Chapter 39: CH 40

“Alone today …”

Sadly, I’m alone for dinner today.

University life has started to get into full swing, and we’ve been eating dinner separately more and more often.

It’s only natural, but I can’t help but feel lonely.

“I wonder how Suzuka is doing at the welcome party…”

The reason why I am not having dinner with Suzuka today.

It is because she is attending a welcome party for the photography club at a bar in front of the university’s station.

It is not that she is going somewhere without telling me, the purpose and the reason are clearly stated.

But I was in a restless mood.

I know there will be guys at the party, and I am worried that they are messing around with her.

I know that she would never cheat with a guy other than me, so I don’t mind.

What I’m worried about is that the senior members of the circle are probably drinking, and I’m worried that she might get involved in some strange way and have a bad experience.

“Though, doing something like that…”

Even if I befriend girls at university, Suzuka doesn’t interfere in any way, partly because she believes that they are just my girl friends.

Following her lead, I try my best not to interfere in her private life.

However, I get itchy when I think of her getting entangled with a drunken, bad quality senior at an izakaya (Japanese-style bar).

I don’t want to be a man who constrains her.

Because Suzuka loves me, too, she doesn’t say much about what I do at the university.

But then I find myself …

“Welcome~! Are you alone?”

“I’m alone. Can I have a table?”

“Yes, of course.”

The waiter showed me to a table without showing any displeasure.

Conveniently, it was right next to the party table.

There is a partition so we can’t see each other, but I can hear them talking rather well in my seat.

…So, well.

I just got here and I’m filled with apologetic feelings.

I was worried about her, and I sneaked over to the party to see how she was doing, something I normally wouldn’t have liked to do.

“I knew it, no. I guess I’ll just eat and leave right away…”

I ordered a meal at random from the waiter.

I ate quickly and was about to go home.

That’s when the sliding doors of the party table opened to reveal a bit of what was going on inside.

“…”

“…”

My eyes met with those of Suzuka, who was sitting at the party table.

I looked at Suzuka with a “I’m sorry” look on my face, and she looked at me as if to say, “You’d really go that far?”

And then, the door was closed right away.

As expected, it was not a good idea to leave it like this, so I sent a message to Suzuka’s cell phone.

Now that the sliding door is closed, too.

Without knowing what kind of face she was making, the reply that came back to me was this.

Then I ate the food I ordered and quickly left to go home.

Then I collapse on the bed in the room I came back to and nod off.

“That was going too far…”

No matter how much I care about the person I love, I will get into a bar where they are having a party.

I have nothing but regret for taking that overkill.

Even if they are family, it’s natural that people don’t like it when they are tied down.

I knew that, but I could not hold back.

Reflecting on this, I waited for Suzuka’s return…

“I’m home~”

It was past 11:00 when Suzuka came home.

It seemed that she had gone to the karaoke after-party, so it was quite late.

I went to greet Suzuka at the front door.

“Well then, let’s talk. Wait for me in the living room.”

Putting down her bag and other things, she washes her hands.

I wait in the living room for her to finish.

I wait for about 2 minutes. Suzuka tells me in a cold voice as I waited in the living room.

“Should you be sitting down and waiting there?”

“Excuse me.”

If I sit with my legs folded, she gets angry at me and tells me to sit up straight.

This time I really can’t help but get scolded, so I obediently recross my legs.

“Yuki. Do you have something to say?”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I see. If you are sorry, I forgive you. But if you try to come and constrain me too much, I’ll do the same, you know?”

To be jealous and constrained by Suzuka is …, well, not so bad.

The fact that I can come to think that way shows that I love Suzuka too much to be bothered by her.

However, if I told her that it’s not bad to be bound by her, she would get really angry, so I won’t say it.

“I think it’s a bad idea this time. Even you, when I was getting along with my female friends at the university, you trusted me without saying anything and didn’t interfere in any way. But this time, I was worried that you might be involved with someone strange, so I secretly went to check on you. I feel really bad about that.”

“I understand exactly how you feel. I, too, have been really, umm…. you recently became friends with Kumazawa-san through your club, right? I don’t know. When I see her and Yuki getting along with each other on campus, I get a little jealous. But I want Yuki to have an enjoyable student life. That’s why I don’t say anything even if I’m jealous.”

“You are right. I also want Suzuka to have an enjoyable student life. I’m sorry I messed with you this time. I’m really sorry … You trusted me and didn’t meddle…”

“You understand. You know exactly what I mean. I’ll forgive you if you’re careful in the future. Okay, we’re done here.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re sorry for what you did. What~, you think I should give you a lecture in a persistent, nagging way? Well, I’ll do that. Here, if you feel sorry, rub my shoulders~!”

Deciding that the lecture was over, Suzuka, who was completely unruffled by any hint of anger, told me to rub her shoulders.

I, feeling sorry for the situation, do as I’m told and rub her shoulders, though I can only use one hand.

Then, Suzuka says with a gentle smile.

“Ehehe. It’s true that Yuki’s behavior today was a little too much, wasn’t it? But I thought Yuki loves me. When Yuki told me why he came to see me, you clearly said that you didn’t come to see me because you were worried about an affair, but to protect me.”

“Well…”

“If you came to see me because you thought I was going to have an affair or something like that, I would have been more pouty. So I forgive you now.”

“I’m really sorry. As expected, going to the party to see how things were going was a bit much.”

“I think that’s true. So, you should be sorry, right?”

“I know. So, is there anything you want me to do other than give you a shoulder massage?”

“Well then, that. If I see Yuki befriending another girl and I cannot stand it, I want one right to be jealous!”

“Is that okay with you? I don’t have to say once, but as many times as you want… If you promise me that, I’ll feel rather scared… Okay, how about the right to be jealous all day long?”

I spoke lightly.

“I see. Well, can I use it now?”

“Yeah, sure.”

As soon as I gave my permission.

Suzuka leaned her body against me as I rubbed her shoulders and puffed out her cheeks.

“Yuki. You’re being too attached to Kumazawa-san! I’m your wife, and you’re having too much fun at university…”

“Oh, oh.”

“Hey, hey, Yuki. Will you tell me you love me?”

“I love you.”

“Ehehe. Say it more!”

“I love you.”

“‘Yeah, yeah. Yuki said it’s okay to be jealous, right? So I’m going to be jealous today~.”

She said a lot of things I wanted to say usually.

If I meet Kumazawa-san in a lecture, she envies her for sitting next to me! or, it’s cheating to go out to eat with Kumazawa-san, even though we are just going out to eat as part of our club activities, right? And didn’t you make a nasty face when I propped you up after you almost fell down? And so on and so forth.

Just kidding, of course.

“Ahhhh. Yuki is cheating on me. Maybe I’ll cheat on him too. Hehehe, sorry. I won’t do it. Because I love you!”

She loves me so much that she immediately retracts the idea of cheating on me.

She was a little bit spoiled today, and she was jealous of me talking with my girl friends.

That’s also so cute that it makes me feel so mean.

“If Kumazawa-san were to feed me while we were eating, what would you do?”

“I don’t get jealous of such a small thing because Yuki can eat as much as he wants! I’m not the kind of girl that can say, “I’m jealous”. So, if I’m about to get played, I’d like you to turn it down. Hehehe, sorry. It’s troublesome, isn’t it? But Yuki said it’s okay to be jealous today, so it’s okay, right?”

“Oooh. I said it’s okay to be jealous, though I didn’t say it should be messy. Well, that’s okay. You can be jealous until you’re satisfied.”

“Yeah! So~…”

For quite a long time after that, I would be given a full helping of cute and jealous Suzuka’s company.