CH 22

Episode 22: “Nanami’s Past”

Nanami-san stared blankly, a look I had never seen before. Despite that, her cuteness remained unchanged, which I found amazing.

It was revealed that the part I had been worrying about all along was something her father didn’t remember.

Well, no wonder she would make such a face. I wonder what she must be feeling inside…

“Father…!!”

“You…?”

Nanami, who had been absent-minded, snapped back to her senses and was about to explode when… her mother next to her spoke up.

In a terribly cold tone and with her gaze directed at her own husband.

Her expression remained the same gentle smile as before, but it was terribly terrifying…

“You… How could you forget something so important? I’ve never heard of it either… Of course… It would make it difficult for Nanami to say it, right?”

“Wait, Dear! Nanami, when did I ever say something like that? I really, really don’t remember!!”

Frantically, Genichiro-san, Nanami-san’s father, sought help from her, and while returning a cold gaze, Nanami-san answered.

“When I was in middle school… Onii-san, Oto-san, was drinking with my brother, Itsumi, at home, and he said it…”

Nanami-san tears had receded. On the other hand, Genichiro-san twisted his head, trying to recall that time.

Her mother smiled with a cold gaze, and Nanami-san maintained a cold expression, while Genichiro-san held his head under such gazes… What is this situation?

What should I do?

“Ah…”

Then, Genichiro-san lifted his head. His eyes widened, and cold sweat started to form on his cheeks… It seems like… he remembered.

“Indeed… I may have said it… Maybe…”

“See!! I knew you said it!!”

“No, Nanami! That was in the flow of conversation with ichiro-kun!! Moreover, it was more of a way to encourage ichiro-kun…!!”

“To encourage Onii-san…?”

The conversation continued without waiting for me. However, I felt somewhat relieved that Genichiro-san wasn’t really serious about defeating himself.

I had thought that maybe I would have to start training at a martial arts dojo or something… But it seems like I might be able to avoid it.

“At that time, he was worried about the guys who were bothering his sister. So, he said that he would only recognize a man who defeated him as a condition… saying that if I were him, I would only accept a man who defeated me…”

“Certainly… Itsumi was very popular in middle school, but… something like that…”

“Well… I never expected that the sister who was so moved by his words would end up dating him, her brother-in-law, with the intention of getting married once she became a high school student…”

Did you push the two of them forward?

Well, I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but they really do seem like characters out of a manga, those Misumai and Nanami folks. Their personalities are quite intense.

As the revealed truth made Nanami-san furrow her brow, she placed her fingers on her temple as if trying to endure a headache.

“So, even if you’re dating Youshin, there’s no need to fight against your father, right?”

“Yeah, I swear on these muscles I’ve trained and my beloved mother. Besides, I didn’t train to fight someone in particular.”

he showed off his muscular physique and demonstrated his relationship with her mother, who blushed and seemed delighted.

There was a stark contrast between her previous icy smile and her current expression.

Nanami-san seemed relieved, but I had another question.

“Um… Nanami-san, your father…?”

“Is this the classic moment where you’re supposed to call me ‘father-in-law’? No need to be formal, just call me by my name, Misumai-kun.”

“Ah… I see. Um… So, is Genichiro-san, even though he’s incredibly well-trained,is he a martial artist?”

“No, I’m just an ordinary salaryman.”

…Is it really possible for an ordinary salaryman to have muscles like that? I bet his suit must be stretched tight over his muscles…

“So, why did you train so much? I also do some weightlifting as a hobby, but normally people wouldn’t go that far within the realm of hobbies, right…?”

“Ah, you’re right. Youshin’s upper body muscles are defined, but they’re still faint… My father, on the other hand, is like a solid wall…”

The moment Nanami-san said that, I felt the temperature in the room drop.

The cause was obvious… It was the killing intent emanating from Genichiro. Moreover, it was even stronger than before.

“…Misumai-kun… Did you… Did you show my daughter your upper body naked? In what situation…? Surely… Surely it’s not about… engaging in such activities already, right? It’s not, is it? Can I trust you?”

“N-No! That’s not it!! It’s complicated… My clothes got wet, and when I was sleeping in the infirmary, the teacher happened to take off my wet clothes… and she just happened to see me!”

“That’s right!! Youshin was helping me!! Don’t pry into strange things! We haven’t even kissed yet, you know!!”

Well… we did have an indirect kiss, though… Wait, Nanami-san? Why are you placing your hand on your own lips and blushing after saying those words?

Wouldn’t that have the opposite effect on Genichiro-san…?

However, it seemed that Genichiro-san was satisfied with those words as he withdrew his killing intent. Instead… he squinted his eyes and offered some reproachful words to Nanami-san.

“Nanami… I’ll believe you this time. But you see, if you keep piling up small lies, gradually that trust will be lost. As a father, I want to believe in you, Nanami… I don’t need to know everything, but from now on, I want you to openly say that you’re going on dates with Youshin-kun. If it’s him, I can rest easy.”

“That’s right. If Youshin-kun is Nanami’s boyfriend, I’ll be relieved. He’s kind of cute, isn’t he? He might be slender, but he seems to have some muscles… Nanami, I love your father who trains so much… I wonder if you take after me in that regard?”

Nanami-san blushed at her mother’s words and lowered her head without confirming or denying anything… Well, it’s a good thing that their family gets along. When I smirked a little, Nanami-san gave me a slight glare.

“The truth is… there’s a reason why Nanami is not good with boys, and there’s a reason why I started training my body…”

Genichiro-san suddenly began answering my previous question. While the conversation had veered off track, that was the very question I had wanted to ask from the beginning.

Genichiro-san clasped his hands in front of his face, like a commander in an anime, and began speaking quietly.

“Nanami… Do you remember when you started feeling uncomfortable around boys?”

“Well… I think it was before entering middle school… Around the sixth grade in elementary school, I suddenly started feeling uneasy around boys…”

“Yeah, that’s right… And… that was also around the time I started training my body.”

“Mom said it was probably just a phase of adolescence, so I didn’t think about it too deeply… But what does that have to do with you training your body?”

I glanced briefly at her mother, who wore a troubled smile. I had heard that girls in higher grades often found boys their age childish… Could it be something like that?

Then, as if he had come up with an idea, Nanami-san’s father stood up silently and brought a photo album.

As he opened the album, I saw numerous photos of young Nanami-san stored inside.

Looking at young Nanami-san, who was so adorable, I couldn’t help but feel a warm and nostalgic feeling. And among those photos, there was also the figure of Genichiro-san from that time.

…Back then, Genichiro-san was truly… of an entirely average build. In fact, he was even slimmer than I am now… Um… It’s amazing how training can transform the human body. The mysteries of the human body are truly astounding.

“As you can see from these photos… Nanami was incredibly cute even back in elementary school. I mean, she was cuter than any idol you could find. Don’t you think so, Misumai-kun?”

“I do.”

“Hey?!”

Well, I can’t really say “I don’t think so” at this point, and that’s my honest opinion anyway. Nanami-san was adorable since childhood.

However, while Nanami blushed beside me, Genichiro-san wore a pained expression, as if she had bitten into a bitter bug.

“Yes… That cuteness became her downfall… When Nanami was in elementary school… she was pursued and tormented by boys her age, to the point where it almost caused an accident.”

“Huh…?”

Our words overlapped. The sudden heavy topic left me looking at her face, and she appeared bewildered. For the time being, I held her hand to reassure her.

“Youshin…”

Normally, you wouldn’t do something like this in front of your parents. However, I felt that it was necessary for Nanami-san in her current state, so I chose to hold her hand… Well, I already hugged her earlier, so it shouldn’t be a big deal now.

…It seems that my choice was the right one, as Genichiro-san and Nanami-san’s mother both nodded in agreement.

“It must have been something typical of boys trying to get the attention of a girl they like… But an accident almost happened… Fortunately, a teacher quickly came to help and everything turned out fine… But… Nanami didn’t remembered that incident, probably due to the shock… she didn’t remember it.”

Gennichirou-san didn’t go into detail about the accident. It was probably to prevent Nanami from inadvertently recalling it. Nanami still couldn’t remember it now and wore a bewildered expression.

“But it was fortunate, because there was no need to forcibly bring back the memories of something scary and painful… However, from that time on, Nanami started developing an aversion towards boys.”

…So something like that happened… Even if her memory was lost due to the shock, she still carried a trauma towards boys. That’s why she became uncomfortable around boys… She hasn’t remembered it until now…

It was fortunate in a way that it didn’t leave a strong negative response… Or should I say it was a silver lining in an unfortunate situation?

“Since then, I started training my body to be able to protect Nanami from anything… And also to show Nanami that men aren’t just scary, I began practicing martial arts… That’s where I became friends with Souichirou-kun.”(ichiro-kun)

“Come to think of it, I first met Hatsumi at the dojo when I went with Dad, right?”

“That’s right. From then on, Nanami was blessed with friends, and her aversion towards men gradually faded over time… And today, she finally… brought her boyfriend home.”

Nanami-san looked at her parents with nostalgic eyes, and Genichiro-san wore a joyful expression. So that’s what happened… Genichiro-san and Nanami-san’s mother had tears in their eyes.

She had previously said that there wasn’t any significant reason for her aversion towards boys… but to think something like this had happened…

Nanami-san’s hand gripping mine tightened. Knowing that something like this had happened to her, she must have become anxious again… That’s why I…

“It’s alright, Genichiro-san.”

I deliberately changed the way I held Nanami-san’s hand.

Our fingers intertwined… the so-called hand-holding of lovers. My heart started beating faster at this first experience, but I couldn’t pay attention to that right now.

With this action, trying to alleviate her anxiety even just a little, Nanami-san showed a surprised expression, but then she smiled happily and firmly held my hand again.

“I will… I will protect Nanami-san from now on, forever. I will never let go of her hand and I won’t let her feel sad. I promise. So… I ask you again… Please approve of my relationship with Nanami-san.”

Not only Nanami-san next to me, but also Genichiro-san and her mother next to him had their eyes wide open, surprised.

…Did I say something strange? Genichiro-san must be worried, so I intended to protect Nanami-san in places where he couldn’t see…

Nanami-san next to me turned bright red and opened and closed her mouth.

“Oh my… I approve of the relationship itself, but when you put it like that… it’s making me blush… Hehe… What a passionate proposal, I wonder?”

“Oh… so it seems I finally have a son-in-law… I already approved, but if you’re prepared to that extent, then I will approve once again, Masumi-kun.” ( TLN : lmao that escalated quickly)

Huh? This reaction is different from what I expected? Wait… a proposal…?

…I reflect on my own words.

…Yeah… depending on how you interpret it, it does sound like a proposal… I blurted it out without considering that we were just pretending to date as a punishment… I just wanted to reassure Nanami-san…

Next to me, Nanami-san’s eyes sparkle with excitement.

Genichiro-san wiped away tears of relief from his eyes.

Her mother smiled with joy on her face.

…Well, it’s fine. I just have to do my best from now on. In that sense, nothing really changes.

With a renewed determination, I shook hands firmly with Genichiro-san. This handshake, too… was with my left hand.

“Oh, sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I’m actually left-handed, so I tend to use this hand when shaking hands. There’s no special meaning behind it.”

What… It turns out I misunderstood and panicked, thinking they didn’t approve…

And so, our relationship… became officially recognized by Nanami-san’s parents.

Interlude : Nanami-san’s reaction to the proposal

Youshin?! He changed the way we held hands, and then my parents… is this really… like a proposal?!

My dad and mom… is this a proposal? Can I think of it that way?

After feeling anxious hearing about the forgotten past moments ago, all that anxiety disappeared in an instant. There’s only joy in my heart.

…A proposal… but it’s too early to get married right after graduation… First, let’s continue our relationship smoothly during high school… and then after entering college… wha… what… living together? Will we do that?

Oh, if that happens, what kind of home would be good? An apartment? Even a small house would be fine for just the two of us, but in that case, at night… we would snuggle up together and sleep…? Ehehehe… (From here on, the daydream continues…)

TL notes: pretty wholesome chapter.