CM Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – A Friend to Confide in

Chapter 1, Part 4.2

Novel Title: ひとりじめ (Completely Mine)

Author：椎崎 夕 (Shiizaki You)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 細川 湊 (Hosokawa Minato -MC) & 荻原 浩志 (Ogiwara Koushi -ML)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Though visibly disgruntled, Ogiwara seemed to consider the offer. After a pause, he looked up and grabbed Minato’s wrist.

“On one condition: when I’m discharged, take me to your apartment.”

“Sure, but it’s just an ordinary apartment, you know? Like I said, it’s on the third floor with no elevator… Will you be okay with the stairs?”

Now that Minato thinks about it, Ogiwara said the same thing back when he used to drive him around before his hospitalization. At that time, Minato convinced him that pushing himself before the surgery wasn’t a good idea.  

“I think I’ll be fine. By the time I’m discharged, I should be able to get rid of the crutches anyway.”  

“Then I’ll invite you over once things settle down. But there’s really nothing exciting to see, so don’t expect much.”  

“It’s a promise.”  

With a friendly smile, Ogiwara let go of Minato’s wrist. As he consciously felt the lingering warmth from the touch, Minato bid him farewell and left the hospital room.  

The outpatient reception on the first floor, where the elevator stopped, seemed to have closed, but there were still many people lingering in the waiting area. As Minato glanced around, looking for someone, he immediately heard a voice call out to him.  

“Hosokawa-sensei, are you done already?”  

“Yeah. Ogiwara-kun is waiting.”  

“Thank you! Alright, let’s go!”  

Responding energetically, the young man was followed by others who politely thanked Minato as they headed toward the elevator hall in a group. As Minato watched them leave, he overheard quiet murmurs.  

“…Acting all normal, being a private tutor and all. No one else could do that, right?”  

“They call that… what was it? Shameless or something?”  

Ignoring the remarks, Minato waved back at the students who glanced back at him near the elevator. Stepping out through the main entrance, he was greeted by an unusually strong evening sunlight, making him wonder if he should have brought a hat. Thinking this, he started walking toward the station.  

The accuracy of Yumoto’s warning on the final day of his teaching practicum was proven shortly after Minato began driving Ogiwara after the accident.  

When he dropped Ogiwara off at the school gates or waited for him nearby, some students would direct hostile looks or comments at him. Most of these were either track team members who used to sweat it out with Ogiwara or female students who seemed to admire him.  

No matter what Ogiwara or his parents said, their belief that Minato was responsible for Ogiwara’s injury wouldn’t go away. And being so close to him as his private tutor made Minato painfully aware of the damage Ogiwara had suffered.  

For two days after the surgery, Ogiwara could barely sleep, and although he acted as if nothing was wrong, he couldn’t hide his pale complexion. Rehabilitation, which seemed to cause him considerable pain, was something he would need to endure for some time even after being discharged.  

Despite all that, Ogiwara’s right knee would never return to its original state. He would never compete again…  

Each time Minato faced these realities, he fell into self-loathing. Wasn’t he just being a nuisance? Claiming he wanted to help while only making things worse? After thinking about it over and over, Minato decided to do whatever Ogiwara wanted. It was the only way he knew to atone.  

Letting out a small sigh, Minato checked the time. He should make it, but he quickened his pace slightly anyway.  

***

“You’re late, Minato.”  

At the meeting place—a casual izakaya—his friend Nagashima Eisuke was already there. The table was lined with various dishes, and Nagashima’s beer mug was already half empty.  

“The meeting time is 7:30. It’s only 7:15 now.”  

“I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes.”  

Nagashima’s deadpan reasoning made Minato chuckle as he sat at the table, which was more than half-covered with dishes. After ordering a drink from the server dressed in a traditional happi coat, he looked over the plates and sighed.  

“It’s all fried chicken, tempura, and cutlets. What else did you order?”  

“My fuel is oil. This is enough.”  

“I keep telling you that’s bad for your health. I’ll tell Yoshiharu-kun about this.”  

“His fuel is sugar. He has no right to complain.”  

Yoshiharu was Nagashima’s boyfriend, a man as his name suggested.  

Openly declaring his preference for the same sex even in college, Nagashima was the same year as Minato but in a different department. What they had in common was being in the photography club, though Minato, who regularly attended club activities since enrolling, was the opposite of Nagashima, a ghost member who showed up only on a whim.  

At first, they merely recognized each other as fellow club members. Their relationship changed after Minato’s heartbreak.  

Realizing he had fallen in love for the first time, only to be rejected—and by another man—Minato couldn’t process it alone or confide in anyone. That’s when Nagashima suddenly spoke to him.  

“That senior? Total womanizer. Guys are a no-go for him. Also, you’re better off not bothering—he’s definitely not a good match for you.”  

That was the first thing Nagashima ever said to Minato, making it clear that he wasn’t one for sugarcoating. Still, it was effective in helping Minato avoid false hopes.  

Once Minato’s drinks arrived, they toasted casually. Although they’d bumped into each other on campus a few times, it had been a while since they sat down to talk like this, and even just catching up filled their conversation.  

“By the way, Minato, how’s the teacher licensing exam going?”  

“The results come out this weekend. If I pass, the second round is at the end of the month.”  

“And if you pass, you’ll become a teacher back home?”  

To take the prefectural teacher certification exam, Minato chose his hometown, which was over two hours away by bullet train. He hoped to work at the same school as his mentor.  

“If you fail, you’ll take that full-time offer at your current tutoring job? They’ve been asking for a while, haven’t they?”  

Nagashima’s casual mention of failure made Minato correct him.  

“Before that, I’ll look into private school openings. I don’t mind tutoring at cram schools, but I’d prefer teaching at a regular school.”  

“Well, everyone has their strengths. Speaking of, how’s Ogiwara-kun doing?”  

The direct question made Minato unconsciously straighten his back. Nagashima was the only person outside the high school and its related parties who knew Minato had been at the scene of the accident.  

Shortly after the teaching practicum ended, Nagashima had pressed him over the phone until Minato admitted the truth.  

At that time, Minato had just learned the full extent of Ogiwara’s knee injury and couldn’t cope with it alone.  

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*GLOSSARY: 

Traditional happi coat:

Next update: 2026.08.07

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