Living with the Arrogant Queen from High School is Surprisingly Not Uncomfortable

Hayashi and I attended the same high school, but our nearest train stations were two stops apart. In metropolitan areas, two train stations can be just a few minutes walk apart, but in the countryside, walking between two stations can take over an hour.

Stepping off at Hayashi’s local station, I found myself in an unfamiliar world.

“Let’s go.”

However, this was a world Hayashi knew well. Without a hint of hesitation, she pulled me towards the ticket gates of the station.

Come to think of it, we were still holding hands.

The sound of cicadas echoed in the distance. My hometown is hotter than the city center, and even in September, it’s still swelteringly hot during the day, with sweat trickling down my forehead.

“How far is your house from here, walking-wise?”

“About thirty minutes, I guess.”

“That’s too far to walk.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Before the ticket gates, we had to let go of each other’s hands. Hayashi seemed somewhat reluctant to do so. I assumed it was because she’d rather hold my hand than return home.

But thinking that way, I felt a slight pang of guilt for bringing her here.

“Let’s take a taxi.”

“Sounds good.”

I agreed to Hayashi’s suggestion.

We got into a taxi at the station’s roundabout and headed for her house.

Perhaps because there were other people around, Hayashi became noticeably quieter. Lately, she hardly spoke when we were together in public. I’d thought it was out of resentment towards me, but today, I think she felt differently.

Looking out the window of the taxi, Hayashi seemed to exude a nostalgic atmosphere. Not long ago, Hayashi had chosen to cohabit with a man and leave her hometown behind. She probably thought she would never return here again. That’s why the sight of this familiar landscape stirred up such strong emotions.

“That’ll be 1,500 yen.”

We paid the fare to the taxi driver and got out.

We stood in front of a single-family home in a residential neighborhood.

“…Is this the place?”

“Yeah.”

The mood around Hayashi was different now; she was undeniably tense. I could tell just by looking at her.

“…I’ll ring the bell.”

“Okay.”

Hayashi reached out with determination to press the bell of her family home… but her index finger just wouldn’t touch the button. It was as if there was an insurmountable distance between her finger and the bell, her hand shaking.

She had steeled herself for this, but it was still too much…

I didn’t offer to press the button for her.

Although I had come this far with her, I was ultimately an outsider to the issues between Hayashi and her parents. It wouldn’t be right to push her into making a choice.

Hayashi bit her lip in frustration. She wanted to press the button, but she just couldn’t. It was written all over her face.　

It was at that moment.

The door of her parents’ house opened.

“……Megumi?”

The person who emerged from her family home was likely…

“……Mom”

Without a second thought, Hayashi’s mother, who had walked out of the house, was covering her mouth upon being reunited with her daughter, who she thought she would never see again. A faint trace of tears was visible at the corners of her eyes.

“Where have you been, honestly?”

Hayashi’s mother embraced Hayashi. Her voice was trembling.

“… I’m sorry.”

Hayashi’s voice of apology was also shaking. Somehow, I could understand Hayashi’s feelings at that moment. Perhaps it was because we had been living together for a month.

No, it was obvious just from looking at Hayashi’s face, which was on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

… On the train, Hayashi had spoken of her resentment towards her father. However, she had no particular resentment towards her mother. Hayashi is a person who tends to show her feelings, and the fact that she did not voice her resentment towards her mother probably means that there is no resentment at all.

Therefore, she was able to express her honest feelings.

“…… It’s alright. It’s alright. Because you came back.”

“… Yeah. Yeah.”

“And him over there?”

Suddenly being brought into the conversation, my body jerked in surprise.

… I had accepted the situation and forgotten, but right, I was about to be drawn into a huge mess.

“… Could it be, your lover you mentioned before?”

“No…”

Hayashi, sobbing and crying a waterfall of tears, denied it.

“Eh.”

The look in Hayashi’s mother’s eyes suddenly became guarded as she looked at me.

… Well, it would.

I forced a smile. Instantly, I found myself in a battlefield. I felt like crying, too!

“He… We broke up. He was abusive. This guy, he saved me…”

Faced with her daughter’s shocking revelation, Hayashi’s mother was left gaping. Well, it’s impossible to understand all the information at once. It would be hard to believe that her daughter had been a victim of domestic violence.

“If it weren’t for him… I… I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t have been able to return here.”

Sniffing and sobbing, Hayashi said through her tears.

Her face right now was a mess.

Even when I had taken her into my room, she never showed this much emotion.

… As it turns out, this place, despite everything, was her home.

The look in Hayashi’s mother’s eyes softened as she took me in.

“… I see. I see… That’s good. You met a wonderful person.”

Hayashi’s mother gently stroked Hayashi’s bowed, crying head.

“You too… um.”

“Ah, I’m Yamamoto.”

“Yamamoto-kun. … Now that you mention it, I think I saw you at a high school parent-teacher conference.”

“That’s… you remember well.”

I managed a forced smile.

“Yes… Thank you. Thank you very much.”

“No, please stop.”

Hayashi’s mother bowed her head politely, and I was flustered. For a while after, I told her to stop bowing to me, but she didn’t stop until she felt satisfied.

For now, I handed Hayashi the tissues I had brought with me.

Looking at her daughter who was blowing her nose, Hayashi’s mother seemed somewhat pleased.

“… So, Mom. Where were you going?”

Still in the doorway, Hayashi, with her swollen, red eyes, asked her mother.

“Ah, right. I completely forgot.”

Hayashi’s mother clapped her hands playfully.

Then, she smiled at us, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“Since we’re all here, would you two like to come along?”

“Eh, where to?”

“The hospital.”

Was it a bad premonition that passed by? Hayashi’s complexion turned pale.

“Your father is currently hospitalized.”

And with that, Hayashi’s mother spoke.