Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [72]

Having… feelings for him?

To be perfectly fair, Hikigaya Ryōhei wasn't handsome in that fresh-faced, young idol sense—he was the kind of normal-good-looking guy by general standards.

The previous Hikigaya Ryōhei, burdened by desk work and social obligations, had seemed somewhat lethargic these past years, even developing a beer belly.

But after almost three months of consistent exercise and a refreshed state of mind, the current Ryōhei had visibly toughened up, now exuding the appealing air of a mature, handsome uncle who improved with every glance.

Though Machida-san hadn’t properly dated anyone despite her age, she'd seen enough pretty young idols.

Yet, this seasoned, refined type—like Hikigaya Ryōhei—unexpectedly struck a chord in her.

Or rather, it was precisely what she needed now. If Machida-san were still chasing after those youthful idol boys at this point, then she'd truly be beyond saving.

...

Hikigaya Ryōhei seemed to understand something from Machida Sonoko-san's gaze.

He wasn’t like Machida-san—someone who, despite her years, remained lacking in certain life experiences.

As for his previous life… never mind that.

He returned his gaze toward the beautiful editor, whose expression was eager yet shy.

She… was probably what people would call a leftover older woman?

Aside from special cases, those who remained single usually had some quirks here and there.

This Machida-san appeared genuinely attractive—certainly within the realm of beauty. Her manner and temperament were both commendable, her conversation quite appropriate, so logically speaking, she shouldn’t be single.

Yet since she still was, there had to be some issue, right?

So, where exactly is the problem?

Perhaps it was due to his recent leisure—though Ryōhei hadn't yet decided whether to pursue a new relationship as Mr. and Mrs. Miura encouraged—he wasn’t opposed to meeting more adult women.

After all, without any memories of the original “Hikigaya Ryōhei,” his current social circle was pitifully narrow.

And recently, he'd been so caught up with making a living that the people he could comfortably talk with numbered fewer than ten.

"Say, Machida-san, is the publishing industry really that difficult now? I know the used-book market is indeed pretty bleak. Actually, I went to Jinbōchō’s used-book street about two months ago…"

Ryōhei saw Machida-san's shy hesitation and tactfully guided the conversation into familiar territory for her.

This turned out to be the right move—before he could even finish, Machida Sonoko had eagerly picked up the thread:

"Exactly! Times have completely changed! We can’t stick with those prosperous-era themes anymore. Recently, I've been having such a headache! One of my authors has excellent writing and top-tier ideas, but she’s incredibly stubborn about her book’s direction! It feels like she'll crash and burn soon, but I pinned all my hopes of becoming editor-in-chief on her!"

"That sounds like a real headache."

Being comforted like this by an adult man—a man who’d given her a pretty good first impression—in the slightly embarrassing setting of matchmaking, Machida-san felt considerably relieved, even if it was mostly polite small talk.

She herself wasn’t quite sure why she cared so much about this man's opinion.

And then… then she forgot the principle of clarifying each other’s basic information during a first matchmaking meeting, and began talking incessantly, inadvertently laying bare her entire situation.

As deputy chief editor, her salary wasn't high, yet the workload was crushing!

She was deeply immersed in her job! Often working overtime till dawn, regularly sleeping at the office!

Often couldn’t eat hot meals! Pretty good at ordering takeout!

Recently kicked out of her home by her mother!

And so on and so forth…

Though not stated plainly, mature adults like Ryōhei and even Mrs. Miura could easily summarize these points upon listening.

However, Ryōhei didn't show any impatience. Unlike Machida-san, he wasn’t approaching this meeting with marriage in mind.

Eating hotpot and hearing about the professional ecology of the editing world was actually pretty interesting.

His attitude was more akin to Mrs. Machida's advice to her daughter—“Even if it doesn’t work out, you can at least gain a friend.”

Mrs. Miura, watching, could only shake her head.

Just how rare was it for Machida to hold a normal conversation with a man?

This was way, way too deliberate!

It was practically like stamping the words, "I’m a leftover woman, I want marriage!" right across her smooth forehead!

Thus, Mrs. Miura promptly stepped on Machida Sonoko’s foot.

Then she quietly excused herself to the restroom.

...

“Idiot!”

Moments later, in the restroom, two different-style women—one “youthfully pretty,” one gentle and elegant—stood facing each other.

Seeing no one else around, Miura Fusako immediately turned and scolded Machida Sonoko.

"Uh, I knew it already when you stepped on me!" Machida-san said aggrievedly. She herself had realized she shouldn’t have talked on and on without interaction, but once she'd started talking, she hadn't known how to stop.

"I’ve already told you clearly. Don’t make pointless small talk after meeting. Quickly get to the main point. You're no spring chicken. What, you still want a textbook romance? Wake up! You're practically thirty-two if we go by East Asian age reckoning."

“Pu—! I’m 31 years and 7 months old!”

Machida-san felt an arrow pierce her heart, HP -10,000.

Fine, she knew her fantasies weren’t realistic at all, nor suitable for someone aged thirty-one!

But… she still held some tiny expectations… Precisely because of this, she’d cared too much about what he thought and ended up performing poorly.

In Miura Fusako’s opinion, adults like Machida and Hikigaya in their thirties—if seriously matchmaking—should clearly know each other's situations after their first meeting, decide whether to become a couple after three or four meetings at most, and ideally get married within half a year if things went well.

"Seriously, isn't it just legally sleeping in the same bed?! Fix your attitude! Later, you can ask Ryōhei about his monthly income, savings, future plans, when he plans to have more children, or—just in case—whether you’d need to quit your job after marriage. Also, you’re really getting on in years; if you plan to have children now, you’ll count as an advanced maternal—"

Machida-san felt dizzy from Mrs. Miura’s nagging, missing several specific points altogether.

She was completely overwhelmed by her friend’s momentum and could only nod repeatedly.

Thud.

Just as Machida-san was enduring the one-sided lecture, they suddenly heard a noise behind them—from inside one of the bathroom stalls.

It was clearly the sound of someone falling onto the floor.

"Huh? Did someone fall off the toilet seat? Are you alright? Do you need help?" Machida-san curiously stepped toward the stall, preparing to knock, and took this chance to escape Mrs. Miura’s nagging.

...

A dozen seconds later.

Ryōhei, who was casually eating hotpot alone, suddenly heard a loud female scream.

Somewhat familiar? Wasn’t that Machida-san?

He blankly turned toward the restroom direction—

And saw a grade-schooler with old-fashioned black-framed glasses sprinting past at lightning speed, charging straight into the women’s restroom.

---

A/N: Like commenters said! With Conan around, naturally Haibara Ai appears too!

T/N: A DEAD BOD? GODDAMNIT CONANNNNNNNNNNNNNN also ill cliff hang here bitch

This is a fan translation of 比企谷大叔永远年轻 by Stargazer All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!