Chapter 3 – Summer (Part 3)
Summer, Part 3
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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Thinking about replacing the chair, Harune had looked around at Ninomiya Furniture Store and browsed various options online. Although there were plenty of affordable choices, the kind of furniture Harune wanted came with a hefty price tag.
Maybe this isn’t the time to be saying it’s about fulfilment rather than income.
Perhaps that’s why his sister, Natsuno, had opposed his decision to return home and start this business, saying he wasn’t suited for it.
“You can’t run a business just on nostalgia and fun.”
She was absolutely right.
At the same time, Harune couldn’t imagine spending his life doing something unenjoyable, even if it meant financial security. He would rather struggle financially while doing something he loved. Maybe that’s what made him so naive.
***
True to his word, Kouki wandered back into the shop that evening.
Harune had just finished a workshop and was about to close up.
The evening classes he held irregularly for customers coming from work were always quite popular. Popular in the sense that if five people showed up, that was a good turnout. Like during the day, everyone brought their own projects, and it felt more like a knitting circle than a formal class. But Harune enjoyed the time spent surrounded by knitting enthusiasts of all ages.
However, since Harune managed the store all by himself, by the time closing came around, he was thoroughly exhausted.
As he was eating a roast beef sandwich—rudely while tallying up the register—Kouki walked in, frowning.
“You’re only eating that now?”
“I was busy all day. I bet you were thinking I’m too poor to afford free time, huh?”
“We’re in the same boat.”
He laughed, the same warm and friendly expression he’d had since they were kids.
As Harune found his gaze caught on the glimpse of Kouki’s white teeth showing through his slightly upturned lips, Kouki’s eyes landed on the stool lying on its side by the register.
“What’s this?”
“It’s finally given out. I really liked that chair, though.”
Kouki casually flipped the stool over.
“I can fix this. Mind if I take it with me?”
“Really? That would be a big help. But it won’t cost a fortune to repair, will it?”
“We’ll see,” Kouki said with a sly grin. He then lifted the eco-bag dangling from his hand.
“Soumen noodles. Want some?”
“Definitely!”
“I’m borrowing the kitchen.”
As usual, Kouki walked toward the back as if he were completely at home, while Harune followed him, still chewing his sandwich.
The back of the store had a small kitchen, bathroom, and two adjoining rooms: one was of the size of six tatami mats while the other was four and a half.
The four-and-a-half tatami mats sized room was packed with store inventory and other items, so Harune’s living space was confined to the six-tatami mats sized room.
Kouki filled an aluminium pot with water and put it on the stove. He then pulled out eggplants and bell peppers from the eco-bag.
“Stir-fry with miso or tempura, which do you want?”
“Tempura!”
“Got it.”
He placed a frying pan on the other burner, poured in a shallow layer of salad oil, and turned on the heat.
From the fridge, Kouki took out a tempura batter mix—something he’d bought the last time—and roughly mixed it. He dipped the cut vegetables into the batter and dropped them into the hot oil.
“Impressive.”
Leaning in from the narrow kitchen doorway, Harune said admiringly.
“What’s impressive?” Kouki asked, turning around while grating ginger.
“Tempura. It’s like the hardest dish to make.”
Kouki furrowed his thick brows in confusion.
“What’s hard about it? You just cut and throw it in oil. You don’t even need seasoning—it’s super easy.”
Harune lost his mother before he could remember, and he had grown up in a father-son household. His father, always busy with work, was terrible at housework, especially cooking. He struggled even with the most basic tasks, which naturally fell to Harune’s older sister, Natsuno, who did it reluctantly.
Eventually, Harune started helping too. But the idea that cooking was a tedious chore had already been ingrained in him.
Watching Kouki hum while effortlessly cooking was truly impressive.
As Harune stared at him with admiration, Kouki turned and asked something completely unrelated.
“Is knitting fun?”
“Uh…”
Harune tensed up for a moment, recalling how Kouki had teased him as a child, saying, “That’s an old lady’s hobby.” Given their past, Harune couldn’t shake the feeling that Kouki had opinions about his other interests too, not just knitting.
Thinking he was being mocked for his hobby and work, Harune’s tone turned a little sharp.
“…It’s fun. Got a problem with that?”
“No, not at all. It’s the same for me.”
“The same?”
“I’ve never knitted before, and I don’t have any desire to. So when I see you working your fingers like magic, knitting something so intricate, I think it’s amazing how you can do such a detailed and tedious task. But you enjoy it, right?”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
“I feel the same way about cooking and woodworking. I don’t find it difficult at all. In fact, it’s a great way to unwind.”
Kouki pulled out the fish grill, placing the crispy tempura on the rack to cool.
Harune’s frown eased. Now it made sense.
Knitting was fun. No matter how complicated the pattern, he had never found it tedious. Even when he was a pattern-maker, it was exciting to fulfil the designers’ tricky requests. Designing and testing crochet motifs for branded knitwear was so much fun that he’d lose track of time.
Harune had always assumed housework was something everyone did begrudgingly, but now he realised that some people found as much joy in it as he did in knitting. People’s hobbies and preferences were truly diverse.
As Harune pondered this, the water in the pot began to boil. Kouki untied the somen noodles and dropped them into the pot, lifting the last piece of eggplant from the oil.
“Need any help?”
Kouki, fully aware that Harune had no cooking skills, gave a wry smile at the belated offer.
“How about diluting the dipping sauce?”
“Ugh, can I even handle something that complicated?”
Harune responded with mock seriousness as he walked to the fridge to fetch the dipping sauce.
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*Translator’s Note:
In Japan, rooms are traditionally measured by the number of tatami mats because tatami has long been a standard flooring material in Japanese homes. A tatami mat has a standardised size, approximately 0.9 metres by 1.8 metres (varying slightly by region), making it a practical unit of measurement for room dimensions. This method dates back to the Edo period (1603–1868), when rooms were often designed around the size and layout of tatami mats.
Since tatami mats were a key part of Japanese architecture and culture, counting rooms by the number of mats became a cultural norm, which persists even today. It’s a convenient and visual way to describe the size of a room, as the number of tatami mats gives a direct sense of the space’s layout and proportions. For example, a ‘6-tatami’ room gives an immediate idea of the room’s size and function.
***
Kouki: I feel the same way about cooking and woodworking. I don’t find it difficult at all. In fact, it’s a great way to unwind.
~not me thinking Kouki is selling himself here… Lol!~ -K
☝🏻Soumen noodles
Next update: 2026.06.09
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