"Well, you guys are never around, and I'm pretty lonely."
"Now that I've thought about it, you could start trying in July, and by next May, you could have a little baby! Just bear with it for another year, and once the baby's one year old, I'll be ready for college."
"You don't want to take care of the baby? You could just leave it to me."
"And you guys aren't even that old. Mom, you're only 38."
"Even though it's considered high-risk, people in their 50s are still having kids! You've got the advantage here!!"
"By the way, hey, Mom, are you listening? Hello?"
"Beep beep beep..."
Hearing the busy tone, Akifumi smiled brightly.
"Ding dong."
His phone vibrated, and a new message alert sounded.
"You've got guts, messing with your mom like that!"
Akifumi chuckled:
"Well, neither you nor Mom are around, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Don't say it like that, you better watch out, your mom might buy a plane ticket and come back to take care of you."
"Well, that's even better."
A brief silence.
"By the way, do you have enough money this month? Should I send you more?
I heard there's this manga called 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' that's really popular."
"You're into stuff like that, so I bet you'll want to buy some comics or figures. That stuff gets pretty expensive."
"By the way, have you made any new friends recently? Even though I don't mind you staying at home, I hope you have someone to celebrate with on occasions like this."
"You know, with what we do, your mom and I, we probably can't ever quit this job."
"But if there's one thing we really regret, it's that we don't spend enough time with you."
"Don't mind your mom being mad right now; she may hung up on you now.
but she might actually consider your suggestion though."
"If you get that little sister, don't think you're off the hook!"
Reading all this from his dad brought a warm feeling in Akifumi's heart.
Even though they weren't physically present, they seemed to know more about his life than many parents who were always around.
Simply putting in the effort to understand his interests already showed how much they cared, more than most parents.
"Such a big guy, trying to be all emotional."
"Money's fine, don't worry. I'm not going to be shy about it, since I'm the 'abandoned' one."
"I'm not some friendless loser! I'm pretty popular! I just got a gift yesterday."
"As for favors, let's see when you really get me that little sister first."
"By the way, are you sure you don't mind Mom seeing this?"
"Come on, we're both guys here, what's there to worry about? I always let her have her way anyway."
"There's no shame in letting your woman have a little power."
"A message has been deleted."
"A message has been deleted."
Akifumi smiled.
"Deleting doesn't help, I already took a screenshot."
"??"
"You kid, how fast are your hands!"
"Get me two limited edition figures."
"Which ones?"
"I'll tell you when I decide."
"Deal."
"By the way, anything new on your side?"
"Tsk, you wouldn't care about this stuff. Why bother telling you? It'd be like playing the lute to a cow."
Still, Akifumi Ye started sharing his experiences, clearly from the heart.
"This time we went to India. They found a strange mask from under there."
A strange mask?
Akifumi couldn't help but imagine something in his mind, his expression becoming a bit uncertain.
Isn't this supposed to be the normal crossover world for anime and manga?
There shouldn't be anything too weird popping up, right?
.........
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally Just a heads-up, there will be advanced chapters available there! and Thanks so much for reading!
[048] When did Shiina-san start working at the restaurant?
It was 12 PM.
Half an hour ago, he was feeling a bit hungry.
Akifumi took out his phone and ordered some nearby takeout.
Now, he was just waiting for it to arrive.
"If I had to say, a birthday is just another normal day," he thought.
Kids might get excited about it, but as you get older, some people might even forget how old they are without counting on their fingers first.
As for the chat with his dad, it had already ended an hour ago.
They were currently in Europe, with a time difference of about 9 hours. As a "mature" child, Akifumi knew not to disturb them.
After seeing the photo of "the mask" that Akifumi Ye had sent, he sighed in relief.
Fortunately, it wasn't what he had imagined.
Otherwise, it might have been a disasterhis parents could have gone from being busy to just gone.
Not thinking too much about it, he turned his attention back to the third volume of Love Metronome, which he had bought from the bookstore a few days ago but hadn't had time to read thoroughly yet.
Before regaining his past life's memories, he had been a huge fan of Kasumi Utako-sensei.
He always bought three copies per volumeone for himself, one for his collection, and one to recommend to others.
After all, her works were truly great.
Even though the first two volumes had a somewhat raw, inexperienced feel to them, the sense of love they conveyed was irresistible.
The third volume, which he was reading now, felt much more mature in terms of writing.
Still...
"Even though it's the best one yet, the sales are still declining," he muttered.
It was obvious why.
With the earlier volumes not doing so well, the promotional resources for later ones were significantly reduced.
Of course, this had nothing to do with him.
Even though he knew Kasumi Utako's real name, appearance, and school, he had no direct interaction with the beautiful senpai.
In the original story, Love Metronome was nearly discontinued after the second volume, but thanks to the help of Taki Tomoya, it had shot to successfortunately, that didn't happen in this timeline.
For now, Akifumi was just an ordinary fan, quietly reading Kasumi Utako's new work, and nothing more.
.....
Meanwhile, a young girl was nervously standing outside a door, fist clenched, ready to knock.
But recalling what had happened the last time, she hesitated and lowered her hand.
"Ugh," she sighed, her heart filled with frustration.
"I'm such an idiot."
She thought back to when he had asked so eagerly about the cakes she bought last time, and how she had been too angry because of what had happened the day before.
She had completely ignored him.
Since then, their brief exchanges had stopped entirely.
"Why is it like this...." she muttered, feeling guilty.
"But I can't back down now!"
Shiina Mahiru clenched her fist, encouraging herself.
"Today's Akifumi-kun's birthday!"
She needed to at least hand him the gift.
It wouldn't be enough to express her thanks, but it was definitely better than doing nothing.
Akifumi's birthday wasn't a secret.
Back when school started, as a popular boy, many details about him were in the public, including his birthday.
Just as she was about to gather the courage to knock on the door, someone spoke from behind.
"Um"
Shiina Mahiru turned around and saw a man in restaurant uniform, apologetically looking at her.
'?'
'Do I know him?'
The girl thought, but before she could speak, the man spoke again.
"I'm so sorry. The restaurant was really busy, so your order took longer to arrive than expected!"
He bowed deeply, apologizing profusely.
"Eh? Eh?"
Caught off guard by the man's intensity, Shiina Mahiru hesitated before saying, "It's... it's fine."
The man sighed in relief and continued.
"That'll be 3680 yen, please. Is this from Akifumi-san's order?"
The girl took a moment to realize what had happened.
She wanted to explain, but seeing the man's nervous expression, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
'Never mind.'
Since it was already a misunderstanding, she figured it was better to let it continue.
She didn't want to make him apologize again.
After pulling out money from her small bag, she counted the bills.
"1, 2, 3..."
Her fair skin flushed slightly as she counted, feeling embarrassed.
"Sorry, I didn't bring enough money when I left... I only have 3350 yen. Could you wait while I go get the rest?"
So embarrassing, so embarrassing...
Why does this kind of thing always happen to me? She groaned inwardly as her cheeks turned red.
The man paused, then smiled and waved it off.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. If that's all you have, consider it a gift for the delay."
"The restaurant is still busy, so I'll head back now."
He took the money from her, waved, and left without another word.
Once he was out of sight, Shiina Mahiru returned to her senses.
Looking at the cake in her left hand, her small bag, and the large takeaway in her right, she began to reflect.
'I did something stupid again...'
She wasn't exactly wealthy, yet she had gone through all this trouble. But...
'This just means there's no excuse for me to back out now!'
If she just left with the takeout, it would cause trouble for both Akifumi-kun and the delivery man.
Taking a deep breath, Shiina Mahiru knocked on the door.
"I'm coming"
Akifumi's voice called from inside.
Her heart, which had calmed a little, suddenly raced again.
"Click."
The door opened, and Akifumi appeared.
When he saw her standing there, he froze for a moment before speaking automatically.
"Shiina-san, when did you start working at the restaurant?"
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally Just a heads-up, there will be advanced chapters available there! and Thanks so much for reading!
[049] Mahiru's Resolve!!
Inside the living room, Akifumi Mugiho scratched his head, letting out an awkward laugh.
"Ahahaha, sorry about that."
"I thought you were the one delivering the takeout for me, Shiina-san."
Shiina Mahiru, sitting on the sofa, looked embarrassed.
"I should be the one apologizing, though... I was the one who decided to pay for the meal."
"Hahahaha!" Akifumi Mugiho couldn't help but laugh.
"Huh?" Mahiru looked at him, puzzled.
"Well, it just feels a little silly for us to apologize back and forth over something so small."
Mahiru smiled sheepishly.
"You're right. It does seem kind of silly."
It really was a small thing, but they make it feel much more serious.
"By the way, Shina-san, would you like something to drink?"
"Just water is fine."
"You're taste is so bland!"
"Bland?"
"Well, in this hot weather, wouldn't an ice-cold soda be perfect?"
Mahiru blinked, a little confused.
Then, apologetically, she replied, "Actually, I've never had one before, so I don't know what it's taste like."
Never had soda before?
Akifumi paused, then quickly realized.
Someone who didn't know Mahiru well might think she was joking.
After all, it's more believable that someone has never had soda than to claim they are the first emperor of Japan.
Mahiru's situation was quite different.
While children of divorced parents often still receive some love and care, Mahiru had never really received any love from her own parents.
Since she was little, her caretaker Koyuki Kujikawa had been the one to look after her, and even the basics like pocket money were tightly controlled.
So, there was never any extra money spent on something like soda.
"But if you recommend it, then I'll give it a try."
Akifumi snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her reply and nodded with a smile.
"Yosha, One Coke form the fridge is on the way!"
He took a bottle of Coke from the fridge and handed it to Mahiru.
Even though she had never tried it, she'd seen others drink it and knew how to open it. But
No matter how hard she tried, the bottle wouldn't budge.
Akifumi smiled, took the bottle back, twisted off the cap, and handed it back.
Mahiru smiled awkwardly, holding the bottle in both hands.
As she tilted it back to take a sip, her smooth, pale skin looked dazzling.
As the Coke slid down her throat, she frowned for a second before her face relaxed.
"Then how is it?"
"It's a taste a little... strange," Mahiru said, thinking it over.
"The taste of artificial sweeteners is a bit too sweet, but it's not unpleasant."
"The coldness feels nice, and the bubbles tickling your taste buds give a fun sensation."
"So, do you like it?"
Mahiru nodded, but then shook her head.
"I know it's not really good for your body, but... even though it's an artificial sweet, it's hard not to enjoy it."
"Yeah, as a human who always been a virus carrier, who cares about what's healthy or not?"
Mahiru chuckled and didn't linger on that topic.
As the conversation died down, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Mahiru, who had been calm just moments ago, now fidgeted nervously.
She sipped her Coke slowly to mask her unease.
'Sigh.'
Seeing her act like this, Akifumi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in her school persona.
If she could just be a little more genuine in school, it would make things a lot more natural.
He smiled to himself, then asked, "So, Mahiru, you came over today to give me a birthday gift, right?"
"Is that the birthday cake?"
"Y-yes!" Mahiru jumped up from the couch, clearly nervous, and her words were jumbled.
"I also wanted to mention, you asked me about the cakes form last time o visit... and where I got them from A— actually, those..."
"Didn't you make them yourself, Shiina-san?" Akifumi chimed in, completing her sentence.
"Huh!?" Mahiru's eyes widened in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"You sit behind me in class. Sometimes when you talk to others, I overhear you." Akifumi winked with a smile.
"You said you are really good at cooking, Shiina-san."
"Though, I wasn't sure at first."
Being good at cooking didn't necessarily mean you made food often.
"But after seeing this cake today, I was sure."
At that moment, Akifumi remembered something he almost forgot.
"By the way, I almost forgot. You covered the takeout cost earlier, right?"
"He it is 3,680 yen."
"N-no, you don't have to!" Mahiru hurriedly refused.
She had helped with the takeout, paid for it, and now didn't want anything in return.
