Chapter 17
“You two, come watch Lyrical Hina with me! I recorded every episode!”
At Yuki’s request, they somehow ended up watching an anime.
Both their faces were red.
Kaede stole a glance at the two of them. They’d left the room separately, but for some reason, they’d come back together: Arai and Nagi.
‘Something definitely happened, but…’
Kaede continued studying Arai and Nagi’s faces. In the process, she noticed something else they had in common besides their flushed cheeks.
It was how markedly their attitudes had changed since they left the room.
‘Embarrassment?’
Kaede tried to guess what the two of them were feeling. After studying their faces a few more times, she soon arrived at an answer close to the truth.
It wasn’t difficult. Kaede often found herself unconsciously observing their expressions and gestures.
By comparing them with the expressions in her memories, she could easily reach the answer.
Anyway, putting that aside,
Arai and Nagi had both brought in drinks and cake with flushed faces, and now they were filling the room with an awkward atmosphere.
It was so awkward that whenever their eyes met, they both hurriedly looked away.
Because of that, even Kaede, who had been focused on Yuki, couldn’t help noticing the awkwardness between them.
‘Hmm? What’s with those two?’
Kaede wasn’t particularly interested in other people to begin with. Normally, as long as what they did didn’t affect her, she wouldn’t pay them much attention.
But this time was different.
Both people creating this uncomfortable atmosphere in the room were important to Kaede.
Arai Shota was the man Kaede had feelings for. Takamine Nagi was someone she’d known since childhood, whom she thought of as a little sister.
Naturally, Kaede couldn’t help being concerned.
‘Should I ask them directly?’
The information she could glean just by observing was limited. Even if she kept guessing what was going on, she probably wouldn’t reach a satisfying conclusion.
After a brief moment of thought, Kaede decided what to do. She would ask them directly.
Kaede quietly shifted position, then leaned close to Nagi’s ear as Nagi sat with her head meekly bowed.
“……Nagi?”
“Eek!!!?”
Kaede’s low voice tickled Nagi’s ear. Startled, Nagi jerked as if a slight shiver had run through her body.
Fortunately, Nagi clapped a hand over her mouth in time, keeping her cute little yelp from ringing out loudly.
“…Miss!?”
Nagi glanced around in surprise, then, once she understood what was happening, looked at Kaede with a questioning gaze.
“Sorry.”
Kaede had nearly put her through a nasty experience, so she immediately put on an apologetic expression.
It was a sort of learned reaction.
She knew that if she showed her feelings honestly, Nagi would forgive most of her mistakes, so she acted accordingly.
“……Honestly. So, what is it?”
Just like now.
“Mm. …There’s something I wanted to ask you.”
After taking in Kaede’s face, Nagi’s expression softened at once. Kaede added in a low voice, quiet enough that Arai or Yuki nearby wouldn’t hear.
“?”
Now, in this situation…? Taken aback by the sudden question, Nagi looked at Kaede. But only for a moment.
As if she had no choice, Nagi nodded.
As someone in service to the Mochizuki family, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Kaede’s request.
“Go ahead, Miss.”
“Did something happen between you and Arai?”
“……Huh?”
Nagi made a blank sound at Kaede’s question. It was an unmistakably odd reaction.
‘So something did happen after all.’
Seeing Nagi’s reaction, Kaede’s suspicion hardened into certainty. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“…You two have seemed a little awkward for a while now.”
“Ah――. Well…….”
When Kaede explained what had led her to that conclusion, Nagi trailed off. Then, flustered, she twisted the longer lock of hair on the right side of her head around her finger.
Looking closely, Kaede saw that Nagi’s face, which had started to calm down, was flushing again.
A side of Nagi that was rarely seen.
‘Hmm.’
Thump, thump. Her heart pounded.
As Kaede looked at Nagi, a strange feeling began to stir in a corner of her heart. It brought to mind frustration and anxiety… something along those lines.
And it was while she was feeling so confused that—
As Kaede intently studied Nagi’s face, she noticed Nagi’s gaze shift somewhere.
‘The cake?’
Nagi was looking at the cake. It was the housewarming gift Kaede had prepared, and the one she’d brought in with Arai just a moment ago.
Why on earth was she looking at the cake? What did it have to do with anything?
With a groan, Kaede found that Nagi’s gaze had only deepened her confusion instead of clearing up the mystery.
“…Well. I made a mistake in front of Arai.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes. …That’s why things got a little awkward. Nothing serious happened.”
Kaede’s eyes widened. The word ‘mistake’ didn’t seem to suit Nagi.
To Kaede, Nagi was a maid who was thorough in everything and always produced perfect results.
And yet Nagi had made a mistake? She couldn’t really picture it……
“I see…….”
Despite her doubts, Kaede nodded.
Nagi had always been honest with her. There was no way she’d lied. So, whatever it was, she must really have made a mistake.
…Yes, she must have.
Though Kaede had no idea what exactly that mistake was―――.
‘Hmm. Why does my chest feel so tight?’
Thump, thump. Despite having sorted out her thoughts, some feeling lingered in a corner of her heart. Her heart pounded in time with it.
As she turned this uncomfortable feeling over in her mind,
“Miss.”
Nagi spoke to her.
“What is it, Nagi? Hmm?”
“First, say ‘ah.’”
Turning her gaze, Kaede saw Nagi holding out a bite-sized piece of cake. At this sudden suggestion, Kaede looked from Nagi to the cake and back.
“You seem to be thinking too much. You haven’t forgotten our purpose, have you? Eat something sweet and clear your head of those distracting thoughts first. …Come on, say ah—”
Somehow, Nagi had returned to her usual self, as if her earlier embarrassment had been an illusion.
At the sight of her, Kaede’s eyes, which had been darting around as she mulled things over, paused for a moment.
“My arm’s about to fall off. Hurry up and eat, Miss.”
“Don’t say something so scary. Why would your arm suddenly fall off…”
“Ah―. I mean, hurry up and eat.”
With a strange metaphor and a pointed look, Nagi urged her to do as she said.
At this rate, it was hard to tell who was the mistress here.
A soft smile crossed Kaede’s lips, making her previous worries seem pointless. Then, in one smooth motion, she opened her mouth and took the cake Nagi offered.
Munch, munch.
Kaede slowly chewed the cake into little pieces.
‘Sweet.’
The more she chewed, the more sweetness spread through her mouth. As she focused on the taste, the worries and feelings she’d been turning over—as Nagi had said—melted away along with the cake.
“Hehe.”
How is it? Feeling a little better after eating something sweet?
Nagi conveyed the question with a smile instead of words. Kaede looked at her and nodded once.
“Thank you.”
Kaede smiled back at Nagi.
No one looks after me like Nagi does.
“If you’re grateful, why don’t you finally do something? You’ve been doing nothing but spending time with Yuki, and honestly, it’s driving me crazy to watch.”
Ugh.
……Then again, Nagi’s the only one who nags me, too.
The remark came just as the mood had turned warm. Kaede glanced at Nagi, then furtively turned her gaze toward Arai.
There, she saw Arai stroking Yuki’s head as the girl focused on the anime.
‘How can he be so kind?’
The sight brought a fond smile to Kaede’s lips. She liked the scene, so she kept watching the two of them.
Then suddenly, a certain thought wormed its way into Kaede’s mind.
Arai seemed like he’d become an incredibly kind father to his own child.
Over a short time, this thought expanded several times over. Before long, it led to one final thought.
“N-Nagi!”
At Kaede’s call, Nagi turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and then Nagi leaned closer to Kaede.
She must have something to say in private.
Realizing Kaede’s intent, Nagi turned her head and offered her ear to her.
“I-I was wondering, Nagi.”
Kaede began in a soft, hesitant voice. What on earth was she about to say, taking so long to get to the point?
Nagi pricked up her ears, then quietly waited for Kaede to continue――
“H-how many children should I have with Arai?”
“――――?”