The Case About Two Sisters Becoming Extremely Obsessed With Me After I Saved Them

Chapter 73: Glimpse of Memories

“…Huh?”

During the spring break, some time after it had started, Hayato felt a desire to do some cleaning around the house. He stepped into the bedroom his parents used. It was a room which he left as it was, with their belongings, as he wanted to keep some things that belonged to his father and mother still the same. There, he found something peculiar.

“…That’s strange. All the photos should be in the album.”

As he was tidying up books, a single photograph caught his eye.

It was a photo of a young Hayato, his father on one side, and his mother Kasumi on the other. Hayato was being held by his father, while Kasumi was holding his small hand. Not only Hayato, but both his parents had radiant smiles.

“…”

Looking at old photos like this made him feel a bit sentimental. Hayato took the photo and returned to his room, placing it on the desk before lying down on the bed. He no longer felt like cleaning, so he decided to just take a short nap.

“…Suu… suu…”

After a while, he fell asleep quickly.

And then, he began to have a peculiar dream.

*****

“Hayato~?”

“Yes?”

My son turned around upon hearing his name being called. Seeing me reflected in his eyes, he smiled mischievously and opened his arms, approaching me. Overflowing with affection, I embraced Hayato, pressing my cheek against his and happily giggling.

“Why is my son so adorable? The cutest in the world, right?”

“The cutest? What are you talking about?”

“Your cuteness, Hayato! Absolutely!”

Ever since Hayato was born, I’ve been captivated by this child. Of course, I’ve always been captivated by my husband too, but now I feel like I’m constantly thinking about Hayato too.

“Good morning, Kasumi. Good morning, Hayato.”

“Oh, good morning, Dear.”

“Good morning, Papa!”

Papa, Hayato says as he reaches out his arms to his father. My husband also becomes completely smitten with Hayato, his expression softening as he tries to pick him up… Don’t forget, it’s me who has exclusive rights to Hayato right now, okay?

“…Why are you pulling away?”

“Right now, Hayato is mine to monopolize. You’re still off-limits.”

“But Hayato wants me now, though.”

“It’s an illusion. You’re just exhausted from overworking.”

“That’s not true. Come on, Hayato, let’s go to Papa’s—”

That’s why I’m saying I won’t let you have him right now.

As I move away from my husband’s outstretched arms, he naturally closes the distance between us. Continuously playing this game of cat and mouse, Hayato expresses his anxiety with a worried voice.

“Are you… fighting?”

“We’re not fighting, right?”

“We’re not!”

Both of us put on a smile to reassure Hayato.

With an air of “temporary ceasefire,” my husband and I exchange wry smiles and sit down on the sofa. It’s frustrating, but since Hayato seems eager to go to his father, I handed him over.

“Oh, Hayato, you’re such a good boy today too!”

“Papa, you’re tickling me!”

“Hayato, you like this, right? Look, look, it’s Papa!”

Watching Hayato playfully interact with his father… It’s still not very amusing. But seeing my husband, who dotes on our son, and our son, who was brought into this world with so much pain, fills me with happiness. 

On weekends like this, he plays with Hayato from morning till night, and even on weekdays, he spends time with Hayato until he falls asleep… He truly is a wonderful husband who adores our child.

“Hey, Hayato, who do you like more, Mama or Papa?”

“I like both~♪”

“…Ah, how adorable.”

“Yeah, our son is an angel.”

That’s absolutely true.

Our son has been such a good child. When he was younger, there were challenging times with night crying, but he quickly outgrew that phase and grew into the child he is now. His expressions are rich, and he expresses his affection for us straightforwardly. We are always smitten by our son.

“…Hmm?”

“Oh, feeling sleepy?”

“Since it’s early in the morning, it might be good to sleep a little more.”

Our beloved son drifted off to sleep in my husband’s arms.

As a husband, my husband seemed to have wanted to play with Hayato a little longer, but he seemed to have given up since he became sleepy. With a wry smile, he entrusted Hayato to me, and I gently held him and caressed his back, ensuring he was comfortable for sleep.

“You really love Hayato more than I thought. With that, it seems like you’ll be tough on his future partner when he gets married.”

“Huh? Hayato won’t get married. He’ll always stay by my side.”

“…That’s not possible, you know?”

“…No! Hayato will always be my son!”

I understand. I know that this child will eventually leave my side. But having experienced being a parent, I know. The day will come when this child finds someone wonderful and leaves from here to be with them. It should be a joyous thing, but just thinking about it makes me incredibly lonely.

“…Hayato will find a wonderful person too, eventually.”

He is our son. He will undoubtedly find a wonderful partner. Of course, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want him to find someone and wants him to stay by our side forever… But I also want to see him deepen his love with his partner, and I definitely want to witness their marriage.

“…I somewhat understand Dad’s feelings when he said he didn’t want to give me away as a bride.”

“Haha, well, it was quite something when you first brought it up.”

I still can’t forget Dad’s tantrum about not wanting to give me away as a bride. Mom scolded him… cough, I mean, admonished him, but now I can understand how he felt.(E/N: Bride?!)

“Well, from now on, we just have to watch over him. No matter what path he chooses in life, he will always be our pride and joy.”

“That’s right. Exactly… No matter what happens, our love for him will never change.”

Well, I can’t even imagine this child turning into a delinquent or anything like that, but I’m sure Hayato will become an even more wonderful boy than he is now.

For now… I want to watch over him until he grows up. I want him to bring a lovely partner, have a wedding… and have good children… Ah, no, it’s no good. Once I start imagining, it’s hard to stop.

“Mom, this is my girlfriend.”

…No, I still can’t accept it!

But… I think I’ll eventually be able to accept it. Hey, Hayato, I may be a troublesome mother, but I’ll always watch over you, okay?

So, Hayato, live your life as you see fit. Even if… no, I don’t think it will ever happen, but let’s say when you grow up and we’re not around for some reason, you should live your life honestly. Because we’ll always be there, loving and watching over you.

“Hayato, I love you.”

*****

“…”

After a brief sleep, Hayato woke up.

Looking around, he realized he was in his own room, and it seemed that several tens of minutes had passed since he fell asleep. He remembered returning to his room because he didn’t feel like cleaning and chuckled at the recollection.

“…Huh, why am I crying?”

He felt a warmth at the corner of his eyes and realized tears were flowing.

Perplexed by the uncontrollable tears, he gradually recalled the dream he had just witnessed. It was a dream of his early childhood when he was dearly loved by his beloved mother and father… at the same time, it was a dream where his mother’s feelings were conveyed to him so intensely.

“…It was a wonderful dream.”

He wondered if he could return to that dream if he fell asleep again, but Hayato shook his head. There was no need to go back to the dream because there were words that would remain with him forever.

“Hayato, I love you.”

Those gentle words continued to linger in his mind.

Like a smile from his mother and father watching over him, their feelings continued to live within him. Once he realized that, there was no room for sadness or loneliness… although Arisa and the others would probably jump in and ask what he was doing if they were here.

“That’s right. Mom and Dad are watching over me. I can’t just mope around.”

They are watching over him from a distant sky. That’s why Hayato can’t look down. He will look up and firmly embrace the happiness he has right now. That, in itself, would be the greatest way to repay his parents. With that thought in mind, Hayato smiled as he looked out the window at the sky.