ODL – Chapter  57 – Mafuyu’s Darkness

“…For now, I’ll go to the convenience store. What should I buy for you?” (Mafuyu)

After briefly glancing at Shizuka, who was lying on the bed, Mafuyu-chan opened her mouth. Shizuka seemed to have fallen asleep with her eyes closed by the time Mafuyu spoke. I wonder if that was good timing or bad timing…

Surprised by her sudden appearance, I relayed my plans to get sports drinks, jelly drinks, pudding, and various other items. Mafuyu-chan returned after about five minutes of shopping.

“I’ll put it in the fridge.” (Mafuyu)

“Oh, uh… Thanks, that helps.” (Souma)

While I had sensed something akin to hostility from Mafuyu-chan earlier, it seemed to have been a misunderstanding. I let out a sigh of relief without her noticing.

“…What’s with all this stuff? What kind of life was she living?” (Mafuyu)

From the living room came Mafuyu-chan’s voice, tinged with annoyance. I had heard the sound of the fridge door opening just a moment ago, so it must be quite a sight inside. Come to think of it, I had never opened Shizuka’s fridge. I wondered what could be in there. It’s probably filled with expired items… but I think that would be quite rude.

For a while, only the sound of items being placed in the fridge echoed, and then Mafuyu-chan’s footsteps came closer, eventually stopping right behind me.

I was surprised when she suddenly appeared, but… now that I think about it, I’m really glad she came. She must have come to check on Shizuka because I mentioned her having caught a cold. Even though Shizuka and Mafuyu-chan seem to fight all the time, deep down, they probably care about each other. There’s a saying that goes something like, “The more you fight, the closer you are.” I couldn’t help but feel warm inside.

“By the way… about what we were talking about earlier…” (Mafuyu)

“!?” (Souma)

Mafuyu-chan’s voice suddenly turned icy cold, and I couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

…I had a momentary illusion that an assassin was standing behind me.

“Of course, I think it’s just the delusions of someone with a fever… but what does she mean by ‘being seen naked’? …Onii-chan?” (Souma)

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I knelt on the freshly cleaned floor with my fists resting on my thighs. Haha, it’s a good thing I cleaned it up earlier. Thanks to that, sitting in this seiza position is easier. I couldn’t sit like this if there were trash on the floor. Hahaha.

“…It’s really just an accident…” (Souma)

I couldn’t check my phone, but it must have been well past the end of the university lunch break by now. I had spent quite some time like this in front of Mafuyu-chan. My legs had long since gone numb, and I felt like tears were about to well up.

“Onii-chan, you keep saying ‘it was an accident’ but whether it was a coincidence or not… doesn’t matter.” (Mafuyu)

Scary.

Mafuyu-chan’s sweet voice, which was in “apartment mode”, was strangely frightening, to the point where I was trembling. It was terrifying that she had a smile on her face even though she should be angry. I felt like being scolded with her usual serious expression would be better.

“I’m reflecting on it…” (Souma)

Unfortunately, the logic was on Mafuyu-chan’s side. Regardless of the circumstances, I had seen a girl naked. Whether it was an accident or not was irrelevant. Entering Shizuka’s room without knocking was undoubtedly my mistake. Every time I recall this event, I desperately pushed the image of Shizuka’s naked body, which inevitably surfaced, to the corner of my mind. Naturally, it was the first time I had seen a girl naked, or rather, I did have some hazy memories of taking baths with Mafuyu-chan when we were younger, but this was the first time the gender differences were emphasized.

Earlier, there was a sick person right in front of me, so I didn’t have to consciously think about it. But now that I think about it, it was truly a shocking image. It was too much for a twenty-year-old guy to handle. No… stop thinking about it. If I don’t erase that image from my memory, I won’t be able to look Shizuka in the face anymore.

“Onii-chan… do you remember what you told me when we were kids in the bath?” (Mafuyu)

“What I told Mafuyu-chan…?” (Souma)

That hazy memory from when we were in the bath… Was it actually real? Unfortunately, I could only vaguely recall that we had been in the bath, so I had no memory of any conversation taking place there. What did I say back then…?

“…Sorry, I might not remember.” (Souma)

“I see. I thought that that was the case. You see, onii-chan, you said something like this ── ‘When we grow up, please marry me’.” (Mafuyu)

“Eeh…?” (Souma)

Did I really say that…?

Well, I couldn’t say for sure since I don’t remember, but at least back then, I didn’t have any romantic feelings for Mafuyu-chan. I saw her as a little sister and that hasn’t changed. So, I couldn’t imagine my younger self saying something like that. Besides, that kind of line doesn’t seem like something I would say. I wasn’t particularly interested in romance back then, either.

However, looking at Mafuyu-chan blushing and squirming, it was hard to believe it was a complete lie. Given the circumstantial evidence, it was possible that I might have said it after all.

“So, onii-chan, you’re going to marry me. And yet… what were you thinking looking at another girl naked?” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan’s face, which had been soft and flustered, suddenly turned serious as she stared at me, almost accusingly.

“I mean… even if you say that…” (Souma)

My retorts couldn’t keep up. Where should I even start to clear up this misunderstanding? Well, I should probably start with the most important point…

“I, currently, have no intention of marrying Mafuyu-chan…” (Souma)

“What…!?” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan suddenly fell to her knees.

“Why…” (Mafuyu)

“Did I really say I was going to get married in the first place? I’m sorry, but if I did say that, it was just irresponsible of me…” (Souma)

But, you know, taking those kinds of childhood lines seriously… I mean, isn’t that kind of thing something that happens in fiction?

“You did say it… You reluctantly promised when I told you I wouldn’t get out of the bathtub until you promised to marry me…” (Mafuyu)

“…That’s like forcing someone to say it, though…” (Souma)

It kind of made sense now. If it was that sort of situation, it wouldn’t be strange to say it.

“So, can we just forget about that old promise? Right now, the idea of marriage or anything like that doesn’t really feel real to me at all, you know? I’m sure it’s the same for you, Mafuyu-chan.” (Souma)

“I… it’s not like that…” (Mafuyu)

Mafuyu-chan mumbled something, her head hanging down, but I couldn’t quite catch what she said. I couldn’t bear to see Mafuyu-chan kneeling there with her shoulders slumped, so I approached her and gently stroked her head. Mafuyu-chan’s feelings genuinely made me happy.

“Um… Mafuyu-chan…? I mean, I’m honestly happy that you like me so much… I don’t dislike you either, so I’d be really happy if you didn’t get so down about it… It’s just that I’m a bit confused when you suddenly talk about marriage… Hey, I…!” (Souma)

Suddenly, Mafuyu-chan embraced me tightly and pushed us both down to the floor.

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Thanks for reading!

Oops I mistranslated the earlier chapter stating that it was after school. Well, I didn’t think know that he had such a long lunch break.

Things are starting to get from bad to worse lol.

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