RMSGE ` 10

Chapter – 10

Kaoru’s  Mother

“Well then, I’m going that way, so I’ll say goodbye here—”

Kirara said that as the three of us were walking home together.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

“Yeah, I mean… Kaoru’s house is nearby from here, so if we go that far, we could walk you the rest of the way…”

It was already getting pretty dark outside.
Well, even so, Kirara probably goes home around this time almost every day anyway…
Thinking about it, she really does work hard.
She doesn’t neglect her friendships, and even though she has a tough time every day, she never lets it show.

“No, it’s fine! My place isn’t that far either!”
“Really? But—”
“No, really! It’s totally fine. Bye-bye, you two! See you on Monday!”
“O-okay. Bye-bye.”
“Yeah, see you.”

And with that, Kirara left on her own, as if cutting the conversation short.
The reason she wanted to go home alone was simple.
She didn’t want them to know she lived in a run-down apartment—that might sound harsh, but that was the truth. She probably wanted to protect her image.
That’s why I didn’t force the issue by offering to walk her.
It would have put her in an awkward position too.
Besides, before anything else, I’d already decided that Kaoru was my top priority right now.

“Kaoru, shall we head home too?”
“Yeah!”

We said that and started walking.

“Come to think of it, that was surprising.”
“What was?”
“I mean… I always thought you and Kirara weren’t that close. Especially with what happened with Yamazaki.”
“Oh, that… Actually, I’ll be honest—at first I had some mixed feelings about her too. But once I actually talked to her properly, I realized that Hiroshi-san is a really great person…”
“Is that so? Well, I think I can kind of understand that.”

I said that, but the truth is, I already knew very well that Kirara was a good person.
Still, now that she mentions it, Kaoru and Kirara do seem like they’d get along great as friends.

“Yeah. She’s always so cheerful, and she’s really kind to me too… So I’ve actually started to like her a lot. As a friend, of course.”

Kaoru said that with a smile, and I could tell she wasn’t lying.
Putting aside the whole thing with Yamazaki, she wanted to stay friends with Kirara.

“I see…”
“And besides, someone like Hiroshi-san, who’s so confident in herself, is really admirable…”

Confident in herself… Actually, that’s not entirely true.
Kirara isn’t quite as much as Kaoru, but with her family situation, she’s not actually all that confident in herself.
She just doesn’t show it on the outside…

“Yeah…”

After that, Kaoru and I chatted lightly as we walked home.

—A little while later, we arrived at Kaoru’s house.

“Well then, see you, Kaoru.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Kaito-kun! …So, is it still okay if I ask you again?”
“Of course it is. I’m generally free around this time, and I’m always at home anyway.”
“I see. Then I’ll ask you again!”

When I answered, Kaoru said that with a happy smile.

And right at that moment, we heard the sound of a car engine, and it pulled into Kaoru’s garage.

“Oh, Mom…”
“Huh? Your mom’s home?”
“Looks like it.”
“Um… Then I should probably head off quickly.”

As I said that, Kaoru’s mother got out of the car.

“Um… Are you Kaito-kun? You’re tall…”

“Y-yes. My name is Ougou Kaito…”

I turned around and greeted Kaoru’s mother.
She looked remarkably like Kaoru.
So much so that “sisters” would be a more fitting description than “mother and daughter.”

“Kaoru? I have something I want to talk to Kaito-kun about alone, so you go inside first.”

“Eh… Okay. Got it. Well then, bye-bye, Kaito-kun!”
“Yeah, bye-bye.”

Kaoru’s mother said that, and Kaoru went inside.

“First of all, thank you for Kaoru… For today too, and for helping her back then.”

Kaoru’s mother said that and bowed her head.

“No, no! You don’t need to bow! It’s fine!”
“I see… But are you really sure? It’s okay for you to pick her up from cram school?”
“It’s fine! I have nothing better to do anyway.”
“I see… I’m sorry, this is something we should be doing.”
“No, I enjoy it too, so please leave it to me!”

When I said that, Kaoru’s mother chuckled softly.

“That’s a relief… I’m glad you’re such a good kid, Kaito-kun. You see, this is the second time Kaoru has talked to me about a boy, so I was a little worried…”

The first one was definitely Yamazaki.
But it’s understandable that her mother would be worried… No matter how much she trusts her daughter, it’s only natural. Even if he’s a classmate, he’s still a guy she just met recently.

“I see…”
“Sorry. You helped her, and yet I’m being suspicious…”
“No, I think that’s only natural for the mother of a daughter. I don’t mind at all.”
“Thank you, Kaito-kun.”
“No problem.”
“If you’d like, please keep being friends with Kaoru from now on… It seems she really trusts you too.”
“Yeah, I feel the same way. That’s what I plan to do.”
“I see. Well then, I’ll be counting on you from now on, Kaito-kun.”
“Yes. Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Okay. Sorry for keeping you.”
“It’s no problem.”

—After finishing my conversation with Kaoru’s mother, I headed home.

“I’m glad Kaoru’s mother seemed to have a good impression of me…”

I was a bit worried she might think I was just some guy she’d met recently after starting high school… But from her reaction, it didn’t seem like that.
Well, maybe she did think that at first, but in the end it seemed fine.

“Still, I’m getting pretty used to this world now…”

It’s only been about a week since I reincarnated, but I’ve already gotten used to it.
Though, that’s probably because my environment hasn’t changed much from before my reincarnation…

At home, I’m all alone. It wasn’t like I had a ton of friends before reincarnation either.

“Well, I guess it’s not so bad…”

The heroines—well, it’s only Kaoru so far—but I’ve become friends with her, and honestly, the time I spend with her is really enjoyable.
At first I was confused, but now I think reincarnating was a good thing.

“Besides, since I’ve got a second chance, I might as well enjoy this life.”

Thinking about that, I headed home.