Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [17]

On his walk back home, Hikigaya Ryōhei couldn’t help but smile as he recalled Aoyama Nanami’s shy, nervous expression when she'd confessed her dream earlier.

Having been a teacher in his previous life, he was quite familiar with the psychology of kids around her age. He'd understood almost immediately after the girl had anxiously started speaking.

So, it turned out she’d been worried he might think badly of her for taking multiple part-time jobs.

Well, children of her age were like that.

Even if they didn't want to admit it, they really were often overly sensitive, caring deeply about what others thought of them… But in reality, most of the time it was just their own imaginations running wild. The world wasn't actually paying that much attention to each and every one of them.

Like himself, for instance. Although he'd been slightly curious about why Aoyama Nanami worked so hard, that curiosity lasted only for the brief moment when he’d seen her.

Middle-aged people had far too many concerns beyond dreams. As they got older, they tended to care only about things directly related to their own interests.

The passionate ideals that had burned brightly during youth inevitably faded, gradually buried under the trivial necessities of daily life.

Of course, there were still some rare souls who never forgot their original ideals, those who remained young at heart their entire lives… but Ryōhei certainly wasn’t one of them.

Voice acting, huh? Ryōhei actually didn’t know much about it. Although he'd watched plenty of anime when he was younger, he'd forgotten almost everything.

After starting work, the number of anime he'd watched decreased sharply every month. Within a year or two, he'd basically left it behind completely.

There was a saying that went, "Only children make choices—adults want everything." But while children could afford to fantasize, adults often had no real choice at all.

Forcing oneself to make a "choice" often resulted in unintended consequences for themselves and those around them—and usually not positive ones.

Thinking this, Ryōhei’s thoughts turned to the former "Hikigaya Ryōhei’s" ex-wife, Tōma Kazusa.

From what he'd gathered from the diary, Kazusa seemed like the kind of woman who'd held onto the “dreams” of her younger days and made her own drastic "choices."

In other words, she’d never truly grown up.

...

Currently, Ryōhei walked to and from work every day. It wasn't too far—just a half-hour walk at most.

He'd save every yen he could. Besides, walking counted as exercise.

Maybe it was just psychological, but over these past few days, Ryōhei felt as if the beer belly he'd acquired with this body had shrunk quite a bit.

This was probably the only piece of good news he’d had recently.

Holding a paper bag containing tonight's dinner ingredients, Ryōhei arrived at the worn-down entrance to his apartment. As he turned, the corner of his eye caught sight of a sleek, white sports car parked nearby, making him glance at it curiously.

Since the residents here were mostly low-income people, vehicles like this—let alone such an elegant, high-end sports car—were rarely seen.

It was a Peugeot RCZ from France. He wasn't sure of the specific model, but it was indeed stunning and artistic. It would certainly attract attention driving down the street.

Ryōhei stared at it for a few moments before climbing the stairs, figuring he’d probably need a long, long time to ever afford one.

Or perhaps never at all.

Dragging his slightly aching legs up to his apartment’s shabby door, he took out his keys—only to suddenly freeze as a melodious piano piece drifted from inside his apartment. The music was bright, lively, and uplifting, instantly clearing his mind.

Immediately, Hikigaya Ryōhei felt a little uneasy.

His mind was quick enough, and he almost instantly reached the most likely conclusion:

Could it be that "Hikigaya Ryōhei’s" ex-wife, Tōma Kazusa, had come to visit the children?

He refused to call her his own ex-wife!

Because admitting that would make it feel like a lush green grassland growing atop his head—very unpleasant…

But he had reasons to believe it really was Kazusa.

First, according to the original "Hikigaya Ryōhei’s" diary, Tōma Kazusa had always been good to her kids, even if she'd been cold toward her husband.

And this morning, he'd specifically instructed Hachiman and Komachi not to open the door for strangers. Since they'd opened it, it had to be someone they knew—probably their mother.

And lastly, since neither child could play piano, only Kazusa would casually drop by, play piano, and spend time with the kids like this.

As Ryōhei put it all together, it seemed even more likely it really was Kazusa.

If he were the original "Hikigaya Ryōhei," he'd have excitedly rushed in like an eager dog.

But now, Ryōhei felt a bit trapped.

If he went in, he wasn’t sure how he'd deal with a woman he'd never actually met before.

Subconsciously, he was also somewhat critical of Tōma Kazusa’s past behaviors.

On the other hand, if he quietly left, he could avoid interacting with her altogether, but… that felt oddly cowardly.

After ten or so seconds of hesitation, Ryōhei decided to go inside.

No matter who he'd been in the past, he now had to live as “Hikigaya Ryōhei.”

Avoiding Kazusa once or twice wouldn’t be an issue, nor would even more times—but since they shared inseparable bonds through Hikigaya Hachiman and Komachi, they'd inevitably meet sooner or later.

As the door creaked open, the vibrant, melodious piano music flowing through the apartment abruptly stopped.

Even though Ryōhei knew nothing about high-class music, he sincerely thought the sound of this piano seemed almost alive.

“Papa’s home!”

As always, Komachi rushed up first, clinging happily to his leg. She looked noticeably brighter and happier—was it because her mother had visited?

Hachiman, however, showed no particular expression, maintaining his usual dead-fish eyes while still seated quietly on a cushion, presumably having listened to the piano music the entire time.

Ryōhei shifted his gaze toward the slender woman at the piano, who had turned gracefully to look at him.

So, this is Tōma Kazusa?

He'd seen from photos that she was remarkably beautiful, but in person, her aura was far more captivating.

The woman was incredibly well-maintained, slender yet alluring, carrying herself with natural elegance. Her neat, fitted women's business suit complemented an inherent sense of grace.

Her skin was as delicate and smooth as a freshly peeled egg. Though she radiated the mature charm of a grown woman, there wasn’t the slightest trace of aging on her delicate features. Even knowing she'd given birth to two children, at first glance, she seemed barely in her early thirties.

She was exactly the type of breathtaking mature beauty men would fall head over heels for.

Wait… Did she cut her hair short?

Noticing her silky hair, which now fell just past her ears, gently grazing her snow-white neck, Ryōhei realized it was different from the photos he'd seen.

This felt a bit… strange…

Perhaps sensing Ryōhei’s gaze lingering too long, the beautiful, capable-looking woman stood up, gently closing the piano lid with a teasing smile, and spoke in an amused tone:

“What’s wrong, Hikigaya-kun? Seeing me reminded you of Kazusa immediately? Don't tell me you're still not over her?”

Ryōhei's heart skipped a beat, though he kept his face carefully neutral.

Wait… Is this woman not Tōma Kazusa?

Could she be Kazusa’s sister?

Or maybe her mother?

---

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!