Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [67]

While Mrs. Yuigahama stood briefly stunned, her gossip-loving daughter immediately chirped in: “I heard from Yumiko that Hikigaya-sensei divorced because his ex-wife cheated. Why, though? She already had kids and a husband, why cheat, Mom?”

Too loud! Isn’t your voice way too loud?!

Snapping out of her daze, Mrs. Yuigahama hastily stepped on her daughter’s foot and covered her incessantly babbling mouth.

Way too noisy!

She needed to have a serious talk with Yui later about not gossiping outside their home.

Though she’d only met Hikigaya Ryōhei’s ex-wife once, she could never forget that exquisitely perfect face—so beautiful it had briefly made her feel ashamed of herself.

Mrs. Hikigaya… ah, no! It should be Mr. Hikigaya’s ex-wife—was a stunning beauty with a naturally cold and elegant aura!

Two children, and still such a figure. Truly enviable!

Their front doors were only about five or six meters apart. After Tōma Kazusa rang the doorbell a few times, finding no one home, she’d just turned around when she heard the cheerful chatter of a young girl nearby.

Of course, she clearly heard the name “Hikigaya.” Turning her head, she noticed a vaguely familiar, brown-haired adult woman dressed plainly, completely in the style of a typical housewife.

Holding a fully-loaded basket of vegetables at her doorstep, Mrs. Yuigahama smiled awkwardly at the black-haired beauty. Even if it was her daughter’s careless chatter, as the mother, she naturally bore responsibility.

Bathed in sunlight, Mrs. Yuigahama saw clearly how perfectly smooth the face of Mr. Hikigaya’s ex-wife was, devoid of any makeup yet still glowing translucently, like delicate porcelain. Her slender, slightly raised eyebrows and deep, gemstone-like eyes gave her an aura so captivating that it honestly made Mrs. Yuigahama feel inferior.

Not that Mrs. Yuigahama ever deliberately tried to pry into the Hikigaya family’s personal matters. Although they were now close neighbors, she never paid attention to the view from her house—though, admittedly, she could see clearly into their windows.

As for why the couple divorced, she'd never thought deeply about it, assuming it was just her daughter’s idle gossip.

It seemed like Yui really had too little homework.

Maybe she’d ask Hikigaya-sensei next time about practical supplementary materials?

She heard that book from the East Asian continent, something called "Five-Year Gaokao, Three-Year Simulation," was pretty effective?

Speaking of which, would Hikigaya-sensei be open to private tutoring sessions?

To tell the truth, back when Mrs. Yuigahama herself was young, she’d been a perfect-score beauty—graceful, generous, firm yet gentle.

She’d always paid careful attention to her appearance, skillful in coordinating her clothes, always fresh and lovely—a stunning girl who made people catch their breath.

Later, where would she find the time for such things? Though her life had improved a lot in recent years, every time she considered dressing up again, she’d inevitably think, “As a practically single housewife, what’s the point?” Gradually, she stopped caring, losing her former skill completely.

She’d aged. Her waist-length, flowing chestnut hair had long since been cut short. Her once delicate hands had become rough from daily chores like washing rice and vegetables, and even her face probably had no shine left, right?

A faded beauty past her prime…

Realizing she was likely around the same age as Hikigaya-san’s ex-wife, Mrs. Yuigahama suddenly felt a subtle pang of melancholy.

After all, what woman genuinely didn't care about her beauty?

But her natural optimism quickly took over. A deep breath, and her chest rose and fell, dispelling her momentary gloom completely.

Gently pushing her daughter aside, she raised her hand gracefully and called out with a gentle smile: “Um… hello, are you looking for Hikigaya-san? Unfortunately, he just left with the children to go out for lunch. They headed that way just two or three minutes ago! If you hurry, you might still…”

“Never mind. I’ll come again this afternoon.”

Before Mrs. Yuigahama could finish, the coldly elegant black-haired beauty softly interrupted and swiftly turned away.

Kazusa’s mother had recently been invited by the Habsburg royal family to perform in Vienna and wouldn’t be back in Japan for another month. Unable to get news about the kids from her mother, she’d heard from Komachi recently that Hikigaya Ryōhei had even adopted his late sister’s daughter, prompting her sudden urge to visit.

“Ah?” Mrs. Yuigahama stood briefly stunned. She’d wanted to invite her in to wait, but then remembered Yui’s earlier gossip, deciding it’d seem impolite, so she simply opened and closed her mouth silently.

Yuigahama Yui, though not particularly sharp, watched the situation, her eyes darting around. She quickly figured things out—more or less.

“Mom, was that really Hikigaya-sensei’s ex-wife? She’s so pretty, like a movie star! Sensei is kind of handsome too, I guess, but…” Yui leaned out from behind their wall, gazing at Tōma Kazusa’s elegant departing figure.

Young and imaginative, Yuigahama Yui quickly concluded she’d discovered the true reason behind Hikigaya-sensei’s divorce!

“Yes! You saw her yourself, didn’t you?”

Mrs. Yuigahama replied irritably, feeling she really ought to use this chance to properly educate Yui.

She’d repeated countless times: curiosity wasn’t wrong, it was natural, but a girl shouldn’t chatter carelessly outside!

Without warning, she reached out and grabbed her daughter’s soft right ear, pulling her into the house. “How many times have I told you to change this careless, noisy habit? You never listen! You even got overheard talking nonsense just now! Do you know how embarrassing that was for Mom? People will think I don’t know how to raise my child!”

“Ow ow ow! Okay, I get it! Anyway, we don’t know her!” Yui, always adept at acting spoiled in front of her mother, verbally admitted her mistake—though how much she really took to heart, only heaven knew.

Sighing, Mrs. Yuigahama knew she couldn’t ever bring herself to discipline Yui strictly enough. Perhaps that was the curse of all single mothers.

She pinched Yui’s cheek firmly a few times, then waved her hand and shooed her toward the kitchen.

“Off you go! Go wash the vegetables first!”

“Oh, alright.”

After a moment, Mrs. Yuigahama tied on her apron and joined her daughter in the kitchen.

Feeling the need to remind Yui again not to gossip about teachers at school, she casually brought it up once more.

“Yui, Yumiko’s your classmate, right? You girls shouldn’t gossip privately about teachers. It’s not appropriate.”

“What?! Yumiko’s dad and Hikigaya-sensei are good friends, Mom! You absolutely can’t tell anyone else, but I heard it goes like this…”

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A/N: About Shizuka-sensei: Her hair already reaches past her knees, okay? Knee-length hair!

Actually, I never even considered a reconciliation arc. How could the protagonist, with his current personality, possibly remarry? It’s all you guys making wild speculations from start to finish! You even had me questioning myself—did I really plant some hidden flags for remarriage? (Merciful Buddha! Those who always threaten “If it doesn’t happen, I’ll drop/delete the book,” please feel free to act immediately.)

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!