Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

Then, Ginjō suddenly looked at the night sky on the other side of the glass.

The wife followed his gaze and looked out the window again.

“The stars are so beautiful today.”

"That's right, I felt the same way when I was in the bath, it was really beautiful..."

"The bath?"

“Yes, yes, it’s the open-air bath in the room. The view there is really great…”

Halfway through the conversation, a warm current suddenly hit the wife, as if triggering some key words.

Ugh, that's bad!

Why did I take the initiative to bring up the topic of mixed bathing!

When I think of Sosuke-kun at that time...

Tomoko Matsumoto quickly took a big gulp of drink to cool down her body a little.

As expected, Ginjo suddenly came to life and turned his gaze towards her, with an expression of wanting more.

He probably also recalled the mixed bathing incident just now, right?

To be honest, he seems to be much stronger today than usual.

Especially his big hands, which seemed to be cast with magic, making him completely unable to resist.

As the wife was thinking about this, she felt her legs go weak and she was about to fall.

She quickly leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath, which slowed down her heartbeat as if it was about to burst out of her chest in the next second.

"Um... Sister Tomoko..."

"I noticed that you looked depressed just now...are you okay?"

In the ambiguous yet troubled atmosphere, Ginjo slowly spoke and restarted the topic.

"Did I make that expression?"

Matsumoto Tomoko answered embarrassedly.

"Well, this one is quite obvious."

Ginjo Sousuke nodded affirmatively.

"Well, after all, Sousuke-kun found out. Actually, I am a little troubled now."

The wife paused for a moment before she let out a sigh of relief.

"Could it be about Sachiko?"

"Hmm? Can Sousuke-kun even sense this?"

"Of course, you can tell by looking at her recent actions."

It seems that Ginjo has already noticed Sachiko's recent sudden change.

"Actually, we two just had a little argument."

"dispute?"

"Ah! But it's not a big deal at all. It's not to the extent of a quarrel..."

"How should I put it...right...it feels like the gears can't mesh smoothly."

I looked at my daughter and my daughter looked at me. Although they were facing each other, their eyes did not meet for some reason.

Even though they were talking to each other, there was a strange sense of alienation, as if they were in a different dimension.

"I don't know what Sachiko is thinking. Even if I ask her, she won't say anything."

"Because this is the first time this has happened, it makes me feel a little confused."

I don’t understand. I really don’t understand my daughter’s mood.

Even if I mustered up the courage to ask, I was still rejected by the other party.

Even though I know that this is a normal thing when the child grows up, I still cannot think optimistically.

"if..."

Her thoughts gradually sank into darkness, and Matsumoto Tomoko began to involuntarily think of some useless things.

"If I hadn't been with Sousuke-kun and had focused on Sachiko, would I have done better?"

If I put more energy into my daughter, would I be able to understand her better?

Or even if you can't understand it, you can still face everything calmly and at ease, instead of being as anxious as you are now?

"Maybe I've been too preoccupied with my own pleasure lately, so I've more or less neglected her..."

"Sister Tomoko!"

The strong and stern voice echoed in the wife's heart, which was almost blinded by darkness.

She looked up suddenly and saw Ginjo staring at her with stern eyes.

"If you say something like that again, even if it's just a joke, I'll get angry."

"Eh?"

"This is not your fault at all, Sister Tomoko. You have tried your best to be a perfect mother."

Ginjō spoke with a sincere tone that seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.

"Sister Tomoko has been by Sachiko's side since she was born, giving her the most intense love than anyone else, and raising her until now. That love is something that no one can compare to."

"Sachiko must think so too. Even if she may have something on her mind and is unwilling to communicate with Sister Tomoko, it doesn't mean that you are at fault."

"And if Sister Tomoko can pursue her own happiness, Sachiko will be happy for you, too. I can absolutely assure you of that."

Ginjō's tone was filled with calm anger, but at the same time there was several times more tenderness behind it.

"Sosuke..."

Faced with such intense emotions, Tomoko Matsumoto felt her chest slowly getting warm.

Although her heart began to beat violently again, she felt very calm and at peace. An incredible sense of tranquility surrounded her.

"Sosuke-kun is right. I thought too much. I'm sorry for letting you see my useless side..."

I am so useless that I actually made such non-constructive and empty complaints.

Saying things like "if I'm not with Sousuke-kun" would be this and that... Although this sounds like worry...in reality, it's just escaping into a vortex of self-abuse.

"I think I should apologize as well. I accidentally spoke a little harshly."

"No, don't say that. Thank you, Sousuke. Thanks to you, I feel much better now."

Matsumoto Tomoko revealed a faint smile.

"It's so strange... I feel like what Sosuke said... spreads all over my mind all of a sudden."

It touches my heart more deeply than anyone else's words.

The wife has always found this incredible, but now she understands a little.

That must be because Sosuke-kun is genuinely thinking about me.

The overflowing feelings were conveyed to the depths of my heart through words.

"Sosuke-kun is indeed very special to me..."

Tomoko Matsumoto couldn't hide the emotion in her heart and almost blurted it out.

"Sister Tomoko..."

Ginjo looked calm, looking at his wife with eyes that seemed to be expecting something.

At this time, Matsumoto Tomoko realized belatedly that she had accidentally said some affectionate words.

"Well... how should I put it... I just feel that since Sousuke-kun moved into the apartment... my life has changed drastically... so..."

The wife tried desperately to justify herself.

"Because Sousuke-kun has always been with me in the past, I don't feel so lonely."

"You will accompany me shopping, attending food festivals, or eating barbecue at the park by the sea..."

"Always loved my cooking and had so many nights to fall asleep with me..."

Whenever Matsumoto Tomoko talks about Ginjo, she can't help but speak from the heart.

“It’s not just the past.”

Ginjo took a step closer to the mumbling lady.

Then he gently grabbed her shoulders with both hands.

"Sosuke-kun..."

The sudden action made Tomoko Matsumoto's heart beat faster.

It was a big, bony, strong and powerful man's hand, but the part that held her was very gentle.

In the dim corridor with only a faint light, Ginjo stared at his wife with a sincere look that contained abundant passion and determination.

"Not just in the 'past', if Sister Tomoko is willing, I want to stay by your side in the 'future' as well..."

"Sosuke-kun..."

Tomoko Matsumoto felt as if she was about to be sucked into his unwavering gaze.

The sweet and passionate words almost melted her heart, and the lady's whole head was now as drowsy as if she was drunk.

"Sister Tomoko..."

Ginjo exerted a little force in his arms, pulling his wife closer to him.

Tomoko Matsumoto no longer had the strength to resist and could only let him do whatever he wanted.

The two people stared at each other silently, one second, two seconds, three seconds...the wonderful flow of time that seemed eternal and yet just a moment surrounded them.

It feels like we can understand each other even without talking.

There is no one else here, only the summer night sky is looking at us.