Starting Over as a Kindergartener to Fulfill My First Love! - Episode 2.6

“Tsune-chan!! Do you remember what I told you before!?”

Damn it!!

I unintentionally blurted it out in my frustration.

Even if it were just the two of us, in front of Shiho-san…

“Hmm? Tak-kun, what did I say before? Hehe… and ‘I’… ‘I’ doesn’t really suit you, does it, Tak-kun…?”

“Uh, no… that is… um…”

I mean, can you just leave me alone when I say “I don’t look good in this”?

When I was at a loss for words, Tsune-chan immediately answered for me.

“Shiho-chan? Well, that’s a secret just between Ryu-kun and me. So, I’m sorry. Could you please not ask Ryu-kun any more questions about it? He looks really troubled…”

Tsune-chan said that and then looked at me with a smile.

As I thought, Tsune-chan is such a kind person…

I was feeling that way again in my heart.

“Oh, sorry, Ryu-kun. If it’s a secret just between the two of us, I won’t ask any more…”

Shiho-san said that to me and then quietly started drinking barley tea.

“By the way, Ryu-kun, how’s school? Have you gotten used to it yet? Have you made a lot of friends?”

I don’t know if Tsune-chan was trying to change the subject or not, but she started asking me all sorts of questions.

“Y-yeah… I think I’m getting used to it a bit… I’ve made more friends than I did in kindergarten…”

Let’s keep the fact that I’m surprisingly popular with the girls a secret…

“Really? That’s great to hear. You know, that was my biggest concern…”

I’m really happy that Tsune-chan was worried about me.

But the things you were worried about were actually really embarrassing for me.

I was a transfer student who joined the kindergarten in the second term, so I couldn’t quite fit in.

And that’s because I couldn’t make any friends and ended up playing alone all the time.

Humans tend to forget good things quickly, but they remember unpleasant memories for a long time.

Especially me.

Even now, as I approach fifty, there are times when I suddenly remember the difficult moments from my kindergarten days, especially when something unpleasant happens at work.

And I was feeling down all by myself, even though there was no reason to be…

“Speaking of which, when you first met my sister, you were really shy and wouldn’t even make eye contact, right? But seeing you again today after such a long time, you seem to have grown so much that it feels like you’re a ‘different person.’ You even tried to come here by yourself on the train…”

Thump!!

Sh, Shiho-san…

This person is truly terrifying…

Even though I’ve been putting in a lot of effort these past few months to act and speak like a first grader, you see right through it so easily…

“But I’m happy, you know. I got to see Takashi-kun grow up… If possible, I want to continue watching Takashi-kun’s growth from now on…”

Tsune-chan was saying that while looking out the window of the room.

“Tsune-chan…?”

“Hmm? What is it, Tak-kun?”

“Is it okay if I come over to hang out again…?”

When I cautiously asked, Tsune-chan immediately replied.

“Of course!! You’re always welcome!! Come over anytime!!”

Then, without missing a beat, Shiho-san also asked Tsune-chan if she could come over to play, and of course, Tsune-chan replied with a smile, “You’re always welcome.”

And as an addition, he also said this.

“Takashi-kun, for a while, when you come to play at the teacher’s house, could you come with Shiho-chan? Your parents would be worried if you came here alone, and the teacher would be very worried too. Is that okay with you, Shiho-chan?”

“Yes, I don’t mind at all!! Right, Tak-kun? You don’t mind either, do you?”

“Huh? Ah… yeah…”

I was a bit shocked…

For the time being, I won’t be able to go to Tsune-chan’s house by myself anymore.

I thought, as expected of the “teacher,” but still, I felt a bit down.

But I had a strong desire to meet Tsune-chan alone, so I asked her this.

“Tsune-chan!! At what age can I come over to play by myself?!”

Tsune-chan, unusually, was surprised for a moment when I called out loudly, but quickly returned to a gentle expression and answered with a smile.

“Well… once Tak-kun reaches the upper grades, I guess I can feel safe leaving him alone…”

Fun times pass in the blink of an eye.

“Oh my, is it already this late? Ryu-kun, don’t you think it’s about time you head home? Your mom will get mad at you.”

Shiho-san, upon hearing that, hurriedly started getting ready to leave.

And at the moment Shiho-san turns her back to me, I hear a gentle voice near my ear along with a very pleasant fragrance.

“I still remember what you said back then, Tak-kun…”