Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [52]

Speaking of which, Kushida Kikyou had a pretty good impression of Hikigaya Ryōhei.

Though Hikigaya-san was already well into his thirties, he wasn’t greasy at all; rather, he seemed to live youthfully.

It probably had something to do with his teaching profession!

After all, a teacher’s job was about being friends with kids.

She'd really like to be friends with someone like this.

So, on their way here, not only did Kikyou formally exchange phone numbers and email addresses with Ryōhei, but she also firmly insisted that Hikigaya-san shouldn’t be so polite—just calling her Kikyou was fine.

Naturally, she returned the favor by addressing him similarly as Ryōhei.

Kikyou had always been this kind of girl, wanting to make friends with as many people as possible. Even though she'd been shaped somewhat by her job, her nature hadn't changed.

Ryōhei hadn't thought much of it then, assuming this was just the civil servant’s way of showing friendliness nowadays.

“By the way, you came here to handle paperwork too, Hikigaya-san?” Setsuna slowly asked.

“Yeah, it’s all done. Speaking of which, you're looking much better lately! You know, a person needs to stay flexible. Just stay far away from people like that in the future! We're only in our thirties, there's still a long road ahead of us.”

Ryōhei spoke as if Kitahara Haruki didn’t exist.

Of course, this wasn’t specifically targeting him—it applied to all scumbags equally.

Ogiso Setsuna’s expression suddenly turned complicated, causing Ryōhei to glance at her a couple more times.

Honestly, after cleaning herself up a bit, this woman was genuinely dignified, graceful, gentle, and generous.

Really, who knew what was wrong with this Kitahara Haruki guy!

Wildflowers smell sweeter than home-grown ones, is it?

Anyway, after carefully recalling Tōma Kazusa—whom he'd only seen once—Ryōhei felt Kazusa wasn’t all that much prettier than Ogiso Setsuna either. Maybe she seemed a bit more outstanding, but wasn't that just from living a luxurious life? Merely an external bonus.

Money that should've been mine, dammit!

How much had that woman spent already!

After a woman passes her thirties, beauty definitely relates to inherent qualities, but how she cares for herself and her mindset becomes increasingly important too.

Ogiso Setsuna was a clear example. Though she could still be considered naturally beautiful, with a gentle aura comfortable to be around, compared to his so-called "ex-wife," she lacked a certain refined elegance—close inspection revealed two or three fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

Considering the kind of husband she’d had, it was already fortunate that she didn’t have a few strands of white hair by now.

But anyway, it was someone else's family matter—Ryōhei didn’t care to ask or meddle.

“Thank you again for the advice before. Looks like I really need to learn from you, Hikigaya-san.” Setsuna quickly glanced twice at Kikyou.

“You—! Exactly what did you say to Setsuna before?!” Kitahara Haruki suddenly jumped in and asked, shocked.

“That has nothing to do with you!” Before Ryōhei could respond, Setsuna turned away impatiently, saying, “Also! Could you stop addressing me so intimately?”

When Setsuna saw Ryōhei today, she felt a sense of loss; then, seeing Kitahara Haruki, this loss quickly turned into irritation.

Even Hikigaya Ryōhei, who’d suffered the same blow as she had, had moved forward and was about to start a new life—yet she was only now breaking ties with Kitahara Haruki…

Honestly, it wasn't strange that she'd misunderstand.

In a place like this.

Plus, hearing that intimate way of addressing.

And also accidentally glimpsing the name "Hikigaya Akeno."

And Hikigaya Ryōhei really looked good, clearly having recovered completely from the wounds of divorce.

The best way to get over a failed relationship is to begin a new one, right?

Setsuna understood that much.

But…with such a young girl?

Hikigaya, seriously? So quickly?

“Ryōhei... Hikigaya-san, these two are?” Kikyou sensed the woman frequently glancing her way with subtle intent, leaving her confused.

“This is Ogiso Setsuna…and this is her ex-husband, Kitahara.” Hikigaya Ryōhei spoke with a calm tone that made Setsuna slightly envious. She wished she could be as carefree.

“Oh! I remember now—he’s the one who seduced your ex-wife, Hikigaya-san…ah! Haha!” The young civil servant girl seemed a bit naturally airheaded, and after blurting it out, she hurriedly covered her mouth and laughed awkwardly.

“No, it's not like that! What's wrong with you!” Kitahara Haruki suddenly felt today wasn’t suitable for divorce. He weakly argued, “Actually, I knew Kazusa even earlier…”

Even he knew that this reasoning sounded weak when spoken out loud.

“Hey, these things involving two people…you can’t entirely blame this gentleman.”

Seeing Akeno-chan approaching, Ryōhei didn't want the child overhearing these messy affairs, so he didn’t even introduce Kikyou properly, just quickly bid farewell to Ogiso Setsuna and took his niece’s hand, heading for the door.

Akeno-chan, who didn’t quite understand what had happened, conveniently grabbed Kikyou’s hand too.

“So that's how it is…” Seeing the child they held had similar hair color to the young woman, Setsuna’s expression grew even more complicated, believing she understood clearly now.

If previously she'd only been suspicious, seeing the young woman accompanied by a child made Setsuna certain.

After all, Hikigaya Ryōhei wasn't exactly young anymore.

Getting remarried wasn't strange.

But to marry such a beautiful young woman so quickly was pretty shocking.

Though, if she also brought a child along, it made a bit more sense.

Ogiso Setsuna couldn’t help staring until the three of them left.

Kitahara Haruki glanced once, then again, finally realizing—this Hikigaya Ryōhei! He’d clearly gotten remarried!

And even had two for one!

Bought one, got one free!

Hmph! So it seemed that guy hadn't liked Kazusa that much either!

...

Half an hour later, when Ogiso Setsuna finally left the municipal office, she felt a sense of relief after exhausting herself completely.

Earlier, when signing the documents, she'd noticed her ex-husband's hesitation clearly.

Remembering it now, Setsuna couldn't help but sneer bitterly.

They’d lived together for so many years.
To put it crudely, once he dropped his pants, she knew exactly what kind of shit he’d produce!

This worthless man!

His old habit again, right?

She’d always known he was this type, yet constantly hypnotized herself into believing someday he’d mature…

“Setsuna…you…that is, do you have any plans from now on? Ha, I’m just…just asking casually, don't read too much into it…”

Lagging a few steps behind, Kitahara Haruki awkwardly spoke, eyes darting about.

The deeply wounded woman stopped, turned around, and faced her ex-husband.

To think she'd wasted her best years on a man like this… Whether from the relief of finally escaping, or regret over her previous choices, Setsuna found herself momentarily unable to speak.

Her eyes slowly welled up with tears.

Why did she have such rotten luck?!

She really wanted to curse him out!

But in the next second, Setsuna suddenly realized—if she really scolded him now, it'd probably just make this guy feel better instead.

“It's all over…”

Setsuna swiftly turned away, decisively striding forward. Left behind for Kitahara Haruki was only the desolate silhouette of her slender back, accompanied by a few scattered, sparkling tears.

---

A/N: Nobody bought Setsuna stocks? Actually, I did think about this before…

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!