Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/10/01
Aira watches Usami Koneko's live stream as she eats the macarons that Ema bought for her.
Since they are from a high-end store and taste exquisite, she savors the macarons one by one.
As she sips her tea, she can't help but raise an eyebrow at Koneko's words.
"The high school girl living with me really is like a Pomeranian."
She's comparing Aira to a dog again.
Aira knows that Pomeranians are small and fluffy from their looks, but she doesn't know much about their characteristics besides that.
"Let me look that up..."
After typing in "Pomeranian" and "characteristics," numerous sites come up.
When she opens the third site from the top, she notices "difficult" in the related words.
Wondering why, she clicks and sees "Raising a Pomeranian is actually quite difficult" written on the top of the site.
"Eh..."
The site contained a list of important points for raising Pomeranians.
Pomeranians are extremely wary, stubborn, and willful. In addition, they are needy and demand constant attention.
"Am I needy...?"
1
Aira sees how the other characteristics may apply to her.
She has often been told that she's wary and stubborn and she's usually not one to bend her will.
She scrolls further down and sees, "They are extremely loyal. They bark loudly to protect their owner."
She still doesn't quite get it.
Is the comparison a compliment or an insult?
"Am I that loud...?"
She never meant to "bark loudly", but perhaps that's how Ema sees a kid like her.
Pouting her cheeks, Usami Koneko's next words make her heart jump in excitement.
"Well, anyway, she's insanely cute."
Aira feels so happy that her cheeks break into a grin.
She has mixed feelings about being called a Pomeranian, but now she just got called cute.
Just being called cute by the person she loves makes her want to forgive her.
Perhaps falling in love has made Aira too simple.
Ever since becoming aware of her feelings for Ema, things she never minded before now make her chest pound.
She becomes nervous just at the mere sight of Ema wearing her camisole after taking a bath so she can't look at her directly when that happens. The rare times that Ema cooks for her makes Aira unbelievably happy.
Ema is homosexual, so surely her chances aren't zero.
However, Ema's heart belongs to Tsuyama Megumi.
Even setting that aside, Aira is just a kid still in high school.
She wants Ema to look at her, but there are still many obstacles that must be overcome before that ever happens.
She's sitting on a sofa reading a book before bedtime when Ema calls for her.
"Aira."
With her face slowly getting closer, Aira instinctively puckers her lips.
Whenever Ema's mouth gets restless, she always requests a kiss from Aira without a thought for how Aira feels.
Now aware of her feelings, every time their lips touched, Aira's heart would beat so loudly that she wondered if it would explode.
"Are... are we going to do it...?"
"I really want a cigarette right now."
Ema tilts Aira's chin up and gently takes her lips.
Aira opens her mouth a little, but today Ema doesn't stick her tongue in and it's merely a kiss where their lips touch.
Still, just their lips touching is enough to make Aira's cheeks red since the one she's doing it with is Ema.
"Do you really want to smoke that much?"
"Well... I became dependent on them."
"...In that case, depend on me instead."
The moment Aira whispers those words in an almost inaudible voice, Ema hugs her.
With Aira's cheeks touching Ema's chest, Aira's heart begins to beat even louder.
"...You're so cute, Aira."
Aira feels so happy hearing that from the person she loves, and yet...
At the same time, her heart groans in pain.
No matter how much the person she loves calls her cute, the one in Ema's heart is not Aira but a different person.
"...Ema, what kind of person is your first love?"
"Where did that suddenly come from?"
"I just wanted to know..."
"She was my teacher from middle school... she was so kind... Tsuyama-sensei."
At the word teacher, Aira's eyes widen in astonishment.
Tsuyama Megumi was Ema's middle school teacher.
Ema still has feelings for her first love even now.
Aira wonders if she can truly compete with someone like that. For once, Aira isn't feeling so confident.
Despite it being lunchtime, Aira left her circle of friends to go to the back of the school building where there are fewer people around.
While in the middle of eating her bento, she receives a call from Ema's mother, Yuuko.
Yuuko is her mother's younger sister, making her Aira's aunt.
They both have each other's number, but they rarely call each other.
"Hello?"
"Aira-chan, it's been a while. How have you been?"
"I'm doing well. How about you, auntie?"
"Same here... Have you been getting along with Ema?"
The worried tone leaking out makes Aira remember something.
When she asked Ema why she stopped coming to family gatherings, she answered, "Guilt."
"...Yes, we've been getting along great."
"I see... Ever since she moved to Tokyo, she hasn't visited home once... Has she said anything about that to you, Aira-chan?"
Yuuko must have her own thoughts about her daughter not coming home at all.
Things like did she do something or did she come to hate her?
It's natural for a mother to worry over things like that.
She might not know how to treat her now adult 23-year-old daughter.
Aira chooses her next words carefully.
"She said... life in Tokyo is too much fun. That's why she completely forgot about visiting home... but she said that she really loves Auntie Yuuko, Momo-chan... and uncle."
"I see..."
Aira hears a sniffle from across the phone.
Her voice is trembling slightly.
"That's why it's okay... Ema hasn't come to dislike any of you."
"...Thank you."
After ending the call, Aira breathes in some fresh air.
Despite having a good relationship with her family, Ema's guilt binds her and prevents her from returning home.
Ema carries a guilt that makes her ashamed to show her face to her own family.
What exactly happened?
What kind of life has she led over the past five years?
Since Ema is the one Aira has feelings for, she wants to step in.
Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/10/01
Aira watches Usami Koneko's live stream as she eats the macarons that Ema bought for her.
Since they are from a high-end store and taste exquisite, she savors the macarons one by one.
As she sips her tea, she can't help but raise an eyebrow at Koneko's words.
"The high school girl living with me really is like a Pomeranian."
She's comparing Aira to a dog again.
Aira knows that Pomeranians are small and fluffy from their looks, but she doesn't know much about their characteristics besides that.
"Let me look that up..."
After typing in "Pomeranian" and "characteristics," numerous sites come up.
When she opens the third site from the top, she notices "difficult" in the related words.
Wondering why, she clicks and sees "Raising a Pomeranian is actually quite difficult" written on the top of the site.
"Eh..."
The site contained a list of important points for raising Pomeranians.
Pomeranians are extremely wary, stubborn, and willful. In addition, they are needy and demand constant attention.
"Am I needy...?"
1
Aira sees how the other characteristics may apply to her.
She has often been told that she's wary and stubborn and she's usually not one to bend her will.
She scrolls further down and sees, "They are extremely loyal. They bark loudly to protect their owner."
She still doesn't quite get it.
Is the comparison a compliment or an insult?
"Am I that loud...?"
She never meant to "bark loudly", but perhaps that's how Ema sees a kid like her.
Pouting her cheeks, Usami Koneko's next words make her heart jump in excitement.
"Well, anyway, she's insanely cute."
Aira feels so happy that her cheeks break into a grin.
She has mixed feelings about being called a Pomeranian, but now she just got called cute.
Just being called cute by the person she loves makes her want to forgive her.
Perhaps falling in love has made Aira too simple.
Ever since becoming aware of her feelings for Ema, things she never minded before now make her chest pound.
She becomes nervous just at the mere sight of Ema wearing her camisole after taking a bath so she can't look at her directly when that happens. The rare times that Ema cooks for her makes Aira unbelievably happy.
Ema is homosexual, so surely her chances aren't zero.
However, Ema's heart belongs to Tsuyama Megumi.
Even setting that aside, Aira is just a kid still in high school.
She wants Ema to look at her, but there are still many obstacles that must be overcome before that ever happens.
She's sitting on a sofa reading a book before bedtime when Ema calls for her.
"Aira."
With her face slowly getting closer, Aira instinctively puckers her lips.
Whenever Ema's mouth gets restless, she always requests a kiss from Aira without a thought for how Aira feels.
Now aware of her feelings, every time their lips touched, Aira's heart would beat so loudly that she wondered if it would explode.
"Are... are we going to do it...?"
"I really want a cigarette right now."
Ema tilts Aira's chin up and gently takes her lips.
Aira opens her mouth a little, but today Ema doesn't stick her tongue in and it's merely a kiss where their lips touch.
Still, just their lips touching is enough to make Aira's cheeks red since the one she's doing it with is Ema.
"Do you really want to smoke that much?"
"Well... I became dependent on them."
"...In that case, depend on me instead."
The moment Aira whispers those words in an almost inaudible voice, Ema hugs her.
With Aira's cheeks touching Ema's chest, Aira's heart begins to beat even louder.
"...You're so cute, Aira."
Aira feels so happy hearing that from the person she loves, and yet...
At the same time, her heart groans in pain.
No matter how much the person she loves calls her cute, the one in Ema's heart is not Aira but a different person.
"...Ema, what kind of person is your first love?"
"Where did that suddenly come from?"
"I just wanted to know..."
"She was my teacher from middle school... she was so kind... Tsuyama-sensei."
At the word teacher, Aira's eyes widen in astonishment.
Tsuyama Megumi was Ema's middle school teacher.
Ema still has feelings for her first love even now.
Aira wonders if she can truly compete with someone like that. For once, Aira isn't feeling so confident.
Despite it being lunchtime, Aira left her circle of friends to go to the back of the school building where there are fewer people around.
While in the middle of eating her bento, she receives a call from Ema's mother, Yuuko.
Yuuko is her mother's younger sister, making her Aira's aunt.
They both have each other's number, but they rarely call each other.
"Hello?"
"Aira-chan, it's been a while. How have you been?"
"I'm doing well. How about you, auntie?"
"Same here... Have you been getting along with Ema?"
The worried tone leaking out makes Aira remember something.
When she asked Ema why she stopped coming to family gatherings, she answered, "Guilt."
"...Yes, we've been getting along great."
"I see... Ever since she moved to Tokyo, she hasn't visited home once... Has she said anything about that to you, Aira-chan?"
Yuuko must have her own thoughts about her daughter not coming home at all.
Things like did she do something or did she come to hate her?
It's natural for a mother to worry over things like that.
She might not know how to treat her now adult 23-year-old daughter.
Aira chooses her next words carefully.
"She said... life in Tokyo is too much fun. That's why she completely forgot about visiting home... but she said that she really loves Auntie Yuuko, Momo-chan... and uncle."
"I see..."
Aira hears a sniffle from across the phone.
Her voice is trembling slightly.
"That's why it's okay... Ema hasn't come to dislike any of you."
"...Thank you."
After ending the call, Aira breathes in some fresh air.
Despite having a good relationship with her family, Ema's guilt binds her and prevents her from returning home.
Ema carries a guilt that makes her ashamed to show her face to her own family.
What exactly happened?
What kind of life has she led over the past five years?
Since Ema is the one Aira has feelings for, she wants to step in.
