The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 11

The Stopped Time

After finishing dinner, when Sophia tried to clean up the dishes, Keitaro insisted that he at least should handle that task. Thus began a tongue battle between Keitaro, who rarely offers to do such chores, and Sophia, who wouldn’t easily back down. After several minutes of debate, Keitaro won the right to wash the dishes from Sophia. A remarkable growth indeed.

This was no longer just a mundane chore of dishwashing. It could be called an honorable dishwashing. While feeling somewhat proud, Keitaro finished up just as cheerful music started playing in the kitchen, signaling that the bath was ready.

“Sophia. The bath is ready, you go ahead.”

“No, Keitaro, you should go first.”

Keitaro, drying his wet hands with a towel, approached Sophia, who was sitting on the sofa, and urged her to take the bath first.

Naturally, Sophia wouldn’t easily agree and insisted that Keitaro should go first.

“You’ve just arrived in Japan and even cooked for us. You must be tired, right? It’s better if you take a bath early and rest for tonight.”

Considering that Sophia must be tremendously tired after her flight, dragging luggage around, and cooking on her first day in Japan, it would be outrageous for Keitaro to enter the bath before her.

“…Yes, you’re right. If you say so, I’ll go ahead.”

“Alright, take your time. Don’t worry about me.”

After a moment of thought and a nod, Sophia stood up and started heading towards the bathroom. Seeing her easily give in, it seemed Sophia was indeed tired.

As he called out to her retreating back and settled deeper into the sofa, Keitaro let out a sigh.

“…Phew.”

Leaning back and letting his whole body relax into the sofa’s voluminous, high-quality cushions, Keitaro looked up at the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes.

Silence enveloped the surroundings, bringing a moment of solitude at last.

A time of peace that also forces one to confront their true feelings.

“…Sophia, she’s really cute…”

A spontaneous truth slipped from Keitaro’s lips.

Behind his closed eyelids, the image of Sophia, who had grown into an exceptionally beautiful girl, vividly floated into his mind.

Keitaro had never anticipated that Sophia would undergo such a dramatic transformation.

If one were to point out the most noticeable changes since their childhood, it would be her personality, hairstyle, height… and chest. Four aspects.

Personality – Unlike the timid, introverted girl who always hid behind Keitaro, she had become sociable, capable of conversing with anyone.

Hairstyle – The long bangs that once shrouded her eyes like dark curtains had been cut short, revealing her clear blue eyes.

Height – Though there’s quite a difference compared to Keitaro’s 185 cm, she must be over 170 cm. Quite tall for a woman, with a model-like physique of long limbs.

Chest – It boldly asserts its presence, pushing against her clothes, very voluptuously rounded. It’s frightening how my gaze unconsciously concentrates there if I’m not careful.

(tln : i will generate AI image based on this. see tlnote )

To conclude, she’s the ideal beautiful girl. If one were to gather all the ideals and desires of men worldwide and materialize them, Sophia would be the result.

Such is the level of perfection Sophia embodies now.

In addition to being beautiful, she is intelligent and an excellent cook.

The extent of her refinement until today is such that it feels presumptuous for someone like me to even contemplate.

(Sophia is constantly moving forward. And me?)

With a deep sigh, Keitaro let out his breath deeply.

Unlike Sophia, I’ve evolved in a significantly worse direction. No, this must be devolution.

Though it was inevitable, having Sophia right in front of me forces me to realize the stark contrast in how we’ve spent our years, in completely opposite directions.

“Because Keitaro is a genius!”

Suddenly, Sophia’s words from a few hours ago ran through Keitaro’s mind. More accurately, one detestable word stuck in his head and wouldn’t let go.

“Genius, huh. Great, if I’m disliked because of that.”

With a dry laugh, Keitaro muttered self-deprecatingly.

A fog-like, indigestible emotion started swirling around Keitaro’s chest, quickly enveloping him.

(Don’t try hard. Don’t get interested. Live in the corner. You decided that yourself, didn’t you?)

Reaffirming his own way of living by reciting his life’s motto in his mind, Keitaro clenched his fist tightly,

(…Never again… To no one…)

As if throwing himself off a cliff into a pitch-dark abyss of thought, Keitaro willingly touched upon his past that he had avoided even thinking about.

***

I, Keitaro Ayasaka, was once considered a genius.

Well, of course, I still am, but I didn’t use to hide it as I do now.

The first time I realized I was not ordinary was in the summer of my fourth grade, going back to when Sophia first came to my house.

I thought it was too late for such self-awareness, but until then, I genuinely never considered myself a genius.

Sure, I had a good memory, but I thought I was just a normal person, maybe just a bit more efficient than those around me.

The reason for my late realization must have been due to my lack of initiative.

Even in a university where advanced studies are pursued, let alone an elementary school, no matter how quick the comprehension, if you don’t step beyond the scope of the lessons, you’re just one of the few smart kids in class.

A normal genius probably has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, eager to learn anything and everything. Unfortunately, I was different. I never thought to study beyond the classroom.

I could understand the content of textbooks with just a glance, and these were taught at a snail’s pace over forty-five minutes. Yet, I never found it boring. I never thought about moving on to the next level.

Always sticking to the curriculum, memorizing the textbook content instantly, and that was it.

Scoring perfect marks on tests was a given, but tests in a regional public elementary school were designed so anyone could score high. They were no indicator of intelligence differences.

I didn’t attend cram school, didn’t really engage in extracurricular activities, and only slightly better in sports during PE classes.

It was only natural that the discovery of my talent was delayed.

While living unaware of my abnormality, Sophia came into my life.

The moment I met Sophia, I felt a strange urge to protect her.

Shy, avoiding eye contact, always looking down, and yet, trying her best to greet me in faltering Japanese despite seeming on the verge of tears, I wanted to make Sophia feel at ease as soon as possible. I wanted to see her smile.

For that, communication was essential.

If she couldn’t speak Japanese well, then I should speak English. Simple as that.

I grabbed several English-related books from my dad’s study and devoured them in my room. For the first time, I seriously exercised my brain, eager to absorb knowledge.

And just like a sponge soaking up water, English settled into my brain as common knowledge as soon as I learned it.

As a result, English, a language unknown to me beyond basic words and grammar, became as manageable as Japanese in less than two weeks.

At first, I thought this was normal until my dad pointed it out. It wasn’t normal.

This was the first time I recognized that I was different from others.

tln : probably this, i only took hint from chapter 1 to 11 .

1 british girl, japanese light novel style, <white hoodie>, sociable girl, clear blue eyes, 175 cm, model-like physique of long limbs, very voluptuous chest pushing againts her clothes, blonde, short bangs, <blue ribbon on right side hair>, yellow suitcase with wheel, small face, sharp nose, light pink lips, <hair extending just below her shoulders>

with that as my prompt. probably she is more beautiful than this. but here’s my best guess?