To Spill Out (Pt 3)
Translator: chibiPotato
TLC: Krrizis &
Editor: Shirani
First Published on Ainushi
Kiuchi"s eyes were fixed on a couple in front walking towards us; the guy from that couple was also looking at Kiuchi.
I understood immediately after looking at Kiuchi"s state.
… That was Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend.
That was the guy who cast Kiuchi away.
The woman from that couple sensed something wrong in the atmosphere.
Although I thought it would be good if they quickly pa.s.sed us by, Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend came to a stop in front of us.
"Are you Satoru"s friend??"
She shook Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend"s arm.
"Ah…… I used to be Kono-kun"s cla.s.smate in university, my name is Kiuchi. Nice to meet you."
Kiuchi hurriedly put a smile on her face.
A university cla.s.smate…. That was probably the truth. As expected, she can"t call herself "the former girlfriend".
"I"m a junior at the same workplace as Satoru. My name is Sato."
Sato looked like a good girl with good manners.
If she was a more disagreeable person then she would have said "Foolish man, why are you stopping in front of such a woman" and then, Kiuchi would probably not have felt this depressed.
"Is the handsome guy besides Kiuchi-san, your boyfriend??"
Sato-san nodded at me with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I"m Tachibana, a junior at the same workplace as Kiuchi-san."
I thought about lying that "I"m her boyfriend", but Kiuchi would have denied that quickly so instead of even saying "that"s not correct", I just simply told the truth.
"… You seem to be in good health."
Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend finally opened his mouth.
What good health, weren"t you living in the same apartment until yesterday.
I can"t help but feel frustrated at the Kono guy in front of me.
"… Kono-kun as well."
Moreover, I can"t watch Kiuchi"s forced smile that is full of desperation.
Even though she smiles everyday for work, her smile right now was too awkward.
"Kiuchi-san, we don"t have much time. We need to quickly wrap up our shopping."
I lent a helping hand to Kiuchi.
Of course, I"m not worried about time and such.
I just didn"t like it.
I didn"t like the Kiuchi who looked at that guy with her heart hurting.
"Ah… sorry. We will be taking our leave."
I nodded to the couple and then, grabbing Kiuchi"s arm, pulled her along to the alcohol aisle.
"… Let"s drink, Kiuchi-san!!"
I threw some cans of chuhai that caught my eye into the basket.
"No, it"s fine. If I drink, I"ll cry. I"ll 100% cry."
Kiuchi returned all the cans I"d placed in the basket back to their shelves one by one.
"I told you I"ll listen to your worries once in a while, right? If not, you"ll end up drinking alone and wandering around at night whilst crying."
I picked up the chuhais and once again put them in the basket.
"How do you know that……"
Surprised, Kiuchi looked at me with her brows furrowed.
"On the day of the inventory, I got off the taxi and chased after you. That"s why I knew you had drank yourself into a stupor and cried like an old man"
That"s right. I forgot. I was made to utterly suffer that night by Kiuchi.
"……… Eh? Stalker?"
The creases between Kiuchi"s brows got deeper.
What?? What are you pulling on me?? Kiuchi.
Don"t be absurd. Apologise for what you made me do.
"Huh? What now?? Were you worried that I chased after you?? Even though thanks to that, the next day was a nightmare due to my lack of sleep?? I"d prefer if you thank me instead!! And also apologize for your behaviour that day!!"
The anger from that day was now revived.
That"s right. Back then, I had hated Kiuchi"s superiority.
"Sorry. It was the day of the inventory. I saw Satoru cheat on me."
Just like I had remembered my anger from that day, Kiuchi recalled the spectacle that day, and I saw her eyes blur with tears.
"Well it"s also for that day, but thank you for earlier as well. You were lending me a helping hand, weren"t you??"
Kiuchi directed an awkward smile towards me as well.
"If you"re not alone, does that mean you can"t cry?? If you don"t cry in front of others, how can anyone comfort you??"
Well it"s not like you should try your best to laugh it off.
But if you want to cry, then it"s better to cry.
"Tachibankun, you too will come to understand soon enough. Getting older means you can"t cry in front of other. Only the young are allowed to cry. Actually, seeing me cry, isn"t it irritating ??"
Kiuchi grinned with tearful eyes.
"Then, let"s settle it today. Whether or not you will actually be annoying."
I also returned a deliberate smile to her.
"… Tachibankun, you just wants to drink, don"t you?"
"Ah, the secret"s out??"
Because my chest hurts when I think of Kiuchi crying alone after I leave.
After buying the ingredients for dinner, we returned to Kiuchi"s room.
This time there"s a TV, that"s why I waited for Kiuchi to finish cooking while watching TV.
Occasionally, the sounds of cutting vegetables or the pot boiling came from the kitchen.
It was easy on the ears; a comforting sound.
It was also fun to watch Kiuchi"s back while she cooked.
I wonder why Kiuchi"s former boyfriend let go of such a happiness.
He must definitely regret it.
I wonder if Kiuchi will shed tears while drinking today, thinking of that stupid ex-boyfriend.
… How should I handle it? I wonder if I can comfort Kiuchi today.
Because if she cries for that idiot… she would be nothing but an idiot.
Kiuchi, you"re the epitome of idiots!!
A short while later,
"Okay. Thanks for waiting- !! The stewed hamburgs are done- !!"
The epitome of an idiot, Kiuchi, brought out the long-awaited hamburgs.
This is bad. This looks super delicious.
I instinctively moved my nose closer to the hamburg Kiuchi had set on the table.
Ah-, it smells good. I"ve suddenly felt hungry.
"Ok!! Dig in!!"
Kiuchi finished placing all the food on the table and sat in front of me.
Ok then, let"s say grace.
"Thank you for the meal!"
After that toast, I immediately put the main dish, the hamburg in my mouth. The tomatoes were seriously yummy.
"This is delicious!! Kiuchi-san, you"re an utter genius!!"
After this, I also tried the other hamburg. It only used ponzu sauce??
Speaking of,
"What is your speciality dish??"
Kiuchi was really good at cooking.
I wonder what the most delicious food made by Kiuchi was.
No matter what, I wanted to try it.
"My speciality dish?? Hmm-. … Ro-…"
Kiuchi looked to her right as she pondered but as she began to say something, she stopped mid-sentence.
"What?? "Ro-" what?"
"… Ro- … ast beef."
I could only think of retorting at that unimaginable dish that spilled out of Kiuchi"s mouth.
"Kiuchi-san, you don"t suddenly have to pretend to be rich. You don"t make roast beef many times in a year, do you?"
That was definitely a lie. What are you suddenly spewing, Kiuchi??
"Shut up. It"s one of my specialities. I can make it really well!!"
On top of spewing an obvious lie, Kiuchi was also being defensive.
Well, if it"s Kiuchi then she really could make it really well.
"Then, next time make that."
"Alright. I"ll also make it for Tachibankun"s birthday."
Despite not knowing when my birthday was, Kiuchi replied with her usual air of superiority.
Hang on, don"t tell me that "Speciality Dish" is a dish that you only make on celebratory occasions?
After eating to my fill, I had drinks with Kiuchi.
I wonder if Kiuchi will cry.
I wonder if she would cry in front of me.
Kiuchi, with a Ca.s.sis Orange, and I, with a beer, made a toast.
She didn"t seem to be such a strong drinker so after five minutes, her face had turned bright red.
When Kiuchi got slightly drunk, I was all ears to listen to her story.
"Kiuchi-san, you can complain if you want to."
I turned my eyes towards Kiuchi; she gazed at the Ca.s.sis orange can she was holding and slowly opened her mouth.
"… She was cuteー Satoru"s girlfriend."
"… Yeah."
She really was a cute girl.
But, honestly, I didn"t properly had a look at her.
I was more concerned with Kiuchi"s ex boyfriend.
He was an ordinary guy.
He was of medium built and height, and his face was also average. His clothing choice was neither good nor bad. He was ordinary.
To put it bluntly, I think I"m better than him.
What part of him did Kiuchi like?
"So unlucky. The fact that Satoru was at that supermarket with that girl means her house is probably close by. I don"t like it~ I wonder if I"ll occasionally run into that couple. It hurts."
Kiuchi sighed with a "Haa" and took a sip of her Ca.s.sis orange.
I wonder what hurts?
I guess being average can"t be helped, but why does she still have lingering thoughts towards a guy who was unfaithful.
"What did Kiuchi-san like about your ex-boyfriend?"
"…Hmmー I wonder what. … We had some things in common. That"s why I thought it would be fun to be together."
Kiuchi made a depressed, lonely expression.
"What did you have in common??"
"… Hmmー Firstly, we were of the same age so we could talk easily, and since we grew up in the same environment we had similar values."
The way she worded her sentence gave me a feeling as though she was saying "It"s not fun to be with you".
I mean, Kiuchi and I are of different ages and weren"t brought up in the same environment either.
But there has never been a time when I felt that I couldn"t talk to Kiuchi.
"How is that different from being with me?? Is it not fun to be with me??"
"It"s fun but it"s not comfortable. I always have to restrain myself a little bit. Because I"m an old lady, I always feel nervous about whether or not I can understand the words of someone young. Well, it"s also interesting so I don"t hate it at all."
I didn"t feel satisfied with Kiuchi"s words.
Because I can"t catch up with my age.
Even if you tell me if it"s fun or not, there is nothing I can do. Also,
"But I don"t feel restricted when I talk to you. If I say something you don"t understand you can just ask "What does that mean??""
The problems Kiuchi listed can be solved easily.
"I see. That"s right."
"That"s why it"s comfortable. I feel at ease when I"m with you."
"Then, I"ll also try to be at ease."
Saying so, Kiuchi started rolling on the floor.
"I don"t really like sitting and drinking at home. I want to drink while idling about."
Kiuchi looked like an old man with her head propped on her hand and her elbow resting on the floor.
She"s not treating me like a man at all.
But it"s fine.
Because I also feel more relaxed like this.
"Yup. Let"s drink comfortably."
I also laid down next to Kiuchi.
In the end, Kiuchi didn"t cry.
We drank, talked about trivial things and laughed.
It was fun.
Even as we laid down together and talked, there was nothing between us. I left Kiuchi"s place at 22:00.
It was the first time I left a woman"s place without doing anything.
Actually, I tried to make a move several times.
But I couldn"t do it.
I didn"t want her to feel bad; Kiuchi had said that she doesn"t go out with people from the same workplace.
I was afraid that if I climbed on top of her, then our present relationship would collapse.
I absolutely hated to lose the pleasant atmosphere I had with Kiuchi.
After leaving Kiuchi"s apartment, I saw Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend"s girlfriend when I approached the convenience store.
… Sato, was it?
As Kiuchi had predicted, Sato probably lived in the same area.
"… Ah. We met in the evening, right?"
Noticing me, Sato came closer.
"Yes. …Are you alone? Where is your boyfriend?"
I looked inside the shop but Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend was not there.
"You too. Where is the senior from your workplace??"
Instead of answering my question, Sato replied with a question of her own.
Saying "You too", Sato was probably returning from her date.
"I just left my senior’s house."
"I see. How old are you, Tachibansan??"
It looked like Sato was unwilling to answer my question. It"s not like I want to hear it to this extent, so it doesn"t matter.
"23."
For now, I answered Sato"s question when,
"Ah, same. Do you want to be friends??"
Sato pulled out her phone from her pocket.
She was probably just a sociable person.
But I don"t really like women who, despite having a boyfriend, casually exchange contact numbers with the opposite s.e.x.
"Sorry. It seems like Sato-san and I have different values."
Saying so, I left the convenience store without buying anything.
I have a bad feeling.
If Kiuchi"s ex-boyfriend and I have similar values, then he might return to Kiuchi.
The comfortable atmosphere I have with Kiuchi may be destroyed.