CM Chapter 40

Chapter 40 – Surprise Visit

Chapter 2, Part 7.1

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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After finishing work the next day and starting to pack up to leave, Minato received an email from Yoshiharu.

―――I’m here. I’m waiting at the coffee shop across the street.

Minato couldn’t help but do a double take, wondering what it was about. He must have reacted strongly, as the English teacher sitting next to him asked, “Is something wrong?” Minato covered it up with a forced smile before quickly heading toward the door.

Despite being shy, Yoshiharu could sometimes act incredibly bold. Nagashima had been taken aback by his sudden actions more than once.

Though it was night, many of the shops on the street were still open, and the streetlights provided enough light. The coffee shop had a glass front along the street, so even from a distance, it was possible to see inside.

Breathing heavily, Minato looked for his friend whom he hadn’t seen in a while, only to be taken aback. Yoshiharu was comfortably seated at a corner table, with Koumoto sitting beside him. But the seat just a meter away from them—there was Ogiwara too. To make matters worse, Koumoto and Ogiwara were eyeing each other with sharp gazes, creating an atmosphere that seemed ready to explode.

As he wished that they would forget about each other, Minato’s eyes met Yoshiharu’s through the glass. Yoshiharu waved with a soft smile, and Minato weakly waved back.

Noticing Minato, Ogiwara and Koumoto stood up simultaneously. As Minato pondered what to do in this situation, a small figure bounced out of the coffee shop—it was Irino.

“Sensei, I’m heading home! See you!” he said.

“Yeah, take care…-?” 

Minato was surprised to see Irino there, and just then, a tall figure approached quickly.

Ogiwara, who had arrived earlier, ignored Yoshiharu and the others behind him and grabbed Minato’s bag. With a single phrase, “Let’s go home,” he started leading Minato toward the coin parking lot. Panicking, Minato raised his voice.

“Sorry, it’s sudden, but I have friends here. Can you head home first?”

When he glanced at Yoshiharu and Koumoto, and then back at Minato, Ogiwara frowned clearly.

“Where are you planning to go with that leg?”

“I’ve gotten pretty used to the crutches, and the pain has eased up, so it’s really no problem. If anything happens, I can always ask my friends for help.”

Ogiwara stayed silent, still looking as though he wanted to say something. Minato took it as consent and looked toward Yoshiharu and Koumoto.

“… What a surprise visit. It’s not just Yoshiharu here, but also Koumoto. Is there anything wrong?”

Just as Minato took a step forward, he was suddenly pulled back.

The crutch he had dropped by accident hit the asphalt with a hard sound. When he turned around in confusion, Ogiwara’s hand was still holding his arm, his eyes sharp.

“I won’t stop you, but in return, I’ll come with you.”

“No, wait! Just—”

Minato let out a scream, clearly not joking.

Since the injury, Ogiwara had been overly protective. Koumoto was watching their exchange with a look that suggested he had something to say, and Yoshiharu was smiling faintly at all of them, including Minato. The idea of all of them talking together made Minato shudder just by imagining it.

“I’m meeting an old friend. But for Ogiwara-kun, you don’t know them. I know it’s selfish of me to say this after you came all the way to pick me up, but I’d appreciate it if you could stay out of it this time.”

“I won’t interrupt your conversation. It won’t be a problem if I sit at a different table, right?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what’s the issue? You can just think of me as a substitute for your crutch.”

“Like I said, I’m still taking my crutch with me.”

At this rate, Minato knew Ogiwara would push through, like always. Trying to fight back, he noticed the crutch had been placed in front of him without him realizing. 

“Minato-kun, what happened to your leg?”

It was Yoshiharu. After confirming that Minato had taken the crutch, Yoshiharu let go of it and looked down at Minato’s feet.

Minato reflexively looked down too and remembered that he was still wrapped in Ogiwara’s arms. As he hurried to pull away, the arm around his waist wouldn’t budge, and a sharp voice came from behind him.

“It’s in front of his workplace. Can’t you at least show some restraint?”

Koumoto was watching Minato’s back with a bitter expression.

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’m not talking about whether it’s my business or not. What I’m saying is, think about the impact if someone from his workplace sees this.”

Minato was surprised to hear Koumoto speak so harshly. As he did, Ogiwara reluctantly let go of his waist.

Now that the injury was known to everyone, the incident earlier—where Ogiwara caught Minato when he nearly fell—would likely be brushed off. Still, the fact remained that Minato didn’t want to be overly intimate in public. He gave Koumoto a silent look of gratitude and then glanced at Yoshiharu, who was standing next to him.

“I just twisted my ankle from falling down the stairs. It’s feeling a lot better now, so I don’t need the crutch around the house or at work, but I’ll still need it outside.”

“But you didn’t say that last night on the phone, did you?”

“I’ll be returning the crutch soon. It’s not something worth mentioning every time.”

“…Well, fine. But sorry to ask, Ogiwara, would it be alright if I borrow Minato-kun for a bit? I have something to take care of.”

Yoshiharu let out a sigh in response to Minato’s answer, and then took the trouble to ask Ogiwara for permission. When Minato stared at him, confused as to why this was happening, Ogiwara responded immediately without showing any signs of hesitation.

“The cause of this person’s injury is me. I won’t leave him be.”

“That’s not true. This is my own fault,” Minato protested.

“You fell down the stairs while trying to protect me. How is that your fault?”

“I see… But could you please refrain? I’d like to have a private conversation with him.”

As Minato and Ogiwara continued their argument, Yoshiharu casually interjected, ignoring the situation. Upon hearing this, Ogiwara fell silent for a moment. He looked at Yoshiharu a bit impolitely, then shifted his gaze to Koumoto as he spoke.

“If you’re asking me to leave him in your care, fine. But what about the other person?”

“Right? Well then, I’ll gladly take him. —By the way, this guy here only helped me out with directions and some reminiscing, so I’ll send him home first. He said he has work tomorrow, after all.”

Koumoto gave a somewhat displeased look in agreement with Yoshiharu’s response. With the tension lightening just a bit, Ogiwara left without much further comment, looking almost as if he had forgotten what the argument was about. Before leaving, he made sure to remind Minato, “Make sure to contact me when you’re heading home. I’ll come pick you up.”

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*Translator’s Note: *Sighs*…-K

Next update: 2026.09.04

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