Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [51]

After dragging things out for a week or two, today Setsuna and her husband, Kitahara Haruki, finally came to handle their divorce procedures.

The division of property also took some time, mostly because Kitahara Haruki wasn't entirely straightforward.

It wasn't that he didn't want to give Setsuna all their savings; after all, Ogiso Setsuna wasn’t the type who would push things to extremes. She even let him keep the house they'd bought together on a mortgage.

What he was reluctant about was citing "irreparable breakdown" on the divorce papers, preferring instead the softer wording "emotional incompatibility."

After delaying a few days, Setsuna grew impatient and had her younger brother call to say, "If you won’t sign, we'll just go to court."

Ogiso Takahiro would have loved nothing more than going to court—he'd have happily broadcasted Kitahara Haruki’s wrongdoings with a loudspeaker for everyone to hear.

Thankfully, he'd already settled down, his temperament much steadier now. If this were his younger days, he would've already beaten that scumbag black and blue, and not even his sister could’ve stopped him.

Anyway, it was settled in the end, concluding this messy affair.

If it had been entirely up to Setsuna, she'd have visited the municipal office long ago.

Looking back over these past ten-odd years of married life, Setsuna felt she’d completely failed and no longer held any hope for this relationship.

Aside from the marriage she'd carefully maintained now collapsing, her career was also in tatters. Due to recent mental health issues, she'd even lost her job at the record company.

After all, she was a real, flesh-and-blood woman with her own thoughts and feelings, not some one-dimensional dating sim character who existed only for endless forgiveness and gentleness.

Previously, she’d never stepped out of her situation to take a clear look. Last time, after what Hikigaya Ryōhei had said, she finally placed herself in a third-person perspective—

After all these years of marriage, she'd devoted herself wholeheartedly, earnestly, and yet this was the result!

She couldn’t live like this any longer.

Divorce!

Divorce it is!

Better to divorce first and think later!

Today, she'd arranged to meet Kitahara Haruki at the municipal office, but unexpectedly bumped into Hikigaya Ryōhei there.

Speaking of which, this Hikigaya Ryōhei looked pretty good today. The last time she'd seen him, he'd seemed rather shabby, yet now he appeared entirely different—his whole demeanor had refreshed completely.

In truth, when Setsuna had seen Hikigaya Ryōhei before, he'd still been worrying about his next meal. It was only a few days since he’d arrived in this world, still somewhat lost and disoriented.

“Mrs. Kitahara, we meet again—” Hikigaya Ryōhei barely got the greeting out before the elegantly dressed yet somewhat fragile-looking young woman interrupted him.

“Um, Hikigaya-san, please don’t call me by that name anymore. My name is Ogiso Setsuna now.”

“Oh? You got divorced too?” Ryōhei blurted out.

Wait!

Why did I say "too"?

Dammit!

It's because recently everyone around me’s been making too many jokes!

I've worn this green hat so often I nearly believed it myself!

“Ah, yes, I'm here to handle the paperwork today.” Setsuna gave a somewhat strained smile.

Her appearance was easily above ninety points, and this rare smile—combined with recent care from her mother’s fussing—highlighted her originally attractive features even more clearly.

Even though she was already in her thirties, Setsuna still felt guilty that her mother was fussing over her. She always worried her parents… Last night, she even got nagged at for not applying a facial mask: "You’re still so young, Setsuna! Even if there are some small wrinkles around your eyes, don’t give up! If you take care, they'll disappear! If a girl doesn't care for herself, who else will, bla-bla-bla..."

Ah, but right now, how could she possibly have the mindset to pamper herself like some young girl?

Even though her father shouted proudly that he could still easily support his daughter, could even raise her nice and chubby—

It'd be way too shameful to rely on her parents at this age!

Next step: find a new job.

So she really came to divorce, huh? Actually went through with it? I thought this type of woman usually can’t let go easily.

Ryōhei reconsidered immediately—maybe divorcing was for the best.

Better a quick pain than a long suffering.

“Divorce is a good choice, Ogiso… Miss Ogiso. Like I said! Better short pain than long suffering.”

“You’re absolutely right. Oh, and please just call me Setsuna. It feels strange being called 'Miss' at my age, haha.”

Recently, Setsuna had just been staying indoors at her parents' home, rarely stepping out. After all, her brother had moved out already, and her parents still kept her old room exactly as she'd left it.

She avoided going out because she feared encountering acquaintances—it would be embarrassing.

Meeting Hikigaya Ryōhei, however, she felt no embarrassment or shame in her life's failures.

They could hardly laugh at each other.

“Oh, then please just call me Ryōhei too, no need for honorifics,” said the uncle similarly.

Ryōhei definitely held opinions now regarding Tōma Kazusa and Kitahara Haruki. Being constantly joked about "wearing the green hat," anyone would eventually get annoyed.

Facing Ogiso Setsuna, he let out a bit of frustration, continuing:

“Those scumbags should just stick together anyway. If we can't fight them, we can at least avoid them…”

“Hey, hey! Hikigaya Ryōhei! What nonsense are you talking? Kazusa isn't a scumbag!”

Just then, a man around Ryōhei's age rushed forward, angrily rebuking him.

Of course, the only person who could say that was the very same Kitahara Haruki, who was supposed to meet Setsuna at the municipal office today for their divorce paperwork.

He had actually arrived just moments after Setsuna, spotting his soon-to-be "ex-wife" immediately—but had no idea how to greet her under these circumstances.

Hello.

Hello!

Hello…?

None of these seemed appropriate. No matter how he thought about it, it definitely wasn’t a "good" day.

He felt guilty toward Setsuna—he knew he'd wronged her.

Seeing Hikigaya Ryōhei there, Kitahara Haruki quickly ducked behind a pillar to conceal himself upon entering.

Unexpectedly, Setsuna and Hikigaya Ryōhei had begun chatting, even smiling at each other—he hadn't seen Setsuna smile like that in a very long time.

Fine. It was awkward enough seeing each other anyway—better not to meet at all.

He’d planned to message Setsuna afterward to call her over privately.

But when he overheard Hikigaya Ryōhei's remarks, he couldn't ignore it.

When Setsuna saw her soon-to-be "ex-husband" jumping out to defend another woman yet again, her temper flared. She frowned prettily, gave a cold snort, turned her head, and refused to speak.

“And you are?” asked Ryōhei, hardly recognizing this random passerby at first. But as soon as he opened his mouth, realization dawned. Setsuna was here to divorce, so her husband would naturally show up too.

Her husband, who’d cheated with Tōma Kazusa.

Ohh—so this guy is that guy?

Kitahara Haruki!

“I'm Kitahara Haruki! We've met a few times, haven’t we? Don't pretend you don't recognize me to brush this off!”

“What? You…” Ryōhei eyed Kitahara Haruki up and down, thinking the guy didn’t look that much better than his current body—still rather skinny. He almost said, "Looking for a fight?" But seeing Kushida Kikyou approaching, he held back.

Thinking it over, getting worked up was pointless. Let it go.

“Ryōhei! All procedures are done! Here’s the certificate, please check it.” The young civil servant glanced at Setsuna and Kitahara Haruki curiously, not understanding the tension, then showed Ryōhei the open adoption document.

Setsuna, curious, unintentionally glanced over. She caught sight of only one name: "Hikigaya Akeno."

“Eh?!”

---

A/N: Why’s no one buying Setsuna stocks or kicking-the-railing stocks?

T/N: IM BUYING KUSHIDA STOFKS!!! I LOVE HER TWO SIDES

This is a fan translation of 比企谷大叔永远年轻 by Stargazer All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!