Tears spilled over before I could stop them.
“…She really believed in me.”
She had trusted me.
Loved me.
The man in those drawings—
He was touched by Otoha’s magic.
The same magic that had brought harmony into every corner of our home.
Otoha had never cared about anything except making me happy.
She had poured everything into this house, filling it with her quiet, gentle love.
And without her, all of that harmony had crumbled.
“I have to find her.”
I stumbled to my feet and headed for the door.
Her slippers were neatly lined up at the entrance.
They were just slippers now.
No more pat-pat sounds.
No more gentle rhythm filling the silence.
“…Where do I even start looking?”
I knew nothing about her.
Nothing at all.
Had she gone back to her parents after realizing the truth about me?
Had she gotten on a plane, deciding she never wanted to see me again?
Or—
Had she…
No.
No, no, no.
She wouldn’t do something like that.
Would she?
Otoha had spent her entire life in her little world of soft, gentle illustrations, protected by her parents.
What if my words had hurt her more than I ever imagined?
I didn’t know.
Because I still—
I still knew nothing about her.
“What if she never comes back?”
The thought alone sent a deep, icy terror through me.
It wasn’t like when Akane had left me.
Not even close.
This was something else entirely.
This—
This was a loss I had never experienced before.
“…Otoha.”
“Please… come home.”
My tears dripped onto her slippers.
“Rentarō…-san?”
“!?”
Just as I had sunk into despair, I suddenly heard Otoha’s voice and snapped my head up.
“Otoha…”
She stood frozen in the doorway, the door still ajar, staring at me in surprise.
“Where… where did you go…?”
Her crescent-moon eyes blinked wide in confusion.
That calm, gentle expression—
It didn’t look like she had considered suicide.
Or even running away.
“Um… I just went to the general store near the station… to buy this…”
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small package.
“?”
I couldn’t make sense of what I was looking at.
“Um… I got some indoor slippers…”
“…Indoor slippers?”
Why would she go out at night to buy slippers?
Did she get mad about what I said and storm out just to buy slippers?
That was her big reaction?
I didn’t get it at all.
“I thought… since Rentarō-san doesn’t like the sound of my slippers, these might be better.”
Otoha smiled brightly, her crescent eyes curving with satisfaction.
“….”
She really was an idiot.
How could she take my tantrum so seriously?
Why go through all this trouble over something so stupid?
She should have just ignored me.
“Hah… haha…”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
She was just too ridiculous.
“So… you went all the way to the station for that?”
Why would she do something so pointless—
For a man who didn’t deserve it?
What if something had happened to her out there?
Did she have any idea how worried I had been?
And instead of yelling at her—
“!!!”
I pulled her into my arms.
As tightly as I could.
“…Rentarō-san?”
She stiffened in surprise.
Of course she did.
We had never even held hands before.
Her face turned bright red, her body frozen against mine.
And somehow—
That made her unbearably cute.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I was irritated, and I took it out on you.
You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“B-But the slipper noise…”
“It’s fine.
Make as much pat-pat and thump-thump sounds as you want.”
“…Thump-thump?”
She tilted her head, puzzled.
And that innocent expression—
It was so painfully endearing I could barely stand it.
“Just one thing, though,” I added.
“Yes?”
“At night… come to bed a little earlier.
I keep falling asleep waiting for you.”
Otoha turned even redder, eyes downcast.
“…Okay.”
It was time for a fresh start.
Everything had happened in the wrong order, but from now on, I was going to truly get to know her.
“I’ll stay awake tonight, no matter what.”
And with these new slippers, I wouldn’t be lulled to sleep by that pat-pat sound.
I’d finally be fine.
Tonight, I was going to close the distance between us.
But then…
Clomp… clomp.
Clomp… clomp.
Clomp… clomp… clomp.
Otoha had put on the indoor slippers—
But they were too big.
And now, every step she took down the hallway made a brand-new, ridiculous sound.
Clomp… clomp.
Clomp… clomp… clomp.
And me?
Listening to her absurd, gentle sound effects—
Once again—
I drifted into the most peaceful sleep.
[The End]
3 Comments
A sweet story. I'm surprised that rather than gaining enlightenment, MC came to love his wife's slowness and cute side. I thought he would be enlightened to the truth, that work and a career are ultimately meant to provide for yourself and your family. Promotions, responsibilities, big projects and hard work. All are merely meant to provide more money. But what's the point of having money but no place or time to spend it? People these days spend their life at work, focusing on their careers, but then what? You've given your life for the company, for someone else, but what have you done for yourself? For your family? Thus Otoha's slowness was a good thing for him in this sense as well. Instead of rushing through everything, being forced to slow down and look at the world around a bit more has helped him enjoy his life a bit more.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! At the end of the day, promotions, responsibilities, and big projects are just tools to earn more money—they don’t define happiness or fulfillment on their own. If you’re content and can live comfortably without constantly chasing the next milestone, then there’s no need to force yourself into the endless cycle of competition and comparison.
DeleteHappiness isn’t about how high you climb but about finding joy in what you have and the life you create for yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in society’s expectations, but ultimately, being happy and at peace with your choices is what truly matters.
I love it!!
ReplyDelete