Uncle Hikigaya is Forever Young [6]

Hikigaya Hachiman, already introverted and awkward, simply lowered his head and continued eating.

Noticing how his father was inexplicably brighter today, unlike the usual gloominess, he quietly felt puzzled inside. Why does Dad seem so different now…? Sure, big life changes can affect personality, but even his cooking style totally shifted? I don’t think he ever made this type of fried rice before...

Could Mom leaving him really affect him this badly? Is divorce that damaging…?

Thinking about his mother, Hikigaya Kazuha, Hachiman felt a wave of bitterness. He decided to stop dwelling on his father’s strangeness.

The thought of his mother—who’d been with him for so many years—running off with some unknown guy made even the normally mature, self-proclaimed cynical Hachiman feel twisted inside.

Confusion, shame, and even a sliver of resentment mixed within him.

That woman abandoned us and hasn’t even called once!

He remembered back when he first started middle school, around the time he began understanding things, occasionally seeing his mom sitting alone in front of the mirror, holding a small photograph and looking melancholic. When he had once asked who that “onii-san” in the photo was—clearly not Dad—she’d scolded him harshly...

The meal suddenly lost all flavor.

“Hachiman! I saw your enrollment notice today. It’s from Sobu High, right? Seems like a pretty good school.”

Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of chopsticks and bowls, Hikigaya Ryōhei rubbed the stubble on his chin, deliberately putting on a fatherly tone as he addressed his eldest son.

This was his first real “father-son” conversation with Hikigaya Hachiman. He had no choice. To smoothly adapt to his identity as “Hikigaya Ryōhei,” he needed to at least try acting like a dad.

Komachi secretly reached under their tiny table and sharply poked her brother’s thigh, shooting him a lightning-fast, ultra-fierce glare.

Don’t say anything too chuunibyou and upset Dad!

Between siblings, a single look conveyed everything.

“Uh, Father, Sobu High’s deviation value is considered quite decent even in Tokyo. Didn’t you already ask me about this?” Knowing his father’s mental state was fragile right now—and genuinely worried about getting beaten up—Hachiman cautiously chose his words.

Hikigaya Ryōhei sat straighter, feeling confident dealing with teenagers—after all, he'd been a teacher before transmigrating.

He pretended not to hear Hachiman’s question.

Are you kidding? I’m your old man! I don’t need to explain myself every time.

“As for your part-time job, I’m not strictly against it—but only during vacations. When school starts, your main focus should be studying. Leave the financial stuff to your old man. My only request is don’t rush into things like dating in high school. Studying properly is the right path! If you can get into a good university, it'll save me trouble later.”

“I understand. I'll do my best in high school,” Hachiman replied like a perfectly normal boy, refraining from offering any of his usual eccentric takes.

“Komachi will also work super hard!” the cute little girl, who had been anxiously watching the air around them, chimed in. She let out a relieved sigh, glad her brother hadn’t spouted some weird nonsense like wanting to become a “househusband” again.

“That’s right, Komachi’s the best. Eat quickly now, before your food gets cold.”

Having said all that, Hikigaya Ryōhei didn't press further. He wasn’t very familiar—or rather, wasn’t familiar at all—with Hikigaya Hachiman. Compared to Komachi, whose innocent cheerfulness made her easy to read, this dark-haired boy constantly radiated gloom.

Ryōhei figured this was probably due to the trauma of his parents’ divorce. Adolescents at this age already understood a lot—or at least believed they did.

Ryōhei’s expectations for Hachiman were nothing special—just standard textbook parenting, really. He was just playing the role of a "father."

Whether Hachiman could actually get into a good university was far too early to think about. Such things couldn’t be forced anyway.

People, after all, aren't as capable of easily changing their fate as they like to think.

Before transmigrating, Ryōhei had been as ordinary as they came.

No special talents, no gifts, short bursts of passion at best. A nobody from a small city, his family without money.

He might have once had dreams, but they’d long since been ground away by reality, leaving him drifting aimlessly as just another ordinary educator.

Ryōhei let out a deep breath, glancing at the two siblings silently eating their food, and the small yet oddly cozy apartment around them. Suddenly, he felt restarting his life from zero wasn’t so bad after all.

Maybe, this time…

...

That night, when it came time to sleep, Ryōhei insisted Komachi sleep on the only available bed, reasoning that his body had already mostly recovered, and she was still growing.

He and his son Hikigaya Hachiman thus set up futons on the floor together.

For the past few days, it had been the two siblings sleeping on the floor. Such sensible kids.

Both siblings quickly drifted off, and the tiny room illuminated softly by streetlamp glow filtering through the curtains soon fell quiet.

Looking at the sleeping Komachi, Ryōhei felt a strange urge to protect her. How peculiar. He’d only known this energetic little girl for barely two or three days.

Maybe the original Hikigaya Ryōhei really doted on his daughter, he thought.

As for Hikigaya Hachiman…

Well, he felt nothing special.

Hachiman spoke very little, and Ryōhei didn’t really know how to communicate with him either. Apparently, their original father-son relationship had been pretty distant.

Lying beneath the blankets on the futon, Ryōhei mentally reviewed everything he'd learned these past few days.

Since he planned to live on as “Hikigaya Ryōhei,” he needed to adjust quickly, or else risk being treated as some kind of weirdo.

Hikigaya Ryōhei: 35, divorced due to his wife’s infidelity. Ex-wife: Tōma Kazusa.

Occupation: music teacher, apparently.

No idea where she was fooling around currently.

Financial situation: bankrupt. Lost his home investment; gave most of his savings to his ex-wife; the rest wiped out by medical bills after ending up in the ICU due to sudden illness.

Truly, a simp gets nothing but ruin!

Leaving him this total mess.

Social contacts: at least one good friend—Miura Kōzō.

Ryōhei had learned the name of that kind-hearted man from an old school yearbook he’d found at home.

Currently, his highest priority was finding a job. Rent was due next month…

Slowly, as his thoughts wandered, Ryōhei closed his tired eyes.

Since transmigrating, this was probably the first truly restful sleep he’d had.

Until just before dawn, when his phone—placed beside the pillow—vibrated. Half-conscious and instinctively reacting, he grabbed it and answered immediately.

Instantly, a slightly hysterical, hoarse female voice startled him fully awake, sending chills down his spine.

“Hikigaya Ryōhei, you bastard! Aren’t you going to do something about your woman…seducing someone else’s husband?! Waaah, uwaaaa!”

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T/N: ohhhhh i should prob send pics... hmmm nah go search up the characters LMAO

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!