Chapter 19 – Winter (Part 4)
Winter, Part 4
Novel Title: ツァイガルニクの恋の沼 (Zeigarnik’s Love Swamp)
Author：月村奎著 (Tsukimura Kei)
Illustrator：志水ゆき (Shimizu Yuki)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 市川春音 (Ichikawa Harune -MC) & 二ノ宮航輝 (Ninomiya Kouki -ML)
*Please read at universalnovel.com, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“Thanks. You didn’t have to bring it over—I could’ve come and picked it up.”
Harune said this, but Kouki just stared at him, then glanced toward the futon behind him before speaking in an irritated tone.
“I noticed you hadn’t read my messages. When I came by, the shutters were still down, which is rare, and the back door was left open.”
“Oh…”
Last night, Harune had gotten caught up with Yuuichi, leaving his phone in the pocket of his coat. As for the back door, Yuuichi had probably forgotten to lock it after receiving the pizza delivery.
Looking at the clock, it was already close to nine. Although there was still time before opening, by now Harune would normally have half-opened the shutters, cleaned up, and taken care of various small tasks.
“I might’ve had a bit too much to drink last night.”
Harune tried to laugh it off, feeling slightly embarrassed. He turned to introduce Yuuichi, but just at that moment, Yuuichi finally sat up, scratching his bare chest, and said loudly, “Oh!”
“That sweater…!”
Harune’s heart sank.
Kouki was wearing the same sweater Harune had knitted. Harune had lied to him, claiming it was a sample that had been returned. But to the designer’s eye, it was obvious that this wasn’t a sample—the size was completely different, and the cuffs and hem featured a border pattern knitted with different yarn.
If Yuuichi pointed out that Harune had knitted it specifically for Kouki, it would be mortifying. More importantly, Kouki would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Panicked, Harune rushed back toward Yuuichi to stop him from speaking further. But in his haste, he tripped over Yuuichi’s legs, which were still hidden under the futon, and ended up falling on top of him.
“Ouch! You’re pretty rough this morning, Harune.”
Yuuichi grinned and teased him. Harune quickly put his finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh! Quiet!”
“Huh?”
“Just don’t say anything, okay?”
As they whispered back and forth, trying not to be overheard by Kouki, Kouki muttered something under his breath. “Sorry for bothering you.” He sounded annoyed and he swiftly walked out.
Yuuichi, hearing the sliding door to the back entrance slam shut, asked, “Wait, was that the first love you told me about?”
Yuuichi peered into Harune’s face, sensing from his silence that it was a yes.
“He totally got the wrong idea, didn’t he?”
“Huh?”
“Well, whispering to keep me quiet while we’re in this kind of position.”
Yuuichi pointed at his bare chest and then gestured toward the futon behind them.
“Uh… ah… what?”
Harune finally realised the situation.
He had been so focused on hiding the truth about the sweater that he hadn’t noticed how suspicious the scene must have looked.
Yuuichi sneezed as he started putting his discarded clothes back on, and Harune stared at him in confusion.
“You were supposed to be sleeping in the kotatsu. How did you end up in the futon?”
“Well, I woke up because it got too hot in the kotatsu. I took off my clothes, but then when I dozed off on the tatami, I got cold, so I instinctively moved toward a warm body.”
Yuuichi laughed lightly, but it wasn’t funny. If a stranger had seen them, it could be brushed off as a joke. But Kouki knew about Harune’s sexual orientation.
Harune was about to rush after Kouki to clear up the misunderstanding but stopped at the back door.
Even if I explain it, what would change?
It was a big deal to Harune, but to Kouki, whether his gay childhood friend had been fooling around with someone in the same futon or it was just a friend… it probably didn’t matter at all.
Then Harune noticed a bag on the floor near the door. Inside were rice balls wrapped in plastic wrap. Kouki must have made them, as usual, to drop off as an extra.
Fully dressed now, Yuuichi peered into the bag that Harune had placed on the kotatsu table, his curiosity piqued.
“Oh, what’s this? Is it breakfast? Mind if I have some?”
“You’re energetic this morning. No hangover?”
“None at all. I feel great.”
Yuuichi unwrapped one of the rice balls, took a bite, and closed his eyes.
“Wow! This is amazing! Is it filled with beef shigureni and tamagoyaki? So fancy.”
Harune couldn’t help but feel a little happy when Yuuichi praised Kouki’s cooking skills. But remembering Kouki’s cold expression from earlier made his mood sink all over again.
Harune knew well that Kouki wasn’t comfortable with his sexual orientation. That had been the reason for their falling out in the first place.
Since they had reconnected, Kouki had never brought it up. Harune had felt relieved, thinking maybe Kouki had moved past it. But in that brief moment, everything seemed to have fallen apart again.
“Come on, it’s delicious. You should eat too,” Yuuichi said, offering another rice ball to Harune.
The familiar taste of Kouki’s rice balls somehow felt saltier than usual.
The uneasy feeling in Harune’s chest—was it from the hangover or from what had just happened?
As he pondered this, Harune went to open the store’s shutters.
He turned on the lights and switched on the fan heater when Yuuichi came out from the back room, looking excited.
“Whoa! This place is amazing! It’s like a dream! A fusion of Showa and Reiwa eras!”
Yuuichi wandered around the small shop, marvelling at everything. “Oh, this brings back memories. Latch hook kits! And did you make this shelf by hand?”
Hearing Yuuichi praise his beloved store eased the tension in Harune’s chest, if only a little.
“As thanks for letting me crash here, how about I work as a clerk for the day?”
“You’re the one who paid for the pizza last night, even though there wasn’t enough bedding for you. I can’t let you repay me.”
“Then how about as an apology for making your handsome childhood friend misunderstand?”
With that one remark, all the tension Harune had just managed to shake off came flooding back.
“…Fine. Then today’s goal is to make a hundred thousand yen in sales.”
“Whoa, whoa, no impossible demands, please!”
“Then just clean the front windows.”
When Harune handed him a bucket and a rag, Yuuichi pulled his hands behind his back.
“No way! It’s way too cold for that. Give me an easier task that anyone can do.”
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*Translator’s Note: Not a love rival, but enough to raise jealousy. Hahaha. -K
*GLOSSARY:
☝🏻Shigureni
☝🏻Tamagoyaki
Showa Era (1926-1989) – The period of time in Japan during World War II, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, postwar Japan, and the rapid economic growth of the country from the 1950s through the 1980s under the reign of Hirohito emperor.
Reiwa Era (2019-current) – Under the reign of Naruhito emperor which is still going on now.
Illustration 6:
Next update: 2026.06.25
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