Chapter 20 – Winter (Part 5)
Winter, 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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Yuuichi brought a stool to the prime spot in front of the fan heater, then grabbed a ball of yarn from Harune’s basket without asking and started knitting, humming a tune.
Harune, mesmerised by his friend’s expert skills, finished cleaning up and made the final preparations for opening the shop.
In that short time, Yuuichi had knitted three different snowflake motifs, each with a unique shape, and even attached price tags made from scrap paper and leftover yarn.
Harune glanced at Yuuichi’s handiwork and furrowed his brows.
“33,000 yen? Are you some kind of scammer?”
“If I sell three, we’ll hit the sales target, right?”
Harune grabbed a marker and crossed out three zeros. Yuuichi, jokingly pouting, lifted himself slightly off the stool and looked back at its seat.
“Still, this stool is really comfy. I kinda want one.”
“That’s one Kouki made for me…”
Just saying his name brought a heavy feeling back over Harune.
“Oh, the childhood friend? He’s a furniture maker, right? Impressive. And aren’t these stools made from different types of wood?”
Yuuichi inspected the stacked stools, thoroughly impressed.
Yeah, I had managed to keep a decent relationship with Kouki, at least to the point where he’d let me have prototypes like this. But now, everything’s back to square one.
It would be easy to blame it all on Yuuichi, but deep down, Harune knew that the real cause was his own feelings for Kouki.
If I didn’t have a crush on him, the whole situation earlier would’ve been just a funny story.
“You’re exchanging handmade gifts like this amazing stool and a hand-knit sweater… Are you sure you two don’t actually get along pretty well?”
Feeling like salt had been rubbed into his wound, Harune glared at Yuuichi.
“Of course not. The stool was just a prototype he gave me because of family ties, and I gave him the sweater to apologise for ruining his clothes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Besides, Kouki has a girlfriend. They’re probably on the verge of getting married.”
“For real?”
Yuuichi looked at Harune with sympathetic eyes, but Harune brushed it off with a laugh.
“Come on, we both shared stories about our first loves back when we were drunk in college, but that’s ancient history. You’re not still hung up on your first crush, Kanna-chan. Now you’re dating Maki-chan, right?”
“Well, yeah. But what about you? Is there anyone else in your life now?”
“Nope. I’m fully focused on running this shop. I’m really satisfied with where I am.”
Harune expected Yuuichi to tease him, having clearly seen through the bluff, but instead—
“That’s another kind of ideal life, isn’t it?” Yuuichi said, sincerely. “Life isn’t always ‘happily ever after’ just because you find a partner, right? When it comes to marriage, sometimes their parents object because of financial reasons.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Yeah, a bit. That’s why I think it’s amazing that you can just focus on what you want to do without worrying about that stuff. I’m kinda envious.”
There was something in Yuuichi’s words—beyond admiration, maybe a bit of unconscious pity.
He truly admired Harune’s free-spirited lifestyle, but still, the struggles between dreams and reality were something you could only appreciate if you had a partner to share them with.
It was like someone with a high level of education saying, “Degrees aren’t that important,” to someone without one—it’s easy to say when you already have it.
…What’s with me? Why am I getting so bitter?
“Harune?”
Yuuichi leaned in, peering at Harune’s face, breaking him out of his thoughts.
“What’s wrong? Did I say something rude?”
Harune laughed and shook his head.
“No. I was just thinking you’re a pretty good guy.”
“What? Where’d that come from all of a sudden?”
“Even though you know I’m gay, you still crawl into my bed without a second thought and sleep soundly.”
“That’s your issue?” Yuuichi burst out laughing, clapping his hands.
“Come on, we’re friends. Who worries about that when crashing at a buddy’s place? I know your personality well enough.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“But hey, if there’s a chance, I might just barely be able to go for you.”
Yuuichi joked in his typical, casual manner, and Harune laughed along.
“Thanks, but no way, it’s not happening.”
“What? Harsh!”
With their silly banter, Harune’s earlier anxiety gradually eased. By the time the shop opened, he had regained some of his upbeat energy.
There was a knitting workshop scheduled for the afternoon, and Yuuichi helped out with that too. When Harune introduced him as the knitwear designer Ishii Yuuichi, the customers were beyond excited, and the workshop quickly turned into an impromptu autograph session.
“Now I’m just a nobody here,” Harune jokingly pouted, but the lively atmosphere was a great comfort.
Professionals, veterans, and beginners alike—it didn’t matter their skill level. The time spent together at the knitting workshop was pure fun for everyone who shared a love for knitting.
Yuuichi was right: Even if he wasn’t blessed in the romance department, Harune felt fortunate to be able to spend time with his beloved shop and its customers. He soaked in the happiness of the moment.
After the workshop ended and Harune was seeing off the customers, Yuuichi received a phone call from Maki. As soon as the call ended, Yuuichi eagerly started packing up to leave.
“Maki’s dad said he’s finally willing to sit down and talk properly, so I’m going to head over before he changes his mind.”
The sudden departure caught Harune off guard, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit lonely seeing his friend rush off to his lover’s side so easily.
“Come back soon. Bring Maki with you next time.”
“Yeah, let’s hope things work out so she can come with me,” Yuuichi said, smiling.
“Good luck, man.”
Though he grumbled about how stressful it was, Yuuichi’s retreating figure looked happy.
Yuuichi had just told himself he was a lucky guy, but watching Yuuichi’s bouncing steps, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Even if things don’t always go as planned, being able to live with the person you love must be pretty wonderful after all.
Life is probably just a continuous series of ups and downs like this.
***
After closing time, as Harune was about to lower the shop’s shutters, Naoki showed up.
In Naoki’s arms was Mafuyu, who immediately leaned over to hug Harune.
“Haru-nii, can I do some knitting?”
“Hey, Mafuyu. It’s too late today, remember? I told you that even if you came with me, there wouldn’t be any time for knitting,” Naoki reminded her.
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*Translator’s Note: If Yuuichi really goes for Harune, the story will go on a different route, I bet. By the way, ￥33,000 equals around USD210, give or take. -K
Next update: [Random days]
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