Hunger was probably a huge factor in my reasoning, but Tojo-san’s meat udon was exquisite.
The broth was not too thick or salty, and the taste was rather gentle. I couldn’t stop my chopsticks any more than I could with garlic or other strongly flavoured dishes.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“It’s delicious,” I replied with my mouth stuffed.
“Fufu, take your time. Slow down and eat more calmly, okay?”
Even after she told me that, I couldn’t help but continue to eat.
In the end, I finished the meal in less than five minutes and returned the bowl to the table, feeling regretful.
“Fuu… Thank you for the meal.”
“Yes, thank you very much. I’ll prepare some tea for after dinner.”
“Thank you for everything.”
“No, no. It’s what I want to do.”
I didn’t know such a kind person existed in this world. I could feel the warmth in her eyes.
“Here’s some coarse tea.”
“Thank you very much… but I’m about to go—.”
“I’m filling the tub with hot water now, so please come in when the time is right. I’m sure you’re sweating from your physical labour, and if you go to bed like this, Inamori-kun will feel uncomfortable tomorrow.”
“Eh? Ah, yes. Please don’t bother…”
“I’ll go prepare a bed for you. Inamori-kun. Do you prefer a mattress or a bed? If you’re the type who can’t sleep with a new pillow, I’ll send someone to your house to get yours.”
“Wa… Wait a minute!”
“Yes?”
Tojo san made a puzzled face.
She looked at me as though I didn’t know what I was talking about when it was the complete opposite.
“Well, am I imagining things? Is it possible that Tojo-san thinks I’m going to stay at your house?”
“Yes. I’ve been preparing for that from the beginning.”
I didn’t understand.
Of course, I was going to have to leave at some point. I had no intention of staying for too long in the first place.
A young man and woman spend the night alone together.
Even if there were no mistakes, it would not be a commendable act.
“—Ah, you’re right. I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself and confused you…”
“No, uh, what do you mean…?”
“I’d like to talk to you about something first, so could you give me a few more minutes?”
I had no idea what was going on, but since she was going to explain, I stopped to listen.
I was about to get up, but I settled down and sat back down on the sofa.
“I was hoping to get a little closer if possible… I’ll explain everything to you.”
“Y-yes..”
When I saw the quiet expression on her face, it made me gulp.
She bowed deeply to me in a strange sense of tension.
“Will you… marry me, please?”
—Huh?
“What do you…?”
“I’ll explain the details.”
Ignoring my growing confusion, Tojo-san tried to continue talking.
Somehow, really, somehow maybe it was just my imagination, but she seemed to be terribly upset.
It was as if she was nervous or embarrassed.
Her face seemed to be red, or her eyes seemed to be quite shifty.
Anyway, I could tell from her appearance that she was not calm.
She was possibly quite nervous… even though she seemed to have announced it with a casual attitude?
“It’s not a coincidence that I met you today at your work. I gathered information with the help of the Tojo Group, my parents’ company, and it was only because I knew where you worked that I was able to get to that place.”
I couldn’t easily understand her story.
‘How? Why?’ I thought as I found myself unable to come up with even a far-fetched explanation.
“I’ve been wondering about you for a long time, about how you’re tired and feeling worn out day after day. You never accepted the advances of your friends when they asked you out, and you left school as soon as classes ended every day, right? You also only had a single pastry for lunch… I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Tojo-san was spinning her words as if to make sure of every word.
There was no shame or embarrassment in her voice.
If anything, I got the impression that she was a young child telling her mother about her misdeeds.
When I cooled down a bit, I could not say that what Tojo-san did was decent. Even if it was for the other party’s good, she could have been certified as a stalker.
“And… I also know what happened to you.”
“!?”
Tojo-san continued her story.
“Just before he entered high school, Haruyuki Inamori’s parents’ car was hit by a truck driver that fell asleep at the wheel, killing both of them instantly on the spot.
The truck didn’t just destroy his parents’ car but also rammed into a nearby telegraph pole. The driver died while being transported to the hospital.
All that was left to Harayuki Inamori was the compensation from the company where the driver worked, and the fortune his parents had accumulated.
However, relatives have been trying to get Haruyuki Inamori to take advantage of his considerable wealth.
In order to smoothly reject them, Haruyuki Inamori handed over all of his assets, except for his school fees, and is living alone while working part-time to make ends meet.”
“So you know… everything.”
I had only kept quiet about my past because it wasn’t something I liked to talk about.
I wasn’t angry that she knew. However, I wondered if she was disillusioned with me because she saw the stain that I bear.
I imagined she would think that way, and I instantly felt uneasy.
“It’s not just that kind of past… that I’ve learned about.”
She gently laid her hand on the back of mine, paying attention to me.
It seems that her body temperature is lower than mine, so Tojo-san’s fingers felt a little cold.
“I have learned of your kindness as I watched you.”
“Kindness…?”
“Yes. When you worked part-time at a convenience store, you covered up for your co-worker’s mistakes, and when you worked part-time as a traffic guide, you supported a worker with a bad back even though you were tired yourself.”
“That’s not a big deal…”
“You know what else I know? On the train, you give up your seat to pregnant women and elderly people, and I’ve seen you help an old lady carry heavy luggage across the street twice in the last six months.”
In the last six months? How long had she been watching me?
I wasn’t angry, but I was starting to get a little scared.
“You must be living a hard and inconvenient life, yet you reach out to anyone in need without hesitation. I’ve fallen in love with that about you.”
“I just did what was… natural.”
“I love people who can do that as if it were natural.”
I felt a gentle glow like moonlight from her as she smiled at me after telling me this.
She had a beautiful face and silver hair, which is rare in Japan.
She had a mysterious atmosphere, and the word ‘goddess’ suited her best.
‘Be a person who can help others,’ were the words my parents had left me, and I still follow them even after they are gone.
It was because I tried to be that kind of person that my relatives saw me as prey.
Maybe I’m not living the correct lifestyle—.
It would be a lie if I said that I had never thought about it that way, but the mere fact that Tojo-san affirmed it made me feel strangely at ease.
I felt like her words had some sort of weight to them.
“To have someone like Tojo-san say that to me… makes me feel glad to be alive.”
“I’m also very happy that Inamori-kun is alive and well right now.”
Maybe this person really is a goddess.
I was so embarrassed that I scratched my cheek to cover it up.