Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [46]

Such good news naturally had to be shared immediately with the Hikigaya siblings.

These past few weeks, whenever Ryōhei studied at night, these two siblings would be exceptionally quiet, terrified of making even the slightest noise that might disturb their father.

Children from poor families always mature faster!

On the way home, feeling much lighter now, Ryōhei stopped to buy plenty of meat and seasonal fruits. Tonight, he intended to cook a hearty dinner.

To reward himself, and to give the Hikigaya siblings a decent meal for a change.

It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to provide them with better nutrition lately—Hachiman, in particular, had been getting plenty of nutritious meals.

But in those days, Ryōhei naturally couldn't eat too much himself, while the considerate siblings, painfully sensible, always insisted on giving the other more food.

For Ryōhei, this didn't really evoke too much sadness.

But it was unavoidable that these two kids would recall their past, better lives. Inevitably, their hearts would feel heavy.

Having noticed this a few times, Ryōhei more or less understood their feelings, but what could he do?

Time never flows backward.

He would do his best for these two kids—but if you asked him to bring back their mother for their sake?

Absolutely not!

If possible, he hoped he would never see that woman again.

Whenever she was around, it was as if there was a constant reminder about the hat on his head.

Extremely uncomfortable!

Deeply unpleasant.

"Huh? Dad, why’d you buy so much today? Are guests coming?"

Hikigaya Hachiman, still a shut-in today, was reading a second-hand history book Ryōhei had bought. When his father pushed open the door, he hurriedly stood up to help take the grocery bags.

Dad was home a bit earlier today.

"Nope! Listen, Hachiman—starting Monday, we’ll both be heading off to your new high school together," said Ryōhei cheerfully, clapping Hachiman heavily on the shoulder.

"Sōbu High?!"

The usually gloomy, black-haired boy visibly trembled slightly. He knew his father had been job-hunting recently, mostly at middle schools, and had actually been very concerned.

Setting aside the fact that it directly affected their family's livelihood…

On another note, he really, really wanted his father to climb out of this low point and pull himself back together.

These past weeks, Hachiman himself could only idle around at home helplessly, watching his father leave early and return late, exhausting himself for small sums of money.

His father had never mentioned those painful past events again—shouldering everything alone.

"That’s right! I didn't expect to succeed so soon either; I was ready to struggle at least a couple more times. Oh, Hachiman... Since you’ll officially start your high school life Monday, there's something important I need to tell you."

Ryōhei suddenly realized this was a good opportunity to educate the boy properly.

"Yes, father. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Ryōhei moved beside the black-haired youth and deliberately adopted a solemn "fatherly" tone.

"About high school—I believe the most important thing is studying hard and getting into a good university. This might sound cliché, but my success this time owes much to the prestige of graduating from Tokyo Gakugei University. Over the next three years, if you can enter a good university—not only would it lessen my worries, it would greatly benefit you personally as well. Understand?"

Warmth surged through Hachiman’s heart. Blinking fiercely to relieve the slight sourness in his dead-fish eyes, he nodded earnestly.

"I understand! I promise I'll do my best! Someday, I'll definitely let you live a comfortable life!"

"Uh… Anyway, just put your studies first. This isn’t really for my sake; in the end, it's for yourself."

Imagining himself someday relying on Hikigaya Hachiman to support him felt a bit awkward, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Oh right, one more thing! I’ve heard Japanese high-schoolers nowadays engage in romance far too early. I think that's not a good idea, so you—"

"I completely understand! I'll devote all my energy to my studies! Rest assured, father! To be honest, I personally think early romance is utterly meaningless."

Hachiman immediately declared firmly to his father.

My youth romantic comedy does not exist!

If it were an average teen boy whose interest in girls had peaked, hearing these words from their parents might've triggered rebellious feelings.

But Hikigaya Hachiman knew too well the hardships his father endured to keep the family going. Through these words, he could feel his father's deep hopes and expectations.

"You already get it? Well, alright then. It's good you understand. Of course, I don’t mean you can't interact normally with girls… Well, let's leave that topic for another day."

Ryōhei sensed something didn't feel quite right but couldn't put his finger on it.

"Go on, go wash the vegetables for me!"

Hachiman quickly grabbed the ingredients and hurried into the tiny kitchen.

Perhaps it's time to find a slightly bigger place?

Ryōhei looked around the cramped apartment, less than 30 square meters in total.

Oh, right… there’s also that orphaned niece of the original Hikigaya Ryōhei to consider…

Ryōhei recalled the government notice he’d received last week.

It asked him to make a decision soon regarding the adoption of the original Ryōhei’s niece, Misaki Akeno.

Currently, he was her only eligible relative.

What should I do…? Might as well stick to the original plan. I'll visit the welfare home in Yokosuka tomorrow.

Ryōhei had researched the salary system for teachers at Sōbu High—indeed, throughout Japan—and found it was rather generous.

In education budgets, teachers' salaries accounted for roughly 80%.

And this applied uniformly, from cities to rural areas, from the southernmost regions to the northernmost.

Truly a commendable policy!

Back in his past life, due to extensive personal experience, he'd seen just how large salary gaps between teachers could become.

After contemplating a while longer, he made up his mind.

Indecision brings chaos, after all.

Tomorrow, he'd visit the welfare home in Yokosuka to see this niece, evaluate her character firsthand, clearly explain her uncle's true circumstances, and then finally ask the girl if she was willing to live with him.

If the child was obedient and willing to follow him, he wouldn't mind trying.

If not, he wouldn't force it.

That would be that.

"Well, let's relax properly today. Ah, right! Miura asked yesterday how things were going; better call him back."

As Hachiman busied himself enthusiastically in the kitchen preparing the ingredients, Ryōhei found himself momentarily free. He sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, took out his phone, and had just started dialing Miura's number when—

The doorbell rang.

"Is Komachi home from school? Wait, no, she has her own key."

Ryōhei reluctantly stood up again, took a few steps, and opened the door.

His eyes lit up involuntarily, quickly sweeping downward.

Standing before him was a very young woman in a neat, formal suit.

She had short hair, exceptionally bright, energetic eyes sparkling with pure, wine-red pupils, and delicate, gentle eyebrows. Just one glance made her appear incredibly cute.

"You must be Hikigaya-san, right? Hello, I'm Kushida Kikyou from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. I visited last week as well, but unfortunately you weren't home at the time."

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T/N: KUSHIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?

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!