Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [48]

Yokosuka, a city located in the southeastern Miura Peninsula of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is also part of the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, one of Japan’s three major urban clusters.

In any case, since the diligent civil servant Miss Kushida Kikyou had volunteered to plan the route, Ryōhei was glad to relax and follow along.

Besides, he wasn’t familiar with the area anyway.

They got on the train from Chiba Station, transferred through several stops, then took a ferry across Tokyo Bay, arriving in Yokosuka just before eleven in the morning.

Kushida Kikyou was a beauty with poised yet lively manners, whose voice was pleasant and whose conversation was insightful.

So, the journey wasn’t dull at all.

Plus, there was the scenery to look at.

Though cities around the world were growing more similar by the day, there were still interesting things in this world, at least for Hikigaya Ryōhei.

“Huh? A flat-top deck?! Kushida-san, isn’t that an aircraft carrier? Weren’t there none in service?”

Sitting on the ferry crossing Tokyo Bay, Ryōhei suddenly pointed toward a distant vessel heading toward the naval port.

“What’s an aircraft carrier?” asked the short-haired girl curiously, though she still followed his gaze.

“Hikigaya-san, I think that's the newest airship carrier commissioned recently. It’s probably for reconnaissance and early-warning duties for the battleship fleet. It was on the news last week.”

“Uh…landing airships?” Ryōhei’s expression grew uncomfortable, feeling a strange sense of dissonance imagining airships landing on carriers.

Airships landing on carriers, that scene felt a bit…off.

“Is it unusual?” Kushida Kikyou tilted her head innocently. The sea breeze gently blew her neat bangs aside, revealing her flawlessly fair forehead.

Only then did Ryōhei recover himself, quickly replying, “No, no, it’s perfectly normal… It’s just my first time seeing one, haha.”

“Oh, I see!” Kikyou sounded slightly puzzled but seemed considerate of Hikigaya Ryōhei’s pride and didn't press further.

The vessel passed close to their ferry.

Looking more carefully as it drew nearer, Ryōhei realized this “airship carrier” wasn’t quite the aircraft carrier he had in mind.

At first glance, it certainly looked similar, with a wide flight deck stretching more than two hundred meters.

It had an island structure too, though far smaller and simpler than the aircraft carriers he remembered, probably designed specifically for airship operations. But the vessel seemed completely devoid of arresting gear, elevators, or an angled deck.

“Recently, Tokyo Bay has quite a few warships. I heard the Britannian Empire’s Far Eastern Fleet’s HMS Hood will be visiting soon; if you’re interested, you could pay attention.”

“Allies, after all,” she added reflexively upon seeing his puzzled expression. A subtle glimmer flashed across her face, as though uncertain about something.

This world's technology tree really was quite strange!

Still playing around with giant battleships and big guns!

Hikigaya Ryōhei shouted silently in his heart.

He stared at the ship for a good while longer, only stopping when he realized he’d unintentionally left Kushida Kikyou alone.

“Kushida-san, speaking of which—working even on a Sunday, isn't it exhausting?”

Ryōhei turned toward the girl seated beside him. Kushida Kikyou looked at most eighteen or nineteen years old.

“No, not at all. I visit these children at the orphanage every week… Even being able to do a little something for them makes me happy.”

“Actually, recently many of the children have found good homes. Now, among the maritime-disaster orphans temporarily staying at the Yokosuka Welfare Home, Akeno-chan is the only one left.”

As soon as she spoke about the children, the girl’s wine-red eyes, clear as deep pools, dimmed sadly.

Ryōhei was about to comfort her with a few words, but before he could, she suddenly lifted her head, looking straight into his eyes.

“Hikigaya-san, actually, I've been wanting to ask you this all along—are you really willing to adopt Akeno-chan?”

“I think children who've experienced tragedies like this become very sensitive and fragile. They desperately need family warmth and care. Didn't you just get a new job? Your situation must have improved significantly compared to last week, right?”

“That’s true. The new job’s salary should be enough. Next step, I'm planning to move to a slightly bigger apartment too… But as you know, I already have two children to take care of.”

Now that the conversation had turned heavier, Ryōhei stopped gazing at the sea. He spoke hesitantly, feeling somewhat conflicted.

While he was generally calm and composed, he never lacked compassion—a basic quality of what he considered a good teacher.

However, there were many things in this world that couldn't be achieved by good intentions alone.

What one person could do was very limited.

He leaned toward adopting and properly caring for such an unfortunate child, but his heart was still uncertain.

He’d decided he needed to see the girl first.

“You’re right, Hikigaya-san. I understand that asking you to decide right now is a bit too demanding. Life is hard for many people right now… Anyway, thank you so much for your patience with me. Previously, some children's relatives scolded me quite harshly,” Kikyou said, biting her lip lightly.

Ryōhei was somewhat surprised; he'd expected this overly responsible civil servant girl would keep persuading him.

But even if she had, he still wouldn't feel any annoyance toward the young Kushida Kikyou.

“Kushida-san, please don't take it to heart. As a civil servant, you're already doing incredibly well. The things a single person can accomplish are inevitably limited. Many situations can't be changed through individual effort alone. Just doing your best personally already contributes greatly to society.”

Perhaps this girl seemed a little saintly, a bit of a "Holy Mother," but Ryōhei didn’t dislike that at all. He could sense from the sincerity in her eyes that she genuinely cared deeply for these orphaned children.

Yes, "Holy Mother"-types (at least some of them) indeed had a tendency to hold others to impossibly high standards that they themselves failed to meet.

But Kushida-san didn’t seem like that sort of person.

From Ryōhei’s perspective, while excessive "Holy Mother" behaviors deserved criticism, the opposite extreme—those who instantly labeled anyone showing compassion for the weak as hypocritical—was equally harmful.

Such people destroyed humanity’s spirit of mutual aid!

To Ryōhei, people like that were far worse than “Holy Mothers.” By attacking compassion, they unintentionally aided the powerful in shifting blame and hiding injustices.

“Ahh… I truly feel that the elderly, the sick, and children—all these people deserve care and support. It shouldn't be seen as charity, but rather as a fundamental obligation... Haha, sorry, I'm not sure why I suddenly said something weird like that. It must be because you're a teacher, Hikigaya-san! You really know how to comfort someone, hehe!”

The girl sighed softly, forcing a smile. Her bangs lost their energy, gently settling across her forehead as the sea breeze died down.

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A/N: Of course I know Kikyou has a double personality! There's a plan for that!

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!