Chapter 8 - Please Marry Me!
“…Dad. The thing I’m hesitating about is… there’s Tsukishiro-san, the girl who confessed to me back in middle school… she’s in my class now, and we exchanged contact info, but I have no idea what to send her.”
Putting it into words made my chest itch deep inside. I could feel sweat slowly seeping into the hand gripping my phone.
Dad narrowed his eyes for a moment and looked at me with a serious expression. Then, in an instant, he closed the distance between us, brought his boulder-like face close, and said:
“Tsubasa… isn’t that… kinda awkward?”
“Whoa, too close!? Yeah, uh-huh. Super awkward. That’s why I’m stuck on what to send.”
Dad folded his arms and let out a thoughtful hum. The shadow cast by his massive frame fell thick on the floor of the muscle room.
“Tsubasa, what would you have done if you hadn’t been overweight when Tsukishiro-san confessed to you?”
He hit the nail on the head out of nowhere, and I gasped. In my mind, I saw Tsukishiro-san’s earnest eyes from that day.
“…I think I would’ve gone out with her.”
“Why?”
“Because… I liked her too, and she went out of her way to tell me she liked me…”
My words trailed off naturally. That day, the girl who had mustered her courage to confess—I rejected her because of my own weakness.
“Then, what do you want to do now?”
Dad’s voice was gentle, but direct—leaving no room to escape. Pressed by his gaze, I lifted my face firmly.
“I… I want to properly apologize for back then. And if possible… I’d like to be friends again.”
Dad closed his eyes and fell silent, as if thinking deeply.
Then—he slowly nodded.
“Tsubasa. When you’re unsure, think of it like muscles.”
“…Muscles?”
Here we go again.
“If you suddenly put on too much weight, they’ll tear. But if you stop training, they’ll weaken. What matters is—continuing little by little.”
As he spoke, Dad slapped his thick pectorals with a loud smack.
“Little by little…?”
“Exactly!”
Dad grinned proudly.
“Girls don’t like it when you come on too strong out of nowhere. Just greet her every day, talk to her, and gradually close the distance.”
Dad’s surprisingly sound advice made me shout without thinking.
“Dad! What happened!? You’re saying something totally normal!”
“Hey now, who do you think I am?”
Dad picked up a photo displayed in my room and held it up proudly with both hands—wearing the smuggest face ever.
“I’m the man who won over your beautiful mother!”
The photo Dad held was of Mom when she was alive. With the blue sea in the background, she gently cradled baby me in her arms. Her smile warmed the heart just by looking at it—like kindness itself had taken human form.
Honestly, Mom was way too beautiful for Dad. Like Beauty and the Beast…
“…Huh? How did you and Mom meet again?”
“I fell in love at first sight with her when she won the university beauty contest! And when I first talked to her, I said—”
“Please marry me!”
“That’s not gradual at all, that’s a straight-up proposal! And what did Mom say!?”
“She said, ‘I’m sorry.’”
“She turned you down!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. But that laugh gave me just a little courage to face forward.
The wall between me and Tsukishiro-san might look like a heavy barbell… but maybe I don’t have to lift it all at once.
“…Thanks, Dad. I feel a bit better now.”
“Mm!”
Dad flashed his pearly whites and gave a firm thumbs-up.
“Muscles and love aren’t built in a day!”
“Don’t lump muscles and love together…”
With Dad’s hearty laughter behind me, I returned to my room.
As I closed the door, a wave of nervousness crashed over me.
I sat on the bed, took three deep breaths, picked up my phone, and opened the chat screen with Tsukishiro-san.
…Alright. Keep it simple and short.
I typed each word carefully, choosing them one by one.
[Thank you for today!
It made me really happy to talk properly again after so long.
We might not be able to go back to how things were right away, but even if it’s little by little—I’d love to talk more again.]
I hit send.
The moment I did, a wave of embarrassment surged through me.
“Gwahh! I sent it… Is this okay?”
Little by little—build it up.
I decided to believe in Dad’s words, just a little. That thought made me smile quietly to myself.
***
My phone buzzed. On the screen, a familiar name lit up—
“You have a new message from Kanzaki Tsubasa.”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. My hand trembled, and my finger wouldn’t move to tap the screen.
—Wh-What do I do, what do I do!?
My head spun in circles. What should I reply? Should I even open it? What’ll happen if I read it? The more I thought, the more my chest felt like it was being crushed.
I curled up on the bed and clutched the blanket tightly. Cold sweat ran down my back, and my cheeks burned. I tried to steady my breathing, but neither my hands nor my heart would calm down.
My finger reached for the phone button on impulse.
Screenshot… I almost took one. —No, stop! Saving it like that would be way too rude. It’d feel like I was treating Kanzaki-kun’s feelings lightly, and I’d hate myself for it.
I stopped my hand and took a deep breath. My fingertips trembled, and I noticed how warm my hand was from gripping the phone. My mind was blank, but my chest felt like fireworks were going off inside.
“Calm down, me…!”
I told myself that, took one deep breath, and finally touched the screen. With shaking hands, I opened the message.
[Thank you for today!
It made me really happy to talk properly again after so long.
We might not be able to go back to how things were right away, but even if it’s little by little—I’d love to talk more again.]
As I read the words, warmth spread through my chest. I was honestly happy, but… how should I reply? Confusion and hope surged together.
I took a deep breath. Put strength into my fingertips. And finally touched the screen.
[…Yeah, me too. Even if it’s little by little, I want to talk again.]
The moment I hit send, it felt like a tiny firework popped in my head. This is good. I want to treasure this moment—right now.