Ordinary I and Extraordinary Them

of the world.

 

However, they had still left a seat open between them, which I was guessing I was supposed to take very conscientiously.

……That’s one place I didn’t want to sit.

 

No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find another place to sit.
The only other option was the sofa on which mom had been sitting.

However, at my age, it was embarrassing to sit next to my mother.
It was also tiring to remain standing.
Because of the inevitability of the situation, I ended up sitting between the two girls.
Shizuku seemed particularly happy about it as her expression was shining.

The corners of Kirasaka’s mouth had risen a little.
She too must have been in a good mood.

 

After the two girls had quietened down, the only sounds that we could hear in the room were the sound of the television and that of boiling water.

No one was talking, but strangely, it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

With Kirasaka and Shizuku under the same roof, I didn’t think that I could feel at so much ease.
It was a first.

 

Be that as it may, I hadn’t spent time with my mother at home in a long while.

Sponsored Content

I wouldn’t say that I loved my mother.
Even then, it was nice to be able to spend time with her like this, once in a while.

[TN – Of course, he loves her, but not any more than normal.
Thought I should clarify it]

How should I put this?

It was calming, or should I say, she filled a gap in our lives?

Dad was still overseas by himself, but when it came to him, I didn’t really care……

 

 

After Kaede served coffee to everyone, mom inquired the two girls sitting next to me.

“What kind of relationship do the two of you share?”

Clearly, she was looking at the two girls beside me, so I looked at them with a sideways glance as I sipped on my coffee.

“What kind of relationship……I am Minato-kun’s childhood friend.
Kotone-san is also aware of that……”

“I am Minato-san’s classmate, and I also sit next to him……”

 

I was pretty sure that mom already knew the answer to her question.

In the case of Shizuku, it went without saying.
As for Kirasaka, she too had introduced herself at the station, albeit briefly.

Besides, Kaede kept in touch with her daily, so she should be knowing about Kirasaka, albeit only through mails.

The two girls seemed a bit puzzled by her question.
They answered accordingly, looking slightly doubtful, but mom shook her head.

 

“I am not talking about your relationships with Minato-chan.
I want to hear about the relationship that Shizuku-chan and Ren-chan share.
Are the two of you friends?”

At that question, the two girls looked at each other.

They were staring at each other’s face blankly, their smiles gradually disappearing from their faces.

Shizuku stared expressionlessly at Kirasaka.

To counter that, Kirasaka stared fixedly at Shizuku with cold eyes.

Sponsored Content

I, who was sitting in the middle, could feel the pressure emanating from both sides.
My right hand, which held on to the coffee cup, was shaking a little.

“Well……you could say that we are ‘acquaintances’”

“That’s right, “acquaintances” is what I am thinking as well”

I couldn’t help but sense thorns in their words.

Rather, I should say, if the two of you are going to glare at each other, then please don’t make me sit in the middle.

Sensing the rising tension in the air, and looking at the shaking cup in my hand, Kaede seemed to have perceived something as she very casually, took a bit of distance from us.

Only mom was still looking at the two girls without any change in expression, but I could see an increasing seriousness in her eyes.

“I won’t ask the two of you to get along with each other, because there is something called ‘compatibility’”

Mom said to the two of them.

Anyone could understand by looking at the two of them that they weren’t on good terms with each other.

 

These two certainly had the worst ‘compatibility’.

Rather, it would be hard to find two people who had their level of compatibility.

When mom started talking, the two girls looked away from each other’s face and directed their gazes to the front.

It looked like they had even corrected their postures somewhat.

 

“The two of you are here, not because you are on good terms, but because of Minato-chan, right? If so, then, I need to say this all the more……”

Mom closed her eyes and exhaled.

With a start, Shizuku and Kirasaka stiffened for a moment, but……

 

 

“I love Minato-chan more than the two of you!”

“……Are you stupid?” (MC)

I was wondering what she would say when she put on such a serious expression, but this idiot parent of mine looked at the two girls before her with eyes filled with energy and made a bold declaration about how much she loved her son.