Chapter 428 - Spring Comes
(1)
"Toya-san, please wake up. It's morning."
"Good morning, Airi."
After exchanging morning greetings with Toya-san, I slip out of bed and head to the kitchen.
While Toya-san is changing and getting ready, I finish making breakfast.
And then, breakfast for the two of us.
Apparently, many men look at their smartphones, watch TV, or read the newspaper while eating, but Toya-san doesn't do that.
He is solely devoted to conversing with me.
That continues even while breakfast ends and we are cleaning up.
Until the cleanup is finished and we settle down in the living room.
After spending a sweet moment together, it is time for Toya-san to go to work.
"Have a good day, please be careful."
"Yeah, I'm off."
After seeing Toya-san off, I also start my work.
I start the laundry, and do the cleaning.
When the cleaning is finished, I take out the laundry and put it away.
During that time, if there is trash to be taken out, I don't forget to take out the trash.
On those occasions, I talk with the neighborhood housewives.
I've heard from Rie-chan that getting along with the neighbors is important.
When that is finished, I have lunch.
Around the time I finish eating lunch and cleaning up, I get a phone call from Toya-san.
It seems he can leave on time today.
After finishing the call, I handle the housework that isn't done yet.
When the housework is finished, I go out.
I head to the Blue Bird.
Misato, Emi, Akira, Kana, Sakura, Kaori, and Karin are there.
We talk while drinking tea.
It seems Sakura chose to be a full-time housewife.
Apparently, she wants to focus on housework because they can live well enough on Hiyama-san's income.
Emi doesn't come every day.
She has to run the entertainment agency USE in place of Ishihara-kun.
Though it seems she lets Ishihara-kun make the important decisions.
The university group hardly ever comes.
It's only to the extent of Kuribayashi-kun coming to show his face.
The others have far-away universities, are busy with club activities, or are doing part-time jobs.
We talk peacefully.
With as many as eight women, we never run out of topics.
We hear about what happened in each other's lives.
It seems Misato and Kuribayashi-kun have built a good relationship.
Apparently, there are no particular complaints.
It seems they also understand that they both do part-time jobs.
Emi seems to have her hands full supporting Ishihara-kun.
Since he is carrying the fate of two companies on his shoulders, she wants to reduce his burden even a little, she says.
Even so, Ishihara-kun does the work given to him without uttering a single complaint and makes major decisions himself.
Akira says that Sakai-kun's work has finally settled down.
It seems work no longer reaches Sakai-kun, and the executive director and secretary handle the small details.
Sakai-kun is only called out when it is truly important.
The challenge for Sakai Corporation is how to reduce Sakai-kun's burden.
To put it simply, the challenge seems to be preventing Sakai-kun from working overtime.
For that sake, they apparently sometimes decline even negotiations with Bureaucrats.
Akira didn't even permit dining with Bureaucrats.
If they did such a thing, a disaster that would shake even the prefectural government awaited.
The subordinates also seem desperate.
Senior Kimoto's work is the same.
If Kana leaks a complaint, it reaches Akira's ears, and if it reaches Akira's ears, it immediately reaches Akira's father's ears, leading to him banning them from entering or replacing the contractors as a matter of course.
They have also come to undertake work from Harada General Design.
Partly due to requests from Harada General Design, they are apparently passing work to the fitted furniture manufacturer where Takemoto-kun works.
Transactions with the local bank are conducted with Hiyama-senpai.
Hiyama-senpai has many business entertainments, and no matter how many times she tells him, he has her make dinner only to report after the fact that he doesn't need it because of entertainment.
Sakura seems dissatisfied with that.
Hiyama-senpai apparently introduces work to the tax accountant office where Toya-san works.
It seems Toya-san has also come to be in charge of Takemoto-kun's company.
Toya-san's office is not that large, and since they often nominate Toya-san again, Toya-san is terrified of the busy season.
Perhaps because it is April, Kaori and the others also seem to have their husbands coming home late due to drinking parties.
However, because they strictly adhere to construction periods and proceed with a relaxed schedule, they say there isn't much overtime.
Though Kimoto-senpai apparently works overtime because he has to be present during foundation work and the like.
Companies that do not keep construction periods, cut it close to the deadline, or do not carry out processes according to meetings are weeded out by Akira.
"There is no work to give to such incompetent fools. There are plenty of contractors."
Akira says.
It seems Mayor Morishige once came to Akira's house with a box of sweets to negotiate.
"I want you to protect local small businesses," he said.
"I understand protecting businesses, but there is no need to shield useless people who can't even keep their promises," she apparently said.
In practice, Akira's construction company apparently undertakes the majority of public works.
Apparently, Akira's construction company is about the only one capable of keeping budgets down while maintaining quality and keeping construction periods.
Behind that, black companies are weeded out one after another.
Whether what Akira was doing was good or bad was something I couldn't judge.
All that could be said was that thanks to Akira-san, we were able to take it easy.
While we were talking about such things, Kuribayashi-kun brought two strangers.
One was a young man who came while being held by the hand by Kuribayashi-kun, simply terrified. He had black hair grown to about neck-length with straight-cut bangs. He wore a denim shirt and jeans, an outfit completely lacking in style.
The other was a strong-willed-looking woman. She had a chestnut-colored short bob and piercings. Her figure was slender and cool, just like Kanna's. She wore white pants, a light blue shirt, and a black jacket. She wore high-heeled shoes.
"Kuribayashi-kun. Who are those people?"
Emi asked.
"They are this year's rookie candidates,"
Kuribayashi-kun said so and smirked.
(2)
"I'll return it soon. Can you lend me a bit?"
Does extortion even exist in public universities?
Well, since it is happening in the present progressive tense right now, I suppose it does.
There is still time before Mama comes.
I was surrounded by four men.
This is trouble.
I hadn't imagined such a troublesome thing would happen.
It seems to have become a bit of a spectacle, and a crowd has gathered around.
"Hey, don't dawdle, hand over your wallet!"
One of the men grabs me by the collar.
"U-Um..."
After thinking it over, I spoke honestly.
"Mama has my wallet, and I don't have a single yen on me right now."
"Are you screwing with me, you bastard! Jump a little!"
I jumped as I was told.
I didn't even have spare change.
What I had were the tools needed for class and a smartphone to contact Mama.
While the men were conducting a body search on me, a woman's voice rang out.
"What are you guys doing?!"
The men glared at the owner of that voice.
I was also curious, so I looked.
A slightly tanned woman with a chestnut-colored short bob.
She wore white pants, a light blue shirt, and a black jacket draped over her.
Holding a tote bag, she spoke out without flinching at their gazes.
"You're university students, don't do such uncool things like extortion!"
One of the men approached the woman.
"We're not extorting anyone. We're just trying to borrow some money from a friend."
By the way, they were people I met for the first time just now, not high school classmates or old friends from middle school.
"You're cool too, little lady... but outsiders should shut up!"
The man shoved the woman.
But the woman did not back down.
"Just looking at guys like you irritates me!"
"Do you need to learn the hard way to understand, you bitch?!"
When the man yelled, the woman's right fist struck his face.
The man fell down with a nosebleed.
"You bastard!"
The remaining three surrounded the woman.
Ah, this has become troublesome.
Should I just leave it to the woman?
While I was thinking about such things, the woman had beaten down the three of them.
It seemed I was saved.
At that moment, my smartphone rang.
It was from Mama.
"I'm waiting at the school gate."
I tried to move to the school gate.
"Wait, you!"
I was stopped by the woman.
"What kind of attitude is it to just leave silently like this?!"
The brunt of her anger seemed to be directed at me.
"Th-Thank you. Mama called me, so I have to go..."
"Mama?! Aren't you ashamed at your age?!"
"Ah, sorry. You really saved me. I want to thank you, but I really don't have any money."
"That's not the issue! It's because you have that kind of attitude that you get targeted by guys like this."
Though right now, I'm being targeted by you.
"Rikito! What are you doing?!"
Mama came.
"You didn't come when called, and when I wondered what happened, you were being pestered by such a rough-looking woman. Poor thing."
Mama's intensity of making assumptions is deep-seated.
"Mama, don't misunderstand. This person is..."
"You don't have to say anything! You're a quiet child, so you're easily targeted by rough people like this."
"What did you say?"
It seemed to have rubbed her the wrong way.
"Wait a minute! Isn't it because you raise him like that that you're creating this kind of situation?!"
"Are you saying there's a problem with Rikito?! What do you know about Rikito? Rikito is..."
"I don't know anything, and I don't want to know! I have no interest in a pathetic, spineless coward who isn't even allowed to carry a wallet!"
"What?! You're the one who is a rude woman who doesn't know how to speak or have manners! I'd like to know how you were raised."
"At least I wasn't raised like that trash over there who has no spine, manners, or confidence!"
"What a mouthy brat!"
As the argument between Mama and the woman unfolded, a man stepped in to mediate.
"Now, now, both of you calm down. First, Mother, you are misunderstanding."
"Who are you?"
Mama glared at the man.
"I am Kuribayashi Junichi, a third-year in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the local university."
The man who introduced himself as Kuribayashi explained the situation.
Mama seemed to understand.
Mama glared at the woman and took money out of her wallet.
"I will thank you. This should be enough, right? Come, Rikito, let's go."
Mama said so and thrust the bills at the woman.
"Don't screw with me! Is that it?! Like child, like parent!"
Mama's response seemed unsatisfactory to the woman.
Kuribayashi-san soothed the woman.
"You calm down too. ...What's your name?"
"...Sabe Ayaka."
"Sabe-san, nice to meet you. What's your name?"
Kuribayashi-san asked me my name.
"I am Katachi Rikito."
"Katachi-kun, I see. Katachi-kun's mother. May I borrow Rikito-kun for a little bit?"
"What do you plan to do with our Rikito?"
"I want to teach him the ways of the world. Please rest assured. I won't do anything bad. I will properly take responsibility and send him home."
"I don't know what you plan to put into his head, but even without Kuribayashi-san doing such a thing, our Rikito is growing up splendidly."
"I am well aware of that. However, at the very least, he doesn't know how to live within the small community of a university. I want to teach him that. If things go on like this, you will be worried every day too, Mother, right?"
"...That's true. You won't put any strange ideas in his head, will you?"
"Of course."
"I understand... I will leave Rikito to you. Rikito, come back by curfew."
Mama said so and went home.
Kuribayashi-san watched her leave, then spoke to me and Sabe-san.
"What are your departments?"
"The Faculty of Economics."
"The Faculty of Education."
"I see, everyone is different... Katachi-kun, you don't have a car, right?"
"Yes, Mama wouldn't let me get a license because she said driving is dangerous."
"Does Sabe-san have one?"
"I have one."
"Then, I will take Katachi-kun, so Sabe-san, follow behind."
Kuribayashi-san said.
"Where are we going?"
Sabe-san asked.
"There's a cafe called Blue Bird along the national highway. I want you to follow me there."
When Kuribayashi-san said so, we headed to the cafe called Blue Bird.
In the cafe, there were several women.
They all seemed older.
When Kuribayashi-san, Sabe-san, and I sat at a table, Kuribayashi-san explained the situation to the women.
"I see... isn't he just the perfect prey?"
The person with long black hair said so. Prey? What does that mean? Did I perhaps make the wrong choice?
When I tried to call Mama, Kuribayashi-san stopped me.
"First, you have to fix the habit of trying to rely on your mother for everything."
Kuribayashi-san said.
"Right, first, shall I introduce them?"
Saying so, Kuribayashi-san introduced the women to us.
Kitamura-san, Emi-san, Akira-san, Kana-san, Sakura-san, Kaori-san, Karin-san, and Airi-san.
It seemed the one who said "prey" earlier was Emi-san.
"So, what is the reason I was called?"
Sabe-san asked.
Airi-san answered.
"You don't think it's fine to leave him like this, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I won't be satisfied unless I beat some sense into this rotten spine of his!"
"Then, our opinions match. Why don't we correct him together?"
Emi-san said.
"Is there a way to do that?"
"Do you know about the Watanabe Group? I think you would know if you are a local university student."
"I know it. Probably even high schoolers know it. It's a famous urban legend around here. Though I don't know the truth."
"Actually, that's us."
Emi-san said.
By the way, I didn't know. What is the Watanabe Group?
"Alright, I'm in. I can't leave this guy alone. At this rate, he will definitely ruin his future."
"Our opinions really match."
Emi-san said so and laughed.
"So, should I join this Watanabe Group? Along with this spineless coward."
"I don't dislike sensible girls."
Somehow, the conversation is moving forward in a place I don't know.
"Then, both of you, take out your smartphones."
When Kuribayashi-san said so, we took out our smartphones.
Then, we exchanged IDs and were invited to a message group.
To the group called Watanabe Group.
"Then, shall we start with today's reflection?"
Kuribayashi-san said.
First, they said I should apologize for my rudeness to Sabe-san.
"I'm very sorry about earlier. Mama called me and I was flustered..."
"Don't you have your own opinion?! How old are you?!"
"I'm turning eighteen."
"...Well, fine. Just be careful from now on."
Ah, it's bad if I don't go home soon.
"Excuse me, I have to go home soon or Mama will get mad..."
"I'm telling you to change that mindset!"
It seemed I had displeased Sabe-san.
"But she really will get mad..."
"...A severe case."
Emi-san said.
"Well, isn't it fine? If he breaks curfew on the first day, it'll be troublesome later."
Airi-san said.
"We also have to go home soon and prepare dinner for our husbands."
Kana-san said.
"Then, Sabe-san. Could you send him home?"
Huh?
"Isn't Kuribayashi-san going to do that?"
"I only said I would send him home, I didn't say I would be the one driving him, right?"
Kuribayashi-san said.
"Understood. I have things I want to say to this guy anyway."
Sabe-san accepted easily.
And so, I got into Sabe-san's car and went home.
When she stopped the car in front of my house, I thanked her and tried to get out, but Sabe-san stopped me.
"Give me your contact info."
Huh?
"Give me your phone number."
"Why?"
"Because it will be necessary from now on."
I didn't understand why it would be like that, but since it wasn't a problem, I gave it to her.
"Well then, Sabe-san, thank you very much for today."
"...Ayaka."
Huh?
"From now on, call me Ayaka."
"Why?"
"...Do a little research on the Watanabe Group. Listen, from now on, I'm going to make you into the man I want. Be prepared."
Sabe-san said so and leaned toward me.
Our lips lightly touched.
"See you later, then."
Ayaka let me off and drove away.
What is this? This feeling.
A scent, touch, and sensation I have never experienced before.
Unable to easily decide whether left or right was correct, I had always let Mama choose.
But it was the first time.
Even now, there are answers I don't know.
When I say "I don't know," she sticks out her tongue and says "Serves you right."
Even if the fate where dreams come true is a lie, I will mix different colors and make a different future.
By the time God is amazed, a warm wind will surely blow.
Spring comes, and I end up becoming greedy.
As many new things begin as the precious things up until now.
Spring comes, and I drop paint onto a new page.
With our respective reasons in our hearts, I head toward a future that shouldn't be wrong, amidst the sunlight filtering through the trees for the umpteenth time.
(3)
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
The clock read 17:30.
Who could it be at this hour?
Mama answered.
"Um, who is it?"
"Nice to meet you, I am Ishihara Emi. Is Rikito-san here?"
"Rikito, you have a guest."
When I went to the entrance, Emi-san was there.
"Get ready to go out immediately. I should have contacted you."
"Regarding that matter, I should have properly declined, though?"
There's no way she would allow me to go out at this hour.
"Just get ready to go out. I will talk with your mother in the meantime."
Told by Emi-san, I returned to my room and tried to change.
"Rikito, dinner is already made! Stop trying to go out!"
"We are holding his welcome party today. It won't work without him."
"My child's curfew is set at 18:00. Please do not make promises on your own."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. I have no intention of changing the schedule."
I changed as I was told and made myself ready to go out.
"No matter what you say, I cannot permit this child to go out. Please leave."
"...He is already eighteen. Shouldn't you listen to his opinion?"
"Do you have children?"
"No, not yet. Unfortunately."
"Then we have nothing to talk about. There is no way you can understand the feelings of a parent who cares for their child."
Mother triumphed.
But Emi-san still seemed to have composure.
"You are wrong."
Emi-san said flatly.
"What did you say?"
Mother's expression became harsh.
"You are irresponsible. By forcing your own feelings on him, you are crushing his sense of self."
"Irresponsible? I believe I have taken responsibility and looked after Rikito properly up until now."
"That was fine up until now. What do you plan to do from now on?"
"I plan to continue raising him with responsibility!"
"Deciding his job with responsibility, deciding his marriage partner, and interfering in his child-rearing. Is that what you want to say?"
"Yes, what is wrong with that?"
"Regardless of your will, a time will come when he must take responsibility for himself. What do you plan to do then?"
"Th-That is..."
"Can you give birth to the child of an irresponsible man who cannot take responsibility for his own actions? Can you really say that leaving child-rearing, education, and everything to parents is a good future for him?"
I was listening to the two of them talk.
Emi-san isn't talking to Mama. She is talking to me through Mama.
"If you are not there, if he has to make a decision by himself. Is he still going to live by relying on you?"
When I make a decision by myself, what should I rely on?
Who should I trust, what should I struggle for, and walk forward from now on?
Mama did not argue back.
She probably couldn't.
"Rikito, decide for yourself. I won't listen to excuses like 'Because Mama told me!' or 'Because you told me!' Take responsibility for your own actions."
"You, saying whatever you want since earlier. Can you take responsibility if something happens to this child?!"
Mother said.
"I have no intention of taking responsibility. He is no longer a chick with an eggshell stuck to his butt, so he should take responsibility himself."
"This child is not used to such things yet! Don't you think it's pitiful to suddenly say such things?"
"That is why we are here. To give him a way to have a sense of self. That is our role. I can promise him his future. Though whether he chooses that path is up to him."
"Mother... I'm going."
I said so and put on my shoes.
"Rikito!"
"I'm grateful to Mama. For raising me up to this point. But from here on, I will move forward on my own."
"You are just being tricked by this woman. Mama's words were always right, weren't they?"
"That day, I made a big mistake."
"A mistake?"
"A simple mistake. I prioritized Mama's call and didn't realize something anyone would understand—thanking Ayaka."
"There's no need to worry about that. Mama properly thanked her, didn't she?"
"But that method was wrong. It made Ayaka angry. What is right and what is wrong, I was completely relying on Mama. First, I have to correct that."
"Rikito..."
Mama couldn't find any more words.
"It's okay, I will become a person who can take responsibility for my own actions. Emi-san, let's go."
"Yes."
Leaving Mama standing there, we headed to the venue.
(4)
When I go to the usual yakitori restaurant with Airi, we take our seats and get drinks.
At my table were Airi, Kitamura-san, Kuribayashi-kun, Katachi-kun, Sabe-san, the Tada couple, and the Ishihara couple.
Kitamura-san introduced Katachi-kun and Sabe-san to me.
"Toya, got a second?"
Kanna said.
"What's up?"
"I thought it would be better to consult you before the alcohol gets in."
"What happened?"
"Well, does Toya's tax accountant office also do final tax returns?"
"Yeah, we do, but..."
"We want to ask you to do our final tax returns."
"What on earth happened?"
Makoto was the problem.
It seems he bought a foreign car and threw away receipts without thinking about taxes, so a large amount was taken.
Because of that, they had a huge fight, leading to the present.
"Understood. Makoto, keep your receipts properly. We'll decide if they can be expenses on our end."
"My bad, thanks."
"It feels like Katagiri-kun has also gotten used to it, right?"
Emi-san said.
"Well, I guess I've gotten used to it."
"So, how is our office looking?"
"As I always say, the management status is not bad. However, it might not be bad to spend a bit more money on welfare expenses."
"Understood."
Ishihara-kun said with a laugh.
"Everyone, thank you very much for waiting. We will now begin the welcome party for the Watanabe Group. First, a greeting from Watanabe-san."
Nishimatsu-kun said.
Then, self-introductions began.
It seems only Katachi-kun and Sabe-san are the new ones this year.
I talk with the two of them.
There is no need to read their minds.
There is no need to give advice.
Both of them seem to have connected their hearts.
Paint has been dropped onto Katachi-kun's new page.
They are surely heading toward a future that shouldn't be wrong.
He is moving forward with the answer chosen with his own feet.
As always, the performance by Tard was done, and after getting lively, the first party ended.
And then we go to the second party.
"I have to go home soon or Mama..."
Katachi-kun said.
"I see, I understand the reason Emi and the others recruited him."
"Thorough education is necessary!"
Kanna and Mika-san said.
"Yes, drastic treatment might be good."
Emi-san said.
"If that's the case, I have a proposal!"
Sabe-san said.
"Rikito! Move into my house during the consecutive holidays! I'll beat your lifestyle back into shape from scratch!"
It seems Sabe-san is that type.
"Don't say such unreasonable things, Ayaka! There's no way Mama would allow that."
Katachi-kun said.
"So he says. Emi-san, what do you think?"
"No problem. We'll beat him into shape with a spineless boot camp!"
"Before that, we have to thoroughly train him until morning today!"
Mika-san said.
Just as those words said, at the second party, Mika-san, Kanna, Emi-san, and Akira-san surrounded the two of them.
The other women were also mixed in.
Kitamura-san and the others were singing.
"Toya, was the foreign car a bad idea?"
Makoto said.
"I won't know without looking at the details, but depending on Makoto's income and the frequency of the car's use, depreciation might be allowed, so it's fine."
"I see..."
"But, you're going to have children from now on, right? Don't you need to buy a different car?"
"That's fine. I made sure it's one that the family can ride in properly."
"I see, and also..."
I go on to explain tax-saving measures to Makoto.
There is a limit as a sole proprietor. The quickest way is to register at Emi-san's office.
It seems Makoto also has a lot of performance fees from local TV commercials and the like.
It is also possible to pay rewards to the office to reduce profits.
"Toya, you've been studying too."
Makoto said.
"This is also my job, after all."
"How about you guys this year? Can you come to the training camp?"
Watanabe-kun asked.
Makoto said he would be fine in the latter half.
"Understood. I'll tell Nishimatsu."
"I'm listening. The latter half, right. Understood."
Nishimatsu-kun said.
After that, I leisurely ate and drank while watching Katachi-kun being nagged by the women.
When morning came, everyone disbanded.
Sabe-san said she would send Katachi-kun home.
"Well then, next is the training camp."
When Watanabe-kun said so, everyone said "Good work" and went home.
We also go home while being shaken by the bus.
When we get home, I take a shower and collapse onto the bed.
Before I knew it, I was asleep.
When I noticed, it was noon.
Shoot!
Naturally, Airi is not in the bedroom.
When I go to the living room, Airi is there.
"Ah, Toya-san. Good morning. I'll make lunch right away."
"Sorry, I let my guard down."
"It's okay, I made sure to keep it to the minimum housework."
Airi says so and smiles.
"I'll pay attention to you in the afternoon."
"Really? In that case..."
I listen to Airi's requests.
They are modest requests.
We decided to eat dinner out.
After eating dinner, we return and take a bath.
This time, I stayed properly awake.
When Airi returns from the bath, I keep her company.
Even without saying anything, I understand.
I grasp at least what Airi desires.
And Airi is pleased.
When it is time, we get into bed.
"Please do your best again starting tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
Time flows slowly and steadily.
Even if the fate where dreams come true is a lie, let's mix different colors and make a different future.
By the time God is amazed, a warm wind will surely blow.
Spring comes again, and we end up saying sorry and becoming greedy.
Hoping that as many precious things up until now continue as the new things. Or something like that.
Spring comes again, and we drop paint onto a new page.
We became friends, we ate delicious things, occasionally we had a little fight.
With our respective reasons in our hearts, we head toward a future that shouldn't be wrong, amidst the sunlight filtering through the trees for the umpteenth time.
The reason that one-way ticket shook was because of the tailwind, though.
Because it is the answer properly chosen by these feet, please watch over me.