Interlude 1 - Ex-Fiancé Part 1
A shabby, dilapidated four-tatami apartment that looks like it could collapse at any moment.
"I'm home, Himeno."
"Welcome back, Minato-kun."
With her hair disheveled and an exhausted appearance, Minato is greeted by Himeno, whose makeup is in disarray.
Though it’s already summer, in a room without air conditioning or even a fan, opening the window does nothing to relieve the oppressive heat.
At this moment, Himeno and Minato live there.
◇◇◇
Let’s rewind a bit.
It all started when they returned from visiting the Fujisaki family.
When Minato and the others got home, his parents, who had been on a business trip overseas, had already returned.
"Minato, what have you done?!"
"That's right! What do you mean by ruining someone else's marriage?!"
"Father, Mother, I’m sorry. But I’ve found my true love! I will live with this love!"
Minato tried to stand his ground with words of true love amidst the accusations from his father and mother.
But those were just empty words with no real meaning.
"You... you've always been stubborn, never listening to others once you've made up your mind, and now you've caused trouble for others. I don’t know where I went wrong in raising you..."
His mother couldn’t hold back her tears. Meanwhile, his father patted his mother’s back and continued.
"Minato, we’ll go apologize to those who’ve been hurt. Maybe we can settle this peacefully."
"What, if we apologize, does that mean there will be no punishment?"
"No, that's not certain. We need to earn the forgiveness of the other party, and we also have to pay appropriate compensation. If not, you may be judged."
His father was already considering the next steps. If his son had a criminal record, his son’s future would surely be difficult.
At the very least, that had to be avoided.
"I don’t have any money because I don’t work."
"I’ll pay the money. However, this will be the last thing I can do for you."
"What do you mean, the last thing?!"
Minato growled.
"I always thought you were a child who could be independent, so I let you do as you please, but it seems I spoiled you too much. After everything is settled, you will have to leave this house."
"Wh-What...?"
"I’ve made up my mind. Consider this money as our last act of mercy."
His father's resolve was strong.
Moreover, he had always believed he couldn’t let his son, who was just idly unemployed, continue living at home.
The time had come to kick him out.
"And you—"
"My name is Himeno."
Himeno interrupted Minato’s father.
"You can stay at the house until everything is settled. And after everything is finished, you can leave with Minato."
Minato's father said all of this without even looking at Himeno, who was the cause of the trouble.
"Impossible! If we’re kicked out of this house, where will we live?!"
"That’s for you two to figure out! You’re both adults!"
Himeno was taken aback by Minato’s father’s shouting, while Minato could only lower his head without trying to protect her.
◇◇◇
After that, an agreement was reached with the injured security officer, and Minato was not faced with legal charges.
However, life for the two who were kicked out of the house was very difficult.
While searching for a place that didn’t require a guarantor or proof of income, they spent several days staying in an internet café. During this time, Minato worked as a day laborer to survive.
Eventually, they managed to find this apartment and could live together.
"Oh, Himeno. You're home already. How was your part-time job?"
"I came home early because I wasn't feeling well."
"I see, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I feel better after resting at home."
Himeno said this while lying on the futon that filled a third of the four-tatami room, playing on her phone.
"I’m glad to hear that. But please take care of your health. My salary isn't enough. The rent is 40,000 yen, the electricity bill is 6,000 yen, the gas is 4,000 yen, water is 4,000, the phone bill is 9,000 yen for both of us, and food costs around 60,000 yen, so in total, the two of us are spending 113,000 yen! Ugh!"
"Minato-kun, the total is actually 127,000 yen per month."
"Oh, I see. It seems like my mind isn't working well because of the heat."
Minato admitted his mistake, but neither of them realized that their calculations were still wrong. Despite this, this careless way of calculating made their lives even harder.
"Anyway, we need to fight from here. We both have to earn money."
"Right. Without AC, it feels so hot and stuffy."
"Hmm, it seems like AC is still not an option. First, we should buy a fan."
"A fan?"
Minato explained to Himeno, who tilted her head in confusion.
"You know, the kind that spins and blows air."
"Oh, a retro item from the Showa era? I think I’ve seen it in a textbook."
"But, they’re still used in the real world..."
Minato felt puzzled by the knowledge gap between him and Himeno, who had grown up in a wealthy family and had no interest in the lives of ordinary people.
Himeno, who had been lying down, now stood up and hugged Minato.
"At first, I thought it would be tough here because it's so small, but since we can be close like this, it's actually nice, right?"
"Yeah. It feels like a palace just for the two of us. This kind of life might not be so bad!"
"Yes, I’ll support you, so let’s fight together!"
Their embrace and laughter made them look like two people determined to start over and move toward the future.
However, this was only on the surface, while the feelings in their hearts were very different.
(Don’t joke. I’m so hot here, get away from me already. But if I say that, she’ll get mad. I also need her to work, so I can’t just say whatever I want.)
(Seriously, I don’t want to work at all. Even today, I came home straight away without going to my part-time job. Ah, thank goodness it seems like I wasn’t found out. With such a beautiful wife, a husband would usually try harder, right? My job is to stay beautiful. In return, Minato has to work hard outside.)
Everyone knows that this kind of life won’t last long.
——.