The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 29

To The Station

 

After finishing breakfast, Keitaro and Sofia spent a leisurely time together, watching TV and enjoying each other’s company until it was time to leave.

It’s truly mysterious how time flies during moments of bliss.

 

Though they seemed to have spent over twenty minutes in this state, it felt like only three minutes had passed before it was time to depart.

 

“Haah… Well then, shall we go?”

 

Keitaro stood up from his chair reluctantly.

Following suit, in stark contrast to Keitaro’s demeanor, Sofia stood up gracefully with a “Yes!”

They left the living room, walked down the corridor, and headed towards the entrance together.

 

 

Reaching the door, Keitaro put on his shoes first and slowly opened the unusually heavy door.

The weather today was clear and sunny.

 

It was the perfect day for entrance ceremonies happening all over Japan, marking a promising start for the young protagonists of those events.

However, for Keitaro, it was merely bothersome. Too bright. The sky was too blue. It was hot. He already wanted to return home, and he hadn’t even stepped outside yet.

 

 

“…Ugh…”

 

As Keitaro looked up at the blue sky with an utterly gloomy expression,

 

“Today’s weather is great too! Perfect for school!” Sofia exclaimed with a sunny smile as she stepped through the door.

 

Her blond hair and blue ribbon fluttered in the sunlight, radiating an incredible transparency. She was the complete opposite of the gloomy Keitaro.

 

 

“…Yeah, it’s better than walking in the rain on the first day.”

“…Rain.”

 

Keitaro focused solely on the good aspects of the sunny weather, muttering to himself as if to persuade himself, then locked the door and started walking under the sun. However, he quickly noticed that Sofia wasn’t following him.

Stopping in front of the gate and looking back, he saw Sofia standing in front of the door, looking down.

 

“Sofia?”

“Ah, sorry…”

 

When Keitaro called out to her, Sofia quickly lifted her head and ran over to him.

 

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, um… I was just thinking… that rain might be nice too…”

“Huh, why?”

 

Hearing Sofia’s words, Keitaro couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

Then, Sofia looked down again and said in a tiny, fragmented voice, with gestures, trying her best to convey her thoughts to Keitaro.

 

“It’s just, you know… if it rains, we could… share an umbrella… kind of like that…”

 

It was clear to Keitaro what Sofia was trying to say. She was talking about sharing an umbrella. No doubt about it.

 

“Is… is that not okay…?”

 

Sofia glanced at Keitaro with puppy eyes.

Could anyone possibly say no to that? Keitaro wondered if there was anyone in the entire human race who could. If there were, they surely lacked a heart.

 

“…Well, if it rains, then that’s fine.”

 

As expected, Keitaro couldn’t refuse. He had changed a lot over the past week. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say he had reverted to his old self.

Fundamentally, Keitaro always wanted Sofia to be happy, so refusing her request would actually be the more unnatural option. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to share baths and beds as children.

 

 

“Really?! Yay! Now I’m looking forward to a rainy day… I hope it comes soon!”

 

Sofia beamed a smile bright enough to light up the surroundings, striking a victory pose.

Keitaro glanced at her, then set out towards the station, Sofia by his side, of course.

 

“Hm… By the way, Keitaro, you’re not carrying anything. Is that okay?”

Caught up in the excitement of going to the same school as Keitaro, Sofia had been a bit scatterbrained and only now realized that Keitaro was indeed empty-handed.

 

“Hm? Ah, it’s fine. As long as I have this, everything else will work out somehow.”

 

Keitaro reached into the inner pocket of his uniform and pulled out a thin, board-like object.

One side was smooth, and the other was black, with a mountain piercing through clouds painted in green in the center. This board-shaped object was a small mobile device.

 

“A smartphone?”

Sofia tilted her head.

 

 

“Ah, you don’t have one yet, huh. Then, let me explain.”

 

Noticing her reaction, Keitaro cleared his throat, then, while waving the device from side to side, began to weave his words.

 

“This is an Eiphone. It’s our school’s student handbook, textbook, and teacher all in one—a super convenient item. The official name is… what was it again? Innovative Educational Support Electronic Device, I think.” (tln : IESED ?)

 

This device, an Eiphone, was essential for realizing our school’s somewhat vague philosophy of establishing modern educational methods.

 

“Wow… Japanese schools are amazing. It’s like something out of an anime.”

 

Sofia said in awe, examining the unfamiliar gadget from various angles with great interest.

 

“Well, it’s just our school that’s special. The head of the school is really passionate about education. Wait… did you seriously choose our school without knowing anything?”

 

Keitaro was surprised. Given the school’s unique educational approach, he thought it would be impossible for anyone to overlook during their school selection. Yet, it seemed Sofia truly knew nothing.

 

 

“No, that’s not true! I knew something! I knew it was Keitaro’s school!”

 

Sofia puffed her cheeks and proudly declared.

 

“That’s the same as knowing nothing.”

 

 

Keitaro dismissed her claim.

 

 

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t know the system inside out! What matters to me is whether Keitaro is there or not! That’s the only issue! Everything else is trivial!”

 

Sofia declared boldly. She really didn’t know anything and was completely unapologetic about it.

Keitaro sighed deeply, almost involuntarily.

 

 

“If I had been a shut in, what would you have done then?”

 

“Of course, I’d join you in shut in!”

 

Sofia proudly declared again, stating it as if it were the most natural thing.

 

“Hey, you’re supposed to drag me back to school, not join me in walking down the path of thorns.”

“Ha… You don’t get it, Keitaro. Walking down a path of thorns is out of the question. After all, a path with you could never be thorny.”

 

Sofia wagged her finger with a mischievous grin, a gesture that might have been irritating if not for her overwhelming cuteness.

 

“That’s the exact opposite, you know. Opposite.”

 

“? What do you mean?”

 

Sofia asked Keitaro with a puzzled expression. Keitaro, reflecting on their time together thus far, replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

 

“Because being with you makes any path an easy one. After all, you’d cut away every thorn in our path, wouldn’t you? If I keep living like this for another two years, I won’t be able to survive on my own.”

 

“That’s exactly how it should be. No, that’s how it must be.”

 

 

Ah, so that’s what this is about. With a tone that indicated she truly believed what she was saying, Sofia nonchalantly made her declaration.

Keitaro slumped his shoulders.

 

“That’s… Hey. There’s something called a ruinous sofa that turns people into slackers, but you’re a ruinous Sofia, aren’t you?”

“Correctly speaking, I’m a Sofia who ruins Keitaro.”

 

Sofia corrected him nonchalantly. It seems she would ruin Keitaro and no one else. Without specifying “Keitaro,” she would likely correct him every time.

 

“Just imagining myself two years from now gives me the chills. I might not even be able to brush my teeth on my own.”

 

Keitaro said this half-jokingly, but with a nine-tenths jest.

 

“Oh, that’s a great idea. Shall I start helping you with that tonight?”

 

Sofia took him seriously and volunteered eagerly.

 

“Please spare me. The mere thought is too horrifying.”

 

Just the thought made Keitaro blush with embarrassment. It felt like a new kind of torture to him, considering that even having his mother help him brush his teeth as a child was somewhat embarrassing.

 

“No need to be shy. Feel free to become as pampered as you please.”

“I’m already plenty pampered.”

“No, not at all. You still have potential to be ruined. Being able to dress yourself already disqualifies you.”

“That’s not just ruinous; that’s something else entirely…”

 

Unable to hold back any longer, Keitaro let out a deep sigh.