Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [7]

Early in the morning, half-asleep, mind still fuzzy—

Jolted awake by a hysterical phone call—a miserable woman’s voice, so grief-stricken it felt like her bitterness traveled directly through the wireless signal.

Of course, that was how Hikigaya Ryōhei would later recall the call.
When he first answered, though, it was more like this:

Are you insane?! Calling this early in the morning! Your husband can't keep himself in check—how’s that my fault?

Not fully awake yet, Ryōhei didn’t realize the woman was calling for "Hikigaya Ryōhei" specifically. Unable to parse her sobbing complaints, he directly hung up in irritation.

Then he tossed the phone aside, shutting his eyes again.

Five seconds passed before realization gradually dawned on him… Wait, I am "Hikigaya Ryōhei" now.

Ah, shit…

Earlier, he'd learned from diaries that the previous "Hikigaya Ryōhei" had divorced due to emotional incompatibility—basically meaning his ex-wife had cheated.

The divorce papers themselves had been intentionally vague, listing only emotional differences. They hadn't made clear who was at fault.

Freaking simp.

If that's the case…was that call from the wife of the other guy involved?

So this "Hikigaya Kazusa" left her husband—the original owner of this body—for a married man, abandoning even her own two children?

That…probably really is what people call "true love," huh?

Otherwise, Ryōhei couldn't figure out why an otherwise happily married woman would discard a loving husband and her children to become a divorced, middle-aged woman.

The extremely unfamiliar name "Hikigaya Kazusa" finally formed a slightly more concrete image in his mind.

And it wasn't a pleasant one.

Sighing, he reached over, retrieved his phone, unlocked it, and checked the screen.

—[Incoming call from: Kitahara Setsuna]

The number was already saved in his contacts.
She obviously knew who he was.

That meant he, this Kitahara Setsuna woman, her husband, and Hikigaya Kazusa all knew each other personally—or at least had some history.

Why did it suddenly feel like he’d been thrust into a 150-episode melodramatic TV drama?

Realizing the situation wasn't as simple as he’d thought, Ryōhei gave a bitter, crooked smile.

But no matter how complicated this mess was, he didn't care enough to bother sorting it out.

Perhaps the original "Hikigaya Ryōhei" might have begged and pleaded to win his wife back, hoping she'd return.

But what's not yours, you can't keep. Better just let go.

That "Hikigaya Ryōhei" had valued his wife far too much.

These last few days, Ryōhei had read plenty of diary entries.

From the moment he married her, he'd chosen to share his entire life with "Hikigaya Kazusa."

Choosing one person for life. Marriage is a contract; family is responsibility.

In Ryōhei’s opinion, the moment a man got cheated on was the moment he essentially died.

He wasn't that kind of person.

From now on, that woman was just a stranger.

After thinking a bit, Ryōhei realized all sleepiness had vanished, so he quietly crawled up and dressed silently.

He patted his beer belly. Considering the original owner’s previous job, it clearly resulted from chronic overwork and zero exercise.

The previous Hikigaya Ryōhei had become fat, his attractiveness plummeting—his hairstyle was a mess, and the stubble made it worse.

Though the foundations weren't bad, the entire image screamed that time had ruthlessly butchered him.

Of course, working nonstop 996 hours a week without caring for himself certainly hadn't helped.

Ryōhei decided he would at least start working out and try to lose this beer gut.
Better physical shape would also help when looking for a job.

Only after Ryōhei cautiously opened the door and left did Hikigaya Komachi and Hikigaya Hachiman slowly shift their slightly stiffened bodies.

They'd heard their father’s earlier response to the call. Sleep had already been shallow at dawn, and Ryōhei hadn't exactly been careful about his voice.

These two kids—highly sensitive from their parents' divorce and recent hardships—had figured out the deeper meaning of the phone call even faster than their father had.

Once again, it was about their mother…

The siblings exchanged a glance, saying nothing.

In today’s world, as society grew increasingly accepting of shifting moral standards, divorce had become commonplace.

Together when happy, apart when not—adult men and women found divorce no longer a mortal blow. As long as they lived, as long as they wanted to, they could always start again.

But young children who lacked the independence and agency to survive on their own were passively left to bear the consequences of their parents’ separation.

How that felt…only they knew.

...

Kitahara Setsuna stared blankly at the disconnected phone, her face streaked with tears, old and fresh alike.

Her home with Haruki was neat, tidy, bright, and clean, every piece of furniture and decor carefully chosen by her. Yet right now, this home gave her no sense of warmth at all.

Liars! Liars! You're all liars! Do you think I'm a fool who can't see anything?!

Hikigaya Ryōhei’s angry response had completely shattered Mrs. Kitahara, who'd waited anxiously all night for her husband.

It wasn’t that this woman—also in her thirties like Hikigaya Ryōhei—wasn't strong enough. Rather, the tangled emotional relationships between herself, her husband Kitahara Haruki, and the third party, Tōma Kazusa, were simply too complicated, too impossible to unravel.

Since last night, she'd called Haruki’s phone countless times.
She'd called Kazusa’s phone countless times.

The bone soup she'd lovingly made for her husband had been reheated countless times since last night.

She kept calling until her phone died.

The soup kept reheating until it evaporated entirely.

Kitahara Setsuna had always been an elegant woman, considered by many to be a natural beauty. Her porcelain-white skin normally radiated health, her pretty cheeks flushed gently like peaches. Her deep eyes always seemed misty, filled with autumn waters. Graceful brows, delicate red lips always lightly pursed in a faint smile. Petite in stature yet giving off an impression of graceful slenderness.

But right now, clutching her phone tightly, Setsuna’s skin appeared dull and dry, her face unnaturally pale and sickly. Her eyes were reddened, deep black bags heavy beneath them, her hair dry like straw, devoid of any shine.

The clothes she wore likely hadn't been changed in days, now completely wrinkled.

This was what the ultimate form of a defeated woman looked like.

"Why…Kazusa, must you go this far…" Kitahara Setsuna muttered softly, her voice barely audible. Her brain had stopped functioning normally—malnutrition and lack of rest had taken their toll—but the only feelings clearly left in her heart were resentment and anger.

Even Hikigaya Ryōhei—supposedly on her side in this—found her annoying. This was the final straw, completely crushing Setsuna.

---

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!