“Shio, we can stop somewhere if it’s hard for you to drive.”
“No. I’m fine, your house is already near. I’ll take a rest when we arrive.”
Since she’s the only one with a license and could drive, we could only leave the place when she calmed down.
“Alright. Remember, I’m just here beside you, Shio.”
I put my hand over her hand that was resting on the gearshift.
She looked at it for a bit and nodded.
What happened tonight is something that she needs to think about by herself but if she ever needs someone, I’ll always be there for her.
Besides, I’m bringing her home with me. I already told Akane about the change in the situation and asked her to prepare a room for Shio for the time being.
“Why am I dragged here by you? He needs me, Ruki.”
Suddenly, Nao, who was on the backseat, called out to me.
“You can hate me for this, Nao. With the state he’s in, I don’t want to leave you there.”
As if I could leave her there. She can hate me for what I did but I will never leave her to someone as unstable as that. This might just be me being selfish but I don’t care.
“…I’m not yours anymore. You can’t decide for me like this.”
Though the volume is low, Nao still voiced it out.
She’s right. She’s not mine anymore. Though we had a past, it’s me who cut that off.
“That’s why I told you, hate me for doing this but my mind won’t change. You know me.”
I repeated my words to her and this time, I looked her in the eye while doing that.
“Ugh. Where are you taking us?”
Nao turned her head away to escape my eyes. She knew me very well, but only the me during my 1st year in middle school. For now, she might be upset that I took her away from that house but I already decided to get her back and leave that guy empty-handed.
“Eh? I only thought of sending you home.”
I only told Akane about Shio. Should I call again to prepare another room?
“I already said I’m staying outside. They won’t expect me home.”
Ah. Right. That guy brought him there, they’ve already slept together. Not just once.
“I see. Nao. Did you already do it with him?”
For the peace of my own mind, I asked her.
It doesn’t really matter if she already did it with him. In the first place, Shio’s also like that but I’m going to steal them both from him.
And also, I’m the one who let go of Nao back then and failed to remember that there’s that girl during my 1st year who I really like, seeing her again is simply a stroke of luck.
“Don’t you think it’s rude to ask that?”
Her voice carried a hint of irritation at my question.
“You’re right. Don’t answer if that made you uncomfortable.”
I was being insensitive again. Nothing will change even if I knew it anyway.
I’m going to steal her back from him, even if we’re not from the same school and I don’t know when to see her. There’s a lot of ways, I just need to utilize everything.
“… No. Everything but that. I wanted him to wait until we’re not teacher and student anymore.”
After a few minutes in silence, Nao silently whispered her answer to my question.
“I see.”
I couldn’t help but smile after hearing that.
Even Shio who was silently listening to us while driving had a reaction from hearing it.
I still haven’t told her about my connection with Nao but she could already guess it.
“Are you relieved?”
Nao suddenly asked. I don’t know if she saw me smiling from the rearview mirror but we locked gazes through that.
“I am. When he approached you, did you know he’s already married?”
Of course, I’m relieved. We could still continue from when she’s still mine.
“… Yes. His attentiveness reminded me of you.
So he’s also attentive. Maybe that’s also one of the traits Shio likes in him. But her saying that he reminded her of me. This girl, she’s really waiting for me back then but yeah, I never showed up again.
“Then?”
“I don’t know, Ruki. It’s already more than a year, he always spent time with me that’s why I…
“You already love him?”
I get it, without any word from me, she’s bound to move on. This is also what was supposed to happen to the girls I cut off. If I continued without any changes, even that group Akane created would have crumbled.
“Honestly, I don’t know. For you to suddenly show up before me again. It made me remember those times with you…”
“I see. Nao, I’m serious about what I told you earlier. You can hate me for taking you away from there but I won’t stop at getting you back.”
“I already told you earlier what you have to do.”
Remembering that, a smile surfaced on my lips again. Replying to her 2 years old mail. That meant she’s not against my plan to take her back.
“Ah. Nao, can I hug you?”
I teasingly asked her while I acted like I’m going over from the passenger seat to the backseat.
“Look at this guy. Stay there, you moron.”
Nao backed away as she used her feet in a bid to kick me back to my seat.
“Ruru, behave in my car.”
Seeing what’s happening, Shio finally decided to break her silence to scold me.
With the two of them ganging up like this, I settled back into my seat.
Ah. I guess lightening up the mood worked. There’s like a restrained atmosphere earlier, after my stunt, it got cleared up.
10 minutes passed and we finally arrived at my neighborhood. It’s almost 8 pm, the plan to stay there until 10 pm was ruined because of her husband.
Err. I expected them to come but I didn’t expect that it would lead to this, bringing home the two women in his life.
I had Shio park the car at the same spot when she first visited.
I took her luggage full of her hastily packed up clothes before taking them both to the door.
“You never brought me here before, Ruki.”
Nao commented as she took in the sight of my house.
I only started bringing girls home during 2nd year so…
“You graduated early and you know the rest.”
“…You never looked for me after it.”
She’ll never forget it. So I need to patch up and fill the void that she felt from that in the future.
“Right. I’ll make up for that if you can give me the chance to do so in the future.”
Opening the door, we were greeted by Akane. I already mentioned to her about Nao so she led the two to the dining room while I brought in Shio’s things upstairs.
Before going down, I ran into Akane who also went up to see me.
“What happened there? Shiori looks like she cried a lot.”
Ah. I thought she’d ask me about the 2 girls but I guess, she already outgrew that thought. She really did it for me.
“We confronted her husband. Uhm… And Nao there is the new girl of her husband. You knew her, right?”
“The senior who’s always with you during our 1st year.”
She really knew every girl who had a connection with me back in middle school.
“As I thought. Thank you, Akane, for understanding.”
I pulled her into a hug. She happily accepted it as she asked me for a kiss.
“You don’t have to thank me, husband. I want to ease your mind, not to become an added weight to it.”
I smiled at her answer and kissed her once more. This silly girl’s effort on changing herself for me, I won’t forget it.
I conveyed to her through this kiss how I’m really grateful to her. When we separated, Akane smiled sweetly as she whispered her I love you to me before pulling me back down with her.
When we arrived at the dining room, Miwa-nee already prepared our dinner, they also hadn’t taken it before I called earlier that’s why Akane decided to just wait for us to arrive so we could eat together.
The dinner was taken in silence since Shio was still looking down while Nao was somehow restless at the new environment.
Akane made us tea after the dinner while Miwa-nee took Minoru upstairs to put him to sleep. She told Shio that she’ll be back when Minoru fell asleep.
Miwa-nee as an adult is the better person to talk to Shio right now. I might’ve said I’ll be here by her side but without someone like Miwa-nee, I’m not enough to let her pour out whatever it is she’s been bottling up since leaving that house.
That leaves the four of us in the dining room.
“Nao-senpai, do you want to take a bath first? The tub is warmed up.”
Akane, noticing the silent and restless Nao, talked to her and offered the first dip in the tub.
“Can I?”
Nao turned to me since I’m the only one she’s really comfortable to be with.
“Of course, go and cool yourself down, we’ll bring a change of clothes and also prepare a room for you.”
I took her hand and squeezed it to calm her down.
“Husband, let me handle Nao-senpai, stay with Shiori.”
Akane said before she pulled Nao from her seat. She’s really considerate now. That girl. Though this is what I wanted, I couldn’t help but feel that I’m doing her wrong.
But maybe it’s just me not being used to the change in her. I always see her openly showing her reluctance and jealousy whenever I bring a girl home but after our date, she finally let go of those as she devoted herself to ease my mind.
“That silly girl of yours changed as well, really, what kind of magic do you have, Ruru?”
Shio commented when the two went out of our sight. Though she’s still feeling down, she couldn’t hide her amazement at Akane’s change. She remembered last week when she first visited, that girl was waiting at the front door.
“Do I look like a magician? There’s nothing really. I guess it’s called growing up. Our situation is unique so we have to adjust ourselves to it.”
Right. This is us growing up. Akane and Haruko could be said to have already adjusted to our situation. Yae is also on its way. This unique situation with me as the center.
“And you also want me to be part of that unique situation.” 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦.𝘦𝑡
Shio silently said. After what happened, I wonder what’s on her mind right now? What are her plans? Though at first she already decided to leave the house with me, however, when the situation escalated up to that point that her husband revealed his true thoughts about their marriage, Shio was most possibly shaken by it. Her high school romance which ended in a happy marriage, was shattered by those revelations.
For now, my plan of taking her to bed with me was shelved. I wanted to ease her mind first, this woman will surely push herself to go to school tomorrow. I’ll have to advise her against that.
“I really like Shio after all, even if it might be hard to replace that guy, I’ll make you fall for me”
“This student… can you hug me?”
Though faint, I saw her smiling slightly from my words.
“You don’t need to ask, I’m already planning to hug you tonight.”
I stood up and went behind her who was still sitting. Hugging her from behind like this, it’s like I’m covering her from whatever it is that’s weighing on her back.
“Then, also don’t leave my side. Even if just until I fell asleep.”
Shio rested her head on my arms as she silently whispered those words. It’s already on my plan and Akane will surely understand after telling her what went on at Shio’s house.
“Un. I won’t leave your side so whatever you’re feeling right now, you can release them now. I can be your wall again.”
“I told you, I don’t need a wall. It’s hard and uncomfortable.”
She then turned her face to mine which was resting on her shoulder. Cupping my face with her hands, she kissed my lips tenderly.
I responded to her kiss. This is her way to calm down so I let her lead me on. From just simple kissing to using our tongues. Shio put her full effort in a bid to forget whatever happened earlier.
“Uhm. Am I still needed here?”
Miwa-nee’s voice pulled us out of the trance. I already noticed her since earlier but I also got pulled by Shio’s pace so…
Hearing her voice, Shio pulled away from me as she embarrassedly looked down.
Err… I guess I’ll leave it to the two adults to talk. Shio needed that and maybe Miwa-nee too.