Chapter 6: Becoming a Family

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“By the way, I’m sorry for calling out to you when you were with your friends the other day, Ichika-chan.”

“Huh!? That’s totally fine! Actually, my friends said my mom is beautiful, and I was happy.”

Ichika-chan and her mom quickly reconciled and were now laughing together in a warm atmosphere. As I felt deeply moved by how things turned out, I suddenly snapped back to reality.

…Wait… Why am I here again?

I had come because Ichika-chan asked me to, but all I did was sit and watch quietly. I was the only outsider here. What if they thought, “Why is she even here?”

Feeling restless and out of place, I glanced around nervously. Suddenly, Ichika-chan turned to Souhei-kun and exclaimed, “Oh, that’s right!”

“Huh? What is it?”

Ichika-chan lightly nudged Souhei-kun with her elbow.

“Souhei-kun, don’t you have something to say?”

“…Huh.”

“Do you know why I brought you and Haruko-san here? You want to reassure her, right?”

“Huh? M-Me?”

I was taken aback when my name was suddenly mentioned. Souhei-kun shrugged and muttered in a small voice, “…So that’s what this is about.”

Then, Souhei-kun glanced at me briefly before turning back to face his mom and stepdad. His expression was unusually tense and nervous.

“Mom. And Dad…”

Souhei-kun cleared his throat, straightened his back, and said,

“…Let me introduce you. This is Nanase Haruko-san. She’s my girlfriend.”

For a moment, I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of Souhei-kun’s words. A heartbeat later, I finally understood.

…Did Souhei-kun just call me his girlfriend?

I resisted the urge to do a triumphant fist pump right then and there. Yes! Finally, I got confirmation! I’m Souhei-kun’s girlfriend!

Suppressing my urge to grin widely, I tried to remain calm. Souhei-kun scratched his cheek awkwardly and continued, looking down.

“Sorry for the late introduction. We’re dating seriously, so don’t worry.”

…Souhei-kun and I are dating.

The joy slowly welled up inside me. Although he had already confessed, and there was no doubt about our relationship, being introduced as his girlfriend to someone—especially his family—was a special kind of happiness. It made me feel officially acknowledged as his girlfriend.

Hearing Souhei-kun’s words, his mom’s voice cracked as she exclaimed, “Y-You mean… really!?” Ichika-chan stepped in to reassure her mom.

“Mom! Haruko-san is really amazing! You don’t have to worry at all.”

“Y-Yes… of course! I’m sorry, I was just surprised.”

Mom cleared her throat softly and looked at me intently. I couldn’t help but straighten my back.

“…Souhei, you seemed so suffocated when you left home… but lately, you seem more relaxed. It must be thanks to Nanase-san.”

Mom smiled gently, her eyes narrowing just like Souhei-kun’s when he smiled.

“Nanase-san, thank you not just for taking care of Ichika-chan… but for looking out for Souhei as well. Thank you so much.”

“No! I-I’m the one who is always helped by Souhei-kun… I’m really glad I could greet you like this.”

“Please continue to look after Souhei.”

“Yes, I will!”

I replied firmly to Mom’s words. Souhei-kun looked at me with the same gentle, narrowed eyes as his mom.

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That day, I had dinner at my family home for the first time in a long while. The pizza and pasta my stepdad made were surprisingly delicious. I had always been an only child, and my dad rarely came home, so this was my first experience eating with so many people around a dining table.

Ichika was talking and laughing a lot, clearly enjoying herself. Though Nanase seemed nervous at first, she quickly fit in, thanks to Ichika, and was soon chatting comfortably with my stepdad and mom. Mom seemed to like Nanase a lot, repeatedly saying how wonderful she was. Given Nanase’s sincere and good-natured personality, it was only natural.

I no longer felt like I didn’t have a place here. Your place in a family is something you make yourself. I realized I had distanced myself from my family, feeling alienated for no reason. It was thanks to Ichika that I understood this.

“You should stay over if you can,” Mom suggested, but Nanase and I decided to head back home that day. Staying at my family home suddenly would probably overwhelm Nanase.

As I put on my sneakers at the door, I spoke to Mom.

“…I’ll come back. Maybe around New Year’s.”

“…! Yes, we’ll be waiting.”

Mom nodded happily at my words, her eyes glistening as if she was about to cry. Beside her, Ichika grinned and said,

“Haruko-san, you should come too for New Year’s! Or at least Haruko-san, if nothing else.”

“Hey, you…”

“Nanase-san, please come visit again.”

“Yes, definitely!”

Nanase replied, bowing politely.

After stepping outside, Nanase let out a little sigh. She had been composed earlier, but now she seemed a bit more relaxed.

“Sorry, it must’ve been tiring.”

“No! I had fun. Souhei-kun’s stepdad is a great cook.”

“I didn’t even know that.”

I realized again how little I knew about my new family. Hopefully, we’d slowly become a family.

“Hey, Souhei-kun.”

Nanase called my name, looking up at me.

“I’m your girlfriend, right? I can confidently say that now, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, it’s the first time you introduced me as your girlfriend to someone else…”

Nanase smiled and gently linked her arm with mine. Her eyes, reflecting the streetlight, no longer showed any trace of anxiety.

“…You feel reassured?”

“Yes! I’m happy. Souhei-kun’s girlfriend.”

Repeating it as if savoring it, Nanase’s eyes softened. Seeing her expression made a deep affection well up inside me.

It might not be appropriate to get too close in front of others near my family home… but it’s dark and no one’s around, so a little should be fine.

Just as I was about to wrap my arm around her, a voice called out from behind, “Souhei-kun!” Hastily, I withdrew my arm.

Ichika, catching up to us while panting, stopped in front of me.

“Here’s your phone. You left it on the sofa.”

“Huh? Oh, I forgot it… Thanks.”

Apparently, she had come to return my forgotten phone. I thanked her and put it in my bag. Ichika suddenly grinned mischievously.

“One thing I forgot to mention.”

“What is it?”

Standing on tiptoe, Ichika whispered in my ear.

“…It’s not cool to kiss your girlfriend while your step-sister is sleeping nearby.”

“…!?”

…Did she see us that time!?

Seeing my shocked expression, Ichika burst into laughter. Waving at Nanase, she said,

“Thanks for everything, Haruko-san!”

“I’ll come visit you in Kyoto again, so let me stay over.”

“Of course!”

Ichika then beamed and said,

“See you later, big brother… and future sister-in-law!”

Nanase and I instinctively looked at each other. This time, I didn’t deny it.

Then, we naturally held hands and started walking toward the bus stop.

tln : godammit man, i really love this kind of feeling with this kind of story. i don’t expect everything is gonna be okay. i always messed up and panicking when i got into troubles, surely when someone with u, u feel at ease and can deal with the problem carefuly without making any more problem or mistake. god i wish i could have somone like haruko, to improve myself.

anyway sorry 🙂