“Alright then, Kento, Sophia-chan, the two of us are heading out.” (Kento’s father)
Two weeks had passed since the start of school. It was a Thursday.
Father and Jessica-san were about to leave for their honeymoon.
“Both of you, get along, okay? If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call us right away.” (Jessica)
Jessica-san was probably worried about leaving just me and Frost-san behind.
Considering she’d seen us arguing before, it couldn’t be helped…
“Don’t worry. Frost-san and I will get along just fine.” (Kento)
“That’s right~ we’re good friends.” (Sophia)
It was their long-awaited honeymoon.
After all they’ve done for us, I wanted to ensure they could enjoy it to the fullest.
That’s why I was pretending that we were getting along.
Of course, deep down, I was extremely anxious about our relationship.
“Recently, the two of you have been eating together and talking more, right~?” (Jessica)
Ever since hearing about their honeymoon plans, I’d been acting like that in front of them, and it seemed Jessica-san had come to believe it.
The two of them left the house with relieved smiles.
And with that—
“Just because they’re not here doesn’t mean you can try anything weird, okay?” (Sophia)
She shot me a very cold glare.
Her true colors came out quickly.
“I’m not reckless enough to risk that.” (Kento)
Even if we were alone with no one watching us, doing something weird would lead to her socially erasing me from society.
If I so much as peeked at her in the bath, touched her underwear, or, god forbid, tried to push her down, she would undoubtedly hand me over to the police without hesitation.
Unlike Shouta, who acts without thinking of consequences, I can’t bring myself to do something so reckless.
“Who knows? Men are beasts, aren’t they? If no one’s watching, they might suddenly attack.” (Sophia)
Frost-san hugged her body tightly and shot me a sharp glare.
Did she really think I would actually try something like that?
“With the way you’re saying it, it almost sounds like you’re hoping for that kind of thing.” (Kento)
I got a bit irritated and decided to retaliate.
“H-Haa!?” (Sophia)
Whether it was because she hadn’t expected me to talk back or because I hit the mark, Frost-san turned bright red and let out a high-pitched noise.
I had expected her to respond with the usual cold glare, so I was taken aback by her reaction.
It’s moments like these that throw me off balance.
“If you’re going to go so far as to say it, doesn’t that mean you’re expecting it?” (Kento)
Usually, I would back down in situations like this, but today, I decided to try giving a bit of a retort.
She was clearly flustered, so I thought I might have a chance of winning this round.
“A-Are you stupid!? A-Are you still half-asleep or something?!” (Sophia)
—I thought, but then she fired back in English, and I had no hope of winning.
I didn’t even understand what she was saying, so there was no way to continue arguing with her.
This is so unfair…
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. But we’d better have breakfast or we’ll be late.” (Kento)
Unlike Father and Jessica-san, who were off on vacation, we still had school.
Especially for me, since I had morning practice, I couldn’t afford to take my time and risk being late.
“You’re leaving it at that?!” (Sophia)
“I told you, I don’t understand English.” (Kento)
“Ah… sorry…” (Sophia)
As Frost-san approached, I teased her with a troubled smile, and she apologized with a downcast expression.
This was a routine exchange we had done countless times, so by now, even she probably felt a bit embarrassed.
“So, is speaking in English just a habit for you?” (Kento)
“Yeah, well… when I was little, it was all English, and even after I started speaking Japanese, we used English at home, so it just slips out…” (Sophia)
She probably made a conscious effort to speak Japanese most of the time.
Given that, it was understandable that it would slip out without thinking.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful…” (Sophia)
It’s surprising that she can apologize so honestly like this…
“It’s fine, no big deal.” (Kento)
“Eh…?” (Sophia)
Frost-san looked at me, surprised.
“Sure, it’s a problem if the other person can’t understand, but on the flip side, it also means things won’t escalate into a fight, right? The argument stops there, so it’s a pretty good stop-gap.” (Kento)
For me, it’s frustrating not knowing what’s she saying, and I really wish she’d speak in Japanese, but if I think about it in another way, it feels like her speaking in English actually helps release the tension.
At least, when Frost-san starts talking in English, I can tell she’s probably angry, but I never feel any negative emotions from it since I don’t understand what’s she saying.
However—
“What’s that… I don’t get it…” (Sophia)
Frost-san placed the back of her right hand against her mouth, turning her face away from me.
I wasn’t sure if she was being careful this time or if it was because she wasn’t flustered, but since she muttered in Japanese, I understood what she was saying.
Whatever it was, it seemed like I didn’t quite agree with my opinion.
That aside—
“…Why are you blushing again…?” (Kento)
Her blush had faded earlier, but it was back again, so I couldn’t help but ask.
After all, given the flow of the conversation, it didn’t make sense for her to be blushing.
“I’m not blushing…! What kind of eyes do you have!?” (Sophia)
But it seemed like I had stepped on a landmine, as she glared at me sharply.
She had switched back to English, and it was clear she was very flustered.
“Sorry. Anyways, let’s eat breakfast.” (Kento)
She was fine, but with morning practice waiting for me, I really didn’t have much time.
I had wanted to talk about what to do with dinner as well, but at this rate, it would just make things worse.
I decided to leave the dinner talk for later in the evening, quickly eat, and head out.
With that in mind, I ate my breakfast, but—
“……” (Sophia)
I found myself being stared at intensely by Frost-san, sitting right across from me.
She was definitely holding a grudge or something…
◆
“—Hey, Kento, aren’t you heading home yet?” (Teammate)
After club activities, I was walking towards a different part of the station, away from the ticket gate, when one of my teammates called out to me.
“Ah, I’ve got a little errand to run.” (Kento)
I needed to go pick up Frost-san.
She attends a cram school about a fifteen-minute walk from this station, but her classes end late, so normally, Jessica-san picks her up by car.
However, since Jessica-san was away on her trip today and the streets would be dangerous at night, she asked me to pick Frost-san up, since it seemed like we had been getting along recently.
That said, it was already past 8:30 PM.
Her cram school finishes at 9:00 PM on weekdays, so I’d have to wait for a bit.
“…I can smell a woman’s scent.” (Teammate)
“That’s not the case. Look, the train’s coming.” (Kento)
I brushed off my perceptive teammate and headed toward Frost-san’s cram school.
As I waited there—
“You’re really here…” (Sophia)
Frost-san came out of cram school, giving me a look that was clearly filled with disdain.
“Isn’t that expression a bit harsh?” (Kento)
I went out of my way to pick her up, and she looked at me like that…
“Well, because…” (Sophia)
Frost-san turned her gaze toward the other students from the cram school.
I quickly understood what she meant.
“Wait, is that guy Frost-san’s boyfriend?!” (Student)
“Frost-san has a boyfriend…!” (Student)
“She gives off such an unapproachable vibe, how did he even manage to win her over!?” (Student)
It seemed like Frost-san was getting attention not only at our school but also at cram school.
Since a guy had come to pick her up, it looked like everyone had assumed we were a couple.
“My head hurts…” (Sophia)
“Yeah, this… sorry about that.” (Kento)
I had thought it would be better to wait near the cram school, but in hindsight, I should’ve met her at a more distant spot to avoid causing any misunderstandings.
“Sorry if your friends misunderstood you…” (Kento)
“I don’t have any friends, so it doesn’t matter…” (Sophia)
“……” (Kento)
Despite the commotion, no one seemed to want to talk to her, so I got the sense that she didn’t quite fit in at the cram school either.
I wondered if she was okay with it.
“Anyway, what should we do for dinner? Should we eat out?” (Kento)
I asked, partly to change the subject.
“Eat out…” (Sophia)
However, Frost-san’s reaction was a bit hesitant.
I couldn’t tell if she liked the idea or if she didn’t want to.
“What’s wrong?” (Kento)
“I… haven’t really eaten out much…” (Sophia)
Ahhh, I see now.
Since she had almost no experience doing so, she probably didn’t even know if it would be a good idea or not.
“Well, let’s try eating out then. Anyway, there’s no one here who can cook.” (Kento)
Until now, Jessica-san had been handling the housework.
I had club activities, and Frost-san had her studies, so she had been taking care of everything else for us.
Even though Jessica-san must have had a hard time with work, we’ve been relying on her.
Because of that, we never had the chance to do any housework ourselves, and I thought neither of us could cook but…
“Hmph, I can cook.” (Sophia)
Frost-san looked at me with a pouty expression.
“Wait, you can cook!?” (Kento)
“Before our parents remarried, I used to make breakfast and help cook on days when there was no cram school. Did you think I couldn’t cook? Are you making fun of me?” (Sophia)
It seemed like she thought I was mocking her, as she shot me a cold look.
I’d never seen her cook before, but if she had been helping Jessica-san with cooking, then she was probably good at it.
It made sense that she hadn’t helped out since the remarriage; maybe she wanted to give my dad and Jessica-san some time alone together.
“Then… will you cook for us?” (Kento)
“…I’ll make breakfast tomorrow. Let’s eat out tonight.” (Sophia)
She’s making breakfast tomorrow…!?
Before she came into my life, I never had the chance to eat a girl’s home-cooked meal, except for cooking practice in class.
The onigiris served by the baseball team don’t count.
So, this opportunity—having a girl cook for me—was something I really wanted to cherish.
And to think that it was Frost-san, of all people, who would be cooking for me—it was truly special.
“Well then, I’ll look forward to tomorrow morning. What do you feel like eating tonight?” (Kento)
“Even if you ask me, I’m not sure…” (Sophia)
It seemed like she really hadn’t had many opportunities to eat out.
Jessica-san always cooked at home, and it didn’t seem like she had any friends to go out with, so it was understandable.
“Then, how about we go to a family restaurant?” (Kento)
A family restaurant offers a variety of dishes, so even someone who’s a beginner at eating out like her should be able to find something she wants.
“Mm…” (Sophia)
It seemed like she was convinced, as she nodded slightly.
For once, she seemed unusually docile.
Was she nervous because she wasn’t used to this?
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
You probably noticed already, but I used bold sentences for when Sophia speaks in English.
For those of you who still rmb me, I’m still busy with my army stuff, but I’m bored outside of them, so I figured why not continue translating. It’s just that the pace won’t be as quick as before.
This series looks cute enough for me to translate, and it’s recently got a second volume so that should keep me going for a while. Hopefully long enough for my other series to receive a new volume.
Footnote:
- None