Tenkosaki - Chapter 58 English

 Chapter 58 – Don't look!

 Haruki greeted and spoke politely.

 "Again—I'm Nikaido Haruki."

 "Hou, Haruki-chan, you've become so different."

 “Fufu, it has been seven years.”

 “What about Hayato and Himeko?  Are they bothering you?"

 "I get along well with them."

 Saying that, Haruki smiled sweetly and nodded.

  Her back straight, wearing a neat uniform.  She really behaved perfectly in front of the owner of the house she visited.  You could say she had changed.

 That level of acting was so cute that Himeko let out a voice of admiration.

 “...oh.”

 “I'm worried that she won't be able to attend school properly because she suddenly has to change schools, but I don't need to worry if Haruki-chan is here… but, Hayato-kun?”

 "Hayato-kun is doing well in school... ehm, is there something wrong?"

 "There isn't anything..."

 As Nikaido Haruki, she displays a very polite and kind attitude towards his childhood friend's parents.

 However, even so, Hayato felt very uncomfortable.

 Seeing Haruki's tense face, Hayato's feelings that had subsided earlier peaked like surging mud.

 And he remembered the incident earlier, before Haruki and Himeko came back.

 +×+×+×+

 After class ended, Hayato was caught by Mori and his other classmates.

 "I have to prepare dinner!"

 “Eh, Kirishima cooked dinner?!”

 With those words, Hayato forcefully broke free from Mori and company's shackles.

 From behind came their shocked voices.

 (Ah, shit!)

 Today so many unexpected things happened.

 For both himself and those around him, things don't go well and it frustrates him.

 This is not good.

 Therefore, he tried to reset his feelings and walked home by a different route and entered a shop he normally never visited.

 It's a coffee bean shop, but also sells all kinds of imported groceries.

 “Spice exhibition...”

 In a corner shop that he visited at the invitation of an interesting aroma, there were spices such as cumin, turmeric, coriander, red pepper and others.  Next to it, recipes for chai tea and curries are also available, as well as spices with familiar names.

 Hayato remembered the recipe Murao Saki gave him a while ago and compared it in his mind.  It feels time consuming and also less efficient in cost.

 (...sometimes, this is also okay.)

 However, that was his current mood.

 Hayato loves to cook.

 Although initially forced by circumstances, he becomes obsessed with the happiness of Himeko—or other people who eat his cooking and now cooking is one of his hobbies.

 Therefore, trying out new recipes and cooking methods made his heart flutter and he felt great joy imagining how Haruki and Himeko would react.

 Even his steps became lighter as he headed towards their apartment.

 “...Eh?”

  However, those excited feelings were crushed when he reached the apartment door and found that it was open.

 Should have locked it this morning before leaving.  Is there a thief?  Or maybe a weirdo who's after Himeko?

 In the Tsukinose countryside, many houses were left open, but Hayato often heard from various people that in big cities, you have to lock your doors or there will be big trouble.

 While feeling anxious, Hayato stepped into the living room, and there he saw a middle-aged man sleeping with his legs thrown up on the sofa.

 “Hmm… oh, I overslept.  It's been a while, Hayato."

 "..... Dad."

 It was his father.  Subconsciously, he felt relieved and sighed.

 Despite moving to a new house, he rarely came home, and this was the first time Hayato had seen his face in over a week.

 A crumpled shirt was visible from the paper bag under his feet, it looked like he had come to get a change of clothes.

 "Oh, if the clothes are dirty you can put them in the bathroom."

 "Sorry to bother.  Oh, how about I cook dinner today?”

 "No need, I will cook.  Himeko has been on a diet lately, so she's a bit fussy about her diet."

 “Oh, Himeko is on a diet huh.”

 Father kept grumbling and muttering, Hayato didn't know what was wrong.

 Seeing his father like that, you can see that the shirt he was wearing and the jacket hanging on the sofa were worn out, and you could see the dark circles under his eyes.

 Meanwhile, Hayato prepared the spices he bought and took out the frozen chicken and vegetables he bought.

 Since living in Tsukinose, his father has made agricultural machinery repair and research his livelihood.  He also takes care of how to plant and harvest the produce.

 After moving here and being reassigned, research became Hayato's father's main occupation.  With adequate research facilities, he feels at home and often stays there.

 (...But it seems he visits mom every day...)

 He also heard that his father visited his mother every time when he had free time.  Well, at least they are doing well in their husband and wife relationship.  Although the feeling is a little complicated.

 While thinking about that, Hayato opened the recipe given by Murao Saki.  Today, she would be making a curry with tomatoes as the main ingredient that accentuated the acidity.

 Hayato prepares a pot that has been greased with oil, then adds ginger and garlic to give it some aroma.  Then, she sautéed the finely chopped onions until they turned a golden brown color.  After that, she added roughly chopped fresh tomatoes, and continued to stir-fry until the moisture disappeared.  While preparing the seasonings he had just bought, father suddenly started a conversation, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

 "Oh, how is your school and life here?"

 "Hmm, that's normal.  Both me and Himeko are fine.”

 "Oh, I see..."

 Father seems worried about our sudden move.  Hayato could see the regretful look on his face.

 But neither Hayato nor Himeko felt dissatisfied about that.

 “We also met someone unexpectedly... Oh right, you remember Haruki, right?  She often comes to our house first.  Now she lives alone, and we often have dinner together at our house these days.”

 “...Eh?”

 "...Dad?"

 This is a story that doesn't really matter.

 Perhaps she would also be coming for dinner today, so there was also benefit in telling him about that.

 However, father looked surprised and his eyes widened.

 "Haruki-chan, that's Haruki-chan who used to live at Nikaido's grandmother's house, right?"

 "Ah, it's Haruki who moved from Tsukinose when she was little."

 "Now, she lives alone without parents...?"

 "Yes, she said she lives at home alone."

 "....She is....!"

 "hah!?'

 It was a loud sound.

 The voice sounded angry.

 Hayato could hear the sound of teeth grinding loudly, and his father scratched his head roughly.

 Hayato didn't know what was going on.

 but he noticed a few things.

 (Does father know the situation why Haruki lives in Tsukinose...?)

 Tsukinose is a small village in the mountains with only a few hundred people living there.  It is not surprising that the inhabitants know a lot about such situations.

 As Hayato thought back, there were many things about Haruki that he didn't know.

 When they were little this never bothered him, but now he found it odd.

 He never even met Haruki's parents or saw them come to elementary school.

 Hayato doesn't know why she left Tsukinose or why she lives alone now.

 One of the reasons might be known by his father or other adults in Tsukinose.

 —He wanted to know.

 While feeling that way, he also realized that it was tantamount to entering an unwanted area by Haruki with dirty shoes.

 "Damn!"

 Hayato scratched his head roughly, then added the spices that had been mixed with vegetables and chicken into the tomatoes.

 "Hayato?"

 The sound is quite loud.

 His father looked at him with a strange expression.

 "Hah—"

 Just as he was about to say why, Hayato remembered Haruki's words other day.

 ‘I have been a good girl and waited, but…’

 Maybe those were the words that definitively changed Hayato's feelings for Haruki.

 It was possible that, if Hayato had not heard those words, he would have asked his father curiously about Haruki.

 But now —

 “ – Oh, I forgot to buy some yogurt to go with it.  I'll tell Himeko to buy it.”

 "Yes."

 This wasn't something that should be known without Haruki's approval.  Thus, he attempted to divert the conversation.

 Then he covered the pot and let the curry boil.  it takes time.  The finishing touches can be made at the end.

 While talking to himself, he smiled.

 Even so, there was one thing that still bothered him deeply.

 “Well, about Haru—”

 "Continue to be friends with Haruki-chan, Yes."

 "Ah!"

 However, that worry soon disappeared.

 It seemed his father didn't think of Haruki as an unwanted guest.

 Understood it wouldn't matter if Haruki came here, that was enough for him for now.

 +×+×+×+

 “Don't hesitate to come to our house.  Please take good care of your relationship with Himeko and Hayato.”

 "Thank you for your attention."

 Therefore, Hayato didn't like Haruki's current attitude.

 While there was nothing to worry about here, Haruki's current attitude irritated Hayato.

 "Ah never mind!"

 Because of that, regardless of the fact that his father or sister was there, the interactions with Haruki that were as stiff as at school made Hayato want to loosen up.

 "Ha!  Why are you silent?"

 “Mya?  Myaa?!”

 “H-Hayato?!”

 “Onii?!”

 Hayato grabbed Haruki's nose forcibly and tugged at her cheeks with both hands.

 And he laughed as hard as he could at Haruki, who was shaken and teary eyed.

 Translator: Janaka