CH 23

Episode 23: “Proposal? Effect”

After hearing the proposal-like words I said, Nanami-san’s face continued to turn bright red… How should I put it… she became a bit scatterbrained.

“Nanami-san? Are you okay? You seem… absent-minded…”

“Yeah…”

“Nanami-san, are we using these dumplings for tomorrow’s lunch? Should I put them in the fridge? It’s like we’re already a married couple, cooking together, huh?”

“Yeah…”

” Do you like me? Do you love me?”

“Yeah…”

No matter what I ask, she just responds with an absent-minded “yeah” and seems completely out of it.

Playing around like that infront of Genichiro-san and Nanami-san’s mother is embarrassing for me too, so please stop.

After that, Nanami-san didn’t come back for a while, still wearing that goofy smile.

“Well… Nanami seems to have been deeply moved by Youshin-kun’s words and has taken a trip to the world of fantasies. It might take a while for her to come back to her senses, so I’ll drive her home.”

“Ah, sorry… Genichiro-san… I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Youshin-kun, feel free to come over anytime, okay? Next time, we can have a home date in Nanami’s room, okay? Oh, but let’s keep it within the limits of being high school students, please?”

“Well… Nanami-san’s mother…”

“Oh dear, won’t you call me by my name too? …Come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m Nanami’s mother, barato Tomoko. Hehe, you can call me Tomoko too, Youshin-kun.”

“Ahaha… Nice to meet you… Tomoko-san.”

Tomoko-san placed her finger on her cheek and tilted her head with an adorable gesture.

That gesture is just like Nanami-san. Nanami-san looks exactly like Tomoko-san, and if they stand together, they could pass through as sisters because they look so youthful.

I wonder what Nanami-san’s sister’s name is? I hope we can get along well since she’s Nanami-san’s sister.

“Well then, I’ve intruded long enough. Nanami-san, I’m going home, okay? I’ll contact you again tonight?”

With my words, Nanami-san returned to her senses, but she didn’t seem to remember what happened just now.

But…

“Huh? Youshin, where are you going? We’re already living together… Oh…!”

(TLN: Awieee…)

Nanami-san stopped herself there and covered her mouth with both hands.

It seems that in Nanami-san’s world of fantasies, she had progressed to the point where we were already living together.

…So Nanami-san also has those kinds of fantasies… Well, how should I put it… I’m honored.

Genichiro-san and Tomoko-san looked at their daughter’s state with a smile that could be described as “sly.”

“Nanami… Even as your mother, I think it’s still too early for cohabitation, you know…?”

“That Nanami, who used to be uncomfortable around boys… As a father, it’s complicated, but… let’s celebrate,” said Genichiro-san.

Nanami-san’s entire face turned bright red, but she still came close to me and tightly held my hand.

“See you tomorrow!”

She shouted loudly, as if to blow away the grinning expressions of her parents, and showed me a smile.

I was worried after sharing painful memories, but she seems to be okay. But… I need to follow up with her later.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Nanami-san. Genichiro-san, nice to meet you again. Tomoko-san, thank you for having me.”

“Huh, wait, why are you calling my mom by her name? What happened?”

…I see, Nanami-san didn’t hear the previous exchange… How should I explain it?

As I was thinking, Tomoko-san grabbed Nanami-san’s armpits with her arms and dragged her back.

“Oh my, Nanami, come over here. I’ll hear all about what happened until now. Hehe, it’s time for some mother-daughter love talk.”

“Wait, Mom, explain properly! No, I’m ticklish under my armpits, so stop it! I’m losing strength!”

Nanami-san is ticklish under her armpits… Alright, I’ll remember that.

( TLN : lmao)

She was taken away like that… It’s impossible for me to rescue her now. I just waved my hand softly.

“Hmm… It was my mother’s dream to have love conversations with her daughter… Her excitement must be at its peak…”

Genichiro-san, with a distant look in his eyes, told me that with a smile.

I was given a ride home by Genichiro-san. During the journey, I was anxious about what to talk to her father about…

But Genichiro-san casually started a conversation with me.

He shared cute stories about Nanami-san’s past, like when she started dressing in a gal fashion in high school and how he developed a scary face to protect Nanami-san, but couldn’t change it back…

I learned many things.

Nanami-san must be a good listener, just like Genichiro-san. Maybe she takes after him. She resembles her mother in appearance and her father in personality. They’re a great family.

And finally… Genichiro-san told me something like this.

“This… is the first time I’ve shared Nanami’s past with someone outside our family. Youshin-kun, even her friends don’t know about this.”

The fact that he entrusted me with something even her friends don’t know made my back tremble.

“…Why did you tell me?”

After a slight pause, Genichiro-san, in a gentle tone, explained the reason to me.

“Well… It seemed like you were always thinking about Nanami and acting for her sake. When I suddenly appeared, you were the first one to protect Nanami, you embraced her when she was anxious, and you stayed by her side… Seeing you like that, I judged you as a man worthy of trust.”

“I’m sorry, but today is actually the first time I met you, Genichiro-san… Is it really okay?”

“I believe I have a good eye for choosing people… And because you said those things, I can trust you more enough.”

I felt a tremendous pressure somehow.

It was like the sensation of the moat being filled in more and more. But I realized that I didn’t dislike it.

We continued our conversation and, in the flow of the discussion,I even exchanged contact information with Genichiro-san. I was surprised by myself.

Is it normal to exchange contact information with someone’s father? He told me that if I ever have any troubles, I can consult with him anytime…

Well, let’s take it positively that I’ve gained a reliable ally.

Finally, I arrived home and, as usual, turned on my computer to log in to the social game.

The event for today is almost over. I’ll participate for a little while.

And then, I summarized today’s events and reported them to Baron-san.

“…So, our relationship has been approved by her parents.”

“Get married already.”

As soon as I reported it, Baron-san responded with a resigned tone. This reaction is unusual.

Other members are also sending short messages one after another, like “Get married,” “Explode,” “Congratulations,” and so on.

No, neither she nor I are of marriageable age yet, so that’s impossible… Well, I guess that’s not what they mean.

“…Baron-san, aren’t you jumping the gun?”

“It’s been almost a week since you started dating, right?! How fast are things progressing?! Once it gets to that point, there’s only marriage left, you know?! Oh… young people are scary…”

Baron-san was unusually lamenting.

“Canyon-kun, you’re not lying about not having had a girlfriend, right? You’re definitely a playboy, and everything I taught you was actually meaningless, right?”

No, it’s troublesome to be told such things. Nanami-san is my first girlfriend, and did Baron-san forget about the fashion incident?

There are still plenty of things I want Baron-san to teach me…

“Well, even so, I haven’t kissed her or anything. I mean, I don’t have the courage for that.”

“Isn’t the order messed up? Why did you skip straight to meeting her parents and proposing? You’re the one who’s way too eager!”

No, meeting her parents was unavoidable, and those words weren’t really a proposal…

Well, I’ve skipped over most of the explanation, so it probably sounds like a proposal…

Of course, I haven’t reported about Nanami-san’s past. That is strictly a private matter, and it’s not something to be casually discussed.

That story is something only family and those close to us should know. So, naturally, the report was limited to other matters.

“And about the kiss… honestly, I think you could have done it today, up to a kiss.”

“Do you really think so…?”

“Yeah, I think you could have done it if you hadn’t chosen gyoza for dinner.”

…I see… The gyoza with lots of garlic was delicious, but I guess it might be a concern about the breath.

I didn’t really pay much attention to that, but maybe Nanami-san was worried about it?

So, if we had ordered something different for dinner…

W-was there… a kiss?

Did it happen?!

Oh, I’m starting to grin just from my imagination. I feel a mix of embarrassment and happiness. Even though it’s just a daydream.

“Canyon-kun, sorry for interrupting your daydream, but… shouldn’t you contact your girlfriend? You said you would initiate the conversation, right?”

How do you know, Baron-san? Anyway, just as I was about to contact Nanami-san, a new message appeared.

“It’s from Peach-san.”

I thought she was going to criticize me again… But the message she sent was different from the usual.

“If you’re happy, Canyon-san, then I have nothing to say. But… if anything hurts you, please come to me for comfort.”

“Oh, Peach-chan finally approves too. Yeah, I don’t think that will happen, but if it does, come here. We’ll comfort you as much as you need.”

I don’t know these people’s faces or real names.

But I consider them precious friends I’ve made through the game. Maybe that’s why. I feel so happy and my heart warms up.

The others also wrote similar messages one after another. I’m truly grateful.

My eyes well up with tears, but I can’t cry before contacting Nanami-san, so I hold it back.

“Thank you, everyone. I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

That’s all I write and then contact Nanami-san.

…Come to think of it, it’s kind of the first time I’m initiating contact with her in the evening.

We exchange messages every night, but… this is the first time I’m trying to make a spontaneous call… Yeah, now that I think about it, it’s the first time.

Feeling a little nervous, I wait for her to pick up.

This time, even though the call rings several times, Nanami-san doesn’t answer. I start to think that maybe the timing was bad, but just when that thought crosses my mind, the call connects.

“Youshin?! Oh, thank goodness, I’m relieved! Ugh, you took so long to contact me… I’ve been through a lot, you know!?”

“Huh…?”

Nanami-san’s voice on the other end of the phone sounded a bit out of breath, slightly flustered, and just a tiny bit angry.

“Nanami-san!?”

She mentioned staying over… Oh, uh… staying over at Nanami-san’s place? Sharing a bed…?

Pajamas and all… No, wait, we have school tomorrow, so I can’t stay over anyway. Yeah, that’s not it. Calm down.

“Yeah, sorry… Staying over is out of the question, right… Yeah… I just thought since I often stay over at Hatsumi and the others’ places…”

It seems Nanami-san also realized the explosive nature of her own words and her voice became smaller.

Just as I thought that, I heard voices from behind.

“Naa~naa~mi~… I won’t let you escape~…”

“Big sister, tell me… What do you like about my future brother-in-law?”

…I hear the voices of two other women from behind Nanami-san… I see… They’ve been talking about love since then, Nanami-san…

“Oh, this is a good opportunity. Let’s have Youshin-kun join in on the speaker…”

“Youshin!! Talk to you tomorrow!”

With that, Nanami-san abruptly hung up. Yeah… I didn’t have the courage to get involved in the girls’ love talk…

Right after… I received a message from Nanami-san.

“Thank you for today. It was fun and made me happy. Let’s keep getting along from now on. And… let’s have another date next week.”

Upon reading those words, I couldn’t help but smile and grin, and I replied, “Of course, let’s have another date next week. See you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

From tomorrow onwards… I will continue to spend my days with Nanami-san. This time, it’s officially approved by our families. One by one, the guilty feelings are disappearing…

“Nanami-san… See you tomorrow… I love you.”

Looking at my smartphone, I muttered words that were uncharacteristic of me, blushing slightly, and then crawled into bed, falling asleep.

I hope these words reach Nanami-san.

Interlude : Nanami-san right after Youshin returned home.

“Well, today it’s time for some love talk with my daughter! My dream have come true! I can’t wait to hear all the details!”

“Mom… I’ve resigned myself to it, so please stop being so nosy… And also… don’t ask too many embarrassing questions, okay?”

“Oh… Did you do something embarrassing that you can’t tell your mom?”

With a smirk on her face, my mom’s question made my cheeks turn red. No, I haven’t done anything like that. I haven’t done anything embarrassing at all!

“Well, then I can ask you anything without a problem. Now, I’m going to dig deep and ask all the details!”

Please don’t read my mind!! How do you know?!… I haven’t done anything embarrassing, right…?