.

“Anyway, I just need to buy eggs, right?”

“Cheese too.”

“Oh, right, right.”

“I’m glad I called. You’re still forgetful as ever.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you. To a mother who forgets to buy eggs and cheese.”

As she exchanged friendly words with her mother, she put eggs into her shopping basket and headed for the shelves with various cheese products.

“Actually, being forgetful is in my genes, it’s your fault, Mom, I’m sure of it.”

“That’s not true at all. Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. You can use any leftover money to buy something you like.”

She had been given 5,000 yen for the egg and cheese shopping. Even with rough calculations, she could freely spend over 4,000 yen, but she shook her head.

“That’s okay. I’ll buy the eggs and cheese with my own money. Mom, I’ll return your money as soon as I get back home.”

“But then, there’s no point in me giving you the money, is there?”

“Because if I don’t take it, you’ll block the entrance, Mom.”

“Eh?”

“Not ‘eh.’ It’s a fact.”

Nanase cut through her mother’s elongated voice, but her expression was gentle.

“And besides, you don’t have to worry about me. I have advertising income, and I even got an ambassador contract after that, so I have enough money.”

“Even so, I don’t want to let my daughter pay for everything. You’ll understand when you get married and have children.”

“Hmm. Well, for now, I’ll pay.”

“Oh, you’re losing your cuteness.”

“Yes, yes. Sorry for being such an uncute daughter.”

Parents might find it disappointing at times, but this was a form of independence. Nanase felt the realization of this during their conversation, and she smiled with a hint of happiness. However, the moment she did, it seemed like her mother was ready to counterattack, almost as if she were taking out her frustration on her.

“It’s not a big deal, you know~. Nana-chan, you have other cute qualities.”

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

“For example, Nana-chan’s maiden heart… and such.”

“N-No… I’m just a normal person.”

Nanase tried to sound composed, but that was just in her tone and voice. She couldn’t hide her embarrassment over the phone. As proof, the Nanase inside the supermarket seemed fidgety, deepening her hat and blushing as if something had hit a nerve.

“But you’re not normal, right? After winning the audition, you’ve been constantly saying ‘Idiot’ or ‘Watch TV’ to Sora-san…”

“T-That’s because it has nothing to do with my maiden heart… I just want to show that I’ve been working hard, but he doesn’t watch… Besides, he’s the one who said, ‘I’ll come see you someday.’ It’s only normal to show up around this time.”

“On the flip side, you probably want to meet him sooner, but you can’t, so you’re feeling all frustrated, right?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

It was a weak rebuttal, but there was no help for it. As expected of a mother, she was able to hit the mark and seal any counter arguments.

“And also…”

“Enough already…”

“That bracelet you bought recently, it’s made of rose quartz, right? It’s like a love stone with tremendous power to bring love and happiness, isn’t it?”

“Gah!”

“Before, you used to say things like, ‘That doesn’t mean anything’…”

—Beep.

“…”

She moved the smartphone away from her ear and tapped the end call button. It was a forceful and abrupt end to the conversation.

“W-Why does Mom know so much about the power of natural gemstones… She was really detailed about it…”

She remembered the previous conversation and her body flushed with embarrassment.

Nanase had bragged about it to her mother.

“As a commemoration of winning the audition, I bought this bracelet. Isn’t it cute?” she had said.

At that time, her mother’s sympathetic expression had a hidden meaning of “For achieving love and happiness,” a realization that Nanase only noticed now.

“I’m so embarrassed… She knows everything…”

She muttered under her breath and adjusted her hat once again to hide her red face. Then, she moved to the cheese section, where she couldn’t be seen with her blushing cheeks.

“Did that idiot like cheese too…”

As she muttered softly, she recalled an old memory.

It was the sight of Sora enjoying a cheesecake treat at her home.

“Sigh… When will I ever get to see that idiot’s face again… It doesn’t seem like I can expect it anytime soon…”

She narrowed her eyes as she put the desired cheese into her basket. Left hand adorned with the rose quartz bracelet, she glanced at it casually.

“Well, he’s not the type to break promises…”

With that complaint being the last thing she let out, she resumed her journey in search of her favorite snacks.

***

A few minutes later…

“Hehe, come to think of it, Nanase-san was always like that…”

In the sweets section, Sora, observing a child next to their parent carefully selecting snacks, whispered to himself in a gentle tone.