CM Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Another Accident

Chapter 2, Part 5.1

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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Before noon the next day, Minato left the house with Ogiwara.

Ogiwara insisted on going to get the car, but Minato declined, saying it wasn’t necessary. As a result, the two of them walked side by side to the station. From there, they took the train three stops to a busy shopping district.

It was a beautiful day with no sign of cloudiness. Looking out the train window, Minato noticed patches of pale pink scattered around the train station and town buildings. He realized that the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Seeing this, they decided to have lunch outdoors. They went to a park known for its cherry blossoms and spread out a lunchbox they had bought from a nearby deli. Though it was still a bit chilly, the sight of the blooming flowers and the warmth of the tea made it easy to forget the cold, and they unexpectedly enjoyed the spring weather.

Minato had expected at least a complaint, but surprisingly, Ogiwara was leisurely sipping his tea. As Minato took photos with his phone, Ogiwara spoke as if he had just remembered something.

“Minato-sensei, you’re still into photography?”

“Only when I remember, about that often,” Minato replied.

He almost called out “Ogiwara-kun” to ask if he brought his camera, but then he swallowed the words. 

Ogiwara hadn’t brought the camera that he had so casually brought into Minato’s room. In any case, it wasn’t a topic that Minato should bring up unless he was asked.

“You still don’t hang photos in your room, huh? Could you show me the photos you’ve taken sometime?”

“Maybe someday,” Minato responded lightly.

Perhaps because of his dismissive answer, Ogiwara looked slightly dissatisfied. Minato pretended not to notice and cleaned up the trash before retracing their steps.

It seemed like Ogiwara was genuinely intent on accompanying Minato, as he never once asked where they were going. Instead, his gaze was constantly following Minato. It made Minato feel uneasy.

After thoroughly enjoying a special exhibition at a museum and shopping at a bookstore and stationery shop, it was already close to six in the evening. Amid the complex shadows cast by streetlights, neon, and car headlights, they climbed the pedestrian bridge that would take them to the station.

It was crowded, particularly because it was a weekday and the time when people were heading home. As they crossed the six-lane road on the pedestrian bridge, Minato looked up at Ogiwara, who was walking beside him.

“How about dinner? Do you want to eat before heading home?”

No matter what was said, the fact remained that Minato had invited Ogiwara to accompany him. Although it was Ogiwara who had suggested it, he was also the one carrying all the shopping bags. At the very least, Minato thought he should treat him to dinner or at least a drink.

It was with that in mind that he spoke, but Ogiwara smiled happily. It was the first full smile Minato had seen since they had reunited, and for a moment, he was so caught off guard that he almost lost his footing while descending the long stairs amidst the crowd.

“Yeah, we should take the opportunity.”

“…How about we go to the underground food court at the station? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“What do you want to eat, Minato-sensei?”

“No, I’m asking you what you want to eat.”

Ogiwara, still smiling warmly, seemed genuinely pleased. The carefree expression he hadn’t shown in ten years was so captivating that Minato couldn’t look away. And that’s when he realized it.

It was too late to shout out the warning. When Minato saw a shadow suddenly falling from the top of the stairs, heading straight for Ogiwara, he shoved the taller man beside him out of the way. In the next instant, the shadow collided with Minato’s side.

He lost all sense of balance, and his body tilted slowly. A moment later, his vision spun wildly, his body bouncing with each turn, each one sending a shock through him.

It felt like it lasted a long time, but also as if it was over in an instant. When Minato finally came to, he was curled up at the bottom of the stairs.

He looked up at the sound of his name being called. His head throbbed painfully, and his vision was blurry. Despite this, he could clearly see Ogiwara, panic-stricken, pushing his way through the crowd and rushing down the stairs toward him.

He realized then that Ogiwara was safe. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had been able to intervene in time, but the worry that he might have caused someone else to be caught up in the accident crossed his mind.

Minato took shallow breaths and slowly scanned his surroundings. As he turned his head, a sharp, heavy pain shot through the back of his head.

“Minato-sensei!” Ogiwara’s voice was the last thing Minato heard before his vision darkened and he lost consciousness.

***

The truth of the accident was that a businessman, returning from a business trip, had dropped his suitcase at the top of the stairs leading from the pedestrian bridge to the west exit of the station.

The shadow of people on the path of the suitcase, which had bounced down the stairs, was few, and most had noticed it and avoided it. Minato, who had pushed Ogiwara out of the way, ended up standing in the path of the suitcase due to the force, and he was hit directly, eventually rolling down the remaining half of the stairs. Although no one else was caught up in it, he took the full impact of the stairs and asphalt. There were others who tripped while avoiding it, suffering bruises and scratches, but Minato was reported to be the most seriously injured.

Minato was told this explanation while lying in a corner of the emergency treatment room at the hospital where he had been brought. After answering questions following the police officer’s explanation, he was released around 9 PM.

The diagnosis was a sprained ankle, various bruises and abrasions, and a concussion. The results from the X-rays showed no particular problems. However, the sprain was rather severe, and he was told to wear a bandage for about ten days and use crutches. Considering that he had lost consciousness for a while after hitting his head, he was also warned to seek medical attention immediately if he felt any unusual symptoms.

“…Should I go home?” He voiced his decision, then swung his legs off the bed. A nurse, noticing, brought over a chair to make it easier for him to put on his shoes and handed him a set of crutches.

He thanked her politely and left the treatment room. Since the main entrance was already closed, he made his way to the designated night entrance as instructed.

Perhaps because it was a relatively large hospital, there were figures in the waiting room sofas in front of the general reception, which had dimmed the lights. Some people were lying down, probably to take a nap, and Minato thought it must be hard for those who had come as companions. Beyond the sofas, the window was completely covered in darkness, but he felt relieved when he saw the lights of cars waiting at the taxi stand outside.

Ogiwara, who had accompanied him in the ambulance, had been sent home during the tests. Minato had anticipated that the head examination would take a while, so it had been easier to send Ogiwara ahead.

Minato felt guilty. It was probably an important holiday for Ogiwara as well, and yet after spending half the day with Minato, the evening ended with no dinner.

“…Minato-sensei.”

Just as he sighed, someone called his name, and he was startled. He recognized the tall figure approaching from one of the sofas in the waiting room, and the tension in his shoulders loosened.

“Ogiwara-kun? What are you doing here?”

“I came to pick you up. It would be tough for you to go home alone with your leg like that.”

“No, it’s fine. I was going to take a taxi anyway.”

At Minato’s response, Ogiwara exhaled with a complex expression. Then he spoke again, seemingly trying to regain his composure.

“I’ll take you home. I brought the car.”

“Huh? Why would you do that?”

Minato asked without thinking, and Ogiwara raised an eyebrow in response.

“Minato-sensei got hurt because you were protecting me. So it’s only natural that I drive you around.”

“………..I think it’s my own fault, though. If it were you, Ogiwara-kun, you could’ve easily avoided that much on your own.”

The way Ogiwara said “sensei” afterward caught Minato’s attention, and he hurriedly added, “Even though I got hurt, it was just a sprained ankle and some bruises, and I caused trouble with a concussion. You shouldn’t have done something so out of the ordinary.”

“That’s…”

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*Translator’s Note: Heh! Now ya feel guilty??? Ptooey! -K

Next update: 2026.08.30

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