Please Tell Me How to Remember Love - Chapter 1 Part 2

Chapter 1 Part 2

 

“Nice to meet you, Satou Takayuki. I’m Kuramori Karin, your fiancee.”

 

Takayuki was confused.

 

Not because the other person referred to him by his name, though. After all, even if they never actually met in real life before, they had exchanged each other’s personal information prior to the meeting, that included their real names. 

 

He was baffled because the middle school girl in front of him referred to herself as his fiancee.

 

“…Hm? Sorry, I might misheard something. Can you repeat your words?”

“I’m your fiancee.”

“I see.”

 

After double checking, her words remained the same.

 

Her nonsensical rambling was too much even for Takayuki. If the other party wasn’t a middle schooler, he would definitely have bailed out of the restaurant already. Also, there was another reason why he didn’t run away. The girl came by herself, so he would feel guilty if he were to leave her. And so, he convinced himself that there was a deeper reason why the girl said those nonsensical words to him and tried to continue their talk.

 

“Uh, username ‘Bell,’ Kuramori, right? I told you to bring an adult with you, didn’t I?”

“I did. My guardian is sitting in a different seat, just in case. I haven’t trusted you completely yet.”

“I see.”

 

Takayuki was still in a state of confusion because of Karin’s words, but he still managed to discern her appearance.

 

Bobbed black hair, eyes full of caution as she observed his movements. If it wasn’t because of her wearing a middle school jersey, it would be easy to mistake her as a grade school student due to her petite figure.

 

He secretly gave her the nickname, ‘Runaway Zashiki Warashi’ and nodded his head. (T/N: A Zashiki Warashi is a yokai in the form of a little girl with bobbed hair. It lives in people’s houses and usually plays pranks on them. It was said that if you manage to see one with your own eyes, that’s a sign that you’ll be visited with good fortune.)

 

“Alright, let me double check. We’ve never met prior to this meeting, right, Kuramori? I can tell from your jersey that your middle school is nearby, so there’s a chance that we might have passed by each other without me noticing.”

“Don’t worry, this is our first meeting.”

“And you told me that you’re my fiancee?”

“Yes.”

“Despite that, you don’t trust me completely?”

“Yes.”

 

She didn’t seem to be trying to pull one over him as she earnestly replied to his questions.

 

“…I came here because you told me you need consultation over the matter of you ‘liking an older boy next door, but since he already has someone in mind, I want to help him with his love life.’”

“That one was a lie.”

 

Karin said with a blank look on her face.

 

Takayuki quietly glanced at Aoi, who was sitting next to him.

 

“Hehehe…”

 

She was smiling so radiantly that if someone were to take a picture of her smile and put it on a magazine’s cover, it would fit in perfectly.

 

Except that it was clear she wasn’t in a good mood. On the contrary, Aoi was in a really bad mood.

 

“Oi, Partner.”

“You don’t need to say anything, Satou-kun.”

 

And so, Takayuki made a decision and made eye contact with her. Understanding what he meant, Aoi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

 

““Let’s go home.””

“Eh?”

 

They immediately got up from their seats and were about to go home as they declared.

 

“U-Um, wait a minute, please! Why are you leaving already?!”

 

Puzzled by their reactions, Karin broke her expressionless mask and hurriedly called them out to keep them from leaving.

 

“I mean, we came here for the consultation, since that’s a lie, there’s no reason for us to stay.”

“Correct. Also, I have no reason to trust you anymore since you deceived Satou-kun like that.”

“Aren’t you curious as to why I declared myself as your fiancee?!”

“…I mean, middle schoolers do that sometimes, I guess.”

“Why are you treating me like a brat?!”

“You are a brat, though.”

 

The two of them casually dismissed Karin’s attempt to make them stay.

 

Karin’s words might be strange, but she wasn’t the most outrageous person that Takayuki had to deal with. That was why he decided that it would be best if he just accepted that she deceived him and went home quickly.

 

“…Ugh. That’s…”

 

The two of them were already about to leave, as they gave the hesitating Karin side glances. Since in the end she didn’t say anything else to them, they decided to ignore her and leave.

 

“Oh my, sorry about that. Please excuse Karen-chan’s rudeness.”

 

But a girl came out and blocked their path.

 

““!””

 

Both of them were surprised by the mysterious girl’s appearance for several reasons.

 

The first reason was the fact that they failed to sense the girl’s presence before she called out to them.

 

The second reason was because the girl was beautiful. It was surprising that they didn’t notice her beforehand even though she was that pretty.

 

Long white hair, looked as smooth as silk. Bright red eyes akin to a pair of jewels. Peeking out from her old-fashioned sailor uniform was her snow white skin. However, despite the pale color of her skin, her chest looked so healthy to the point that even a member of the same s*x would be attracted to it.

 

“Sorry for not introducing myself first. My name is Himuro Reina. I’m this child’s mother.”

““Mother?!””

 

Hearing Reina’s introduction made the two of them yelp in surprise. Reina looked like she would be in high school. She didn’t look to be in the age to give birth to Karin.

 

“Rei-onee-chan!”

 

Without missing a beat, Karin rushed to Reina’s side and raised her voice in protest with a bright red face.

 

“Oh my, Karin-chan, don’t raise your voice in a public place like this.”

“Uh, sorry, Reina-san? May I know why you referred to yourself as her mother? Appearance-wise, you look like more of her sister instead.”

“That so? Then, let me reintroduce myself. I’m this girl’s guardian. I guess you could call me her older sister.”

 

Seeing the sight of Reina smiling and bowing graciously stunned both Aoi and Takayuki.

 

“I apologize for this child’s rudeness. She got ahead of herself and acted in a way that displeased you. But, can you please at least listen to what she has to say?”

“Ah, um…”

 

While Takayuki was still in a state of confusion, Reina made Karin, who stood next to her, bow her head down together with herself.

 

“C’mon, Karin, quickly apologize. Sorry, she loves to put on airs. Ever since she became a middle schooler, she has become so feisty.”

“I’ll apologize! Please, just stop!”

 

The sight of the two of them bowing deeply drew countless stares from inside the restaurant.

“Um, Satou-kun, sorry, but…”

“Ah, yeah. I’ll listen to what you two have to say, but we should move to a different place first.”

 

Aoi and Takayuki decided to accept their apology, albeit with reluctance. After all, it was better to talk in another place rather than staying there and drawing unnecessary attention.

 

 

*   *   *

 

“I didn’t get threatened to proclaim myself as your fiancee, Satou-san. But, someone asked me to make sure that you live a decent life.”

“So, who is this ‘someone?’”

“I can’t tell you that. But, that person is my benefactor, so I can’t bring myself to refuse their request. I decided to observe your life first and determine if the life you’re living right now can be considered decent or not. If yes, then I’ll slowly disappear from your life. If not, then as your fiancee, I’ll do my best to guide you to life a decent life.”

“…Hearing a middle schooler saying all those things sounds really weird to me.”

 

The four of them left the restaurant and went to a nearby coffee shop to talk. Perhaps because it was the opening time, there were no other customers beside them.

 

“I apologize for deceiving you and calling you to come here, but I didn’t do that for sh*t and giggles. I’ve readied myself enough to take the necessary actions.”

“Necessary actions?”

“For example, if I conclude that you’ve been living a decent life, I’m prepared to pay remuneration.”

 

Takayuki listened to Karin with a dubious look on his face, but suddenly, the latter took out something rectangular from her pocket and handed it over to him.

 

It was a bankbook. On closer inspection, he saw that the bankbook was under the name of ‘Kuramori Karin.’

 

“Will everything in that bankbook suffice as remuneration?”

“Oi, Miss Guardian, teach this middle schooler the importance of money and personal information.”

 

Takayuki gave Reina a sour look, but Karin interrupted him with a protest.

 

“Excuse me? That’s bold coming from someone who made a living from meeting up with random people on the internet. Besides, I earned all that money myself.”

“That’s bold coming from an idiot who willingly threw her bankbook to someone she had just met.”

 

After letting out a sigh, Takayuki turned his glance at Reina.

 

“You called yourself her guardian, shouldn’t you scold her at times like this?”

 

To that question, Reina responded with a gentle smile.

 

“I’m just respecting her resolution. Can you please bear with it for a while?”

“…Tch.”

 

Takayuki bluntly clicked his tongue as he opened the bankbook.

 

After seeing the highly suspicious number of digits in the bankbook, he closed it again promptly. Then he convinced himself that there was no way a middle schooler could have that much money in hand and that he was only seeing things the first time. So he opened the book again.

 

“…Whew.”

 

After he finished double checking the book, he threw it forcefully to Karin’s bosom and shouted,

 

“Oi, Miss Guardian!”

“Yes~ What is it?”

“There are too many digits on that book! Don’t make a middle schooler carry around something like this! You, don’t throw this amount of money just for a remuneration or whatnot! Treasure it more! Besides, why are you showing this to someone you just met? Are you out of your mind?!”

 

Takayuki was so upset that his voice cracked in the middle.

 

“Satou-kun, calm down. You’re getting caught in their pace right now. Besides, we’re in a public place, you’ll be a nuisance to the shop owner.”

“*cough*!”

 

After Aoi rubbed his back, Takayuki finally regained his composure.

 

“…Now that I think about it, this whole affair is strange from the very beginning. Referring to yourself as the fiancee of someone you just met is strange enough, but she went as far as showing her bank account too. What’s up with that?”

 

As he calmed down, he gradually managed to realize the strangeness of the situation.

 

“If what you were saying about the fake consultation was true, Kuramori, then I assume it isn’t ‘Baku’ who you have a business with, but me, Satou Takayuki. Is that correct?”

 

Takayuki was late in noticing that fact because they had exchanged their personal information prior to this. From the beginning, Karin never once referred to him as ‘Baku,’ the persona he used as a love consultant. She also never introduced herself as a client, rather, she told him that she was his fiancee.

 

From this juncture, Takayuki assumed that she was aware of his personal life before they even talked to each other on the internet. She was aware of his side gig as a love consultant, so she approached him by disguising herself as someone who desperately needed love advice. All those were simply preparations so that she could call him out to meet her personally.

 

“But, Satou-kun, you’ve never told anyone that you did this as a side gig, right? Or at least, you’ve never told anyone that wasn’t close enough to you.”

 

Takayuki’s previous question led Aoi to the same conclusion as him.

 

In other words, both Karin and Reina somehow managed to know the information that they shouldn’t know long before they tried to contact him.

 

Someone who was close to him was involved in this matter.

 

“Oi, you two. How did you two know that I run a consultation service on that account? Only a handful of people were supposed to know that.”

“I knew it from someone else, of course. However, I promised that person that I won’t give out their name to you, so don’t even bother asking me. Even if you were to assault me here, even if you were to do p-pervy things to me here, I won’t say anything!”

 

Seeing Karin showing her determination with flushed cheeks made Takayuki let out a deep sigh.

 

“Haah… There’s no way I’m going to do that, you idiot!”

“I’m not an idiot!”

 

Karin sent him a deviant gaze, but Takayuki couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. He turned his gaze to Reina, who looked even more mysterious than Karin did and asked her a question.

 

“Oi, Miss Guardian, do your job properly. If you call yourself a guardian, then rein in that idiot properly. It’s your job to discipline a brat that doesn’t know her place.”

“Oh my, are you getting angry?”

 

However, Reina’s relaxed expression didn’t change even after receiving Takayuki’s angry words. Instead of being frightened, she let out a smile, as if she was remembering that something like this once happened in the past.

 

“Hehehe~ You’re a good kid, aren’t you? Getting angry on behalf of others like that. That part of you is similar to Soujirou-san when he was young.”

“!”

 

Hearing that name came out of her mouth, Takayuki widened his eyes involuntarily.

 

Because that name was the name of someone he held dear in his heart. Her knowing that name meant that she wasn’t just a random person who happened to know about his love consultation gig.

 

“Oi, you… Who the hell are you?”

“Oh my, haven’t I introduced myself before? My name is Himuro Reina. I’m this child’s guardian.”

 

Even though Takayuki’s tone changed to be even more serious than before, Reina still hadn’t dropped her smile.

 

“If you were to treat Karin-chan a little nicer, perhaps my mouth will loosen.”

“…I still won’t accept this whole fiancee bulls**t. Nor will I receive the remuneration or whatnot. At most, I won’t drive her away, I guess.”

 

Seeing her carefree attitude, Takayuki decided to give in.

 

However, the two girls in front of him were too much of an enigma for him to be ignored. Especially Reina, who managed to steal his attention. He didn’t want to accept their demands, but in the end, he decided to watch the situation unfold as a compromise.

 

“That’s enough for us. We only need enough time for Karin-chan to determine what kind of person you really are. If you want to, I can act as your fiancee in her stead.”
“Rei-onee-chan?!”

 

At the unexpected betrayal of her guardian, Karin yelped in surprise.

 

After indulging herself with Karin’s reaction, Reina continued,

 

“I’ll promise you this, Satou Takayuki. As long as you face Karin-chan properly, I’ll answer any questions that you might have. Even if you forget this promise of mine.”

 

*   *   *

 

After Reina and Karin left the coffee shop, Takayuki sat there in silence.

 

“Satou-kun, are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while now.”

“…Ah, I’m fine.”

“Ever since she mentioned this ‘Soujirou’ person, you’ve been acting strangely.”

 

Aoi worriedly asked him. After a brief period of hesitation, Takayuki opened his mouth.

 

“It’s nothing, really. Soujirou is… My grandfather from my mother’s side. He’s someone that I admire and love.”

“Your grandfather? The same grandfather that inspired you to become a hero?”

 

Aoi vividly recalled that rainy day. The day when she barged into his room when he was afflicted by a cold. With apples in her hands, she remembered taking a closer look at the boy’s room for the very first time.

 

She remembered the conversation she had with him. About the reason why he chose to become a hero, or rather, why he felt that he had to become a hero…

 

“Yeah. I was surprised to hear my grandfather’s name come out of her mouth.”

“I see. That’s a normal reaction, though. After all, he’s someone that you hold dear. That girl… Huh?”

 

Aoi nodded her head at Takayuki’s words. But she suddenly tilted her head in confusion midway through her sentence.

 

“Miyama?”

“…Satou-kun. Can I ask you something?”

 

Eventually, she decided to ask Takayuki a question that was bugging her.

 

“Kuramori Karin’s guardian. What was her name again? Also, did you remember her appearance?”

 

That question sounded like a bad joke, but Aoi was being genuine when she asked that question.

 

“Sorry for the strange question. I’m surprised at myself too. I can’t believe that I was so inattentive and forgot about someone that I had just talked with just a few minutes ago.”

“No, it’s okay, Miyama, don’t fret about it. But still, I know that ‘phenomenon’ exists, I just never expected that I would get to experience it this soon.”

“Um, Satou-kun?”

 

Contrary to the confused Aoi, Takayuki let out a fearless grin. His smile indicated that he was pleased with the unexpected encounter. But at the same time, he also realized that the problem he had to tackle was increased by one.

 

“There’s an urban legend. Whenever you talk with a certain someone, you’d end up forgetting about them. Name, appearances, everything about them would be forgotten.”

 

Takayuki and Aoi’s gazes met.

 

“Apparently, my friend had fallen in love with said urban legend.”

“He fell in love with an urban legend?”

 

Aoi widened her eyes when she heard his words, which prompted Takayuki to let out a wry smile.

 

“Yeah. I have a friend who fell in love with it. He said he fell in love with someone at first sight, but after a while, he forgot all about them. The dude asked for my help to find that person. I’ve been wondering how I should start looking for them, but never did I expect that I’d find them so easily. The world is small, huh?”

“…So, this is just another love consultation?”

“Yeah, the usual thing.”

 

As they exchanged words, Aoi’s confusion slowly faded. The situation was complicated for her, but seeing his expression, she realized that there was no need for her to hesitate.

 

“That’s why, help me out again this time, Partner.”

“Sure. That’s what I’m here for.”

 

After all, she was his partner. No matter how bizarre the case he had to tackle, Aoi would help him without any hesitation.

 

*   *   *

 

“I’ll be in your care from today onwards.”

“Best regards~”

 

Next day, after school. Takayuki caught the sight of Karin bowing deeply while mingling among the female students near the school gate.

 

“Don’t mention it. From now on, I’ll follow you around from after school through the nwight—”

 

The girls she was together with were Aoi’s group of friends. They did all sorts of things to her from patting her head to playing with her cheeks, treating her like a little kitten.

 

“Ah, Satou-kun! Is this girl an acquaintance of yours? Is she your little sister?”

“So cute~ She reminds me of a Zashiki Warashi~”

 

The girls were already accustomed to dealing with Takayuki, who looked like a delinquent. Handling a middle schooler with a sour look wasn’t hard for them.

 

“S-Sto– Mmgh! Stop playing with my chweeks!”

 

In fact, they completely ignored her glare. She tried to resist them, but her resistance only prompted them to mess with her even more. Besides, to them, her resistance only made her look even cuter.

 

“…Raaaah!”

“Sorry, you three. This kid is a shy one, so can you three please stop?”

 

After squirming for a while, Karin finally managed to break free and began to threaten the girls with her roar. The latter didn’t happen until after she hid behind Takayuki though, despite her proclaiming that she didn’t trust him just the other day.

 

Meanwhile, Takayuki just wanted to get out of the situation quickly, so he decided to lend her a hand.

 

“Fine~ Since you asked us nicely, we’ll stop teasing her.”

“If Satou-kun got mad at us, Aoi will get mad at us too after all~ I’m so jealous. How could you two be so close to each other?~”

“But, today is our time to borrow Aoi! We’re going to have so much fun in karaoke so that you’ll get jealous at us, Satou-kun~”

“Sure, sure. Tell Miyama that I said hello.”

 

After seeing the girls off, Takayuki called out to Karin, who was still hiding behind him.

 

“They’re gone already, middle schooler.”

“By the way, I’m not a shy girl.”

“Don’t lie. Did you think I wouldn’t notice just because you acted so pompously yesterday?”

“Yesterday, I came prepared… Today… It was just a bad matchup…”

 

Karin didn’t seem to intend to hide her displeasure from him as she glared at him after she came out from behind his back.

 

“Since you hang out with those horrible people, I’ll have to deduct some points from your overall score.”

“You’re using points to evaluate me? Whatever. Where’s Himuro? Is she hiding again today?”

 

The moment he mentioned Reina’s name, Karin’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“H-How? How did you manage to remember Reina-san?”

 

After seeing her reaction, Takayuki managed to conclude that his assumption wasn’t wrong.

 

The other day, right after they parted, Aoi forgot everything about Reina. She remembered the flow of the conversation and Reina’s attitude toward Karin, but she forgot about everything else.

 

From her name and her appearance. She even had trouble trying to remember her gender, albeit she barely managed to do it.

 

However, Takayuki didn’t forget a single thing about Himuro Reina.

 

“Oi, oi, why do you act as if it’s a strange thing that I remember her? Is there something wrong with that?”

“Ugh…”

 

After Takayuki pointed that out while grinning at her fearlessly, Karin realized that she had messed up. This also confirmed Takayuki’s assumption. Of the fact that there was something up with Reina and the fact that Karin was unaffected by the memory loss.

 

“Well, I know what you’re thinking and what kind of questions you have in your mind for me. Unfortunately I’m not nice enough to give you the answer you want.”

 

Also, Takayuki had already planted a countermeasure against her if she were to act oblivious. But, of course he wouldn’t show her his hands so easily.

 

“…As expected, I can’t let my guard down against you, Satou-san. That person was right. Alright, I’m going to raise my guard up a stage so you won’t be able to pull one over on me ever again.”

 

This much hostility from her was within Takayuki’s prediction.

 

Both Karin and Reina’s existence was practically an enigma to him. Somehow, Aoi’s memory was altered because of them. Though, he wasn’t sure if they did it intentionally or not. And so, Takayuki decided to pull Karin’s aggro on himself.

 

“Heh, so what will happen when you raise your guard up a stage?”

“I’ll have to prepare for it first. You’ll know the details soon enough, so just prepare yourself.”

“I see. I’ll look forward to it.”

 

Seeing Karin declaring that with sharp eyes, Takayuki’s smile widened.

 

It was one thing if he was facing Reina, but it was Karin that he was facing. What could a brat like her do to him? Asking that question to himself, Takayuki found himself to be interested in finding out about her next move.

 

TL: Iyo

ED: Iyo

 

 

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