JSWGAS Chapter 3

Chapter 3 3.

Mrs. Oikawa, the neighbor, was a gentle and composed woman. Her beauty radiated from within, a confident aura that made her seem more than capable in everything she did.

Mrs. Oikawa welcomed Mrs. Kokonoe into her home, providing her with a pair of soft slippers adorned with adorable bunny ears. On the hallway cabinet sat an exquisite porcelain vase, holding a single rose that emitted a faint, elegant fragrance.

Intermingling with the rose scent in the air was the sweet, slightly toasted aroma of dough, reminiscent of a cabin with a lit fireplace in a forest, honey, and sun-warmed bedding. Mrs. Kokonoe calmed down. This calmness wasn’t just in words but in her posture, allowing her to escape the drifting, insecure solitude she had been experiencing.

The two women sat on the sofa, conversing in gentle, soothing tones. At that moment, Kokonoe Taka, who had been dozing on her shoulder, awoke from his slumber, his eyes immediately meeting the unfamiliar surroundings.

Mrs. Oikawa, who appeared so composed, quickly adopted a serious expression, staring at the chubby face of the infant as if facing a formidable foe.

Mrs. Kokonoe was somewhat bewildered. “Mrs. Oikawa…? What’s wrong?”

Mrs. Oikawa responded a beat late.

“…Oh, I’m a little nervous.” She blinked, her honey-soft eyes revealing a hint of embarrassment. “The child in my house is a year older than little Taka, but he cries and fusses a lot.”

Mrs. Kokonoe suddenly understood, the corners of her eyes slightly lifting in a proud manner. “My child is very well-behaved, he usually doesn’t cry or fuss…”

Mrs. Oikawa was somewhat envious. “That’s wonderful. My little troublemaker likes to cry no matter what he does, and toys can’t even soothe him.”

Kokonoe Taka was oblivious to the maternal discussion on childcare. He curiously observed the world, looking up at the two ladies. Mrs. Oikawa couldn’t resist picking up a toy from beside the sofa to tease him, attempting to find out which one he preferred from the box of toys.

The little one skipped over the toy cars, airplanes, dolls, and puzzles, resolutely hugging the ball to his chest. When Mrs. Oikawa tried to take the ball away and exchange it for another toy, he struggled to push her hand away, amusing the two adults.

“Speaking of which, Taka does really like balls,” Mrs. Kokonoe said with a smile. “It’s probably because of my husband, he always likes to give him his tennis balls and rackets, then take them back to tease him on purpose.”

“Eh? Tennis? Kokonoe…could it be that your husband is Kokonoe Hikohito, who retired last year?”

“You know him?” Mrs. Kokonoe was somewhat surprised.

“Because the one at my house likes him, he often watches sports channels,” Mrs. Oikawa waved her hand, then complained, “He always analyzes things so well, but in reality, he’s a clumsy idiot who can fall on flat ground.”

The two women spent half an hour complaining about each other’s husbands’ strengths and weaknesses. By this time, Kokonoe Taka had rolled off the sofa onto the floor and was crawling all over the carpet.

He was active and curious about everything, especially things that moved, such as the ball being tossed back and forth on the television screen.

The Oikawa household was filled with a peaceful atmosphere, but soon, faint crying sounds came from upstairs. Mrs. Oikawa immediately stopped, feeling somewhat apologetic. After their conversation, they felt like they knew each other very well, and they had already started addressing each other by their given names.

“Chenzi, my little rascal is awake.”

Mrs. Oikawa hurriedly got up, gently bending down to pick up the crawling little Kokonoe and place him in the center of the carpet. Mrs. Kokonoe stood up and suggested, “Why don’t we let the two children play together? Toru might be crying because he doesn’t have a playmate.”

Mrs. Oikawa thought for a moment. “That’s a good idea. These two little ones might become good childhood friends.” Unfortunately, Mrs. Oikawa’s wish would not come true in the future. These two would not be “good” nor would they be “childhood friends”.

But now, the two ladies walked up the stairs together, quite excited to see what kind of spark the children would create. Kokonoe Taka was placed in Oikawa Toru’s room under the expectant gazes of the two mothers. He looked around in confusion at the ladies retreating to the doorway with smiles, then followed the sound of the crying and turned his attention to the other moving creature in the room.

Oikawa Toru was crying. Or rather, to correct that, he was fake crying.

We have no way of knowing why this cunning little rascal came up with such a way to attract his mother’s attention. At least, we can confirm that he was indeed fake crying. Because the crying stopped abruptly after he made eye contact with Kokonoe Taka.

The mothers stood at the door, arguing in whispers. Mrs. Oikawa felt that her son’s sudden silence made him look like a little yellow duck with its beak clamped shut by an invisible clip. Mrs. Kokonoe felt that he was like a little kitten who always acted spoiled towards his owner because of his cuteness. Regardless of what kind of creature he resembled, they both perfectly hit their soft spots, and the two of them reached a happy consensus, revealing mysterious smiles.

Oikawa Toru couldn’t see the two ladies from his angle. He was staring intently at the creature sitting in his room, on his blanket—and now, he was hugging his bolster pillow.

That was his favorite, soft pillow!

Oikawa Toru was furious, and his round features turned this anger into a vibrant energy. The two-year-old babbled “Mine!” as he pounced over, revealing his little crocodile onesie.

“Ah, that onesie looks so adorable on Toru,” Mrs. Oikawa explained to Mrs. Kokonoe. “You know, I even have a wolf onesie at home!”

Whether or not that wolf onesie was later worn by Kokonoe Taka is another story. From the perspective of Kokonoe Taka, who was only one and a half years old, a green, unidentified object suddenly pounced at him, with a tail swishing behind it!

Kokonoe Taka’s athletic talent showed its first signs at this moment. He dodged the green crocodile’s attack with an agility that surpassed other children his age. However, he was also limited by his short stature. After stumbling like a glutinous rice ball, he rolled to the edge of the room. And Oikawa Toru, who had lost his target, fell flat on his face. When he turned over, his eyes were already filled with tears.

“He’s going to cry!”

Just as Mrs. Oikawa was preparing to receive a violent storm from the little rascal, Oikawa Toru didn’t cry out loud as he usually did. Instead, he wiped his nose and stumbled towards Kokonoe Taka, who was still dizzy.

Kokonoe Taka was still dazed when the pillow was snatched from his hands. The victor proudly stood with his hands on his hips, then hugged the pillow and demanded a hug from his mother at the door.

Perhaps Oikawa Toru wanted to express, “I defeated the villain and retrieved the princess pillow!” But Mrs. Oikawa’s brain circuit couldn’t connect to his. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that neither of the children cried in the end and they even had a friendly and cute game.

She turned her head to invite Mrs. Kokonoe, “Oh, look how well these two kids are playing! Let them play together in the future! You can also come over to my place and have tea with me or something!”

Mrs. Kokonoe gladly agreed.

And so, the two families formed a friendship. That night, when Mr. Kokonoe and Mr. Oikawa returned home, one found his house empty, and the other found that his little rascal had turned from one into two.

Afterward, Mr. Oikawa was sent by Mrs. Oikawa to buy soy sauce, and he met Mr. Kokonoe, who was standing at the door looking lost, when he went out.

When everyone finally sat down at the dinner table amidst the commotion, Oikawa Toru, who usually had to be coaxed and coddled before he would eat, behaved unusually, stuffing his mouth with one bite after another, humming and looking triumphantly at Kokonoe Taka, who was sitting obediently next to him. The latter, similarly, didn’t connect with his thoughts, looking at him with a curious expression.

It was as if he was looking at a monkey.

In any case, after the two children finished their respective meals, Oikawa Toru quickly forgot about his rivalry with Kokonoe Taka and happily invited him to play with toys. During this time, Oikawa Toru was scolded for tearing up Mr. Oikawa’s newspaper, knocking over Mrs. Oikawa’s teacup, and crashing into Mr. Kokonoe’s arms like a little cannonball while running around.

In this way, Kokonoe Taka became the unstable factor that suddenly invaded Oikawa Toru’s life.

Every day, Oikawa Toru would wake up early, and the first thing he would do was run into the kitchen and ask his mother, “When is Taka coming to play?”

Mrs. Oikawa was somewhat troubled and squatted down to ask him, “Does Toru really want to play with Taka?”

“Yes! Last time, Toru and Taka promised to play with his dad’s tennis balls together!”

Mrs. Oikawa gently patted her son’s cheek and said seriously, “Taka went out with his dad, he can’t come and play with Toru.”

Oikawa Toru blinked sadly, feeling warmth around his eyes, and yelled at his mother, “But! We promised!”

He enunciated each word: “We promised to play together!”

Mrs. Oikawa could only pat her son’s head and hold him in her arms, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Although it wasn’t possible for them to go to the amusement park together during their free time, the two children attended the same kindergarten, and luckily, they were in the same class. Oikawa Toru was unwilling to go to school the day before, but the next day, he was dressed neatly and standing at the door of the Kokonoe house, waiting expectantly for his little buddy to set off together.

When Mrs. Kokonoe placed Kokonoe Taka’s hand in Oikawa Toru’s, the two of them were as serious as if they were at the scene of some mysterious ritual. Kokonoe Taka, with lifeless eyes, allowed them to manipulate him while skillfully taking out the little snacks that Oikawa Toru had secretly stuffed into the side of his bag.

Mrs. Oikawa, standing behind them, pretended not to see!