I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 38

After returning from shopping and putting away the groceries, even though it was still a bit early, I decided to go to the store and start preparing. Since I wanted to discuss money matters and our future living arrangements over dinner together, I aimed to finish the preparations early.

When I told Madoka about it, she said, “Then can I go to the store with you? I might not be able to help at all, but I want to learn as much as I can,” so I decided to take Madoka to the store as well.

The main task of the previous day’s preparation work is to make the noodle dough, set it aside, and let it rest.

At our shop, we knead the flour with a special mixer to make the dough, and then let it rest in a dedicated storage container. Although it is possible to knead the flour by hand, we rely on machines for efficiency and labor reasons.

I explained it to Madoka while actually working on that part.

Madoka, holding a notebook and occasionally interjecting with questions, listened to my explanation with a serious expression.

After we had settled down, I made some tea, and while we were sitting together at the counter taking a break, I decided to ask.

“When the landlady invited me to work here, she mentioned my future, but did she think about starting a udon shop with me?”

“Hmm, to be honest, I think that kind of future would be nice too. After I found Masa-kun in December, I thought about how I could be by his side, and I wondered if moving to Okayama and working at a regular company like before wouldn’t be enough.”

“Why do you think that? Working in customer service is really unstable, and it’s hard to compare it to a regular office job, but it’s also a profession that comes with a lot of stress.”

“But, Masa-kun, you chose this path knowing that, right? Even when you were working at the family restaurant, you must have gone through a lot of hardships, but this path is even more unstable than when you were at the family restaurant, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I didn’t want to think that it was bad because it was hard or that I should stop because I was anxious. If I worried about those things, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far after quitting my job, right? So now, if Masa-kun has chosen the path of becoming a udon chef, I want to be able to support him. I don’t know anything about restaurants or customer service, so I want to study business myself so that I won’t be a burden to Masa-kun. And if the people who helped Masa-kun are willing to take care of me too, I thought it was such a convenient situation for me.”

“But, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to own my own shop. Is that still okay with you?”

“Sure. It’s more important to me to be able to work together by Masa-kun’s side than whether we can run the shop. I didn’t understand Masa-kun’s work at all back then, but if we can live together while properly understanding the work this time, I can’t think of anything happier.”

“I see, if you’ve thought that far ahead, then I’m grateful for it, and you should do as you like, Madoka. I’ll do my best to support you as much as I can.”

“Thank you. Hehe.”

After that, once we finished all the tasks, we cooperatively wrapped up the cleaning and tidying while teaching Madoka, then reported to the landlady on the second floor before heading back to the apartment.

For dinner, we went out for yakiniku to celebrate Madoka’s new job, and while eating, we discussed various things about our future lives.

Until now, I have been relying on the chef’s house for all my meals, but from now on, I will have dinner at home and breakfast and lunch at the chef’s house or the shop. Since there will also be Madoka’s laundry from now on, I will take care of it at home.

Buy household appliances such as a washing machine, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, television, and rice cooker.

I also buy cooking utensils, tableware, groceries, and consumables.

I’ll pay with my own money.

I only have time on my weekly day off, so if something urgent is needed, Madoka will go buy it after work. (Madoka works from 6 AM to 3 PM and is free after the evening.)

When she has shopping or errands to run, I let Madoka use my car freely.

Regarding the costs incurred from canceling the wedding, since Madoka insisted firmly, we settled on me covering the future rent, utility bills, and food expenses. I handed over the cash I received back yesterday to Madoka, deposited it into the joint account we created long ago, and decided to leave the management to Madoka.

Also, while we should apologize to both families right away, I decided to prioritize Madoka getting used to life and work in Okayama first, and planned to go in March when work permits. However, when I called my family for the first time in about five years to inform them about getting back together with Madoka and to report on the situation, they got extremely angry and worried, and my parents are planning to come to Okayama soon.

By the way, it seems that Madoka’s parents are also coming to Okayama once. I suggested that I should go and apologize first, but she said, “My parents aren’t angry at you at all. Rather, they want to apologize for the trouble I caused.” So, Madoka’s parents will also be coming to Okayama soon.

On this day, we decided to discuss and settle these matters, and then I decided to go back to my apartment, take a bath, and go to bed.

And, since we’ve already decided to get married, I won’t have to sleep in the car out of consideration anymore starting tonight.

In other words, it’s been a while since we’ve had a night as lovers.