第37話 氷の令嬢Vs月の女
「冬華ちゃんって呼んでいいかしら」
軽い自己紹介を交わした後、表情を一切変えずに透子が一つ提案をした。
対する冬華は、少し目を泳がしてから控えめにコクリと頷く。
その表情は若干強張っているし、一挙一動もどこかぎこちない。
恐らく、冬華は緊張しているのだろう。
あの父親の後に、この母親だ。
身構えてしまうのも十分に理解できる。
そんな、冬華の些細な変化による感情の差異を、朝陽は何となく感じ取れるようになっていた。
それはもしかすると、前例があるからかもしれないと、隣を見てふと思う。
「冬華、多分そんな緊張しなくても大丈夫。母さんは一応常識人だから」
「......一応?」
「だ、だってそうだろ。時々、常識から程遠い事するし......」
ギロリ、と鋭い切れ目で透子に睨まれ、朝陽の声が段々と小さくなる。
冬華の緊張をほぐそうとしたのだが、逆に自分の身が縮む羽目になるのだから恐ろしい。
朝陽が小さい頃から、透子はずっとこんな感じだった。
基本的に無表情で無感情。
和明が太陽ならば、透子は月。
真っ暗闇の中で静かに世界を照らす、圧倒的な個を持っている人間だ。
そんなクールを通り越した母親に、朝陽はもちろん、夫であり父である和明もたじたじになってしまう。
ただ、怖いという感情はとうの昔に消え去っている。
当然、怒った時はこの世の何よりも怖いのだが。
「大体、今日だってメールの返信、父さんにちゃんと伝えてないだろ」
「ええ、そっちの方が面白いと思って」
「面白いって、こっちは大変だったんだからな。父さんが大声でガールフレンドとか言うから、他のお客さんにも勘違いされてるし......」
「いいじゃない。こんなに素敵な女の子相手なんだから、嫌な気持ちはしないでしょう?」
「あのなあ......」
そういうことじゃないんだよ、と朝陽は更なる抵抗を試みて止めた。
相変わらず透子は無表情で声音は淡々としているが、からかわれていることは分かる。
こういう時、やけになって言い返せば相手の思う壺だ。
毎年クリスマス前に送られて来るメールもそうだが、透子の意思や感情は行動から伝わることが多い。
朝陽が進路を決めた時に、真っ先に後押ししてくれたのは透子だったし、朝陽が一人暮らしを始めた時は、別れ際に強く優しく抱きしめられた。
誕生日や高校受験合格などのお祝い事は、毎回豪華なケーキを手作りしてくれるし、プレゼントも欠かさず用意してくれる。
分かりにくいけど、分かりやすいのだ。
傍から見れば、怖い、厳しい、冷徹......そんな形容詞が当てはまる人間に映るかもしれない。
ただ、その無機質な表情と声音には確かな感情が込められている。
それは、家族として長い時を過ごせば。或いは、友達や仕事仲間として近くにいれば、自然と気づけるようになることだ。
「冬華ちゃんは朝陽と恋人に思われるの嫌だった?」
「えっ......わ、私ですか? あ、朝陽くんと......それは......」
「おい、冬華にちょっかいを出すなよ」
「だって、冬華ちゃんが迷惑なら謝らないといけないじゃない」
その気配りができるなら、最初から和明に正確な情報を伝えてほしいものだった。
すなわち、火神朝陽と氷室冬華の関係は友達だと。
「どうなの、冬華ちゃん?」
「無理に答える必要はないからな」
答えを促す透子とフォローに入る朝陽。
それから少し間が空いて、やがてようやく黙り込んでいた冬華が俯いたままに、小さな声で言葉を紡いだ。
「......嫌、ではありません」
「あら、良かったじゃない朝陽」
「何で俺に振るんだよ......」
結局、透子は夏休みぶりに会った息子をからかいたいだけなのだ。
ここで、冬華の言葉を変に意識するのはいけない。
そもそも、この場で嫌とはっきり言う人はいないだろう。
「メールでも言ったけど、俺たちは友達だから。なあ、冬華」
「あっ、はい、そうですね......」
念押しに念押しをと同調を促した冬華の言葉に妙な間があった。
そうですね、だけで十分なのだが、その先には何が続くのか。
「......朝陽くんは......大切な、お友達です......」
ポツリ、と途切れ途切れに呟きながら、ゆっくりと顔を上げた冬華と目が合う。
それからすぐに、互いに目を逸らすこととなった。
「本当に友達なの?」
「そう言ってるだろ」
「名前呼びなのね」
「友達だからな」
「顔、赤いわよ」
「......気のせいだよ」
目を逸らした先に居た母親の猛攻をどうにか避けて、朝陽は窓側へと視線を向け直す。
チラリ、と視線を横に向ければ、冬華もまた窓ガラスと見つめ合っている。
未踏の雪原のように真っ白な肌は朝陽と同じ色に染め上げられていた。
その横顔はやっぱりとても綺麗で、とても可愛くて。
半透明な境界線の先で輝く夜景と相まって絵画のように美しかった。
Ch 37
"Mind if I call you Fuyuka-chan?"
After exchanging some light introductions, Touko made a suggestion without changing her expression at all.
Fuyuka, on the other hand, swam her eyes a little and then nodded modestly.
Her expression was slightly tense, and her movement was somewhat awkward.
Perhaps she was nervous.
After that father, there was this mother.
It was quite understandable that she would feel defensive.
Asahi could sense the difference in Fuyuka's emotions due to such trivial changes.
Looking next to him, it occurred to him that maybe that was because there was a precedent.
"Fuyuka, you probably don't need to be so nervous. For one, mom is a sensible person."
"...For one?"
"Y-you can't blame me. Sometimes, you do things that are far from normal..."
His voice became quieter and quieter as Touko stared at him with a sharp slit in her eyes.
He tried to relieve Fuyuka's tension, but it was frightening because he ended up being the focus in the process.
Ever since Asahi was little, Touko had always been like this.
Basically expressionless and emotionless.
If Kazuaki was the sun, then Touko was the moon.
She was a person with an overwhelming individuality that quietly illuminates the world clad in total darkness.
That kind of mother was beyond indifferent, not only Asahi, but also her husband, Kazuaki.
However, the feeling of fear had long since disappeared.
Of course, when she was angry, she was scarier than anything else in the world.
"You didn't even tell dad about my reply to your text, right?"
"Yes, I thought that would be more interesting."
"It's interesting, huh? Thanks to that, dad just misunderstood and said something about "girlfriend" out loud, and it even got heard by the other customers."
"Isn't it fine? You're with such a nice girl, so it's not a bad feeling, right?"
"Listen here..."
'That's not what I meant', Asahi said in his mind, stopping himself from further resistance.
As usual, Touko's face was expressionless and her voice tone was indifferent, but he could tell that she was teasing him.
At times like this, if you get desperate and say something back, you would be doing exactly what they want you to do.
As with the case with the text sent every year before Christmas, Touko's intentions and feelings were often conveyed through her actions.
When Asahi decided on a career path, it was Touko who was the first one to encourage him, and when he started living alone, she gave him a strong and gentle hug when they parted.
For celebrations such as birthdays and passing high school entrance exams, she would make a gorgeous cake by hand every time and never failed to prepare a gift.
It was hard to understand, but it was also easy to understand.
To a stranger, she may appear to be a person to whom described as scary, harsh, and cold-hearted.
However, the cold expression on her face and the sound of her voice were filled with a certain emotion.
If you spend a lot of time with her as a family, or if you were close to them as a friend or colleague, you would naturally notice it.
"DId you not like being thought of as a lover of Asahi, Fuyuka-chan?"
"Eh..? You're asking me...? Ah, me and Asahi-kun... that's..."
"Hey, don't tease her."
"Even so, if it's bothering Fuyuka-chan, then I'll have to apologize."
If she were that attentive, she would have given Kazuaki accurate information from the beginning.
That the relationship between Kagami Asahi and Himuro Fuyuka was that of friends.
"What do you think, Fuyuka-chan?"
"You don't have to answer, you know?"
Asahi followed up with Touko, who urged her to answer.
Then there was a short pause, and finally Fuyuka, who had been silent, finally spoke in a small voice with her head down.
"I don't hate it..."
"Oh, isn't that great, Asahi?"
"Why are you looking at me...?"
In the end, Touko just wanted to tease her son, whom she hadn't seen since summer vacation.
Asahi thought he must not be conscious of Fuyuka's words.
In the first place, no one would clearly say they hate it.
"Like I said in my text, we're just friends. Right, Fuyuka?"
"Ah, yes, that's right..."
There was a strange pause in her words as he urged her to agree with him.
"That's right...", saying that, was enough but what was she going to say after?
"...Asahi-kun is a dear friend... of mine..."
Asahi looked at Fuyuka, who slowly raised her head, muttering in a broken voice.
Shortly after, they turned away from each other.
"Are you two really friends?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"You call each other by first names."
"Cause we're friends."
"Your face is red."
"...That's just you."
Somehow avoiding the onslaught of his mother, who was just ahead of him when he looked away, Asahi turned his gaze back to the window.
Asahi glanced to the side, he saw that Fuyuka was also staring at the window glass.
Her skin, as pure white as a snowfield, was dyed the same color as him.
Yet her profile was still very beautiful and very adorable.
It was as beautiful as a painting combined with the night view shining beyond the translucent border.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔