Chapter 79: Request from Taka-san
“Hello, Yuya. It’s me. Are you all right?”
“That’s an old-fashioned scam. I’m calling the police.”
Night. I got out of the bath and was wiping my hair when I got a call from Taka-san. By the way, Kaede was currently taking a bath with me by mistake. We don’t have mixed bathing every day!
“Hey! Don’t do that, that’s not funny! I mean, my phone is registered, so you’ll know it’s me right away!”
“Oh man, Taka-san. I’m just kidding. It’s just the usual greeting. So, what do you want at this hour?”
It was now past 10pm. It was a little late to call even if you were close to someone. I wondered if the content of the message was so important that he needed to talk to me in person instead of just messaging me.
“Oh…I’m sorry to rush you. Can you take care of Rika for the next three days? That’s it. It’s the one big day of the year. You know what I mean.”
“Speaking of that, tomorrow is Taka-san and Harumi’s wedding anniversary. It’s the only day you’re going on a trip together, right?”
Taka-san and Harumi-san love their only daughter, Rika-chan, very much. Taka-san, in particular, was such a foolish parent that he says he wouldn’t want to look her in the eye. The only exception to this was on their wedding anniversary, when the couple spends time together. This was not the first time they had done this, they have been doing it ever since they got married.
“Huh. But didn’t you always leave Rika-chan at Harumi-san’s parents’ house?”
“That’s the thing! Because she didn’t spend enough time with you last time, Rika said, ‘I want to stay at Yuya’s house!’ And she wouldn’t listen. What did I say? ‘I don’t want to leave my precious Rika at a man’s house’, but Rika started crying and Harumi-san said that Yuya would be fine. That’s why I’m calling to ask for your help.”
As a father, he wanted to fulfill my beloved daughter’s adorable request, but Taka-san seemed to be struggling with whether he could fulfill this selfish request. Was he afraid of me taking his precious Rika? I’m all about Kaede. But I’m not going to declare that because it would complicate things again.
But still, the tone of voice conveyed a sense of reluctance, even for a request.
“I mean, in Rika’s mind, it’s already been confirmed that she’s going to stay at your house. I’m sorry to call you after the fact, but can you please take care of her?”
“Hmm… as for me, I don’t mind, but I wonder what Kaede would say about it. I can’t make that decision on my own.”
If Kaede doesn’t like it even if I do, then I’m sorry to say that I can’t accept this offer, even if Taka-san and Rika-chan want it. Because this is – our house.
“Well… you’re living with Hitotsuba’s daughter now, aren’t you? Hey, can you talk some sense into that girl? I don’t want to see Rika in tears first thing in the morning. Please, Yuya.”
“Don’t worry… you should have said something important like that earlier, Taka-san. I’ll be right back. I’ll go check it out.”
I put the call on hold and headed for the bathroom. I went into the changing room and called out to Kaede inside without opening the bathroom door.
“Kaede! Can I have a moment?”
“What is it? Ah! Yuya-kun, are you here by any chance to take a peek? If that’s what you mean, you’re more than welcome! Let’s get naked together!”
I heard the sound of water splashing, and Kaede came out of the bathtub, completely naked – but I couldn’t see her clearly because of the frosted glass.
“Huh? I can’t open the door. I can’t welcome Yuya-kun with this!”
“That’s not it! I didn’t come here to peek, nor did I come here to socialize together naked! I just had something I wanted to ask Kaede!”
“—? Something you want to ask me? What is it?”
“I just got a call from Taka-san. They’re going on their annual wedding anniversary trip, and they want me to take care of their daughter. Normally, they would leave her at her mother’s house, but Rika, their daughter, wanted to stay at our house. So, it’s kind of short notice, but he wants me to keep him at home for the next three days starting tomorrow… what do you think?”
When I told her the truth, Kaede’s attempts to pry the door open stopped and she became quiet.
“Hey, Yuya-kun. Rika-chan, the daughter of Omichi-san, was it? How old is that girl now?”
Suddenly, Kaede asked me in a serious voice. When I told her that I was in the first grade, she replied, ‘I see,’ and started mumbling something.
“So she’s a first grader, that makes her six years old. It will give me a chance to practice for when I have a child with Yuya-kun. But the question is what she really means when she says that she wants to stay at Yuya-kun’s house. The 6 years old is still a girl. Perhaps her future dream is to be Yuya’s wife. Mumumu. I can’t lose this one. I’m Yuya’s wife.”
You’ve been mumbling all sorts of strange things, are you okay, Kaede? What do you mean by practicing for the future? It’s too early to tell, though I do hope such a future will eventually come. Also, aren’t you reading too much into Rika-chan’s true intentions? I mean, are you going to fight Rika?
“…I understand. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and let’s take care of her.”
After a moment of silence, Kaede agreed to let Rika come. It was not that I didn’t care about the implications of the silence, but for now, I’ll take it as a good sign.
“Thanks, Kaede! I’ll go tell Taka-san! Sorry to interrupt your bath. You’ll have to soak again!”
I left the bathroom and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I told Taka-san that I had gotten her approval. If Kaede said no, I would have to say no, and I could imagine Rika crying the next morning if I did.
“Thank you for your help, Yuya. Now I won’t have to watch Rika cry, and I can enjoy my trip in peace! I’ll definitely repay you for this!”
“You’re overreacting, Taka-san. Don’t worry about it.”
After that, we talked about the pick-up and drop-off arrangements and ended the call with Taka-san. It was a long call, so by the time it was over, Kaede was out of the bath and ready for bed.
“… Yuya-kun. Please give me a hug.”
Are you sulking?
Chapter 79: Request from Taka-san
“Hello, Yuya. It’s me. Are you all right?”
“That’s an old-fashioned scam. I’m calling the police.”
Night. I got out of the bath and was wiping my hair when I got a call from Taka-san. By the way, Kaede was currently taking a bath with me by mistake. We don’t have mixed bathing every day!
“Hey! Don’t do that, that’s not funny! I mean, my phone is registered, so you’ll know it’s me right away!”
“Oh man, Taka-san. I’m just kidding. It’s just the usual greeting. So, what do you want at this hour?”
It was now past 10pm. It was a little late to call even if you were close to someone. I wondered if the content of the message was so important that he needed to talk to me in person instead of just messaging me.
“Oh…I’m sorry to rush you. Can you take care of Rika for the next three days? That’s it. It’s the one big day of the year. You know what I mean.”
“Speaking of that, tomorrow is Taka-san and Harumi’s wedding anniversary. It’s the only day you’re going on a trip together, right?”
Taka-san and Harumi-san love their only daughter, Rika-chan, very much. Taka-san, in particular, was such a foolish parent that he says he wouldn’t want to look her in the eye. The only exception to this was on their wedding anniversary, when the couple spends time together. This was not the first time they had done this, they have been doing it ever since they got married.
“Huh. But didn’t you always leave Rika-chan at Harumi-san’s parents’ house?”
“That’s the thing! Because she didn’t spend enough time with you last time, Rika said, ‘I want to stay at Yuya’s house!’ And she wouldn’t listen. What did I say? ‘I don’t want to leave my precious Rika at a man’s house’, but Rika started crying and Harumi-san said that Yuya would be fine. That’s why I’m calling to ask for your help.”
As a father, he wanted to fulfill my beloved daughter’s adorable request, but Taka-san seemed to be struggling with whether he could fulfill this selfish request. Was he afraid of me taking his precious Rika? I’m all about Kaede. But I’m not going to declare that because it would complicate things again.
But still, the tone of voice conveyed a sense of reluctance, even for a request.
“I mean, in Rika’s mind, it’s already been confirmed that she’s going to stay at your house. I’m sorry to call you after the fact, but can you please take care of her?”
“Hmm… as for me, I don’t mind, but I wonder what Kaede would say about it. I can’t make that decision on my own.”
If Kaede doesn’t like it even if I do, then I’m sorry to say that I can’t accept this offer, even if Taka-san and Rika-chan want it. Because this is – our house.
“Well… you’re living with Hitotsuba’s daughter now, aren’t you? Hey, can you talk some sense into that girl? I don’t want to see Rika in tears first thing in the morning. Please, Yuya.”
“Don’t worry… you should have said something important like that earlier, Taka-san. I’ll be right back. I’ll go check it out.”
I put the call on hold and headed for the bathroom. I went into the changing room and called out to Kaede inside without opening the bathroom door.
“Kaede! Can I have a moment?”
“What is it? Ah! Yuya-kun, are you here by any chance to take a peek? If that’s what you mean, you’re more than welcome! Let’s get naked together!”
I heard the sound of water splashing, and Kaede came out of the bathtub, completely naked – but I couldn’t see her clearly because of the frosted glass.
“Huh? I can’t open the door. I can’t welcome Yuya-kun with this!”
“That’s not it! I didn’t come here to peek, nor did I come here to socialize together naked! I just had something I wanted to ask Kaede!”
“—? Something you want to ask me? What is it?”
“I just got a call from Taka-san. They’re going on their annual wedding anniversary trip, and they want me to take care of their daughter. Normally, they would leave her at her mother’s house, but Rika, their daughter, wanted to stay at our house. So, it’s kind of short notice, but he wants me to keep him at home for the next three days starting tomorrow… what do you think?”
When I told her the truth, Kaede’s attempts to pry the door open stopped and she became quiet.
“Hey, Yuya-kun. Rika-chan, the daughter of Omichi-san, was it? How old is that girl now?”
Suddenly, Kaede asked me in a serious voice. When I told her that I was in the first grade, she replied, ‘I see,’ and started mumbling something.
“So she’s a first grader, that makes her six years old. It will give me a chance to practice for when I have a child with Yuya-kun. But the question is what she really means when she says that she wants to stay at Yuya-kun’s house. The 6 years old is still a girl. Perhaps her future dream is to be Yuya’s wife. Mumumu. I can’t lose this one. I’m Yuya’s wife.”
You’ve been mumbling all sorts of strange things, are you okay, Kaede? What do you mean by practicing for the future? It’s too early to tell, though I do hope such a future will eventually come. Also, aren’t you reading too much into Rika-chan’s true intentions? I mean, are you going to fight Rika?
“…I understand. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and let’s take care of her.”
After a moment of silence, Kaede agreed to let Rika come. It was not that I didn’t care about the implications of the silence, but for now, I’ll take it as a good sign.
“Thanks, Kaede! I’ll go tell Taka-san! Sorry to interrupt your bath. You’ll have to soak again!”
I left the bathroom and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I told Taka-san that I had gotten her approval. If Kaede said no, I would have to say no, and I could imagine Rika crying the next morning if I did.
“Thank you for your help, Yuya. Now I won’t have to watch Rika cry, and I can enjoy my trip in peace! I’ll definitely repay you for this!”
“You’re overreacting, Taka-san. Don’t worry about it.”
After that, we talked about the pick-up and drop-off arrangements and ended the call with Taka-san. It was a long call, so by the time it was over, Kaede was out of the bath and ready for bed.
“… Yuya-kun. Please give me a hug.”
Are you sulking?
