Chapter 23: Eleanor and Daikichi Sakoda

Daikichi normally took care of Sachiko in his own room whenever he was looking after her until Eleanor returned.

However, noticing that Sachiko was especially tired today—and thinking that she’d probably want to rest on the bed she usually used—Daikichi decided to enter the room shared by Eleanor and Sachiko instead of his own.

Since he had been given the door lock’s code, he entered, stepping directly into their room.

“Now that I think of it, ever since I started renting my own room—even though we’re neighbors—I haven’t been in here for… over a year.”

Although Daikichi now rents his own room, until he entered middle school he had been with Eleanor and Sachiko.

He had spent so much time in this room.

So he assumed he knew it well… but Daikichi noticed that the dishes, the patterns on the carpet and curtains, and even the clock were different from what he remembered.

The scene, so unlike his recollections, made him feel strangely unsettled—as if time were still moving in places he didn’t know.

But that is natural. Memories never remain exactly as they were unless one deliberately preserves them.

If you live your life day by day, things gradually change.

“Good night… hm?”

After gently laying Sachiko on her bed and trying to cover her with the sheet, Daikichi’s attention was drawn to a tube-like object that Sachiko was holding. He carefully picked it up to see what was inside.

Inside was that painting—the one depicting Eleanor, Sachiko, and Daikichi.

“……”

Presumably, after the school play, they decided to let everyone take home the exhibits. It was, after all, a natural measure; if the school were to store all these items, not even a warehouse would be enough.

Daikichi put the painting back into the tube and returned it to Sachiko’s hand.

Daikichi thought that Sachiko probably wouldn’t show this to Eleanor, given her nature.

So, although one option was for him to grab it now and later, when Eleanor returned, hand it over to her without asking, he chose not to.

Because this belonged to Sachiko—and it was for her to decide what to do with it.

Whether she chose to discard it, change her mind and show it to Eleanor, or even keep it hidden forever, only Sachiko had the right to decide.

Daikichi patted Sachiko’s head, then quietly closed the door and waited in the living room for Eleanor’s return.

The sound of the clock’s ticking seemed oddly drawn out, making every second feel exceptionally long.

After an hour of waiting, Eleanor finally returned.

“Daikichi?”

Eleanor looked at him, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“Welcome back, Eleanor-san.”

“It’s unusual, isn’t it?”

“Maybe so. I usually take care of Sachiko in my own room next door… Sorry for entering unannounced.”

“It’s fine. I did give you the code, after all… I noticed Sachiko’s shoes by the entrance. By any chance, is she sleeping on the bed?”

“Yeah, I carried her on my back when we got home, but she fell asleep then, so I figured she’d be tired and would prefer to sleep in her own bed.”

“Thanks~”

Eleanor sat across from Daikichi and began humming cheerfully. It seemed her heart skipped a beat that he had come into her room like old times.

Even if it happened by chance, the fact that someone who had grown a bit distant was approaching again naturally filled one with a little joy—a feeling Daikichi completely understood.

So he decided not to delay and spent a little time talking with Eleanor.

“Sachiko is such a kind girl.”

“Really? But behind my back, aren’t you calling me ‘oppai’? Since Sachiko might even grow bigger, one day she’ll think, ‘I said something awful to Mama back then.’”

“Even if that were to happen, it would be much later—and by then, I think Sachiko would have forgotten all about it.”

“That may be so.”

“…At the school play, Sachiko played the part of a tree. Though she’s usually quite sharp-tongued, when another child—who probably wanted a more prominent role—ended up nearly in tears for having a similar part, she consoled them.”

“Hmm?”

“So please, don’t be too hard on her.”

“…Daikichi, you really are on Sachiko’s side.”

“Well, it’s true that I do stand by Sachiko. Eleanor-san is so determined—as a parent—to raise her properly, and that’s right, but from Sachiko’s perspective, it sometimes comes off as too strict… she needs a place to escape.”

Eleanor sighed, rose from her seat, and with a gentle yet slightly bewitching smile, wrapped her arms around Daikichi from behind.

“Daikichi, you’ve grown into such a fine young man. You really are like Sachiko’s papa…”

In that position, with Eleanor’s ample chest inevitably brushing against him, Daikichi suddenly became embarrassed by its softness—his ears turning bright red.
However, catching a faint scent of alcohol from Eleanor helped him regain his composure.

It seemed there had been something like a staff drinking party. Even though it was already night, it wasn’t that late—suggesting that, thinking of Sachiko, she had only indulged in a brief caress before quickly returning.

Eleanor’s tendency to tease like this was strikingly similar to Sachiko’s.
No, it wasn’t that Eleanor resembled Sachiko; rather, Sachiko took after Eleanor.

Anyway, aside from that, Daikichi pondered how to rein in this woman in her thirties.

“Um…”

“‘Um…’ is it? Daikichi, you love my oppai, right? I saw you looking at them before.”

“Eh?”

“I saw you.”

Caught off guard by the sudden topic, Daikichi found himself even more at a loss for words.
It’s true that he had, on occasion, cast his eyes on Eleanor’s oppai before—but if you trace it back, it was all because of Sachiko.
Although Sachiko had previously exposed that she’d been using Eleanor’s oppai as material behind the scenes, Daikichi did not go so far as to explain that it was also the reason he had glanced at them.
The reason he refrained from saying more was simply that he wanted to remain on Sachiko’s side.
Even if he had secretly told Eleanor without Sachiko’s knowledge, or tried to hide it, children can sense such things from the atmosphere.
Especially since Sachiko is so sensitive, she would notice on her own and get hurt by it. That’s why Daikichi intended not to mention it any further.
However, because of that, Eleanor’s teasing had now become unceasing… well, he decided he’d manage somehow.

“Eleanor-san, you seem a bit drunk, so I assume it’s just a joke or some teasing, but please, don’t bully me.”

When Daikichi said this with a serious face, Eleanor laughed, as if to signal that she wouldn’t tease him any further.

“I’m just joking~”

“…Good.”

“Daikichi, you have enough on your plate thinking about Hanakumori-san, so as much as I enjoy teasing you, I’ll hold back a bit too.”

“No, it’s not like that… With Sakurazaki, the teachers are also helping out, so it isn’t all that difficult.”

“Is that so? But you never know what might happen in this world… Perhaps, in the blink of an eye, Hanakumori-san might find out about it.”

“It’ll be alright… Well then, I’m off to my room.”

“Good night~”

With Eleanor seeing him off, Daikichi returned to his room. He then turned on the light, finished preparing for school the next day, took a bath, and crawled into bed.

He was utterly exhausted today, too. Daikichi slept soundly, his gentle breathing filling the room.

Daikichi had a dream.

In his dream, someone familiar was speaking to him. However, that person didn’t remain the same—the figure kept changing abruptly.
It featured Sakurazaki, Tsubaki, Eleanor with Tsubaki, and even, at times, Sakurazaki’s homeroom teacher—it all felt utterly confusing.

――Daichan-senpai~. Do you wanna babble like a baby~?

――Stop it, I’m not a baby…

――Kii‑kun! Even though you’re Sako, you’re so cheeky! If you don’t give me a kiss, I won’t let go!

――Tsubaki… Save that for when you really have a man you love.

――My belly is getting bigger~. I’m Daikichi’s baby, you know~

――Because Daikichi worked so hard, maybe I’ll end up with a little brother or sister too…

――I don’t recall anything like that.

――Sako‑kun, you are so adorable and such a wonderful boy. Rest assured, I’ll take care of you until the very end.

――This person is Sakurazaki’s homeroom teacher… Why am I having such a bizarre dream?

It was a perplexing dream, but notably, among all the faces that kept changing, my parents were nowhere to be seen.
When even in dreams filled with many familiar faces they don’t appear, it feels as though I’m being told there’s no need to remember them anymore.
And as the scenes and characters kept swirling around, Daikichi gradually fell into such a deep sleep that he could no longer dream.

Even so… why did I dream that everyone was showing me affection? I don’t know the reason, but after all, a dream is just a dream.
Daikichi understood that no matter how deeply one ponders it, it wouldn’t mean anything. He could clearly distinguish between reality and dreams.

(If I can spend my days in peace without any trouble, then that’s enough for me…)

That’s what Daikichi had been thinking.
But reality sometimes throws an unexpected accident at you. Ignoring Daikichi’s desire for tranquility, drastic changes would suddenly occur.