"Goodbye," you waved your hand: Chapter 4
Extra: Valentine’s Day
On
Valentine’s Day, when Seiichi Ashiya arrived at work, there were about five
ribbon-wrapped boxes and paper-wrapped packages waiting on his desk. His
subordinate, Shioya, approached with a greeting, pointing at the desk.
“These and
the green one are from Aoi-san and Katsumata-san from Suwa Trading. When I
stopped by yesterday, they asked me to pass them on to you.”
“Ah, that’s
kind of them.”
“It’s the
same every year. I wonder how many you’ll collect this time. Let me know the
count later.”
Shioya
leaned in and whispered, “The guys in the department are placing bets on it.”
By the time
the day’s work started, he had received three more. Eighteen came in during
lunch break, and another ten by the time he left. In total, thirty-six. Two
full paper bags.
It was past
eleven at night when Seiichi finally boarded the train home, having worked
overtime. As he glanced at the colorful wrappers in the bag, he predicted that
they would all end up as snacks for his live-in partner, Keisuke Himi’s son,
Takayuki. He himself didn’t care much for sweets.
In his
younger days, the number of chocolates he received had given him a sense of
pride, but now, thinking about the return gifts for White Day and all the obligations involved,
Valentine’s had become a bit of a hassle.
Seiichi
would be thirty-five this year. He thought he had looked more handsome when he
was younger, yet for some reason, he was more popular now. Maybe it was his
decent income or the fact that he was still unmarried that attracted women.
There was
someone he wanted to marry, though. But he’d been turned down because of the
potential name change for the son. “Let’s wait until Takayuki becomes an
adult,” Keisuke had said with a smile. Having been left once before, Seiichi
wanted to close off any escape routes, even if only on paper. Even though he
knew he was deeply loved.
Come to
think of it, Keisuke had always been indifferent to the fact that his partner
was popular or received gifts on occasions like this. He never said a word.
When
Seiichi arrived home, only the hallway light was on; the living room was dark.
Takayuki was likely already asleep, so Seiichi moved quietly. In the kitchen,
two bowls had been placed upside down. Even though Seiichi often told him to
eat first, Keisuke always waited for him. But he wasn’t in sight.
Deciding to
change first, Seiichi headed to the bedroom. The light was on, and there, lying
on the bed, was Keisuke.
“Kei...”
He started
to call his name but stopped. Keisuke had fallen asleep, still in his clothes.
Beside his face was a brown, gift-wrapped box.
Sitting
down at the edge of the bed, Seiichi watched as Keisuke’s long eyelashes
trembled, and his eyes opened slightly. With his left hand, Seiichi gently
touched Keisuke’s pale cheek.
“I’m home.”
Keisuke
smiled sleepily. “Welcome back.” His gaze drifted toward the brown box.
“…That’s
for you.”
Did he mean
the box next to him? Keisuke’s face softened into a lazy smile.
“…I want to
see you eat chocolate…”
The last
words came out as a mumble, barely audible, before he closed his eyelids once
again, and he fell back into sleep.
“If you
want to watch, you’ll have to wake up. Besides, you haven’t even had dinner,
have you?”
Keisuke’s
eyes remained closed.
“Honestly,
I don’t even like sweets,” Seiichi grumbled, and Keisuke’s cheeks twitched, as
if he were faintly laughing. Maybe this was his way of subtly rebelling against
the mountain of chocolates that arrived each year, but if it was, then this
little bit of adorable jealousy felt strangely sweet in his chest.
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