Oomi
“Please don’t be so down.”
I was trying to comfort Aochi-san in the dining room.
“Ah, sorry. I kind of lost myself for a second. I’m good now.”
“Yeah, don’t worry. The bird will come back, for sure.”
Oze-san chimed in with a clear, firm tone.
Beside Oze-san, Mamoru-kun was nodding along—“Yeah, yeah.” And next to Mamoru-kun was—
“Isn’t that a lot of food? Oh, right.”
Aochi-san seemed to figure it out halfway through asking and looked at Oze-san with a gentle expression.
—Right. She’s here now. The “aunt” Oze-san had mentioned earlier.
She wasn’t as “aunt-like” as I’d imagined. Then again, Oze-san’s middle school days were nearly twenty years ago. Of course, she’d only looked like an “aunt” through the eyes of a kid. Now, honestly, they looked like a good match.
—If only that were actually the case. Oze-san is clearly in love with her. No matter how he tries to deny it, there’s no mistaking it. The woman herself doesn’t say much; even when Oze-san speaks to her, only the bare minimum slips from those well-shaped lips. Still, Oze-san looks so happy it’s almost painful.
But the problem is—she’s clearly into Aochi-san.
She’s been glancing at him the whole time. When he speaks, her cool eyes light up like a favorite song just came on.
If only Aochi-san could see the dead... He has no idea what’s going on and just stands there, completely open and unguarded. That’s the worst part—it just makes her like him more.
At this rate, all three of them—Oze-san, the woman, and Aochi-san—are heading straight for a mess. I have no idea how to act here. The only silver lining is that Oze-san hasn’t noticed her feelings yet. But it’s only a matter of time.
“I’m glad you got to see her again.”
“Yeah... But, I wonder if it’s rude to keep calling her ‘aunt.’ She’s not really that much older than me.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Oze-san blushed slightly in response to Aochi-san’s completely oblivious comment.
Honestly, can’t Oze-san just die already and go live as a family with her and Mamoru-kun? No, wait—that’d probably just lead to a bigger mess. Didn’t she have a husband? Is he still alive? Why isn’t she with him?
This really isn’t the kind of atmosphere where I can ask something like that. Better to stick to neutral, harmless topics.
“You’re right. ‘Aunt’ might be a bit rude. What’s your name?”
“Kaori.”
Even though she looked awkward facing Aochi-san, she answered me with a natural smile.
Which means—she feels nothing for me.
Her face had a cold elegance, but when she smiled, it made her seem even more kind. I’d assumed she was a bit harsh, but I felt relieved to be wrong.
“Then I’ll call you Kaori-san from now on. Kaori-san, how did you and Mamoru-kun end up on this ship?”
I was practically playing the role of host—but it was necessary. Oze-san was too shy and quiet, and Aochi-san couldn’t even see the dead. Getting a conversation going between them was near impossible.
“I’m not really sure,” she said. “I don’t remember where I was before I came here... Maybe it’s because he—Oze-kun—remembered me. I didn’t expect him to. I thought he’d forgotten long ago. But I remembered.”
Thank god. Kaori-san even speaks to someone younger like me with clear, respectful speech. I can’t stand women who talk like babyish adults—it gives me a headache—but she doesn’t seem like that type. I might survive this.
Oze-san really has good taste. Kaori-san should just give up on the completely oblivious Aochi-san and wait for Oze-san to die. At the rate he’s eating all those sweets, it probably won’t be a long wait...
I almost said that out loud.
“What’s wrong? What did Kaori-san say just now?” Aochi-san asked.
Please, just stop talking. She lit up just from hearing you say her name.
“It’s nothing. After lunch, could I stop by your room for a bit? I wanted to talk about the project stuff.”
“You’re talking about work even way out here? Damn, you’re dedicated.”
I needed to talk to him alone.
“You two are such workaholics,” Oze-san said. “I’ll just... hang out with Mamoru and... Kaori-san, reminisce a little.”
Hang in there, Oze-san. I’m rooting for you.
“Even the dead eat meals, huh. Oh—sorry. I’ve seen a lot of dead people since I was a kid, but this is the first time I’ve seen one eating.”
“We don’t know why we get hungry either,” she replied.
So calm, yet eating like it’s nothing. That quiet, mysterious vibe really does suit Oze-san.
“That’s not good. That’s really not good.”
Aochi-san dropped onto the bed and buried his head in his hands. This was worse than I thought—he was genuinely shaken.
“Please, calm down. If you’re not interested, just act like it. But... don’t be cold either. That’ll only make Oze-san upset.”
“What do you expect me to do? I can’t see her, can’t feel her, can’t even talk to her. No matter how I act, it’s going to look like I’m ignoring her.”
“You’re right. Honestly, as long as you don’t say anything like ‘ghosts are scary’ or ‘gross,’ that’s good enough. Oh—but Mamoru-kun’s watching, so please don’t do anything uncool, okay?”
Aochi-san sighed deeply.
“How does that kid even see me?”
“He probably thinks you’re some kind of hero. Please don’t shatter that dream with anything too pathetic.”
“You’re all so selfish…”
After a long pause, Aochi-san looked up at me, his expression serious.
“Hey, don’t laugh, okay? There’s something I’ve been thinking about… ever since we got here.”
I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say. I swallowed without meaning to.
“What if... the three of us are already dead?”