The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 21

tln : long chapter today… almost 1,7k…

Creating New Memories

About three minutes after that, by the time Keitaro reached the variety store, the heat in his cheeks had subsided.

Having regained his composure, Keitaro entered the variety store and made his way to the apron section.

As he walked, he suddenly remembered that Sofia was supposed to be wearing an apron. In fact, he had seen Sofia wearing an apron just that morning.

“…Huh? But now that I think about it, she was wearing an apron last night and this morning too, right?”

“That’s because those were just ones we had in the kitchen. I wanted one of my own.”

“I see.”

Indeed, that was the case. Keitaro belatedly realized that she had been wearing the same one as his mother.

It seemed that the familiarity of using one’s own was different from using someone else’s. Although Keitaro didn’t understand the feeling since he didn’t cook, he acknowledged it as just the way things were.

Before long, he found himself in the desired section.

Various aprons hung on hangers, neatly lined up in a row.

“Wow, there are so many. Which one should we choose?”

“…Um, I want Keitaro to choose for me.”

When Sofia shyly touched her fingertips together and made such an adorable request, Keitaro felt the heat threatening to rise in his face again, but he managed to suppress it with sheer willpower.

“Me? But you’re the one who’s going to wear it. Shouldn’t you choose one in your favorite color or design?”

“No, I want one that matches Keitaro’s preference.”

“…Alright, leave it to me.”

Though not confident in his sense of aesthetics, Keitaro was neither so insensitive nor cold-hearted as to reject her request.

With a thoughtful pose, he examined the aprons from corner to corner, looking for something that would suit his taste and that would look good on Sofia as well.

“But then again, anything would look good on you… This actually makes it harder.”

With Sofia being such a top-tier ‘material’, practically any apron would exceed the passing grade.

That’s what made choosing one so difficult.

“Plain or patterned… Functional or with a fancy design…”

“…Keitaro?”

Comparing the aprons with Sofia, Keitaro visualized in his mind how each would look on her. Every image he conjured seemed like it was made just for Sofia.

Whether mainstream or quirky, Sofia would likely pull off any style with ease. So, his only option was to try each one that caught his eye.

Picking up a black and white apron with frills, he presented it to Sofia.

“Try this one on for me.”

“Yes, understood.”

Sofia took it from Keitaro and immediately turned around, slipping on the apron without any hesitation.

Soon after, she completed her twirl, the skirt of the apron fluttering as she turned back around.

“How does it look?”

Tilting her head slightly, Sofia looked for Keitaro’s reaction.

She looked incredibly cute. A sight for sore eyes.

The black and white color scheme somehow gave off a maid-like vibe.

Keitaro nearly blurted out something absurd like asking her to call him “Master,” but he swallowed the words just in time.

Instead, he voiced a more wholesome opinion.

“I think it looks really cute.”

“…Do you think so? Then, should we go with this one…?”

“…No, let’s look a bit more.”

“O-Okay. Please take your time to decide.”

Keitaro, a bundle of healthy adolescent desires at sixteen, couldn’t be blamed for wanting to see Sofia in various outfits. Given his tragic past, a little indulgence like this was forgivable.

Next, he handed her a plain gray apron, a stark contrast to the previous one in terms of vibe.

“…Next, let’s try this.”

“Yes. …How about this?”

Dressed in the gray apron, Sofia exuded a simple, homely aura.

It was incredibly calming. It felt like the comfort of home.

Thinking about seeing it every day, this one seemed like the best choice.

“This one’s hard to pass up too…”

“…Ehehe, then shall we choose this one?”

“No, there are still more options to consider. Next is—”

Before he knew it, Keitaro had become genuinely enthusiastic. He was like a producer deciding on costumes for an idol. The desire to see Sofia in various outfits had become irresistible.

With Sofia not objecting, it was as if there were no brakes on this train.

He kept passing her different aprons, each time eliciting a candid compliment from Keitaro and a blush from Sofia.

They repeated this sweet exchange in plain view of everyone around.

Of course, such behavior drew a torrent of attention. Without even trying, they were the type of couple that stood out. Between flirting in the toy store and now in the variety store, they were impossible to ignore.

The apron selection, in particular, made them unmistakably look like a young married couple.

“—Alright, this is the one.”

“So, this is Keitaro’s top choice.”

In the end, they settled on an apron with a blue base and white lines.

It wasn’t too subdued nor too flashy, striking a perfect balance in design. The color scheme suited Sofia and matched Keitaro’s preference perfectly. Truly the best choice.

“Then, that settles it…”

With the apron selection concluded, all that was left was to make the purchase.

As Keitaro began walking towards the cashier, a colorful section caught his eye.

It was filled with thick CD-like objects, which turned out to be a ribbon display.

“Hey, should we also buy a ribbon while we’re at it? The one you have is pretty old, right? It looks a bit worn out in some places.”

Keitaro glanced at the blue ribbon on Sofia’s right side.

Though well cared for, it was a gift from her elementary school days. Of course, it couldn’t escape wear and tear. Upon closer inspection, some parts were indeed frayed.

“No, no! This one is fine just as it is!”

Sofia hastily shook her head, her face betraying her panic.

“But still…”

“This ribbon was the first gift you ever gave me…!”

“…So, you’re planning to use it forever?”

“Yes! That’s exactly my intention!”

“What if it gets so worn out it tears apart?”

“Then I’ll just fix it! I plan to use this ribbon for the rest of my life!”

While Keitaro was touched that she valued his gift so much, the thought of her clinging to something so worn out felt suffocating. It was almost like a curse.

Suddenly, dark, murky emotions bubbled up within him. With these feelings weighing on his heart, Keitaro straightened up and began to speak.

“Sofia, have you ever heard of the Ship of Theseus?”

“No, I haven’t. What’s that?”

“It’s a paradox. Imagine you have a pair of socks. Over time, socks get holes. Instead of throwing them away, you patch them up.”

“Yes.”

“But even after you patch them, other holes will appear. So, you patch those too. And the cycle continues. If, eventually, every part of the sock has been replaced, is it still the same sock?”

“…I… don’t know…”

“Right. But I think both answers could be correct. It’s just a matter of perspective. Whether you see it as the same tool or cherish it for the memories associated with it. After all, if we’re talking about this, human cells are constantly renewing themselves too. So, by that logic, the me now and the me from the past are different people.”

In reality, they were different… Keitaro sighed to himself, despite having brought up the topic.

Why he had delved into such a discussion was beyond even him.

Perhaps he was jealous of his past self.

The current him and his past self were different entities. He had effectively killed his past self. That might be why he felt so detached, viewing his past self not as himself but as someone else.

So, he didn’t want her to wear the past him but the current him. Realizing this cleared up the inexplicable feelings he had been harboring.

What a twisted nature he had… Keitaro further lowered his self-esteem, not that he had much self-esteem left to begin with.

“Well, anyway. It’s good to be attached, but there’s also another way to look at things. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Tugging at his hat brim with a finger, he moved to conclude the conversation. Although it sounded like he was discussing something profound, it was nothing more than mere jealousy.

Keitaro felt ashamed of himself. He had no right to feel that way.

“…Even so, I will continue to use this ribbon… Because memories are what matter most to me…”

Sofia’s response was exactly what Keitaro had expected.

However, his own response was unexpected. He reached out and gently touched the side of Sofia’s head that didn’t have a ribbon.

“…In that case, shouldn’t we create new memories too? It’s better to have more precious memories, right? Besides, there’s nothing on this side.”

“Mm… If that’s the case… I would like something new too.”

Watching Sofia nuzzle his palm, Keitaro felt the murky waters in his heart gradually clear.

Without letting go of her, he glanced at the shelf beside him. For a new ribbon, considering the overall balance, blue would be the best choice.

“We’re putting them on both sides, so matching colors would be best, right?”

“You like blue, don’t you, Keitaro?”

“Yeah, cool colors are soothing to look at.”

“Then, does looking into my eyes also calm you down…?”

“Yeah, it does. I feel like I could gaze into them forever.”

Pausing their ribbon selection, Keitaro returned his gaze to Sofia. Their eyes locked, her jewel-like blue eyes peering earnestly back at him.

“「…」”

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Sofia gently placed her hand around Keitaro’s waist.

(The young couple… are they about to kiss right here…?)

That was the thought that crossed the minds of those around them. Under normal circumstances, this would undoubtedly be the moment for a kiss. If this were a Hollywood movie, they would have already kissed, perhaps for the third time.

“Ahem…!”

A cough came from nearby, filled with a clear intention to interrupt.

“「…?!」”

Instantly, the two sprung apart as if repelled by a magnetic force. It was as if they had tried to force together the same poles of two magnets when moments before, they had been opposite poles.

“Um, excuse me, is there something you’re looking for?”

The interruption came from a twentysomething female store clerk with dyed hair, emanating a vibe that said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this is my job.” If it weren’t for her working hours, she’d likely be the type keen to see how the situation unfolded.

“Ah, no, sorry. We’re fine, sorry.”

“Sorry!”

Both Keitaro and Sofia bowed repeatedly, apologizing in perfect sync.

“No worries, please take your time shopping.”

“…Let’s hurry up and buy it.”

“Yes, let’s…”

They quickly chose a similar colored ribbon and hastened to the cashier.

Even the time it took to cut the ribbon felt eternally long. During this period, all Keitaro could think about was escaping this place as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Sofia was…

(If… if we hadn’t been stopped, what… what would have happened… perhaps… oh…)

Her face flushed for a different reason than Keitaro’s, her mind racing with thoughts.