Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [57]

“Mrs. Yuigahama’s cooking is pretty good. Come to think of it, every time I’ve seen her, she’s always dressed casually for home. She must be a full-time housewife, huh?”

Ryōhei thought this, chewing on the cookies.

“Ah, who’s lucky enough to marry such a refined and thoughtful woman? That’s some good karma from a previous life!”

Actually, regarding the quality of Mrs. Yuigahama’s cooking, there was never really any doubt.

You just had to look at that girl, Yuigahama Yui—raised so vibrant and full of youthful charm.

How could her mother possibly make lethal-level cooking?!

However, there was another saying: “Behind every mother who handles all the housework is a daughter who can’t take care of herself.”

As he walked home, the scent of warm, buttery cookies drifting from the paper bag was too tempting; he couldn’t resist picking out two to taste.

The cookies touched his tongue intimately, buttery sweetness and milky fragrance flooding his mouth.

Another bite—crispy crumbs tickled the throat, aromatic flavor lingering wonderfully. Truly a taste that lingered, making you crave more.

Smooth, tender, richly flavorful, crisp, and fragrant…

He couldn’t think of more adjectives at the moment.

Without realizing, Ryōhei ate a few more.

Lately, he hadn’t really treated himself to snacks. He usually bought few and reserved them all for Akeno and Komachi.

...

“Oh! You’re all home already? Actually, you don’t have to rush back right after school. It’s okay to play with other kids sometimes.”

Today, due to viewing the house, negotiating, and signing the contract, Ryōhei returned about half an hour later than usual.

Unlocking the door, he saw all the children already at home.

Sure enough, now that he’d rented a new place, this cramped apartment of barely thirty square meters was almost painful to look at.

Two little girls—Akeno and Komachi—were kneeling facing each other, earnestly playing Xiangqi, Chinese chess.

Naturally, it was the Chinese style—Ryōhei had taught them.

He had stumbled upon it during his last grocery run at a convenience store, selling at a clearance price, so he grabbed a set.

And then insisted on teaching all three kids to play.

This way, he could enjoy some extra parent-child bonding time.

“Hey! Checkmate! You lost again, Komachi!” Akeno announced triumphantly after placing a piece, leaving the black-haired little girl across from her staring blankly, then frantically ruffling her short hair.

“Uwahh, Akeno, how come you always sneak up on me like this? Ah, Papa’s back!” The black-haired little girl quickly waved happily at Ryōhei.

“Welcome home, Uncle!” the other little girl greeted more politely, somewhat reserved.

Well, that was a bit formal, making carefree Komachi suddenly feel embarrassed. Quickly following Akeno’s lead, she hurriedly knelt properly by her side, greeting her father sweetly:

“Papa, welcome home! You worked hard!”

Ahaha, even if it was a bit embarrassing to admit, the exhausted Ryōhei felt his spirits immediately lift upon returning home, opening the door to see two adorable little girls—one lively, one shy—bowing sweetly to him.

The two children got along remarkably well.

The girls were close in age, attending the same elementary school, walking hand-in-hand to and from school daily.

Previously, Komachi hadn’t enjoyed playing with other kids much, a devoted member of the “going-home club.” But now she had a playmate her age and was visibly happier.

Akeno-chan also seemed to thrive in a livelier atmosphere; recently, Ryōhei had noticed she had a certain fear of being alone.

Even Hikigaya Hachiman popped his head out from the tiny kitchen, announcing he was already preparing dinner ingredients, telling his father he could rest first without worrying about cooking right away.

Accustomed to their dynamic, Ryōhei naturally didn’t hesitate. He hung up his bag on the coat rack, then sat down on the tatami floor, leaning against the small table where the chessboard lay.

Immediately, Komachi cheerfully hopped over to massage his legs.

Akeno poured a small cup of water, carefully handing it to him.

Ah, this gentle atmosphere of a kind father and filial daughters—what was going on here?

Now that he’d sorted out the housing, he was just missing a woman at home…

“Ah, we really are crowded here. Four people is definitely not working out,” he sighed, sipping his water. Noticing Akeno slightly lowering her head, he quickly reached out to gently pat her head reassuringly.

“But don’t worry, we’ll move into the new house this weekend! I’ve already finalized it today, so you girls remember to pack your things, alright? Though you probably don’t have much anyway.”

“Hm? Papa! What’s the new house like? Bigger than this one?” Komachi chimed in enthusiastically, climbing up his legs onto his lap, stretching her arms wide.

“Of course! Komachi and Akeno will share a room, and Hachiman gets his own room, too.”

Ryōhei replied leisurely. Just thinking about a roomier place already improved his mood.

“Ah, right—Hachiman! Our new neighbors will be your classmates. Seems like that girl named Yuigahama Yui. You know her?” Suddenly recalling, Ryōhei called out to Hachiman in the kitchen.

In this short time teaching Hachiman’s history class, he hadn't directly approached his son much at school.

Having your dad as your teacher probably put immense pressure on the boy already, so he avoided unnecessary contact at Sōbu High.

“…Don’t know her,” Hachiman answered after some thought, genuinely not meaning to sound indifferent.

Searching his memory, he really couldn’t match a face to that name.

As of now, the only girls’ phone numbers he had were Komachi’s and Akeno’s.

If you excluded his sisters…then none remained.

None.

Zero.

Sigh…

Hachiman’s face darkened slightly, a faint ache in his chest for more than one reason.

“Ah, that’s fine. There’ll be plenty of chances later. Though, listen! It’s not good if you only focus on studying. At your age, you need to talk more with girls. Don’t blame me if you can’t find a wife in the future!”

“I—I get it already.”

...

That evening, when Yuigahama Yui heard from her mother that their new neighbor would be her history teacher, Hikigaya-sensei—

She felt as though she might literally die on the spot.

Mrs. Yuigahama, however, wore a faintly amused expression, quietly enjoying her daughter’s distress.

She knew Yui had become a bit too playful lately. Gentle reminders seemed ineffective, yet she could never speak harshly.

With a subject teacher living next door, perhaps Yui would feel some healthy pressure to study seriously.

“Uwahhh! Sensei’s moving in next door—how can I live with this?! Mom, come to think of it, we haven’t moved in forever…”

“Rejected! You think moving is easy? Silly child!”

Mrs. Yuigahama smiled, dismissively waving her hand.

“Even Sensei’s son, Hikigaya Hachiman, whose dad teaches him directly, hasn’t complained, right? Mom thinks this situation is actually quite good!”

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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!