Miss Lucia from the staff room came to my place.

Nanako and Akari, the twin high schoolers, ran into each other there. And then, about thirty minutes later.

...We were eating dinner in the living room.

"Delicious! Way too delicious! I've never had any good-ham burger like this before!"

Lucia's eyes sparkled as she munched on the handmade hamburgers by Akari. "Heh heh, how was it?"

"Guh... what do you mean. To be beautiful and also a good cook at the same time..." Akari puffed out her chest proudly. By the way, she is sitting next to me.

Lucia and Nanako were sitting in front of us.

"Something like this is... cheating! Being able to eat such delicious food every day... isn't it like having captured Okaya's stomach!"

"Heh heh heh~. Did you notice? Lucia. Yes, providing Akarin with delicious meals every day, making your body unable to survive without my cooking - it's a highly strategic plan." "Guu! I'm annoyed..." "But it is tasty, right~?" "Grrrrrrrrr!"

...Let me tell you what happened after that.

I briefly explained the events up to today to Miss Lucia.

An old student suddenly came to my house one day.

Seemingly harboring some kind of trouble, it was explained that I had taken them in as acquaintances from the past.

I clearly explained to dispel any misconceptions, making it absolutely clear there was nothing improper about our relationship.

After that, Akari and the others took Rushia to another room.

"We're going to have a girls' private little talk." "……Yes, sir."

The twins stepped away from their seats with Rushia for about five minutes.

And when they returned... the tension had eased just a little.

As it was past seven o'clock by then, the matter resulted in us sitting down to eat dinner.

"Does Rushia not cook at all?"

Akari brought over a second serving of hamburger steak and placed it in front of Nanako.

Her older sister was happily munching on her third piece of hamburger, looking quite content.

"Oh. I am not much for cooking, you see..."

"……Mmph-mmph, mmmph! Mmph-ggh!"

“Sis, you can’t talk with food in your mouth, dummy.”

Akari, exasperated, wiped the corners of Nana’s mouth.

“I’m... bad at cooking too, Rusia-chan~ We’re kindred spirits~ ♡”

Nana wore a fluffy, soft smile. “Kindred...”

Rusia stared fixedly at Nana.

“Hmm... I suppose that is so. Nana is part of the team!” Rusia also smiled back at her sister.

Ever since whatever “Secret Meeting” had taken place, Rusia’s wariness toward her twins seemed to be fading. “Hey hey, what about me~?”

“Yeah yeah,” Akari raised her hand in a gesture of acknowledgment.

Rusia glared at her, voice flat. “You are... a formidable enemy.” “Oh? Meaning?”

“Right now, you’re the biggest threat I have. What with those massive tits, your flawless face, your consideration for others, and how delicious your cooking is, not to mention the fact that we live together? What kind of unfair advantage is that!?”

Rusia puffed up in a huff of anger, but on the other hand, Akari turned her face away, cheeks flushing red.

“F-Fine... thanks for the compliment.”

Akari twirled a strand of hair around her finger. That was her habit when she got shy.
"It's, it's not like I'm complimenting you, okay!"

Lusia, also Lusia, blushed and turned away in embarrassment.

"...You two are really close, aren't you? ♡" "Wh—What do you mean by that!?" "But you are close, aren't you?"

I watched the three of them interact from my seat while eating.

"Garin? You're silent all of a sudden, what's wrong?"

"Nah, it'd be bad to interrupt when you guys are having fun, right? I'm just glad you made friends, y'know, Lusia?" "F-Friends...?" She stared fixedly at the twins.

"Is that not how it is? It seemed like you two got along quite well to me."

Lusia asked the two of them timidly. "Uh, that is... um..." "Huh?"

"...We, well..."

Lusia fumbled her words. Ah, she wanted to check.

"Akari, Nanako. Will you be Lusia's friends?" "S-Silly!"

I knew this girl carried a profound, deep-seated loneliness. The first time I met Lusia was when she was in her third year of middle school. From then on, over the course of three years, I had held countless meetings and exchanged many words with her.

What I picked up from all that was the fact that she didn’t seem to have any real friends. The reason… I didn’t know. She’d never brought up the topic of friends, nor had she ever mentioned anything about school. I even once proposed that she write a light novel set in an academy, but she turned it down. I thought this was a great opportunity.

However things looked on the surface, I had managed to get to know a girl close to my age deeply. "Huh? Friends?" "...What are you talking about?" The twins gave me a blank stare.

Lusia pressed her hand to her chest as if hurt.

"...Yeah, I guess so. With someone like me... friends..." "We're already friends, ya know."

"...You don't have to say that now, but you are my friend, right?"

Hearing the two of them reply, Lusia stared blankly... in bewilderment. "...Huh?"

"Not 'huh'. We're rivals for the same guy, sure, but mmm, that's that and this is this, right?"

Akari said this with her hands clasped behind her head.

On the other hand, Lusia spoke, looking confused. "I-I don't really get it..."

"Ugh, for stuff like this, it's all about feeling, yeah? Feels. I don't hate you at all."

"...Me neither! Let's be buddies, Lusia-chan ♡"

Nanako, sitting next to me, reached out her hand. "…………"

Her hand, which Risia was holding, hesitated, uncertain whether to grasp it firmly.

"I, I... okay... wh-what am I supposed to do?" She looked at me with anxiety. This girl was afraid.

Was it really alright for her to simply accept the kindness of these two people?

"Risia. I think you should just follow what your heart tells you." "My... heart?"

"If you choose to reject that hand, I won't deny that choice. But if you try to live while ignoring the feelings you are feeling in your chest right now... I will stop you with everything I have."

In the twenty-nine years of my life, there wasn't a single day without regret.

Especially regarding marrying Misae; even now, I regret it.

If I hadn't married Misae back then... maybe I could have been happier.

I wish I had done that instead back then.

That is how adults think.

But... Risia was still a child with a future ahead of her.

For a child... I want them to face forward, holding the light of hope in their eyes. "What do you want to do?"

"I... want... a friend."

"Then you know what to do, right?"

Lusica takes Nanako's hand... and squeezes it.

Nanako breaks into a smile and hugs Lusica tight.

"...Lusica-chan! A friend! I'm so happy!"

"U-um... Me too... Nanako... I'm, happy."

Nanako hugs her even tighter.

Lusica's small face is completely buried against a large chest. "As expected of you, A-karin ♡" Akari says from beside us with a smile.

"Making friends for a lonely teacher like that? That's really kind of you. Is it part of the job?" "Oh, come off it." I watch Nanako and Lusica.

Lusica isn't wearing her usual stiff expression; she's smiling with the kind of warmth appropriate for her age.

"Adults want to pass on their past failures to children as lessons, you know. It has nothing to do with profit or loss." "Is that so..."

Akari looks up at me and wraps her arms around my arm in a tight embrace. "Akari?"

"It's true, marrying that damn wife might be an unsolvable stain on my past. But... Karin's allowed to look at the future, you know?" I was struck by a sudden realization.

Right. It wasn't as if only children were looking ahead, toward the future.

"Enjoy the present too!" "I see... Yeah, you're right."

For some reason, it seemed I hadn't been seeing my own situation clearly.

Just like Akari said, I was looking forward and living in the present as well.

I couldn't stay backward-looking forever... "Akari... Thanks."

"Huh? U-Yeah... W-What's wrong, Karin? Did I do something?" "No..."

This girl truly has a talent for cheering people up without even trying.

Just being around her gives me energy.

That's why I'm always grateful to her.

"I was just thinking she'll make a good wife in the future."

"W-Wow! S-So you're finally... taking Akari as your bride?"

"Don't get cocky. That's not what this is about." "Yeah, I know."

With a tun, I poke Akari’s forehead.

She smiles happily and hugs my arm.

I feel the warmth and softness of her body… and a sweet, feminine scent that is anything but childish. 「「Ah-hhhhhh!」」

Nanako and Roshia shout out loud.

The two stand up and yank Akari away from me with a beri.

"Y-you! Taking a shortcut is, f-fraudulent!" Roshia raises her voice.

"Fraudulent? You think this is a period drama? Hilarious~"

"…Ah, Akari. No. It's not okay to monopolize the teacher... That's mean!"

Nanako puffs out her cheeks childishly.

"...Roshia-chan, Akari is 'yo-oo-chuu'. If you let your guard down, she always initiates physical contact."

"I see, that is truly useful information. Thank you for providing the intel, Nanako."

"You two get along pretty well, don't you? Come on, be friends with me too~?"

With a toothy grin, Akari reached out to Lushia.

She probably wanted a handshake, just like she'd given her sister. "Hmph!" Lushia turned her head away.

But... she clasped the offered hand back, kly.

"Lushian isn't very straightforward, is she?" "Lu... Lushian...?"

"Yep. Lushian. You can call me Akarin too. Ah, but don't call Okakin 'Okakin.' That's a marital privilege."

"W-WHO are we married to! Y-You're just Oka's ward!"

"Is that really true~? Maybe you'll find yourself married before you know it~?"

Teased by Akari, Lushia blushed and trembled violently.

"...Akari. Bullyi—ng Lushia-chan..."

Nanako held Lushia in her arms and scolded her little sister.

"Sis might be forgetting, but Lushian is older than us, you know?"

「……………………I-I didn't forget, okay?」 「You did, though.」 Akari let out a chuckle.

On the other hand, Nanae spoke up, looking rather apologetic.

「...S-Sorry... Rushia-chan」

「No... it's fine. This sense of distance... feels pleasant」

Rushia looked at me and smiled, her face blooming like a flower. 「Okaay... thank you」

Compared to before, where there had been a certain stiffness and gloom in Rushia's expression... it felt as if a light had finally shone through.

「Thanks to you... I've made a friend. I'm grateful. ...I really like you」

Rushia said this to me, her cheeks turning red.

As a human being, as an adult, it makes me incredibly happy that she trusts me enough to speak so; I am equally pleased as an adult. 「Ah, that's good to hear」

「Eh... it's not getting through~...」

For some reason I couldn't fathom, Rushia slumped in disappointment.

「Rushia-n, you mustn't get down. It's a given premise that the other party is an adult and only sees us as children, after all」

"…From here on, we're going to launch full-throttle attacks and crack the Professor's stronghold. Let's give it our all, Lucía-chan!"

Looking at the two of them, Lucía nodded in affirmation.

"Let's do our best. We're not enemies; we're comrades!"

And so, the assigned writer gained a friend.

If I could accomplish this as an editor, and fulfill my duty as an adult… I thought to myself that it was truly a joy.