Chapter 3: Family
Translated by BunnyByun
Edited by ArroganceComplex
Episode 42: Prologue – What happened to a sunny day?
It was a Sunday at the end of October. I always wake up early like an old man, but unusually, I overslept.
『Yori, wake up.』
“Hmm… 15 more minutes…”
『You’re hibernating… Come on, wake up. Wake up.』
“Ugh… ancestors…!”
Awakened, I got up from the bed.
Yabai! I don’t have demonic-looking horns on my… body. It was a dream, thank goodness.
And when I opened my eyes, a beautiful girl was staring at me.
She had long chestnut hair, emerald green eyes, and perfect beauty that was both innocent and mature.
My neighbor, Christina Kournikova.
“You’re so close! I’m awake now, so get away a little!”
This zero distance is really bad for my heart when I wake up.
『It’s because Yori’s asleep all the time.』
“I was doing a lot of research last night and I’m tired.”
『It’s already past nine. I made breakfast for you.』
“It’s already such time! I’m sorry. I’ll be right up.”
Cheena’s cheeks puffed up. Before I knew it, she had come to my room and made breakfast for me.
Her hair was tied back in a bun and she was wearing a yellow apron.
At first, my heart often stopped, but recently I’ve gotten used to it and can accept it with a completely normal mind.
See, even my heart rate is the same as usual, dorururu. (the sound of a stable beating heart? XD)
By the way, I had decided to take it easy today, so I didn’t have a part-time job.
I yawned and raised my upper body.
I think I’ll have to hit you Cheena if you don’t move your face away.
As I struggled to get up, Cheena said,
『I’ll be waiting for you, so come quickly.』
Then she kissed me…
On the cheek…
With her lips…
“!!!”
Then Cheena left the room and went to the kitchen.
Ever since forest school, she has been kissing me on my cheek from time to time. (T/N: Sana all) (E/N: Oi stop it, we were supposed to only use the international and japanese language here.)
I can’t get used to all this at all.
She may think she’s doing it as a good friend, but it’s shortening my life span every time.
It’s not that I don’t want to…
After I finished getting dressed, I went to the living room and sat down at the table. Today’s menu consisted of salad, boiled wieners, and grenki.
(T/N: boiled wieners are boiled hotdogs then put as a filling of a hotdog bun
Seriously, can you eat that? I wonder how it tastes.)
Grenki is a sweet Russian dish made of white bread seasoned with eggs and sugar. (T/N: Simply put, it was a Russian version of a French toast)
She had made a lot of it for me.
She has been taking care of me strangely lately… It’s strange.
『What do you want to drink?』
“…Iced.”
『Iced coffee, okay.』
Cheena took out two cups and brewed coffee in a familiar manner.
In the meantime, I sat in my chair and looked at the Internet news on my phone.
One article was the main one today.
“Oh, there’s a new member joining Lullaby.”
『Oh, Yuki also said that they’ll be unveiled on a singing show in November.』
Cheena answered my mumbling as she brought me my coffee.
I can hear her Japanese pretty well now.
She’s talking about a four-member idol group called Love Love Buyer, also known as Lullaby.
They’ve been appearing on TV more and more, and it seems they’re getting more and more popular.
I say “apparently” because it’s a field I’m not interested in.
「I mean, Cheena is much cuter than the members of Lullaby…」
“Nani! What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“E…, oh no! My voice came out!”
I made a mistake! No!
That’s why Cheena also has a bright red face. You’re used to it, aren’t you?
“Well, I think Yori is big and cool too.”
“Miyamoto!”
While saying this, I took the coffee from Cheena, put my hands together, and took the grenkis to my mouth.
“How is it?”
“It’s good, as usual.”
“I see… Good.”
As I took my seat, Cheena looked into my face and asked me what I thought, so I gave her my honest opinion.
You look happy.
“By the way, did you get any results from your research?”
Cheena asks again. This must be about the legal stuff I was looking into yesterday.
As long as we’re moving in earnest, it’s better to have as much knowledge as possible.
It’s fine, but…
“It didn’t yield any results! I can find more information… than ever before. I knew it was tough that the content of the referees was not made public. I can’t use the precedent as a guide.”
“I see. Then after all, you still need to consult a lawyer.”
“That’s right. It would be a hassle if taking her custody rights were stopped midway.”
A suspension of parental rights is one step short of loss of custody, and it can last up to two years
Two years was too short of a time, and I can’t afford that.
I had to get her to the point of losing all her custody rights no matter what.
We continued to make small talk as we refilled with grenkis.
It’s a beautiful day, and the sunshine coming through the window is warm.
On a day like this, I should just relax and have breakfast.
Then, unexpectedly, Cheena brought up a topic.
“Oh, by the way, I heard while I was working, Yori, are you friends with Colonel Oliver?”
“What? Oh, Mr. Oliver. I’m afraid to call him a friend. I’m indebted to him.”
Oliver-san… Colonel Oliver Cox is the current commander of the U.S. forces in Japan, which means he is the most important person on this base.
Recently, Cheena has been working part-time at the base on a regular basis, and that’s when she heard about this.
“I had a chance to meet him when my dad brought me here when I was little,” I said, “He has been good to me since then. He helped me get settled here and even gave me my bike.”
“Wow,… he’s amazing. I can’t believe you know such a big guy.”
“Isn’t that too much? Don’t you think you’re using big people too conveniently?”
Cheena’s face was a little drawn as she listened to me.
No wonder. I say it like it’s nothing, but Mr. Oliver is a dangerous person.
In a company, he would be the president or chairman; in a body, he would be the heart.
Anyway, the power of the commander is immense in this base.
It was surprising to me that I had a personal relationship with such a heavenly being.
Since I started my part-time job, I’ve come to understand how great Mr. Oliver is, and lately I’ve been cringing when I talk to him.
As we continued to eat while talking about this, my phone rang with a vibrate.
Who is it? I looked at the notification screen and was surprised to see the name of the person on the screen.
I hurriedly tapped the call button and answered in Japanese as usual.
“Yes, this is Iori. It’s been a while. Yes…yes. What? Yes, that’s…! I’ll go! Yes, I’ll see you later. Yes, excuse me.”
The conversation ended and I hung up the call.
Then Cheena asked me who I was talking to.
“Who was that from? You sounded pretty jumpy.”
“It was… Mr. Oliver.”
“Oh my God. How timely is that?”
Seriously…you scared me.
“So, what does he want?”
“He wants me to come over for dinner tonight.”
“Oh…!”
The content of the call was an invitation to dinner. Of course I couldn’t refuse.
I’m not going to be able to say no to that.
My stomach hurts.
Seeing me turned blue,
“Well, good luck with that…!”
Cheena gave me a thumbs up.
But, you know,…
“He asked for me and Cheena to come.”
“Sorry, my stomach is starting to hurt.”
Chapter 3: Family
Translated by BunnyByun
Edited by ArroganceComplex
Episode 42: Prologue – What happened to a sunny day?
It was a Sunday at the end of October. I always wake up early like an old man, but unusually, I overslept.
『Yori, wake up.』
“Hmm… 15 more minutes…”
『You’re hibernating… Come on, wake up. Wake up.』
“Ugh… ancestors…!”
Awakened, I got up from the bed.
Yabai! I don’t have demonic-looking horns on my… body. It was a dream, thank goodness.
And when I opened my eyes, a beautiful girl was staring at me.
She had long chestnut hair, emerald green eyes, and perfect beauty that was both innocent and mature.
My neighbor, Christina Kournikova.
“You’re so close! I’m awake now, so get away a little!”
This zero distance is really bad for my heart when I wake up.
『It’s because Yori’s asleep all the time.』
“I was doing a lot of research last night and I’m tired.”
『It’s already past nine. I made breakfast for you.』
“It’s already such time! I’m sorry. I’ll be right up.”
Cheena’s cheeks puffed up. Before I knew it, she had come to my room and made breakfast for me.
Her hair was tied back in a bun and she was wearing a yellow apron.
At first, my heart often stopped, but recently I’ve gotten used to it and can accept it with a completely normal mind.
See, even my heart rate is the same as usual, dorururu. (the sound of a stable beating heart? XD)
By the way, I had decided to take it easy today, so I didn’t have a part-time job.
I yawned and raised my upper body.
I think I’ll have to hit you Cheena if you don’t move your face away.
As I struggled to get up, Cheena said,
『I’ll be waiting for you, so come quickly.』
Then she kissed me…
On the cheek…
With her lips…
“!!!”
Then Cheena left the room and went to the kitchen.
Ever since forest school, she has been kissing me on my cheek from time to time. (T/N: Sana all) (E/N: Oi stop it, we were supposed to only use the international and japanese language here.)
I can’t get used to all this at all.
She may think she’s doing it as a good friend, but it’s shortening my life span every time.
It’s not that I don’t want to…
After I finished getting dressed, I went to the living room and sat down at the table. Today’s menu consisted of salad, boiled wieners, and grenki.
(T/N: boiled wieners are boiled hotdogs then put as a filling of a hotdog bun
Seriously, can you eat that? I wonder how it tastes.)
Grenki is a sweet Russian dish made of white bread seasoned with eggs and sugar. (T/N: Simply put, it was a Russian version of a French toast)
She had made a lot of it for me.
She has been taking care of me strangely lately… It’s strange.
『What do you want to drink?』
“…Iced.”
『Iced coffee, okay.』
Cheena took out two cups and brewed coffee in a familiar manner.
In the meantime, I sat in my chair and looked at the Internet news on my phone.
One article was the main one today.
“Oh, there’s a new member joining Lullaby.”
『Oh, Yuki also said that they’ll be unveiled on a singing show in November.』
Cheena answered my mumbling as she brought me my coffee.
I can hear her Japanese pretty well now.
She’s talking about a four-member idol group called Love Love Buyer, also known as Lullaby.
They’ve been appearing on TV more and more, and it seems they’re getting more and more popular.
I say “apparently” because it’s a field I’m not interested in.
「I mean, Cheena is much cuter than the members of Lullaby…」
“Nani! What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“E…, oh no! My voice came out!”
I made a mistake! No!
That’s why Cheena also has a bright red face. You’re used to it, aren’t you?
“Well, I think Yori is big and cool too.”
“Miyamoto!”
While saying this, I took the coffee from Cheena, put my hands together, and took the grenkis to my mouth.
“How is it?”
“It’s good, as usual.”
“I see… Good.”
As I took my seat, Cheena looked into my face and asked me what I thought, so I gave her my honest opinion.
You look happy.
“By the way, did you get any results from your research?”
Cheena asks again. This must be about the legal stuff I was looking into yesterday.
As long as we’re moving in earnest, it’s better to have as much knowledge as possible.
It’s fine, but…
“It didn’t yield any results! I can find more information… than ever before. I knew it was tough that the content of the referees was not made public. I can’t use the precedent as a guide.”
“I see. Then after all, you still need to consult a lawyer.”
“That’s right. It would be a hassle if taking her custody rights were stopped midway.”
A suspension of parental rights is one step short of loss of custody, and it can last up to two years
Two years was too short of a time, and I can’t afford that.
I had to get her to the point of losing all her custody rights no matter what.
We continued to make small talk as we refilled with grenkis.
It’s a beautiful day, and the sunshine coming through the window is warm.
On a day like this, I should just relax and have breakfast.
Then, unexpectedly, Cheena brought up a topic.
“Oh, by the way, I heard while I was working, Yori, are you friends with Colonel Oliver?”
“What? Oh, Mr. Oliver. I’m afraid to call him a friend. I’m indebted to him.”
Oliver-san… Colonel Oliver Cox is the current commander of the U.S. forces in Japan, which means he is the most important person on this base.
Recently, Cheena has been working part-time at the base on a regular basis, and that’s when she heard about this.
“I had a chance to meet him when my dad brought me here when I was little,” I said, “He has been good to me since then. He helped me get settled here and even gave me my bike.”
“Wow,… he’s amazing. I can’t believe you know such a big guy.”
“Isn’t that too much? Don’t you think you’re using big people too conveniently?”
Cheena’s face was a little drawn as she listened to me.
No wonder. I say it like it’s nothing, but Mr. Oliver is a dangerous person.
In a company, he would be the president or chairman; in a body, he would be the heart.
Anyway, the power of the commander is immense in this base.
It was surprising to me that I had a personal relationship with such a heavenly being.
Since I started my part-time job, I’ve come to understand how great Mr. Oliver is, and lately I’ve been cringing when I talk to him.
As we continued to eat while talking about this, my phone rang with a vibrate.
Who is it? I looked at the notification screen and was surprised to see the name of the person on the screen.
I hurriedly tapped the call button and answered in Japanese as usual.
“Yes, this is Iori. It’s been a while. Yes…yes. What? Yes, that’s…! I’ll go! Yes, I’ll see you later. Yes, excuse me.”
The conversation ended and I hung up the call.
Then Cheena asked me who I was talking to.
“Who was that from? You sounded pretty jumpy.”
“It was… Mr. Oliver.”
“Oh my God. How timely is that?”
Seriously…you scared me.
“So, what does he want?”
“He wants me to come over for dinner tonight.”
“Oh…!”
The content of the call was an invitation to dinner. Of course I couldn’t refuse.
I’m not going to be able to say no to that.
My stomach hurts.
Seeing me turned blue,
“Well, good luck with that…!”
Cheena gave me a thumbs up.
But, you know,…
“He asked for me and Cheena to come.”
“Sorry, my stomach is starting to hurt.”
