Chapter 34 – Christmas Eve (Part 6)
Christmas Eve, Part 6
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 freenovels.net, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“This is bad! I have to get back and prepare for opening the shop!”
“Are you feeling okay?”
The concern in Kouki’s voice brought back memories of everything that happened last night, making Harune feel overwhelmingly embarrassed.
“What about you? Is your back okay?” Harune tried to deflect the awkwardness by asking a question back.
But Kouki grinned from ear to ear and did some stretches to show off. “I’ve never felt better in my life. I’m full of energy!”
“What does that even mean?” Harune complained, half exasperated, half amused. “Mind if I borrow your shower?”
Harune crawled out of bed and dashed to the bathroom in just his underwear.
After taking the fastest shower of his life, he was rummaging through yesterday’s clothes when the smell of coffee wafted through the air.
“Eat some breakfast before you go.”
Harune had been planning to head straight for the door, but Kouki guided him toward the living room.
“Your shop opens at eleven, right? You’ve still got time.”
“Yeah, but there’s cleaning and other prep to do…”
“I’ll help.”
Kouki practically dragged Harune to the dining table and motioned for him to sit down.
Just as Harune resigned himself to sit, Kouki stopped him.
“Oh, wait a second.”
Kouki took a blanket that had been draped over the back of the chair and spread it out on the seat.
Blushing at the gesture, Harune carefully lowered himself onto the seat.
Kouki poured coffee into Harune’s cup, then opened the oven of the wood stove and pulled out a tray.
The smell of baked apples, butter, and sugar bubbling up, along with bacon and eggs, made Harune’s stomach growl.
“Wow… The combination of you and the wood stove is unbeatable.”
“Do you realise that that unbeatable combination belongs to you?”
With a smug grin, Kouki served Harune’s portion onto Hinako’s polka-dot plate.
In the midst of this situation, Harune thought; This isn’t the time to be eating such a leisurely breakfast…, but his body, craving food after all the intense activities of last night, gradually welcomed Kouki’s home-cooked meal.
“So good…”
As he bit into the crispy bacon along with the sweet and sour apple, the harmonious blend of flavours made him feel blissful. While Harune was lost in that moment, Kouki, staring intently at his face, spoke.
“If I had been braver and more straightforward, we could have had moments like this a lot sooner.”
Harune smiled wryly as he chewed on his bacon.
“That’s my fault too. I was the one who, as a middle schooler, jumped to conclusions and declared, ‘I hate you,’ which started all of this. If only I had been honest about my feelings back then.”
“If we’re going down that path, it’s because I…”
Kouki started to argue but then stopped, shaking his head with a laugh.
“There’s a famous quote by a writer that says, ‘Every journey has a time appropriate for it,’ and maybe the same is true for love. If we had become a couple back in middle school, we probably wouldn’t have lasted.”
Harune wanted to argue that wasn’t true, but in reality, it might be. Hardly any of their middle school classmates were still together. Two couples had gotten married, but both had started dating after reconnecting at reunions once they were working adults.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Right? Back then, I was a hormonal mess. But you were delicate, almost like a fairy, and pure like a baby deer. If we’d started dating when we were that young, I wouldn’t have known how to hold back, and I probably would’ve overwhelmed you with my feelings, making you cry a lot.”
A fairy… a baby deer…?
“…Wait, are you talking about in a physical sense?”
Harune wasn’t sure if he should feel flattered or alarmed, realising that Kouki had been looking at him that way since middle school.
“Don’t make that face. If only you knew how much I desired you back then. I was always on the verge of losing control.”
Hearing the passion in Kouki’s voice and seeing the heat in his gaze, Harune couldn’t help but feel both flattered and embarrassed. Before he knew it, he blurted out something he probably shouldn’t have.
“You talk like you’ve matured into someone who wouldn’t make me cry now, but you sure had me in tears last night.”
For a moment, Kouki looked startled, but then he smiled, leaning forward on the table with his elbows. “That wasn’t because it hurt, though, right?”
“…”
What a sly response.
Harune quickly downed his coffee and stood up with a burst of energy.
“Thanks for the meal!”
“I’ll walk you to the shop.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll run there to work off the food.”
“Are you sure your body’s okay?”
There’s nothing more embarrassing than being asked that repeatedly.
“I told you, I’m fine!” With Kouki following closely behind, Harune accidentally snapped, his voice coming out sharper than intended.
Ugh, he hadn’t changed at all. He was no better than back then, when he carelessly shouted “I hate you,” despite not meaning it.
Reflecting on this, Harune tied his shoelaces, stood up, and quickly turned around, giving Kouki a brief kiss on the lips as he rose on his toes.
“Look, I’m already in my late twenties. I’m no fairy or baby deer anymore, so you don’t need to worry so much. I know I wasn’t crying because it hurt.”
Kouki’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he beamed happily and gave Harune a playful peck back.
“How about we just close the shop for the day?”
“No way. I’ve got a workshop booked.”
“Then once work’s done, come right back here and get ready to cry again.”
“Idiot!”
Harune ran out into the bright daylight, ignoring Kouki’s cheerful voice calling after him, promising to have dinner ready.
Though they’d taken a roundabout path, it seemed that now was the right time for them after all.
As much as it frustrated him, Harune was happy. He knew that once work was done, he would no doubt find himself hurrying back to this place once again.
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Next update: 2026.07.11
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