Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [28]

Inside Komachi's chest, an instinctive anxiety bubbled up—like a small animal defending its territory!

All because of this woman.

Dad called her “Yuigahama-san!”

Judging from her vibe alone, she must already be married.

But still—this was the very first woman to visit Dad since Mom left!

And she was beautiful, gentle, kind…

Though, of course, still not as beautiful as Mom… probably.

Wait! Definitely!

The reality of Mom and Dad's divorce, and Dad's newfound singleness, made Komachi realize clearly that sooner or later some auntie might appear who could marry Dad—if Mom never came back.

After all, her dad was kind, handsome, thoughtful, and wonderful. Honestly, it’d be stranger if other aunties didn't like him!

For children whose parents divorced, it was only natural to wish for their family to reunite, as they lacked the experience to fully grasp reality. At first, Komachi had even secretly resented her “heartless” mother for leaving.

But a child’s resentment never lasted overnight, especially toward her own mother.

Plus, recently, Dad had stopped angrily scolding their grandmother in front of them and no longer complained about their mother either. This change made Komachi, already naturally optimistic, secretly hope for something unrealistic.

Of course, the current Hikigaya Ryōhei would never show his dislike for Tōma Yōko or his complicated love-hate feelings toward his ex-wife in front of the children.

After all, the person inside had changed. The current Ryōhei had a decent impression of Tōma Yōko, considering her slightly eccentric but probably a grandmother who genuinely loved her grandchildren.

As for Tōma Kazusa, she was essentially a stranger—though Ryōhei still resented the unremovable green hat placed on him. Even so, being a calm person, he wasn’t about to openly curse a “stranger” in front of his kids due to personal grudges.

All this caused Komachi, hyper-sensitive about her parents’ relationship, to “misjudge” things entirely.

...

“Onii-chan! Actually, I texted Mom yesterday, and she said she’ll definitely come visit today!”

While helping her brother hobble toward the bathroom, the black-haired little girl leaned close to whisper softly in his ear.

“Oh.”

Hachiman briefly lifted his head, quickly lowering it again, his eyes unchanged and emotionless as usual.

“Onii-chan!” Komachi tugged at Hachiman’s sleeve persistently. “Lately, I think Dad’s gotten much happier! Maybe we can do something about—”

“Komachi!” Hikigaya Hachiman no longer held even a shred of hope that their parents would reconcile. Seeing Komachi’s hesitant expression, he immediately guessed her intentions. “...Dad’s finally starting to be happy. Don’t go causing trouble now. Grown-up matters are none of a kid’s business!”

Initially, Hachiman wanted to tell her outright that Mom wouldn’t return, but at the last second, he softened his words, half-jokingly cautioning his energetic sister.

Just as Komachi opened her mouth to retort, another knock sounded from the door.

“Wah! This time it must be Mom! Onii-chan, hurry up and come out!”

Waving her hand excitedly, Komachi burst from the bathroom toward their cramped entryway.

...

Meanwhile, Ryōhei was pleasantly chatting with Yuigahama-san.

Due to the many history books piled on the small table, their conversation had naturally drifted from children to history.

Unexpectedly, although Yuigahama-san appeared to be a typical full-time housewife, she was surprisingly knowledgeable, eloquent, refined, and charming.

Just talking with her seemed to alleviate the day’s aches and pains from long study hours, carried away on the faint, gentle fragrance unique to mature women.

Hearing another knock, Ryōhei excused himself politely from Yuigahama-san and rose to answer the door—but Komachi had already rushed forward ahead of him.

As the old door creaked open, a young voice filled with tears rang out clearly: “Mommy!”

Ryōhei’s face froze instantly. From Komachi’s reaction, it was painfully obvious who had arrived.

It had to be the ex-wife he had never personally met—Tōma Kazusa!

“Oh! So, Hikigaya-san’s wife is back! I’d like to properly express my gratitude to her as well.”

Yuigahama-san pressed her delicate hands together, smiling warmly in genuine delight.

“Um… Yuigahama-san, actually… this, um…” Ryōhei’s expression turned awkward. As a proud middle-aged man, he felt particularly awful at the thought of this gentle, elegant Yuigahama-san—someone he genuinely enjoyed talking to—discovering that he’d been labeled a pathetic cuckold (even if it wasn’t technically him).

He utterly despised anyone who could be described as a tiǎn gǒu—a hopeless simp licking the boots of a cheating partner.

Caught in this terribly awkward dilemma, Ryōhei saw a slender, black-haired beauty with a figure even more graceful than Yuigahama-san’s enter the cramped, twenty-square-meter room, gently holding Komachi close. Tōma Kazusa’s beautifully maintained appearance hardly revealed her actual age in the mid-thirties; with minimal effort, she still looked like a lovely woman in her early twenties.

Tōma Kazusa had constantly worried about her children, but due to her awkward and stubborn nature, had found it impossible to visit her ex-husband’s home. Only days earlier, after hearing from Ogiso Setsuna about the kids’ tough situation, had she finally panicked.

She had first urged her mother to visit them, then after agonizing for two more days, decided to follow her younger daughter’s text message and finally visit her children herself.

Communicating her genuine concern in such a roundabout, complicated way was just so very “Tōma Kazusa.”

As for her ex-husband, Kazusa certainly felt guilty deep down—but never could quite manage to say a sincere “sorry” aloud.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kazusa glimpsed Ryōhei’s familiar figure, and immediately averted her eyes downward, focusing instead on Komachi’s adorable little hands tightly gripping her waist.

Then, a gentle, soft female voice broke the awkward silence.

“Hikigaya-san, my Yui really troubled your family! But now I see you’re such a wonderful person—it’s no wonder your daughter is so adorable.”

Kazusa’s mind went blank. No one had spoken to her this kindly in ages. Like an ostrich cautiously raising its head from the sand, she finally noticed another lovely woman with tea-colored hair standing nearby.

“Ahem. Allow me to introduce you,” Ryōhei quickly interrupted, attempting to control the unfolding disaster. “This is Yuigahama-san—Hachiman was injured saving her daughter.”

“...Hikigaya-kun and I have divorced. Today, I just came by to see the children.”

Hearing her ex-husband’s words, Kazusa quickly realized he’d intended to conceal their broken relationship from the gentle tea-haired lady. Rationally, she understood she should cooperate and help save his face a little—but when the words left her lips, they came out exactly like this.

---

T/N: ????? NO ONE ASKED LADY HOLY SHITTTTT SHE JUST SAID THAT UNPROMPTED

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!