Chapter 13 – Autumn (Part 5)
Autumn, Part 5
Novel Title: ツァイガルニクの恋の沼 (Zeigarnik’s Love Swamp)
Author：月村奎著 (Tsukimura Kei)
Illustrator：志水ゆき (Shimizu Yuki)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 市川春音 (Ichikawa Harune -MC) & 二ノ宮航輝 (Ninomiya Kouki -ML)
*Please read at universalnovel.com, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Trying not to let Kouki notice his flustered feelings, Harune put on a neutral smile.
“Nah, this is more of a side project. By the way, the stool has been a hit! Thanks.”
“Glad to hear it. My mom made oden, you want some?”
“Definitely!”
As usual, Harune followed behind Kouki, who led the way to the back.
While Kouki put the pot on the stove, Harune took out plates and chopsticks.
Even though it felt surreal spending such relaxed time together, especially after their long estrangement, Harune was grateful to have come back home.
He hadn’t expected to reconnect with Kouki like this. In fact, it felt like they were building a new, better relationship rather than returning to the old one.
Harune could only be thankful for Kouki’s ability to forget the past.
As they waited for the thick pot to heat through, Harune brought the buttons over to the table and resumed sorting them.
After a while, Kouki brought the steaming pot to the table, so Harune paused his work to place a trivet made of braided hemp twine in the centre.
“What are you working on?” Kouki asked.
“I’m putting together a beginner knitting kit using deadstock materials. The last batch sold really well.”
“Nice colours.”
“Right? The yarn is still available, but this particular colour has been discontinued. It’s so cute when used for small accessories. And for the buttons, I think these bigger grey shell ones would go well with this kit, and for the other kit, I’d use two smaller ones to make each set unique…”
Harune had been talking excitedly without realising it, only to catch himself when he felt Kouki’s gaze.
“Sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“This kind of stuff probably isn’t that interesting to you.”
Harune remembered being teased as a child—Kouki would say, “That’s girls’ work,” or pull on his knitting and ruin it.
But now Kouki, while serving some steaming oden onto a plate, laughed heartily.
“No, I totally get it. I’m the kind of person who likes to make the most out of leftover materials too. It’s a craftsperson thing. How many pieces of daikon do you want?”
“Oh, two pieces. So, what do you do with leftover wood scraps?”
“A bunch of things. I make photo frames, or turn them into shelves that go on the wall, or slice the smaller pieces thin to make coasters. It’s more of a hobby between projects.”
“Coasters? That’s cool.”
“Want me to bring you some next time?”
“For real?”
Seeing Harune leaning in eagerly, Kouki smiled and said, “For real,” then pointed at the trivet under the oden pot.
“In return, could you make me one of these?” Kouki asked.
“Of course. Same size as before?”
“Yeah. I’ve wanted one for a while now.”
Harune couldn’t help but wonder if Kouki was suffering from partial memory loss. The same person who used to mock his handiwork was now complimenting and showing appreciation for it.
Or maybe Kouki had just grown up enough to balance his true feelings and his outward behaviour.
Harune pondered this as he picked up his chopsticks and began eating the oden.
“It’s the perfect season for oden, isn’t it?” Harune remarked, savouring the tender yolk of a boiled egg soaked in dashi broth. Since he wasn’t much of a cook, he typically bought oden from convenience stores. The slightly sweet homemade flavour felt refreshing and comforting.
“This room is cold, so that probably makes it taste even better,” Kouki said.
“The building is old, so there’s no insulation. Plus, half of this place is used for storage, so I’m afraid of starting a fire with a heater.”
“What about the air conditioner?”
“It’s broken. For now, I’ll just wear more layers. Oh, that reminds me.”
Although he made it seem like a natural part of the conversation, Harune had actually been thinking about how to bring this up since Kouki walked in.
“That hoodie I borrowed got a stain from an orange, and I couldn’t get it out no matter what I tried. So, to apologise, here’s this.”
He pulled out a sweater he had just finished knitting the night before from a nearby basket. He intentionally handed it over casually, without folding it or putting it in a bag.
He quickly flipped open a knitting book he had prepared earlier, showing the project page for just a moment.
“I made this sweater for a project in this book, but once the photoshoot was done, they returned it to me. It’s too big for me to wear, so if you want it, go ahead.”
He pushed the narrative that it was just something he had made for work.
Kouki’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Your name’s really in here as the creator,” Kouki said, leaning over Harune to get a better look.
The sudden closeness made Harune’s heart race. He turned his head quickly to look at the book, only to notice a note beside his name that said, “Model wears size M.” Panic struck him, and he snapped the book shut. If Kouki realised that Harune had made the sweater in a much larger size specifically for him, it would be embarrassing. On top of that, Harune had run out of the original yarn when enlarging the sweater, so he had improvised by adding a different yarn to create striped ribbing at the cuffs and hem—something not in the original pattern.
“What’s wrong?” Kouki asked, his face close, clearly puzzled by Harune’s flustered reaction.
“Uh, well, it’s just embarrassing to have someone staring at my name like that,” Harune stammered.
“Why?” Kouki asked, laughing as if it didn’t make any sense. He spread the sweater out in front of him.
“Can I try it on?”
“Go ahead.”
Kouki pulled the sweater over his chambray shirt. The colour and design suited his rugged appearance perfectly. The size was just right.
Kouki grinned as he rotated his arms in a circle. “It’s light and warm.”
“Nowadays, most store-bought knits are made from easy-to-care-for acrylic or polyester, but this one’s Shetland wool, so it should be comfortable. Plus, it doesn’t pill easily.”
“Thanks a lot. I’ll take good care of it,” Kouki said.
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*Translator’s Note: One said he was giving away prototypes (something that amazing was a prototype? Really???)…the other one said he was giving away his hand-knitted sweater from work… Wow…it amazes me how both of them couldn’t see what they really felt for each other. *facepalm* -K
Illustration 5:
Next update: 2026.06.19
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