Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

Chapter 62 The Happy Way Home

“Umm…Thank you for that.”

After we finished shopping at the household goods store that Mashiro had requested to visit, she walked alongside me and nodded her thanks.

At the store, I bought some cooking utensils for making sweets, which Mashiro was interested in.
As usual, she was too shy to say “I want it” to my face, so I pushed her a bit to make the purchase.

“You’re welcome. But Mashiro wasn’t the only one who wanted this.”

Of course, I’m a person who wants to buy whatever Mashiro wants as long as my financial resources allow, but this time I have another reason.
By buying this, Mashiro can make the sweets she’s interested in, and I can eat the delicious sweets that come with it.
It’s a win-win situation. It would be a huge loss not to invest in it.

“Do you want to make sweets too, Satou-san?”
“No, I just want to eat Mashiro’s sweets.”
“You’re an honest person…”

Even if it’s something trivial, I’ve always disliked lying. I guess you could say I hate it.
I understand that it was necessary to cheat in human relationships, but I still try to be as honest as possible.

“Besides, from my point of view, I don’t have to do anything, the housework is done perfectly, and delicious food is served at every meal. Mashiro has no idea how wonderful this is.”
“I-If you ask me, I am not only allowed to stay in this house but I am also allowed to do many other things. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
“No, I’ve benefited more than you.”
“No, I am.”

Due to the strange pride that neither of us could compromise, the argument became more and more heated.
But when I thought about it calmly, I realized that it was really a meaningless argument, and I burst out laughing.

“What are we even talking about.”
“Fufu, nothing at all.”

My relationship with Mashiro was really strange now that I think about it.
In the beginning, I just picked up an abandoned cat out of spontaneity or trivial kindness.
But it turned out to be an important part of my life, and now it has become an indispensable part of my life, like a real family.

What I think was that I am becoming a worse and worse person as a working adult…or as a human being.
Of course, I don’t leave all the housework to her, but the sad reality was that she was always better at everything than I am.
As a result, I’ve become completely dependent on her.

…If Mashiro were to disappear, what would happen to me?
No, if I think about it normally, I’ll just go back to my normal life. It was not like I was living a life of disrepair before I met her.
However…I couldn’t imagine my life without Mashiro anymore.

“Satou-san? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“Are you sure? You seemed to be thinking about something…
“It’s just a small thing. Don’t worry about it.”

I stroked her head with the hand that wasn’t carrying the bags to hide my dismay at the fact that she had detected such a thing.
This had gotten me into a lot of trouble earlier, but stroking her head gave me an indescribably happy feeling.
Mashiro also reacted, as usual, this time, so I felt relieved and continued stroking her.

“Um, Sato-san.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Can I selfishly ask you a question for the last time today…?”

Mashiro looked up at me while I was patting her head and asked me that question.
I couldn’t help but feel my heart jump in my chest at the sight of her. Sometimes she does this kind of thing out of the blue, and it catches me off guard.

“First of all, I don’t think you’ve ever said anything selfish today.”
“No, that’s not true. I’ve been granted many things.”

I thought I was the one who had been taking her around, but Mashiro said that wasn’t the case.
And, although I’ve thought about it many times, Mashiro’s selfishness makes me more than happy. I’ve never once felt annoyed by it.

“So, that selfishness is?”
“Uh, well…”

Although she started the conversation, Mashiro choked on her words and acted in an unusual way.
But even though she looked embarrassed, she seemed to have a definite intention in her eyes, so I didn’t rush her answer and quietly waited for her to continue.

Before she could say another word, she suddenly grabbed my right hand and squeezed it as if to wrap it between her hands.

“M-Mashiro?”
“Um, why don’t we just…hold hands and go home?”
“…Eh?”
“We can’t…?”
“N-No, of course that’s fine.”

When I was flustered, Mashiro attacked me by looking up at me again, and I choked on my words but affirmed.
When Mashiro heard my reply, her expression brightened up and she grabbed my hand more tightly than before.

Holding hands has become quite a part of our daily life these days, but somehow my heart was beating wildly.
Up until now…I’ve felt like I was trying not to get separated from my child, but now it’s like we’re… lovers.

After thinking that far, I hurriedly shook off my thoughts and became calm. What am I thinking about?
Mashiro and I don’t have that kind of relationship. She was important to me in a completely different way, without any ulterior motive.
She’s here because she thinks so too. And yet I’m…a disgrace to good adults.

I’m going to breathe once more and then come back to the real world.

“Is this that selfishness is all about?”
“Yes. Now, let’s go home and make some sweets!”
“Haha, yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

Led by Mashiro, who seemed to be in a good mood, the two of us walked hand in hand through the shopping mall again.
I wonder if it’s my imagination that made me felt closer to her than before. Maybe it was because I had that strange thought earlier.

There was nothing different about my relationship with Mashiro. Of course, compared to the past, there may have been a change in the distance between our hearts.
But at the root, nothing has changed. She was an abandoned cat, and I was just an ordinary person who happened to take care of it. …That’s all.

…As I was walking along, muttering to myself, I suddenly felt someone’s eyes on me.

I felt a strange stirring in my heart and turned around to look in the direction I felt the gaze. However, there were only many other couples and families holding hands, and no one, in particular, was looking at me.
…I wonder if it was my imagination.

Holding hands in a public place like this was something I had never done before. Perhaps that’s why I’m strangely concerned about the stares.

“Satou-san? Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. I have to eat some sweets soon.”
“Hmm, please look forward to it.”

Mashiro’s mouth loosened up defenselessly and she smiled cutely. When I saw the expression on her face, I immediately stopped caring about such trivial things.
I bought this cooking utensil for a reason. I’ve got to hurry home and enjoy it to the fullest….